Walking the streets of Kigali or attending city parties, it's easy to spot the word 'Nziza' on the t-shirts and hoodies worn by the city's generation Z, and it's more than just a word, it's the future of Rwanda's music industry.
Loosely translated in English as 'Fine', Nziza tag represents a unique clothing line, which also dabbles in artist management, spearheaded by Divin Ngabonziza and his colleague Kevin Ishimwe, two US-based Rwandans who share same interests of pushing Rwanda's pop culture to another level and introduce fashion to music especially hip hop.
The two are the brains behind Green Mountain Entertainment (GME), a record label that is signing young local talents and connecting them with top US artistes, including some signed to Lil Durk's OTF, a move that is successfully putting the country on the global map.
OTF (read Only the Family in full) is an American hip hop group from Chicago, Illinois, formed by American rapper Lil Durk in 2010. The group is composed of Chicago-drill recording artists, which included late rapper King Von.
The genesis of GME
"At first, I wanted to create a fashion brand that could compete with big luxury products like Chanel and Louis Viton, but also promote Rwandan music and put it on the global stage in the process. And that's how a clothing line gave birth to GME," Ngabonziza told The New Times.
Ngabonziza, 28, recalls listening to different genres of music and modeling at school events since he was 12 until he moved to the US in 2014 where he officially initiated a platform that would take home-grown talents to another level.
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It was in 2023 that Ngabonziza decided to go beyond fashion and expand his influence into the music industry, venturing into artist management by creating a GME for emerging Rwandan musicians to showcase their work on a global stage.
Road to the studio
"Having lived in the US for almost 10 years now, I have witnessed the role of music in changing lives and also developed strong ties with some of the biggest artistes in the States. It was then that I felt the need to support young people back home, who don't have the opportunity to showcase their talents, through my label and we have been cooking in the studio," Ngabonziza noted.
He has more than three young Rwandan artistes and a producer working with GME, all of whom have been facilitated by the label to collaborate with international artists, including some signed to OTF.
Rwandan talents such as MaestroBoomin, Producer Joeka$$h, Kent Larkin and other potential young musicians will soon release projects featuring US rappers with the support of the record label.
According to Ngabonziza, MaestroBoomin has already recorded a track with OTF's Skilla Baby and Chief Wuk (Wukadak), produced by Rwanda's Joeca$$h, while Kent Larkin, who is also under his management, will soon drop a collabo with Shemi.
"My intention with these talents is to keep pushing them until the world realizes how rich Rwandan music is. We are starting the year in style and hope to even go higher by the end of 2024. The goal is to put Rwanda on the map!" said the brains behind the label.
With record labels like GME, Rwanda's arts sector is well positioned to take over the music market globally.
