Rwanda’s drill music scene started blowing up in 2020, with home grown rappers and producers putting their own spin on the world-conquering sound. Drill is a style of trap music that originated in Chicago, in early 2010. It is defined by its dark, violent and nihilistic lyrical content and ominous trap-influenced beats. It merged in Rwanda particularly Kigali in the beginning of 2020 and has now won everyone’s trust and admiration in the streets of Kigali and other districts. The New Times spoke to key figures in the scene about the nature of drill and how they got involved in this movement. Logan Joe, one of the leading artistes in this genre in Rwanda described it as “the future trap and rap of the new generation” referring to its increase in popularity around the country and globally. “Drill captures everyone’s attention due to its heavy vibes, and emotional bars that attract everyone’s feelings. This made it popular hence making artistes jump on it, as seen from its growing popularity,” he said. Logan Joe further shared that he was not the first to bring this style home and credited Darcin Shema a.k.a Pro Zed as the first producer to make Drill in Rwanda and creating Loud Sound movement which is a label for almost all the drillers. “I always wanted to bring something new in our industry and when the drill music was getting viral in the UK and US I knew it was the right time to introduce it to Rwandans which I successfully did,” Pro Zed said. “I am not only into drill, my dream is to see the Rwandan music industry rise high to an international level,” Zed said. The producer believes loud sound is the future of the industry, and mentioned some of the people who helped him like Joka$$h, Kina Beat and Yannick Myk. Kenny K-Shot, a top artiste in this genre who released one of the most drill hit songs “Ibitambo” goes deep into explaining how this genre works and why many hip hop and trap artiste have adapted drill. “Drill is one of the greatest discoveries that ever happened to the music industry. It helps artistes communicate things that they can’t say in public and this creates a bond that makes everyone want to stay in the drill world, “Kenny told The New Times. “Since me and the boys joined the drill movement we have decided not to look back. It is a great experience that has gained us many fans which makes our drill the best in Africa,” he says The scene attracted many in a short period of time and it’s still growing day per day. Ornella Mahe an upper fan and a close friend of the driller artistes explains what made him a proud follower of the new style. “While listening to some of the Rwandan drill songs, I feel a connection that I have never felt in other genres, it gives me a vibe to dance with and connect with the people around me in a positive way. Drill is something that we highly needed in Rwanda and it is growing at a good pace that everyone can notice.” “The drillers are changing the Rwandan music industry. If you don’t believe me, just watch,” Ornella told The New Times. Some of the trending drill hits are “Amakosi” by Ish Kevin, “King Kong” by Pro Zed and “Tricky” by Logan Joe.
