Tag: African Hip Hop
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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,…
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Changing the African Narrative: Aya Nakamura
Aya Nakamura has been writing and releasing music on Youtube since 2016[1]; the Mali-born French musician would make her entrance into the international music scene in 2018 with the release of her second album, NAKAMURA. This album gained international popularity with the hit song “Djadja.” In an interview with The Guardian[2], the artist elaborates on…
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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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Girl Power
Mina la Voilée is the literal definition of girl power! With not many female emcees in the scene in Senegal, she elevates new heights among many female rappers. Mina la Voilée serves as resistance music in a way since she speaks about important issues that affect women in Senegal such as gender inequality, the effects…
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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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“Nairobi” by BURUKLYN BOYZ
In the BURUKLYN BOYZ’s single “Nairobi” the artists address the adverse impacts of the construction of the Nairobi Expressway and skyscrapers on their community. This song is being used to start a discussion on how the government is leveling communities down for this construction and not thinking about the effects on the people. Throughout the…
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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…