“From Blitz the Ambassador to Beyoncé: A hip hop and Pan Africanism timeline - News24” plus 2 more |
- From Blitz the Ambassador to Beyoncé: A hip hop and Pan Africanism timeline - News24
- ‘Black-ish’, ‘Jingle Jangle’, Beyonce, Viola Davis Top 2021 NAACP Image Awards Nominations - ETCanada.com
- What hip hop can tell us about Pan Africanism - Quartz
| From Blitz the Ambassador to Beyoncé: A hip hop and Pan Africanism timeline - News24 Posted: 03 Feb 2021 12:20 AM PST
Hip hop is many things. Most recently is has become more of commodity, a commercial venture, but it has always been and remains a global culture that represents local realities. It speaks about where one is from – through rap lyrics, DJing, graffiti or breakdancing – by incorporating local slang, references, neighbourhood tales, sounds and styles. Hip hop emerged in the 1970s in the South Bronx, in New York City in the US, among young, working class African Americans as well as Caribbean and Latino immigrants. Hip hop culture's connection to African musical and social traditions would be well documented, including in my book Hip Hop in Africa: Prophets of the City and Dustyfoot Philosophers. In its roots and manifestations, I argue, hip hop has also proven to be a powerful vehicle for spreading and shaping Pan Africanism. Moving beyond bordersPan Africanism is an acknowledgement of the social, cultural and historical bonds that unite people of African descent. It's an understanding of shared struggles and, as a result, shared destinies. It's also an understanding of the importance of dismantling the divisions among African people in order to work towards greater social, cultural and political solidarity. My work has focused on hip hop as a soundtrack for the transnationalisation – the spreading beyond national borders – of African communities and identities. This includes the increased and diversified migration of Africans to countries around the world. Today, an increasing number of Africans have lived in more than two countries. There have also been increased migrations to Africa from the African diaspora – people of African descent who are spread across the world. Some of these diaspora migrants are also Africans migrating to countries in Africa other than their own. One artist whose work is both an articulation of these transnational trends and of an advancing Pan Africanism is Ghanaian-born, New York-based hip hop star Blitz the Ambassador.  Ghanian-born American hip-hop musician Blitz the Ambassador (born Samuel Bazawule) performs at the Apollo Theater & World Music Institutes Africa Now! concert in Harlem, New York, New York, March 16, 2013. (Photo by Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images) We see this throughout his entire catalogue, from songs like Emmet Still and Sankofa on his 2005 album Double Consciousness to Hello Africa on his 2016 release Diasporadical. In Hello Africa he raps: Just touched down, Ecowas passport. Internationally known, I give 'em what they ask for. From Accra city all the way outta Marrakech… He proceeds to take us on a journey across Africa in a way that acknowledges his identity as an African belonging to the continent, and also his transnational relationship with the continent. He throws in different languages – Arabic, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Wolof – as he moves through different cities. The new Pan AfricanismPan Africanism is not a new idea, or movement. Its roots are pre-colonial. There continues to be serious investment in a Pan African agenda set by intellectuals like Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, C.L.R. James of Trinidad and W.E.B. DuBois of the US. While we see growth in hip hop's Pan African voice through artists like Blitz the Ambassador, we do also see movement away from a United States of Africa under a socialist state as a primary goal of Pan Africanists. What then are some of the primary objectives of Pan Africanism today? African music, especially hip hop, has always given us clues. Hip hop is an important catalyst for Pan Africanism today. We are seeing a major cultural shift through collaborations between African and African diaspora artists, as well as the inclusion of Pan African elements in their music. Some of these songs are significant in bringing together artists known for making social statements, such as Opps (2018) with Vince Staples (US) and Yugen Blakrok (South Africa) for the Black Panther soundtrack. There are many more, like the remix to Times Up (2020) with Sampa the Great and Junglepussy.  