Category: England/UK
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HHAP Ep 79: Hip-Hop culture as a space where Black identities are negotiated and presented
The first episode of 2023 is a special episode on hip-hop as a cultural space where Black identities can be negotiated and presented. The research project was part of a larger seminar project with the University of Maryland College Park on African/Black Diaspora Studies. The larger project was funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The overall project focused on: “the dynamics of race, ethnicity, gender, and interactions between and among first and second-generation African diaspora immigrants and native-born African Americans in the U.S.” My project explores representations of Black identities and shared experiences by African hip-hop artists in the US. The initial objective was to examine the music of 2nd generation African artists in America to understand how they Represent Black identities Discuss shared experiences Represent Africa This was done via a content analysis of their songs & interviews. The artists could be classified as Millennials and Generation Z artists. The music of these artists differed from the music produced by 1st generation African hip-hop artists. The early 2000s saw a small group of hip-hop artists who had all migrated to the US around the same time, usually for college, and would find varying degrees of success. Some of these artists stayed in the U.S., and others migrated home. Their presence was followed by an increase in African music on mainstream platforms, & collaborations between artists of 1st or 2gen African ancestry and artists of multi-generation African ancestry (African Americans). Hip-hop’s structure as a genre that is largely autobiographical lends itself to being a conduit for meaningful conversations around race, gender, sexuality, & politics. These artists were nuanced in their coverage of topics of immediate concern to other African & diaspora communities. We saw the articulation of African American & African connections among several African hip-hop artists who came to the U.S. in the early 2000s. Interestingly, many of those artists were Ghanaian. Artists like Blitz (the Ambassador) Bazawule, Wanlov the Kubolor, M3nsa, Minista of Agrikulcha, & M.anifest all arrived from a country whose place in Pan-African history had been well established. “In our simplicity we are elegant/so to us your coat and tie are irrelevant/give up my culture for your religion?, I can’t” Wanlov the Kubolor, “Gentleman” Other artists like, K’naan (Somalia), Krukid/Ruyonga (Uganda), and Shad (Kenya) also would speak to those connections. These artists may have impacted the growth of African music in the US. This growth led to the emergence of afrobeats artists like Davido, Burna Boy, Shatta Wale, & others. In looking at 2nd generation African artists, I identified 583 songs by 10 Millenial and Generation Z artists. Again, I wanted to find representations of Black identities, African identities, and shared experiences between Africans and African Americans. The artists were: Nipsey Hussle (1985): Los Angeles/African American and Eritrean parents Lola Monroe (1986): Washington, DC/Ethiopia Bas (1987): New York/Paris/Sudan Maxo Kream (1990): Houston/Nigeria Wale (1984): Washington, DC/Nigeria Amine (1994): Portland/Eritrea & Ethiopia Chika (1997): Montgomery (Alabama)/Nigeria Doja Cat (1995): Los Angeles/American and South African parents Earl Sweatshirt (1994): Chicago & Los Angeles/African American and South African parents Thutmose (1995): New York/Nigeria In the review of over 500 songs, very few had any references to African identities or shared experiences. Notable exceptions include Wale’s “My Sweetie” and Amine’s “Roots” During the research, it became clear that there needed to be a more global consideration of what African hip-hop artists are saying. There are artists in other parts of the Diaspora, especially in England, France, and Australia and they complicate Black identities even further. A more global perspective on Black identities helps us to fully understand hip hop’s role in shifting conversations around identity. Some of the European artists studied include. Sefyu (1981) France/Senegal Shay (1990) Belgium/Congo Bree Runway (1992) UK/Ghana Stormzy (1993) UK/Ghana Niska (1994) France/Congo Enny (1994) UK/Nigeria Little Simz (1994) UK/Nigeria Shaybo (1996) UK/Nigeria J Hus (1996) UK/The Gambia The songs played in this episode are “My Sweetie” by Wale “Roots” by Amine “I Want” by Enny “Woman” by Little Simz “En noir et blanc” by Sefyu “Gentleman” by M.anifest and Wanlov the Kubolor “Dollar & a Dream” by Blitz the Ambassador
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Jamz with Joc Women’s Impact in African Hip Hop
This podcast covers topics of women in Hip Hop in both the African and American industries. This podcast highlights topics of female empowerment, how African hip hop artists culturally impact their listeners, and methods of relating genuine topics to platforms and fan bases. The purpose of this podcast was to introduce new African female artists
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Mixtape: The African Queens of Hip-Hop
Introduction Throughout the hip-hop industry women are constantly fighting to come up on top, no matter what country or continent they are on. With the patriarchal structure, it is usually difficult for women to make music the way they would prefer or most resembles who they are because they fear it will not be received
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Final Project Mixtape
Across the world, the hip-hop community is very male-dominated and now in the current years more female artists are breaking the barrier by becoming as successful as male rappers. Many African women rappers are coming into fame and are making music to empower women and make them feel more confident with themselves. Since the hip-hop
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Beauty and Soul- Ray Blk
In an upbeat and fun song about getting over an ex, Ray Blk pays homage to the diaspora. Rita Ekwere, stage name Ray Blk, was born August 2, 1994, in Nigeria and moved to London around the age of 4. Ever since a young age Ray has always been inclined to make music. At the
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Abigail Asante
Abigail Burland, professionally known as Abigail Asante is a Ghanaian rapper based in the United Kingdom. Abigail was originally a dancer and would post her videos on Instagram. She made her first debut by releasing collaborations with Ivorian Doll, another UK rapper. Asante is well known for her song/collaboration, “The Situation.” Although she is recognized
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“I Want” -Enny
By: Diego Austin In her 2021 song “I Want,” Enny exhibits both her British and Nigerian identities. Enny is a British-born rapper and the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. As a result, she identifies with Nigeria, the Nigerian diaspora, and Britishness, especially her home of Southeast London. Along with her Nigerian identity, this last point is
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Santan Dave – ‘’Heart Attack’’
Whilst Dave wasn’t born in Africa, he is still an African artist as he’s the son of immigrant parents from Nigeria. Santan Dave is a British rapper born in London to Nigerian parents. His first album ‘’Psychodrama’’ (2019) won the Mercury Prize, and Album of the Year at the 2020 Brit Awards. He’s now one
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SHAYBO and “Dobale”
Shaybo is a Nigerian born rapper raised for the majority of her life in South London. Through her braggadocio style lyricism she has risen to mainstream success. Gaining collaborations with artists such as English R&B singer Jorja Smith and American rapper DreamDoll. Holding true to the hip hop ideal of representing the place you were
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Shaybo: “Streets”
Laura Adegbite, known as Shaybo, is a rapper from Nigeria, was born October 5, 1996, and grew up in London. Her family moved from Nigeria to London when she was six years old. She started freestyling when she was 13 years old. Through music, she is able to express herself without any judgment. As a