{That’s the new rumor that has had the internet going nuts for a minute, the tennis champion Serena Williams might be pregnant with none other than Drake’s baby. }
Indeed after the never-ending speculations as regards their alleged relationship, rumor has it now that the two are now supposedly expecting a child.
Even though Drake showed no modesty in expressing his love and even cheered his friend on from the bleachers of the US open, they both never officialized their relationship status.
They’ve been spotted together quite a few time over the last few months and appeared closer than ever (dinning together, attending New York fashion weeks events and so on…) and this situation prompted some fans to believe there was more than a friendship behind it.
Is the Canadian” Hotline Bling” ready to be a father? Well, if the rumor has yet to be confirmed, the fact that Serena abruptly ended up her season just a couple a games away from the grand slam might definitely raise an eyebrow.
Her untimely end of her season could therefore be explained by her alleged pregnancy.
As of now Serena’s camp had bushed off the rumor but we’ll keep you posted if more details surface.
{ {{
Tanzanian Hip Hop singer Joseph Haule popularly known as Professor Jay has won a parliamentary seat in the Tanzanian elections.}} }
The star clinched the Mikumi Constituency seat on an Opposition Chadema (Chama Cha Demokrasia Na Maendeleo) ticket.
He was declared the winner on Tuesday after garnering 32,259 votes in a closely contested race against the ruling party candidate CCM (Chama Cha Mapinduzi’s) Jonas Nkya who got 30,425.
The 40-year-old, who has been on the music scene for the last two decades, was vocal against the government through his songs.
Through his Facebook account, he thanked the people of Mikumi for electing him as their new Member of Parliament.
“Joseph Haule (Chadema) votes 32,259, Jonas Nkya (CCM) votes 30,425. We have won with a margin of 1,834 votes. Thank you God and the people of Mikumi for bestowing trust and faith in me,” read the post.
The “Kipi Sijaskia” (What have I not heard?) hit maker who has five albums under his belt has promised changes in leadership and development.
This year’s elections attracted a number of high profile artistes.
{{
Other contenders}}
It included veteran comedian Rashid Misheshe Mzage popularly known as Kingwendu, who vied for the Kisarawe Constituency but came a distant second after getting 8,863 votes against those of the winner, Jafo Selemani Saidi, who garnered 28,054 votes.
Professor Jay was encouraged to join politics by his close allay and an outstanding rapper Jospeh Mbilinyi, better known as Mr Sugu, who captured the Mbeya town parliamentary seat on a Chadema ticket in 2010.
During this year’s polls, Mr Sugu retained his seat for a second five-year term.
The rapper beat his main rival — another celebrity and Bongo movie actor Jimmy Mafufu — to second place.
Another Tanzania celebrity who floored his opponents is TMK Wanaume and Yamoto band manager Said Fella. He is now the new councillor for Kilungule Ward in Dar es Salaam.
Actress and model Wema Isaac Sepetu lost the CCM nominations for Singida Constituency.
Other entertainers who threw their hats in the ring were hip hop artistes ‘Afande Sele’ (Selemani Msindi) and Kalama Masudi (Kalapina).
They contested for Morogoro Town and Segerea parliamentary seats, but lost.
{ {{To put Hip Hop allegiances in the simplest of terms, if you’re from the East Coast, you’re a Biggie fan and if you’re from the West, Tupac is your fave. And if you’re from the Midwest, like myself you have the pleasant task of choosing.}} }
When it came to me and my house, we were Tupac fans. I was a child of the ’90’s and I enjoyed the passion and energy of his music and more than any other rapper of that era he just seemed to be saying the right things…sometimes. In addition to warning women that the underground just “don’t stop for hoes,” and telling Biggie “That’s why I f–ked your b–ch,” he was also telling women to keep their heads up and asking men why we don’t respect them. What male rapper was talking about misogyny in the ’90’s, even if he himself often fell victim to it? Before Tupac became a part of Death Row, he was a product of the Black Panther teachings and from the time he was a young teenager, he was speaking out against White supremacy and injustice.
He was a conflicted soul to say the least. And what saddens me the most about Tupac’s short life is that if he’d had the opportunity to live and mature a little bit longer, he could have done even more great things in the world, revolutionary things.