Zambia-born, Botswana-raised hip hop artist Sampa the Great Zambia-born, Botswana-raised hip hop artist Sampa The Great spends her time between Australia and Botswana. Her album The Return (2019) was an important work that received much praise. From it, the songs Final Form and Energy are representations of hip hop's Pan African voice. In the songs' music videos, for example, we see dance styles found in diaspora and African communities. We see facial paint designs like those seen in South Africa and masks like those found in Mali. In Energy she features British-Sierra Leonean artist Nadeem Din-Gabisi performing poetry in Pidgin English. CollaborationsWe've seen important collaborations between hip hop artists across Africa and in the diaspora that go back to the early 1990s. But we see an increase after 2010. When African artists started using social media and file sharing they were able to increase their collaborations. In 2011, Senegalese hip hop pioneer Didier Awadi released the major collaborative project, Présidents d'Afrique (Presidents of Africa) featuring collaborations with artists from Burkina Faso, DRC, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, France and the US. It also sampled speeches from past leaders like Aimé Césaire, Nyerere, Nkrumah, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. And the growing presence of Africans in important positions in the US entertainment industry has meant these collaborations are beginning to happen in more mainstream platforms. Two big budget projects that have attracted significant attention are the US film Black Panther (2018) and US pop star Beyoncé's Black is King visual album (2020). There are many important criticisms of these projects. Major labels prefer proven (profitable) formulas over artist innovation. There is a tendency towards a homogenisation – a lumping together – of Africa and a marginalisation of African artists' voices. But we also need to understand that both projects are products of the transnationalisation of African communities and identities. They exist in part because of the increased mobility of African communities around the world. We also must recognise their impact on helping to cultivate Pan African identities. In Black is King, we see the prominent influence of West African culture. The project was the product of the creative vision of Beyoncé, Ghanaian creative director Kwasi Fordjour and Ghanaian creatives Blitz Bazawule (Blitz the Ambassador) and Emmanuel Adjei. Also on the project were Nigerian creative directors Ibra Ake and Jenn Nkiru. Pan Africanism is hip hopThere will be more of these projects produced. There will also continue to be these projects produced on smaller budgets. But imagine if Sampa the Great's Final Form had a Black is King budget? Would there be criticism of this artist if she incorrectly used a particular African symbol? Songs like Final Form and Hello Africa are celebrations of Blackness, in global spaces. This Pan Africanism is recognition that African peoples are transnational and multicultural. It is an understanding that African peoples must stand together. It is also a call to understand and respect the differences in our struggles and to resist the temptation of imposing "universal" models of liberation. Pan Africanism is also feminist, anti-homophobic and anti-imperialist. The importance of African music and hip hop is that it also clues us in on what is going on with Pan Africanism. Pan Africanism is not a movement that faded away or only lives on among a small minority. It is dynamic, and has adjusted to new realities. |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2021 01:09 PM PST  By . With the NAACP Image Awards right around the corner, this year's nominations were announced on Tuesday. Every year, the NAACP celebrates outstanding performances in film, television, music and literature. For the 2021 announcement, Anika Noni-Rose, Chloe Bailey, Erika Alexander, Nicco Annan and TC Carson helped reveal this year's nominees live on Instagram. Viola Davis, D-Nice, Regina King, Trevor Noah and Tyler Perry are up for the top Entertainer of the Year award. Davis is also nominated for her leading role in "How To Get Away With Murder" and Best Actress in a Motion Picture for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom". King is also up for Best Director for her debut feature "One Night In Miami".
Meanwhile, Beyonce topped the music nominations with six nods, while Ledisi has five nominations, and H.E.R., Chloe x Halle and Alicia Keys have four noms each. RELATED: Justin Bieber Nabs Most Music Nominations At 2021 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Topping the list of movie nominations is Netflix's "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey" got 10 nods and George C. Wolfe's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" and Disney's "Soul" got nine each. In the television category, "Black-ish" leads the nominations with 11 in total, while "Lovecraft Country" received eight nods.
