Tanzanian hip-hop star Young Lunya joins Sony Music Entertainment Africa Family.

Tanzanian hip hop artist Young Lunya Yesterday June 03, joined the Sony Music Entertainment Africa family, the label has announced.

The deal makes him the first hip hop artist from Tanzania to be signed on the label, which has its headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Speaking on his signing to Sony Music Africa, Young called it a dream come true.

"I come from a part of the region where even talking about major labels was a myth and a dream, but I have always kept this dream and hope alive. So, to see one of my biggest dreams come true has just been such a blessing and an honour,” he said.

“I am more excited that I am signed to Sony Music Entertainment because they represent some of the biggest artists that I admire like ASAP Rocky, Future, Travis Scott and many others. I promise my old, new and soon to be fans that Young Lunya is about to become a global star.”

In her welcome remarks, the head of Sony Music East Africa Christine ‘Seven’ Mosha said they were excited to welcome an artist of Young Lunya’s caliber.

Contemporary hip-hop artists:

“Young Lunya is without a doubt one of the most gifted, versatile and exciting contemporary hip-hop artists to emerge from East Africa. It is an exciting moment for us to be fully invested in the hip hop and rap music genre and provide a ground-breaking platform for Young Lunya, this is truly the birth of an era for the hip hop music scene in East Africa,” said Ms Mosha.

Young Lunya grew up covering songs by artists like Professor Jay, Chidi Benz, and Nikki Mbishi and was a member of the popular group OMG before embarking on a solo career in 2019.

Since then, he has been consistently releasing freestyles that earned him street credibility and eventually a spot as a rapper to watch in East Africa and beyond.

He is set to release his first project under Sony on June 10th, 2022 dubbed Vitu Vingi.

The Vitu Vingi track showcases his talent and how he curates rap music using Kiswahili in a way that keeps crowds captivated by his gifts.

Young Lunya recently won Hip Hop Male Artist of the Year and Best Song in the Hip Hop Category at the 2022 Tanzania Music Awards.

He is currently working on his first album and has already secured features with top African artists such as Diamond Platnumz, Khaligraph Jones, Sho Madjozi, and others who are set to be unveiled in the future.