
Song title- Hey Azaba
For this Blog post, I am looking into a popular Tchadienne Artist by the name of Afrotronix who has gained a following internationally, mainly in Europe. A native of Chad but raised in Montreal, he infuses traditional music known as Mbalakh rumba with western style beats infused with Afro beats to produce this song. Not only that, but Afrotronix performs this song in Arabic with two completely different dialects. The Tchadienne dialect of Arabic is a fusion of French and slang as a result of French colonization and Arabic nomads trekking into the region. This method of Hip Hop music is very new to the Tchadienne population as the genre, in general, has not been manifested by local citizens. Rather than produce it themselves, they indulge in American artists as well as French artists. Although I would consider him the pioneer, he definitely paved a way for international audiences to look into Tchadienne Hip Hop.
In the song Hey Azaba, Afrotronix talks about the female population in Chad commonly referred to as an Azaba or a hoe in English. He points out the neighborhoods they are generally from which is known as a quarter or carte in Tchadienne Arabic. He is basically cursing them out and calling them out for their bad dress styles and gold digger like behaviors asking for phone credit and money to buy clothes or splurge at weddings. He then continues to state their habits of going to ghetto neighborhoods, the most notorious being Moursal and drinking beer and other alcohols with the lowest of the societal caste in Chad. Then after doing all these behaviors, they wait for their deaths expecting to go to heaven. I would criticize his music due to the fact he is presenting the negative aspect of Tchadienne society rather than the positives that greatly outnumber them. Overall, he did present Tchadienne talents on an international scale.