Label: Piranha Musik
Country: Senegal
Release Date: 2009.05.29

Sister Fa is Senegal’s Queen of hip-hop. But getting to the top wasn’t an easy road – for a woman to break through in an almost exclusively male field within a male-dominated society, it was a long, hard journey. Struggle breeds compassion, and Sister Fa uses her international album debut “Sarabah – Tales from the Flipside of Paradise” to speak out against the injustices rampant in her native country. Warm, groovy and unmistakably African, her raps, in Wolof, Manding, Jola and French, roll elegantly over beats as well as traditional sounds (kora and djembe), delivering tracks far removed from rap clichés, and more influenced by 80s Old Skool hip-hop than current Western forms of hip-hop.

From the very beginning of her career, Sister Fa has dedicated herself to fight the wide-spread practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) in her country: “It’s an operation that can kill – I’ve seen dead babies with my own eyes. We need to fight against this practice at all costs and get rid of it forever. But it is quite a complex problem. It’s a practice that has been around for some 3000 years – I myself am a victim.” It is a major taboo for a Senegalese woman to raise her voice against this tradition, one which usually only foreign celebrities openly condemn, but during her “Education without Mutilation” tour in 2008, funded by Germany’s cultural institution, the Goethe Institute, Sister Fa took her fight to the front lines: the Senegalese cities and villages where FGM is most firmly established, hoping to sensitize the population of her homeland.

For Sister Fa hip-hop is about raising awareness and denouncing the wrongs of life: “When you’re a musician, you’re an ambassador – you are here to defend and help people, not just to make music for money.” FGM isn’t the only issue she addresses on “Sarabah”: there is the real story of a young girl in an arranged marriage (“Bou Souba Si Ngone”), AIDS messages aimed at women (“Life Am”), songs dealing with the plight of Senegalese soldiers (“Soldat”) and the hard-working lives of women in Senegal’s countryside (“Milyamba”). “Hip Hop Yaw La Fal” is about the power of hip-hop, while in “Selebou Yoon” Sister Fa argues that hip-hop is in harmony with Islam. The latter was featured on the “Many Lessons – Hip Hop Islam West Africa” compilation (Piranha Musik, 2008).

Born in 1982 as Fatou Mandiang Diatta in Senegal’s vibrating capital Dakar, Sister Fa recorded her first demo in 2000. Senegal’s hip-hop community is huge (apparently there are about 2,000 rap crews in Dakar alone), so it wasn’t easy for Sister Fa to make a name for herself, even more so as a female. But her commitment, drive and talent meant she performed at many events, took part in documentaries and released tracks on compilations. Sister Fa’s music feeds on Dakar’s energy but also has roots in Casamance in Senegal’s south, her family’s ancestral home. These rich musical and cultural traditions have significantly influenced her artistic output, lending it a uniquely personal note. After the sudden death of her mother, she dropped out of school to dedicate herself fully to music against her father’s wishes. Her first solo album was released in Senegal in 2005; that year she also won the prize for Best Newcomer of the Year at the Senegalese Hip-Hop Awards. Since then Sister Fa has become a pillar of the Senegalese hip-hop scene. She has overcome hardships to become the best-known female rapper in Senegal and a role model for many young women.

Scene Release: Sister_Fa-Sarabah-SN-2009-ETHNiC
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Label: Diquela Records
Country: Spain
Release Date: 2009.03.17

Aocaná means “Now” in the Spanish Romany language of caló and the album begins with “Todos Mortales” which is classic Ojos with a base of Catalan Rumba, a memorable melody and a tasty scratchy topping; “Nueva Vida” is a tango/rumba inspired by Marina’s recent motherhood. “Dónde te has metío” is a funky rapped rhumba with cajón and scratchismo while “Corre Ve Y Dile” (Run Go Tell Him) is about women and war: “How absorbed the women weave, with black thread and lace adornments, a tapestry of a boy laughing innocent, among grenades and rivers of blood.
“Una Verdad Incómoda” is a “Jipjopaos” Tango with tabla plus Kumar helping out; “Baraka” has elements of Tango, Rumba and Bolero and is a poignant description of the life of an immigrant and his feelings of solitude and constant struggle; “Rumba Del Adios” is where Rumba Catalana meets Salsa with a jazz horn arrangement garnish; a melancholy 7/4 intro featuring mandolin and violin announces the Electronic Bulería of “Tócale ya”; “Busca Lo Bueno” is a joyful Rumba in 5/4 featuring Cuba’s legendary Los Van plus Cuban pianist Roberto Carcassés. Prior to his involvement with OdB Xavi Turull led an outfit called Amalgama who collaborated with India’s Karnataka College of Percussion – “Tantas Flores” shows the relationship is still strong. On “Perico Y Juliana” Marina sings of a couple who only have their love to cling to in these hard times to a fine melody underpinned by Rumba, Flamenco and Cuban Timba; “Lluvia” is a down tempo meditation and literally ends “Aocaná” with a splash. In a world where music becomes more bland and inconsequential Ojos de Brujo still mean it. Their passion, experimentation and collaborative nature is real and ongoing and “Aocaná” is a testament to their collective adventurous spirit.

Label: Nublu Records
Country: Brazil
Release Date: 2008.04.29

3 Na Massa is a Brazilian group heavily steeped in the music of the last four decades. The debut LP borrows from styles as diverse as Bossa Nova to trip-hop. Consisting of São Paulo-residents Rica Amabis, Pupillo and Sucinto Silva, the group sought a different female vocalist to voice each song on their self-titled record. The result is a diverse disc with 13 different brazilian seductresses interpreting music that pays homage to both João Gilberto and Serge Gainsbourg. (Leandra Leal, Thalma de Freitas, CéU, Karine Carvalho, Geanino, Pitty, Simone Spoladore, Nina Becker, Cyz, Nina Miranda, Karina Falcão, Lurdes da Luz and Alice Braga)
The dynamic between the all-male band and the harem of female singers is palpable. Even their name — which translates to “three in the dough,” a Portuguese phrase for something that makes one’s mouth water — is a not-so-subtle reference to the sensual themes that permeate their music and lyrics. (by doug black)

Label: EMI
Country: Spain
Release Date: 2009.03.03

Macaco is a multicultural musical band from Barcelona, created in 1997 when ex-Magia Animal, Dr. No, and Ojos de Brujo, Macaco (Dani Carbonell) joined La Hermandad Chirusa, a band formed by talented musicians from Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, and Spain, to make his first solo record. The band has changed much over the years, the only exception being Dani. The band members come from different countries such as Brazil, Cameroon, Venezuela and Spain. (by lastfm)