Cape Verde: Small Island Doing BIG Things
July 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Dust off that old Atlas, turn up your speakers and get out your seat. There is a new nation on the international hip-hop scene—Cape Verde. Don’t let its size fool you; artists from this small country are doing BIG things!
When it comes to music, Cape Verde is home to more genres than one can count. Google ‘CV Music’ and you’ll find more information than the white pages. Given its rich musical history, it’s no small wonder that when the Diaspora first brought hip hop back to the islands it spread quicker than H1N1.
CV Hip Hop blends rich island rhythms, hard-hitting beats, and razor sharp lyricism. Think Talib Kweli, mixed with Buena Vista social club, topped off with a sprinkle of your favorite club banger. Oh, and with a lyrical mélange of English, Portuguese, CV Kriolu, Dutch and French.
For CV MCs and DJs hip-hop transcends music. In 2006, East Coast artists formed The Movement a collective dedicated to musical collaboration and community activism. Here is where you get out your pad and pen… their lineup is deep (Think Wu-Tang). Here’s the scoop on two of my favorites:
CHACHI
Chachi reps hard for Cape Verde’s 11th island—Rhode Island. The man’s resume is STRONG. Chachi has graced stages across the country with some of hip hop’s best. You don’t have to take my word for it. In 2007 VIBE magazine voted him one of the hottest new MCs state-to-state and in 2008 he was crowned the Champion of 106 & Park’s Wild Out Wednesday. For Chachi it’s not all about the mic. Out of the studio and offstage, he is a dedicated father, coach and youth advocate in Pawtucket Rhode Island.
Check out the video for his new track ‘Freedom Rings’ and keep your ear to the streets because his debut album About Time is schedule to drop this summer. For more info join his email list at (www.chachihiphop.com)
SHOKANTI
If Chachi is Domino, Shokanti is one of those brown packets of ‘In the Raw’ sugar they push at Starbucks. Shokanti’s music radiates raw CV flavor. Shokanti spits solely in CV Kriolu. His lyrics paint pictures of past, present and future. Remember the first time you heard Nas’ ‘N.Y. State of Mind?’ (Much respect to king of Queensbridge) and were transported to the streets of Queens? Shonakti’s music is kind of like that, except instead of grey stoops and stairways he reflects about the dusty streets of CV and the poverty of his homeland. Check him out at (www.myspace.com/shokantimusic)
Written by Jason Azevedo for Nomadic Wax
Canadian Hip Hop Artist And Activist Ian Kamau
July 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment
I listen to a lot of mixtapes (and there are more and more coming out these days!) and I actively avoid a lot of mixtapes. I have heard a lot of solid (and horrible) mixtapes this year, coming from all over the place. Some notable mentions of some of the best mixtapes I have heard this year include:
• Narcy’s ‘Stuck Between Iraq and a Hard Place’ (http://rapidshare.com/files/39464916/narcicyst-stuckbetween-9athome.zip),
• Oddisee’s ‘Diamond District- in the Ruff’ (which is straight fire) ( http://www.zshare.net/download/58639724e3cf086e/ ),
• K’Naan & K-Salaam ‘You Can’t Buy This’ mixtape (Amadou and Mariam and K’Naan collabo banger) (http://2dopeboyz.okayplayer.com/2009/03/05/knaan-you-cant-buy-this-mixed-by-k-salaam-beatnick-mixtape/),
• Jehst’s ‘Mengi Bus Mixtape’ (www.myspace.com/mengibus ), and others (Munetsi form zimbabwe had a dope one as well).
That said,(www.myspace.com/iankamau)’s new mixtape ‘September Nine’ has been playing in my car stereo, my headphones on subway rides, in my mind when I don’t have a stereo available, non stop since I got it. This mixtape is deep. It doesn’t even feel like a dope album. It feels like a classic. Murdering verses and melodies on mainstream beats, Ian Kamau is truly one of the dopest and most internationally minded and progressive artists I have heard recently. I don’t even want to say any more. You all need to download this mixtape (its free!!!!!) and see for your selves.
