Ben Herson Featured in the Boston Globe
September 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment
What’s a nice Jewish boy from Newton doing in Senegal, hanging out with hip-hop artists and recording “sick” MCs?
For Ben Herson, the 31-year-old chief executive of Nomadic Wax, he’s shunning cubicle life for the out-of-the-box career of running a mobile “guerrilla-style” hip-hop production company and record label. And, oh yes, back in the states he moonlights as a banquet waiter.
How did Herson get from the halls of Newton South High School to the streets of Dakar, while donning a white tuxedo in between to serve up hors d’oeurves?
Let’s cut to the chase. What do your parents think of all this?
My dad is a cardiologist and my mom’s a folk musician who started an environmental education program. They know it’s a struggle and wish that there were more security in it, but they like that I’m so serious about it.
You wrote a thesis documenting the rise of Senegalese hip-hop and the power of hip-hop as a means of political and social expression. Translate that for us.
Young people in Africa are using hip-hop as more than a means of entertainment, a way to brag and boast about what you have or don’t have. The MCs (rappers) in Senegal are more politically and socially conscious, and a lot of well-educated young people with no economic opportunities have seized upon rap music instead of rioting to express their frustration.”
So what’s with the guerrilla recording?
I take a hard disk recorder, laptop computer, and a couple of microphones and record people wherever they are, whether in a bedroom, basement, or community center. It’s super bare-bones. We take the tracks, mix them in a professional studio, and have released CDs like African Underground Vol. 1 “Hip-Hop Senegal,” a compilation featuring 14 of Dakar’s ill-est MCs.
But one small detail. Your company’s not making money.
I worked for a few months as glorified administrator and project manager, looking at spreadsheets and working in a cubicle. At the end of three weeks, my girlfriend was like, “You’re not looking good.” I wasn’t sleeping, eating poorly, drinking too much coffee. I can see how people come home and want to drink 12 beers and go to bed. I can’t function in that world. I can’t sit there and do mindless crap for the whole day. I don’t want to be a pawn in that game. I’d rather do what I’m passionate about and while still doing what I need to do to make ends meet.
So you like wearing a tuxedo and waiting on people?
I actually have one regular tuxedo and one white polyester tuxedo. That’s the one I wear most frequently. I put it in my suit bag, take the train to work, pour wine and set up food, and then come home at 1:30 in the morning. It’s crazy hours but real human interaction.
So people should drop everything and move to Africa too?
Well, my first inclination is to say, “Don’t do it.” You have to believe in it 100, 200, 300 percent. It’s difficult to make it work as a business. It defies all rationality, doing what you love in the arts. But if you feel like it’s in you, you don’t have a choice.
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
African Underground: Democracy in Dakar Featured in XXL
September 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Democracy in Dakar Featured in Flight 808
September 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment
What: Magee McIlvaine’s article on Democracy in Dakar
Where: Right here!
Depths of Dakar gets 4 Afros in Okay Player!
August 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment
After setting up shop in a mobile rig for three months, producer Ben Herson returned to New York with some of the hottest underground sounds from Senegal’s up-and-coming and established hip-hop music makers. Three years later, the result, African Underground – Depths of Dakar, makes a good argument for RV-style hip-hop. In French, Wolof and smatterings of English, these artists communicate across a barrier that proves music is the world’s language. Even in absence of trendy producers and knowledge of local slang, the music speaks for itself, telling the listeners when to care, laugh and chill out. Pato’s “Keep It Real” mixes the dance party feel of old Luke songs where you imagine booty-shaking at rapid speeds occurring somewhere near a pool in Miami and the rapid flow of Dizzee Rascal. Oddly enough, this dance music disguises a responsible political message for rappers to remember their duty to the people.
“Geble Night in Blue” by Nightmare is a surreal, dark blend of ODB’s warbling and Mobb Deep’s grimly painted ghetto landscapes (Geble means ‘ghetto’ in Wolof). Wonderfully creepy, it couldn’t have been performed by a more aptly named rapper. On Nightmare’s heels is Adama with the mellow, reggae-tinged “Aduna Bi.” The vibe takes you back to sweet R&B summer songs reminiscent of Shanice and the Fresh Prince. Senegal rap veteran Omzo enlists some Zap Mama-esque vocal talent to add an epic feel to the memories unleashed in “Li Guen Pt 2.” The heavenly chants on the track echo the pain of a man who lost three close family members in one year as the voices sneak into the eardrum and grab your attention when you least expect it.
