2017 was a defining moment for Rwanda’s music industry. It wasn’t marked by Grammy awards or appearances at Coachella, but the emergence of a generation of young artists who revolutionized the sector. They introduced a new wave of sounds that not only dominated local charts, but also reshaped the narrative, proving that homegrown artists could create music with authentic roots capable of resonating globally. This transformative year saw young boys, mainly high schoolers, from Kigali’s townships of Nyamirambo and Gikondo, come together to create Kinyatrap —a unique blend of trap music, traditional Rwandan sounds, and the metaphorically rich Kinyarwanda language which captivated listeners and made an indelible mark on Rwanda’s cultural landscape.
One of the masterminds of Kinyatrap is Jean Paul Hagenimana, aka Bushali – or “Bushido”- as he is fondly called by fans and peers. Though he began recording music at a young age, his career began to flourish in 2016 when he connected with rapper B-Threy and producer Dr. Nganji, a link up that resulted in some of Bushali’s most iconic tracks, and propelled him to the upper echelons of the Rwandan music community. Locally, Bushali’s sound is a cultural game changer. When he teamed with his crew at Green Ferry Music, they didn’t just combine trap beats with Kinyarwanda lyrics—they gave a voice to an entire generation.
“At first, we didn’t think this sound would turn into a big movement, but we were wrong,” Bushali reflects during an exclusive interview with PAM at Kigali’s Indiba Art Center, just days after releasing his fourth studio album, FullMoon. “What started as studio sessions of hungry young boys trying to make a living grew bigger and bigger, touched souls, and reached almost every part of the country. It was the beginning of Kinyatrap and the Bushido era.”
Kicking off the Bushido era
A young, hungry kid often spotted rocking local fashion brands, Bushali’s early exposure to music came from his participation in the junior choir at Maranatha ADEPR church, located in Gikondo, a vibrant Kigali neighborhood. But even at that time, it was hip-hop that captured his imagination. “I remember the first time I heard Bulldog [a local rap legend from the early 00s],” Bushali says with a smile. “It was a revelation. I knew right then that I wanted to rap.” Bushali’s strength was the ability to observe the environment with a poetic eye, something that came naturally to him growing up in the gritty streets of Gikondo.
His early work featured a series of collaborations, notably with the Black Devils Crew, a group that helped shape his early understanding of hip-hop, but it was his partnership with Dr. Nganji and B-Threy at Green Ferry Music that allowed him to shine. He credits family connections, like a family friend named Evode, for introducing him to Pogatsa, a key figure in blending trap music with traditional sounds, who subsequently connected him to Green Ferry.
“At Green Ferry, we didn’t just create music, we built a family,” Bushali reflects. “It was about supporting each other, knowing that we were all trying to make it out of the hood. At the time, hip-hop was growing at a fast pace, every kid in the hood wanted to rap or freestyle over beats,” Bushali says. “That’s how Black Devils came to life. We went from studio to studio trying to record. Unfortunately, we split after a few months.” Despite the setback, Bushali wasn’t discouraged and kept grinding.
At the studio, Bushali began keying into the beats of Dr. Nganji, the producer behind “Tezamo Zombi”, an all-star track featuring artists associated with the studio, which showcased Bushali’s lyrical prowess and brought him into the spotlight. Bushali’s wordplay, he believes, sets him apart from the rest of his peers. For instance, the slang he invented, such as “tabati” (which came to mean “walking by foot” or “hustling”) went from being the title of a song on his debut album Nyiramubande, to an expression on the streets. Colloquial vocab. Kigali’s new slang.
“‘Tabati’ wasn’t just a song; it quickly caught the attention of many listeners, showcasing that youth’s ability to adopt the new language influenced by the art of music, something that was rare before. Other tracks like “250”, which also ended up becoming famous slang across the country, also spoke directly to the pulse of a generation navigating the complexities of modern life in Rwanda,” Bushali explains. Then, through Green Ferry’s successful I Am Hip-Hop concerts, Bushali’s influence extended beyond Kigali to the rest of the nation.
