When Keith Cowboy of the Furious Five first used the words “hip” and “hop” in succession, he was mocking a friend who had enlisted in the army. Hip, hop, hip, hop… goes the rhythm of the soldier. However, Cowboy might have been surprised to find out that the sounds “hip” (xippi) and “hop” (xeupp) in Wolof– the most widely spoken language in Senegal– mean “to open one’s eyes” and “to pour something,” respectively. To the Senegalese, “hip-hop” had already been defined in this way: to take in and then express. Furthermore, the rap-like lyrical form tassou existed long before American rap was imported in the 1980s. Is it at all surprising to hear that one of the most dynamic hip-hop scenes in Africa is housed in Senegal?

Senegalese rap trio Daara J first tasted American hip-hop in the form of a Das EFX cassette. “The funny thing about Das Efx is that the way they rhyme, is just like they were speaking Wolof. The flow was so African, it was so…so…so RUDE!” The group proceeded to pen some similarly acrobatic, double time lyrics of their own, and today Daara J is one of the nation’s most popular hip-hop acts. The following video is a live performance of “Boomerang” from 2004:

Musically and politically, Daara J has a mission: to bring positive awareness back to Africa. Neither American nor European media is hesitant in displaying the continent’s poverty, and we often forget that Africa is both the inspiration of American hip-hop as well as the birthplace of humanity. The inner strength of the African people– this aspect of the continent which we are not exposed to– is what they wish to bring to light.

mp3: “Number One”

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