HHAP Ep. 62: Sensai T8 and The HIPHOCALYPSE Fort-Knights Podcast
HIPHOCALYPSE Fort-Knights was a radio show first produced on the campus of Rhodes University in South Africa in 1999, and made available on podcasting platforms in 2006. The podcast ran for about three...
View ArticleSpecial podcast series announcement
We’re partnering with Words Beats & Life to host a special series of episodes that will be recorded live with African Studies students at HowardContinue reading
View ArticleHHAP EP. 63: Gigi Lamayne on Representation & Dismantling Respectability...
This is the first in a special series of episodes being recorded lives with African Studies students at Howard University and George Washington University. The series is co-hosted with Words Beas &...
View ArticleHHAP EP. 64: Minista of Agrikulcha (MOA) on the African presence in U.S. hip hop
This episode features a conversation with Ghana's Minista of Agrikulcha (MOA). The multilingual, transnational MOA was born in Ghana, but lived in the Ivory Coast for several years. In the Ivory Coast...
View ArticleHHAP EP. 65: Sugar Emcee on the History and Dynamics of Kenya’s Hip Hop Industry
Sugar joins the conversations with students in the Hip Hop in Africa class from her home in Nairobi. She was born in Nairobi and grew up in Kiambu, just outside of Nairobi. After signing a deal with...
View ArticleHHAP Ep. 66: Kanyi Mavi, and the cultural & Political significance of Doing...
Kanyi Mavi is a Cape Town-based lyricist who is well respected for her creative use of Xhosa to create powerful hip-hop verses. She sometimes raps and vocalizes over Xhosa instrumentals, introducing...
View ArticleHHAP EP. 67: Yugen Blakrok on Spirituality & the Spectrums of Human...
Yugen Blakrok doesn't incorporate hip hop's boom-bap style, she has no interest in being the Queen of SA rap, she does not do trap, and she is not interested in being boxed into someone's idea of a...
View ArticleFocus on Ghana: LGBT+ Allyship as Queer Work
We have featured the work of several queer artists in Africa, as well as the increasing number of artists who are allies. This video isContinue reading
View ArticleHHAP Ep. 68: Edem, On Navigating the Music Industry in Ghana
In this episode, Ghanaian hip hop & hiplife artist Edem talks about the music industry in Ghana and the popularity of Afrobeats. Edem also talks about the presence of Ghanaian and Nigerian artists...
View ArticleHHAP EP. 69: Industry Vet Buddha Blaze on the nature of the music industry in...
Buddha Blaze is a Kenyan blogger, podcaster, and music industry insider with over 20 years of experience. He has worked throughout the continent and the diaspora with artists and producers from around...
View ArticleHHAP Ep 70: Xidus Pain on the UK rap scene and being a hip hop educator
Xidus Pain is a Zimbabwean artist who grew up in the UK. He’s based in London MC who has been involved and influenced by the UK hip hop scene since he was a young kid. He currently works in schools,...
View ArticleHHAP EP 71: Multiple Diaspora Cultural Experiences Influencing the Creativity...
Born in Zambia, Sampa the Great lived in the United States, Australia, and Botswana. With multiple African and Diaspora experiences, her music and style are very Pan African. Her work is Pan African in...
View ArticleHHAP Ep 72: A Conversation on South African Popular Music with Sipho Sithole,...
Dr. Sipho Sithole is a Research Fellow at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study (University of Johannesburg) and holds a PhD in Anthropology, a B.Sc in Political Science and International...
View ArticleCFP: Politics of Language in African Hip Hop
The question of language in African literature was debated in the 1960s and 1970s. At the heart of the debate was: who qualifies as being an African writer? and what qualifies as African literature?...
View ArticleHHAP Ep 73: A Discussion on Race and Identity in South African Hip Hop
In part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Sipho Sithole, he discusses the regional differences in South African hip hop. He talks about the hip hop scenes in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg. He also...
View ArticleHHAP Ep. 74: Fid Q on Hip Hop, Language, & Culture in Tanzania
In this episode of Hip-Hop in Africa Podcast, have a long-awaited interview with Tanzanian artist, Fid Q. The conversation begins with a discussion of Fid Q’s legacy in Tanzanian Hip-Hop and his impact...
