Hip Hop Galsen - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Beginnings of movement

Following an historical process of appropriation of American popular music by Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

,For e.g. Jazz as well as Latin American music such as salsa or pachanga were popular in Senegalese cities from the 1940’s and until recently. Hip Hop

Hip hop

Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...

emerged in the Senegalese capital city in the early mid- 1980s. Although Hip Hop Galsen is now famous for its diverse musical productions, the movement there spread out from its dancing appeal rather than from its musical one. Indeed, Senegalese hip hop artists initially participated in this movement as smurfer, breakdancer, B-Boy in general performing during organised podiums. Schools, nightclubs and other temporary public stages thus played an essential role in amplifying this movement in Dakar

Dakar

Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...

. Besides, and in contrast to American Hip Hop, which grew from the youth in the inner city ghettos, Hip Hop in Dakar began among a somehow middle-class youth who was able to access and/or introduce in their home place new ideas and new cultural expressions coming from abroad. Indeed, Hip Hop became popular in the capital city through the intensive though informal circulation of VH7 cassettes and recorded videos, which were imported from USA (Africa Bambaataa) or France (hip hop dance TV show ‘HIPHOP’ animated by Sydney) by diaspora people.

Quickly, podiums enlarged their performances from dancers only to rappers as well. It was a time when soon-to-be hip hop artists were still mimicking American artists they actively used to listen to such Africa Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash

Grandmaster Flash

Joseph Saddler better known as King Grandmaster Flash, is an American hip hop musician and DJ; one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing....

, Furious Five

Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. Composed of one DJ and five rappers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in...

, Delight, Doug E. Fresh

Doug E. Fresh

Douglas E. Davis , better known by the stage name Doug E. Fresh, is an American rapper, record producer, and beat boxer, also known as the Human Beat Box...

or Public Enemy for the most well-known. Indeed, rap, the MC performance, was still then a phonetic repetition, a copycatting of either American rappers or, with Hip Hop booming in France in the 1980s, of French hip hop artists such as Assassin, NTM

Suprême NTM

Suprême NTM is a French hip hop group formed in 1989 in the Seine-Saint-Denis département. The group comprises rappers Joey Starr and Kool Shen...

, IAM

IAM (band)

IAM is a French hip hop band from Marseille, created in 1989, and composed of Akhenaton , Shurik'n , Khéops , Imhotep , and Kephren . 'IAM' has several meanings, including 'Invasion Arrivée de Mars'...

or Mc Solaar

MC Solaar

MC Solaar is a francophone hip hop and rap artist. He is one of the most internationally popular and influential French rappers....

. Without the real capacity for translating the movement and its expressions in Senegalese terms yet, the mid-1980s in Dakar were however definitively hip hop. And whenever the classical hip hop film Beat Street

Beat Street

Beat Street is a 1984 drama film, following Wild Style in featuring New York City hip hop culture of the early 1980s; breakdancing, DJing, and graffiti.-Plot:...

was circulating in local cinemas, young people were following the movie from showroom to showroom in order to view it again and again and to know by heart the famous lyrics of Grandmaster Flash

Grandmaster Flash

Joseph Saddler better known as King Grandmaster Flash, is an American hip hop musician and DJ; one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing....

Evolution of a culture (1989–1994)

Nevertheless, this copycat period did not last long, and getting inspired by the French example, Senegalese hip hop artists soon started to write their own texts in their languages,Kool Kocc 6 is known for being the first to rap an entire text in Wolof: a song that Baye Fall sing in praise of Serigne Touba (Ahmadou Bamba). forming groups or collective with school peers and starting to get known and recognised in their neighbourhoods. In 1989, two groups mainly dominated the Dakar scene: Syndikat initiated by Didier Awadi

Didier Awadi

Didier Awadi is a Senegalese rapper and the most visible figure of Francophone West African Hip Hop. As a founding member of Positive Black Soul with Duggy Tee, Awadi toured around the world contributing to the international popularity of Hip Hop Galsen. Awadi works as a solo artist accompanied by...

and King MCs led by Duggy Tee. Rather than keeping on challenging themselves, they decided to get together to create Positive Black Soul

Positive Black Soul

Positive Black Soul is a hip hop group based in Dakar, Senegal, one of the first such collectives in the country. Founded in 1989, the group is composed of Didier Sourou Awadi and Amadou Barry , both of whom had previously been in other hip hop groups...

(PBS) with the desire to promote a positive image of Africa. Indeed, at that time, the first years of the structural adjustments imposed by the IMF had considerably worsened the living conditions of the Senegalese, leaving a limited choice to the younger generations: facing unemployment or, for the wealthier, leaving the country in order to study abroad. A new image, a positive one was most needed and Hip Hop appeared as an emancipating mean of expression for a disillusioned youth. From its dancing expression, Hip Hop’s appeal then definitively moved to its musical expression with artists voicing out the dual anger and hunger of Senegal’s younger generations. Through its music form, Hip Hop stood as a language as well as a message for a youth witnessing injustice, corruption and power abuses from the political elite. Indeed, rapping their disapprobation with the harsh reality they were suffering from was a way for young artists to remind that that, they, as well, could ‘represent’ the voiceless population.

