Category: Africa

HHAP Episode 50: The Mixtape Episode P. 2

This episode is our second mixtape episode. The episode features the most recent works of 23 of Africa’s fiercest lyricists. All of songs featured on this episode were released in 2018 and 2019, and features women from across Africa, and African women who reside in the Diaspora. Some of the artists are fairly well known to followers of African hip hop scenes, while others are more up & coming. Some of the artists, like Burni Aman, EJ von Lyrik, and Jean Grae have been active for two decades. Others are new to the game, and quickly making a name for themselves. They also are diverse in their styles and the languages they rap in. The artists also differ in terms of content, some of the songs offer social commentary, some are displays of braggadicio, and some are simply about having a great time. The common thread is that they all represent some of the best lyricists out today.

It was important that all of the artists and songs in this episode be submitted and voted on by serious hip hop heads, people who are active in hip hop communities. So, thank you to the hip hop heads and experts who contributed to making this mixtape possible:

Mikko from Planet Earth Planet Rap
Ikenna aka Bionic from Rap Radio Africa
Seth Markle, Associate Professor and Faculty Advisor for the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival at Trinity College in the United States
Nimoh from Sauti Za Mabinti
Buddha Blaze, podcaster & talent manager
Xuman, Senegalese hip hop legend, pioneer, and avtivist
Elom 20ce, Togolese hip hop artists and activist and founder of Arctivism

Track List

Sampa The Great “Final Form” from The Return (2019) (Australia/Zambia)
EJ von Lyrik (with Roufaida) “Ego” (2019) (South Africa & The Netherlands /Morocco)
Burni Aman & Jean Grae “Masters of the Humanverse” (2019) (Switzerland/South Africa & U.S./South Africa)
Little Simz “101 FM” from Grey Area (2018) (UK/Nigeria)
Isatta Sheriff “Beat Therapy Freestyle” (2019) (UK/Sierra Leone)
Blaise “Hennessy Cypher” (2019) (Nigeria)
L-Ness “Freestyle ‘Peers w/Bars’” (Kenya)
Rouge “Rouge Freestyle on Sway” (2019) (South Africa/DRC)
Xtatic “Reignition” from Tatu EP (2019) (Kenya)
Abena Rockstar “Politically Incorrect” from Harvest Season (2019) (Ghana)
Eva Alordiah “Solo Life” (2019) (Nigeria)
Phlow “Hiphop” (2019) (Nigeria)
Lauretta Yemoja “Inferno” (2019) (Nigeria)
Moonaya “Il est temps” (2018) (Senegal)
Mina la Voilée “Girl Power” (2019) (Senegal)
Sista LB “Ji gën – Ladieme” (2019) (Senegal)
OMG “Lu Ci Sa Yoon” (2019) (Senegal)
Flash Marley (with Vicky R) “La Madre” (2019) (Togo)
Assessa “Izangoma” from Ugogo Ep (2018) (South Africa)
Kanyi Mavi “Umsindo” (2019) (South Africa)
Gigi Lamayne “Winnie” from Job Woods (2019) (South Africa)
Yugen Blakrok “Carbon Form” (2018) (South Africa)

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HHAP EPISODE 49: Mikko, on Being a Hip Hop Journalist and Curator of The Planet's Rap

In this episode we spoke with Mikko from Planet Earth Planet Rap. Mikko has years of knowledge & experience with hip hop culture and the music industry, and it was great to get his impressions of hip hop around the world, and where some of the strongest hip hop scenes are, and who some of the artists he listens to are. He has listened to hip hop music from artists in every corner of the globe, and his experience and love of the culture has given him some great insights.

Mikko talks about the emergence of Planet Earth Planet Rap (PEPR) and their work of curating hip hop music from across the globe. He also talks about his work in South Africa with Bush Radio, a legendary hip hop station out of Cape Town, and PEPR’s current relationship with Chuck D’s And You Don’t Stop radio network.

We talk about the power of NGO funding in African hip hop. Specifically, the role NGOs play in the direction and production of socially conscious hip hop music in Africa. This led to candid talk about race and privilege, and how Mikko, as a Finish hip hop head, has navigated his position to make a space available for hip hop from around to be heard, without artists having to deal with payola and the egos of radio & TV station tastemakers.

You can find PEPR at

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PEPRradio

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peprradio/

https://rapstation.com

The intro and outro song is “Quu Saa” by South African hip hop group, Driemanskap. The group was part of the “spaza” rap scene and perform mostly in isiXhosa: https://driemanskap.bandcamp.com

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2 Post-Docs in Global Hip Hop Studies in Ireland

Two Post-Doctoral Researcher posts in Hip Hop Studies, are available at the Department of Music in the School of Film, Music, and Theatre at University College Cork.

We look to hire two Post-Doctoral Researchers with specialization in the hip hop cultures of any world culture region(s) outside of Europe and North America. Especially welcome (but not necessary) will be hip hop scholars with specialisms in two or more cultural/musical/linguistic areas (e.g. Japanese and Mandarin; Wolof, French, and Arabic; Spanish, Tagalog, and English).

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African-Americans, Africans, and Hip-Hop

In this podcast, two of the students in the Hip Hop in Africa course discuss African and African American communities. The students, one from Kenya, and the other from Nigeria, pose 3 questions: 1. What do you think causes the tension between Africans and African-Americans? 2. What role has hip-hop played in bridging that gap? 3. Why do male artists from both cultures seem to collaborate more than women?

Resources
Unah, Linus. “Not Everyone Is Happy With Nigeria’s Viral Version Of ‘This Is America’.” NPR 1 June 2018. http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/06/01/615805868/a-nigerian-rappers-take-on-donald-glover-s-this-is-america

The World’s Largest Slums: Dharavi, Kibera, Khayelitsha & Neza. (2018, September 07). https://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/blog/2017/12/the-worlds-largest-slums-dharavi-kibera-khayelitsha-neza/

Clark, & Kibona, M. (2018, November 01). Feminisms in African Hip Hop. Retrieved from https://read.dukeupress.edu/meridians/article-abstract/17/2/383/136652/Feminisms-in-African-Hip-Hop?redirectedFrom=PDF

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African Hip Hop and Mental Health

In this podcast Hip-Hop in Africa students discuss various aspects of mental health. They talk about African artists who have spoken out about their battles with depression. The students then engaged in a very honest and open discussion with hip hop ambassador, poet, and rapper Toni Blackman. She detailed bridging the gap between the privilege of mental health and hip hop culture. Toni Blackman expounds upon her own personal advocacies, projects, and efforts geared towards bridging the gap between the two worlds while using her platform as a international rapper.

Artists Mentioned:
Gigi Lamayne – https://soundcloud.com/gigi_lamayne
PatricKxxLee – https://soundcloud.com/patrickxxlee
Nthabi –  https://soundcloud.com/msnthabi
Toni Blackman website: https://www.toniblackmanpresents.com
Hip Hop meditation soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/missblackman1

Research – Hip hop and mental health – https://www.newframe.com/hip-hop-and-mental-health
Mental Illness: Invisible but devastating – https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2016-march-2017/mental-illness-invisible-devastating
Video: WTFIMH—What The Fuck Is Mental Health?
Song: https://youtu.be/6EkBXb1vaHU

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