Netflix was also thrilled with "Bridgerton"'s three NAACP Image Awards nominations this year.
Take a look at the full list of nominees below: Entertainer Of The Year Social Justice Impact Outstanding Comedy Series Outstanding Actor In A Comedy Series Outstanding Actress In A Comedy Series Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series Outstanding Drama Series Outstanding Actor In A Drama Series Outstanding Actress In A Drama Series Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Outstanding Television Movie, Limited–Series Or Dramatic Special Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited–Series or Dramatic Special Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited–Series or Dramatic Special Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special) Outstanding Talk Series Outstanding Reality Program, Reality Competition Or Game Show (Series) Outstanding Variety Show (Series or Special) Outstanding Children's Program Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited–Series) Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble Outstanding Guest Performance – Comedy or Drama Series Outstanding Animated Series Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television) Laya DeLeon Hayes – "Doc McStuffins" Outstanding Short Form Series – Comedy or Drama Outstanding Performance in a Short Form Series Outstanding Short Form Series – Reality/Nonfiction Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television) Outstanding New Artist Outstanding Male Artist Outstanding Female Artist Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album Outstanding Album Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song Outstanding Jazz Album – Instrumental Outstanding Jazz Album – Vocal Outstanding Soul/R&B Song Outstanding Hip Hop/Rap Song Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional) Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Contemporary) Outstanding International Song Outstanding Producer of the Year Outstanding Motion Picture Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Outstanding Independent Motion Picture Outstanding International Motion Picture Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture Outstanding Animated Motion Picture Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance – Motion Picture Outstanding Short Form. (Live Action) Outstanding Short Form (Animated) Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Motion Picture) Outstanding Documentary (Film) Outstanding Documentary (Television) Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Special Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture Outstanding Writing in a Documentary (Television or Motion Picture) Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie or Special Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture Outstanding Directing in a Documentary (Television or Motion Picture) Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry Outstanding Literary Work – Children Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens The 52nd NAACP Image Awards will air on March 27, 2021. |
| What hip hop can tell us about Pan Africanism - Quartz Posted: 03 Feb 2021 01:02 AM PST  Hip hop is many things. Most recently is has become more of commodity, a commercial venture, but it has always been and remains a global culture that represents local realities. It speaks about where one is from—through rap lyrics, DJing, graffiti, or breakdancing—by incorporating local slang, references, neighborhood tales, sounds, and styles. Hip hop emerged in the 1970s in the South Bronx, in New York City in the US, among young, working class African Americans as well as Caribbean and Latino immigrants. Hip hop culture's connection to African musical and social traditions would be well documented, including in my book Hip Hop in Africa: Prophets of the City and Dustyfoot Philosophers. In its roots and manifestations, I argue, hip hop has also proven to be a powerful vehicle for spreading and shaping Pan Africanism. Moving beyond bordersPan Africanism is an acknowledgement of the social, cultural, and historical bonds that unite people of African descent. It's an understanding of shared struggles and, as a result, shared destinies. It's also an understanding of the importance of dismantling the divisions among African people in order to work towards greater social, cultural, and political solidarity. My work has focused on hip hop as a soundtrack for the transnationalization—the spreading beyond national borders—of African communities and identities. This includes the increased and diversified migration of Africans to countries around the world. Today, an increasing number of Africans have lived in more than two countries. There have also been increased migrations to Africa from the African diaspora—people of African descent who are spread across the world. Some of these diaspora migrants are also Africans migrating to countries in Africa other than their own. One artist whose work is both an articulation of these transnational trends and of an advancing Pan Africanism is Ghanaian-born, New York-based hip hop star Blitz the Ambassador. We see this throughout his entire catalog, from songs like Emmet Still and Sankofa on his 2005 album Double Consciousness to Hello Africa on his 2016 release Diasporadical. In Hello Africa he raps:
He proceeds to take us on a journey across Africa in a way that acknowledges his identity as an African belonging to the continent, and also his transnational relationship with the continent. He throws in different languages—Arabic, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Wolof—as he moves through different cities. The new Pan AfricanismPan Africanism is not a new idea, or movement. Its roots are pre-colonial. There continues to be serious investment in a Pan African agenda set by intellectuals like Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, CLR James of Trinidad, and WEB DuBois of the US. While we see growth in hip hop's Pan African voice through artists like Blitz the Ambassador, we do also see movement away from a United States of Africa under a socialist state as a primary goal of Pan Africanists. What then are some of the primary objectives of Pan Africanism today? African music, especially hip hop, has always given us clues. Hip hop is an important catalyst for Pan Africanism today. We are seeing a major cultural shift through collaborations between African and African diaspora artists, as well as the inclusion of Pan African elements in their music. Some of these songs are significant in bringing together artists known for making social statements, such as Opps (2018) with Vince Staples (US) and Yugen Blakrok (South Africa) for the Black Panther soundtrack. There are many more, like the remix to Times Up (2020) with Sampa the Great and Junglepussy.
