Diplomat – Instagram
Born on July 11th, 1987 known as Diplomat, his real name is Nuur Fassasi, is a well-respected Rwandan rapper. Since his debut song in 2008, he has only gained more and more popularity. He gets inspiration from rappers like Snoop Dogg and Warren G. Some fans even called him the next Snoop Dogg back when he was first gaining some recognition.
He’s always been a rapper for the people and even has a project to help youth get more involved with music in his country
Everyone should know about Rwanda’s horrible past with ethnic cleansing and the genocide in 1994. Since past historic events, many artists and rappers have used their music or art as an outlet for social topics like corruption and other issues with politicians and the government.
Coming out of hiding with his new recently dropped song “Kalinga” fans have been anticipating his return. The Kalinga is a royal drum and sacred symbol for the Tutsi, it’s also seen as a barbaric relic because of how it was displayed in public.
The lyrics in the song roughly translate to sayings like “Capitalism is a muscle vampire” “It oppresses many and protects some”, and “Colonial education system”.
He is ultimately challenging the government with this song and calling for the people to help him make such changes. This is why fans love him so much because he’s always spoken out on harder topics through his music. In this song, his flow could be considered more old school and it shows how he’s stayed true to his inspirations and hip hop in general. In the music video, the intro starts with burning newspaper articles and him walking past them. Another scene includes him wearing a suit and presenting a very official look with more papers on the table in front of him with what could be assumed a secretary standing behind him. This all concludes with the same theme that his lyrics represent.