The Hip Hop African

I chose to focus on Ethiopian Hip Hop artist Siimba Selassiie’s song “Hooked” for this blog post.  This song was so powerful and moving because it highlighted the effects of being hooked on drugs and how they eased his anxiety and depression. The opening scene is Siimba hanging by actual hooks that are pierced through his skin going down his entire body.  It was an amazing way to start the video that immediately grasped my attention while also making me want to cover my eyes. The symbolism behind it was so moving, and I immediately could guess what the song was about before any lyrics even started playing.

This a very big social issue amongst our generation because of the high amount of rappers that glorify drugs in their music and die from overdosing. Simba addresses an issue that many people in our age group face, and is very vulnerable about his feelings. He discusses how he misses being a child, his mother being an immigrant who fought for him to be an American citizen, and how he feels that he’s disappointed her with his actions.

His song hits home for me because growing up in a household with an alcoholic brother, and battling alcohol and drug addiction myself, I can definitely relate to how easy it is to get hooked to something that eases the pain even if it’s just for a little while.  He even discusses how he considered selling crack, but knows that black peoples lives would be ruined from it so he chose otherwise, and growing up in the hood that’s something that I    feel a lot of young people consider. What I love most about his song and video is that, him being from Ethiopia, it goes to show how people all over the world face such similar issues, and sharing our stories can really help to show someone that they’re not alone.