The road to eminence is paved with hardship
By 2017, Bushali and the Green Ferry team had created something unique. They coined the term “kinyatrap”, combining kinya (from Kinyarwanda, the national language) with trap, a hip-hop sub-genre influenced by American icons like Gucci Mane and T.I, creating kinyatrap, one of the biggest movements and brands to come out of Rwandan music. The term gained national prominence in 2019 when Bushali included a song titled “Kinyatrap” on his second studio album, Ku Gasima, a project he identifies as a turning point in his career
“By the time I released Ku Gasima, Kinyatrap was everywhere—from the streets to clubs in Kigali,” Bushali recalls. “It was growing faster than we could have imagined. This was more than music; it’s a movement, a lifestyle, a form of self-expression that resonated deeply with young Rwandans. It became the language of the youth. And it wasn’t just about the music, it extended to fashion, live shows, and the way the youth saw their place in the world.”
The album topped charts and its success led Bushali to his biggest corporate contracts and gigs. But the journey wasn’t as smooth as it seemed to the public. In late 2019, Bushali’s relationship with B-Threy, one of the biggest duos to exist in the history of Rwandan music, fell out, pushing B-Threy to move out of Green Ferry Family to Join Climax, Dizo Last’s music house. It was hard to balance ambition and friendship, and it was those early growing pains that pushed Bushali to go bigger and develop the brand of his own, without losing sight of the relationships that mattered.
The duo later reunited on Rwandan National Television (RBA) on several requests from media and music personalities, a move that opened the door for kinyatrap to enter the international arena. But, in the blink of an eye, Bushali’s career was almost derailed when he was arrested on drug charges alongside fellow rapper Slum Drip. The arrest brought unwanted attention, but it also revealed his resilience.
“It wasn’t easy,” he admits. “I spent more time focusing on myself, but at the same time reflecting on my art and drawing inspiration from the situation I was in to return with fresh ideas. It taught me a lot about patience and when I came out, I saw the way people supported me and I knew that no matter what happened, my music would always connect with people.”
His return to the stage, just in time for the Iwacu Muzika roadshow, one of the biggest concerts in Rwanda, marked not just a comeback, but a full-circle moment in his career. The same year also saw him share the stage with one of Rwanda’s most prominent global stars, The Ben. Their partnership expanded when The Ben featured Bushali on the track “Muruturuturu”, which later appeared on Bushali’s third album, !B!HE B!7. The album also featured collaborations with major local artists, including Bruce Melodie, Kivumbi King and others. After time on the inside, Bushali still managed to come out on top.
Bushali’s FullMoon
Bushali’s rise isn’t just about local success; it’s about global impact. His collaborations with international artists such as Ghana’s Magnom and Kenya’s Khaligraph Jones, as well as his performances in Dubai and Europe, demonstrate his ambition to break the perspective of what African music can be. “Africa has so much talent and it’s time we started telling our stories in our own way,” says Bushali. “I want the world to know that we’re not just making music, we’re making history with this sound.“
With Kinyatrap, Bushali has not only redefined Rwandan music, but also influenced youth culture. By reshaping the local music scene Bushali has also left his mark on fashion, live performances and the way young people see themselves in the context of global culture. For Rwandans, Kinyatrap is an anthem of self-expression, a rebellion against norms and a celebration of identity.
Bushali’s craft taps into challenges, ambitions and triumphs of Rwandans around the globe and transforms them into universal messages that reach far beyond his art’s origins. “I want my music to be more than just entertainment,” he says. “I want it to be a conversation, a reflection of where we are, where we’ve been and where we’re going.”
His lyrics, often packed with rich metaphors and cultural references, brings you into his world, where the margins of trap and Rwanda’s traditional sounds blend to create music that is uniquely Rwandan, yet universally accessible. Bushali is currently enjoying the success of his fourth album, FullMoon, a 17-track project inspired by his sons, Moon and Son.
“FullMoon is my offering to the world – an insight into what it takes to go from freestyling on the streets of Kigali to performing in packed stadiums,” says Bushali. “My story is not just about the music I produce. It’s about the culture I’ve helped to create and the future we continue to shape with this sound. We’ve only just begun,” he says. “The world hasn’t seen anything yet.“
Listen to Bushali’s latest album FullMoon available here.
