User:Ayighaine

Introduction

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Togo has a very diverse and rich traditional music and dance, which Togolese have managed to keep and preserve for further generations. Despite political, social and economic problems which are dividing the country, Togolese youth found in Hip Hop an issue to get more or less trough national reconciliation. Then Hip Hop originated in Togo from the late 1980’s as a mixture of traditional and modern rhythms. Togolese Hip Hop even exceeds the purely artistic context and extends to a culture involving deejaying, graffiti, fashion and break dance. Youths identify themselves to Togolese Hip Hop music as a philosophy and a way of life which differs from the 1980’s style. Adults became more and more interested in Togolese Hip Hop when it began to include a lot of traditional songs remixed. The lyrics are usually in Ewé, Kabyè, French and English talking about God, love, social political and economic problems which guide Togolese in their daily life. However, those artists are facing infrastructure and economic problems which government should manage to avoid and facilitate their career.

Interest in Togolese Hip Hop

Origins

Togolese Hip Hop has started with the group “Black Syndicate” composed by O. Below and Y. More from Lomé the capital of Togo.. They have accomplished this true courage because of the lack of adequate infrastructure at this time. Their first album influenced youths and marked a new turn in Togolese music. Their album was made from remixes of traditional rhythms from their village called “Kamou” and modern rap beats. From then, Togolese Hip Hop began to get known and spread through the whole country. Artists are performing everywhere in the country but the most important songs are perfomed in Lome the capitale due to availability of better studios and production houses. Although other Togolese artists were performing at this time, they did not get out from the underground and remain unknown from the public while "Black Syndicate" got out of the darkness.

Underground hip hop

A lot of talented rappers evolve from underground house parties to today’s Togolese Hip Hop system. Those who did not reach the level of real performers usually lack money to get a producer for their album or even to pay studio fees. The roots of Togolese Hip Hop music is still underground, the best lyrics you can hear from the Togolese Hip Hop first went through the underground community. Most of the times those artists sang for their own pleasure and for their desire to influence the population rather than having money. Togolese underground Hip Hop artists usualy perform on small festivals and are often invited for real performers shows.

Real performers

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Most of Togolese Hip Hop artists are students from high schools and university. In the big arena of Togolese Hip Hop artists, we can categorize them according to each artist's style of music. Some Togolese Hip Hop artists seem to be specialized in the mixing of popular songs made up with rapping beats. The most influencial artists known in this category is ERIC MCa.k.a The Black Niggawho won twice the Togo Hip Hop Awards with his first album "ADJAMOFO". . Another category of Togolese Hip Hop artists are those who are evolving in soul music. Their beats are more soft and their lyrics are more about love and hope. As an example we can cite WEDY who changed the image of the Togolese Hip Hop music by adding a love touch to it with his album first album GOGBALO. We can't talk about Togolese Hip Hop music in soul category without mentioning the "togolese poetic lovers" the WEZEPE group although they are facing problems after their breach of contract with their producer. Their songs are really close to Poetic Lovers' lyrics and style. The last category of Togolese Hip Hop artists are those who are doing either the soft or the hard Hip Hop as Ali Jezz, Dzoku-Kay, Orcyno, Small poppy, M Tall T, Djanta Klan, Rx Patou..

Characteristics

Instrumentation and Production

Production business

Producers and studio managers are very expensive because Hip Hop is not yet well developed in Togo so infrastructures made for the production of Hip Hop albums are scarce and not all the artists are able to produce their albums. The most important label in the Togolese Hip Hop production is the Hope Row record, which controls the majority of the productions. Since the demand for Togolese Hip Hop music increased, businessmen found a good way to make profit by facilitating artists to access infrastructures they need. The access to production houses is now very easy and producers are even seeking for talented singers.

Togo Hip Hop Award

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Togolese authorities and the minister of culture haven’t considered Togolese Hip Hop music as music with a proper cultural identity. But to reward Togolese Hip Hop artists, authorities established a night each year to give them awards called Togo Hip Hop Awards since 2003. . Togo Hip Hop Awards festival is an occasion to garther all the Togolese Hip Hop artists from the North to the South and even those who are abroad. Hip Hop Awards maintaiin relations between artists and reinforce cooperation among them.

Social impact

Social impact on teenagers

Togolese Hip Hop has the ability to bring political, social and economic issues in the society by opening people’s eyes on what is really going on in the country. As it can affect both young and old people, Togolese Hip Hop has both positive and negative aspects on the society and teenagers in particular. Hip Hop is no more only a music but has extended to clothing as street fashion, break dance, graffiti, Mcing, Djing and many other things.

