If 2010 is the year of Africa, June is most definitely the month where all the international expectation, exploration and exploitation of the Motherland are peaking. While most of the world was preparing for a month in front of the television, the African hip hop deejays went back to the studio to prepare a true pan-African June show of six hours. K’naan joined us for a chat during a stopover on his Coca-Cola world tour, sharing exclusive news about his collabo with Akon (‘If we don’t do something right now it’s a sin!’) and the focus of his upcoming music.

Also this month we welcome three new hosts from countries that haven’t been covered before by your favorite online web radio. From Botswana we have James Kebu whose regular Podtape shows have been a steady source of hip hop from Gaborone and other areas, and there’s Chyll & MJ who represent Zimbabwe from the Zim diaspora in the UK and Australia with their XBC Jumpoff podcast.

Then we tune in to African hip hop regular D Willy, the Ugandan dj from Hits FM in Zanzibar whose current show looks at hip hop from the mainland of Tanzania. Finally the diaspora show by Amal, J4 and Threesixty is an uptempo affair celebrating the soccer games with kwaito, township house and other club music, mostly from South Africa.

Beware of crossing vuvuzelas, and hit your Itunes to subscribe and download this show to your mobile device!

African Hip Hop Radio: World Cup edition, June 2010

K’naan (interview at Ajax stadium in Amsterdam)
Download here or stream:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Part 1 (Amal & J4 & dj Threesixty, Netherlands)
Download here or stream:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Part 2 (Dwilly, Zanzibar, Tanzania)
Download here or stream:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Part 3 (James Kebu, Botswana)
Download here or stream:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Part 4 (Chyll & MJ, Zimbabwe/UK/Australia)
Download here or stream:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Pics: MJ & Chyll from XBC Jumpoff

Playlist: Amal & J4 & dj Threesixty, Netherlands
Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Nansi Imali [Here Is the Money]
Brenda Fassie – Weekend special ft Keith Murray
Keith Murray – I’m Your Weekend Special
Kabelo – Pantsula for Life / 8
Skeat – Love song – 4 / in
Pitch Black Afro – Tofo Tofo
Geoffy G – Nigerian girls
Tinny – Zingolo (South Rakkas Crew remix)
TKZee – Bampa Nathi
HHP – Akhonto
Arthur – Kaffir
Youssou N’Dour – Bamba
JR – Make Da Circle Bigger
Malaika – Sebaka Nyana
Sofrito Specials – Christina Lover
Hugh Masekela – Don’t Go Lose It Baby
Bigiano – One and Only
Pastor Mbhobho – Ayobaness
Dj Cleo – Gabz to Mbane
DJ Cleo – Fallen
Novalima – Machete
Werrason & Wenge Musica Maison Mere – Ca Sonne
Max B. – Bananaticoc
Dj Furreta – Ola La Yeah
Golden Sounds – Zangalewa
Allan DJ – Sort la demarche
Kedjevara – Tchoukou tchoukou
Mujava_Agwanti remix
Bab lee – Rythm
MrShada (Kaysha) – Anti Bad Music Police
Pépé Kallé – Roger Milla
Unknown artist – Woyto

Playlist: Chyll & MJ, Zimbabwe/UK/Australia
V.O.L.U.M.E – Dzimbaremabwe
Zimbabwe Legit feat. Prince Po and Sticman – Evil That Men Do
D.K.R – Tears
Mariachi – Heart’s Farewell
Wargames – Time Will Tell
Munetsi – Weapons of Mass Destruction
Tek Neek – Mental State
Soosh – Close Your Eyes
Stunner – Handizi Bharanzi
Ammunition feat. Adiona – Mama
Chucknosis feat MC Chita – 21st Century
Enqore feat P.O.Y – Extremists
Blackbird – Ooohh
Makho – Azili
BSun & Karizma – Back In the Days
Zubz – Fire Song
Fame Nickles – Damn Shame
Metaphysics feat Mic Inity – Stand Up Strong
Maskiri feat Nesu – Miscarriage

