Eternia to Rock with MC Lyte Sept 4th!
August 19, 2009 | 1 Comment
She just doesn’t stop! 
One of our favorite MCs is back again but this time at Sputnik in Brooklyn with none other than MC Lyte! Big up!
Check the info below!
Surprise Screening of Democracy in Dakar in NYC – Aug 15th
August 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Our friends at the Maysles Theater in Harlem will be screening Democracy in Dakar this Saturday! Check below for more info:
Saturday,
August 15
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
My Favorite Rapper Wears a Skirt: Interview with Eternia
August 13, 2009 | 2 Comments
1) Where are you From and how did you become involved in hip hop?
I am Canadian (my mom’s side were pioneers of English/Scottish descent, my father is Turkish/Assyrian & moved to Canada as a teenager). My brother introduced me to Hip Hop when I was around 8-yrs-old. I been rappin’ pretty much every since. It was very second nature. Nobody told me in Ottawa, Ontario that a lil white-ish girl rappin’ in the 80s was weird :-p ha
Homegrown Hip-Hop from Ghana Hits the Bronx!
August 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment
West Africa has a long-standing tradition of traveling storytellers known as Griots (pronounced GREE oh), who combine poetry, music, and oral history. In Ghana, a group of young Africans are continuing this legacy and have captured the attention of international audiences.
Zimbabwe meets Namibia at House of NsAkO
August 4, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Friday the 7th of August sees Africa’s young music exports putting their beloved countries on the spot in South Africa. The two talented musicians have toured extensively in the African Continent and abroad selling Africa’s music to the masses. The great musicians in question are Elemotho from Namibia and Comrade Fatso & Chabvondoka from Zimbabwe. Houses of NsAkO, which is cosy and nicely decorated with African accessories, will be roaring like a true African Lion when these two young men get on stage.
Ugandan Hip-Hop: New Silas Video (Produced by Magee McIlvaine – Nomadic Wax)
July 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment
In 2009, Ugandan-based emcee Silas aka Babaluku of the legendary Bataka Squad Crew went on a fundraising trip to the US. His goals- to raise sufficient funds and support for his Bavubuka Foundation, a grassroots organization and growing movement on the streets of Kampala. Bavubuka, meaning youth in the Lugandan language, are currently a demographic powerhouse with more than 78% of the Ugandan population under the age of 24. The Bavubuka Foundation was started to support these young people, who must find their way within the sea of corruption, poverty, and instability that is the Ugandan reality. Hip hop has proven to be a powerful tool to empower and educate a resilient young Ugandan generation.
Nomadic Massive Review – By Magee McIlvaine
July 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment
An international hip hop head since…well…before it was cool- I have always been drawn to music that mirrors my own personal experience. Growing up between hectic Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania), gritty Nairobi (Kenya), sleepy Lusaka (Zambia), and the capitol of the Western world- Washington DC- I have always been drawn to the urban sounds the reflect my own nomadic upbringing. But in those days, living in another country did not make it any easier to get away from American hip hop or American Hip Hop-imitation music. Naturally, American hip hop dominated my case-logic (remember those days?), as it did everywhere else (Obvious highlight: Fugees- The Score). When I stumbled onto French super group Saian Supa Crew, the tables began to turn. Saian Supa Crew was the first hip hop crew to solidify my interest and appreciation for hip hop’s various and always unique manifestations through around the world. It was a slippery slope. Instead of going to grad school or ‘growing up,’ I find myself completely and helplessly immersed in the world of international hip hop music and activism. Who woulda known?
Award-winning documentary about youth, hip hop, and politics in Senegal to be screened July 23
July 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Ground-breaking film Democracy in Dakar bridges the gaps between hip hop activism, video journalism and documentary film.
Brooklyn, NY—On July 23, the 92YTribeca will host a sneak preview of the groundbreaking documentary Africa Underground: Democracy in Dakar, a film about the role of musical activism in the Senegalese political process. The documentary exposes audiences to a gritty, raw side of Senegalese music and politics, through youth hip hop culture.
Using hip hop music as the primary storytelling device, Democracy in Dakar chronicles the lived experience on the streets of Dakar before and after the controversial 2007 presidential elections. The film follows rappers, DJs, journalists, professors, and others, intimately capturing the fluidity and intensity of emotion surrounding the controversial election.
Global Hip-Hop Artists Collaborate to Support Inspirational Burundian Politician Alexis Sinduhije
July 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment
After Burundian politician Alexis Sinduhije was illegally incarcerated in November 2008, international hip-hop fair trade label Nomadic Wax joined forces with Sinduhije’s party, Movement for Solidarity and Democracy, to create a hip hop music compilation calling for his freedom. Sinduhije was released from prision in March 2009, however the message of this compilation remains relevant as his candidacy in the 2010 presidential elections continues to be highly contested by the Burundian government.
Ian Kamau Mixtape Review by Mikal Lee
July 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment
A good and trusted friend passed me this mixtape, September 9th, by Canadian Rapper Ian Kamau. The mixtape is serving as a warmup and introduction for Ian to a wider audience in preparation for the release of his album proper on (yes you guessed it….) September 9th. In all truth, it is almost an insult to call this merely a mixtape, as Sept. 9th may be one of the most focused and relevant releases for this year. A great blend of the personal and political, the musical and the raw, while having a coherent theme throughout, something you don’t normally find in a mixtape. On first listen you can hear similar vocal tones of Slick Rick in Ian’s voice, but there is no comparisons at all to The Ruler. The seriousness and direct stance of his lyrics compared to the legends more tongue in cheek light hearted manner, Ian’s sharp wittiness comes more scathing, though both share an almost matter of fact way they deliver their own commentary.
The album, er sorry…mixtape starts out with Dear Summer, a brief recount of Ian’s childhood and early manhood leading up to this point. As he starts off melodically riffing to the track, you feel the old soul that Ian tells us he was considered as a youth. His laid back voice and effortless cadence could almost lull you to sleep, if not for the beautiful truth he conveys in living, and living with struggle. When Morning Come, Alarm Call, After the Show (which is a spoken word piece), and Majority Report all give us insight into his perspective on racism, imperialism, and the white supremacist system construct that we all live under and endure. On Alarm Call as he poetically recounts the great migration, and the historical toiling in the lowest dregs of society that Black People have faced some might be quick to say “we’ve heard this story before”. However, Ian’s bouncy rhythms, powerful flow, and unique style better then anyone currently mixes the poetic and emcee seamlessly. His zen-like franknesss, and wit has him playing the dozens against the system unlike most who have been pegged as “militant”. His whole approach is a fresh trail through the well traveled ground regarded as “conscious” music.
Still, the mixtape gives you “Say it ain’t so” a ballad speaking of a young man looking to truly become one as his strongest support system, his mother moves away. The track is a testament to Ian’s talents, as he sings and rhymes, sharing his pain without whining, showing a vulnerability that makes this more then a rap, but a song. On the brass anthem, “April Fools” he turns up the tempo and brings a more open jazz feel, riding the horns and breaking out his own brand of rhythmic dry humor. Aside from some already used beats (its a mixtape, remember?!), the mixtape on the whole, is not a mixtape. Really. This is a project that should have anyone who loves dope music, looking for Ian Kamau and x’ing off the days in their calendar to September 9th.
Written by Mikal Lee
Download the mixtape here: http://www.zshare.net/download/616892724d78a9fe/
www.myspace.com/iankamau
www.myspace.com/freeradicalz
