Sometimes, you go out to eat, not because you’re hungry, but because you’re looking for a nice fine dining experience. You pick the ideal restaurant, and you hope they do not disappoint. You know the chef is top tier, and once you look at the menu, you’re spoilt for choice. The ambiance is right, the service is great, so you go ahead and place your order. As you wait, the anticipation eventually leads to hunger. You’re ready! It gets even worse as they bring out the cutlery, the salt, the pepper… And then you see the waiter bringing out your plate – bliss, relief, eagerness, FOMO! And finally, you dive in…

This is how I felt in the build-up to Kohen Jaycee’s “Rwebembera” album. The rollout was right, the push was visible, the dates were set, the tracklist was released and we were certain that we were in for a masterpiece. Chef Kohen Jaycee had cooked up a full-course meal and we were ready to be served.

At the end of September 2023, Kohen Jaycee dropped the first single off the album. “Ability” was the warning shot, and we should have taken it more seriously. We loved the song, as one would expect from a Kohen x Axon collaboration, but we might have underestimated the level of work being done in the background.
In May 2024, Kohen Jaycee released his second single off the album “After 10:30”, reminding us of his range and ability to go from love ballads to break-up songs, all the way to straight “Kidongo Business”. Finally, in August 2024, a couple of weeks before the album dropped, Kohen Jaycee dropped his third single off the album, “Dancé” featuring Cxnrvd, Nutty Neithan, and Denesi. Given the title, the vibe is self-explanatory, and boy, have we danced to it since then.

When I said Kohen Jaycee had been in the kitchen and that he was a top-tier chef, understand that these first three singles, however nice they were, could not have prepared us in any shape or form for what we were yet to listen to. They were simply tasteful and delightful appetizers that were meant to get us ready for the main course. Rwebembera was released on 30^th August 2024 and had several eye-catching legendary features such as Maurice Kirya, Azawi, Elijah Kitaka, Levixone, A Pass, Navio, and Keko. Kohen made sure to include some of our favorite rising stars like Akeine, Lagum The Rapper, and Kenya’s Maya Amolo to round off the collaborations on the project.

If you’ve been paying attention to Kohen Jaycee’s music, the first thing you will notice is that he started the Rwebembera album exactly how he ended his WENA II EP. Yes, the “Ninyowe Rwebembera (intro)” is an extract from the ending of “Look My Way” featuring Abaasa, which is the last song on WENA II. That alone shows us the amount of thought that goes into the work that Kohen puts into his projects. It’s all connected, and we are here for it!

He then proceeds to take us through the inspirational phase of the album, giving us Ability, which is followed by “The way” featuring Levixone. He goes ahead to remind us that he is on a journey that started a while back, letting us know that he (RWEBEMBERA) is here for us on “Nva Wala” featuring Maurice Kirya. This story continues with “Rulendere” which is a tribute to his grandmother, where Kohen refers to a folk song that she used to sing to him. A song that tells us that he has found something precious. It is only right that this phase is closed off with “Tell Me More(Theodore’s Interlude)” which is a song for his son, because there is nothing more precious than the love he has for him.

The album then shifts as Kohen takes us into a celebratory mood. If you aren’t dancing to the next few songs, then you have not passed the vibe test. Kohen turns up the heat, giving us “Gundeze”, “Dancé”, “Byoyagala” featuring A Pass, “Oboniire” featuring Lagum The Rapper, and “After 10:30”. Back to back fire, simply because he can. This phase is closed off with a super feature, as Kohen Jaycee gives us “Endagililo” featuring Azawi, further highlighting the fact that chef Kohen was serving a full-course meal cooked with the finest ingredients.

The third and final phase of the album is probably my favorite. Kohen Jaycee activated RnB beast mode giving us “Night like this” featuring Kenya’s Maya Amolo and UG Hip Hop great, Navio. The RnB was so contagious, that Navio started his verse singing too. He then gives us “Weekend” featuring the legendary Keko, which makes it back-to-back epic RnB- Hip Hop collaborations!

His RnB prowess is further shown on probably my two favorite songs on the album, “Wanting You” featuring Elijah Kitaka and “Bwoba Ompulira” featuring Akeine. Top-tier songwriting magic was shown in these songs. From melodies to structure, arrangement, style, vocals… ABILITY!

Kohen Jaycee finally sends us off with his outro “The Raising Echoes” where he sings along to a folk song with his Mother. The perfect farewell after this 18-track journey. The album as a whole is Kohen stepping into the Rwebembera shoes, a name that has been handed down for generations in his family. A name he has had to earn. He opened up, he shared, he was vulnerable, he had fun, he put himself in our shoes, and allowed us to take a walk in his too. This is why we can all “Sing” together, and say Ninyowe Rwebembera.

Stream RWEBEMBERA HERE