Rap is the best way to tell a story

Emmeline Nizeyimana, commonly known by her stage name of Emmy Kul Kid, is a young female rapper on the Rwandan hip hop music scene. Born in October 18 – 1992, Kul Kid is the last born in the family. She attended Kamuhoza Primary School and Maitland High School, before moving to South Africa for her university education at Cape Peninsula University of Technology where she is currently based. Kul Kid’s love for music started early, at the age of five, and by the time she was 13, she had already started writing her own songs. Later, she discovered that she had potential in rap music and has never looked back since then. Some of her works include songs like Be My Friend, Run Away and Champion among others. Sarah Kwihangana had a chat with the budding artiste about her adventure into the world of rap music. What inspired you to do rap? I used to listen to a lot of “old school” rap and I love the way a story is told through rap. So, rap is the best way for me to tell all my stories. I wake up in the morning and find myself “free styling”. It’s the flow, the vibe and the best way of expressing how I feel through the rhymes in my head and the rhythm in my kicks. Most rappers are seen as crooks where as some people think you do angry music. What are your thoughts on this and what should be done to change that mindset? Rap is a way to express yourself, sometimes a rapper’s background influences what he/she will talk about! Mostly we have had a rough time! But it is a simple “self-expression” just listen to the lyrics. What has been your most fulfilling achievement as a musician? My most fulfilling achievement was when I was given a platform to perform at the 2011 International Year of Chemistry in South Africa during the CPUT Science idols. If you weren’t a musician what would you be? A full time actress. Tell me about your first experience on stage? Hahaha! I was 14 and shy! It was in front of a big crowed, I nearly fainted! But after 2 minutes I managed to overcome my nervousness. What crazy thing you have ever done while on stage? The one time when I started dancing then I decided to throw sweets to the crowd. What is the craziest thing you have done for love? Starve myself. What do your parents think of your music career? They hate it! They don’t want to hear about it but it is my destiny and I hope someday they will understand that it is all about me, not them. How do you balance music and school? Education is very important and music is my life! So I find time for the both, but when exams pile pressure on me, I focus more on school. Any future plans? I am currently looking for a good recording label to sign me up then I will continue my quest for greatness.