Category: Pidgin English
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Me and You?
Kwame Ametepee Tsikata, known to his peers and the music world as M.anifest, is a famous Ghanian rapper, singer and songwriter. His first solo album dropped in 2007 and ten years later in 2017, he won two awards at the Ghana Music Awards. Winning Best Rapper and Hip-Hop song of the year places him as
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How Falz uses pidgin English in “This is Nigeria” to highlight Socio-economic issues in Nigeria
In 2018 American rapper Childish Gambino took the world by storm with his hit song This is America. The premise of the song and the video is him rapping about the violent contradictions of what it means to be black in America. His video is heavily focused on gun violence. A short while after Gambino
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Fokn Bois and Social Commentary?
Ghanaian music group, Fokn Bois, comprising of Emmanuel Owusu- Bonsu who is better known as Wanlov the Kubolor and M3nsa also known as Bondie Mensa Ansah are an unusual match to say the least. This vivacious duo is known for putting out rather controversial songs and their hit Gimmie Pinch did not disappoint. While both
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We could have saved Modenine …
Born Babatunde Olusegun Adewale, Modenine is an English-born Nigerian rapper. He is the most decorated lyricist by the prestigious Nigerian entertainment channel awards show- HipTV “The Headies”. Definitely one of my favorite rappers growing up as a young boy in Lagos, Modenine‘s tenacity and voice texture in his songs and videos made me resonate with
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Sudanese Rapper Uses Code to Assert His Swag. No, Not Computers!
Popular Sudanese rapper, roTation, attempts to make Sudan slang cool in his latest single, “Randaka”. “Randaka” is a Sudanese word that refers to a brand of slang that involves flipping the letters of a word to only be understood by certain people. Similar to pig-Latin, it is the scrambling of words to create verbal code.
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One Year Later: Wale’s “Fine Girl” is Still a Hit!!
It’s been about a year since Wale has released his 6th studio album SHINE and one of his main singles “Fine Girl” still resonates with me. I love the song so much because the Nigerian-raised artist really represents his roots here. The term “fine girl” is often used in Nigerian and other African cultures to describe
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Erigga Samples Nina Simone on “Death Bed”
Nina Simone has famously been sampled by several American heavy weight rappers such as Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Common and many more. Nigerian rapper Erigga, also known as Paperboi, took a note from the greats and included Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let be Misunderstood” to serve as the background on his track “Death Bed”.
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When Cameroonian slang meets African Hip-Hop
Stanley Ebai Enow is a Cameroonian rapper, radio and TV presenter, and voice actor. He is the co-owner of the record label, Motherland Empire. Born in Bamenda, the capital of the Northwest Region of Cameroon, with family from Bayangi, located in the Southwest Region, Stanley Enow’s nickname “Bayangi Boy” reflects the importance regional origins for
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Palm Wine no Whisky
Ghana is known for being a pioneer of African Independence. Kwame Nkrumah lead a crusade to reclaim Africa for Africans and invited the whole Diaspora to seek refuge inside the West African land. During the 1960s and 1970s, many African Americans moved to Ghana and reclaimed their African roots, so Ghana over the years
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HHAP Episode 9: A Discussion with Edem on Hip Hop and Language in Ghana
This episode is a conversation with Ghanaian hip hop, hiplife, and reggae artist Edem. Edem is one of the first hip hop artists to rap in Ewe. Many other Ghanaian hip hop artists perform in Twi or Pidgin English. In this conversation, we discuss hip hop and hiplife in Ghana. When it comes to hiop hop, Ghana follows its own rules. The relationship between hip hop and Hiplife in Ghana is an ongoing debate. This conversation with Edem covers that, as he explains how he uses different sounds and different languages in his music. Edem, like many artists in Ghana, has moved between genres, sometimes mixing genres in the same song. As one of the few artists to rap in Ewe, Edem also discusses the importance of language and culture in his music. As an artist, his music reflects his African, Ghanaian, and Ewe identities, something that Edem feels has been important in establishing himself as an artist. Episode Outline: Introduction “The Legacy” (7:20) “Angels and Demons” (11:20) Conversation (13:45) Outro with “Gbevu” (50:52) You can find Edem online on several platforms: Edem’s music can bought on iTunes | on Facebook | on Twitter @iamedem