Sadly, that’s just not how the cookie crumbled.
If you can’t tell already, I have great respect for Pac so when I hear people compare others to him, my antennas perk up.
And that’s what they did this weekend when Nick Cannon said this.
{ {{Rated by reggae fans as Africa’s best reggae export anywhere, Alpha Blondy will be one of the headline acts, alongside Guinean Kora player Mory Kante, at the first ever Africa Music Festival event to be held in Nairobi, Kenya on December 5.
}}
}
The festival, with a rich history dating back 30 years, has always been held in Armsterdam and Los Angeles, becoming one of the world’s most prominent African music events.
Started by Gambian producer Oko Drammeh in 1983 with one aim of creating a taste of Africa for Africans living in Europe, the event quickly became one of The Netherlands’ biggest tourist draws, eventually subsidized by the Dutch Ministry Of Culture and the City of Delft.
Over the years, African musicians like Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba (RIP) Manu Dibango, Salif Keita, Mory Kante, Osibisa, Franco (RIP) and OK Jazz, Tabu Ley, Thomas Mapfuno, Stella Chiwese, Angelique Kidjo, Lucky Dube (RIP) and so many others have graced the show.
But since it was far away, majority of Africans seem not fully in touch with it. Now that the organisers have decided to bring the event closer, maybe they will flock it and make it one of the world’s most prestigious African music events. In Kenya, the event will be held at Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi.
In addition to music performances, the event will also feature, as has been the case in the European editions, a cultural faire and craft exhibition with vendors selling African art, fashion, jewelry, musical instruments, African food, music CDs, books and other gift items.
Blondy is a splendid reggae recording artiste from Ivory Coast whose songs, mainly politically motivated are sung in his native language of Dioula, French and some in English.
With over 20 albums to his name, songs like “Cocody Rock” and “Jerusalem” endeared him to many, while Kante has released over 12 albums with his 1987 hit song “Yé ké yé ké”, that reached number-one in Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, and Spain, still a favourite for many Africans.
{{The movie website Deadline is reporting that a series based on the King of pop’s last days is coming soon.{}}}
According to Deadline, Warner Bros has picked up the rights to an upcoming biography, which focuses on the last 16 weeks of the singer’s life. It will be based on TV and radio personality Tavis Smiley’s book called Before You Judge Me: The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson’s Last Days, due out in June 2016.
Michael was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor. Called the King of Pop, his contributions to music and dance, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.
Michael Jackson died in 2009 following a cardiac arrest. He had been due to start his run of 50 shows at The O2 in London 18 days later.
{{For his 37th birthday, Usher had a very unique surprise. The presidential couple sang Happy Birthday for him.{}}}
Usher, the R&B artist known for his singing and dancing skills, was surprised on his birthday by the president of the United States and his wife. On October 14th, Usher turned 37, so Barack and Michelle Obama sang for him the happy birthday song with a pastry, topped off with a candle.
We already knew that the presidential couple have a great taste in terms of music, we just have to remember their playlists feature the artists such as Diana Ross, John Legend, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj… Now we also know that they can use their voices as instruments.
Even if it was just the “Happy Birthday” song, they performed an awesome duet.
They surprised the R&B crooner with a birthday serenade recently at the White House.
“Happy birthday, dear Usher,” the president and first lady sang. “Happy birthday to you.”
“Thank you,” Usher said before blowing out the candle. The president and his wife were complimented for their singing. “I have some good company, too,” Barack Obama joked.
It’s not everyday that the president and his wife sing you Happy birthday. Anyway we hope that Usher enjoyed it.
“Papaoutai” is a song that gets people on their feet when it plays. A night out in Kigali is not complete if you don’t dance to this hit.
In June this year, fans were left disappointed when the singer of this popular hit called off his Kigali homecoming concert after suffering side effects from anti-malaria medication. Now, he is expected to perform in Kigali next weekend on October 17.
In the song, Stromae, real name Paul Van Haver, 30, broaches the subject of a childhood without a father and it is actually a situation he has himself experienced.Born to a Rwandan father and Flemish mother, many of his admirers know little about the singer’s roots in Rwanda.
