Tag: Africa
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Bringing Ethiopian Vibrancy to the COLORS Stage
Alewya was born in Saudi Arabia raised in Sudan then relocated to the United Kingdom. Although her upbringing was highly diverse the Ethiopian roots of her mother have still shone through in her childhood. This is expressed through her most recent single entitled “Ethiopia”. She was given the opportunity to perform this song on the
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Meet Kepaso: The Underground Female-Dominated Rap Group
Kepaso is a rap group steadily making progress in the hip-hop scene of Ethiopia. The group is made up of three members, Kepaso Daygo, Kepaso Selam, and Kepaso Lelena. These three make a formidable alliance as they share the stage on their tracks. Lelena and Selam are the two ladies that lead the way in
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Kassmasse’s Wish for Ethiopia
By Dagem Teferra When it comes to reflective music that analyses society and advocates for positive change, there aren’t many that do it as well as Kassmasse. His trailblazing genre of Hip-Hop is almost always accompanied by historical reminders and nods to the vast culture in Ethiopia. In his song, Sewasew, he chooses to skip the
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“Fii” by Hakill
In today’s culture, many rappers tend to have significant impacts on major issues that face their nation and influence many people to be the change. Hakill has embodied the experience of many Senegalese people and their sentiments about their country in his work entitled “Fii” (which translates to “here” in English). His work has inspired
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Teddy Yo arrested after releasing new music video
By Dagem Teferra The well-known Ethiopian rapper Teddy Yo recently released a song entitled “Wenberish” that landed him in jail within a day from the original drop on YouTube. The self-proclaimed originator of Ethiopian Hip-Hop, Teddy Yo is seen in his new music video in a prison jumpsuit getting interrogated while his head is dumped underwater by
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The importance of “Johnny” by Falz
by Zainab Ahmed “Eyan melo lo ma ku?” – Falz in “Johnny” Falz released the video for his song “Johnny” on November 10th, 2020 in order to highlight the ENDSARS protests occurring across Nigeria. The video starts with showing Falz and others portray the Nigerians murdered by SARS policemen. They are covered in a pool
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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