For a long time, Rwandan music was characterised by classic genres like R&B, pop, hip-hop, and dancehall, among others, originally produced elsewhere around the world.

ALSO READ: From ‘Tukabyine’ to making Trap, Drill, and Afro-beat: The evolution of Rwanda’s music

Following the rise of West African musicians like Wizkid, Maleek Berry, and Davido back in the early 2010s, Rwandan artistes started making afro-beat, a style of popular music that incorporates elements of African music and jazz, soul, and funk.

The rise of afro-beat gave room to sub-genres like afro-pop, afro-house, afro-zouk, and afro-fusion, among others, in Rwanda’s music industry and changed it for good.

Today, the industry is full of artistes and producers making a new wave of sounds that are pushing Rwandan music onto the international arena.

From amapiano, a subgenre of house music that emerged from townships of South Africa, to kinyatrap, a subgenre of trap produced by Kigali-based rappers, we highlight some of the genres produced in Rwanda and driving the industry to greater heights.

Kinyatrap

In 2017, a handful of young boys, mainly high school graduates located in Kigali, came together and created sounds that resulted in the kinyatrap sub-genre.

The young boys whom people later came to know as Bushali or Bushido, B-Threy, Slum Drip, producer Dr Nganji and Dizo Last, produced the sound with inspiration from trap music, a genre characterised by complex hi-hat patterns, tuned kick drums with long decay and lyrical content that often focuses on street life, which was pioneered by the likes of Young Jeezy, T.I, Gucci Mane, DJ Screw to mention a few.

ALSO READ: Inside the rise of Kinyatrap, first rap sub-genre by young Rwandan musicians

With hits like ‘Tsikizo’, ‘250’, ‘Ipafu’, ‘Kugasima’, ‘Sindi Mubi’, and many others, the sub-genre won the attention and admiration of many music lovers in a short time, which helped it gain momentum.

Dr Nganji, a pioneer of kinyatrap described it as a necessary addition to Rwanda’s music industry, which gave a platform for young Rwandan musicians to thrive.

"We wanted it to be a genre that one could hear and trace our origins. We made a fusion of Rwandan traditional and modern sounds. It is the sound of the future,” Nganji told The New Times.

It is played everywhere in the country and gave a platform to many young musicians who also started making different genres including drill.

Drill

Drill in Rwanda can be traced back to 2020 when home-grown rappers and producers put their own spin on the world-conquering sound and made it blow up in Kigali. It is produced by the fast-rising generation in Rwandan music signed under drill movements such as Loud Sound and Trappish Gang.

ALSO READ: The rise of Drill music in Rwanda

According to Ish Kevin, founder of Trappish, and one of the pioneers of drill in Rwanda, the new genre is already at the top, considering how it captures everyone’s attention using its heavy vibes and emotional bars.

The artiste also believes that drill is the future of the industry, given how Rwanda is ranked among the best countries making the genre, globally. It also attracted international musicians like Ycee to work with Ish Kevin on his track dubbed ‘Clout’ which is topping the charts and online streaming platforms in Africa.

Ish Kevin was ranked among the best 12 African rappers, with his single, ‘No Cap’ ranked as the fourth hard drill song globally by GRM Daily, which shows how Rwandan music is going places and making the world listen.

Afro-pop

There is a new wave of Black music, and it’s called afro-pop. Technically a sub-genre, it’s finally getting the international attention it deserves. It has gone global, enabling African artistes to garner billions of streams, rule the airwaves and playlists, debut on top Billboard charts, and win Grammy awards.

The sound is now at the forefront of Rwandan music given how the young generation in Rwanda has mastered it and given it a touch of traditional sounds.

Produced by some of the best producers in the country including Element, Danny Beats, Kozze, Madebeats, Micheal Makemba, and many others, afro-pop is now driving the music industry not only in Rwanda but globally.

Hip-hop

Hip-hop is one of the music genres that have stayed at the top of the game for years, and it’s now recreated by the young generation.

Mc Mahoniboni was the first Rwandan artiste to jump on hip-hop beats which were taking over, especially in the black community of the US, and introduced it to his country. In 1999, he blessed the industry with new hip-hop releases like ‘Kubaka Izina’ which took over local airwaves and made hip-hop the new face of Rwandan music.

Inspired by Mahoniboni and the likes of 50 Cent, Snoop, Eminem, Diddy, and many others, different rap groups like Tuff Gang were eventually formed, which accelerated the rise of rap culture in Rwanda.

In the same era, Tuff Gang which consisted of top rappers like the late Jay Polly, Fireman, Bull Dog, Green P, and P Fla, with the help of producer Lick Lick, pioneered hip-hop that narrated the street and gang lifestyle of Kigali.

A number of tracks like ‘Amaganya,’ ‘Kwicumu,’ and ‘Gereza’ followed and pushed the genre from Kigali to other corners of the country. By then, the R&B genre had also gained more profound appeal and reign in Rwanda’s music industry.

Amapiano

Rwandan DJs, producers, singers, and dancers have adopted the making of a merging South African house genre made up of distinct synths, airy pads, wide bass lines, and percussions from another local sub-genre of house music called Bacardi.

ALSO READ: Rwandan musicians jump on Amapiano, a music genre taking the world by storm

According to Kevin Klein, a DJ and producer and one of the pioneers of amapiano in Rwanda, the genre is a groovy sound, which is why it is becoming a trend in the country.

One can notice the increase in popularity of this genre by the way it’s played in cafes, pubs, and other social events in Kigali.

It is being produced by the likes of DJ Marnaud, Davydenko, Kevin Klein, and many other big producers in the country.

Electronic Dance Music (EDM)

Electronic Dance Music (EDM), is a new genre that is slowly taking over in Rwanda given how its community continues to grow, thanks to the effort that some producers put into recording a number of songs in the genre.

A typical example of a Rwandan song in the EDM genre is ‘Grateful’, a collaboration between Rita Ange Kagaju and producer Jumper Keellu.

Electronic dance music, also known as dance music, club music, or simply dance, uses a broad range of percussive electronic music genres made largely for nightclubs, raves, and festivals.

Producer Eloi EL who is also the most streamed Rwandan artiste on Spotify is one of eight local producers who are so far recording the EDM genre. Others include Kavadias Mahoro, also known as MahKavadias, Jean d’Amour Habimana [S3PH], Josue Ishema (Jösh), Valens Mugisha (Ano), Placide Iradukunda Munyaneza (IRAD Placide) and Levis Shema (L3vis).