Playlist: James Kebu, Botswana
HT ft. Sadi – Gabz City Maboneng
Krafty [instrumental] – Gabsity
Konkrete – Livy ya Moshate
Benyin – Gaberone
Apollo Diablo/Bapsta/Konkrete – Welcome to Broadhurst
Sick Bunch – O Town
Chubb Heightz – 3rd Letter Music
Ming – Where you From
Cybil Nyte
Zeus/SambaT – Make you a Star
Iknuts – It is what it Is  Khwezi/Buck Shot  – City Vibes
Adam Nubian – Love of the Game
Nomadic – Son of Seasons Blain – Welcome to the Jungle
Apollo Diablo/Gen Hood/K Marv/GP – Africa’s Cry
T.B.S – Bonakgohong
Ngozi – Survival
Sliq Sta – The Lp
StoneCHyLD
Askari/Nonofoist – The Harvest
illuSHEN – I Speak the Truth
Orakle – How They do That
Sleuth – Representative  Nytro – Rapid Fire
Sick Bunch – O le Mang Tota
GP aka Mow – Riding Through GC
Slyfah – Melodic Screams of Agony
Simba – Coolest of Friends
ArchAngell Hands Aloof
Read Their Palms Introducing Dimension The Third  – Moulded Craze in Maze
V.U.R.B – Paparazzi
Ngozi – Combi Ride

After a hiatus of more than a year, the pan-African edition of African Hip Hop Radio is back! The updates are now coming to you on a monthly basis with presenters and deejays from all around the motherland and diaspora. The May 2010 edition kicks off with a new addition to the team: Dwilly from Zanzibar who represents both Tanzania and Uganda through his affiliation with Bavubuka. Dwilly delves into a recent trend in Tanzanian music: Bongo crunk.

On the other side of the ocean is Dj Dona with his uptempo dj-mix combining songs from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Amal & J4 present their part from the FunX studio in Amsterdam with dj Threesixty live on the decks, and they talk to British/Nigerian emcee TY about his newly released album.

African Hip Hop Radio – May 2010

Part 1 (Amal & J4 & dj Threesixty, Netherlands)
Download here or stream:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Part 2 (Dwilly, Zanzibar, Tanzania)
Download here or stream:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Part 3 (Dj Dona, Kenya/USA)
Download here or stream:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Dwilly – Zanzibar, Tanzania
While attending the Sauti za Busara festival in Zanzibar, Tanzania, where dj Threesixty (Bamba Nazar) performed with his band, we ran into dj Dwilly who runs a hip hop and reggae show on Hits FM, one of a handful of stations targeting the island youth. Dwilly is originally from Uganda but now lives in Zanzibar.
Picture: Dwilly & co-presenter at Hits FM

In his first show for African hip hop radio he looks at a recent phenomenon in Tanzanian hip hop: ‘Bongo crunk’, which as the name suggests leans heavily on southern beats and Swahili rhymes. ‘Usijaribu’ by AY was an early example and even Fid Q recently included a crunk style track on his album.

Amal & J4 – Netherlands
Playlist
Ty – Get to the Sky feat. Vula Malinga & Terri Walker
Amkoullel – Farafina
Nigga Poisson – Ka bu complica
Tumi & The Volume – Floor
Consequence – Your Luck’s Gonna Run Out Soon
Zone Fam & Teckzilla – Final Chapter
Sun Sooley – Day D
Sun Sooley – Dread a Lion
Yannick & ThugPaxion (TDM) – Nu kata para (ft.Celso Ivo e Ara-fat)
Femi Kuti – Tell me (Jeremy Sole’s Musaics remix feat. Ticklah)
MFB – Boredom Pain
Emma Dorgu – Rover Man
TKZee – Thata Eezy
Bampa Nathi – TKZee
Tiembelema – African Connection
Paradise Stars – Boogie Train
Ty – Emotions feat. Sarina Leah & Shaun Escoffery
Ty – Happiness feat. Vula Malinga
Sun Sooley – Safarà
Detroit Kabuverdianu – Músika
Central Side feat Kingston – Mi é di Guetto
Ben Sharpa – Hegemony
Negrissim – My People

Dj Dona – Kenya/USA
Based in the USA but always up-to-date about what is happening in East Africa, dj Dona frequently drops mixes on the web and on his radio show. This mix explores the various corners of kapuka, bongo flava and other urban hybrids from the eastern part of Africa.

