By Robin Riskin
The freshest underground and burgeoning young hip hop artists in Dakar took over la Biscuiterie de Médina on Saturday night, Oct. 6, with sharp verses, dance-popping beats, and sheer unstoppable energy. Colored beams lit the stage, clouds of mist whipped the air, and metal cans streaming fire notched up the heat, to the delight of the packed audience. The event was the final night of Canabasse‘s “Hit the Club Tour” with BuzzLab.
La Biscuiterie de Médina exploded with hip hop music at the Hit the Club Tour on Saturday, Oct. 6. Above, Young Fresh of the Buzz Lab team.
What with the New York caps and Brooklyn t-shirts, shouts of “DK” could easily be mistaken for “BK” – except that the show was smack in the trendy capital city of Dakar, and artists were rapping in combinations of English, Wolof, and French laid over Senegalese “mbalax” beats. With lyrical references from Lady Gaga and Obama to urgent calls upon the youth of Senegal to take political agency, the night was packed with entertainment and social relevance.
Matador, Senegalese rap star and founder of Africulturbain, stole the show with a brief but glass-shattering performance.
Set in a former biscuit factory-turned-performance-hall, the show was headlined by recent star Canabasse and the BuzzLab team. But the real treasures of the night were some of the earlier acts, including Xuman, Da Brains, and Sen Kumpe, who impressed with lyrical and rhythmic talent. The rap duos captured the hip hop aesthetics of Jay-Z, rhythmic groove of Youssou N’Dour, and politico-soul of Nneka. Senegalese rap legend Matador, founder of hip hop center Africulturban, slipped on stage early with a glass-shattering performance that had the crowd screaming for more.
Hip hop duo Xuman referenced Lady Gaga and Obama while rapping in Wolof.
After a series of Canabasse shows across the country, BuzzLab teamed up with Wakh Art, and Wakh Art Music, Recidive, Skillzography More Human, and Blue for the final night. Admission was 2000 CFA, or about $4. Continue reading
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