Early last year, rapper Prime Mazimpaka parted ways with Green Ferry Music, a record label he had been under for over six years. It’s been a year since the rapper, born Mazimpaka Che Guevara, embarked on a career in music without management because he wanted to be an independent artiste—who makes personal decisions and positions his music future. The rapper, yet to make a major breakthrough, says the decision has since paid off and he has no regrets whatsoever. “We parted ways because I wanted to have freedom with my music ownership. They are my brothers and I respect them but my vision wasn’t really matching with theirs because they were more focused on pushing their brand name than mine,” the rapper explained during an interview with The New Times. Time was a major factor that made him quit the label, which was then home to rappers Bushali, B Trey and Slim Drip, so he could amply concentrate on his music. “Green Ferry did not consider my ideas as I thought they would. I had to ask for permission for everything and I had to wait for their approval. Being under the label, I found myself in a group of many artistes and everyone had their projects going on,” he added. He said when you are in a label like Green Ferry, everyone has his time and you have to wait until your time comes. “The time was there but it wasn’t enough… and I felt I had a lot of things to do on my own,” Mazimpaka said. During his time at the Green Ferry Music label, Mazimpaka said they managed to produce four mixedtapes together and had music tours in and outside Rwanda, but he still never felt he was making a breakthrough individually. He parted ways with the label in a discrete and amicable manner, maintaining respect for each other. “I don’t owe them anything nor do they owe me. My time with them was an amazing experience. We built a lot of things together and it helped me to grow as an artiste,” he said When he signed for the label, Mazimpaka said he didn’t really know the vision of his music yet, but now he does. The rapper is now positive that his music life in the post-Green Ferry era is only getting better. He revealed the rhythm with which he is doing music has changed since his exit from the label because he now gets enough time for his projects. Aspiring rapper Prime Mazimpaka during a past interview at The New Times offices. / File photo He can now record and release a song whenever he wants without the label’s rules. “For instance, it took me six months to work on my debut album, but my second album, which I released in December last year, took me only two weeks because I was living in a studio recording the songs until I was done with the album,” he said. The album In December last year, less than 10 months since he quit the label, Mazimpaka released a seven-rap song album, ‘Kina Prime’, a second one to his debut album, ‘A Thousand Hills Prodigy’ released in April 2018. The album’s name was inspired by the fact that it was recorded by Producer Kina Beat, who he is currently working with to produce his songs. The rapper says the two albums are totally different from each other. “My first album was so personal: My story, my upbringing, my family, but in the second album I gave people what they wanted, not what I wanted. This time in my second album I wanted to keep it fun and keep my people relaxed. It is more like a ‘feel good’ album,” he explained. In the new album, Mazimpaka’s little brother Lucas is heard introducing it to the audience and urges them to enjoy it. “My Name is Lucas Lion, I am Che Guevara’s little brother, and I would love you to enjoy this album called Kina Prime. Let’s Go,” goes the introduction. The album consists of seven songs namely; “Controlla”, “Word around town”, “Inkuru”, “It’s a Vibe” featuring Mike Kayihura and “Africa”, a sample of Senegalese musician Ismael Lo.