{{Who is Stromae’s father? Where is his family? What’s their story?}}
It is said that Stromae’s father, Pierre Rutare, an architect, was absent for most of his childhood. He was killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. His mother raised him and his four siblings in Brussels, before moving to a suburb outside the Belgian capital.
Stromae’s family, however, isn’t keen on talking about Rutare or the family for that matter out of respect for other members, some of whom are also departed.
However, Stromae’s 46-year-old cousin, who asked for anonymity, gave us selected insight into Stromae’s Rwandan roots.
{{Who is Rutare?}}
Born in 1958 into a family of seven, in Nyarugenge, Kigali, the young Rutare and his family initially lived in Nyamirambo but due to the strain of living in town coupled with the political tension at the time, Gabriel Gasamagera (Stromae’s paternal grandfather), an established farmer, then moved the family to Shyorongi. It was hard adjusting from town life to the harsh village setting, a location that was once home to elephants.
Rutare attended Collège de Rulindo for his secondary education. He later moved to Kigali and enrolled at Collège St. André in Nyamirambo. His younger brother, Paul, died of burn wounds he suffered under circumstances that remain mysterious to date.
Paul’s death at a tender age took a toll on Rutare, and he later decided to leave the country.
During his last year in high school at St. André, he ingeniously managed to acquire a passport—which wasn’t easy because Tutsis were barred from obtaining travel documents—and later, a Belgian visa.
He presented the documents to his father and asked for financial help to facilitate his trip. Taken completely unaware by the 19-year-old’s decision, Gasamagera couldn’t say no. That was in 1978.
Once in Belgium, Rutare completed his high school and proceeded to university where he studied civil engineering and architecture (génie civil et architecture), at a private university and graduated around 1986. He was registered as a foreign student.
Without a scholarship it was a very difficult situation—he had to think of ways to support himself.
His cousin says, “It is not easy at all to cope as a foreign student in Belgium without a sponsor or scholarship. He was busy day and night. He studied during the day and worked at night. Once, he worked as a night time fuel pump attendant. He didn’t sleep much as he needed to be awake most of the time; at least that is what he told me.”
Gasamagera tried to support his son but could only do so much. He had the money, but he also had an extended family to look after.
In March 1985, Stromae was born to Miranda Marie Van Haver. She met his dad in Brussels but nobody knows where exactly or the circumstances that led to their relationship. After Stromae’s birth, Rutare didn’t stay long.
After his graduation, he was informed that his father wanted him to return home.
Rutare was his most educated child; a perfect candidate to carry on his legacy. Gasamagera, who was in his sixties, needed somebody by his side.
“Stromae’s grandfather thought about his estate; he didn’t necessarily want to pass on the responsibility and was still able to run it himself but at that age, he had to look at life differently,” says the cousin.
When Rutare came back to Rwanda in 1988, the political situation was still tense. He opened up a private company in Kigali called “Bureau de Deux Génies” (B2G).
It was located at the top floor of the then popular building, Kwa Bayingana, which also housed the Kenyan Embassy. The building is still there but is now overshadowed by new buildings that have since come up.
As a rookie architect, Rutare should have struggled to establish the business, but luck was on his side.
Just before leaving Belgium, he had interned at a firm owned by a Belgian architect. The owner, however, was planning to close the firm and needed to get rid of the furniture and tools he used.
Seeing an opportunity, Rutare requested for the furniture and tools. When returning home, he hired a container and shipped the furniture to Rwanda, as his company’s initial assets.Rutare didn’t stop the hard work and spent sleepless nights drawing blueprints and estimates for his building projects. Among his projects was a fountain at the Kigali City main roundabout (pictured above).
According to Stromae’s cousin, Rutare asked the city authorities not to dismantle the concrete structure.
However, it would give way to the current look of the roundabout when, in 2005, Kigali underwent a facelift ahead of a major conference for the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit. It took six months to dismantle it.
Among Rutare’s other projects are well-designed villas in Kimihurura, a Kigali suburb, that stand to this day.
{{Papaoutai?}}
Many people have claimed that Rutare was an absentee father during Stromae’s early life.
But, his cousin says, “Claims that Stromae was abandoned by his dad hold no water. Rutare made trips to visit the boy every year. It was an expensive trip during those times but he tried his best. The song Papaoutai raises the topic of Stromae not knowing his dad. He calls to a dad and family who are not there. Listeners have interpreted the song in different ways.”