Change in their lifestyle

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Teenagers have their own Hip Hop communities governed by talented designers who impose the Hip Hop style in the cities. The two main designers are EFA DK who is Orcyno’s brother and personal designer and WELFON. EFA DK created a sports wear universe since 1999 added by a special Togolese touch with traditional clothing. WELFON is more based on maintaining the unity with the idea he got in 2005 to mark T-shirts and caps with a Togolese flag design. . Despite this maturity of Togolese youth toward the conscience of a united country for a better development, they nevertheless adopted a semblance of American Hip Hop stars’ life. Some Togolese Hip Hop artists try to copy what is called the “thug life” of certain American Hip Hop stars. Girls, alcohol, parties, cars, expensive clothes…constitute their environment. They usually do this to show their power but instead of that, they are degrading their image and giving a bad example to youth. Still, most of Togolese Hip Hop artists are very aware of their influence on the society by being it spokesperson so, they take care of their image.

Birth of national unity

For a long time, football has been the only social relaxation activity that got together the Togolese youth despite problems which are dividing the country. During the late 1980's football has been replaced by Togolese Hip Hop music which seems to be playing the same role which is to garther youth together for a better understanding of national unity. Togolese Hip Hop help developed patriotism among teenagers and unify them without any consideration of political party or region. Natural borders have disappeared and music is the link between the young generations. This national unity of Togolese youths ensures the future development of Togo in a peaceful atmosphere. Togolese Hip Hop keeps youths unified and struggle for national reconciliation. That is why festival, shows, concerts are always organised to let youth express themselves and entertain them by the way.

Medias

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Medias are very supportive of the Togolese Hip Hop music and help artists a lot for their promotions. A lot of TV shows have been devote to Togolese Hip Hop music. New albums are always broadcasted on television. Actually radios are very important for the development of Togolese Hip Hop music, anywhere on every radios you can have the privilege to listen to many different types of the Togolese Hip Hop music. Even underground songs are broadcasted on radios, they are the factor who propel them in the Togolese Hip Hop world.

Point of view of a Togolese Hip Hop artist: interview with Orcyno

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Orcyno has actually one album "L'envers du décors" and he is specialized in French hardcore and soft Hip Hop music. Orcyno

Do you have some difficulties finding your place in the togolese Hip Hop world? I will be very ungrateful to say that I am confronting any difficulty to produce my songs because I have a producer from U-Check Production and a manager from Oba’s entertainment. My producer and my manager are very involved in my promotion and my career. I can find easily my muse so the only difficulty I have it’s that it takes to much time to release my albums in the market. Hopefully my second album will be released this year (2006).

What about your popularity with the international public? : I am very well known because of my promotion tour in the West African countries Bénin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Sénégal…in January 2005. My music and video clips are broadcasted almost everywhere on cable channels(Aficable, Tele Sud in France) even in Nigéria and Ghana where I was on stage.

What are your projects for the future? The one that is quite realized is my trip to USA for the release of my second album. I have just ended my round show with another Burkinabe artists Baf Diguess invited by the same structure that produced me in the United States.

What do you think about the evolution of the togolese Hip Hop? Togolese Hip Hop grows day by day, there is today much more facilities to release an album and almost each production house has its own artist. However, there is still a long way to cover so that the togolese Hip Hop will have a good level because everyone knows that the essential is not to release albums but rather to release good albums... We still need a certain culture of the real hip hop which is in my opinion very badly defined by my fellows. Interview with Orcyno, his opinion about the Togolese Hip Hop

Conclusion

Everywhere on television and on radios, Togolese youth enjoys the new beats of the music inspired by all the problems they went through. A new generation of singers is born and their duty is to represent the weak population by being their spokesperson. Moreover, Togolese Hip Hop has contributed a lot to Togo’s development in a lot of domains. The easy access to production houses, youth unity and positive change improvement in togolese economy . The clothing industry is in constant progress as well as the music industry keeps on growing. However, Togolese Hip Hop artists don’t have to sleep on their victories, they must work hard to perform their albums and have them put in competition with others from foreign countries. The next objective the Togolese Hip Hop artists must be thinking about is how to conquer the external world of Hip Hop. As an overall, Togolese Hip Hop music is doing as well as it can to go beyond its capacities.