If you are interested, here is the link to a good review of Ian Kamau’s mixtape by fellow canadian emcee and activist The Voyce: http://praiseandwarship.blogspot.com/2009/06/september-nine-mixtape-review.html
Download the mixtape here: http://www.zshare.net/download/616892724d78a9fe/
And check out Ian Kamau’s blog’s, sketches, and other podcasts here: http://www.iankamau.podomatic.com
Video clips-
Ian Kamau jamming with K-OS:
Ian Kamau doing the spoken word outro to fellow Canadian (by way of Rwanda) emcee Shad K:
Ian Kamau Spoken Word piece live at the Toronto Manifest Festival:
A second Spoken Word piece from Ian Kamau live at the Toronto Manifest Festival:
Magee McIlvaine for Nomadic Wax
Les Lions d’Afrique: Spring 2009 USA Nomadic Wax Tour
July 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Let me describe the scene:
One aging silver minivan, a rotating cast of Senegalese and Zimbabwean musicians, one South African violinist/tour manager/driver; an intern toting a video camera; a marimba (xylophone) set, a djembe, amps, turntables, suitcases, merchandise, and camera equipment.
Three weeks straight, rain or shine. Can you picture it now?
Through April and May, Nomadic Wax traveled from Boston to Connecticut to New Jersey to DC and back, helping to put together the Spread the Word Tour. Backed by the Chabvondoka band, the tour featured Zimbabwe’s biggest names in political protest and hip hop, headlined by artists Comrade Fatso and Outspoken the Alpha Intellect , and spearheaded by violinist Verity Norman. It also featured guest appearnces from Zimbabwean music legends like Chiwoniso and DoomE of Zimbabwe Legit. Near the end of April, we were joined by Wageble <hyperlink www.wageble.com>, one of Senegal’s most legendary crews, on their first US tour.
After numerous shows, back aches and leg cramps and hours on the highway, Nomadic Wax has two music videos of the tour in the works, which will be released shortly. It was an honor and a privilege for us at Nomadic Wax to take part in this tour alongside some of Africa’s finest hip hop acts.
Comrade Fatso and Outspoken both have critically acclaimed albums available now through Nomadic Wax. Check out Comrade Fatso’s blog about the tour, and keep an eye out for Wageble’s upcoming album to be released this summer!
Click here for two articles (in French) about the Wageble tour:
http://www.kingsize.sn/Chronicles.aspx?ArtNo=8085
http://www.kingsize.sn/News.aspx?ArtNo=8165
Magee McIlvaine for Nomadic Wax
Comrade Fatso & Outspoken (alongside Mohammed Yahya and Poetic Pilgrimage of the UK) on Boston College radio, Part 1:
Comrade Fatso & Outspoken (alongside Mohammed Yahya and Poetic Pilgrimage of the UK) on Boston College radio, Part 2:
Outspoken, Eye-Witness (Wageble), and DoomE Right (Zimbabwe Legit) live on WPFW FM Radio in Washington DC, Part 1:
Outspoken, Eye-Witness (Wageble), and DoomE Right (Zimbabwe Legit) live on WPFW FM Radio in Washington DC, Part 2:
Outspoken performing his ‘Freedom Train’ poetry piece:
Freestyle Cipher at the Trinity College International Hip Hop Festival (www.trinityhiphop.org) in Hartford, CT. featuring Outspoken, Themba on percussion, Baay Musa (Senegal), and Hired Gun (Brooklyn):
Outspoken performing alongside other artists from around the world during the freestyle jam session on the first night of the Trinity College International Hip Hop Festival (www.trinityhiphop.org):
Themba Mawoko performing an acoustic set on the Marimba, part 1:
Themba Mawoko performing an acoustic set on the Marimba, part 2:
Themba Mawoko performing an acoustic set on the Marimba, part 3:
Outspoken alongside Readnex Poetry Squad, K’Naan, Baay Musa, Hired Gun, Self Suffice, and other artists at the 4th Annual Trinity College International Hip Hop Festival (www.trinityhiphop.org):
Outspoken at the DC international hip hop BBQ, part 1:
Outspoken at the DC international hip hop BBQ, part 2:
Outspoken at the DC international hip hop BBQ, part 3:
Outspoken at the DC international hip hop BBQ, part 4:
Magee McIlvaine for Nomadic Wax
Education Meets Hip-Hop in Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival
March 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment
PRESS RELEASE
Rising Star will Headline Biggest International Hip-Hop Festival in U.S.
