Category: Political Rap
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MIXTAPE TOWARDS A NEW CONSCIOUSNESS: Exploring Asakaa, Alt Hip Hop, & Trap Politics
This mixtape explores the social and political themes of songs from Ghana’s trap, drill (Asakaa), and alternative hip hop subgenres to find “conscious” hip hop is not its own genre, but rather a thematic standard that can exist in all kinds of rap. Featured songs in order: Snakes by La Même Gang; Wasteman by Black
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Social Activism in African Hip Hop
African Hip Hop artists cover a variety of different themes and concepts in their music. Whether it be in relation to socio-political change, gender and race issues, or cultural identity. There is typically a strong message leading the artist’s intentions in word choice and lyricism in the music in which they create. This mixtape will
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Bars For Change Mixtape
By Dagem Teferra This mixtape was made with the theme of political and social impact in Africa and the diaspora. It includes tunes from Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and the USA. In each song, the artist expresses either a social, ecological or political problem that occurs in their community. As hip-hop is an important tool
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Shane Eagle- Julia
In many forms, Hip Hop and rap in Africa has been used over the years to convey and bring awareness to social and political issues. In South Africa, there are many artists who use political rap as a gateway to the public in order to reach a broader audience. One of those artists being Shane
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Mama Samia by Frida Amani
Frida Amani is a Tanzanian rapper and hip-hop artist who was born in Dar, Es Salaam. Frida Amani began her music career in 2010 and has since released several singles and collaborated with other artists in Tanzania and beyond. Her music often addresses social and political issues, including women’s rights, gender equality, and corruption. Frida
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Girl Power
Mina la Voilée is the literal definition of girl power! With not many female emcees in the scene in Senegal, she elevates new heights among many female rappers. Mina la Voilée serves as resistance music in a way since she speaks about important issues that affect women in Senegal such as gender inequality, the effects
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Sama der, My skin
Mina la Voilee or Mina the Veiled is an MC whose very presence challenges the stereotypical view of the hip hop MC as a hypersexual male. Even her name, which is a reference to her faith, goes against what one may consider the standard for an MC. Mina la Voilee is what I would consider
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Elom 20ce – Egungun
This blog post is dedicated to Togolese artist, Elom 20ce. He is a self-proclaimed “arctivist”: artist and activist. He has many hit songs that are dedicated to addressing the faults of African political leaders, and anti-colonialism, as well as promoting the importance of Pan-Africanism. He has been rapping for many many years and has a
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HHAP Ep. 81: M.anifest: From Madina to the Mecca
On the 15th of February, 2023, M.anifest visited Howard University, aka The Mecca, for a historical conversation around the importance of his music and Hip Hop culture as we celebrate 50 years of Hip Hop. M.anifest is one of the most prolific MCs of his generation and came for a conversation at one of the world’s most historic Black institutions of higher education. Of M.anifest, the media has called him… “the foremost rapper on the continent.” – The Guardian (2012) M.anifest’s first two albums were released while he was in the U.S., where he was part of a generation of African MCs influencing the “underground” hip-hop scene at the time. In the mid-2000s, M.anifest, along with artists like Blitz (the Ambassador) Bazawule and K’Naan, marked the first time that so many African MCs would make an impact on the underground hip hop scene in the U.S., paving the way for the entry into the mainstream of afrobeats artists a decade later. Since M.anifest’s return to Ghana in 2012, he has become an important voice in West African music. He has released several projects and earned recognition at the Ghana Music Awards and the Channel O Music Awards. His collaborations have included songs with artists as diverse as Erykah Badu, Burna Boy, and Vic Mensa. He was recently among the handful of artists that headlined the January 2023 Black Star Line Festival in Ghana hosted by Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa.
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“Fii” by Hakill
In today’s culture, many rappers tend to have significant impacts on major issues that face their nation and influence many people to be the change. Hakill has embodied the experience of many Senegalese people and their sentiments about their country in his work entitled “Fii” (which translates to “here” in English). His work has inspired