Folks ..how y'all doing? For me its trying to harness the positive energy point whenever it avails itself…As I told you before the tip am on currently is purely based on music. So I ask you today what is revealed when one identifies himself with a certain type of music?Hiphop fans have grown to resent off shoots of rap in their indegineous languages. Kapuka,Kwaito, Mbaalax which are more often that not given more airplay in respective mainstream radio frequencies compared to Hiphop .
An interesting observation arose from Hiphop fraternity who are not only harsh with their remarks but quick to stereotype. How? The nature of Hiphop is turbulent defining its evolution as well. Anything that does not appeal to this demographic is purely termed 'wack' or 'gay'.
As a Hiphop purist i have asked myself loads of questions. Being African and Hiphop does it mean I should confine myself only to one genre? so that I am purist. I do subscribe to the purist segment of this culture as a "backpacker". True it is …even denoted in my debut where I rapped on EL-P's beat from the instrumental of 'Life's ill' by Cannibal Ox. Let me not plunge you into a confusing domain i meant to say i am the Hiphop culture.
Most of my brothers decided to jump into the bandwagon of being 'real' with a skewed vision adorning baggy pants,fake timberland boots,G-Unit sneakers,sweartshirts and a Newyork accent coupled with a whole gangsta rap collection. Does this make you Hiphop?
I reveal myself as musically porous and so I advance my rhythm to different genres. For example, I love lingala music so much that lately Fally Ipupa soothes my troubled soul with his melody more than say M.O.P or Das Effex or Method man or Wutang Clan and the list is endless. Why? I ask myself,yet there was a time when I got into fights to defend Hiphop. Change is a constant phenomenon,life has now set my pace to be rhythmic. I didn't grow up only to Congolese music but many other genres, so question is, am i a certified Hiphop head? if i listen to Radiohead or Bjork or Peter Gabriel, Femi Kuti, Mars Volta, Wenge BCBG and even Fally Ipupa.
African vibe is rhythmic and very sensual.From Mbaalax to Makosa, kwaito, Lingala. So if I dance to "Sopeka" for instance, does that make me gay? Tupac Shakur was a Road dog and most times dancer/hypeman for Digital underground.You should see the moves cat pulled yet within a decade from his onset in the American music industry he morphed into not only a celebrity but a rapper leading an almost cult status, guided by the light popularly known as 'Thug life'.
What do you want to see as gay when a man is dancing? You and your hardcore self in a club nodding your head the whole night, if by chance, the Dj was bumping some heart throbbing Jeru the Damaja? Would you hold your gal and tell her how much fun you are having, whilst ingesting intoxicating substances dilating your pupils, while listening to Dilated peoples? Or would you pose in a Bboy stance with a mean mug and curse . "Nigga you gay" championing your hardcore self listening to 'On the eve of war' by Vinnie paz and Gza…frankly speaking I don’t think so, it doesn’t make you any less of a man to dance.
Where is the human bit in you? To be able to see life from another side. Personally I don’t think I have a favorite Kapuka track but that kid Madd traxx brings a light moment when am chilling with my nephews and nieces (that’s Genge right?) . So i do spare them from Non Phixion's "The future is now" .…I say to myself let them grow up and find it by themselves., i wouldn't want to impose on my seed.
So i ask myself when a Kapuka act is on stage with scantily clad gals doing the dirty whine ...does it mean am ok with that coz i listen and watch live lingala perfomances? i have to admit beautiful women dancing will catch my attention but i do not make it a priority. It just doesnt become a primary in my creativity.
I love me loads of Congolese music,the Congolese borrowed heavily from benga and made it better..originally it was Benga-Just because its African do you condone half naked women shaking booty?..i don't find anything wrong with it so long as its done in the appropriate forum.. Also booty is not shaken the whole day the way the media shows us.
So if you wanna point a finger at me because am a lingala fan,go ahead but dont blame me as an african man shaking my waist because my forefathers engineered the dance that way- am in no place to object but to complement.
As I leave you with this piece of thought peep the above video by Fally Ipupa in Abidjan…from the comments made on this video..i see the first person who commented went straight to say that Fally is gay….Maybe you are gay …what are you seeing that we don’t…?
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