Category: Togo
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Hiphop as a Vessel for Black Consciousness: Digging into the artistry of Pure Akan and Elom 20ce.
Black consciousness, as propounded by N’longi Steve Biko, was a philosophical and political transformation of the mind emerging in South Africa during the 1960s and 1970s. In essence, Black consciousness sought to imbibe amongst Black people in Southern Afrika who had been subjected to systemic racism and discrimination under apartheid a sense of pride, dignity,Read…
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Amewuga: The Last Tour by Elom 20ce
Togo based rapper Elom 20ce held the final concert dedicated to his sophomore album Amewuga which translates to ‘A person is more valuable than material things’ at the La Case Des Daltons in Lome. The concert saw fans come to experience the often politically and spiritually charged rapper in an intimate setting. The concert whichRead…
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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 aRead…
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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 changingRead…
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Political rap throughout francophone Africa
Political rap is a style of rap characterized by the political dimension of lyrics dealing with societal themes, reflecting both a commitment as well as a desire for collective emancipation. In the African continent, the theme of political rap is used as a way to express a vision of the world which denounces inequalities. ForRead…
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HHAP Episode 50: The Mixtape Episode P. 2
This episode is our second mixtape episode. The episode features the most recent works of 23 of Africa’s fiercest lyricists. All of songs featured on this episode were released in 2018 and 2019, and features women from across Africa, and African women who reside in the Diaspora. Some of the artists are fairly well known…
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HHAP Episode 48: Elom 20ce on The Role of Hip Hop in the Struggle for Pan Africanism
Togolese hip hop artist Elom 20ce is a multitalented artist, activist, and Pan Africanist. He brings Pan African ideals to his music and his art, and this episode Elom discusses studying international politics and working with the United Nations, and how his studies and experiences influenced his music. After witnessing the hypocrisy around international development…
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Summer Years
The most recent album of Tabi Bonney’s is The Summer Years. This album, along with the previous album Fresh, was carefully structured and proved to be a better work than those past. With the help of Ski Beats linked together by the former Rockafella CEO Dame Dash, The Summer Years cultivated into an unforgettable album.Read…
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Biography of Tabi Bonney
The year is 1970 and Itadi Bonney was the most influential and most celebrated musicians in Togo. Heavily influenced in politics, he wrote a song by the name of Mayi Africa that criticized the president Gnassingbe Eyadema and his deadly tactics to in force democracy in his home country. Receiving multitudes of governmental backlash fromRead…