Hip hop has become language of youth worldwide. To understand what the younger generation is experiencing and talking about, you have to tune into the deeper meaning of hip hop. In Africa, hip hop is controversial. Some see it as a style that was African to begin with as in the image of "Boomerang" in the smash hit by Senegalese stars Daara J with whom we talk in this Hip Deep edition of Afropop Worldwide. Other Africans see hip hop as yet another invasion of American pop culture, crowding out local roots music. In the U.S. of course, hip hop represents a fundamental generational, racial, and class divide; 40 something baby boomers tend to tune out hip hop automatically. But this program says loud and clear: the best of African hip hop swings hard and distinguishes itself by the local sounds it incorporates. And these hip hop artists are fascinating commentators on the realities of developing countries in the 21st century--from how their societies are governed to how the world is run. Get hip to African Hip Hop! Produced by Sean Barlow and Banning Eyre.
