Blog December 18, 2015
Kaleidoscoping With KRS-One: Art Melody's "Wagare Hip-Hop" Video
Boisterous Burkinabe rapper Art Melody has put out a video for "Wagare Hip-Hop," a sharp, aggressive track from his new album Moogho, released on Akwaaba/Tentacule Records earlier this year. This song turns a spotlight on music promoters and businessmen in Burkina Faso, according to Africa Is A Country. For Art Melody, hip-hop is a means to a message, and here he condemns those who try to make money off the revolutionary hip-hop movement.
The video clip shows Art Melody moving through a colorful kaleidoscope of visuals. Panning out, we see he's on a European street, rapping in front of mural of hip-hop pioneer KRS-One, and the single statement "Rap is what you do/Hip-hop is what you live," a paraphrase of KRS-One's "9 Elements." This is a simple video with a simple message: Art Melody finds a way to stay true to the roots of hip-hop culture, while still repping the youth of Burkina Faso and Ouagadougou.