In late 1980s and beginning 1990s, the capacity for recording and releasing a musical product was still limited for hip hop artists so they were getting known mostly though the circulation of “demos”, i.e. instrumental recordings of existing songs on which the young MC could rap. These “instru” or ‘demo’ were an essential aspect of the development of a soon-to-be hip hop artist as they allowed him to practice his performance, to experiment his “flow”, and to try to rap on different rhythms. Moreover, these preliminary products were extremely useful for an artist aspiring to appear on a compilation to present and represent his potential. With respect, the first release of an hip hop production was finally a text of PBS, “Bagn Bagn Beug” on a compilation, “Dakar 92” produced by the French Cultural Centre. Then, after having performed in the first part of MC Solaar’s show in Dakar, and with a growing popularity, PBS released “Boul Faalé”, a recorded casette in which the group articulated a vehement discourse denouncing the corruption of the PDS

Senegalese Democratic Party

The Senegalese Democratic Party is a political party in Senegal. The party considers itself a liberal party and is a member of the Liberal International. Abdoulaye Wade, Senegal's president, is the party's leader...

(political party) then in power. With this release in 1994, Hip Hop Galsen was starting its genealogy.Abdoulaye Niang, a young researcher at University Gaston Berger of Saint Louis who produced an extensive research on rap in Dakar (“Etude interdisciplinaire du rap à Dakar à travers une approche de la complexité: entre mouvement social et groupe primaire”, 2001) stresses that 1994 can be considered as the year differentiating the old school from the new one, the first generation of hip hop artists who started before 1994 and those who started afterwards.

Booming of a generation (1994–2000)

From the mid-1990s, Hip Hop Galsen was building a name for itself and becoming more and more visible globally with now well-known hip hop groups such as Daara J, Positive Black Soul (PBS) or, later on, Pee Froiss

Pee Froiss

Pee Froiss is a hip hop group formed in Dakar, Senegal in 1993. It was originally produced by another hip hop group from that city, Positive Black Soul, and since recorded with the duo. The band's music is rapped in Wolof, French, and English and features traditional Senegalese instruments such as...

touring throughout the world. Indeed, pioneer groups of Hip Hop Galsen entered the global scene of the music industry with, in 1994, PBS signing with Island Records and, in 1996, Daara J signing with Declic Communication. Besides, both groups were soon taking care of by internationally known publishers (Polygram-Universal for PBS and BMG for Daara J) and booking agents (MMP for PBS and Furax for Daara J), boosting their respective career worldwide.

Meanwhile, a second “generation” was emerging in Dakar and the local hip hop scene was increasingly getting diversified. By the late 1990s, Hip Hop Galsen had reached its peak with groups and genres booming everywhere alongside with then an active practice of the ‘clash’.This core and challenging practice of Hip Hop as a movement was not however always well understood in Dakar and some people used it to improvise themselves as rappers with the only purpose of insulting and criticising other hip hop groups or artists. Geographically, Hip Hop Galsen was represented in Dakar and in its most popular banlieues, such as Guédiawaye

Guédiawaye

Guédiawaye is a town and département of the Dakar Region of Senegal. Lying on the Atlantic Ocean to the north east of Dakar city centre, in 2005 it had a population of 280,353. Until the mid-2000s, the département was part of Pikine.-History:...

or Thiaroye

Thiaroye

Thiaroye is the name of a historic town in Sénégal, situated in the suburbs of Dakar, on the southeast coast of the Cap-Vert peninsula, between Pikine and Rufisque....

but also in the regional cities, like Kaolack

Kaolack

Kaolack is a town of 172,305 people on the north bank of the Saloum River and the N1 road in Senegal. It is the capital of the Kaolack Region, which borders The Gambia to the south. Kaolack is an important regional market town and is Senegal's main peanut trading and processing center...

or Saint Louis

Saint-Louis, Senegal

Saint-Louis, or Ndar as it is called in Wolof, is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 km north of Senegal's capital city Dakar, it has a population officially estimated at 176,000 in 2005. Saint-Louis...

. Besides, Hip Hop as a medium of expression allowed for different messages to be articulated and thus a consequent diversification of genres in the musical productions (from hardcore to mainstream, from politically engaged to more party oriented, from a social to a more individual discourse) as well as in the groups composition with the appearance of the first female figures. In the late 1990s, beginning 2000s, Hip Hop Galsen was definitively coming of age.

