Seven years after embarking on his musical journey, fast-rising local rapper Prime Mazimpaka is set to launch his debut album.

Titled ‘A Thousand Hills Prodigy’, the 12-track album was produced at Green Ferry Music studio in Kicukiro by producer Nganji On The Beat, real name Dominic Ngabonziza. 

Prime, born Mazimpaka Che Guevara, is currently signed to Green Ferry Music label.  

The album launch date has been set for April 30. It will be premiered on Kigalicious, a local online music streaming and distribution channel. To compliment the online premiere, the artiste will also give out physical copies of the album to fans.

He explained that ‘A Thousand Hills Prodigy’ is the story of his personal life, and his musical journey so far.

"The project is me sharing with people in Rwanda but also the outside world and music lovers what I know till today. I’m 24 and in this album I talk about things I know – like how I grew up, the relationship I had with my parents and friends, what I think about love, and my country, my music.”

Some of the songs on the album are collaborative projects with fellow artistes signed to Green Ferry Music. There is also a collaboration with Andy Bumuntu and Kenyan singer Charles Ademson, also known as Makadem. As a young boy growing up, Prime’s musical journey started in church, where he sung in the choir.

As a teenager, he fell in love with American Hip hop music and started miming his favourite songs and the love kept growing. His first studio recording, in 2012, was a cover of American rapper Tyga’s track ‘Rak City’.

That same year, he teamed up with two high school friends to form the rap group SKANK Nation, the SKANK, an acronym for ‘Steel Kings And Not Kidding’.

Currently, Prime is a final year student at the Independent Institute of Lay Adventists of Kigali (INILAK), where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Economics, Science and Management.

One of his biggest musical breaks to date was performing in front of First Lady Jeanette Kagame at the launch of a book titled ‘Le Mal Rwandais: De la Racine au Paroxysme du Genocide des Tutsi’ at the Kigali Convention Centre earlier this month, he says. 

At the event, he performed ‘Icumu n’Ingabo’, released in honour of the  Genocide victims. The song is a collaboration with other youngsters Weya Viatora and Ice Nova.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw