Monday, December 17, 2012

Final Blog Post


Hip-hop’s influence on Kwaito
Hip-hop has had major influence on the world and the perception of America globally. Hip-hop originated in New York in the 1970’s and is comprised of graffiti, breakdancing, disk jockeying, and emceeing or rapping. This genre of music is very important because it gives people the ability to express themselves freely, whether it is politically, lyrically, or just to dance. The globalization of hip-hop has been important in its influence on kwaito because “as hip-hop travels globally, particularly in the African diaspora and Africa, the music and dance resonate across cultures” (Osumare 28). Kwaito is a South African musical genre. This genre of music started emerging in the 1990s—with South Africa’s freedom and break from the oppression of apartheid, kwaito was created. The word kwaito is derived from the Afrikaans word kwaai, which translates to "angry" in English. Kwaito took shape in the townships of Soweto at the same time Nelson Mandela took office.


 Kwaito and hip-hop are similar in their origin. Both began in lower class geographies. Both display misogyny.  Both genres incorporate dances; hip-hop incorporates breakdancing and kwaito incorporates pantsula dancing. With just one listen, both are capable of lifting people’s spirits. South African producers and artists have a different take on kwaito though and while they say that kwaito is comparable to hip hop, what they mean is that kwaito, like hip hop has become more than music. They believe, “It has become an entire youth sub culture, and provides youth with the means for creating an identity, establishing new societal norms and economic opportunities” (Swartz 4). This genre became the voice of the black youth that rose from the townships. It gave those who were underprivileged an opportunity to be heard and become successful. Kwaito tells the story of the township’s in South Africa and not the ghettos of America, which innately makes it South African. This is expressed through the pantsula dance which does share similarities with American pop and locking but was not influenced by it. Junior, of the group Boom Shaka, says: “The mpantsula era was like the breakdance era whereby it was the only culture we could relate to, it was what everybody wanted to be. It was like the B-Boy of South Africa… it’s the only culture we can relate to that’s ours, that’s local” (Swartz 4). As these local traditions became more and more popular, the youth yearned to express themselves but were not able to do so because of Apartheid. Collective freedom of African Americans occurred first within the U.S. Therefore, hip-hop was able to spread as an expression a lot sooner than kwaito was. Other factors like commercialization and globalization aided the global influence of hip-hop. Although kwaito has been influenced by many past genres such as marabi, kwela, and bubblegum music of the 80’s, hip-hop has had the most influence on kwaito artists.
Tsotsitaal is the slang and street terminology used in Kwaito. Similar to Ebonics in American culture, tsotsitaal is spoken among the youth and in the streets of South Africa. Tsotsi, which means ‘thug’ or ‘thief’, has a negative connotation in South Africa. The portrayal of a tsotsi’s life was made popular in an award winning movie titled Totsi.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX20lzOQwUo. Nevertheless, a lot of tsotsi’s continue to struggle and succumb to drugs, gangs, and crime. The tsotsi has a place in kwaito like the gangster has a place in hip-hop. West coast hip-hop where gangster rap originates, has had the biggest influence on kwaito in terms of any genre of hip hop. West coast hip-hop influenced the dress and the lifestyle of kwaito artists. The ‘spotti’—a floppy sun hat turned into an icon of street culture is an example of how hip-hop influenced the dress code in kwaito.

