Category: Ethiopia
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Bringing Ethiopian Vibrancy to the COLORS Stage
Alewya was born in Saudi Arabia raised in Sudan then relocated to the United Kingdom. Although her upbringing was highly diverse the Ethiopian roots of her mother have still shone through in her childhood. This is expressed through her most recent single entitled “Ethiopia”. She was given the opportunity to perform this song on theRead…
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Meet Kepaso: The Underground Female-Dominated Rap Group
Kepaso is a rap group steadily making progress in the hip-hop scene of Ethiopia. The group is made up of three members, Kepaso Daygo, Kepaso Selam, and Kepaso Lelena. These three make a formidable alliance as they share the stage on their tracks. Lelena and Selam are the two ladies that lead the way inRead…
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Kassmasse’s Wish for Ethiopia
By Dagem Teferra When it comes to reflective music that analyses society and advocates for positive change, there aren’t many that do it as well as Kassmasse. His trailblazing genre of Hip-Hop is almost always accompanied by historical reminders and nods to the vast culture in Ethiopia. In his song, Sewasew, he chooses to skip theRead…
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Meet Kassmasse, the star lighting up Ethiopia with his new ‘perspective’
Fikru Sema (stage name: Kassmasse) is the hottest young artist in the Hip Hop scene of Ethiopia. His sudden rise to fame came two years ago in 2021 with the release of his first EP called ‘Maleda’. Kassmasse quickly became a point of intrigue for me when I learned that we had gone to theRead…
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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…
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Queen Monroe
Fershgenet Melaku, better known as Queen Monroe or Lola Monroe, is a famous Ethiopian hip hop artist raised in Washington DC. Born in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Lola Monroe began her music career as a video model in many hip hop music videos before transitioning to creating her own music. She released “BossRead…
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Tigist Asmare “Alen Wey” Music Video
Tigist Asmare is a popular Ethiopian musician. Her most famous song, Amelegnaw, gained widespread popularity and topped charts for over 8 weeks. Her most recent song and music video, Alan Wey, however, has garnered attention much quicker due to its social and political message. Not only did the lyrics directly comment on her stance onRead…
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The Controversy and Awareness of Tariku Gankisi’s “Dishta Gina”
Tariku Gankasi is an Ethiopian musician from Jinka, a southern region of Ethiopia. Gankisi was a soldier in the military during the Ethio-Eritrean war. He saw much violence and his music has preached love and peace ever since he returned home. As he gained fame his message of unity began to spread. Recently, Ethiopia has facedRead…
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aminÉ: The king of duality
Adam Aminé Daniel, known as Aminé, is a first-generation American rapper that was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He is the son of Ethiopian and Eritrean parents who moved to the United States n the early 1990s. Aminé’s debut single “Caroline” was THE hit of summer 2016 and is still regarded for making thatRead…
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Roots that made me- Amine
Amine is a Ethiopian/Ertriean-American Grammy and BET hip hop awards nominated rapper and songwriter. His career skyrocketed when he released “Caroline” in 2016 it was number 5 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 2016-2017. He performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and released additional songs to his first album “Good for you”.Read…