The Hip Hop African

The Hip Hop African Podcast introduces a student series showcasing final projects from the Hip Hop & Social Change in Africa course at Howard and George Washington Universities. The episodes explore African hip hop's role in culture, politics, and identity, emphasizing its significance as a tool for resistance and social change across the continent.

In this episode, we’ll talk about Hip-hop artists who have engaged in protest Literature and Combat Literature based on the analysis of Frantz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth, as expanded Dr. Msia Clark in her book Hip Hop in Africa: Prophets of the City & Dustyfoot Philosophers. Throughout the continent, Hip-hop has been used to stand up against […]

Introducing Mita La Gladiatrice, a Senegalese rapper who has steadily carved her name into the contemporary rap scene in Senegal. Her stage name alone embodies her entire creative philosophy: Mita the Gladiator. In her music, she does not ask for permission, or submit to popular male-dominated themes. “La Gladiatrice” carries a feminine authority that is […]

‌ Cape Verdean hip-hop continues to evolve through tracks like “Cabo Verde” by rising artist Kilero, a single that reflects both the diasporic identity and modern sound of the islands. Released in early 2025 as a short but impactful rap track, the song blends contemporary trap production with lyrical themes rooted in pride, struggle, and […]

This mixtape, Black Happiness, I’m Not My Face, Wonder Woman, Champion, and The Baddest Female, does not treat pride as a mood or a slogan. It engineers pride as a mechanism of cultural assertion. Clark’s framework is not just a lens, it is a tool for understanding how hip-hop refuses to be a passive mirror. […]