« Head High » : AJOOLA et ALIZEH reconnectent le Hip Hop sénégalais à ses fondamentaux depuis New York
Senegalese rap is once again making its way to the shores of New York thanks to the track "Head High", a collaboration between the artist AJOOLA, originally from Ziguinchor and now living in the United States, and ALIZEH, a founding member of the Kangam Squad group in Tambacounda.
The track, available since Friday on streaming platforms, is intended as a reminder of the original values of Hip Hop: commitment, lucidity and dignity.
An observation on the evolution of rap
In "Head High", the two artists paint a critical portrait of a Hip Hop that they believe is increasingly distant from its militant foundations.
The text evokes a scene that has become a "spectacle," focused on form rather than substance, and recalls the educational role that rap has long played in Senegal and elsewhere.
AJOOLA draws on his own journey to illustrate this point. Between studies, jobs and social commitments, the artist claims a writing style faithful to his convictions, far from the opportunism he observes in the field.
ALIZEH, a respected figure in Senegalese rap, reinforces this approach with a more analytical intervention, inherited from his experience as a teacher and his veteran status.
A music video filmed in iconic New York locations
The video, filmed between Long Island City (Queens) and DUMBO (Brooklyn), uses visual elements full of meaning.
The Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, along with the skyline dominated by the Empire State Building, serve as a backdrop to a narrative about perseverance and mobility.
The aesthetics of the video clip remain deliberately simple, favoring an urban atmosphere over artifice.
This simplicity allows the message to stand out: hold on, do not give in, keep your head high.
AJOOLA: an artist committed to being between diaspora and local roots
Born Tomy Lorenzo Badiane, AJOOLA was long known under the pseudonym BADSON.
Originally from Ziguinchor, he started out in the group Falkass before establishing himself as one of the promising voices of Casamance rap.
Multilingual, speaking Diola, Wolof, French and English, he developed early on a rap style focused on resilience, migration and social justice.
A finalist in the Flow Up competition (2014) and the Coast2Coast Live Contest (2019), he has several local hits, including "Beautiful Day" and "Leti Long".
After a break devoted to his family and community commitments, he returns today with a more mature approach, of which "Head High" is the first milestone.
AJOOLA is also active in social entrepreneurship:
• Mandela Washington Fellow 2016,
• former director of the Caz'Art Urban Fest,
• Leadership program coordinator,
• Co-founder of AFRIC'ART, an American organization dedicated to African immigrants.
An intergenerational collaboration
The presence of ALIZEH, the historical voice of Kangam Squad, reinforces the intergenerational aspect of the project.
An English teacher, he was for a long time one of the leading figures in conscious rap in Tambacounda.
His participation provides a balance to the piece: authenticity, precision of the text and a critical look at Senegalese society.
A project that is part of a broader movement
“Head High” appears in a context where many Senegalese artists are seeking to rehabilitate socially conscious rap in the face of the rise of commercial content.
The choice of New York, the birthplace of Hip Hop, is not insignificant: it signals a desire to reconnect with history while affirming the place of the diaspora in the evolution of African rap.
Availability
The track "Head High" and its music video are available on YouTube ( https://youtu.be/vpCOfTEjlHc ). The single will soon be available on all streaming platforms.
Commentaires (7)
NICE SONG, VOUS NOUS RAPPELEZ LES PIONIERS DU HARCORE SIKKI SAKKA THIES
Ajoola, c un fou avec un plume psycologue. Le gars n'a pas encore parlé. Le son est d'un niveau très élevé pour la masse mais c'est d'ailleurs ce qui confirme que vous faites dans la qualité et non la quantité.
Hate d'entendre la suite. Blessings
Deux très connus par leur engagement positif dans la promotion du Rap Conscient .
Last line keyti kangam squad ndeyssan 2000s, ... la gettero xelou tiedo... alizeh nigga
mais les gars vous viellissaient nak, dioubloulen yalla
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C'est ça qu'on appelle RAP mais legui les rappeurs sénégalais font du rambalax
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