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Here’s a little round-up of African hip hop radio shows of the past months: autumn 2009. The weekly show on FunX (Holland’s most popular youth radio station) often has guests, and these are some of the English language interviews that you can enjoy online. Tip: subscribe to the podcast and stream or download even more archived shows here.

Each of these shows is two hours long so this update could be the soundtrack of your working day! Playlists can be found here.

M.anifest
M.anifest (Ghana/USA) talked about his new album, a free download through which he invites his fans to donate to a development project.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Hip Hop Pantsula (HHP)
South African hip hop heavyweight Hip Hop Pantsula (HHP) spoke prior to his trip to the MTV Mama Awards in Nairobi, Kenya:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Sugu (Mr II)
Tanzania’s most prolific rapper Sugu (Mr II) is about to drop his tenth album which he recorded over the past months in the USA. GMB & J4 phoned him as he was about to drop the first single off the album.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Mc Shenzy
African hip hop radio correspondent Mc Shenzy (Rhyme FM) is very active in Nairobi’s underground hip hop scene. He talks on the phone from Nairobi about his efforts in setting up a pirate radio station and the Kenyan hip hop awards.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Burni Aman, best known as one-third of female rap group Godessa from South Africa, is in Europe to work on the Rogue State Alliance project. The exchange of hip hop artists from South Africa and Switzerland has already resulted in two albums and seven exchange trips. Together with mc Pan from Swiss group Who This Crew, she tells about the project and her work in informing secondary school youth how to get off the tick (crystal meth) or deal with friends or family who are addicted. And what happened to Godessa and the feature film they were shooting together with the producer of Hotel Rwanda? On the phone is Ashwin from Rootsriders who talks about the new Rootsriders single ‘Children cry’. Guest presenter this week is Amal.

In this new season, African hip hop radio on FunX Lijn5 is a weekly two-hour show, broadcast every Thursday from 8pm and available online as a stream or download from Friday. The last part of every hour is a non-stop mix by dj 360 (Bamba Nazar). Presentation is in Dutch while most interviews and guest features are in English.

Listen:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Playlist

1st hour
MC Jean Gab’1 ft Tony Allen – Black
J Period & K’naan – Gentleman ft Bajah
Dr Oh No – The Pain (Ethiopium)
Rootsriders ft Giovanca – Children cry
Jitsvinger – Wat wiet jy
Pan Africans – Luv struck ft Aisha Marshall & Colonel Red
Driemanskap, Bensch, Black Tiger, Fetch – Abantwana (for the kidz)
Dj Threesixty Arab Week mix part 1

2nd hour
Burni, Pan, Soulty, EJ von Lyrik, Black Tiger – We can fly
Modenine – the journey so far pt 2
Zaho – Je Te Promets
Akil – Tahya Bledi ft Tunisiano & Aketo
Vieira – Rotterdamse Boombap
Rim K, Dry, Sefyu & Reda Taliani – La crise
Burni, Eavesdrop, Thais, Nilsa, EJ von Lyrik, Nthabi & Shameema – Me my girls & I
Dj Threesixty Arab Week mix part 2

South African artists Jitsvinger and Kyle Shepherd join the African hip hop radio studio together with Vieira from the Netherlands (via Cape Verde). Rapper Jitsvinger, who previously released his debut album ‘Skeletsleutel’, is known to be one of the best Afrikaans lyricists, and multi-instrumentalist Kyle Shepherd at the young age of 21 has taken the legacy of South African jazz and traditional music to create a style of his own. Vieira just released the promotional EP and video ‘Wie is deze Afrikaan’. Together with Jitsvinger he joins in a freestyle session – Afrikaans and Dutch back to back. New tracks by Metaphysics, Youssoupha and Zaho.

