Gambian hip hop
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The Gambian hip hop scene is a relatively new scene in African hip hop which developed in the mid-1990s and was heavily influenced by American hip hop and
Senegalese hip hop Senegalese hip hop is a form of hip hop that originated in Senegal in the early 1980s. When hip hop first hit the scene in Africa, it went from merely being a fad, to a more social and political movement. Amongst the most influential leaders of ...
. Gambian hip-hop has been heavily influenced by international music scene including
worldbeat Worldbeat is a music genre that blends pop music or rock music with world music or traditional music. Worldbeat is similar to other cross-pollination labels of contemporary and roots genres, and which suggest a rhythmic, harmonic or textural con ...
, Senegalese wolof music, and American hip hop, as well as traditional Gambian
mbalax Mbalax (or mbalakh) is the national popular dance music of Senegal and the Gambia. In the 1970s, mbalax emerged as the distinctive sound of postcolonial Senegal. Derived from a fusion of indigenous Wolof sabar drumming with popular music principa ...
and ''n'daga'' music.
Dominican merengue Dominican may refer to: * Someone or something from or related to the Dominican Republic ( , stress on the "mi"), on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean ** People of the Dominican Republic ** Demographics of the Domi ...
and Jamaican reggae,
ragga Raggamuffin music, usually abbreviated as ragga, is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music. The instrumentals primarily consist of electronic music. Similar to hip hop, sampling often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music. Wayne Sm ...
, and
dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
have also influenced the development of Gambian hip-hop.


History


Griot

Like many other
West African countries West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
,
the Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
has a history of griot storytelling going back eight centuries. Griot is widely considered to be a precursor to
rapping 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 ...
, and was a kind of rhythmic, rhyming storytelling accompanied by
drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
s and sparse instrumentation.


Origins of modern hip-hop

The modern hip-hop scene in the Gambia started in the late 1990s after the Gambia opened its National Television, Gambia Radio & Television Services (GRTS) in 1995. The first Gambian rap group was Black Nature, founded in 1995. Other early groups were "Dancehall Masters", "Masla Bi", "Da Fugitivz", "Born Africans" and many others. These groups were among the most popular and most successful irap groups in Gambia at the time. They were also notable for mixing hip-hop with
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
,
mbalax Mbalax (or mbalakh) is the national popular dance music of Senegal and the Gambia. In the 1970s, mbalax emerged as the distinctive sound of postcolonial Senegal. Derived from a fusion of indigenous Wolof sabar drumming with popular music principa ...
,
salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...
,
dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
and other genres of music which led to the development of a distinct sound. Rappers like Poetic X and Papper House Crew held onto a more traditional sound, with a heavy emphasis on lyricism. These early groups have left a lasting impression on the hip-hop industry in the Gambia today, and some groups such as Da Fugitivz are still active in the industry. The first award ceremony to promote and celebrate Gambian hip-hop artists was the Rap Award '99 ceremony held at Kairaba Beach Hotel on 31 July 1999. The awards ceremony was organized by Gambian music promoter Harona Drammeh, who was a staff member of GRTS at the time.
Now there are various award ceremonies held to promote Gambian artists in the music industry. In 2007, Black Lynx and One Tribe Sound, the best known hip hop movements and promoters in the country, joined forces as the Afric Alliance, and came up with the open mic show where rappers were invited to perform.


International success

Many of these early Gambian artists had breakthroughs in the international scene during the 1990s, and the success of Gambian hip-hop internationally is attributable to the global appeal of hip-hop. In August 1999 after releasing their first album, Gambian rap group Da Fugitivz were invited to the Pop Com Musical Festival in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, and were subsequently featured on an "Africa Raps" compilation for the German record label Trikon in 1999. The group toured internationally, playing in Europe and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, and received national and international awards. International artists of Gambian-origin such as
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
-based rapper Salma Slims have achieved mainstream success in markets such as the United States.


Popularity and evolution

Gambia's hip-hop industry continued to grow throughout the 21st Century, popularized by new rappers such as Freaky Joe (now better known as Singhateh), and Sing-Jay Rebellion. In the early 1990s, the Gambian hip hop scene was dominated by male rappers based in the Gambia, although now both female rappers and Gambian rappers settled abroad are getting into the scene. Nancy Nanz a.k.a. Gambian Beyonce, is one of a few women to make a breakthrough in the Gambian hip-hop industry and become well known in the Gambia. Other emerging female Gambian rap artists include Debbie Romero, a Nigerian who was raised in Gambia.


Cultural impact and reception

Reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and hip-hop music are the most popular genres in the Gambia, and have broad appeal in the ghettos of Gambia.
Hip hop fashion Hip hop fashion (also known as rap fashion) is a style of dress originating from Urban Black America and inner-city youth located in New York City, followed by Los Angeles, then other cities across the United States. All have contributed various ...
, including baggy pants, sneakers, and baseball caps, has become very popular among male youths in Gambia although the popularity of hip hop is not as politicized as it is in many countries. The media, especially the Gambia Radio and Television Services, actively promotes artists in the hip-hop scene. Apart from the normal broadcasts, Saturday nights are usually dedicated to showcasing the music scene of the Gambia and a show called ''Extra Touch'' was the first of its kind on GRTS to invite rappers to perform live in their studios.


Politics in Gambian hip-hop

Many individual Gambian rappers use music to express controversial political and social ideas. The hip-hop community was repressed during the presidency of
Yahya Jammeh Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born 25 May 1965) is a Gambian politician and former military officer who was the leader of The Gambia from 1994 to 2017, firstly as chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) from 199 ...
, but had a resurgence after his exit from office when political topics were once again able to be explored in mainstream entertainment. Hip-hop artists and political activists Retsam and Ali Cham (known by the stagename Killa Ace) protested the presidency of
Yahya Jammeh Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born 25 May 1965) is a Gambian politician and former military officer who was the leader of The Gambia from 1994 to 2017, firstly as chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) from 199 ...
, during whose tenure they were forced to leave the country due to threats of arrest or violence. Cham fled the country and entered
Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ðž ...
with his family and management after they were allegedly targeted with death threats by the Gambian government. Cham returned to Gambia, where he continued to protest police brutality and corruption, after President
Adama Barrow Adama Barrow ( ff, 𞤀𞥄𞤣𞤢𞤥𞤢 𞤄𞤢𞥄𞤪𞤮, Aadama Baaro, born 15 February 1965) is a Gambian politician and real estate developer who has served as President of the Gambia since 2017. Born in Mankamang Kunda, a village ...
took office in 2017. Cham was subsequently arrested and charged with assault after an alleged run-in with law enforcement. Cham's controversial trial prompted criticism of Gambia's law enforcement, and renewed concerns of police brutality and corruption.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gambian Hip-Hop Hip hop African hip hop Hip hop by country