View ArticleConversations with African Women Artists
This is a clip of a few of the conversations that we have had with African women MCs around the world. In addition to theseContinue reading
View ArticleThe South Africa Issue of WBL: Global Journal for Hip-Hop Culture
Words Beats & Life: Global Journal for Hip-Hop Culture: The South Africa Issue This special issue of WBLJ explores SouthContinue reading
View ArticleHHAP EP. 75: Skilled Rhymes and the Bordertowns on the Volta: Ghana’s Keeny Ice
In this episode of The Hip-Hop in Africa Podcast, we interview Ghanaian Hip-Hop artist Keeny Ice, from the bordertown of Aflao in the Volta Region of Ghana. Keeny Ice, whose lyrics are fast-paced, and...
View ArticleHHAP Ep76: FOKN Bois on Satire and Music as Social Commentary
Ghanaian hip hop duo FOKN Bois use satire to convey important social commentary on religion, politics, and sexuality. In this episode, they share their experiences and the thoughts that have gone into...
View ArticleHHAP Ep77: DJ Azuhl on Hip-Hop & DJing Culture in South Africa
DJ Azuhl (djazuhl.net) is a prominent South African DJ with Beat Bangaz (beatbangaz.net), a DJ collective in Cape Town. He was born and raised in Cape Town and has been involved in the Hip-Hop...
View ArticleHHAP Ep78: Eavesdrop on Cultivating Spaces for Authenticity in Hip-Hop
Eavesdrop is a multi-hyphenate artist who is an MC, a producer, a director, and an actor. She has been active in Cape Town’s Hip-Hop scene for almost 2 decades and as a lyricist she often produces...
View ArticleHHAP Ep 79: Hip-Hop culture as a space where Black identities are negotiated...
The first episode of 2023 is a special episode on hip-hop as a cultural space where Black identities can be negotiated and presented. The research project was part of a larger seminar project with the...
View ArticleHHAP Ep. 79.5: Announcements and Celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop
This is a short episode we recorded to send out a couple of announcements and to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop.
View ArticleHHAP Ep. 80: Introducting our New Assistant Producer & more Announcements
In this short episode, we introduce you to our student assistant producer, Miranda, who will be working with us this semester. We also discuss plans for the show, plans to propose a new Hip-Hop Studies...
View ArticleHHAP Ep. 81: M.anifest: From Madina to the Mecca
On the 15th of February, 2023, M.anifest visited Howard University, aka The Mecca, for a historical conversation around the importance of his music and Hip Hop culture as we celebrate 50 years of Hip...
View ArticleHip Hop Events
The Hip Hop African has collected a list of some of the hip hop events happening this year, in the U.S. and the U.K.
View ArticleHHAP Ep 82: Nigeria’s Loudbase AF Promoting Hip-Hop in Africa
This is the first episode in our Spring Series, which focuses on Nigeria this year. In this episode, we talked to Victor Uwakwe Izuchukwu, the founder of Loudbase AF Entertainment, a hip-hop community...
View ArticleGlobal Conference on Hip-Hop Education (November 2023)
Location:Los Angeles, California Date:November 8-10th, 2023 The next Global Conference on Hip Hop Education will take place on November 8-10th, 2023, in Los Angeles. Call for Proposals (CFP) is now...
View ArticleHip Hop Conference @ Howard University
Hip-Hop at The Mecca. This fall, Howard University will host a 2-day Hip-Hop conference and block party. The conference will feature panel presentations by Hip-Hop Studies scholars from around the...
View ArticleHHAP Ep 83: Nigeria’s Dhoro Styles on Graffiti as a Medium of Communication
Peter King Ubiebor also known as Dhoro Styles is a Nigerian street and graffiti artist. He holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental biology from the University of Benin in Edo state, Nigeria. Dhoro...
View ArticleHHAP Ep. 84: A Conversation with M.I. Abaga on Integrity and Longevity in Hip...
Understanding the World of HipHop and Afrobeats with legendary Nigerian Hip Hop artist M.I. Abaga Jude Lemfani Abaga, also known as M.I. Abaga He is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter, and music producer....
View ArticleHHAP Ep. 85: Police Brutality in France, Democracy in Dakar, and Hip-Hop’s 50th
Events discussed in the episode August 10 & 11 | Hip-Hop 50: Past, Present & Future | Howard University Join us for a dynamic fusion of academic discourse and cultural celebration. Engage with...
View ArticleHHAP Ep. 86: Hip Hop Events, Updates, News, & the Burna Boy/Khaligraph Jones...
