The local Hip-hop brand has taken a battering in recent times. Several hip-hop artistes have been under the spot light for the wrong reasons. Some young artists believe this has contributed to all hip hop artists not being taken seriously. However, all isn’t lost as new acts who aren’t embroiled in feuds are now working hard towards the revival of the genre. One of these rappers is Odo Nizeyimana commonly known as Khalifan who gained mileage as a backup singer for the Nku Musaza hit maker, Bull Dogg who was fourth out of ten in last year’s Primus Guma Guma Super Star (PGGSS) season 5. Growing up at a time when Hip-hop had an impact on the music scene, with the likes of Tuff Gangs, Diplomate making news, the young rapper laments that hip hop has hit a new low because most people are not interested in taking their time to create something unique. “RnB and Afro beat have over taken hip hop. Hip hop artistes are just following trends, rapping to beats from other genres like afro-beat, zouk, and also borrowing a lot from American hip hop.“ He alleges that most hip hop artists ‘seem not to know what they actually want.” ‘They are undecided about the audience they are singing for. Instead of making music that emphasises lavish lifestyles; hip hop artistes should sing songs that are relevant to the Rwandan context, which is a country that is doing everything possible to move forward,” he says. Born in Kimironko in a family of eight, 22-year-old Khalifan started singing in a choir at Association des Eglises de Pentecôte du Rwanda (ADEPR), Bibare at a tender age. He was influenced by MC Mahoni Boni real name, Bievenue Mahoro Rugande and SKC (Sema Kweli Crew) who are among the pioneers of the genre in Rwanda. In 2007, he started composing his own songs. His first track was Kubaho Nabi which he released in 2009. Pursuing a singing career is not something that was welcomed by everyone. His parents were the first to discourage him because they associated artists with drugs and troublemaking. Nizeyimana has a mixtape of 8 tracks including; Nabibonye Ujiye featuring Active, Iherezo Ryiza ft. Jay Polly and Aime Bluestone, and Ntiwagaruka ft Bruce Melody. If all goes well, he should be able to launch an album before the year ends. “I want to prove that this genre is sound, most people think hip hop is for bad boys. But I want to show something can be achieved through Hip Hop,” he says. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
