Category: Wolof
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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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Mixtape: Francophone Hip Hop and Political Consciousness
Hip-hop is at the forefront of political contestation in Francophone Africa, and has been for decades. Too-often unrecognized in the West, particularly in the Anglophone world, French African rap artists have carved out a place in civil societies across the continent as politicians, pundits, public intellectuals, and rebels, sometimes directly playing essential parts in changing
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mixtape project: drill in hip hop galsen
Rap in Senegal, known mainly as hip hop galsen, originates from the early period of rap’s arrival in Africa in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and while it has its fair share of inspiration and influences from American and UK hip hop, it also has since its origins become its own very distinct genre
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Daara J Family and “Tchékoulé”
Since bursting onto the scene in Senegal in 1997, Daara J has been a staple of the country’s prominent hip hop movement. Originally a trio made up of Faada Freddy, N’Dongo DJ, and Lord Alajiiman, the group quickly gained success and recognition in their home country following the release of their eponymous debut album Daara-J.
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Akatsuki SN – “Drill Galsen”
“Drill Galsen” comes as the second song from Akatsuki SN, a new rap collective from Dakar, Senegal. So far, there is not much to be found about Akatsuki SN as a group, aside from the releases of two songs and the Instagram social media profiles of each member of the group. However, their songs and
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Matador: From Thiaroye To the world, Civil society in Hip-Hop
Senegalese hip-hop has historically been on the front line of the civil society of the country’s political struggle against government corruption and repression. These artists have the capability to mobilize masses of people into action and to become icons for political movements; they are a key piece of the cultural landscape of Dakar, and of
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Abdoulaye Faux Pas FORCÉ!
In January 2011, a group of Senegalese rappers and journalist created a group called “Y’en a Marre”, which tranlastate to ” we are fed up” in french, to protest against ineffective government and register youth to vote. This movement originated as a reaction on Dakar’s frequent power crisis which later led to a resentment of
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Positive Black Soul- Je ne sais pas
Positive Black Soul (PBS) is one of the first hip-hop groups based in Dakar, Senegal founded in 1989. Didier Sourou Awadi also known as DJ Awadi and Amadou Barry is also known as Doug E. Tee are members of Positive Black Soul. The group integrates elements of traditional music into their more modern beats and
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Rap duo Daara J’s “Bayi Yoon” or the “Anthem for Africans”
Senegalese rap duo Daara J are most known for their rap style and thought provoking lyricism. The group consists of N’Dongo D and Faada Freddy and the name “Daara” refers to the traditional Islamic school where children learn the Qu’ran and “how to become men.” According to Faada Freddy, the J means to sow something,