Closeup July 12, 2022
The Rise of Hip-Hop in Malawi

As in so many African countries, Malawian hip-hop evolved from a marginalized and often disparaged form of music, to an underground sensation, to a mainstream phenomenon. In Malawi, it has also come to play a role in the nation’s quickly evolving politics, serving as the voice of a burgeoning youth population. Ethnomusicologist Kenneth Lipenga unpacks the story, which he has studied deeply and experienced first-hand. Narrated and produced by Banning Eyre

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