In this new season, African hip hop radio on FunX Lijn5 is a weekly two-hour show, broadcast every Thursday from 8pm and available online as a stream or download from Friday. The last part of every hour is a non-stop mix by dj 360 (Bamba Nazar). Presentation is in Dutch while most interviews and guest features are in English.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Playlist
1st hour
Metaphysics – Zim’s finest
J Period & K’naan – Gentleman ft Bajah
The Anvils – Where the hip hop is
Jitsvinger – Maak n move
Jitsvinger – Smile
Pan Africans – Luv struck ft Aisha Marshall & Colonel Red
Youssoupha – L’effet papillon
Dj Threesixty mix

2nd hour
Rim K, Dry, Sefyu & Reda Taliani – La crise
Kyle Shepherd – Die Goema
Vieira – Wie is deze Afrikaan
Vieira – Malaika
Kama – Wanajaribu
Zaho – Je Te Promets
Dj Threesixty mix

In the latest episode of African Hip Hop Radio at FunX Lijn5, GMb and J4 speak to Rapulana Seiphemo, known from the movie Tsotsi and most recent as the lead character Lucky Kunene in Jerusalema.
Rapulana visited Holland to attend the Africa in the Picture film festival, which screened Jerusalema (as well as our documentary ‘Redefinition: African hip hop’). Jerusalema is the life story of Lucky Kunene, a boy who wants to attend university but resorts to crime to pay his fees. After moving to Hillbrow, the run-down district near Joburg’s city center, he moves into the business of hijacking buildings. The movie was a huge success in South Africa and was received with critical acclaim (8+ in the IMDB directory); international distribution is on the way with a direct-to-dvd release in the Netherlands.

In this new season, African hip hop radio on FunX Lijn5 is a weekly two-hour show, broadcast every Thursday from 8pm and available online as a stream or download from Friday. The last part of every hour is a non-stop mix by dj 360 (Bamba Nazar). Presentation is in Dutch while most interviews and guest features are in English.

Listen:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Playlist
1st hour
Alain Bongo – Brand new man
Jay-Z – Empire State of Mind ft Alicia Keys
Blitz the Ambassador – Lovers Remorse feat. Rick Bartlett
Pan Africans – Luv struck ft Aisha Marshall & Colonel Red
Kama – Wanajaribu
Terror mc – Kan jy man staan
Soggy Doggy, Chidi Benz & D Knob – Wabishi wa town
Zaki Ibrahim – Daylight
Threesixty mix

2nd hour
TID and Top Band – Asha
Wyclef ft. 2face, Rocksteady & Reggie Rockstone – Glad We Made It
Disiz – Papa lova
Dj Mujava Township funk
Wale – My sweetie
J period ft Knaan – Let’s start (Fela tribute)
Appa ft Douzi – Ana maghrebi
Threesixty mix

In the first episode of African hip hop radio at FunX Lijn5 after the summer holiday, GMB and J4 talk to African hip hop radio host Lee Kasumba in SA who also hosted Emcee Africa 2. She talks about the results of the final round in Botswana in which 17-year old Cibil Nyte battled his final opponent, C-Real from Ghana, as well as freestyle champ Zeus and was crowned Emcee Africa, parting with 10.000 U$. He also recorded a track with the jury members Proverb, Naeto C, HHP, Nazizi and Zeus.

You can watch some of the highlights of the battles at the Mnet website.

Listen here (3 hours):
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

This episode was recorded for the Dutch edition of African hip hop radio; presentation is partly in Dutch but the interview is in English.

