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Senegalese rap crews (A-K) This is the complete index of Senegalese rap crews in alphabetical order. You are on page 1: letters A through K. Click here to see the rest (L-Z) African Mboolo Members: Djenky Man, Joe D, Mister Man African Jappo Members: Alisten Dasen, Gold, Cledor The two brothers and their friend who represent their community Guediawaye, Dakar, strongly believe in a Pan-African Hip Hop. As they say, some of the problems that they face are the same as those met by urban youth in Nigeria, Zambia, or the whole continent. So they have set their minds on fighting the wrongs of society, starting with their own neighbourhood. In songs like 'Drogue Bi' and 'Diour Sani' they urge the listener to stay away from drugs and other malicious practices and to stay cool. Alif Members: Mina, Myriam, Oumy Album: Viktim (1999) All female hardcore rapping, this is how we like it! The first track on the cassette is the best, but all the others pass the test, too. Bamba-J Fall Members: K-Man, Baye Fall, Missal, Riddial Albums: Gëm ak jëf (1999) Bamba J Fall have an album out which in September 1999 was one of the bigger hits in Senegalese rap, with its ragga-like single that comes with a videoclip (see our snd & vid section for the realvideo clip). Banor-Z Members: Aljo, Bill Felou, Fibo, Big Joe, Nayaban Kuady Albums: Banor-Z (1999) The first album by Banor-Z is an interesting fusion of mbalax pop with rap, r&b and ragga. As usual, the 1st track on the album ('Amisébé') is most interesting but there's an accapella song that attracts the attention with its close-harmony style singing with fingerclicks and all. B.B.C. Members: Quick Teller, Kaddu Wolof, Crazy Maothis Album: Thioukouly (1999) We'd been looking for this group's album for some time after we heard them on Walf FM radio nearly 2 years ago. Their song 'Thioukouly' with its irresistible salsa groove and tight rapping was on our Senegalese rap radio show that is still available online. Now the whole album is OK (the A side in particular), the production was done in France (Studio de la Bastille, Paris). In fact it's sad - at least for the local studios - that you can hear that this is not a Dakar production. However Senegalese productions are getting better all the time, with local studios like Tonton Mac's, and it is people like BBC who come back with the necessary knowledge to pass around. Bideew Album: Ndekete yoo (1999) Youssou N'Dour, Senegals grand vedette in music, did much to get the country's mbalax music exposed to the world. Now that he earned enough money to go & live in peace, he still keeps on recording and touring, and what's more - he dedicated part of his time to setting up a record label 'Jololi' which serves to release the work of talented young artists such as Cheikh Lo. It's no surprise that Youssou got involved with some rappers as well. Bideew is the first group that gets a Jololi release, and there is a compilation coming up. Ndekete yoo is an interesting cassette with tight rapping, solid production and a high degree of catchiness, especially in the hit 'Ou-ah'. This song became so popular because of the chorus but the video, showing the rappers getting arrested by a bunch of girls in camouflage suits, helped a lot spreading their fame. There is another song which features a Youssou N'Dour sample for the chorus, although its is not unlikely that You laid his vocals live in the studio. Black Face Members: Bia, Noa, Dié From Thiaroye-sur-Mer, the Black Face have been rapping since 1993. They are inspired by the ideas of people such as Cheikh Amadou Bamba, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. They are very concerned with the still-increasing unemployment in Senegal. Black Mboolo Members: James A.J. One, Tee Tee Yoro, Poupa Ndiagobi Cassette: Wadiour du Morom (1997), Mbindane du Diaam (1998) Instead of copying an American style of rapping as so many b-boys around the world tend to do, Black Mboolo came up with something new. Their music will shock both purists of rap music and people who are into mbalax, the Wolof music that grew so popular with the likes of Youssou N'Dour. The Black Mboolo are especially popular with the teenage girls, who are too young to remember the early days of rap in Senegal and to whom PBS is truly old school. The track 'Alal' is a great example of this (listen here), even though there's also a hip hop version but we prefer the mblax kind. Black Muslims Members: Milcos, Layranks, Larouman Songs: Boul ma toon, medisance, stop la drogue     The Black Muslims from St Louis. Pic: Juma-4 (1999) Saint-Louis is a town on the north coast of Senegal, just at the border with Mauritania. It was built on two islands which are connected with bridges. Between the old French colonial architecture hip hop has found its way: there are now several rap groups, such as BBS who are on the Petit Frère cassette compilation, and the succesful Black Muslims. The latter is a trio that started out in 1995, did their first shows in 1997, and played at the well known St Louis Jazz festival. They bring a convincing mix of ragga, rap and soul. We will soon add the full CV of the group. For now, listen to their freestyles in the Rumba-Kali online radio special on Senegal. Black