Language and Hip-Hop in Africa: A Tanzanian Perspective

In this essay, Hashim Rubanza teamed up with Amartey Laryea for a conversation on language and Hip-Hop in Tanzania. In the essay, Rubanza points out that whenever a Tanzanian Hip-Hop artist tries to rap in English, that artist will often be compared to a Hip-Hop artist from the US, and that exposes the flaws in that artist's work. However, the essay argues that when a Tanzanian Hip-Hop artist domesticates Hip-Hop in a language like Swahili, that artist may find more of a connection between themselves and the people. The essay explores the advantages of doing Hip-Hop in an indigenous African language, especially for African audiences on the continent. In the essay, Rubanza and Laryea also discuss the changes that have taken place in Hip-Hop after its commodification. Rubanza reflects on Hip-Hop's initial years in Tanzania when artists were not primarily motivated by financial gains but by the love of Hip-Hop culture. The essay argues that, in the commodification of Hip-Hop in Tanzania, money became the motivating factor. Hip-Hop became an avenue for making wealth, and this would also impact the question of language, which became a pawn in the politics of the music industry.