Zambia-born, Botswana-raised hip hop artist Sampa The Great spends her time between Australia and Botswana. Her album The Return (2019) was an important work that received much praise. From it, the songs Final Form and Energy are representations of hip hop's Pan African voice. In the songs' music videos, for example, we see dance styles found in diaspora and African communities. We see facial paint designs like those seen in South Africa and masks like those found in Mali. In Energy she features British-Sierra Leonean artist Nadeem Din-Gabisi performing poetry in Pidgin English. CollaborationsWe've seen important collaborations between hip hop artists across Africa and in the diaspora that go back to the early 1990s. But we see an increase after 2010. When African artists started using social media and file sharing they were able to increase their collaborations. In 2011, Senegalese hip hop pioneer Didier Awadi released the major collaborative project, Présidents d'Afrique (Presidents of Africa) featuring collaborations with artists from Burkina Faso, DRC, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, France, and the US. It also sampled speeches from past leaders like Aimé Césaire, Nyerere, Nkrumah, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King. And the growing presence of Africans in important positions in the US entertainment industry has meant these collaborations are beginning to happen in more mainstream platforms. Two big budget projects that have attracted significant attention are the US film Black Panther (2018) and US pop star Beyoncé's Black is King visual album (2020). There are many important criticisms of these projects. Major labels prefer proven (profitable) formulas over artist innovation. There is a tendency towards a homogenization—a lumping together—of Africa and a marginalization of African artists' voices.
But we also need to understand that both projects are products of the transnationalization of African communities and identities. They exist in part because of the increased mobility of African communities around the world. We also must recognize their impact on helping to cultivate Pan African identities. In Black is King, we see the prominent influence of West African culture. The project was the product of the creative vision of Beyoncé, Ghanaian creative director Kwasi Fordjour and Ghanaian creatives Blitz Bazawule (Blitz the Ambassador) and Emmanuel Adjei. Also on the project were Nigerian creative directors Ibra Ake and Jenn Nkiru. Pan Africanism is hip hopThere will be more of these projects produced. There will also continue to be these projects produced on smaller budgets. But imagine if Sampa the Great's Final Form had a Black is King budget? Would there be criticism of this artist if she incorrectly used a particular African symbol? Songs like Final Form and Hello Africa are celebrations of Blackness, in global spaces. This Pan Africanism is recognition that African peoples are transnational and multicultural. It is an understanding that African peoples must stand together. It is also a call to understand and respect the differences in our struggles and to resist the temptation of imposing "universal" models of liberation. Pan Africanism is also feminist, anti-homophobic and anti-imperialist. The importance of African music and hip hop is that it also clues us in on what is going on with Pan Africanism. Pan Africanism is not a movement that faded away or only lives on among a small minority. It is dynamic, and has adjusted to new realities. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. |
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