Development of an economy (2000s – nowadays)

Besides, for Hip Hop Galsen, coming of age also meant structuring the capacity of the movement to develop, sustain and enhance their cultural productions. Already in 1998, Didier Awadi created from a bedroom, and with a bit of material he bought thanks to his first artist fees, “Taf-Taf Production”. Although this structure was then informal, it possessed a PA system which allowed on the one hand, hip hop artists to have access to a required material for diffusing their music, and on the other hand, Awadi to further cumulate revenues and to open, in 2003, a formal recording studio “Studio Sankara”. Meanwhile, other initiatives were also being taken in order to improve the diffusion of hip hop music such as the creation of Hip Hop Awards by the structure, Optimist Produktion. Created in 2000, this event was first thought of as a talent awards ceremony but few years after its creation it evolved to become one of the most visible hip hop festival in the West African region. Since the emergences of these early musical structures, other festivals and recording studios dedicated to Hip Hop were developed by artists of the movement in Dakar but also in its banlieues as well as in the Senegalese regional cities.Festivals : Senerap International (Dakar, 2003) initiated by Awadi; Festival Guedawaye by Rap (Guedawaye) initiated by Fou Malade ; Festa 2H (Pikine, 2007) initiated by Matador; Rap-A-Ndar (Saint Louis, 2004) initiated by 10 000Problems ; Festival Arts Hip Hop (Kaolack, 2007).
Recording studios : Bois Sacre (Daara J Family) ; Carbone 14 (Alajiman) ; Urban 44 (Matador) ; Youngkoungkoung (Fou Malade) ; Zon’Art ; Waliyaane ; Yek Sen Kaw (Daddy Bibson) ; Trinain (Still crew) ; Def Waref ; Def Dara (Gaston) ; 99 Records (Simon) ; Sankara (Awadi) ; War Click (War Click) ; Almoudo (Fatim from Wa BMG 44)
Meanwhile, TV as well as radio shows and webzines dedicated to Hip Hop Galsen multiplied, increasing the diffusion of the movement and its musical productions.On Walf TV, Top FM, RFM for TV and radio shows but also webzines such as Boyjump or Kingsize Besides, this new era also witnessed the coming back on the Hip Hop Galsen scene of hip hop dance, with the revival of bboys crews such as X-trem BBoys and the creation of the dance festival Kaay Fecc.See http://www.kaayfecc.com/.

Between 2007 and 2009, there was a real booming of new structures created by hip hop artists and motivated by the desire to be locally independent in terms of musical production. These structures are now as diverse as multiple including recording studios, festivals, labels but also associations, graphic design agencies, video production agencies, duplication plants, fully equipped rehearsal rooms, event and communication agencies, PA system rental agencies, street wear brands and designers (inspired by Graffiti artists, i.e. the graphic expression of Hip Hop), and security agencies. These entrepreneurial dynamics of the hip hop artists were consecrated in January 2009 with the launch of THE event of the Hip Hop Galsen community, “72H Hip Hop”. This latest initiative collectively organised by these hip hop entrepreneursHip hop structures which were initially part of the organisation committee: Africulturban, Sankara, Younkoungkoung, Weexdunq, Doxanden Squad, Kaay Fecc, Optimist Poduktion, Nubians Enterprise, 99 Records, Baatine Agency, Bois Sacre, Waliyaane, CPAU, Lat 2 Gun. stands as a three days event putting together conferences, performances, exhibitions, and workshops dedicated to Hip Hop Galsen. Since its marking of the 20 years of the movement, “72H Hip Hop” yearly celebrates on January 1, 2 and 3rd, the ever promising dynamism of Hip Hop Galsen.

Some Artists of Hip Hop Galsen

This list does not pretend to be exhaustive but aims at reflecting the diversity of Hip Hop Galsen. The artists or groups listed here are among those who considerably marked the movement (apart from those whose profiles can be found under ‘See Also’) and who have an existing online visibility (for reference). Other groups that worth being quoted are 23.3 (Wisdom Connexion), 10 000 problems (Saint Louis), Dread Skeezo, Kang Flory Clan, Tarek Barham.

Banlieue	Regional Cities	Politically Engaged	Hardcore	Mainstream
Jolof4Life PPS Wa BMG 44 Wageble	C- Bor Le Cervo Keur Gui Gokh -Bi System Mollah Morgun Niagass (Bagassou Fall )	Abass Abass Black Diamonds Daara J Family Djoloff Fou Malade ( Bat'Haillons Blin -D ) Gaston ( Bandimic ) Maxi Krézy Omzo Pee Froiss ResK P Sista Fa Xuman	5kiem Underground Black G ( Tak Squad bou Rak ) Daddy Bibson Makhtar le Kagoular Undershifaay Sen Kumpe Yat Fu	Alien Zik Baay Bia Bideew Bou Bess Big D Bizzy Bibbs Canabasse Carlou D Ceptik Still Da Brains Nix War Click Zair ak Batine

More information on the artists mentioned above can be found on their own MySpace pages.

External links