The smooth R&B is more effective than the high energy, pure rap tracks. Perhaps it’s foreign language bias, but it’s harder to connect to the madness behind an M.O.P.-type group in French than it is to grasp the warmth and passion behind the slow groove music. Then, in the case of Fresh Time Pt 2 (Beyondo Outro) by the Zoo Squad, they give a dose of both worlds – raw opening verses blending into a jazzy instrumental. The hodgepodge of styles on that one track is emblematic of the entire album’s scattered sensibilities of Dakar’s impressive underground scene.
Democracy in Dakar on the BBC!
July 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Hip-Hop in Dakar
Luke Branston looks at Dakar’s current hip-hop scene and its influence on politics.
Senegal has adopted hip-hop music since its first occurrence in the early 80s and has made contributions to the international hip-hop scene since the 90s with groups such as Positive Black Soul and Daara J having made an indelible mark on both hip-hop and world music scenes. Unfortunately since then, the newer underground generation of young MCs and lyricists have made less of an impact internationally.
New York label Nomadic Wax diligently aims to discover, record, produce and promote the wealth of underlying talent within the hip-hop scenes of Africa. In 2001, label founder Ben Herson travelled to Dakar armed with a portable hard disc recorder and a set of microphones and managed to lay down some vocal tracks from the cream of the crop of MCs in the region. This campaign became the ‘African Underground: Hip Hop Senegal’ compilation, which received wide acclaim from many music publications and shone some light on an impassioned musical movement in Senegal.
‘Depths of Dakar’ is the second release in the series, on this occasion the studio became an open mic scenario, anyone who could take the mic was recorded, this lead to a mixture of both well-known and amateur artists being selected for the final result. Released as an accompaniment to the ‘Democracy In Dakar’ documentary, the project intends to investigate the effect of hip-hop on Senegalese politics.
Rap is a powerful vocal medium for many of the youth in Senegal and the use of rap is seen as something of a political weapon. In 2000, for example, a series of politically aware songs were released. These fiery protest raps played a major part in influencing the votes of the poor and the young which lead to the then ruling party (whom many saw as corrupt) being removed from power in one of the most democratic elections known to West Africa. The ‘Democracy in Dakar’ documentary follows the 2007 election and gives a down to earth perspective on the public opinion on the current leadership alongside interviews and performances from Senegalese rappers, giving their honest, undiluted stand point on the state of the country. The documentary alone is an intriguing insight into the socio-political structure of Senegal.
The album has tunes rapped in a mixture of Wolof, French and local dialects, the songs are loaded with percussive organic beats, skillful sequencing and plenty of live instrumentation, featuring parts played by members of Antibalas and drums from the legendary reggae drummer Leroy Wallace . As well as politics, the tunes also deal with social problems and morality. OMZO , a well-seasoned rapper, returns with several cuts, most notable “Goor Yombul”, a piece which highlights the familiar moral issue of polygamy. Female lyricist Fatim delivers ”Real Woman”, a striking afro-funk/hip-hop mix, her compassionate lyrics are projected in a no-nonsense fashion whilst the soaring raw horns and accented congas give it a hypnotic groove. Other highlights include Adama ‘s celestial reggae-infused tune “Aduna Bi” which rings a sweet melody of hope and Zoo Squad ‘s “Fresh Time”, another song saturated in funk, sharp trumpet hooks and cool Rhodes piano with nothing but perfectly executed lyrics.
If you are looking to get a deeper outlook on what’s happening in Senegal both musically and politically or if you just want to listen to some fresh African hip-hop, then you must take a look at this highly motivated, politically conscious project.
African Underground in the Washington Post!
July 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment
African Underground: Herson & McIlvaine
THE INTERSECTION OF hip-hop and activism gets a lot of lip service in the U.S., but the reality is that popular rap music is still mostly about the bling, not the political ring. That’s not the case in Senegal, where political hip-hop thrives.
Ben Herson (Nomadic Wax) and Magee McIlvaine (Sol Productions) have been documenting the Senegalese hip-hop scene with a series of CDs and documentary films, including the multi-part “African Underground: Democracy in Dakar,” which can be viewed in its entirety on Brightcove.com. The duo will present the movie and discuss their activities on Wednesday at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, followed by an after party at Club Peju in Bethesda, featuring performances by African hip-hoppers Moussa Sall (Senegal), Dumi Right (Zimbabwe) and Salim Diallo (Mali).
» EXPRESS: How did you get interested in Senegal — its music and its politics?
