The Rise and Rise of Dancehall and Roots Reggae in Africa
Album Review By Jay Rutledge
Presenting hits from 10 countries, The African Rebel Music – Roots Reggae and Dancehall gives a first insight into the new reggae movement in Africa (24 page booklet).
So far, only two reggae artistes have had real international success: Lucky Dube and Alpha Blondy.
A new generation has now arrived but although many of them are stars at home and regulars in their local charts, this compilation is the first chance for most of them to release their music internationally.
The East African Reggae collective, Bashment Crew, is a cooperation of two famous line-ups from East Africa: the duo Necessary Noize from Kenya and Bebe Cool from Uganda.
In 2005, they were nominated for Africa's number one music award, Kora Awards, which took place in South Africa, in the category of Best African Reggae Group.
Another highlight from the album is Tiken Jah Fakoly from Ivory Coast, who is no doubt the next reggae star to emerge from Africa. In 2005, he became the most successful reggae artiste in France.
The 994 Crew recorded the first dancehall track ever from Mauritania. The rhythm for the song was produced by Silly Walks sound system from Hamburg, Germany.
Ethiopia pitches in the song Shashamane on my mind in which Sydney Salmon praises a piece of land that was once given to the Africans in the Diaspora by Haile Selassie as a place for repatriation.
Batman is one of the most popular dancehall artistes from Ghana adding the newest style of music now rocking the nightclubs of the capital city, Accra - rag life.
Musicians like Dully Sykes, H2O, The Danfo Drivers, Peter Miles, Teba and Rebellion are the heroes of a new generation of African pop music that has long surpassed the usual stars still being celebrated by World Music enthusiasts in Europe and America.
The language is reggae and dancehall. The sound and lyrics of their music represent the feeling of an urban Africa in the 21st Century.
Rutledge is an African pop music producer. He owns and runs Outhere record.
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