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Transcending Boundaries
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Illinois Entertainer, Transcending Boundaries >>
Hip-hop historians have traced the art form to blues, jazz scatting, funk, and reggae but Senegalese hip-hop trio Daara J connect it even further back, to the ancient rhythmic poetry of tasso. "The first time hip-hop music came over, it sounded so familiar," says Daara J's Faada Freddy, recalling when hip-hop was first imported to the West African country of Senegal in the '80s. "It sounded so close to our culture. We didn't have samplers or technology but the lyrical form remained the same." Hence, the group's American debut is called Boomerang (Wrasse), referencing the full circle hip-hop has journeyed from Africa, to America, and back again.
Though all popular American music has a foundation in African rhythms, hip-hop culture, which includes breakdancing, DJing, graffiti writing, and rapping, boasts clearly defined threads that echo traditional African expression. On Boomerang, Daara J eloquently rap in their native Wolof, French, and smatterings of English and Spanish, over reggae, Afrobeat, traditional Manding melodies, mbalax (Senegalese dance pop), and Cuban rhythms. Take away the foreign dialects and guest Malian diva Rokia Traore's ethereal traditional singing, and the CD could easily have come straight out of the Bronx. The MCs' delivery, the beats, the feel of the music, is as familiar as a Tupac classic.
Yet, all of the musk is original, and the group doesn't copy any particular style or trend. It's as if the sound that was bom in Africa centuries ago, traveled to America, and gained modem flourishes, has now found its roots and spiritual foundation in Daara J.
"The music is very natural for us, we identified ourselves with it immediately," says Freddy. "I gathered all the similarities and got deeply involved in hip-hop culture without calculating it. Hip-hop was just natural part of us." So much so that when the movie Beat Street came out in 1984, Freddy and his friends organized breakdance classes, sound clashes, and freestyle competitions. The break moves were particularly popular because, according to Freddy, these were also recognizable parts of traditional culture. "Manding dancers would spin on calabashes, like the break dance head spins," he says.
Freddy, N'Dango, D, and Aladji Man formed Daara J (which means school of life) in the '90s. At that time, the young group had to school many people, including their promoter, on what hip-hop actually was. "Our promoter said, 'You've got to stop that American stuff. You don't know who you are.' We were the first group to rap in Wolof, to show them who we are," says Freddy. "The problem was that everybody was trying to act gangsta. People didn't know any better. There was a lot of violence in Dakar. It was an idiotic time in hip-hop. People didn't understand what hip-hop was, they thought it was strictly from America. We said no, it's from Senegal. Finally, after a long road, people understand that hip-hop was formed in Africa."
Anybody who has any doubt about that need only to listen to the 13 tracks on Boomerang. Melodic and filled with fluid phrasing that allows language barriers to melt away, the CD can stand against any current hip-hop album and win out with bouncing bass grooves, intricate beats, and (for the multi-lingual) finely crafted lyrics. The title track starts with a traditional Manding chant and glides into pumping beats and rapid-fire lyrics about hip-hop's return to Africa. On "Esperanza," Spanish guitar and melodic rapping (derived from learning to "sing" instruments) make for laid-back but tight groove. "Bopp Sa Bopp" highlights the members' verbal dexterity while "Hip-Hop Civilization," with R&B singer China crooning soulful verses, has the group switching between French and English, for a flavorful take on hip-hop soul.
Steeped in traditional Senegalese culture and the importance of griots or story-telling historians, Daara J take what they do with hip-hop very seriously. Eschewing bling and disrespect for messages of hope and awareness, the group's reputation for truth and positive messages is so high that they were tapped to help promote anti-corruption campaigns during Senegal's 2000 elections. The corrupt regime was ousted but Daara J see their work as far from finished. "Africans traveled with hip-hop and it survived all over the world. Those who carried the culture were slaves but now everybody is recognizing it and everybody wants to incorporate it and that's a good thing," says Freddy. "But hip-hop has to raise its consciousness. For every word you say, it's part of your soul you're giving out. Words are not to be played with. That's why we chose hip-hop."
UPCOMING SHOWS: A reminder that September finds Chicago hosting its annual World Music Festival. As of press time, dates and confirmed acts had not been announced, but according to Hie City Of Chicago Web site, this year's festival will include performers from dozens of coun tries as well as musicians currently based in Chicago and across the U.S.; events take place at various city venues. Visit www.city ofchicago.org for updates.
-Roselind Cummings-Yeates 08/01/05
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