» HERSON: I started this project in 1999 with my college thesis titled “Fat Beats, Dope Rhymes and Thug Lives: Youth, Hip-Hop and Politics in Dakar.” It was an undergraduate dissertation about the role of hip-hop on the political landscape in Dakar during the 2000 presidential election. After I finished writing the thesis in 2000, I stayed in touch with the MCs who I had been interviewing over the past few years and they asked me if I would be interested in producing or distributing some of their music abroad.
Though I had been playing music professionally and recording, I had never produced a record from the ground up before. I called my cousin — and now co-producer — Dan Cantor of Notable Productions and the two of us went over with a hard disc recorder and a few microphones in the summer of 2001. That recording session focused primarily on groups who had been involved in the underground hip-hop scene in Dakar — who at the time, I felt, were not getting the attention they deserved. Those songs ended up on the “African Underground: Hip-Hop Senegal” compilation — the first of an ongoing series of underground hip-hop compilations, and now films, from Africa. The most recent one, “African Underground: Depths of Dakar,” is now out on Nomadic Wax.
» MCILVAINE: I spent my childhood in between Southeast D.C. and Southern and Eastern Africa. With over half of my childhood spent in Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania, the various cultures, languages, and musical styles had a significant impact on my life. As music became more and more a part of my life, I found myself resorting to the musical sounds of my childhood. When I first heard African hip-hop, specifically Positive Black Soul of Senegal, something clicked. It was a kind of music that matched my own experiences at that moment. Hip-hop had been taken from the U.S. and, throughout Africa, made into something new and unique.
Throughout college, I had an international hip-hop radio show and organized small concerts as well. In 2005, I studied abroad in Senegal and this cemented my interest in African hip-hop, particularly Senegalese. Seeing it with my own eyes, the music, the culture, and meeting the artists who I had been listening to from thousands of miles away was an incredible experience. Upon my return to the U.S., I contacted Ben of Nomadic Wax — the only label in the U.S. promoting Senegalese hip-hop — and we began to organize shows together. With a few others, we organized the first-ever-in-the-U.S. international hip-hop festival. That year — my final year in college — I did my senior thesis, which was a documentary film examining the ties between West African griot culture and hip-hop in the U.S. today.
Those projects really cemented my ties with Ben and Nomadic Wax and pushed my involvement in international hip-hop to a professional level. After graduating from college, I began a nonprofit film production company with two other friends. After filming the presidential elections in Venezuela and gaining a great deal of experience filming politics in a potentially unstable country, Ben approached us with the idea of filming the elections in Senegal.
» EXPRESS: How many “Democracry in Dakar” segments are you planning on making?
» HERSON: The “African Underground: Democracy in Dakar” series was filmed and edited on location in Dakar, Senegal. There are six episodes that were recorded during our 2007 trip to Dakar and one segment recorded in New York City and D.C. with Senegalese living abroad. We are currently in the process of editing a 65-minute piece with all the segments to be screened as a feature length documentary.
In April and May the Sol Productions team continued the “African Underground” film series in France with “Democracy in Paris” — a similar series of shorts also focused on the role of hip-hop and politics, but this time in France. We’re working on continuing the series on other countries as well. The goal is to take this format of guerrilla style film making, journalism, video blogging and music production to other countries in Africa. The top choices where we have some excellent contacts are Sierra Leone, Morocco, Kenya and Tanzania.
» EXPRESS: What do you hope these videos inspire in the viewers?
» HERSON: To create a dialog about the role of youth and hip-hop culture on the political, social and cultural landscape in around the world, especially Africa.
Western audiences are becoming acquainted with and interested in urban or nontraditional African culture thought films like “Blood Diamond,” “Tsotsi,” “The Constant Gardener,” etc. We’re looking to take this dialog a bit further and let those living in Africa talk about their experience for themselves. Documentary film is an excellent medium to both reach a captive audience as well as create a platform for people to express themselves.
Part of the concept for this was to use the Internet as a way to facilitate the dissemination of this in both the Western world as well as Africa. Each time we completed a part of the series it was immediately released on every viral media channel that we could access — YouTube, MySpace, Current TV, etc. — in an effort to allow others to watch it, repost it and blog about it. In that sense, it was a massive success. The first episode went to number one on Current TV in only a month and Senegalese people were watching the episodes in the thousands. It’s been amazing to see how both a Western audience as well as an African one has gravitated to the story.
» MCILVAINE: We are among the first to really use music, film, and the Internet for a political purpose. Our films had a political impact in that they told a story that no one else was telling and were picked up by all the major Senegalese media sources. As it was free and on the Internet, anyone could repost them, and we watched as the videos began to spring up everywhere. And with each new reposting of them, we saw the online conversations and dialogue grow.
