Raymond Shaban Mwakyusa (born 22 August 1993), better known by his stage name Rayvanny, is a

Tanzanian Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

musician, songwriter and recording artist who was signed under WCB Wasafi record label until July 2022. He was born and raised in Nzovwe ward of

Mbeya Mbeya is a city located in south west Tanzania, Africa. Mbeya's urban population is 620,000 according to the 2022 census. Mbeya is the capital of the surrounding rural Mbeya region (population, with Mbeya, totals approx. 2 million). Mbeya is si ...

city, located in

Mbeya Region Mbeya Region (''Mkoa wa Mbeya'' in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of G ...

. He is the most successful

bongo flava Bongo Flava (or Bongoflava) is a nickname for Tanzanian music. The genre developed in the 1990s, mainly as a derivative of American hip hop and traditional Tanzanian styles such as taarab and dansi, with additional influences from reggae, ...

musician in Tanzania from Mbeya region. He is the founder and CEO of Next Level Music. Rayvanny is best known by his song "Kwetu", which introduced him to the world. Rayvanny was mentioned by MTV Base among "Acts To Look Out For" in 2017. Later on August 1, 2022, a Colombian version of his song, Mama Tetema he made collaborating with a Colombian musician,

Maluma Juan Luis Londoño Arias (born 28 January 1994), known professionally as Maluma, is a Colombian singer, songwriter, and actor. Born and raised in Medellín, he developed an interest in music at a young age, recording songs since age sixteen. ...

won him an award in EAEA People's Choice, Best Global Collaboration category on East Africa Arts Entertainment Awards (EAEA)

Career

In 2011, when Rayvanny was still in high school, he realized his passion for music. He won a rap freestyle competition. In 2012 he joined a music group called Tip Top Connection, where he got more experience in his music career and connected with a lot of artists. In 2015 he decided to officially join one of the biggest record labels, WCB Wasafi Records, which is managed and under the leadership of

Diamond Platnumz Nasibu Abdul Juma Issack (born 2 October 1989), popularly known by his stage name Diamond Platnumz, is a Tanzanian bongo flava recording artist, dancer, philanthropist and a businessman of Ha heritage. He is the founder and CEO of WCB Wasafi ...

. He released his first song, "Kwetu", in 2016. It became a hit in East Africa. In 2016, Rayvanny was nominated for an MTV Africa Music Award in the category of Breakthrough Act 2016. In 2017 he was also nominated for several music awards, such as AEUSA for Best New Talent, Uganda Entertainment Award for Best African Act, and BET Award for International Viewers' Choice. In 2021, Rayvanny founded his own record label, Next Level Music. In November 2021, Rayvanny collaborates with

on the title "Mama Tetema". "Mama Tetema" was certified Disco de Oro in 2022 by

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

. In July 2022, He left WCB to focus on his on Record Label, Next Level Music. Rayvanny holds the record of being the first Tanzanian / African act to perform at the stage of MTV EMA, first Tanzanian act to clock 100 Million streams on Boomplay and the only Tanzanian artist to ever win a BET Award.

Discography

Awards and nominations

MTV Africa Music Awards

, - , 2016 , Himself , Breakthrough Act ,

BET Awards

, - ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, Himself , International Viewers' Choice Award ,

African Muzik Magazine Awards

, - , 2017 , Himself , Best Newcomer ,

Afrimma

, - , 2022 , Himself , Best Male East Africa ,

References

External links

*
Rayvanny – MistariYetu
{{Authority control 1993 births Living people People from Mbeya Region Tanzanian musicians Swahili-language singers 21st-century Tanzanian male singers Tanzanian Bongo Flava musicians