Playlist

1st hour
Blitz the Ambassador – Something to Believe
Str8buttah – Exhibiting mindstates
JCB – Bongo Flavor (ft Ambrose)
G Fema – Hey Dama
Mister K – Pobre Alegre
Disiz la Peste -L.o.v.e. feat. Humphrey
Nino Bless – Boom Bap Shit feat Rhymefest, Skyzoo, Ras Kass, Scram Jones
R2Bees – T.E.M.A feat. Sarkodie
Dji Tafinha – Eu Imagino Ft Gutto
Imam Abbas – Sunshine ft Nakaaya
Francis Bebey – Triste

2nd hour
Feniksi – J’arrete tout
Wale – Um ricka ft K’naan
Sir Samuel – Qui La Sauvera
Proverb, Naeto C, HHP, Nazizi, Zeus, Cibil Nyte – All Around The A
Celso OPP – Para cu guerra na guetto ft. Arafat & Paxion
Kid Mc – Furiosidade Feat Extremo Signo
Zimbabwe Legit – DC Freestyle
Fally Ipupa – Chaise Electrique feat Olivia
Cheb Akil – Nahreg Akil
Buraka Som Sistema – Kalemba (Afrikan Boy Remix)
Sang Pleur – Les cent pleurs

3rd hour
Mix by Threesixty

In this special edition of the African hip hop radio show we take it back to 1980′s Nigeria, an era during which quite some local rap was recorded, often outside of the context of hip hop culture. Together with Uchenna Ikonne, who runs the popular old school Naija music blog With Comb & Razor and who is a big collector of all groovy music to come out of Nigeria in the past three decades, we look at Nigerian rap released on vinyl records between 1981 and 1991.

The first hip-hop record to achieve widespread popularity in Nigeria was “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang, in 1979. Thirty years later, hip-hop is the premier pop music of Nigeria, dominating radio play as well as the sales charts, feted in megabudget videos, glossy magazines and glitzy award shows. When the average Nigerian kid decides to get into the music biz, the first impulse is not to grab a guitar or a talking drum, but to pick up a microphone.

It was a long way from there to here, though. For years, the earliest attempts at homegrown rap were ridiculed, resisted or downright reviled by the mainstream. And in some cases, perhaps, rightfully so: they were often awkward, overly imitative, fatuous. But they also laid the foundation for the 2Faces, the 9ices, the D’Banjes, Ruggedmans, Modenines and the rest of today’s Naija hip-hop superstars. So here’s our salute to some of the groundbreakers in the first decade of Nigerian hip-hop.

Click to stream the Nigerian old school rap podcast (85 minutes): [Audio clip: view full post to listen]

For personal use (listening on your pod device) you may also download the mp3 (size: 118 mb) by right-clicking here (‘save as…’). When linking to the podcast please link to this page, not the sound file.

1. Ronnie – “The Way I Feel Rap” (1981)
“Ronnie” was Ron Ekundayo, a highly popular Lagos nightclub DJ, television presenter and on-air personality on the very hip 97.6 Radio Nigeria 2. Inspired by the success of music superstar Kris Okotie, Ekundayo decided to add “recording artist” to his burgeoning resume in 1981. The album The Way I Feel featured mostly Okotie-esque pop and dance tunes, but the title track was a bold and unprecedented stab at the new disco rappin’ trend. Ronnie never recorded a follow-up to The Way I Feel, but his place in history is secure as the man who made the first rap record in Nigeria (and, very possibly, in Africa).

2. Dizzy K. – “Saturday Night Raps” (1982)
Teenaged “Dizzy” Kunle Falola was regarded as little more than another Michael Jackson imitator when he first arrived on the scene in 1982, but over the course of the 80s he would release some of the most ingeniously funky records ever to come out of Nigeria. He was also an early adopter in the rap race, with this disco-ready offering from his debut LP Excuse Me Baby.

3. Dili I. Jukson – “Rapp and Checkout Music” (c. 1985)
Like most of the early Nigerian rappers, Dili I. Jukson’s rhyme style prioritizes cadence over content but his laidback flow is enough to set the party off on this Beat Street-influenced joint.

