To rap in one language is impressive, two rap in two is incredible—but to rap in two languages at the same time in the same verse? Well that’s just called Kast, and as someone who can’t even rap in their native language, there seems no end to the impressive escapades of the Botswanan rapper. Continue reading “To be the MC that’d walk 1000km…”
Author: mpjvdm
Nigerian Tings
You might know UK based Grime artist Jme better as the younger brother of his older sibling, Skepta. The two grew up in Tottenham, a neighborhood of North London, but the parents of Jamie (Jme) and Joseph (Skepta) Adenuga originate from Nigeria, and the brothers’ upbringing had been heavily influenced by their African background.
F E M A L E
How does an Under Armour commercial display the full potentiality of feminine athleticism and power? They could set the whole video to a Sampa the Great song, for one.
A Zambian-born, Botswanan-raised artist with a point to prove, Sampa the Great has distinguished herself as not only one of Africa’s great female MCs, but one of the world’s great MCs— female or not— and her music serves to support this claim. Embracing the role of feminist inspiration and all-around skilled MC, Sampa the Great’s F E M A L E possesses a powerful and uplifting message about the power of women around the world. Its lines acknowledge just how much respect women deserve in a society that constantly allows accomplished females to go unrecognized. She also mentions the power in African women, and the importance of recognizing our roots and how they contribute to our strength. She mentions the power of women struggling economically, the power of women fighting everyday to reach their goals, and the power of women to get out and continue to achieve more. Continue reading “F E M A L E”
A Luta Continua in “African Time”
In anticipation for Zeus’s fourth album “Pieces of the Now” after signing with Sony Music Africa in 2017, let’s roll back the clock a little…
With his third album, “African Time” (2013), Botswanan-born emcee Zeus (AKA Game Goabaone Bantsi) established himself as a true conscious hip-hop artist. Throughout the album, Zeus’s verses, predominantly delivered in English and Setswana, brim with current and intellectual and allusions. In a 2015 interview with BBC Radio 1Xtra’s DJ Edu, Zeus professed his desire to end the xenophobic social traditions that continue to haunt the South (e.g. South African and Botswanan relations) and embark on a new path of African brotherhood and unity. Continue reading “A Luta Continua in “African Time””
Botswanan Flow is Electric
Cashless Society AKA The Hard Cashless Society AKA THC Society highlights the collaborative efforts of Botswanan and South African Emcees Draztik, Snazz D, Black Intellect, X-Amount, Fat Free, Criminal, Tizeye, and Gemini. The music video for their 2004 track “Hottentot Hop Bantu 1, 2”, off of their album African Raw Material Vol. 1, was shot on a Botswanan salt pan. Continue reading “Botswanan Flow is Electric”
