THE AFRICAN RAP  MESS
Culturtal Hip Hop / Rapper responsibility / Modern Griots

A reaction to Ronald Pollard's article
BBC is still non-African,don't speak for us and they guessed themselves
into our noble culture, fragment categorise it and labell it. Englad be
quiete!

by Oko Drammeh

There is nothing like African Rap as an acomplished music gerne.
Rap originated from Brookyln in New York as a musical art form,
complimented by the free style poetry similar to the poetry styles of
the last poets who have their unique style of progressive poetry derived
and inspired by the 60's Black Panther activist Hubert " Rap" Brown.
Later made popular by Grandmaster Flash and the furios five,Kurtis Blow
and Public Enemy.The lack of musical instruments and the invasion of
amusement cable.ALL-DAY music channels in Africa is forcing more youths
into Rap and the Rap image as well as the identification with hip cult
Rap monguls like Jay Z, Nas,Fifty Cents.It created a lot of "Wanna bes +
never WAS."
Bling Bling do you wanna Ah! Ah ! Murder inc;

Africa has it's own Music
Since the successful revolution of Fela Kuti and The Africa &0 the
funding  have stopped exposing English speaking Artists.I think that the
level of Rap in Africa is very low especially with the technology at
hand.I often travel between Africa and The US in search of new
bands.Africa do not have many bands anymore since the coming of CNN.It's
nowYuroba- Rap, Susu -Rap, Wollof -Rap, Zulu -Rap,.But not yet a
Mandingo Rap group? Why ? The US radio stations are funny when it comes
to foreign music.They have a syndicated network operations where no
accent to the American langauge tone is airplayed.There are few Latin
stations and a handful of African programmes(not radio stations).So we
have to fit in on what musical format such and such a station
requires.Only a few African Rappers will ever have an airplay in America
while authentic and original Afgrican have succeeded in crossing over to
all stations around the globe and command alot of Respect .
Africa don't get well paid when their culture is being used,recorded and
labelled and sold to Europeans by Europeans.It's like slavery.

Bands to topple pupprt regimes in Africa.
Where is great Artist of Africa that Hugh Masekela, Femi Kuti ,Miriam
Makeba,Jonas Gwanga, Chaiphus,King Sunny Ade,Ladysmith Black
Mambazo,Thomas Mapfumo,Stella Cheweschi, Kojo Antwi, Osibisa, Philip
Tabane, Basil Coetzee,Abdoulah Ibrahim"Dollar Brand.Wasiyu Ayede,,Lucky
Dube.Alpha Blondy is french but he is not recording with European
companies.Many Europeans companies are subsidesed by the state.The
foreign policy of these givernment is to always colonise and to
undermine foreign policy.Be it France England and the US. They controll
our culture and we can't do nothing about it and now the start to
change.Since President Senghore organised the world Festival of Negro
Arts he helped catalogue the African Culture and make recommendation to
France Canada,
Australia and The Us.At the moment the only recommeded artists are the
poor blind singer from Mali Amadou Bagayojgo,Ali Farka Tour,Rokia
Troere,Youssou Ndour, Alpha Blondy,Papa Wemba, Angelique Kidjo and a
bunch of South Africa subsidise musical programmes as a PART of The
South African cultural rehabilitation programme.This money is also in
the hands of the Europeans and their rotten Kora awards which is headed
by a Black skin Africa but white mask.

French love for Rap
All the African Rap recording are in France.They do not know Rap.That is
Americano!.The french do not understand Englishespecially American
slang.For them it is rendy and it will sell in Africa.Africa is a hugr
music market for France.The have their favorite who they brushed in gold
to lure the others into their company for a penny and a promise for
peromotion..The European companieas still do not have a foot in the US
market. They are scaming the Africansin The contentent.

Business not Help
The french side of Africa is still like Dick Cheney told Kerry " the
soft side ".The Europeans still see music as a source of amusement that
must generate profit dating back to the rise of the Empire in the1600
AD.They export music score-sheets across the oceans and took month and
somtimes years for the music score-sheets to reach the public and street
performers.Music was only for the rich in caberet house,Opera  houses
that made mozart and Beethoven famous.From here on you have companies
like EMI,Paraphone and RCA.Thanks to technology that the days of
recording studios and recording companies over.Festivals are the next
teaser. Womad is nothing for us and Glastonbury has it's Gothic Roots in
witchcraft and paganism.We Africans have to be careful and take
consultation with the elders.
Viva I-Tunes- It change my life.Africans be wise.

Who gets paid.
They Europeans do not care about the content of the songs in African
recordsThey don't speak the langauge but they understand what they want
to recor.like love songs,silly songs,vanity,clothes,gifts
praises,popular rich people and power clothing ,powerful people.The are
only interested in the ownership of the copyrights,the popularisation of
their artists on record.They want a containable Africa (happy niggas)
who do not have a word (only a smile)  in the destruction of the black
civilsation.

Wake up Everybody.

As said in wollof "Bunew- wechi- chi nen" (Don't change in VAIN !

Oko Drammeh
www.okodrammeh.com

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