The Hip Hop African

Mirriam Mukape , also known as Mampi to the world, is a Zambian pop and R&B singer, actress

Mirriam Mukape , also known as Mampi to the world, is a Zambian pop and R&B singer, actress and songwriter. She was born in  Lusaka, Zambia on August 4, 1986 and soon to be one of the most viewed Zambia female artists on youtube. If being a woman in Zambia wasn’t hard enough at the ages of fourteen and sixteen Mirriam lost her father and her mother. This caused her to have trouble in sheltering and going to school, but with prayer and being taken in from a friend’s sisters really helped her. Mampi was discovered by a music producer and signed a record deal in 2003 and then released her first album Maloza in 2005. 

In Africa, the music industry might look or sound different but it was very similar when it came to discrimination of woman artist. That didn’t stop Mirriam. Women of African hip-hop use many things in their music such as their navigation of African culture and Hip-Hop culture, their use of braggadocio, and their messages regarding Racism, Pan Africanism, agency, & patriarchy.

 Below you will find a video that she makes with Bobby East that implies navigation and braggadocio. 

In this song Mrs. Mampi gives a message of braggadocio by showing her in a bathtub with bubbles and roses. This signifies that women are not treating themselves enough and need to love themselves before loving anyone else. Give a story of a broken relationship that causes one to feel less and that shouldn’t be the case when women are already being put down.

She then navigates African culture with the chorus and the club-like vibe. This gives her an opportunity of being heard and understanding that women in the zambian culture need to be pushed up. There aren’t many big women to help tell their story but Mampi is one of them. Mampi understands her position and uses it to give them a message of social change.