Kwaito’s similarities to west coast hip-hop are tight because west coast hip-hop shares the culture of people in a disadvantaged area who want to become successful and make it out of their community, which is usually plagued with violence and drugs. Kwaito artist’s relate to this because they understand they are less fortunate than other people and use kwaito as a way of becoming someone. It is a trans-Atlantic circulation of the America dream through music. For more clarity in how west coast hip-hop has influenced kwaito, Akhara an aspiring kwaito artists elaborates 3900cd3d393a26c1d1949ebbd370b40c.caf .
Kwaito is something for people who are not as advantaged. It gives people hope of making something of themselves and represents a struggle through lyrical and physical expression. The township is being celebrated by the youth of South Africa in kwaito music; this is interesting when one considers that the township was created to keep a ready supply of cheap labor under control by the apartheid government. We see a similar scenario in hip-hop culture where the ghetto is celebrated and acts as validation for a rapper because it proves they have also struggled to get where they are. Welfare is associated with the ghetto because there are many poor people who live there. One of the more popular rap anthems by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony in the 90’s exemplify this logic in their chorus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpBP9dALcWw
Both of these scenarios provide credibility to both the kwaito and the rapper. Another major similarity kwaito and hip-hop have is the ability to turn a negative into a positive. The genre’s name Kwaito is an example of this. South Africans were able to alter the connotation of a word which means angry and mold it into something positive. In hip-hop this is expressed through the use of one of the most vile words in the English language, nigger. This racial epithet possesses a lot of emotion and history for blacks in America. It is a term that was originally meant to demean and hurt blacks. Although it still does in some cases, the use of nigger amongst blacks as a term of endearment has managed to take a negative word and within a certain context, make it a positive. Kaffir is not used in the same way in kwaito and even within South African society. Black South Africans would never call each other kaffir, even if the intentions are positive because the wounds of apartheid are still recent in the memories of many. Slavery has been over for so long in the United States, that the use of nigger with a positive connotation was a way for African Americans to dilute the power of the term. This is very interesting to note because it makes me wonder if kwaito or black South Africans will ever connote kaffir as positive or use it as a term of endearment.
The lyrical content of kwaito has been heavily debated since the ascension of the genre. Gavin Steingo, a PhD professor from the University of Pittsburgh, did state that most kwaito is overtly political, even if it seems apolitical. He said that, “it was more of anti-political situation for the artist than apolitical because the youth of South Africa desire to disengage from the long years of oppression and political protest of the apartheid era. Therefore, the kwaito music represents the refusal of politics” (Kwaito, history 2012). This is very interesting to cross reference with early hip-hop that has a foundation built on lyrics. Artists such as KRS-One, Public Enemy, and Tupac discussed social issues that pertained to the inequality between the black and the white community. This link exemplifies larger societal issues discussed in rap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nay31hvEvrY.
Similarly, in earlier years of kwaito there were some political songs such as “Kaffir” by Arthur Mafokate,
the professed ‘King of Kwaito’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF460058UkA,  who depicts a black worker taking orders from his Boer boss. These songs became less and less popular as kwaito grew in popularity. A reason for this may have been marketing. Western pop culture exploded globally. This globalization was important because “many African urban centers and their populations are avidly embracing the opportunities that globalization brings with it” (Kiwan, Meinhof p.51). The new trans-Atlantic surge of hip-hop brought along the lavish lifestyle of ‘money, cars, clothes, and hoes’. This would later influence how kwaito music videos were conducted and what they portrayed in the videos. Kwaito became intertwined with pop because “Kwaito is in fact the de facto pop music of South Africa by virtue of the fact that black youth compromising 80% of the country’s population, are united in their enthusiastic support of it” (Swartz 2). Since kwaito is viewed as the de facto pop music of South Africa, the Americanization of kwaito was only natural. This video depicts similar images shown in a stereotypical rap video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH8L5Tbh54I. This video accomplishes what kwaito is meant to be—fun music that people can dance to but it also incorporates the hip-hop influences of the lavish lifestyle in terms of the imagery in the video. Americanizing Kwaito, as is many artists' opinion, can potentially dilute the substance Kwaito was originally based on.
With all of the similarities between kwaito and hip-hop stated, it is more important to understand why they are related instead of how. The key in understanding this is globalization, technology, and the trans-Atlantic circulation of music.
 

As technology has become more advanced, the spread of music has become easier through the commercial use of television, radio, and global touring by artists who promote their product. This has made the world a smaller place in terms of where and how information is received. People now have access to new cultures and different forms of music through the internet. Streaming music from across the globe has become easier: http://www.last.fm/tag/kwaito.
The trans-Atlantic circulation of music is crucial because it allows cultures to critique each other while learning new forms of music. It is crucial to note that kwaito is historically South African. It did not start as a result of hip-hop; rather it was influenced by hip-hop through globalization, commercialization and technology.  












