Tag: Africa
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Asake: a breath of fresh air!
by Zainab Ahmed New Nigerian superstar Asake released a collaboration, with the head of his label Yahoo Boy No Laptop Nation, Olamide. The song was released February 16, 2022 and in the song Asake and Olamide sing and rap in Yoruba and Nigerian pidgin. They talk about being braggadocios while also cautioning against feeling yourself
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Khaligraph Jones: Kenyan Hip-Hop artist to look out for
Khaligraph Jones was born June 12th, 1990 to the name of Brian Ouko Omollo and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. He is one of Kenya’s most-notable songwriters/rappers for his versatility in street rap with the inclusion of pop influences. Often referred to as ‘Papa Jones’, his career began in elementary school through his ability to tell
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Meet Kassmasse, the star lighting up Ethiopia with his new ‘perspective’
Fikru Sema (stage name: Kassmasse) is the hottest young artist in the Hip Hop scene of Ethiopia. His sudden rise to fame came two years ago in 2021 with the release of his first EP called ‘Maleda’. Kassmasse quickly became a point of intrigue for me when I learned that we had gone to the
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Bas
Sudanese-American rapper Abbas Hamad, better known as Bas, was born in Paris to Sudanese parents and went on to grow up in Queens, New York. Bas released his first mixtape in 2011 but rose to fame in 2013 after being featured on American rapper J. Cole’s Born Sinner album. Shortly after, Bas was signed by
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Swadu
Natasha Beckley, commonly known by her stage name Swadu d Savage is a hip hop superstar from Freetown, Sierra Leone. Swadu is famous for her unapologetic attitude and inspiring confidence expressed in her music. While many female African celebrities strive for picture-perfect bodies and appearances in order to appeal to beauty standards, Swadu has always
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Sarkodie Brown Paper Bag
The Ghanaian hip hop artist, Michael Kwesi Owusu Addo, more popularly known for his stage name Sarkodie was born in Koforidua, Ghana the summer of 1988 before moving to Tema, Ghana where his family settled down during his adolescent years. Sarkodie began his hip music career as an underground rapper after highschool and rose to
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Kao Denero the “King of Freetown”
Sierra Leonean hip-hop superstar Kao Denero otherwise known as the “King of Freetown” truly embodied his name in his 2020 hit song African King. Throughout the song, Denero chronicles his rise from “the bottom” to international fame as he brings “real rap back” to the hip-hop scene (Denero 1:11). It is clear that Denero seeks
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Queen of the South Reigns On
Queen of the South. When I first came across this album, I was so excited. After the success of Dobale, the diaspora was excited to hear about Shaybo and her newest project. As a UK-Nigerian rapper, Shaybo has released music since 2011 when she was 15. Now 24, Shaybo has released an album called “Queen
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Bas: Bass, bars, and bail
Bas is next up. Simple as that. Born to Sudanese parents in France and raised in the States, Bas already has the background of a well-traveled artist. And his cacophonic cultural composition is present in every Bar filled blitz of artistic expression. In no other song is his skill more apparent than in the song
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Cleo Ice Queen – Forever ft. Jah Prayzah
Cleo Ice Queen is a Zambian hip-hop artist who made her first nation-wide hit titled Big Dreams in 2011. She first came into the spotlight when she appeared in Big Brother Africa. Since then, she has released many songs, one of which is “Forever” featuring Jah Prayzah.” Released on the 1st of March 2019, the