Umami Mu Gakino also known by his stage name Jay Pac is a Rwandan rapper, songwriter, and producer. He was born and raised in the capital of Rwanda, Kigali, and currently resides in Atlanta, GA. There is not much information on his back story but he has been in the industry at least since 2018. Which is actually the same year his collaborator broke into the scene. Jean Paul Hagenimana also known as Bushali is an East African Rwandan rapper, singer and songwriter. He also goes by Bushali the trigger. Bushali is known for being very different and quite unconventional compared to some of the other artist in the country. He gained acclaim after releasing his debut single “Tabati” in 2018. Bushali became a household name in the Rwandan music industry in 2019 after releasing more of his hits such as “Nituebue”, “Yarababaye”, “Kugasima” and “Kinyarap”. In some way he is the pillar of the rap community due to his style is very much like American trap music. Many people have labeled him as a trap artist and the result of that was Bushali coining the term/genre “Kinyatrap”. Which is trap music using Kinyarwanda, the official language of Rwanda while singing and or rapping.
In the video the artist is talking about blessings, receiving them and bestowing them upon people. The lyrics have quite a religious quote and in the video, they are seen giving back to the community. The two are working with the Gisimba After School Program, which gives vulnerable children of the community opportunities to learn and grow through different therapeutic arts activities. It is quite a touching video, Jay is seen holding his daughter and the children are seen smiling, laughing, and playing with the rappers. Jay Pac does dip in dabble in gospel rapping as well so the choice of style is very befitting for him. Also given that the song is somewhat dedicated to his daughter, who he calls his UMUGISHA which translates to blessing. To me this comes off as an inspiration rap piece and given the circumstances of many people in the country inspiration is always needed. Rwanda has a history of political and social instability since as late as 1959. There are land shortages, lack of access to the Indian Ocean which both are huge problems with the country being landlocked. On top of the country is quite poor since the 1994 war/genocide. Almost 90% of the population lives on less than US$2 a day and 50% on less than US$1. I found that to be unimaginable, I can’t fathom the circumstances placed on many people of the country. All that to say any kind of inspiration, blessing or UMUGISHA to be bestowed upon the youth and people of the country is worth sharing.
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