Hip-hop singer Bull Dog making waves

Wave-making rapper Malick Bertrand Ndayishimiye, better known by his stage name Bull Dog is not ready to slow down. Bull Dog is a renowned songwriter and singer in Rwanda’s music industry. Below the rapper shares his experience in Rwanda’s entertainment industry with The New Times’ Patrick Buchana.Excerpts:Q: Tell our readers a little about yourself?I am a humble and soft spoken Hip-hop singer, born in Nyarugenge, Kigali, on September 13, 1988. I am the fifth of 12 children. I studied primary in various schools of the country, and currently pursuing Bachelor of Arts in Literature at Kigali Institute of Education (KIE).Q. Why did you choose to go into the entertainment industry?The reason was because I loved music so much, so I decided to give it a try. Fortunately, soon I realised that things were moving on well than I had expected; people loved my music as well as my performances.Q. Who inspired you into the music scene?My biggest inspirations in the music scene were American Hip-hop stars Tupac Amaru Shakur, Notorious B.I.G. and Dr. Dre. Those are the guys who inspired me to sing Hip-hop.Q. What was your first single?“Umunsi wimperuka” was my debut single; released in 2008.Q. How many songs do you have to your name?So far I have over 13 singles under my belt.Q. Do your songs convey a particular message?Not all. I sing about different things that happen in the society. So the message will depend on the situation. Q. You are a musician as well as a writer. How much attention do you pay to the musicality of language, at the level of the sentence or otherwise, when you write? Well, whatever I write has to be connected to what I want to communicate to the public. Everything entirely depends on the musicality of language other than just writing a song.Q. Do you read your work aloud before deciding whether or not it’s finished? Of course I do read thoroughly my music notes! And after, I will give them to my friends (those I trust) to read through before taking them to the studio.Q. You are currently participating in the Primus Guma Guma Superstar season two (PGGSS 2) competition, tell our readers your chances of winning a whooping cash prize of Rwf24m?Winning the Primus Guma Guma Superstar competition will depend on how I impress my fans. I have done all I can with my publicity committee, and improved on my stage performances during the Road shows. With that, I can guarantee my fans that with their support, I am going to be the next PRIMUS GUMA GUMA SUPERSTAR! Q. What is the single greatest weakness of Rwandan artistes?The major weakness with Rwandan artistes is the fact that most of them depend so much on playback music, which is not professional. However, this doesn’t mean that they are untalented or lazy – they are being hindered by limited resources.Q. Do you think music can really make a difference in our society?Yes. Music can make a very big difference in our society. We sing about the reality; things that happen in our society. Our music touches very many lives and heals broken hearts. Through music, we encourage people in the society, among other things; to study, hardworking, promote peace and security, fight against drugs and HIV/Aids – we also encourage people to embrace and to support the government’s policies. Q: What is coming up for you in the industry?I am working on three single, “Ibikurankota”, “Ubwinganire”, “Bihoye iki”. I am also trying to improve on my live performance.

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Hip-hop singer Bull Dog making waves