rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
s stemming from
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
and
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, like
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, controlled
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
n countries like the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
(formerly Zaire),
Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
, and
Burundi
Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...
until the early 1960s. Like in France,
immigrants
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
from these countries started to study and live in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
.
The Belgian hip hop scene started in the late 1980s with a U.S.-based
techno
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
/hip hop group called
Technotronic
Technotronic was a Belgian electronic music project formed in 1987 by Jo Bogaert, who originally gained popularity in Europe as a solo artist with various new beat projects, including Acts of Madmen and Nux Nemo. Together with rapper Manuela ...
. In the group was an emcee named
Ya Kid K
Ya Kid K (born Manuela Barbara Kamosi Moaso Djogi, 26 January 1972) is a Congolese–Belgian hip hop recording artist. She was the rapper for the dance/house act Technotronic. Her sister is Karoline 'Leki' Kamosi.
Early life
At the age of 11 ...
from the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
who later led the group into international fame with hits like "Pump up the Jam" and "Shake That Body". In 1990, she also joined the group Hi-Tek 3 who were heard on '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''.
However, the first major pop rapper from Belgium was
Benny B
Benny B (real name Abdel Hamid Gharbaoui, born 11 December 1968 in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean) is a Belgian artist.Walloon south of the country, French speaking/rapping
Starflam
Starflam is a Belgian hip hop group from Liège in the French-speaking southern part of Belgium - Wallonia. The group started out in the early 1990s under the name ''H-Posse'' with members DJ Mig One, Fred'alabas, Seg and Balo (AKA Baloji). A f ...
was the biggest name in hip hop. In the
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
north Dutch speaking/rapping groups like
't Hof van Commerce
t Hof van Commerce is a Belgian hip hop crew from Izegem in the province West Flanders in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Their name means 'commercial court' in their local dialect. Almost all their raps/lyrics are in West Flemish, ...
, Krapoel In Axe, St Andries MC's, and ABN were popular, rapping in their regional
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...
s.
Today, the Belgian hip hop scene is growing. Rappers like
Coely
Coely Mbueno (born in 1994), performing as Coely, is a Belgian urban artist.
Biography
Coely Mbueno was born in Antwerp in 1994 to Congolese parents. Already at a young age, she started singing in a church choir directed by her mother. She star ...
,
Roméo Elvis
Roméo Johnny Elvis Kiki Van Laeken (; born 13 December 1992), better known by his stage name Roméo Elvis (), is a Belgian rapper and hip hop artist.
His career began with the release of two EPs in 2013 and 2014, titled ''Bruxelles c'est dev ...
and
Damso
William Kalubi Mwamba (born 10 May 1992 in Kinshasa), better known by his stage name Damso (), is a Belgian- Congolese rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is popular in France, where all of his albums were certified at least platinum.
Early li ...
are achieving commercial success in their country and abroad. Other contemporary rappers/formations are Stikstof, Woodie Smalls, L'Or Du Commun and
Isha Isha may refer to:
* Isha (Fantasy), the fictional deity from ''Warhammer Fantasy''
* Isha Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
* Isha prayer, the night-time daily prayer obligatory in Islam
* Isha Upanishad, t ...