Stars Posse Members: Black, Radical, MC Champion, Nou Cassette: La paix en Casamance The Black Stars Posse have a style which has a lot in common with that of Pee Froiss.They also recently released a first album in Senegal. All rappers in the posse have been involved in music before. The leader of the posse, called Black, used to rap before with the group Flash. Their lyrics are driven by the thought of peace, not violence as is made clear by the title of their first cassette: 'La paix en Cassamance' (Peace in Cassamance, an area near the Guinee Bissau-border where one of the members of the group grew up). Blood Brothers Members: Niagass, dj Yass A two rappers, two dancers group from Saint Louis, in the northern part of Senegal. The two vocalists have been studying to be come an electrician but since they gave up their studies for rapping, the only electricity they will work with again is that of electric boogie. This was in August 1993. They represented their region in the 'Nuit de Rap' in the French Cultural Center in June 1998. BMG-44 Album: Ji Hard Kor (1998) BMG-44 are hardcore, in the same vein as Rapadio. Grimy lyrics and a heavy-duty production, their album 'Ji Hard Kor' caused a stir. Among other things, they rap about legalizing ganja 'as in Amsterdam', well we can talk about that since Amsterdam is where this site is produced... certainly haven't seen too many Senegalese rappers among the 'coffeeshop' tourists that hang out on the streets here. Boulen Baï Album: Xaleyi/Mama Africa (1997) Crew from Reubeuss, Dakar that started out in 1993. D-Kill compilation Album: D-Kill compilation (1999) A truly underground compilation, with some interesting contributions, most notably the song '100 commentaires' by Iba and Maktar, 'L'Envahisseur' by Abbas and 'Ni gueun - si noun' by Omzo. '100 commentaires' has superb production too! Not all tracks are able to keep our attention for the full 5 minutes but overall this album is worth more than its 2 U$. Daara J Members: Ndongo D, Fadda Freddy, Lord Aladji Man Cassettes: Daara J (1996), Xalima (1998) Cd: Daara J (Virgin France 1997, read this review), Xalima (1998) Original Dakar rudeboys Daara J on their debut release have managed to come with a style that's even harder than Pee Froiss. Dark and sober hip hop/ragga beats are accompanied by an even representation of Hip Hop style rap, Ragga rap and R&B vocals from the three group members. They come in any language: French, English or Wolof. In early 1997 they have toured in France and England, which resulted in a record deal with Declic Communications who have released their cd in February 1997. In September 1998, Daara J presented their 2nd album on the island of Goreé (see picture on the left) which in earlier times used to be the last stop for slaves to be deported to the new world. 'Xalima', an 18 track album, was recorded with the Declic label from France. Guest appearances are by Neg'Marrons and by Jamaican ragga star Patra who visited Dakar in 1998. Da Brains Members: Cool MB, Dady, Fat J, Dioum B, Bed Sheet Albums: Da Brains (1998) The group arose from the ashes of the posses 'ENS' and 'B Shirter'. This was after 'ENS' fell apart, with two members departing for France and the remaining member Cool MD joining 'B Shirter'. After a contribution to the succesful compilation' Senerap freestyle vol. 1' they have come up with a first album with the help of Positive Black Soul on production and in guest appearance. Da Peace Guys Members: Lamine T, Dadida, Khaly Fall, Salaam J, Ngalla, Sister Soda This group consists of former members of Bène Tally, a posse from Usine (Dakar). Among the rappers is a percussionist. Their message, as the group name suggests is one of peace. After watching the world news they have become quite optimists on the future of Senegal. In an interview in 1998 they predicted that rap in Senegal would become very large. They were right, it seems now. Diwan-J Members: Djibson-B, Bi Guiw Bi, Xamie Cassette: Diwan - J (1999) The Diwan-J also have a video on RTS television which ensures them of a succesful tape sale. The album itself is interesting, especially because the music has a live feel - it probably took a band to play the instrumentals. Domou Jolof Members: Sister Keicha, Koka, Donj Cassette: La banlieue attacke The Domou Jolof came out of another crew called Khour Mbégué, and in the current form they have been running around for a year so that was a reason to throw an anniversary party, in the young tradition of artists like PBS and Pee Froiss. As Tony Touch once said, I can tell who you are by who you hang with. So here goes: the invitees to the Domou Jolof party were Pee Froiss, Black Mboolo, Tim Timol, Jant Bi, Sunu Flavor, Zaman, Salam Jam, RFM. Furthermore Sister Keisha features on the Yat-Fu album. Fons N'Dour Members: solo Album: Yaryo naak (1998) Fons seems to be somehow related to the BMG-44 crew (and to Youssou N'Dour?) but his rap style is totally different, with poppy instrumentals and vocal arrangements. A beginner, but his voice has a special sound to it and he has the potential to be good. Fu-Efx Members: Fambi et Bokassa, Same, Yass Album (forthcoming): Nudu Nude ('On creve pas') This group consists of 2 Dakar emcees, 1 French rapper and a France-based producer. They plan