A blog and podcast on hip hop in Africa
The song “The Roots” rapped by Didier Awadi and M1. It is a striking stand against imperialism and white superiority. The song says: “I ain’t a black man, I am an African.” This might be used to describe the way non-blacks perceive all black people as the same.
Awadi is one of the most popular and well-respected rappers in Africa. He’s originally from Cape Verde and Benin, but lived most of his life in Senegal. Many of his songs starts with clips of speeches made by famous Black or African leaders–eg: Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King. His lyrics are … Continue reading “DJ Awadi”
Hali Halisi (1999: Tanzania): Hali Halisi, which means “the real situation” in Swahili, is a documentary about rap as an alternative medium for urban youth in Tanzania and Zanzibar. This 30-minute documentary was filmed in 1999 by the Madunia Music Foundation, a non-profit non-governmental organisation based in the Netherlands that promotes African music and supports local initiatives of … Continue reading “Films on Hip Hop in Africa”
Ghanaian artist: C-Real Senegalese artist: Didier Awadi Instantly I could detect differences between these two artist. C-Real has the ” harder ” sound though he is trying to spread a positive message just like Awadi. C-Real’s song title, “Hewale”, in the link that I have attached translates to strength. “Hewale” is about being strong and … Continue reading “Hewale and Revolution”
For the purposes of today’s post I analyzed “Ma Revolution” by Senegalese artist Didier Awadi. Award’s video was not outside the norms for Senegalese artist. His video was “woke” and called for a change. The first thing I noticed about Awadi was his laid-back and conversational style. He seems like an artist that you could … Continue reading ““Ma Revolution””
Both Ghanaian and Senegalese forms of hip hop are used in order to present a message whether social or political in their countries. According to The Organic Globalizer: The Political Development of Hip-Hop and the Prospects for Global Transformation, “Music is a potent form of communication that crosses cultural and linguistic barriers through various information … Continue reading “Hip Hop for Social Change”
Wala Bok: Une histoire orale du hip hop au Senegal: An Oral History of Hip Hop in Senegal by Fatou Kande Senghor [Please note: This book is published in French language text.] Wala Bok: An Oral History of Hip Hop in Senegal explores and reflects on the evolution of generations of hip hop artistes and … Continue reading “Wala Bok: Une histoire orale du hip hop au Senegal (An Oral History of Hip Hop in Senegal)”
Positive Black soul or (PBS) is a hip-hop group consisting of Didier Awadi who was a breakdancer as well as a rapper and Amadou Barry. PBS is actually a play on word of Parti Democratique Senegalais or (PDS) because both political and social activism is an integral part of their identity as a group. PBS was … Continue reading “Positive Black Soul”
Positive Black Soul is known as one of the first rap and hip-hop groups in the country of the Senegal. Based in Dakar, Senegal, the group began as a collaboration between two members from the Didier Awadi’s Syndicate and King MCs. Didier Soutou Awadi and Doug E. Tee got to together to form the group … Continue reading “PBS”
By Msia Kibona Clark | 25 APRIL 2011 Tanzanian hip hop emerged in the late 80s, and by the late 90s was being labeled: Bongo Flava. As this new genre went in the direction of pop and incorporated rap and R&B there continued to be confusion between the two. By the early 2000s Bongo Flava began … Continue reading “Bongo Flava and Hip Hop”
