African hip hop

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Hip hop music has been popular in Africa since the early 1980s due to widespread American influence. One of the first hip hop groups from Africa was Black Noise, a group from Cape Town, South Africa. They began as a graffiti and breakdance crew until they started emceeing around 1989. The government of South Africa's apartheid era tried to ban rap due to its part in the struggle for the freedom of all races. Later the government made hip hop legal in 1993 by playing rap music on radio and rap videos on TV. There also have been many groups in other countries like Tanzania as well that emceed before 1989, but just no one has been writing about it.

In 1985 hip hop reached Senegal, a French-speaking country in West Africa. Some of the first Senegalese rappers were M.C. Lida, M.C. Solaar, and Positive Black Soul, who mixed rap with Mbalax, a type of music that has been played in West Africa for centuries. During the late 1980s-early 1990s rap started to escalate all over Africa. Each region had a new type of style of hip hop. Rap elements are also found in Kwaito, a new genre based on house music which developed in South Africa in the 1990s.

These are some of the African rappers/rap groups that are known:

MayJ (Zimbabwe)
Young Nations(South Africa)
Draztik(Botswana/South Africa)
Exq (Zimbabwe)
Stagga (Botswana)
Terror MC (South Africa)
Hipe (South Africa)
Jitsvinger (South Africa)
Metaphysics (Zimbabwe)
Karizma (Zimbabwe)
Konfab (South Africa)
Writers Block (South Africa)
Bootleghiphop (South Africa)
Chery Ice (Zimbabwe)
Maskiri (Zimbabwe)
Archetypes (South Africa)
High Voltage (South Africa)
Wanaume (Tanzania)
Cblad (Zimbabwe)
Stunner (Zimbabwe)
Professor Jay (Tanzania)
East Coast Team (Tanzania)
Daz Nundaz (Tanzania)
Bigg Dogg Posse (Tanzania)
Dj Scratch (South Africa)
Dj Cavera C (Angola/South Africa)
Shorty Bang (Angola/South Africa)
Ill-Literate Skill (South Africa)
Driemanskap (South Africa)
Ǣvenger Camp (South Africa/U.S./UK/Netherlands)
2face Idibia (Nigeria)
Alif (Senegal)
Amplifyd Crew (Nigeria)
ArtQuake (Nigeria)
Baseball Track (Mozambique/U.S./UK/Portugal)
Black Noise (South Africa)
Boli Mootseng (Namibia)
Boyz of Butuburam (Liberia/Ghana/Germany)
Brasse Vannie Kaap (South Africa)
Buk Bak (Ghana)
Ca$hino (Nigeria/UK)
Daara J (Senegal)
Das Primeiro (Angola)
Kin Mafia Style ( DR Congo)
Iceman (DR Congo)
Don klemente ( Dr congo/ Belgium)
Fatima Cia (Dr Congo)
Eedris Abdulkareem (Nigeria)
Eldee (Nigeria)
Goddessa (South Africa)
Hard Blasters (Tanzania)
Hardstone (Kenya/U.S.)
Idouble S (Senegal)
INTIK (Algeria)
JazzMan Olofin (Nigeria)
JJC (Nigeria/UK)
Nka (Congo)
Lopango yaba Nka (Congo)
K-Melia (Congo)
Kalamashaka (Kenya)
KALLITZ (South Africa)
Kaysha (Democratic Republic of the Congo/France)
Kill Point (Guinea)
Kingpinn (Zimbabwe)
K'naan (Somalia/Canada)
Kwanza Unit (Tanzania)
Le Specialist (Madagascar/France)
Maintain (Nigeria)
M.A.M. (Cote d'Ivoire/France)
Mapenzi (Rwanda)
M.C. Claver (Cote d'Ivoire)
M.C. Solaar (Senegal/France)
Mr. Devious (South Africa)
Mr. II (Tanzania)
Mizchif (Zimbabwe)
MTM (Egypt)
Mutu Moxy (Angola/South Africa)
Negro Force (Togo)
Obrafour (Ghana)
Of Unknown Origin (Zimbabwe/U.S.)
Pee Froiss (Senegal)
Plantashun Boyz (Nigeria)
Positive Black Soul (Senegal)
The Postmen (Cape Verde/Suriname/Netherlands)
P-Square (Nigeria)
Prophets of da City (South Africa)
Rage (Mali)
Red One (Morocco/France)
Reggie Rockstone (Ghana)
Ruggedman (Nigeria)
South Side Posse (Angola)
Sakpata Boys (Benin)
Styl-Plus (Nigeria)Krazienaija
Shadow Zu (Côte d'Ivoire/Senegal)
Skyhigh Family (Somalia)
Tata Pound (Mali)
TATU CLAN (RDC)
Tic-Tac (Ghana)
Tinny (Ghana)
The WOGS (Uganda)
Tony Tetuila (Nigeria)
Trybe (South Africa)
Ty (Nigeria)
U.M.A.R. (Cameroon/France)
Unsung Heroes (Nigeria)
V.I.P. (Ghana)
X Plastaz (Tanzania)
Ya Kid K (Democratic Republic of the Congo/Belgium)
Zola (South Africa) known for the soundtrack to the film Tsotsi and working with Snoop Dogg.
Zotto Boyz (Mali)

[edit] Recordings

Africa Raps (2002) compilation. Trikont.
Mzansi Music - young urban south africa (2004) compilation. Trikont.
The Rough Guide to African Rap (2004) compilation. World Music Network.
Bongo Flava. Swahili Rap from Tanzania (2004) compilation out here records.
Lagos Stori plenti - urban sounds from Nigeria (2006) compilation out here records.
African Rebel Music - Roots Reggae & Dancehall (2006) compilation out here records.
Urban Africa Club - Hiphop, Kwaito and Dancehall (2007) compilation out here records.
African Underground Vol 1 (2005) compilation. Notable Productions. NomadicWax.com
Its Meant To Be - Wawesh(2006) Kenya Solo Album Blao Records[1]