{"id":4195,"date":"2026-10-02T17:04:46","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T17:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=4195"},"modified":"2026-10-02T17:04:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T17:04:46","slug":"the-ben-earns-spot-on-globe-datas-30-african-artists-to-watch-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/02\/the-ben-earns-spot-on-globe-datas-30-african-artists-to-watch-list\/entertainment\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ben earns spot on Globe Data\u2019s 30 African artists to watch list"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"679\" height=\"452\" src=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/images.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/images.jpg 679w, https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/images-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 679px) 100vw, 679px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rwandan singer Mugisha Benjamin, popularly known as The Ben, has been named among 30 African artists featured on a Globe Data list highlighting musicians it considers standout talents from across the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ben is ranked 17th on the list, which was published by Globe Data on its social media platforms on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. The list features one artist representing each of 30 African countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ugandan singer Eddy Kenzo is ranked 12th, while South African DJ and producer Black Coffee takes the top position. Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie is second and Tanzanian star Diamond Platnumz third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other artists in the top 10 include Kenya\u2019s Sauti Sol, Egypt\u2019s Amr Diab, Morocco\u2019s Saad Lamjarred, Algeria\u2019s Soolking, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s DJ Arafat and Democratic Republic of Congo\u2019s Fally Ipupa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The wider list includes established artists from across Africa, among them Cameroon\u2019s Manu Dibango, Zimbabwe\u2019s Oliver Mtukudzi, Zambia\u2019s Macky 2, Angola\u2019s C4 Pedro, Mozambique\u2019s Stewart Sukuma, Ethiopia\u2019s Aster Aweke, Tunisia\u2019s Balti and Mali\u2019s Salif Keita.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Globe Data said its selection considered factors including artists\u2019 social media followings, YouTube views and activity on other music platforms, collaborations with prominent musicians and awards received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The recognition comes as The Ben continues to attract attention with his music. His song <em>Insha Allah<\/em> has surpassed seven million views on YouTube, adding to the singer\u2019s growing digital audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ben-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ben-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ben-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ben-767x1023.jpg 767w, https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ben.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ben has been active on Rwanda\u2019s music scene for years and has built a wider regional and international following through collaborations, performances and releases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rwandan singer Mugisha Benjamin, popularly known as The Ben, has been named among 30 African artists featured on a Globe Data list highlighting musicians it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,28,41,36,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current_affairs","category-entertainment","category-hot_topics","category-international","category-top_stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4195"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4198,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4195\/revisions\/4198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}