Events discussed in episode: August – December 2023 | Culture Curators: Hip Hop 50 | National Museum of Accra (Ghana) September 28 & 29, 2023 – Archiving Hip Hop: 50 years in the making – Milton...
View ArticleHHAP Ep. 87: The Indigenization of Breakdance Aesthetics in Uganda
Alfdaniels Mabingo (2022) Re-Contextualising Breakdance Aesthetics: Performance, Performativity, and Re-Enaction of Breakdancing in Uganda, Journal of African Cultural Studies, 34:4, 404-421, DOI:...
View ArticleHHAP 88: October 2023 Hip Hop African News, Events, and Updates
The World Breaking Championship 2023 took place in Leuven, Belgium on September 23-24. The WBC featured 115 b-boys and 92 b-girls from 62 countries, including Algeria, Botswana, Cameroon, the...
View ArticleHHAP 89: Hip Hop Conferences & New Releases
Links and information discussed in the episode A Huis Clos, a play by French rapper Kerry James. 15 November – 3 December at Théâtre du Rond-Point in Paris France A new play by French rap legend, Kery...
View ArticleHHAP 90: News, Events, and Rap Joint Lagos
Apple Music’s Hip Hop DNA | The Sound of Freedom: The Evolution of SA Hip-Hop Apple Music is celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with the “Hip Hop DNA” series. One episode is focused on South...
View ArticleBST by Rwanda’s Ish Kevin (Album Review)
Ish Kevin’s album, BST, was released on September 21, 2023. The album’s title stands for “Blood, Sweat and Tears.” In the album, Ish Kevin includes fun and upbeat songs bragging about his status,...
View ArticleThe Last Supper by Ghana’s Kwame Yesu (Album Review)
THE LAST SUPPER by Kwame Yesu is an EP released on October 12, 2023. Even though it is only six songs and 14 minutes long, it does a good job of celebrating Yesu’s friends and family who have supported...
View ArticleHHAP 91: Hip Hop in Africa and the African Diaspora with Toni Blackman
This episode is a sit-down conversation with Toni Blackman. Toni is an artist, hip-hop activist, writer, and cultural ambassador. She holds the distinction of being the first hip-hop ambassador to the...
View ArticleEmeka Must Shine by Blaqbonez (Album Review)
Emeka Must Shine is the latest album by the self-proclaimed best rapper in Africa, Blaqbonez, whose real name is Emeka Akumefule. The album was released on October 27, 2023. The album is a fusion of...
View ArticleHHAP 92: Lots of Awards and New Releases from Nigeria
News & Events Submissions for the 2024 Ghana Music Awards To qualify for nomination, songs entered must have been released between 1 January and 31 December 2023. The deadline for filing...
View ArticleHHAP 93: Magui Diop: A New Generation of Hip Hop Women in Senegal
This episode features a conversation with Senegalese hip hop artist Magui Diop. Magui Diop is an upcoming emcee representing another generation of Senegalese hip hop artists and Senegalese hip hop...
View ArticleHHAP 94: Hip Hop’s Political Footprints
Political protest in Senegal and South Africa, Unkut Awards, events in Cali & South Africa, and new releases from Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. Find links to the events...
View ArticleHHAP Ep 95: South African Hip-Hop Pioneer Emile YX?
This year, our Spring Series covers South Africa. In this episode, we have a conversation with South African Hip-Hop pioneer Emile YX?. Emile is part of the pioneering Hip Hop group Black Noise, one of...
View ArticleHHAP 96: Hip Hop Anniversaries and Events
This episode we discuss a wide range of hip hop-related news and events, including political protests, dance competitions, and recognition in prestigious institutions like The Grammys and the Rock...
View ArticleHHAP 97: Graffiti and Streetology w/S. Africa’s Breeze Yoko
In this episode, Breeze Yoko provides an overview of the graffiti scene in S. Africa, highlighting its unique history and evolution. Breeze also shares his experiences traveling across Africa and talks...
View ArticleHHAP Ep 98: Hip Hop’s Golden Ticket?
Go to the announcements page for information on events and albums discussed in the episode. In this episode, I break down the road to breakdancing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. I also have a solo debate...
View ArticleHHAP 99: ZuluMecca, Finding Truth in Creative Expression
South Africa's ZuluMecca recently released her new EP "Seams", which showcases her powerful lyrics and unique style. A versatile artist, ZuluMecca is a talented lyricist and actress and in this...
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