Category: Kenya
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The face of Kenya’s Hip Hop Scene: Khaligraph Jones
Khaligraph Jones a.k.a Papa Jones born Brian Robert Ouka is an influential Kenyan Rapper who came to the scene when he was 19 years old, during ‘The 2009 Channel ‘O’ MC Africa Challenge’. Tracing his roots from Kayole, Nairobi, this artist had humble beginnings and has used that to shape his music and sound which
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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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Stella Mwangi’s Global Roots
In the video for her 2014 track “Biashara,” rapper Stella Mwangi, also known as STL, boldly addresses the viewer as she embodies a distinct fusion of her transnational roots. Mwangi, who was born in Murang’a, Kenya but migrated to Norway with her family in 1991, at the age of five, is an expert at blending
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Shad the Storyteller
Representation and roots are the foundation for hip hop. Without representation, hip hop would arguably not exist. Further, with culture, comes language. So when Shadrach Kabango, also known as “Shad,” was born in the early 1980s in Kenya, representation too played an integral part not only in his upbringing as a Canadian citizen, but also as a award
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Fena Gitu is “Doing Her Thing”
When listening to Nairobi-based rapper Fena Gitu’s music, one can immediately sense her powerful command of the mic. In the male dominated sphere of contemporary African hip-hop, Gitu exists alongside a growing number of female artists who are boldly claiming their space as emcees in their own rights. As minorities in their field, women hip-hop
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Wangechi’s World
“It is easy for a guy to be a recognized as a rapper but not so for female rappers,” says Wangechi Waweru; this sentiment is a driving force in Waweru’s career to pave a path for other female, Kenyan rappers. Known by her stage name, “Wangechi,” she has been well recepted in the Kenyan hip hop
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Octopizzo’s “Nu Afrika”
In 2017, Kenyan rapper and youth activist Octopizzo released “Nu Afrika”, a single that came about as a result of the extremely violent rioting and political unrest in Kenya. Kenya was undergoing a brutal change of regime following the presidential election results. Before releasing “Nu Afrika”, Octopizzo (Henry Ohanga) spoke to his hometown Kibera, which
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Juliani Wants to Lead Kenyans to “Victory through Misery”
Hip hop in Kenya, as around the globe, provides an ideal platform for artists to share their perspectives surrounding issues of social and political importance to both themselves and the larger communities they represent. Through their verses, rappers and MCs have the ability to traverse across barriers to challenge those in power and unify their
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King Kaka’s Key
No matter location – whether in America, the United Kingdom, or Kenya –artists use hip hop to not only make songs, which satisfy the listeners, but also to make social commentary and hopefully some sort of social change. Hip hop is a tool of various forms of social justice. In Kenya’s uprising in 2008, hip hop
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Camp Mulla’s Rise and Fall
Camp Mulla has been credited with shaping the Kenyan hip hop scene, since their rise to recognition in the late 2000s. Their self-proclaimed roots are in hip hop, but they have harnessed an audience from using “house,” “electronic,” and R&B genres of music. They call their style of music “254Low” or “2-5-Flow,” an homage to Kenya’s calling