Category: Artist Profiles

Posted in Artist Profiles, South Africa, Student Projects

#Uber2daCrib

Posted on by landinneal

  1.  If I heard this come on the radio in my car I would not turn the station.
  2. This is one of those songs that when it comes on everyone just vibes to it.

V-Way was one of the Top 18 contestants in X-factor South Africa 2014. He was the last standing rapper in the competition who garnered praise and appreciation from the likes of Oskido during his run. With a flow that glides over any beat effortlessly combining vernacular and English lyricism he creates an energetic and locally infused brand of music. He is a member of the hopeboyclub and founder of Pretoria’s very own Only The Illest (OTI) hip hop crew.

V-Way The Hero is definitely a ladies’ man. Most of his songs are anthems that celebrate women of every shape and size, school of thought, skin color and religion. The beat produced by Taurus The Mind is a funky throwback to hip-hop’s hey day with the crisp production quality of a 2017 jam. #Uber2DaCrib is shout out to all the ladies who make such a good impression that you can’t help but uber them to the crib. This jam is set to prime hip-hop dance floors for the summer.

With the reference with some hip hop icon’s like French Montana and Flo Rida. V-Way clearly has confidence in his music career. I think he should be very confident in his career with a catchy song like this one if he keeps producing “popping” hits he should be headed to the top in no time. I will be on a look out for more music by V-Way I always need a song to dance around the house while I’m cleaning or just in the mood to listen to some chill music. You can never have too many songs where you can just turn them on and just let them play on repeat.

Social Media:

Download #Uber2DaCrib
Posted in Artist Profiles, South Africa, Student Projects

Everyone Needs To STAY WOKE on The Artist Dee Wyz

Posted on by landinneal

Link to Dee Wyz- Stay Woke https://soundcloud.com/chauffeured-dream/dee-wyz-stay-woke

Stay Woke-

/stā/ /wōk/

Deriving from “stay awake,” to stay woke is to keep informed of the storm going on around you in times of turmoil and conflict.

 

Dee Wyz is a 19 year old South African artist. I had the pleasure of listening to his song Stay Woke. When I first listened to the song the beat caught my attention IMMEDIATELY.  He first starts off the song by repeated “Stay Woke’ x8, since this is a very common term that my peers and I use, I had to keep listening. The song tells the life story about the hard times Dee Wyz has been through. I feel this song could be considered a pick me up, for those who are going through the same or similar situations. Since Dee the age of 3 Dee’s experiences have all helped him become the amazing artist he is today.

This is the type of music I enjoy listening to. Artist that sings/raps about REAL life experiences make REAL music! The amount of personal information Dee exposes in this song means he isn’t afraid to share his journey to success. This song could come off as vulnerable but that is not the case at all. He is sharing his story to tell the listeners that you don’t have to be stuck in your situation. I would definitely be looking out for more music by Dee Wyz, and Stay Woke has just been added to my “fave song” list. He is an artist that everyone is to look out for.

No matter what you are going through remember to always “STAY WOKE,” being aware of situations means you have taken the first step in realizing that change needs to be made. Never let anyone determine your destiny for you. Your life is yours and you’re the only one who can make it better for YOURself.

Dee Wyz Twitter: https://twitter.com/officialdeewyz/media

Posted in Artist Profiles, Ethiopia, Events, graffiti, Podcasts, Submitted Post

Artist Profile: Graffiti Writer Behulum

Posted on by Msia Kibona Clark

Artist Profile: Graffiti Writer Behulum (Ethiopia) at the 12th Annual Trinity International Hip Hop Festival


Photo: Seth Markle

Producer: Kalalea (www.kalalea.com)

 

 

 

*Special podcast episode recorded at the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival, by guest host Seth Markle and guest producer Kalalea

Posted in Africa, Artist Profiles, Egypt, Female Emcees, Student Projects

Injustice is Everywhere, so Stand-Up: Shadia Mansour

Posted on by ebonyorichardson

Shadia Mansour is a hip-hop artist who raps in Arabic. Many called her the “first lady of Arabic hip-hop,” which mean she is breaking down barriers for a female in the Middle East. Mansour is from Palestine and majority of the population there is Sunni Islam. She is a political figure in the Middle East. Mansour is a young voice that bridging art and activism. She grew up listening to American rappers like KRS-One. She wanted to relate the injustice and oppression expressed that she heard in American hip-hop to the experiences of the Palestinian people. In her interview with Cultures of X Resistance Network, she stated: “We’ve got police brutality going on right here in Palestine.” Her song that is called Sho Eli Saar explains her feeling for the police in Palestine.

Continue reading “Injustice is Everywhere, so Stand-Up: Shadia Mansour” →

Posted in Artist Profiles, Senegal, Student Projects

PBS

Posted on by everett13

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 Positive Blacks Soul known for their use of traditional Senegalese instruments, political rhyming, and mostly Wolof language. The two were originally rivals who competed against each other and were from different neighborhoods. The two eventually performed together instead of against one another, and it was at that moment they realized that they had a lot in common. Positive Black Soul got momentum after their performance at a music festival hosted by the Dakar French Cultural Center. They got noticed by French rapper MC Solaar. The group was asked to open up for him at his show in Dakar and throughout France. The group went on to put out their first album called Boul Fale, and their career took off from there. They received an opportunity to work with Senegalese musician Baaba Maal, which in turn got them a record deal with Mango Records, who Baaba Maal was signed with. The group continued on to gain international acclaim and had the opportunity to work with artists such as American rapper KRS-One, Red Hot organization, Res, Tony Allen, Ray Lema, Baaba Maal, and Archie Shepp.