For Senegalese, these films have had a major impact on the Senegalese diaspora communities. For non-Senegalese, we have watched as thousands of people from all over the world have compared the situation there to their own, from Australia to the U.S. What became quickly obvious was that, even if you are not Senegalese, there is much to learn from this story.
» EXPRESS: Did you face any difficulties from politicians or police while making the videos? And have you heard from any Senegalese authorities since the videos have gone online?
» HERSON: At the time of making the videos we had virtually no problems at all. Everything is rather informal in Senegal and, for the most part, no one really seemed to care we were filming. Having said that, no one in the government knew that we were making this film. The videos have gotten close to 70,000 views since March, so I wouldn’t be surprised if someone in the Senegalese government has seen them, though I have not heard anything about it.
» MCILVAINE: The videos have been picked up and posted by all the major opposition newspapers, so I am sure the government has seen them.
» EXPRESS: I know hip-hop is popular in many parts of Africa, but outside of South Africa — where, in reality, kwaito rules — is Senegal the African home of hip-hop right now and why?
» HERSON: The Senegalese have over 1,000 years of musical and oral traditions that are very similar to hip-hop. Tassu is a griot style of chanting/singing over beats where rhyme and wordplay is a key element. Tallif is a freestyle form of poetry without music — similar to a hip-hop a capella.
And as a side note: Leopold Senghor, Senegal’s first president, was a poet. So for Senegalese, they really feel that hip-hop was born in Senegal and was taken to America, via the slave trade, and re-exported back to them. Ask any Senegalese rapper where hip-hop was born and many will say “Africa” — or even more specifically “Senegal” before they say the “South Bronx.”
» Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Ronald Reagan Building, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; Wed., 5 p.m., free with RSVP to leadership@wilsoncenter.org; 202-691-4000. (Federal Triangle)
» Cafe Peju, 4867 Cordell Ave., Bethesda; Wed., 8 p.m., free with RSVP to rsvp@nomadicwax.com (put “DC/After Party” in the subject line); 301-523-0480. (Bethesda)
Nomadic Wax Featured on XLR8R!
July 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Nomadic Wax Travels to The Depths of Dakar
The compilation African Underground: The Depths of Dakar furthers Brooklyn label Nomadic Wax’s mission statement of uncovering, recording, and distributing new talent from Africa, but to catalog the disc as a mere label sampler would be misleading. Released in conjunction with the label’s Democracy in Dakar documentary (co-produced with partners Sol Productions), Depths of Dakar acts as both a study of hip-hop’s influence on Senegalese politics and a mouthpiece for the people.
Despite notable media sources, such as the BBC, upholding it as one of Africa’s model nations, Senegal has experienced rampant poverty and unemployment within its borders. Thousands risk their lives every year taking dangerous boat journeys to Spain’s Canary Islands, seeking better lives. Freedom of speech is, according to many, becoming a rare commodity, with radio stations and journalists being harassed and sometimes harmed for their “biased” viewpoints.
Music is no exception. Hardly the American stuff of bling bling, Senegalese hip-hop might be seen as a cathartic means for the country’s youth to express the state of their country–and the dangers that rise with voicing such opinions.
“Rap music in Senegal is no game,” says Nomadic Wax founder Ben Herson, who makes periodic trips back to the country seeking new talent. “[The artists] have been threatened, beaten up, and censored, yet they continue to speak for the people and get their voice heard. The Democracy in Dakar project is all about providing a platform for people worldwide to hear the story straight from the source.”
With that in mind, Herson, along with partner-in-crime Dan Cantor, set up shop in the capital city in 2003 to capture that story. The two constructed a temporary studio in Dakar and opened its doors to anyone willing to drop by and pick up a mic. “Keeping things open like this has allowed me to discover some incredible talent that many in Senegal had not had the opportunity to discover,” explains Herson. “Rather than take artists out of their element we bring the studio directly to them, in an environment they are most comfortable in.”
The result of such “guerilla-style” recording is a selection of rising stars, established artists, and unknowns spitting sharp lyrics over tightly arranged beats that demonstrate both the politics of hip-hop in Senegal and the country’s rich musical tradition. “We want our audience to get the clearest picture possible of what these artists are going through,” says Herson, “and the hardships that rappers in Senegal face to get their music out.”
Jennifer Marston
Depths of Dakar is out May 15, 2007 on Nomadic Wax.
Listen to Sen Kumpa’s “Niawal,” from the compilation, available now at XLR8R’s Downloads Section.