Education meets hip-hop in Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival
Hartford, Conn., Mar. 4, 2009 – Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. announces the fourth annual Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival, the first and largest international hip-hop festival in the United States, on April 3rd and 4th, 2009.
This year, the popular festival is headlined by K’naan, the fastest rising star in international hip-hop. The Somali emcee spent the last two years touring the world with Damian and Stephen Marley. K’naan’s vividly spoken images of war-torn Somalia and his fierce criticism of American gangster rap has garnered him appearances on BET, MTV, the Jimmy Kimmel Show, and collaborations with Mos Def and M1 of dead prez. With two independently released albums under his belt, K’naan signed with A&M/Octone in 2008 and released Troubadour in February 2009.
An accomplished group of international performers and academia will support K’naan and participate with attendees though workshops, panel discussions and films throughout the festival.
A panel discussion entitled Stereotypes in Hip Hop features Trinity College professors Gail Woldu, author of The Words and Music of Ice Cube, and Emily Musil, Coordinator of African Studies and Co-Chair of the President’s Colloquia “Hip Hop: Roots, Race, Rights.” Stanford’s Angela Steele will present her Fulbright research, Rap in China – In Search of a Hip-Hop Hero. Steele spent a year in China immersed in the emerging hip-hop scene and looking for the leaders who will form hip-hop culture in the world’s most populated country.
New York’s Hired Gun and Washington, D.C.’s Princess of Controversy will host two nights of performances featuring K’naan, Poetic Pilgrimage (UK), Blitz the Ambassador, Mohammed Yahya (UK), BeatburgerBand (Czech Republic), African Underground All-Stars (Senegal), Mr. Reo (Haiti), and Game Rebellion (Brooklyn, New York). Dj Craig G of Hartford’s Hot 93.7 hosts the afterparty on Friday night, and DJ Boo of the Juggaknots hosts the Saturday night afterparty.
The Trinity festival will screen one of 2008’s biggest hip-hop films, Planet B-Boy, a look at five international break dancing crews as they prepare for the world dance championship Battle of the Year in Germany. For the second consecutive year, the festival also will hold a 2-on-2 b-boy battle with a $500 grand prize. This year there will be several new workshops including a beatboxing workshop with Czech Republic’s world champion beatboxers, BeatBurgerBand, and a freestyle rhyming workshop with New York emcee Hired Gun. Graffiti artists will be painting murals all day as a backdrop for the workshops and b-boy battle.
The Spread the Word Tour has added Trinity Hip-Hop Festival to their schedule, which includes performances by two leading protest bands from Zimbabwe, Comrade Fatso & Chabvondoka, and Outspoken and The Essence. The foremost political activist musical group in Southern Africa, and specifically in Zimbabwe, gives the festival attendees extremely rare access to youth activists that live and work on the ground in Zimbabwe. Comrade Fatso blogs for CNN.com about politics and conditions in Zimbabwe
(http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/05/14/zimbabwe.blog/index.html). The Mugabe regime has banned their albums from Zimbabwe.
The festival will also include a screening of Fangafrika, an African Francophone documentary set during a hip-hop festival in Burkina Faso that gathered a who’s who of African hip-hop addressing the serious issues facing Africans everywhere. The films directors will be on hand for a discussion of activism and education in West African hip-hop. Poetic Pilgrimage, a female Muslim duo from London, will host a discussion about Gender and Sexuality in the Middle East.
Festival Sponsors include Trinity College, Nomadic Wax, The Temple of Hip-Hop (Trinity College Chapter), World Hip Hop Market, and the Greater Hartford Arts Council. Pre-registration is required, and will take place the day of the event at Gallows Hill next to the Austin Arts Center on the campus of Trinity College.
This event is free and open to the public. For more details, directions, and schedule information, visit http://trinityhiphop.org. For more on the headliner, K’Naan, visit, www.myspace.com/knaanmusic. For questions, contact Zee Santiago at zee.santiago@gmail.com or 917-637-9004, or Greg Schick at greg@worldhiphopmarket.com or 404-797-9234.
Nomadic Wax Music on Good Magazine ‘Hippo Rollers’ Video!
