Ivorian hip hop

Ivoirian hip hop is a major part of the popular music of Côte d'Ivoire, and has been fused with many of the country's native styles, such as zouglou.

90s popularity

Hip hop became a mainstream part of Ivoirian music beginning in about 1998. Some time later, the scene gained more publicity with the rise of a publicly-feuding pair of crew leaders, Stezo of the Flotte Imperiale and Almighty of the Ministère Authentik. There is a kind of gangsta rap-influenced Ivorian hip hop called "rap dogba", inspired by Angelo & les Dogbas.

"Foreigness" and growth

Overall, hip hop is still perceived in Ivory Coast as a foreign type of music and artist do not enjoy the popularity of their Zouglou or Coupe Decalle counterparts. It is considered a marginal mouvement with a specific following due to the fact that most Ivorians did not find in what was offered in Ivorian Rap over the years material or situations to relate to or connect with. However, since 2006 and the rise of a new school of Ivorian rap crews such as the very popular Garba 50 (whose name is inspired by a very cheap and popular Ivorian dish eaten by the common people), who was even quoted by the then Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo, Hip Hop is enjoying a newfound following among the Ivorian population. By blending Nouchi, the particular and very evocative Ivorian vernacular and street language with hip hop beats and rhyming style groups like Garba 50, Sans Soi [ [http://sans-soi.net Sans Soi Website] ] , and Rage Man (among others) have managed to revitalize the movement and make it more accessible to Ivorians.

Ivorian artists outside Africa

A new generation of Ivorian rappers who live overseas in France or the U.S like Djafoul Koncept, Dynamik Boobah Siddik, DDF and many others have added to the growth of the movement in Ivory Coast by keeping a close touch with their Ivorian fan base and pushing technological and musical changes back to their native land. [ [http://225rap.africa-web.org/ Rapalloco Ivorian hip hop portal] ]

DJs, crews, rappers

* [http://www.boobahsiddik.com/ Dynamik Boobah Siddik]
** Album: Dead Goats: Chronicles Of A Jindo
*Baby Joe 'King Osagyefo'
**Album: Control (1997)
*Angelo & les Dogbas
**Albums: Junior et les Crazy B (1990), Hustler (1992), Represent (1996)
*M.A.M.: a child rap group
*MC Claver
*Negromuffin
**Members: Alasko Deejay, Ras Goody Brown
**Albums: Authentic (1997)
*Flotte imperiale (group)
**Members: Stezo, DDF, Zap, Fantome, Never Felle, Kadjim, Dj Jacob, MC Claver
**Stezo
***Cassettes: Le Prix a Payer(1997), L'homme est un loup pour l'homme (1999)
*Incarceres aka Section Tranchante du Shadow Zu
**Members: 1/4Cres Shin, Sory Defstrike, Rap-Ass Pouklet, Mous
*Parlement Supreme: one of the earliest crews in the country
**Members: 1549, Empreinte
*Posse Injection
**Members: Alice Ice, Power J, Willy Brown, Yooza Brown
**Cassette: Les Pleurs d'Afrique (1998)
*R.A.S.: a zouglou-hip hop fusion crew
*Ministre Authentique (posse)
**Members:Almighty ('le Dieu du swing')
*KLM.. Landros.mutiply.com.
*Angelo & les Dogbas

References

* [http://www.africanhiphop.com/index.php?module=subjects&func=printpage&pageid=73&scope=all africanhiphop.com: Ivorian Hip Hop] : 2002.
* [http://www.unitednationsofhiphop.com/African-Hip-Hop-News/African-Hip-Hop-Interviewz/It-s-killing-Ivorian-Hip-Hop.html It's killing Ivorian Hip Hop! Interview with leading Ivorian Hip Hop stars, unitednationsofhiphop.com, 09 February 2006]
* [http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/709 The Hip Hop Generation: Ghana's Hip Life and Ivory Coast's Coupé-Decalé. Siddhartha Mitter, Afropop Worldwide] .