All Eyes on Rwanda’s Rafiki Coga as he Makes Music Comeback
16 October 2020
[Photo Credit: The New Times]
By Kinyua Mwangi
We have all heard tales of fame, success and influence for artistes who then come tumbling down for a myriad of reasons never to pick themselves up again. For the lucky ones though, the story is one punctuated by lessons in life as they make a comeback to the scene, this time around, doing everything in measured steps.
Remember, they have been to the best school which is experience and they have learnt a lot. It is from this short analogy that Rwanda’s once famed Coga-styled artiste Rafiki Mazimpaka comes to play.
A decade ago, he was such a sensation in Rwanda taking all the glory from his Coga Style of music that saw the release of ‘Igikobwa’, ‘Igikomando’ and ‘Tukabyine (ft Miss Jojo), and Igikosi ft Professor Jay among other hits.
He was the most talked about artiste then, and like the flash of lighting, he waned in the past few years, with questions emerging on his whereabouts. He re-emerged recently and released ‘Passe’, a club banger which marked his comeback in the industry after a period of silence.
‘Passe’ features Platin P, another veteran artiste in Rwanda. He also penned down a five-year music deal with Brotherhood records, a Switzerland recording label.
Download Rafiki Coga Music for Free on Mdundo
“I have already signed with Brotherhood label, a 5-year contract and soon music fans will start to enjoy hit after hit from Coga like I used to do back in the days,” the Igikoso hit maker stated. And just when we thought that his curve towards his comeback was all set out, he is embroiled in a copyright row with his longtime producer Jean-Paul Getsinda alias Jay P over music rights for his new remix ‘Igikobwa’.
According to the New Times, Jay P requested for Rwf500,000 from Mazimpaka. He said that he produced the original version in 2009 which makes his claim for copyright valid on the remix of the song 11 years later. This row, coming at a time when he is strategizing his comeback after a decade could do more harm than good.
Secondly, the music dynamics in the industry have evolved greatly and they could work against him or for him; you never know. The big question is, will Rafiki make a powerful comeback?
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