At first glance hip-hop artiste NPC passes for an international music star. However, this is not the case for this upcoming Rwandan Hip-hop artiste. Born in 1990, NPC, real name Paulin Niwe, is an orphan who lost both his parents and other siblings to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The only other surviving member of his family is his sister. “You know having a family and you wake up one day when it is all gone, with no one to take care of you. Having to do different kinds of jobs to get food on the table and education—it was not easy,” recalls NPC. Despite having a disturbed childhood, NPC found solace in singing. As a young boy he could mime songs of renowned artistes around the world. He rose to fame after the release of Birashyushye and Uko Namubonye. As a child NPC enjoyed rap music and admired many American rappers. He draws his musical inspiration from Eminem. The Injyana-Nsazi singer started singing professionally in 2007 with TFP group. He later went solo in 2009 and has since released over 20 songs— working with different producers in Kigali. Despite achieving his childhood dream of becoming a Hip-hop artiste, NPC wishes to see his music cross borders and to work with internationally renowned rap artistes. Like many artistes in Rwanda, NPC says most artistes lack sponsorship. “It’s very hard for us [artistes] to get sponsors. We have to work so hard to be able to record nice music,” he says. NPC is a student at Adventist University of Central Africa, (AUCA).