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Posted in Artist Profiles, Nigeria, Student Projects

M.I- Human Being feat. 2Face &Sound Sultan

Posted on by culturekidchi

The song “Human Being” is about how people struggle to keep up appearances while struggling to deal with their personal problems and  misery. It discusses how people struggle to handle pressure. The song also mentions how people use material things, such as expensive cars, clothes etc. to make statements and validate their status in society. M.I brings up an important point which is rarely addressed in the hip hop community: that not all rapers are super rich or always have money. In the song, he mentions that he himself, as a rapper, doesn’t always have money. In a way, he uses this to relate to everyday people, making him a “human being”. Relating to the title, it implies that all celebrities are just “human beings” or ordinary people. The song mentions how people are forced to meet the demands of others and live up to their expectations. This is an important song since it is both relative  to both American and Nigerian society. Although these cultures are fairly different, they share similarities in terms of judgement and appearance. For example, if you are of a high social status, or at least appear to be, people will treat you differently, often better. Another important aspect of this song is the means of communication. The song both uses traditional English and pidgin English to get its message across. Pidgin English, being more relative to the youth, makes the message of the song more relevant. Although both traditional English and pidgin English are used in Nigeria, Pidgin English is more commonly used in an Urban setting.

 

Posted in Artist Profiles, Ghana, Student Projects

Illuminati by Sarkodie

Posted on by destineyw

Sarkodie is a hip hop artist/ rapper from Tena, Ghana. His full name is Michael Owusu Addo. In 2012 he won the BET Award for Best International Act and in 2014 he won an Independent Music Award for Best Song: Rap or Hip Hop.  When I listen to the song it sounds like an American hip hop song that you would hear today. As I was watching it I noticed a lot of similarities between his video and the videos you see hear in America. When you look at the video it shows him in the dessert and it seems  as though he is doing a deal with some guys who seemed to be Arabs, kind of like what you would see in an American video. You also saw the glorification of woman as sexual objects objects with the woman in the dessert. His style of rapping is very fast and very hard. He talks a low about power. Listening to his lyrics I found them to be hard to understand until you listen to the song like two or three times. In the song he talks about controversial contracts that he has been given which has he has learned from and has learned how to deal with the struggles of being famous and negotiating. In one part he says “the Lord is still my Shepherd, he is regarding his upbringing and religion as an impact on life. When I looked up some reasons for the song being called Illuminati, I was shocked at his reasoning for it. He talks about how when he was struggling to become a successful rapper, no one helped and no one looked at him as being one but when he finally became successful, people bean to call him the Illuminati and regard him as an Illuminati because of his fame and his style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

sarkodie-illuminati-lyrics

Posted in Artist Profiles, South Africa, Student Projects

Black Noise

Posted on by everett13

Hip hop crew Black Noise from the Cape Flats in Cape Town, South African is recognized as one of the crews that began Cape Towns ‘conscious’ hip hop scene. The other, the well known Prophets of Da City. Black Noise started out as a group of survivors from the breakdance era in South Africa. The members were all influenced by hip hop music in some way or another and they would often hang out with each other on the weekends. They eventually began doing performances at schools, malls, and carnivals. Most performances consisted only of breakdancing, but if there was equipment available they would do some beatboxing, Mcing, or rapping. The crew continued to grow and evolve from there. They’ve had members leave and join the group as time has gone on, and today the only remaining original member is Emile Jansen.

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Posted in Artist Profiles, Ghana, Student Projects

M.anifest “Suffer”

Posted on by kianakisino

An award winning Ghanaian rapper and songwriter, M.anifest, is one of the best rappers to date. In 2013, M.anifest won best rapper of the year and song of the year. Then, in 2015, his song “Someway Bi” got a third place honor in the International Songwriters Competition (ISC). Easily noting, his music is nothing less than great.

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Posted in Artist Profiles, South Africa, Student Projects

Cassper Nyovest – “Mama I Made It (MIMI)”

Posted on by fredsandsiv

cassper-nyovest-mama-i-made-it-lyrics

Refiloe Maele Phoolo, known to the public as Cassper Nyovest, is a South African recording artist who’s latest single “Mama I Made It (MIMI)” is a true testament to his past. Growing up in the North West province, Nyovest attended Sol Plaatje Secondary School, where he was esteemed for his athletic ability in basketball, football, and cricket. His rap career spans back to his childhood, as early as the age of 12 during his middle school years. His 10th grade year brought forward academic troubles, causing failure on exams, and he moved to Potchefstroom to live with his grandmother. During the following year, Nyovest made the decision to end his high school career and drop out.

The rapper’s dedication to the pursuance of his dream stands as the backbone of both the single, and his career as a whole. His early releases, including the album Tsholofelo and its singles, were met with major success. The debut album hit #1 on the iTunes South African albums chart for 2 months, and Nyovest was even ranked as the number one “Hottest MC in Africa” by MTV Base.

“Mama I Made It”, to be quite transparent, offers a very familiar listening experience to that of what is heard in American Hip Hop currently, which I find intriguing. The sound reminds me of the music of Future, 2 Chainz, or Drake. The aforementioned discontinuation of his high school career appears as a topic within the lyrics:

Mama ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to make you proud
I know I put you through a lot of shit, I’m sorry the calling was loud
But you, you let me drop out of school
All of your friends used to call you a fool
Now when I go home I pull up in a coupe.

Nyovest has seen his dream realized, and he’s come to the understanding that his sacrifices have made a lasting impact on his future.