Category: Swahili
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The Sounds of Tanzania
-A brief article about the many sounds that are produced in Hip Hop. Hip Hop isn’t just a genre of music, it’s a genre that has its own style, culture, code, and language that sets it apart from all other genres. Through the use of Swahili slang & AAVE, drumming, storytelling, and rhyming, along with
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“Who will speak for us the weak?”- Nay Wa Mitego
“Nani Atusemee Semee Sisi Wanyonge” – roughly translated to “Who will speak for us the weak” encompass the sole drive artist and activist, Nay Wa Mitego has towards his craft. Emmanuel Elibariki, also known as Nay Wa Mitego, was born June 9, 1988, in Tanzania. He made his first debut on youtube in July 2014
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Nikki Mbishi: #999
Tanzania rapper Nikki Mbishi has a very extensive discography. One of his latest projects #999, which came out in 2021, speaks about the issue of gang violence and the need to make a change in his community. He begins the song describing what seems to be his primary community. He then goes on to say
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Rosa Ree: Girls Wanna Have Fun
Rosary Robert Iwole also known as “Rosa Ree” is a female rapper, born in Moshi, Tanzania. She was raised in Arusha and spent a bit of her childhood in Kenya. She completed her basic education in Nairobi, Kenya at Ainsworth Primary School and Rudolf Steiner Primary. She went on to complete her secondary education at
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Chris Kaiga – I WANT (ft. Mutoriah)
Chris Kaiga is a Kenyan-based artist (rapper) born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. His love and passion for music started in 2009 with the ambition of being a music producer but soon changed after recording his first single in 2011. He’s had hits with songs like ‘Zimenice’, ‘Niko on’ and ‘Bundaz’. He takes a distinct
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Mex Cortez’s Monsoon Winds
Monsoon Winds, the debut album of Mex Cortez, will easily become heavy rotated through your playlists, as it has in mine! To begin, a monsoon is defined as seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation, with winds moving from colder climates to warmer ones. Cortez calls his album, Monsoon Winds, as a symbol to represent him finding
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HHAP Ep. 74: Fid Q on Hip Hop, Language, & Culture in Tanzania
In this episode of Hip-Hop in Africa Podcast, have a long-awaited interview with Tanzanian artist, Fid Q. The conversation begins with a discussion of Fid Q’s legacy in Tanzanian Hip-Hop and his impact on the genre. We discuss his connection to Tanzanian youth and his impact on his music as he relates to his listeners on a deeper level. The conversation continues to discuss his previous projects that have been influential to his career and how he plans to move forward with similar Hip-Hop projects. We also discuss the future of Tanzanian Hip-Hop, his collaborations, and his thought process behind collaborating with the various artists he worked with. Fid Q also touches on how he pays homage to legendary MCs in the pioneering Hip-Hop group Kwanza Unit. He explains his perspective on the differences between the older generation of MCs versus the younger generation. The discussion continues onto the controversy surrounding languages used in the Tanzanian music industry. This moves the interview to speak on globalization and how it has changed Tanzania to speak English and other languages. Fid Q does mention that it is imperative to be proud of tradition as well, regardless of the choice of language used in an artist’s music. While globalization has caused controversy regarding language, we touch on how music is able to travel beyond borders to reach wider audiences, even mentioning how Fid Q’s music has become international. Fid Q mentions how his music is listened to and his struggle with streaming. The interview ends with questions around Tanzanian Hip-Hop artists being invited to perform in the U.S. Fid Q is on Twitter @FidQ & Instagram @therealfidq Part of the interview was recorded at Kilimanjaro Studios.
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CFP: Politics of Language in African Hip Hop
The question of language in African literature was debated in the 1960s and 1970s. At the heart of the debate was: who qualifies as being an African writer? and what qualifies as African literature? African authors like Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Chinua Achebe weighed in on different sides of the debate. Today a similar debate is occurring in various hip hop communities in Africa. Please see the call for papers for a special issue of the Journal of African Cultural Studies on Language and Hip Hop in Africa. Abstracts due: November 8.
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LINEAR NOTE
The Kenyan hip-hop industry continues to evolve with the many social trends that arise. The appreciation of Black Excellence has recently taken the Black community around the world through a journey of self-reflection and self-appreciation. This trend is particularly seen through the celebration of traditionally Black hairstyles, darker skinned women, and African culture. This is
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Highlighting Tanzania’s female lyricist
Though there isn’t much on the internet to go off of for Chemical Flo, a.k.a. Claudia Lubao, her energy and spirit come through very clearly in her work. Today I’m going to look at Chemical Flo’s song Mary Mary. First, Chemical Flo’s mix of Swahili and English is much more subtle and quick than other