What is African Hip Hop and what does it sound like? Well for those of you who don’t know a good place to start would be by tuning into Daara J. And if you haven’t heard of Daara J yet, chances are you will. The Senegalese hip hop act, comprising three talented men who go by the names of Faada Freddy, Lord Aladji Man and N’Dango D have established themselves as leading proponents of Senegalese Rap and now it looks like they are taking the rest of the world by storm. Not only did Daara J play a major role in defining the contemporary sound of Sene-rap, Daara J won the BBC Radio 3 World Music Award for ‘Best African Act in 2003’ and has spent months at the top of the European world music charts.
In 2004, the band released its American debut album, ‘Boomerang’ (Wrasse Records, October 19, 2004) and most recently, the band performed at the ‘Africa Calling’ concert, which was held in Cornwall, England as part of the Live 8 live music program in July.
The title, ‘Boomerang’ refers to the Daara J’s take on the cultural and spiritual journey Hip Hop has made. As Faada Freddy says, Hip Hop was, ‘born in Africa, brought up in America, hip hop has come full circle’, by returning to Africa.
Likewise, the name Daara J means ‘school of life’. As Aladji Man says, ‘we want to give an education to our listeners’. True to their word, the album, ‘Boomerang’, steers clear of materialistic and macho subject matter that seems dominates much of the Hip Hop that marketers are convinced we all want to hear. Instead, the band tackles issues of Globalisation, the threatened environment, and spirituality.
And the critics love them. The British newspaper, ‘The Observer’ said that Daara J is ‘one of the premier vocal outfits of our time…’
The Global Blend talked to Faada Freddy of Daara J about the bands recent performance at the Live 8 affiliated ‘Africa Calling’ concert in Cornwall, England, his view of American Hip Hop.
What do you think about Faada Freddy's thoughts on unity, Nelson Mandela, Globalisation and the Live 8 concerts - and do you think Faada Freddy's assessment of American Hip Hop is fair? Listen, join the blog and let us know...
LISTEN:
1. Faada Freddy tells The GB about his love for Cornwall… and Nelson Mandela (1 min 33)
Music: ‘Bopp sa Bopp’ from the album ‘Boomerang’ by Daara J
2. Straight from Faada Freddy's mouth - Hi Life the father of Funk!! (1 min 14)
Music: 'You May Kiss Your Bride', by Bollie
3. Why is the content of Senegalese Hip Hop so different to that of US Hip Hop? (2 mins 10)
Music: 'Paris Dakar', from the album 'Boomerang', by Daara J
4. Are we really that interconnected? (3 mins 38)
Music: 'Exodus', from the album 'Boomerang', by Daara J
5. What the African Diaspora needs to know… (1 min 40)
Music: 'Boomerang', from the album, ‘Boomerang’ by Daara J
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