Category: Ethiopia
-
Ras Nebyu: Diasporic “Uptown Lion Walking”
Ras Nebyu (born Mebraknegodguwad Mahtemework) is a DC-based artist who identifies as part of the Ethiopian diaspora. Although Nebyu was born and raised in America, he grew up with his Ethiopian father and grandmother, and was exposed throughout his life to Ethiopian culture through the greater diaspora in DC. Nebyu’s identity within the diaspora isRead…
-
Feminism wears Dark Red
Lola Monroe – birth name Fershgenet Melaku – is an Ethiopian-American rapper from Washington, DC signed to Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang. She is the first ever international rapper to come from DC and has been dropping lyrical bombs since she debuted in 2010. Monroe is special because she combines the swagger and braggadocio with herRead…
-
Lola Monroe’s “Grime”
Lola Monroe, or “Queen Roe”, is an artist who has been steeped in hip hop culture long before she first picked up a mic. The Addis Ababa born, DC raised emcee first got her start in hip hop as a “video vixen” in the early and mid 2000s, when she appeared in music videos forRead…
-
A Connection, Not a Title
Recently, I wrote about the Ethiopian-American rapper from Portland, Amine, taking the rap scene by storm. His song ‘Caroline’ was an instant sensation for people of all ages, and today I want to look at one of his songs on the same album. The song ‘Baba’ was written by Amine and produced by the sameRead…
-
First Generation Superstar
Hip Hop has always been the voice to the underrepresented in our world. Those who haven’t seen themselves in the popular culture of mainstream media can find a piece of themselves in their favorite MC or DJ. No one embodies this philosophy of putting underrepresented groups on the map like rapper Adam Amine Daniel fromRead…
-
“All hip hop is local”: Teddy Yo’s Gurageton
Teddy Yo’s 2007 hit single “Gurageton” serves as a great example of the phrase “all hip hop is local” and demonstrates how African emcees strive for hip hop authenticity. Teddy Yo is a veteran to the Ethiopian hip hop scene; he is self-taught, began making music in the early 2000s, and continues to be aRead…
-
Skat Nati’s “Sira”
A rising star on the Ethiopian hip hop scene, Skat Nati is a young artist whose popular 2018 song ስራ “Sira” has made him tough to overlook. The sound, lyrics, and imagery in the “Sira” music video exemplify the extent to which hip hop has become so globalized in recent years, given the meteoric riseRead…
-
Yearada Quanqua – Amharic for Slang
I have blogged about Teddy Yo the Ethiopian hip hop artist before and I have decided to raise him as a topic again. The title of this blog post is how do African rappers use their native language, slangs and other types of languages in their songs.
-
Aminé
African infused hip hop is becoming a big thing all over again and many African, but American based artists are climbing the charts and becoming recognized. One of my artist that I liked the most is Amine, he brings a fresh but playful idea to his rap songs. For him the desire to rap cameRead…
-
Amine – Caroline
Amine known by his real name – Adam Amine Daniel born and raised in Portland, Oregon is an American rapper with roots in Africa (Ethiopia). He first caught my attention when I came across his single “Caroline”. I heard the NPR version where he played with semi full band and backup singer in the NPR studio/BookRead…