By Andrew Moore


If anyone doubts the far reach of globalization, musical proof can be found Sunday in Bend.

Exhibit A is Daara J, a hip-hop group from the West African nation of Senegal. Made up of three rappers, the group mixes Cuban, R&B and Afro-Beat rhythms with rhymes in French, English and their native Wolof language.

A long way from its home in Dakar, Senegal (roughly 6,100 miles from Bend), the group is on its second U.S. tour. It has previously performed at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, and earlier this month, Daara J was one of the many bands that performed in London for the Live 8 concerts.

It is not unknown for hip-hop acts to tour the world (i.e., Snoop Dogg, Eminem), but most of those performers are American Senegal is not much known for its hip-hop. But as Faada Freddy of Daara J hypothesizes, rap music's roots are African.

Tassou, the traditional (Senegalese) rap form, which we believe is the ancestor of rap music, went around the world (with slavery)," Freddy said. "And now it's come back home."

Freddy's theory about rap's African heritage is given sway on the group's new album, titled "Boomerang." On the title track (whose lyrics are in Wolof and a verse of which is translated in the album's liner notes), one of the trio rhythmically waxes on Freddy's postulation:

"Been born in Africa, growing up in America, rap has just gone around to come back."

Indeed, Daara J's music sounds like Africanized, American-style hip-hop. It blends rapid-fire delivery and gangsta rap intensity with soulful musical passages and positive, Afro-centric message. Of course, unless you have a Wolof- to-English dictionary, you will likely miss that message.

Regardless, it's fair to say that this summer's only chance to see a trio of Wolof rappers in Bend comes Sunday when Daara J per forms for free as part of the Summer Sundays concert series. Be cause of the Bob Dylan concert scheduled in the Les Schwab Amphitheater later that evening, Sunday's Daara J concert will be; held in the grassy area beneath the smokestacks at the north end of The Shops at the Old Mill District (see "If You Go").

Joining Freddy, 30, are rappers Aladji Man and N'Dongo D. The group formed in 1993 in Dakar, and by 2004, Daara J had a solid enough act to win a BBC Radio World Music Award for "Best African Act." That award opened the door for the group, Freddy said, exposing Daara J to audiences beyond West Africa.

"It was an extremely big deal," Freddy said. "First, a hip-hop group won, and second, a group from Senegal. It was a confirmation that all our efforts could be rewarded some day."

The group tours heavily in Eu rope, and is trying to break into America. So far, Freddy said. Americans have reacted positively to the group's unique sound.

IF YOU GO
What: Daara J
When: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: The grassy area beneath the smoke stacks at the north end of
The Shops at the Old Mill District
Cost: Free
Contact: 322-9583, 312-0131 or, www.bendconcerts.com

"Our reception has been good because our hip-hop is coming from a different horizon. It's not preaching bling and gangsta stuff," Freddy said. "It's very familiar hip-hop."

Daara J, whose name means circle of life in Wolof, concentrates on a positive, conscious message, Freddy said. The music is meant to bring attention to Africa, and celebrate the continent, rather than dwell on its ills. That is one of the reasons, Freddy said, that the group sings many of its songs in Wolof, rather than in the tongue of its French colonizers.

"We want to show people that Wolof is really beautiful," he said. "Singing in Wolof is a way to let people know about African behavior."
But, at the same time, Freddy knows that singing in Wolof would severely restrict the group's reach. So, Daara J uses the tools of the colonizers, he said, to spread their message in French and English.

"We have been the victims of colonization, but we are trying to use that in a right way. Colonization had its negative parts for us, but it's not a reason to keep blaming ourselves. It's about standing up on our feet and trying to hold destiny in our hands ourselves."

It's a destiny that wants to build a bridge, as the blues have done, from America back to Africa. As the globe shrinks, Daara J wants to be in the position to span those worlds.

"We are Africans, and now you can touch us and talk to us and we can tell you about Africa," Freddy said.

Andrew Moore can be reached at 541-617-7820 or amoore@endbulletin.com.