References
“South African History Online.” South African History Online.http://www.sahistory.org.za/performing-arts/kwaito (accessed December 12, 2012)

Swartz, Sharlene. Is Kwaito South African Hip Hop? Why the Answer Matters and Who It Matters to. N.p., 14 May 2003. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.
Kiwan, Nadia, and Ulrike Hanna. Meinhof. Cultural Globalization and Music: African Artists in Transnational Networks. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. Print.
Osumare, Halifu. The Africanist Aesthetic in Global Hip-hop: Power Moves. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. Print.
Falola, Toyin, and Tyler Fleming. Music, Performance and African Identities. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Rough Draft


Sorry for the person reading this, I really did not have time to do a rough draft so I put it together very quickly. Any help would be appreciated.

With South africa’s freedom and break from the oppression of apartheid came a new genre of music, Kwaito. This genre became the voice of the black youth that rose from the townships. It gave those who were underprivileged an opportunity to be heard and become successful. Although kwaito has been influenced by many past genres such as marabi, kwela, and bubblegum music of the 80’s, hip-hop has the most influence on kwaito artists.  
Influenced by west coast hip hop in the dress and the lifestyle, it’s a culture where people are in a disadvantaged area and want to be make it big. They understand they are less fortunate than other people and use kwaito as a way of becoming someone.
Kwaito is something for people who are not as advantaged to make something of themselves and represents a struggle and it’s a way of expressing themselves.
Hip-hop influences kwaito because they both represent struggle. West coast hip-hop has been more influential especially within the dress and the gangster rap which tsotsi’s can relate to.
The township is being celebrated by the youth of South Africa in Kwaito music, this is interesting when one considers that the township was created to keep a ready supply of cheap labor under control by the apartheid government.






Critical essay on post-apartheid South Africa and the influence of Kwaito music.

Steingo, Gavin. "South African music after Apartheid: kwaito, the 'party politic,' and the appropriation of gold as a sign of success."Popular Music and Society July 2005: 333+. Academic OneFile. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.


Article on the politicization of kwaito in South Africa

Steingo, Gavin. "The politicization of kwaito: from the 'party politic' to party politics." Black Music Research Journal 27.1 (2007): 23+.Academic OneFile. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.


    • Chris Pritchard discovers that a visitor is never far from the beat.(South Africa)

    • Pritchard, Chris "Cry music: no longer a pariah state, South Africa has become a melting pot for sounds from all over the continent. Visiting Capetown and Johannesburg",

Book Sources

Curtis, Benjamin. "Music Makes the Nation"

Moore, Robin. "Music & Revolution: Cultural Change in Socialist Cuba

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Critical Review 5

The point of his journey was to bring the banjo back to Africa since a huge misconception in America is that it is a white southern instrument. He visited Mali, Tanzania, Uganda, and Gambia. His engineer Dave played a major role in helping with the recording of the instruments. The documentary also spoke about how important music is to daily life in Africa in that it is everywhere, in death, daily chores, and marriages.
I really enjoyed the documentary and the humility Ben showed towards African musicians. An example of this is when his engineer suggested he sit in front of the other African musicians and he said he did not want to do that he wanted to sit on a stool in the back blend in as much as possible . This reminded me of the Paul Simon discussion we had in class about stage presence and positioning. I was wondering whether the music in the scene where Walusimbi Haruna and Ben were playing and Walusimbi started crying after they finished playing was an improvisational piece or whether they put it together? This scene really struck me because it showed how important the song was and how powerful music can be.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Critical Review 4

The goal of the article was to explain and expand upon world music. Instead of putting people into a box like ethnomusicology does, world music aims to seperate the connection on world music and Western tradition. It does through the hiring of non-Western musicians but as the Author describes, there is a separation within the academy. The author drives at a greater point, saying European ideals in music often end in 'ologies' whereas marginalized or non European groups begin with 'ethno'.
I enjoyed reading the article and especially enjoyed the mention of Hamm and Meintjes because it tied in well to what we had discussed in our previous class. I thought the authors example of Graceland as a perception of world music was interesting because it only linked two cultures granted it did later spread to a wider global audience. When I think of world music in this context I think of an incorporation of many different cultures into one piece of music, not two or three. When I think about it in my own personal way, I believe its fair to say any piece of music is world music and we should not judge it by how many cultures it molds together. Do think world music should be judged by global appeal? If so does the world not miss out on other important cultures of music who may not be able to afford promoting their music?

