I fell in love with Lauryn Hill from the moment I first heard her voice on the The Fugees classic 1996 album,
The Score.
Her incredible singing was surpassed only by her bold and brilliant
lyricism. Hill was a pioneer during a time when there were a diverse
array of powerful women rappers in the media. Unfortunately, that time
is long-gone.
Talented women rappers are still in abundance if
you know where to look. Emcees such as Eternia, Rapsody, Jean Grae and
Janelle Monae carry the torch for lovers of hip hop—like Harriet
Tubman—in the underground. Meanwhile many popular media outlets choose
to ignore their genius.
Unacceptable.
Recently, I have
found myself in a unique position as a creator of content for a
significant media outlet at PBS. I have the freedom collaborate on
music, beats, and stories of my choosing, and I would like to hear more
women's voices in hip hop. So in March, I traveled to Dakar, Senegal to
build a studio with an amazing group of women called GOTAL.
GOTAL
is a collective of Senegalese rappers, producers, singers and beat
makers; who paired with a woman-led NGO called Speak Up Africa to write
songs about global health issues in their communities. They made some
incredible music, which I've been secretly banging in my iPod for two
months. I'm proud to help unveil their work today. Stick around if you
want to hear what Lauryn Hill would sound like if she spoke Wolof.
Publiée le 22
mai 2013
"The people need a female
rapper," says Toussa, the president of GOTAL; an all-women's collective of
Senegalese rappers, producers, singers and beat makers who paired with a
woman-led NGO called Speak Up Africa to write songs about global health issues
in their communities.
Developed at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Beat Making Lab is a program that brings the
tools and techniques of digital music making to young musicians in developing
nations. Episodes documenting the experience in Senegal will air Wednesdays on
PBS Digital Studios' Beat Making Lab channel. Professor Pierce Freelon and
producer Apple Juice Kid host.
The Architects: Stephen Levitin
(aka Apple Juice Kid) and Pierce Freelon
Mastermind of Videography and
Editing: Saleem Reshamwala aka Kid Ethnic (additional camera work by Felix
Sarr)
Musical Poetry: Apple Juice Kid and
GOTAL
Show Wrapper Magicians: Josh Souter
(stop motion/logo), Emily Forsberg (photography), Kelly Mertestdorf (producer)
Senegal kin folk: Speak Up Africa:
Fara Ndiaye, Awa Ndoye, Yacine Djibo, Felix and Abdul; Toussa's family,
Intrahealth, Blaise Senghor Cultural Center, Darra J Family, Julie Pitts
[Woodville NC].
We would like to give special
thanks Ali Colleen Neff, who introduced us to Toussa and GOTAL. This project
would not have been possible without her insight and support. Read more about
Ali Colleen Neef's work on women artists in Senegal : http://www.socialtextjournal.org
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