4. Mams & Hart – “Pump” (1982)
Gloria Hart was an American singer who lived and worked in Nigeria in the early 80s, touring with Nigerian pop star Onyeka Onwenu and coaching other artists on vocal techniques. Mambo Kristo was a session drummer who played on several Nigerian records during the same period. In 1982, they got together to record an album of glossy disco numbers, with Gloria kicking a few rapid-fire party rhymes on “Pump.” Not exactly a rap record, but a pointer of things to come…

5. Oby Onyioha – “Break It” (1984)
In 1981, canary-voiced singer Oby Onyioha sent shockwaves through the Nigerian music industry with I Want To Feel Your Love—a glossy pop and disco LP helmed by producer Lemmy Jackson. When Onyioha and Jackson reteamed three years later for Break It, the album didn’t fare too well with the mainstream audience but the emerging hip-hop community embraced the title track and its music video, which tipped its hat to breakdancing and sneaker culture.

6. Rapmaster Lexy Mella – “On The Air Rap” (1985)
Lexy Mella confidently anointed himself “Rapmaster” on the cover of his debut LP even though he didn’t rap very much (or very well) on the record. He did, however, sport a pretty convincing “hip-hop” image, complete with jheri curl and JPS gear (as in “John Player Special”— the John Player cigarette brand became synonymous with hip-hop during the era due to the company’s sponsorship of an annual, national breakdance competition).

7. Super Doeths – “Super Doeths” (1985)
The duo Super Doeths described their sound as “Afro-funk,” but showed a keen interest in the burgeoning hip-hop scene, quoting Whodini’ “Five Minutes of Funk” and namechecking Run-DMC in the “Sucker MCs”-inspired eponymous theme song. Produced by legendary rock guitarist Felix “Feladey” Odey.

8. Kingsley Bucknor – “You Gotta Keep On Luvin’ Me (Hot Extended Re-Mix Version)” (1985)
Bucknor’s forte was really slick boogie music rather than hip-hop. Still, there was still enough crossover between the two scenes in ‘85 to make this one a surefire floor rocker for the b-boys.

9. I.C. Rock – “Advice/Oge Chi Ka Nma” (1985)
Despite the popularity of social commentary records like Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five’s “The Message,” most Nigerians viewed rap mostly as mindless party chanting. The stern moral imperaitives of I.C. Rock’s “Advice,” segueing into the Igbo language “Oge Chi Ka Nma” (translating as “God’s time is the best time”) in a way represents a nod towards more “conscious” rap.


10. McDormett – “Let’s Hear the Funk” (1986)
This offering from singer Ernest McDormett Ofonedu indicates the mid-decade trend towards digital production sounds and the increasing association of “funk” with a more machine-like sonic qualities. The emphasis would drift further and further from live musicians and more towards the craft of the producer and the use of the studio as a musical instrument in itself.

11. Mike Umoh – “Do It” (c. 1985)
Mike Umoh was the drummer in popular soft rocker Bongos Ikwue’s Groovies band in the 1970s before embarking upon a solo career. His biggest hit was the 1981 discolypso smash “Early in the Morning” but he also tried his hand at reggae, funk, pop, gospel and here, rapping. Most of his rhymes seem to be plagiarized but he makes up for the lack of lyrical originality with an abundance of exuberance!

12. Timi Gawi “3” – “Boxing Rapping Show” (c. 1984)
Pop singer Timi Gawi “3”’s rhymes are straight outta nursery school, he doesn’t have much of anything one might describe as a “flow,” and it’s not easy to figure out the connection between boxing and rapping in this show. Perhaps Timi’s concept of rap here derives less from hip-hop than from Muhammed Ali’s rhymed toasts and boasts?


13. Rick Asikpo – “Beat Jam” (1986)
Richard Asikpo started his career while a student in Houston, Texas, fronting the funk band Afro-Fusion (which featured guitarist Charlie Singleton, who would soon find fame with Cameo). Upon returning to Nigeria, he continued to ply his distinctive synth-infused funk. “Jam” was a groove-in-progress that he revisited over the course of three albums, giving it a hip-hop twist on this final installment.

