The chaotic scenes left fans disappointed, with many speculating that the equipment providers had encountered internal issues. When Papa Cyangwe finally took the stage, he struggled to perform for several minutes without proper sound support, visibly embarrassed by the technical glitches.

Papa Cyangwe recounted that the conflict stemmed from a disagreement with the sound system supplier, who accused him of breaching their payment agreement.

He explained: “He had agreed on a payment arrangement with Umukundwa Joshua (Jidenna), who helped me organize the show. He said we owed him 2,000,000 Frw. I gave him 300,000 Frw first, and later another 1,000,000 Frw on the day of the show. That made 1.3 million Frw in total. When I arrived at the venue, I told him to wait for the remaining amount, and that’s when he got angry.”

According to the rapper, the provider claimed that many artists had mistreated him in the past by failing to pay on time, which fueled his anger. Papa Cyangwe said the man began turning off equipment during performances including during Zeo Trap’s set before Kigali Universe intervened, urging him to restore the sound system.

The rapper added: “After the show, he locked me inside the venue and demanded that I pay him 800,000 Frw. I spent the night there with security guards watching me until 1 a.m. I only got out after writing a written agreement and recording a voice note promising the remaining payment.”

A copy of the agreement seen  shows that Papa Cyangwe was required to make the final payment after verifying that the equipment had functioned properly during the concert.

However, the equipment providers insist the issue was not technical performance but rather failure to honor the contract on time. They argue that if Papa Cyangwe had communicated financial difficulties earlier, they would have found a solution without resorting to drastic measures like shutting off equipment.

Papa Cyangwe says the sabotage severely affected his showcase: “He ruined my concert. Some songs from my new album were never performed because of the interruptions.”

He also revealed disagreements with Jidenna regarding the initial agreement:
while he believed the signed amount was 2,000,000 Frw, the supplier maintains they had agreed on 2,500,000 Frw.

The rapper noted that the incident strained his relationships with several fellow artists and may rekindle past disputes within the rap community. “Some artists are angry. I’ll need to meet them to apologize. This incident has revived conflicts I had already resolved,” he said.

A final payment deadline of 25 November 2025 was set, and both parties agreed to settle the remaining balance by that date.