Category: South Africa
-
The South Africa Issue of WBL: Global Journal for Hip-Hop Culture
Words Beats & Life: Global Journal for Hip-Hop Culture: The South Africa Issue This special issue of WBLJ explores South Africa, home to one of the largest and oldest hip-hop scenes in the world. This issue considers the historic ties between artists in the US and South Africa, as well as competing perspectives on how
-
Cassper Nyovest
Cassper Nyovest, Refiloe Maele Phoolo, is a South African songwriter, rapper, entrepreneur, and record producer. He was born and raised in Mahikeng, North West. He’s also known to be one of the most successful artists in South Africa. In 2014, he established his own record label, Family Tree Records. In 2004, Cassper formed a hip
-
Conversations with African Women Artists
This is a clip of a few of the conversations that we have had with African women MCs around the world. In addition to these interviews, the podcast has produced two mixtape episodes that feature new hip-hop releases from African women around the world. Conversations with artists revolve around many topics, including gender, sexuality, race,
-
HHAP Ep 73: A Discussion on Race and Identity in South African Hip Hop
In part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Sipho Sithole, he discusses the regional differences in South African hip hop. He talks about the hip hop scenes in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg. He also discusses the linguistic differences in South African hip hop and the role ethnic identity plays in the styles and languages artists utilize. He also looks at the evolution of pop music in South Africa, from kwaito, to gqom, to amapiano. Sipho also discusses the dynamics within Coloured communities in South Africa, and the relationships between Black and Coloured South Africans. He provides history of the origins of Coloured South Africans among the Khoi & San (first nation) communities, and their forming close-knit communities. The hip hop that came out of those communities, largely based in Cape Town, addressed the social ills happening in the Coloured townships. In looking at the divisions between Black and Coloured South Africans, we compare it to the relationships between African Americans and African immigrants in the U.S. There are not many discussions around Black & Coloured relations in South African hip hop, so it was important to get a perspective on the history of those relationships. Intro song: “Yesterday” with Zakwe, Zuluboy, & Zola Dr. Sipho Sithole (@DrSiphoSithole) is a Research Fellow at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study (University of Johannesburg) and holds a PhD in Anthropology, a B.Sc in Political Science and International Relations, and an M. Sc in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management. Dr. Sithole’s research revolves around language identity, culture, migration, and integration. Sithole has a long career in hip hop & is the founder and owner of an important and multi-award-winning music production house, Native Rhythms Productions, & Native Rhythms Records.
-
HHAP Ep 72: A Conversation on South African Popular Music with Sipho Sithole, p. 1
Dr. Sipho Sithole is a Research Fellow at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study (University of Johannesburg) and holds a PhD in Anthropology, a B.Sc in Political Science and International Relations, and an M. Sc in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management. Dr. Sithole’s research revolves around language identity, culture, migration, and integration. Sithole has a long career in hip hop & is the founder and owner of an important and multi-award-winning music production house, Native Rhythms Productions, & Native Rhythms Records. Sithole has is credited for helping mainstream hip-hop in South Africa when he signed Skwatta Kamp in 2003, the first group to achieve platinum sales. He held what he says is the 1st African hip hop summit in 2005 He is also a producer, winning awards for his production work on Thandiswa Mazwai’s debut album, Zabalaza (2004). In this interview, he talks about his involvement in the growing hip hop scene in South Africa in the early 2000s. It was a time when kwaito’s mainstream popularity was declining, and Sipho Sithole talks about the decision to begin working with hip hop artists. He also talks about the role of the township in producing and shaping the South African hip hop scene, as well as social consciousness. In part 2 of this interview, we delve into a discussion of race and identity in South African hip hop, and the spaces within hip hop that Black and Coloured South Africans occupy.
-
They don’t mean to brag…Actually they do
For my mixtape, the theme was South African braggadocio rap. The reason for this is because I felt like it would be a good closer to all of my previous blog posts. For most of my post, I’ve written about South African female rappers and how their rap styles represented this new wave of rap.
-
HIP HOP ENGAGED
Hosted by: Hana, Isata, Linette In this episode of Hip Hop Engaged we will be discussing political and social awareness in Africa. We highlight how Hip hop has become an integral form of cultural expression in the US and all over the world, especially in Africa. We cover how hip hop affects social movements and
-
The power of hip-hop: Africas FREEDOM FIGHTERS
The music industry has dramatically grown in the last couple of years despite harsh conditions faced by musicians on and off the continent. Music is sacred because it can calm the troubled mind, take away one’s sense of poverty, inequality, loneliness, and everything else that brings a burden. Political leaders, however, do not see music
-
keep hip hop queer
For my mixtape project, I chose “Keeping Queerness Visible from Artists of South Africa.” As the world becomes more and more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s important that queer people across the globe take up the spaces they weren’t previously allowed or seen in. Hip hop is notoriously trans and homophobic, so the courage
-
THE BLAACKBERRY PODCAST – COLORISM IN THE HIP HOP INDUSTRY
In this podcast two students in the Hip Hop in Africa class discuss colorism in hip hop scenes throughout Africa and the United States. Iesha Daniels : @ieshamdaniels Jazmyn Roberson : @jazmynjanet Gigi Lamayne @gigi_lamayne Dope Saint Jude @dopesaintjude Jidenna @jidenna Princess Latifah @officialprincesslatifah