Belgium – KGM Crew, a young Hiphop trio from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, are going to be giving Europe a taste of “Bongo Flava” (Tanzanian Hiphop) this April, when they perform in some of the major cities of Northern Europe during their first tour.
Formed in 2000 by Enoch Fredy aka Man Noks, Christopher Mwamnyange aka Man Kill and Said Abdallah aka Sultan, KGM Crew’s lyrics’ dropping and stage presence caught the attention of the jury at the 5th InterRegional Music Crossroads Southern Africa Festival in 2004 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Music Crossroads Southern Africa is a unique youth empowerment through music initiative of JMI (Jeunesses Musicales International) based on a series of workshops, festivals and competitions for budding young African musicians in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia. Music Crossroads offers
musical training, development and experience to young musicians combined with the opportunity to develop individual self-esteem, self-expression and social networking.
The three members of the KGM Crew come from a tough neighborhood in Dar es Salaam (Kigogo, Mburahati ) that they refer to as “Uswahilini” or "ghetto". These young Hiphoppers met during a neighborhood street rapping battle in 1998 and have been rapping together ever since.
Influenced by international rap artists such as ‘Lost Boyz’, ‘KRS1’ and ‘Nas Escobar’, the KGM Crew perform a typical Tanzanian rap called ‘Bongo Flava’. Although relatively unknown in the rest of the world, Bongo Flava is the best selling popular music in East Africa today. This US Hiphop influenced style developed in the 80’s-90’s in Dar es Salaam to become a distinctive music genre that incorporates local melodies, beats and topics. Usually sung in Swahili (combined with English), Bongo Flava freely mixes different music styles (rap, R&B, reggae, taraab, salsa…), both contemporary and traditional. The name Bongo Flava comes from the Swahili word for brains or intelligence, “ubongo”, which is also the nickname of Dar es Salaam. Lyrics often aim to educate audiences on
subjects such as AIDS, poverty, social behavior and personal experiences.
KGM Crew European Tour
April 2005
03.04 Brussels (Belgium)
04.04 Brussels (Belgium)
06.04 Frankfurt (Germany)
07.04 Amsterdam (Netherlands)
08.04 Amsterdam (Netherlands), Antwerp (Belgium)
09. 04 Brussels (Belgium)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
