African Rebel Music Roots Reggae and Dancehall

Internationally the African continent has so far only seen the success of two reggae artists: Alpha Blondy and Lucky Dube. A new generation has long followed! African Rebel Music - Roots Reggae & Dancehall gives an insight into this new African reggae and dancehall vibe. Ivory Coast has a strong reggae tradition dating back to the days of Alpha Blondy. The country is represented here by Tiken Jah Fakoly with a track from his new album Coup de Guele. Senegal is more of a hiphop country, only recently has there been a real reggae dancehall movement coming up with people like Baay Sooley (PBS) or Dread Maxim, Senegal's roots reggae artist No 1. Neighbouring Gambia is nicknamed Africa's 2nd Jamaica. Rebellion the Recaller is probably the biggest Reggae artist on the scene now. In Mauritania the country north of Senegal and Gambia a hiphop reggae youth scene has only just emerged recently. The scene is represented here by the 994 Crew a kind of allstar group from Nouakchott. Ethiopia is represented with the song 'Shashamane On My Mind'. A song from roots reggae singer Sydney Salmon who repatriated to Shashamane, an area in the south of Addis Ababa, given to the blacks from the Diaspora by the former Emperor Haile Selassie I. Post-apartheid South Africa has seen the rise of house-based kwaito from the townships of Johannesburg. Recently some reggae dancehall artists like Teba from the townships of Capetown are beginning to get some attention. Leo Muntu is a well known singer from Zambia, doing a mix of hiphop, reggae, r'n'b and the newest trend kwaito, which is now spreading throughout southern Africa. East Africa contributes 5 tracks: Dully Sykes from Tanzania is part of the bongo flava scene most popular at the moment in Tanzania. Uganda is crazy about ragga and dancehall. Just listen to superstar Peter Miles, Bebe Cool(EARBC) and newcomer Small Axe. Kenya is represented here by one of the countries most famous groups: Necessary Noize. Ghana is famous for it's urban music culture hiplife (a mix of highlife and hiphop). Batman is one of the top-selling artists of the country mixing in ragga the newest trend coming from Accra. From Nigeria comes one of Lagos' latest sensations: a duo called the Danfo Drivers with a track praising Sensimilla obviously sung on a reggae beat. So get down, check them out, link up with them, enjoy and get into the vibe.