Tag: afrobeats
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HHAP EP. 69: Industry Vet Buddha Blaze on the nature of the music industry in Kenya and Beyond
Buddha Blaze is a Kenyan blogger, podcaster, and music industry insider with over 20 years of experience. He has worked throughout the continent and the diaspora with artists and producers from around the world. He was a major part of the British Council’s WaPi (Words & Pictures) initiative, which showcased hip hop, poetry, fashion breakdance, and graffiti culture in Nairobi. He has also consulted numerous artists in the business and worked on several projects with international artists and producers. A major figure in the Kenyan hip hop scene, he was recently seen on the Nairobi-based What’s Good Africa?, the only show on P. Diddy’s RevoltTV to focus on hip hop culture in Africa and one of the only shows airing on a US network to focus on hip hop culture in Africa. In this conversation, Buddha Blaze talks a lot about the changes he’s seen in the industry over the years and some of the skills artists need to navigate the industry today. He also talks about his involvement in the growth of the cultural scene in Nairobi, which has grown to become the largest music, film, and contemporary art scene in East Africa. Buddha Blaze is Twitter @ItsBuddhaBlaze and Instagram @buddhablazeworld Intro and outro beat by Nigerian producer @teckzilla108 This episode is part of the special series that we did in partnership with Words Beats & Life. The series was recorded and live streamed with students in the Hip Hop in Africa class at Howard University and George Washington University.
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Omo Frenchie: London’s Rising Afrobeats Artist
Recognized for its evolving genres, London has seen the rise of Garage, Grime, and Dubstep, amongst others genres, and, most recently, has birthed its own sound of Afrobeats. Amongst London’s leading Afrobeats artists stands Omo Frenchie, a Congolese, London-raised artist that has received recognition and praise for his musical versatility. Fluctuating between dancehall, Afrobeats, Afro
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Afro b- Condo
African native musicians have been and are currently taking the world by storm with their personal renditions of keeping the African culture alive and well spread; despite their physical distance from the actual continent. Afro B is one of many artists greatly influenced by the culture of African art forms which makes the African feel
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Omo Frenchie-London/Congo
______________________________________________________________________________ Bio: Born in Democratic Republic of the Congo Raised in Peckham, London Maintains pride in his heritage. Omo Frenchie’s parents ensured that Congolese music and culture remained embedded in him: “On Saturdays, every weekend morning, there was Congolese music, Congolese praise and worship first of all, that we’ll play in the morning. ______________________________________________________________________________ Tri-lingual
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HHAP Episode 41: Teck-Zilla Talks Hip Hop, Str8buttah & Afropop Breakbeats
The DJ, producer, or beat maker is an important element in hip hop. The beat is the first thing we hear when a song starts, and it is the first clue that our favorite song is about to come on. Hip hop producers usually work with several artists, and some of the more well known producers have their signature styles. In Nigeria, one of those producers is Teck-Zilla, as well as other producers in the Str8buttah camp. Teck-Zilla is a hip hop producer and co-founder of Str8buttah, a hip hop collective that consists of several producers and MCs. In this episode Teck-Zilla talks with us about his own career & influences, the beginnings of Str8buttah, and his approach to beat production. Teck-Zilla has a distinct style. Listen to his beats on his BandCamp page and you will hear his diverse musical influences, from soul and R&B, to Afrobeat, to hip hop. After DJing a breakdance battle in Nigeria, Teck-Zilla produced an entire mixtape of break beats, B-Boy Zilla (A B-Boy Breaks EP) in 2017. In the EP Teck-Zilla turns Afropop tracks into break beats! His BandCamp page also includes remixes and tributes dedicated to artists like Michael Jackson & the Jackson 5, and Nigerian music legends Fela Kuti and Sade. In addition to beats and remix EPs, Teck-Zilla’s work includes production projects with several established and upcoming hip hop artists. Teck-Zilla moves between Nigeria, Canada, & the UK regularly. We were able to catch him while he’s in Lagos working on some new projects. We start the episode with his beat “Dear Summer”, then “Skelewu B-Boys” from the B-Boy Zilla EP. We end the episode with his beat “Summer Zilla” from his EP of the same name. Teck-Zilla also teamed up with Modenine for the recently release album Esoteric Mellow. All of these are available on his BandCamp page: https://str8buttah.bandcamp.com Teck-Zilla is also on social media SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/teck-zilla Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Teckzilla/ Twitter https://twitter.com/TeckZilla108 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/teckzilla108/
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Bad Energy (Stay Far Away) -Chief Skepta the Grime MC
“Skepta” Joseph Junior Adenuga is a popular Grime rapper, songwriter, record producer and music video director based in London and originating from Nigeria. He is one of Grime’s biggest artists whose most recent album Konnichiwa became the genre’s highest charting album, peaking at number 2 on the UK music charts. Konnichiwa was his fourth studio
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EVA ALORDIAH – DEAF
Looking at the state of the female hip hop scene in Nigeria, there has clearly been a sharp drop in quality and quantity of content both from the established faces as well as a dearth of new faces. This is in sharp contrast to other countries in the West African bloc where there are vibrant