In the late 80s Miranda came with little Stromae to Rwanda. The cousin says, “They were given a hearty welcome by the family. It was a special get-together, especially with the grandparents. He stayed at the ancestral home for nearly a fortnight in Shyorongi but suffered from malaria which cut the visit short. The place was heavily infested with mosquitoes.”
Later, Rutare got married and had four more children. Ibrahim Cyusa is a singer based in Kigali; Kevin Rutare lives in Luxembourg and is a high jumper at the national level. The two girls, Cynthia Rutare and Ornelle Rutare, are students in Belgium.
His half-brother, Cyusa, a Gakondo singer known for his albums Migabo and Inama y’Igihugu y’Urubyiruko says, “I’m happy for Stromae, as my big brother, it gives me pride and joy to see how far he has come. It is a good thing for the family, it shows we have talent. We used to communicate but due to his busy schedule, we don’t as much. I guess he got overwhelmed.”
Stromae has other cousins who total up to 20 or so.The name Van Haver
{{The name Van Haver}}
Many wonder why Stromae doesn’t have a Kinyarwanda name.
According to his uncle, Stromae is Rwandan and having a Flemish name does not change that fact.
His first name, Paul, might have been influenced by his uncle whose demise as earlier mentioned certainly affected Rutare and instigated his move to Belgium.
In Rwanda, it’s also common to name a child after a relative or friend. The family referred to Stromae as “Popol”, which means “little Paul.”
{{A chip off the old block}}
There is undeniable likeness between Rutare and Stromae, as seen in photos.
“Stromae was cut from the same cloth as the father, they look alike. In fact, we say Rutare came back in Stromae’s body,” says his uncle.
As earlier mentioned, Rutare would stay up all night, drawing plans for his building projects, on his old-fashioned drawing boards.
The zeal to start from the bottom and make something of themselves shows the similarity in all three, Gasamagera, Rutare and Stromae.
“Gasamagera always encouraged his children to work hard and be self-reliant, and he led by example, it’s the spirit Stromae (his grandson) took.
“Even their dress code has something in common. Rutare used to dress like that too. He would never go out dressed in the same clothes as the ones he went to work with.
“Rutare had a music collection we didn’t know about, the ones that look like CDs and play on a gramophone.
Even when CDs came around he was among the first people to have a collection. They cost an arm and a leg but he had to have them, he really loved them,” his uncle says. However, many were borrowed by friends and never returned.
Among Rutare’s closest paternal cousins is Jean Marie Vianney Rubayiza, father to Miss Rwanda 2015 first runner-up, Vanessa Raissa Uwase.
{{A Jack of all trades}}
Rutare was also an avid basketball player, both in secondary school and at university. He even got to the semi-professional level in Belgium which at some point facilitated his stay.
Once back in 1988, he joined Terror Basketball Club (Inkuba), a team sponsored by National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) then.
He later started another club, B2G, named after his company. He was president of the team and it was mainly sponsored by his company.
However, it went into oblivion after Rutare’s death during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The majority of the team members were recruited by Espoir BBC. Some of his colleagues include Fidel Rutagarama who is still very committed to the game and is president at Espoir and Gerard Ntwari, the Rwandan ambassador to Senegal.
A basketball tournament, the Memorial Gisembe, is held every year in which former Espoir player and coach, Emmanuel Gisembe, Rutare, and other basketballers killed during the Genocide are remembered.
{{
Grandpa nicknamed “Locomotive”}}
Born in 1924, Gasamagera, Stromae’s grandpa, was a native of Bumbogo, Rulindo District in the Northern Province, his ancestral home.
He had a hand in the construction of key roads in the country in the 1960s, working with Belgian engineers working under the then Ministry of Public Services (Minitrap), now Ministry of Infrastructure (Mininfra).
He was nick-named “Locomotive” because he was a trailblazer and worked tirelessly. His influence—solely because he was Tutsi—worried government officials who made sure he was confined to his home area, not letting him to move around freely for years.
