former members of the Black Panther Party, Pete and Charlotte O’Neal. In an interview with members of the group Wanaitwa Uhuru (“they are called freedom”) (fig. 2.4), a collective of seven to ten artists, they indicated that while conscious artists in Tanzania are still not united, they see these events as important to the survival of conscious hip-hop in Tanzania.
In addition to Okoa Mtaa, other countries in East Africa have claimed safe spaces within which to promote both culture and youth activism. In Nairobi, Pawa2542 is a place where artists and activists meet regularly. Workshops, events, and trainings are held there. The Pit in Nairobi also hosts regular events that promote hip-hop culture and the main elements in hip-hop: emceeing, DJing, graffiti, and breakdance. In Kampala, Uganda the B-Global Indigenous Hip Hop Gathering hosts a yearly gathering and has a space in the city for smaller, less formal events with Kampala youth. The B-Global, led by veteran Ugandan hip-hop artist Babaluku (former member of Bataka Squad), seeks “to empower and educate the youth to lay foundations upon which their communities can grow, build and be transformed, through engagement and practice of the Hip Hop culture” (B-Global, n.d.). Their gatherings often bring together Ugandan artists and artists from East and Central Africa.
Figure 2.2. Songa at the New Msasani Club, home of the Hip Hop Kilinge (cypher), in Dar es Salaam in 2013. Photo by author.
Figure 2.3. Hip-hop producer Duke Gervalius in Dar es Salaam in 2014. Photo by author.
Figure 2.4. Members of the group Wanaitwa Uhuru in Dar es Salaam in 2014. Photo by author.
The Hustle
There are thousands of African emcees living full-time or part-time on the African continent as well is in the diaspora. Many of these emcees give a new meaning to the word hustle. The hip-hop scene varies in Africa by country. Those artists based in the West have access to more resources but have a more difficult time breaking into the national scene. In Africa, talented artists have access to fewer resources but are in a better position to make a name for themselves nationally. Resources can include recording equipment, reliable internet access, media outlets (independent magazines, radio stations), and workshops where artists can network with others in the industry.
The transition from one’s imagination to actually releasing an album and booking shows is universally difficult, but there are variations across Africa. In some countries, for example, artists have managers and promoters to assist in booking showings and managing images. In other countries many artists self-manage and self-promote. Access to resources also varies, with southern African artists having a clear advantage, followed by those in West Africa, where economic opportunities and relative proximity to the United States give the region a slight advantage.
While bootlegging is a problem globally throughout the music industry, weak enforcement of copyright laws in Africa makes it especially problematic on the continent. For African emcees distribution, especially internationally, continues to be a problem. Many albums released by African artists cannot be found in stores outside their own countries. Many have also not been able to get their music distributed via online outlets. Many of these artists still manage to develop strong fan bases in their home countries and internationally. Some, like K’naan and Blitz the Ambassador, have made inroads in the American hip-hop market.
Hip-hop is steadily evolving and new media and social media have been a crucial part of that evolution. Facebook, ReverbNation, SoundCloud, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, iTunes, and even Wikipedia have all made information on music and artists more accessible globally. Many African emcees have videos on YouTube and pages on Facebook. Many use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to communicate with fans. While Facebook (1.15 billion) has more users than Twitter (215 million), both platforms allow artists to reach fans all over the world (Boorstin 2013). Online networking has meant African emcees are able to book shows all over the world and to collaborate with emcees based in other countries and regions. Some popular African hip-hop artists on social media have large numbers of followers, some with between 500,000 to 1 million followers on Facebook and Twitter, with many followers outside the artist’s country of origin.
Of the African hip-hop artists with over 100,00 followers on both Facebook and Twitter we have also seen important rises in popularity in the past two to three years, due to a larger online presence by the artists and a greater online presence of their fans at home. Some artists have seen their followers more than double. For example, between 2013 and 2016 M.anifest’s followers on Facebook rose from 79,000 to 540,000 and from 37,000 to 328,000 on Twitter; Wanlov’s followers grew from 37,000 to 182,000 on Twitter; while Fid Q’s followers grew from 29,000 to 138,000 on Twitter.
With internet-based companies selling users followers to inflate fan numbers on Facebook and Twitter, the number of likes and followers cannot be used as a precise measure of an artist’s popularity or influence. However, with the exception of K’naan, the numbers of followers correlate with the artist’s levels of activity on the social-networking platforms. K’naan seldom posts content on social media, but his exposure via the 2010 World Cup endorsement deals, as well as tours, can account for his many followers. The other artists regularly update their Facebook pages, post information and events, and send out tweets, often several times a week. Their fans also regularly engage with those posts by liking, commenting on, and sharing posts. Combined with frequent posts, the large number of followers draws in more followers who want to follow popular artists, a sort of bandwagon effect.
The impact of an artist cannot necessarily be gauged by the number of their fans. The hip-hop artists who were influential in mobilizing youth during the uprisings in Senegal and Burkina Faso, Kuer Gui and Smockey, respectively, each have fewer than twenty-one thousand followers on Facebook and fewer than five thousand followers on Twitter. These artists post infrequently on social media, sometimes less than once a month, though they have had significant impact on social and political change.
Hard copies of albums by Africa-based hip-hop artists are largely unavailable in the United States. While a comparatively small number of Africa-based artists have songs or albums available for sale online, digital downloads and online stores (iTunes, Amazon, ReverbNation, SoundCloud, BandCamp) have made it possible for African emcees to sell and distribute their music globally. There are few record labels that work internationally with Africa-based hip-hop artists. Most are American or European labels based in the West.
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