African Rap

Hip-Hop (or rap as the media calls it)has been popular in Africa since the early 1980s due to the widespread of American influence. The first Hip-Hop group from Africa was Black Noise, a group from Cape Town, South Africa. They began as a graffiti and breakdance crew until they started emceing around 1989. The government of South Africa's aparthied era tried to ban rap due to It's struggle for the freedom of all races. Later the government made Hip-Hop legal in 1993 by playing rap music on radio and rap videos on T.V.

   In 1985 Hip-Hop reached Senegal, a French-speaking country in West Africa. Some of the first Senegalese rappers were M.C. Lida, M.C. Solaar, and Positive Black Soul, who mixed rap with Mbalax, a type of music that has been played in West Africa for centuries. During the late 1980s-early 1990s rap started to escalate all over Africa. Some African rappers have been popular and reside in Europe. These are some of the African rappers that are known

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   M.C. Solaar (Senegal/France)

   Prophets of da City (South Africa)

   Mr.2 (Tanzania)

   Black Noise (South Africa)

   Ya Kid K (Democratic Republic of the Congo/Belgium)

   Kalamashaka (Kenya)

   Possitive Black Soul (Senegal)

   INTIK (Algeria)

   Red One (Morocco/France)

   Cashino (Nigeria/U.K.)

   Mutu Moxy (Angola/South? Africa)

   Of Unknown Origin (Zimbabwe/U.S.)

   U.M.A.R. (Cameroon/France)

   Kwanza Unit (Tanzania)

   Hardstone (Kenya/U.S.)

   Zotto Boyz (Mali)

   Rage (Mali)

   Sakpata Boys (Benin)

   Negro Force (Togo)

   Kill Point (Guinea)

   Baseball Track (Mozambique/U.S./U.K./Portugal?)

   Reggie Rockstone (Ghana)

   Tic-Tac (Ghana)

   South Side Posse (Angola)

   Kaysha (Democratic Republic of the Congo/France)

   Le Specialist (Madagascar/France)

   X-plastaz (Tanzania)

                                                -M.K.-12