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Critical Review III

Bob Whites article discussed whether popular soukouss music had sold out or whether it was essentially soukouss. He did a great job giving the historical background of soukouss music and discussing the transition of soukouss from its rumba roots to its commercialization. His explanation of Tabu Ley Rochereau and Franco selling millions in Africa and overseas & Vercky's impact on the younger generation gave a further background in how to succeed as a musician in the DRC.
I did not like how those playing soukouss music realized that people outside of Africa enjoy mostly the rhythm of the music and therefore water down their lyrics. This notion to me assumes the same position as the quote "African is emotion, Greek is reason". I believe these artists have become lazy and as an attempt to make more money they do not focus on the lyrics of the songs.  This also happens a lot in hip-hop music where rappers will discuss guns, drugs, jewelry, and fast women instead of talking about social issues or injustices occurring everyday.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Critical Review II

In this weeks reading, it discussed the influences of many artists from Zaire. They were all important and influenced Zaire however, the architects of these genres included La Gran Kalle, Franco & OK Jazz, and Tabu Ley Rochereau. Some of their musical influences in terms of genres stem from 'cha cha', jazz, and rumba. These three artists classify as the older generation. The younger generation would be led by Clan Langa Langa who set the path for the youth by revolting against traditional rumba styled Zairian music and opted for a fast paced melody.
Zaire has had a vast amount of artists who influence society. Within the reading, especially towards the end, mention of the lack of government support for younger artists is a key flaw in music. Only the 'older generation' artists are given support and can afford the instruments and studios to manufacture quality music. All of them have served as praise singers for the government and President Mobutu. While they have been somewhat critical of factions of the government, there is never any mention of direct opposition from the 'old or younger generation' of musicians who do have the freedom to express themselves in their music. Why do they choose to be slightly critical of the government and not the president if he is at the head of the institution? Do you think it is a matter of choosing to stay at a certain status and questioning those above them might negatively impact their careers or even health?

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Ethnographic Description


     I went to see Concha Buika at the Sanders Theatre in Cambridge on Friday. It was an amazing unexpected experience. I had not read the description of her music nor researched anything about her prior to the show, so when she began singing in Spanish I was taken back. It began to make a lot of sense because many of the audience members were Spanish speaking and at first I thought it was a coincidence until I heard the music. The music was great, it sounded like there were some African elements in there but I mostly heard flamenco and jazz fusion. The show began slowly with just a couple of people swaying but by the end the entire crowd was into it and some dedicated fans were reciting every word to her songs. 
     When it came to singing Concha Buita had a very interesting voice. It was not the typical high pitched voice, it was raspy and deep. She would start off by whispering and then gradually raise her pitch to the point where she was yelling. There weren’t too many lyrics in her music; it was more of a scat singing. Her band was also interesting. There was a guy who played the grand piano, he did a lot of what looked like improvisational stuff too, and he played one or two pieces on the electric keyboard too. There was another band member who played percussion; he had a snare, a cymbal, some kind of wooden standing drum, and a box drum that he sat on. There was supposed to be a bassist too but I think she said he was sick. She talked a little bit in between songs, in English. 
     The audience was really mixed, all age groups, more middle-aged people than I would have thought. Also, there was a little bit of back and forth with the audience, people would just yell out phrases in Spanish to her but nothing disrespectful. I thought the show was over at a point but there was an encore. This was very exciting because I had never experienced it before. Overall it was a great experience, I learned a lot about performance from Concha Buika, mainly how important interacting with the audience is because it really provided everyone with a feeling of comfort and the ability to better relate to the artist.