In search of Malawi’s consious hip hop

Those were few yet powerful words from Hamada Ben Amor, 21, better known as El Général, the Tunisian Hip hop star when the US Time magazine interviewed him in 2011.

And Amor is not just an ordinary Tunisian hip hop artist.

In 2011, Amor, who Time magazine named one of the most influential people in the world, did a hip hop song Rais Lebled, one great piece of art credited with stirring the youths to stage an uprising in his country.

That uprising did not just end up in the ousting of the then sitting President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.

The hip hop song, which includes blunt allegations of government corruption, also became the anthem of protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square—a revolution that saw Egypt’s longest serving Hosni Mubarak falling from grace.

Amors’ story lives the true spirit of hip hop. Hip hop—which manifests itself in spoken word, djeeing, graffiti, break dance, and etc—began in the 70s by African Americans as a tool of self-expression and definition in a world paralysed by racial discrimination.

To them, hip hop is/was not just a means of social and political commentary but also a tool of resistance to oppression.

However, since then hip hop culture has grown in scope and, today, it has spilled across continents.

In Africa, hip hop started to become a household culture among African urban youths in the mid 80s and since then, it has—with relative progress among different African countries—been a strong force among the urban youths, like Amor, in articulating political critique and also mobilising dissent.

Malawi has not been an exception.

The peculiarity of hip hop as a political force in Malawi, today, lies in two factors: one, Malawi, a youthful nation, is fast urbanising and two, political discontent, especially among the youths, continues to rise.

Not only that.

All through history, political change has always been spearheaded by urban youths—not just any other youths. To mean, hip hop, being a voice of urban youths, can be a powerful tool for mobilising dissent among the youths and push for political change.

So, how much has Malawi’s hip hop managed to help urban youths in the country, like what happened in the Arab Spring, to be critical players of political and social change?

Malawi’s hip hop, of course, does not have a long tradition like it has been in countries such as Ghana and Tanzania. It was in the mid 90s when hip hop records began to appear in the country.

From the Boyz Lazy in the 90s through the Real Elements of 2000s to

the current voices of Third Eye, Young Kay and Fredokiss, Malawi’s hip hop culture, most observers say, is yet to be a fully grown medium of political change.

Third Eye, one of the artists famed for deep lyrics and conscious compositions, argues that ‘conscious hip hop will take years before it gets established in Malawi because most artist cannot articulate social and political in a way that can resonate with many’.

The artist, who in a song All Red Everything with fellow artist Barry One and Young Kay bemoaned the ‘warm heart is falling down’, argues that conscious hip hop is not an ‘avenue for everybody’.

“The list of hip hop artists in the country continues to rise. But listen to their albums.  Most of the artists are talking about clubbing, girls, parties and all that. Why? It is because those are the simple things they can understand and articulate.

“But when it comes to conscious hip hop, one that can stir the brain and mobilise youths to be critical of social and political issues around, it is not easy,” argues Third Eye, real name Mandela Mwanza.

Despite that, there have been some songs from local hip hop artists which many have hailed as turning points. Among others, they include China by Aimor.

Another hip hop artist, Fredokiss—who has done a couple social commentary tracks such as Ndikatseka Maso, Changes (Nyasaland version) and Apulezidenti 2014—argues that conscious hip hop in Malawi will take years to influence the youths to become agents of political.

“Most of us artists have failed to understand the spirit of why hip hop came to be. We have lost ourselves in flooding our listeners’ minds with petty issues that barely define us.

“That is why if you listen to most of my songs, I try to give my listeners some piece to help them reflect on the world they are living in.  We cannot deny it: We live in a Malawi defined by increased social and political oppression. We the youths are harbingers of change. The next generation looks upon us to make a better world,” he says.

Third Eye believes that though ‘conscious hip hop zone’ is still a ‘haven for few’ there is hope because ‘of the zeal’ among the youth.