January 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment
In rural Africa, women spend 26% of their time fetching water, often walking for miles with heavy buckets balanced on their heads. That’s time that could be spent going to school, working outside the home, or teaching their children. The Hippo Water Roller eases the burden by allowing women to transport five times as much water with much less physical effort. In our latest LOOK video, we examine the impact of the rollers on one village in South Africa. LEARN MORE hipporoller.org
Nomadic Wax Music on Bikes for Rwanda!
January 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Bikes to Rwanda
Video By Lindsay Utz, Morgan Currie, Daniel Kim, Stefan Nadelman, Nate Goodman, Kyril Cvetkov, Morgan Hobart
Music By The Sensualists, George Langford, Sen Kumpa
Lugging huge bags of coffee through the unpaved hills of Rwanda to a processing plant was back-breaking work for the Karaba coffee co-op.
In this original GOOD video see how a collaboration between Karaba and a Portland, Oregon, coffee roaster has solved that problem, boosted production, and given birth to a new non-profit.
Nomadic Wax Track Jackets on Sale!
December 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Media That Matters Updates
December 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment
AFRICAN UNDERGROUND/MEDIA THAT MATTERS UPDATES
Our friends at Media That Matters have been doing some amazing work. New projects include:
MTM8 Festival DVD is now available for purchase online: http://www.artsengine.net/store#film_fest_dvd
The MTM8 Discussion Guide is now available to download for FREE! http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/tools/8/
Democracy in Dakar on Link TV!
December 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment
DEMOCRACY IN DAKAR TO BE AIRED ON TV!!
Nomadic Wax and Sol Productions and proud to present: the TV debut of “African Underground Democracy in Dakar” – the award winning film about youth, hip-hop and politics in Dakar Senegal!
Democracy in Dakar will screen 4 times (sorry, the December 5th screening has already happened!).
Upcoming Airdates (EST)
Monday, December 22nd 08:00 am
Tuesday, December 23rd 11:30 pm
Friday, December 26th 02:00 am
Democracy in Dakar
Category: World Music
Regions: Sub-Saharan Africa
African Underground: Democracy in Dakar explores the transformative role of hip-hop on politics in Senegal, West Africa during the February 2007 presidential election campaign. Looking at the election through the eyes of hip-hop artists around Dakar, Senegal’s capital, this documentary mixes interviews, freestyles, and commentary from journalists, artists and politicians. Senegalese society is seen on the brink of democratic change, where hip-hop artists are one of the few groups un-afraid of speaking out, despite real attempts at intimidation. Originally shot as a series of shorts distributed via the internet, African Underground: Democracy In Dakar explores the boundaries of guerrilla-style film production and distribution.
For more information on Link TV click here!
DIRECTV
Link TV is available on Channel 375 on DIRECTV satellite TV service, 24 hours a day. Call 800-531-5000 for subscription and installation assistance in your area.
Dish Network
Link TV is available on Channel 9410 on DISH® Network satellite TV service, 24 hours a day. Call 800-333-3474 for subscription and installation assistance in your area.
African Hip-Hop Survey
November 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment
NOMADIC WAX NEEDS YOUR HELP!
Nomadic Wax will be presenting a panel discussion at this years African Studies Association conference in Chicago!
W are looking for African MC, DJ, producers, manager, videographers, filmmakers and others involved with hip-hop, music and video/filmmaking in their country to fill a survey about technology and social change.
The Revolutions Will Be Televised: Digital Technology and Social Change in Africa
Chair: Emily Musil, Trinity College
Benjamin N Herson, Nomadic Wax, African Underground: Exploring the Role of Youth, Music and Technology in Urban Africa
Emily Musil, Trinity College, Digital Technology: Problems and Possibilities in the Classroom
Magee McIlvaine, SOL Productions, and Benjamin N Herson, Nomadic Wax, Film & Social Change in Africa
Amy S Marczewski, UCLA, Youth and the Evolving Digital Landscape of Human Rights Advocacy Work
Please help us get a sense of what’s happening in Africa by filling out this survey!
Please pass this onto friends and others who you think would be interested in having their voices heard at this groundbreaking conference!
If you have any questions or comments please send us an email at survey@nomadicwax.com
Thanks in advance!
