Kigali’s I Am Hip Hop Competition returns in 2026 with a regional version that brings collectively artistes from Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi for every week of collaboration forward of a two-day public pageant in Kigali.
The pageant, led by Inexperienced Ferry Music, co-funded by the Institut français in Paris and supported by the Institut français du Rwanda, will run from August 28 to 29 on the French Institute of Rwanda.
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Organizers say this system will mix performances, workshops and studio classes aimed toward strengthening expertise throughout East Africa’s city arts scene.
Greater than 30 artists are anticipated to participate in rap, breakdancing, graffiti and streetwear design. The lead-up to the general public pageant will embody collaborative creation classes targeted on writing, efficiency, visible artwork and design, with members working throughout disciplines and borders.
The occasion will conclude with two days of public programming that includes stay rap performances, breakdancing, graffiti, DJ units, streetwear activations and pop-up retailers. Gates will open from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on each days.
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This yr’s version additionally plans to supply a regional collaborative album, a streetwear capsule idea and a documentary, all constructed from the week’s inventive classes.
Organizers say these outputs are supposed to deal with gaps that usually decelerate the area’s hip-hop sector, together with restricted mentorship, entry to tools and alternatives for cross-border collaboration.
First launched in 2017 as a smaller live performance sequence, I Am Hip Hop expanded right into a full pageant in 2024. The 2026 version marks its transfer into regional programming, with artistes and creatives from Kigali and past coming collectively round a shared hip-hop platform.
Inexperienced Ferry Music stated the pageant’s objective is to assist a extra related hip-hop community in East Africa whereas giving younger artistes an area to study, collaborate and carry out.
Tickets can be found by way of greenferrymusic.sinc.occasions and by dialing *669*234#.