14. Judy Nackix – “If I Have the Time” (c. 1986)
By the beginning of the second half of the 80s, boogie funk was out; electro-funk and freestyle were in. The mysterious singer known as Judy Nackix blended electro sounds with Igbo folk melodies on his sole LP Wants Some Body, and threw in a gruff rap “for the new generation… for the new generation… for the new generation and the youth of today!”

15. Gee Tagbas – “Rap Dazz” (1986)
The breakdance craze was fading too, but Gee Tagbas’s “Rap Dazz” throws up one last hurrah for the b-boys. Gee’s rapping isn’t particularly coherent but works as an effective rhythmic complement to the dark electro groove.


16. Mustapha Amego – “Lagos” (1990)
Mustapha Amego was the host of Sunday Rendezvous, the Soul Train-esque TV show that was de rigueur viewing for the new generation of Nigerian hip-hop and R&B fans in the late 1980s. “Lagos” features backing vocals by Alex Ibeh a.k.a. “Mr. Kool” of Sound on Sound*.


17. MC Skidd-O – “Message” (1992)
“MC Skidd-O” appears to be an incarnation of Skid Ikemefuna, original host of Sunday Rendezvous and its more popular offshoot, The Kessingsheen Hit Show. In a previous life, Skid played guitar in the 1970s rock band Grotto; these days he is a successful businessman and gospel music artist.


18. Emphasis – “Which One You Dey” (1991)
In our mind, “Which One You Dey?” by Emphasis—a trio composed of rappers Terry and Mouth MC and singer Junior—represented homegrown Nigerian hip-hop finally finding its own voice. Unlike most of their predecessors, Emphasis didn’t rely on barely-rhymed doggerel aping the rhythms and cadences of American old-school rap records, but instead presented a lucid narrative complete with plot, characterization and humor, delivered with a relaxed flow in pidgin English—the true language of Nigeria’s streets.

Up-and-coming young producer Kingsley Ogoro’s laidback afrosynthfunk enhanced the indigenous vibe. The 1991 “maxi-single” Big Deal! would be Emphasis’s sole release, but it set the template for all the Nigerian rap that came after it. (Ogoro went on to become one of the most highly regarded filmmakers in the Nigerian movie industry.)

19. Sound on Sound – “I’m African” (1988)
Sound on Sound was a group composed of Nigerian vocalists Mr. Kool, Ebony Laoye and Monica Omorodion, and Americans Troy “Jedi” Williams and Ron “Scratch” McBean. Sound on Sound’s 1988 LP Africa From Scratch (featuring the single “I’m African”) was, without a doubt, the first full-fledged rap album produced in Nigeria. And while at the time of its release a lot of us thought frontman Scratch was a mediocre MC who probably moved to Nigeria because he was too corny to make it in the States, we later learned that he’s actually unimpeachably credible, having played a pivotal role in the history of hip-hop before he came to Africa.

McBean—then known as “Ron the Mad Master Mixer”—originally formed Sound on Sound as a New Jersey DJ crew in the late 1970s. When Sugarhill Records boss Sylvia Robinson became intrigued by the growing hip-hop phenomenon and decided to put together a rap group to make a record, it was McBean who recommended that the record be built on Chic’s “Good Times” and who helped assemble the group, supervising the auditions of Guy “Master Gee” O’Brien and Henry “Big Bank Hank” Jackson.

The third slot in the Gang was filled by McBean’s cousin Michael “Wonder Mike” Wright, who was previously an MC in Sound on Sound. Sound on Sound Productions released a couple of singles in 1980, the best-remembered being “The Incredible Hump,” on Salsoul Records, but when they never really took off, McBean took off for Nigeria and formed a new incarnation of Sound on Sound.

We’d like to think that had we known of McBean’s incredible pedigree at the time, we might have given him a little more respect. But in ‘88, his style just sounded too elementary, too quaint, too old school for ears that were currently devouring Rakim, Chuck D and Slick Rick. In retrospect, it’s ironic to think that one of the facilitators of hip-hop as a recorded genre in America would also end up being one of the pioneers of its entrenchment on the African continent, so much props due to DJ Ron!

