Category: Tanzania
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Mix it Up: “Women Empowerment & Hustle Culture”
Men and women play a noteworthy part in the generation of lyricism and visual substance within the dynamic of Hip Hop. Due to this, sexuality plays a major portion in making the roles of males and females inside the hip-hop industry. Men within the commercial hip hop industry have however to halt this social issue,
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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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Why the World Should Know Rosa Ree- Tanzanian Rapper and Musical Genius
In honor of Women’s Appreciation Month, I’d like to circle back to an artist I’ve previously written about, Rosa Ree, “The Goddess of Tanzania”, and her impact on the rap game. Rosary Robert, stage named Rosa Ree, began her music career on social media gaining the attention of many in the music industry and eventually
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Rosa Ree: Tanzania’s Finest
Rosa Ree is one of Africa’s fast-rising women in hip hop. With a few singles to her name and an album that is slated to be released this year, the rapper is a force that contends with her male counterparts in the genre. Rosa Ree stated in an interview that, In society,” I come from
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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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The “Goddess” of Tanzania- Rosa Ree
Told as a conversation between herself and Satan, 26-year-old Tanzanian rapper, Rosa Ree’s 2021 single “SATAN,” talks about the rapper’s battle with drugs, sex, relationships, fame, etc., and how she’s “Not a slave” and “Never gonna be” to the temptations of the devil. In my opinion, I believe that the song and music video beautifully
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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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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.