He was one of the wealthy citizens who contributed to the welfare of Shyorongi. Gasamagera was an intensive farmer and employed as many as 300 labourers to work on his farm a day.
Gasamagera, Rutare and many other family members were killed during the Genocide.
{{
STROMAE’S SONGS}}
• Papaoutai (2013)
• Alors On Danse (2010)
• Formidable (2013)
• Tous les memes (2013)
• Quand c’est? (2013)
• Carmen (2013)
• Ta Fête (2013
• Ave Cesaria (2013)
• Bâtard (2013)
• Te Quiero (2010)
• Avf (2013)
• Humain à l’eau (2013)
• House’llelujah (2010)
• Moules frites (2013)
• Peace or Violence (2010)
• Merci (2013)
• Sommeil (2013)
• Bienvenue chez moi (2010)
• Rail de musique (2010)
• Je Cours (2010)
• Meltdown (2014)
• Silence (2010)
• Cheese (2010)
• Dodo (2010)
• Summertime (2010)
• Paproutri (2013)
• Enfants de l’An 2000 (2009)
• Up Saw Liz (2009)
• House’Llujah (2010)
Jay Z and Beyoncé are now renting a 20,000 square foot house in the Los Angeles area.
According to TMZ, the couple is reportedly shelling out approximately $150,000 per month for the stunning 20,000-square-foot mansion. They signed a one-year lease, according to the celebrity gossip site.
The property owned by a British billionaire includes a 20,000 square foot house, a complex featuring an indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool and an outdoor pool with a waterfall.
Wizkid has revealed how the Canadian rapper Drake was the one who proposed the remix to his song, Ojuelegba.
Days after Canadian musician Drake gave an interview where he said he was honored to have featured on the remix of Wizkid’s hit track Ojuelegba, Wizkid also revealed how Drake was the one who proposed that the remix.
The Starboy records CEO, who spoke to Ghanaian radio station Empire FM, detailed how Drake contacted him via Instagram and asked that they meet up in London where they recorded the remix version of the song.
“I was there and saw that Drake followed me on Instagram so I DMed him and I was like ‘Yo, I’m a big fan of your music’ and he was like I like your music as well. So we started talking and we talked about hooking up in London, so I went to London the next day and when I got there, I saw that he had already done his verse to the song, it was just funny mehn!” Wizzy said.
For the first time ever, a magician performed in Rwanda on Friday evening. Dubbed the International Magic Night, the show was a combination of magic and comedy.
Held at Serena Hotel gardens, the show was well attended by a reasonable number of Asians, notably Indians.
There were some Rwandans, too.
The man of the night was Raja Moorthy, an Indian magic professor who is also the Director of the Academy of Magical Sciences, Trivandrum, and the National Award Winner for Close up Magic, 1998.
He was doing magic in Africa for the second time, having done it only in South Africa once. Moorthy does his thing with a touch of comedy. “I have an exceptional crowd tonight,” he said.
“Wherever I perform, I’m used to having audiences screaming and lining up.” he said after urging the crowd to give him an applause.
Some of the outstanding magic he did was getting a Rwf 2000 note from one reveler, and turning it into a Rwf 5000 note.
As if impressed by his own craft, he said: “You now know what I do at home.”Fresh from a comedy tour in Uganda, Arthur Nkusi – who was the night’s MC – would later reiterate: “I wonder if BNR (National Bank of Rwanda) knows about this!”
The other magic that hypnotized the crowd was making an egg out of a red handkerchief. He first pulled the hanky out of the egg shell, rolled in his hand, poured magic salt on the hanky which became an egg again. He then broke the egg in a glass and it looked real! “This is an egg by a magician,” he told the enthralled audience.
“But that doesn’t mean that it’s the magician who laid the egg,” he added, sending everyone into laughter.
Raja Moorthy has done over 200 episodes of magic. Speaking after his performance, he defined magic as signs wrapped in arts and expressed his wish to train Rwandans. “I’m glad to be the first magician to publicly perform in this country.
The warm reception extended to me has filled me with a desire to teach Rwandans about the art of magic. I’d be willing if I’m invited back here for a workshop to share my skills with young peoples of this country,” said the professor who has been a magician for 21 years. Moorthy was with his protégé who also left the crowd gaping in awe of his acts.
