How Felix Rudahunga Combines Music and Fashion to Empower Africa and the Diaspora
In the past 5 years, the music industry has turned its sights to new horizons. With the rise of Afro beats and Ampaino, music has been sonically rejuvenated with artists like WizKid, Rema, Tyla, and many more, capturing international audiences in a way that hasn't been seen in current history. These events have cultivated an environment that inspires the world to engage with different ideas, cultures, and creations, an ideal that has influenced the creative mind of Felix Rudahunga.
Felix Rudahunga was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and raised in Dakar, Senegal until he moved to Houston, Texas at age 4. Rudahunga’s exposure to various societies and lifestyles shaped him as a person and a creator stating the “ juxtaposition of going from Dakar, Senegal which is extremely community based to being a first-generation immigrant growing up in Southern America is a recurring motif of my music and my entire creative practice.” Rudahunga's decision to pursue music was forged by finding various artists who shared his outlook on what music represented in his life. “I saw this interview from Asap Rocky where he said that he can't escape music; it's what he breathes and sleeps. Miles Davis & other musicians that I look up to have shared the same sentiment. It's the same thing with me. Music is the love of my life."
On September 27th, Rudahunga released his instrumental album, Atlantic Creole 4. The album encapsulates the depth of cultural knowledge he draws from to create musical ideas and concepts. Rudahunga explained the theme of the album was inspired by "a book called Atlantic Creoles In The Age of Revolutions by Jane Landers, which is about exceptional Black people who became prominent members of society and fought for their freedom during the American Revolution. The book made me think a lot. How do you find peace of mind as Black humans when being Black in Western society is a lifelong war? How do you find & express love as a Black human in a society that doesn't love you back? That's the sonic narrative that's being told."
Rudahunga's music is an extension of the idea of a struggle that is integral to the black experience in American society. The album features afrobeat and ampiano influences, and each song aids the other in exploring the labyrinth of emotions that come with pursuing peace in a society that has manufactured your turmoil and pain. This sentiment became the centerpiece of creative output. He wanted to tell a complete story of what it means to be Black in this world and explore the diverse experiences of the diaspora. Through music and fashion design, Rudahunga wanted to explore the vastness of the Blackness in a way that pays homage to its beauty. This led to the founding of his creative agency, Nilote Company.
Nilote champions the slogan Blackness is expansive. It intends to dismantle the prejudiced and stereotypical images that have come to represent blackness in America. Rudahunga recognized that companies that sell or represent Black Culture "usually aren't owned by Black people. This leads to a narrative that Black people can only contribute a certain point of view, aesthetic, and taste level." Nilote aims to take back the narrative and rewrite it from the eyes of Black men and women who truly represent the Black experience. Through fashion and music, Nilote provides the groundwork to show the world the value and impact Black Culture had and continues to have in American society.
Nilote Company frames the black experience as the site of human conception, adding a universal element to Nilote's framework. Rudahunga explains that “human life started in East Africa and every human being living today comes from a Nilote woman. Nilotes are a group of tribes huddled around the Nile River in East Africa. So because blackness is the beginning of everything, that means that blackness can be anything and everything. Black people should have the freedom to express themselves because blackness is expansive.”
Figures like Rudahunga are integral in creating opportunities for Black artists to find themselves through their art. And today, the entertainment industry is recognizing the benefits of cultural diversity driving the creative process. This movement marks the beginning of an artistic renaissance in America, and Rudahunga is ready to lead the charge.
To follow Nilote, click the link to follow its instagram page https://www.instagram.com