Tracklisting
1. Sen Kumpa “Niawal”
2. Pato “Keep It Real”
3. Zoo Squad “Fresh Time pt 1”
4. Foumlade “sing With Us feat. Bag Blin D”
5. Nightmare “Geble Night in Blue feat. Yella”
6. Adama “Aduna Bi”
7. Omzo “Goor Yombul”
8. Jojo “All I Want feat. Gofu (Yat Fu)”
9. Zoo Squad “Fresh Time pt 2”
10. Fatim “Real Woman”
11. Tigrim Bi “Hip-Hop”
12. Omzo “Li Guen pt 2”
Nomadic Wax on the BBC!
July 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Nomadic Wax artist Omzo featured on the BBC special on African music – “The Black Chord” hosted by Nenah Cherry!
Check out this amazing report by clicking the image below or by clicking here!
Nomadic Wax Nat Geo Remix featured on The World (BBC/NPR)
April 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment
The World’ (BBC/PRI) featured Nat Geo’s Global Remix on yesterdays program. Nomadic Wax track – ‘Keep it Real’ by Pato (Benny Beats remix – and mixed by Notable productions) as well as LF and Laylo’s ‘Marcha Soldado (Benny Beats remix) are featured on the compilation.
To listen to the program click here!
National Geographic Compilation
Many older Americans remember learning about the world through the pages of the National Geographic. The magazine has changed a lot over the decades. Witness an article in this month’s issue. It’s about hip-hop. The World’s Marco Werman says the article ties into a bigger National Geographic musical initiative.The philosophy at the National Geographic Society is to broaden the view that Americans have of the rest of the world. Tom Pryor is the editor of National Geographic World Music, the on-line music component of the society.
“We want to reflect the world as it is now. And be an accurate reflection of the way music evolves in different countries. We don’t want to just give you Colombia with a sort of folkloric view of, “this is cumbia, this is vallenato.” We also want to tell you Colombia is not just that but it’s Shakira and it’s also champeta music. it’s all these things together. It’s these brash up-start musics which hip-hop is really one of them in a sense, you know.”
That explains why the society’s flagship magazine this month featured an article called “Hip Hop Planet.” And the website National Geographic World Music has produced a new CD of international pop music — remixed by other global artists.
This track for example, is by the Tanzanian group X Plastaz. They invoke Masai vocalizing and western hip-hop.
Some years ago, National Geographic began to shed its reputation as covering the world from a middle-aged armchair. The article “Hip Hop Planet” is further proof of that. And as Tom Pryor says, in some ways it actually helped that the writer James McBride is himself a middle-aged man.
”He actually grew up in Harlem; he’s of that age of the first generation of hip-hop. But he didn’t really like hip-hop. He was a jazz guy when he was younger. So the story is sort of about his coming around to the recognition that this is a global force. I mean, hip hop conquered the world, its global music. i mean you can find it anywhere in the world, people rapping in their own languages.”
The Senegalese rapper Pato is also featured on the new National Geographic CD, “GeoRemixed.” The band recently played a key role in raising political consciousness among young voters in Senegal, and getting them out to the polls.And at a time when US music mogul Russell Simmons is suggesting certain words be censored from the American hip-hop lexicon, African hip-hop comes off as refreshingly old-school without trying to be.
“There really is a lack of cynicism in African hip-hop. It’s still seen as having a social message, you know being something very positive. You know it didn’t go down that sort of bling and girls and that whole route that American hip-hop went down. You know in some ways it’s kind of innocent and it’s almost a little bit naive in some ways. It’s kind of touching. But there’s still an element of social responsibility, of this is music that can change things. And I miss that in American hip-hop, I really do.”
It would be ironic if National Geographic makes more Americans realize this. After all, many in this country will recall when the glossy pages of the magazine used to depict Africans as naked savages beating drums. Now the magazine shows just how plugged in to global culture many Africans really are.
web resources:
National Geographic – Hip-Hop Planet
CHOSAN LIVE AT SOBS MONDAY DECEMBER 26TH
December 26, 2005 | Leave a Comment
COMMON GROUND
MEETS LATIN CONNECT:
FEATURING:
CAPPADONA (WU TANG)
LADY BUG MECCA
JIMMY CARTER
LA BRUJA
CHOSAN
MR. REO
NITRO & FANTA
H.U.L.
NEG MARRONS
Hosted by: Lord Finesse
On the 1s & 2s
DJ MAGNETO/LIVEWIREZ
Doors: 7 pm
Shows: 8 pm
Admission: $10
at and the SOB’s Box Office
