Tag: Francophone Rap
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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 onRead…
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Didier Awadi’s “Mama kitoko” (feat. Marie Ndiaye)
“Mama kitoko” is a 2020 single by Senegalese rap legend Didier Awadi. Awadi was born on August 11, 1969 in Dakar, Senegal. He is of Beninese and Cape Verdean descent. Awadi began his music career in the early 1980s when the hip hop scene in Dakar was in its early stages. In 1984 he startedRead…
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HHAP EPISODE 59: Moonaya on Dakar’s hip hop collectives, hip hop Pan Africanism, & Western imperialism in Africa.
Moonaya is an extremely talented MC in one of the strongest hip hop scenes in the world. A Pan Africanist, her background represents her political views. Moonaya is originally from Benin, but she grew up in Senegal. While her father is Senegalese, her mother is Togolese, and one of her grandmothers was Nigerian. She grew…
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HHAP EPISODE 56: LORD EKOMY NDONG ON GABONESE HIP-HOP & FRENCH POLITICS (Video)
This is the video of our interview with Lord Ekomy Ndong. The video was originally posted on our YouTube channel.
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HHAP Episode 56: Lord Ekomy Ndong on Gabonese Hip-Hop & French Politics
Lord Ekomy Ndong, has been a leading voice in the African hip hop scene since 1990, when he founded the Gabonese group Movaizhaleine. Movaizhaleine’s 1999 debut album was Mission Mbeng. He released his 1st solo album, L’Afrikain, in 2003. It is considered by many to be a hip-hop classic. Over his career, he has done…
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Political rap throughout francophone Africa
Political rap is a style of rap characterized by the political dimension of lyrics dealing with societal themes, reflecting both a commitment as well as a desire for collective emancipation. In the African continent, the theme of political rap is used as a way to express a vision of the world which denounces inequalities. ForRead…
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NGRTD
Known by his stage name “Youssoupha”, Youssoupha Mabiki embodies the defining characteristics of progressive French rappers in his song Entourage. A captivating story of immigration, education, and social consciousness defines Youssoupha’s rise to prominence in a crowded French rap scene. Youssoupha was born in Zaire (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1979 as theRead…