Half the world listens to Dancehall and Reggae and probably doesn't understand half of what is being said. Sure, you lose a lot by not being able to understand the language, but there's more than just the words - you can appreciate flow, cadence, tone of voice etc (and the beat as well obviously).
Hmmm, have'nt thought of it like that. But having considered that, the Dancehall & Reggae isht "we" non ragga-headz listen to, is considered the "commercial" side of these genres according to the purists. And when I think about my tastes form these genres, it's the joints that:
a ) Make u wanna dance.
b ) talk about falling in love/still being in love.
^^2 things not too popular with most makers of rap music.
And please note, that same music is usually a very very very watered down version of the "Jamaican tsotsi-tal" i.e...a bit of plain English for u to make the connection(understand)..still in their accent. But even if u don't speak the slang, u learn to pick up what the word means if u are a hard-core fan.
It's a big difference between learning the new slang to a language u already speak, as opposed to learning a new language all together.
The whole world doesn't speak English so it's a mistake to think that by rhyming in English you are gonna reach everyone anyway. To the majority of France, Germany, Sweden, Japan etc it's just words - what difference does it make if its English or Xhosa as long as the track is hot?
Come now bra, I know that, I was just sayin English, French, and Asian. Did'nt say just English. And the reason for those being top3 is strictly according to population numbers of people who speak these languages globally. West Coast Africans doin hip hop are doing it in French, not their specific country's language, for this same reason of reach I'm talking about. It still is Rap from Africa. And this fact is based on life, not just music. Media news networks, how meetings in business/ international goverment congregations are conducted. I mean look man, MOST business in this country is conducted in English & Afrikaans. MOST scholling throughout the continent is conducted in English or French. These 2 languages are
COMPULSORY languages to pa** in your standard form of education whatever that may be depending on where u are on the continent. Be proud of your heritage and your home language yes! When we're talking about the commerce of music, it's time for plain facts..not ideals. It's just the way it is, the way the world is. All a result of hundreds of years of unrelated bullsh!t that went on in history with colonization.
I'd like to point out it's also not correct to a**ume that for people in Germany, Sweden and Japan "it's just words". It's the same reason that U.S. civilians think we "Africans" don't speak English. Major artists (not just hiphop) have major shows in Japan, where the fans are singing word for word, and when they cut away at audience interviews, these Japanese fans are speaking English.
People in London want to hear shit about London, with the dialects, slang and local knowledge and culture that you can only have if you come from there. They don't want to hear someone immitating them from afar. However, they do want to hear dope music from other cultures.
The mistake I'm bringin to light here is the automatic a**umption that as soon as the words coming out of your mouth are English, you're not being authenticly "African". African French rappers don;t have this problem. ...U see the thing is simple, over 800million people in Africa. In S.A. alone u have 11 languages. And this is not even the biggest country. That's how many languages and cultures..all of which come to have the common denominator called Hip Hop.
About the Xhosa artist that makes u want to learn the language. That's brilliance acheived by the artist to make you want to get closer. It's nothing new though bra. I owned a album from the dude that was the biggest artist in Tanzania called Mr. II (pronounced Mr. 2). No english, strictly swahili, but I bumped that over and over because I thought the flow and music accompanying the rapping was banging. I have'nt played that album for 4 years. And when I got it I thought the skits (about dodgy promoters, even though it was in Swahili u could tell from th titles and arguments going on), and the tracks were tight.
But I can't tell you sh!t beyond that, the type of sh!t that makes one a true fan, the type of things that make u go tell someone about the artist (as I've just done but this is purely out of giving an example),
and most importantly, the type of thing that'll make me go to his show me or buy his next album ....And u you know what that thing is...
I don't know what he's saying .
...What am I gonna scream along too? :?
...How am I gonna see my own life in what he's saying?
