On March 3, Ish Kevin, a Rwandan renowned lyricist and rapper, released a snippet of his next big project, produced in the old-school hip-hop style of the 90s and early 2000s, announcing a plan to "save" the genre, which had disappeared from the limelight in the country since the downfall of MC Mahoniboni and Tuff Gang.
The youngster's announcement came a few days after his longtime collaborator Pro Zed dropped an EP featuring songs like 'Hano Kuhaguma', also produced in the old-school hip-hop style, which caught the attention and admiration of local music consumers.
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Despite being considered the biggest export of Rwanda's drill scene for the past three years, with various significant accolades, music listeners across the country are not convinced that Ish Kevin and his generation are capable of saving hip hop, as the artiste recently revealed on his social media platforms, while many others trust his ability to revive the dead genre.
In his recent interview with The New Times, Ish, real name Kevin Semana, said that his generation is better suited for the task of bringing back old school hip hop than other active generations in Rwanda's music industry.
The young rapper believes that in the same way his generation came up with Kinyatrap and Kinyarwanda Drill, which revolutionized the entire music industry, more can be achieved with the same brains and that saving hip hop is a must.
"We've been called trappers and drillers who can't rap for so long, but it's time to show the world that we're even better at making classic old school hip hop. It's a movement we recently started and our goal is to integrate old school hip hop into today's pop culture," Ish Kevin told The Times.
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The 'Amakosi' hitmaker further revealed that at the forefront of the revolution is Juni Quickly, a young producer signed to Trappish Records, who is creating the old-school hip-hop beats for the young musicians to rap on.
When asked if making old school hip hop won't kill Rwanda's already existing favourite genres like drill and trap, Ish Kevin said, "Nothing will change. We are just focused on bringing back old school hip hop and adding it to our drill and trap so that we can take over the rap world. In fact, we are rappers now, not drillers or trappers."
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Ish will soon be dropping his first project produced by Juni Quickly in the same style, featuring most of the country's leading rappers, including Kenny Kshot, Bruce The 1st and Bulldog, a former member of the Tuff Gang crew that introduced street hip hop in the early 2000s.
"More bangers are being cooked in the studio and ready to drop. The old-school hip-hop community should be ready for us and know that we are here to stay," the rapper said.
For Evode Uwiragiye, a big fan of hip hop, it's possible that the Gen-Z can revive hip hop, but only if they focus more on the message than it's production styles.
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"In terms of production, I don't think we need old school hip hop because we're in a modern era, but in terms of message, we need it the most because we can't always hear rappers talking about how many girls they've laid or how expensive their jewellery is," Uwiragiye said, adding that whoever wants to save hip hop must speak up for street kids and people who need motivation in their daily lives.
He further emphasized that Bulldog did old school but adapted his message to new school beats which is much better, and the same goes for Nas who still delivers solid messages in new school hip hop beats.
"Ish Kevin and his peers can revive the message that is familiar in old school hip hop in a modern kind of hip hop," said Uwiragiye.
With notable achievement, there is no doubt that the young generation in Rwanda's music industry will, not only save, but move hip hop produced in Rwanda to places.
