Trio evicted from Primus Guma Guma contest

It came as a shock to many when Lion Imanzi, the MC of the night announced the seventh and last contestant to remain in the Primus Guma Guma SuperStar Season Two (PGGSS 2) music competition and, the name was Young Grace.Murmurs of disapproval and disbelief rent the air during the event held at the Private Sector Federation Expo Grounds in Gikondo. Many could not believe why rapper Bull Dog, who had proved to be popular to the crowds during the road shows, failed to make it through.Bull Dog himself was caught off guard by the pronouncement that Young female rapper Young Grace was selected over him to proceed to the next stage. One thing was clear though; she knows how to capitalise on the power of fans.Bull Dog had counted on his popularity but Young Grace played her cards right, she sneaked through the next phase. Whether she survives in the next round is a topic for another day.The Just Family boys knew their journey had come to an end, but said they were ‘grateful’ to have even made it into the Top Ten. “We are thankful to God that we made it to this stage. We will try again next year and, who knows, we could do even better,” said Bahati, a member of the group. Young and upcoming rapper, Danny Nanone, similarly expressed his contentment saying his presence in the contest put him at a certain level and exposed him to music fans countrywide.“I am proud to have been part of this,” said Nanone. “I want to thank Bralirwa for supporting and developing the music industry in Rwanda.” First to secure a place in the last Seven was Dream Boys followed by Jay Polly, Riderman, King James, Knowles, in that order followed by late entrants Urban Boys, and then Young Grace.Jay Polly was the first to act on stage, performing his single, “Akanyarirajisho”, with the back-up of Fireman and the band. The rapper, who expressed his disappointment at the departure of his Tuff Gangs colleague Bull Dog, vowed to go on until the end.Having been among the Top Three last year, Jay Polly stands a big chance this year. He commands a huge following. However,to win, he will have to beat off stiff competition from Riderman and Urban Boys, who also impressed on the night.‘Gun-trotting’ Riderman performed “Umugabawi Ngabo” to the delight of the crowd, pulling off a very strong stage presence. After his performance, the rapper ‘took cover’ on the stage and sprayed the audience with imaginary bullets with his toy gun.Urban Boys, again, proved that their late entry meant nothing, this time unleashing a new song ‘Bibaye’ which they performed live for the first time. As usual, King James put on a wonderful performance with his track “Shimwa Mana”, in which he thanks God perhaps for making it through. The R&B singer, who was last year’s first runner-up, performed “Ese warikiniraga?” Knowles, one of the public’s sweethearts, sang her new love track “Sinzakwibagirwa”, with a lot of creativity, supported by Mashirika dancers. The singer, clad in long pink strapless ball gown, looked splendid throughout her performance.Young Grace did pull up good vocals in her song “Tubyine”, backed up by traditional dancers. The youngest of the remaining contestants said that she attributes her progress to her loyal fans stating that drives her on.“I have no secret. I am just thankful to my fans, I am confident that with their support, I can make it to the next level, God knows,” the young rapper commented.Dream Boys perhaps put up the worst performance of the evening in their rendition of “Uzambarize Mama”. The boys lacked their usual stage composure.“I was disappointed with some of the performances tonight but so far so good. If I am to go by what I saw tonight, Riderman and Jay Polly will go all the way,” said last year’s winner Tom Close.Singer and Radio presenter Uncle Austin also gave his take on the second live show, stating that he was disappointed by Bull Bog’s departure.Once again, Rwanda Television failed to have a live broadcast of the event. Three more artistes will be booted out of the competition next Saturday. The ultimate winner takes home Rwf24 million, while the final two will share the same stage with American R&B sensational Jason Derulo on July 28, at Amahoro Stadium.

Leisure

Trio evicted from Primus Guma Guma contest