Text: Uchenna Ikonne / pics & audio: Uchenna Ikonne & Juma4 / copyright 2009

Young Tanzanian reggae singer Man Sniper (also spelled Mansnipa or Mansnepa) has been working with Dutch reggae group the Rootsriders to record his first album. In November 2008 he visited the African hip hop radio studio together with Cyril from the Rootsriders, where he spoke about his music and did a little freestyle. Then there’s an interview we recorded with Rich Medina at BASS festival in UK in June 2008.

The show also features a report by the late Angel Wainana from Ghetto Radio in Nairobi about the refusal of members of parliament to pay taxes. Also in the studio: Tanzanian dj G-Town who lives in Rotterdam. In the 3rd hour he took over from dj 360 to do a mix of Bongo flava and other East African music.

Note: this show was recorded for the Dutch edition of African hip hop radio. Presentation is in Dutch, the interviews are in English (and Swahili). Also, the last few tracks of the 1st hour are not part of the African hip hop radio playlist (see below), they were added because of a technical failure at the studio…

Listen:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Playlist

Uur 1
Dori – Rapazis Opperacional
Terror MC – Street Life
Abd al Malik (Frankrijk) – Faqir
Afro Soldier – Rich Medina
Rich Medina interview part 1
Rich Medina – Too much (afrostreet mix)
Rich Medina interview part 2
Afrikan Boy – Lagos
Redsan – Chicken
item Getto radio
Wahu – Sweet love

Uur 2
Nneka – Deadly combination
Ba Sissoko ft K’naan – Silani
African Akhlou Bi – Andando
Rootsriders ft Man Sniper – Nimekutafuta
Kalamashaka – Guess who
Kalibrados – Man Tony (cd Cartas na Mesa)
X Plastaz – Msimu kwa msimu
Sugu – Mchakamchaka feat. Stara
Kurasa (Tanzania) – Take Care Rmx
Pina – Msimamo
TMK Wanaume Family – Dar mpaka Moro

Uur 3
Dj G-Town on the decks: Bongo flava special

At his young age, Ali Kiba (also spelled Alikiba or Ally Kiba) from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania has already seen much of the world. His songs, most notably the monster hit Cinderella, have become known and loved all throughout the Swahili speaking countries of East Africa as well as the diaspora. The style is called Bongo flava which is also the term used to describe Tanzanian hip hop, however Ali Kiba’s songs are more reminiscent of candy zouk.

While on a European tour in April 2008, Ali Kiba stayed in the Netherlands, where he joined the African hip hop radio studio for an interview. He also sang an acapella version of Cinderella without any artificial effects, showing that he doesn’t actually need Autotune pitch correction (the same effect that was discussed in Jay-Z’s ‘Death of Autotune’).

Note: this show was recorded for the Dutch edition of African hip hop radio on FunX Lijn5. Presentation is in Dutch, the interview is in English and French.

Listen:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Playlist:

1st hour
Two Fingers – Straw men ft Sway
Ali Kiba – Mac Muga
Alesh – untitled demo
Rap Ases – Desce & Sobe Ft Boricua
Ali Kiba – track
2Face Idibia – Take it back
Ali Kiba – track
Mwanafa – Msiache kuongea ft Lady Jaydee
Solo Thang and Nguza Viking – Tafadhali
Daby Toure – Setal
Fid Q – Shimo limetema

2nd hour
Shabba Ranks – Dukku dukku (Soulforce remix)
Sun Sooley – Safara
Oxmo Puccino – 365 jours
Dji Tafinha – Nem Tudo é o Que Parece
MI – I’m hot (Gbono Feli freestyle)
OCG – Rafiki
Salah Edin – Horr
Majoie Hajary – Prologue
Overdose ft the Rapman – If I catch U
Mulatu Astatke & the Heliocentrics – Inspiration information
Leeroy – Pepper view

3rd hour
Dj Threesixt on the decks