to hit the market with a first release later this year. The best thing is that their producer has a web site with dope graffiti, French hip hop updates and the latest info on the group. Gelongal Members: Papi Baba, Bathie, Do, Balla Albums: Djen Kolda (1999), contribution to 'Generation Boul Fale - Streets of Dakar' (1999) and to 'Africa Fete compilation' (1999) This group raps over very gentle instrumentals with a beat that has been moved a bit to the background. Perhaps this has made them such a popular choice with the compilers of the high-volume collections mentioned above. Also the collaboration with internationally known singer Baaba Maal got them the necessary attention; their song 'Chech Anta Diop' is featured on the Stern's Music cd 'Generation Boul Fale - Streets of Dakar'. Guestu Bi Members: Talis, Ibro, Bachir, Mia New group that has an album out, produced by Fons N'Dour and with invited traditional musicians. Jant-Bi Members: Moussa, Souley, Doudou, Baxi Cassette: Ku mer bokko (1996), Bop sa bop (1998), Daax neex (1999) Jant-Bi released their first cassette in August 1996. It made them hugely popular with a wide audience. The group first gained some musical experience by playing mbalax, another popular Senegalese style as played by Youssou N'Dour. But some four years ago they switched to rap music. As they say, rap is more accessible to the youth and you only need a dj and two or three mics. Rapper Souley Ba joined Jant-Bi after leaving his first group, Pee Froiss and failing to go on solo. The musical link with Pee Froiss can still be heard. Jant-Bi sometimes perform wearing bogolan, a traditional Senegalese dress and dance a particular dance called tassu, which comes in mind when talking about African varieties of rap. Tassu in fact is rap as it has been performed for centuries. As for many African rappers, the question whether hip hop has its place in Africa can easily be answered: tassu was there long before American rap blew up. What's more: some African Americans stem from the Senegal-Gambia coast, thus they must have taken this tassu heritage to their new land where it raised its head 400 years later. The latest album 'Daax neex' came out in Dakar in 1999 and was a true come-back, since people had started to forget about Jant-Bi. Guests on the album include Jamu Africa, Thierno from the group Keurgui and Domou Jolof. Listen to our exclusive interview (in French) in our interview section, and a freestyle from October 99, just before the album came out, on our sounds page. Jef-J de Mbour Members: Jupiter, G-Man, Dougui-Dougui, BB, MD Albums: Benn Benal (1998) We got a pirated Gambian copy of this group's tape. The production stands out, with nice pounding beats and chords. Raps remind of Positive Black Soul - not just the flow and the occasional reggae-like singing but also the voice of the rapper. Jëf Jël de Guéoul Tracks: Dëgg la Yalla bëgg Members: Badara Ndiaye, Badou Sy, Ameth Rap in Senegal is not confined to the big city. Here is a group that represents the rural areas on the road from Dakar to Saint Louis in the north. They started out only in 1996, bribing the dj of the local youth club to make him play American instrumentals for them to rap over. As many groups in Senegal they fuse ragga with hardcore (rap) and soul. Jef Jel uses English as well as French and Wolof to rap in. They have been talking to Talla Diagne, the main cassette distributor in Dakar and he was interested, however there were other factors that kept them from recording and releasing the album yet. Jef Wareef Members: Mac J Assane, Baby Fatim Cassette: Euleuk dou wees (1999) Kantiolis One of the 'old school' groups around in Dakar. At last, they can be heard on the track 'Wakh free' on the PBS anniversary album from 98. Keur-Gui Members: Body, Ze, Zeus, Macodou Maal The age of the Keur Gui rappers is only 17. Instead of dropping out of school as so many young rappers have done, they still go to school. To them rapping is a hobby which might gradually become more like a profession. As KRS-One said: if more mc's would just have a regular job and use their spare time to rap or make beats then maybe the state of Hip Hop today would be more sound. Anyway Keur-Gui start by performing in their home area (Zone B in Dakar) where they want to take it to the schools. Their lyrics touch on the usual threats to urban youth: alcoholism, violence and all that. Kocc Barma Members: Joe Xe, Maxi Crazy Cassette: Lu waay deff boppam (1996) For the album Lu waay deff boppam (meaning 'Everybody is responsible for his own acts'), Kocc Barma spent some 50 days recording in Studio Wings, Dakar. Their effort has showed its worth as they came to be second at the annual competition 'Rap a Dakar'. The group knows its way around show business. The album shows some innovations such as the mixing of Hip Hop beats with traditional Pulaar instruments riti and flute. Founding member Blackson is now with a new group Leer Gui.

:: OUR SENERAP :: Nouveautes (Fr) Dakar photo report SeneRap News Crews A-K (page 1) Crews L-Z (page 2) SeneRap Realaudio ('98) SeneRap Realaudio ('99) Interview Pee Froiss :: SECTION FRANCAIS :: Producteurs locaux Producteurs etrangers Collaborations (1) Collaborations (2) Interview: Yat-Fu (audio) Interview: Jant-Bi (audio)