Positive Black Soul

Last updated
Positive Black Soul
PositiveBlackSoul.jpg
Positive Black Soul performing in Vienna, Austria (2003)
Background information
Also known asPBS
Origin Dakar, Senegal
Genres Senegalese hip hop
Years active1989–present
Members Didier Awadi (DJ Awadi)
Amadou Barry (Doug E. Tee or Duggy-Tee)

Positive Black Soul (also known as PBS) is a hip hop group based in Dakar, Senegal, one of the first such collectives in the country. Founded in 1989, the group is composed of Didier Sourou Awadi (alias DJ Awadi) and Amadou Barry (alias Doug E. Tee or Duggy-Tee), both of whom had previously been in other hip hop groups. [1] They perform in the English, French, and Wolof languages and use traditional Senegalese instruments as part of their songs. [1] Political and social activism have played important roles in the group since it was founded.

Contents

History

The two members of Positive Black Soul were born in the city of Dakar, Senegal. As teenagers, Awadi and Barry were involved in the Dakar hip hop scene—Awadi leading his own group, Didier Awadi's Syndicate, a breakdancer [2] as well as a rapper; and Barry performing with the King MCs. [3] Originally Awadi and Barry were rivals, competing with each other in performances and coming from separate neighborhoods of Dakar. During a birthday party held by Awadi to which Barry was invited, however, the two performed together and realized their similarities, founding Positive Black Soul very soon after. [3] Activism and politics are central parts of the group's philosophy—its shortened name (PBS) was a play on the Parti Démocratique Sénégalais initialism "PDS". [2]

In 1992, the group performed at a music festival held by the Dakar French Cultural Center, where the French rapper MC Solaar heard their performance and invited the group to open for him when he debuted in Dakar in October of that year. [1] [3] The rapper was impressed with Positive Black Soul, inviting them to continue performing with him in France. [1] Two years later the group put out its first release, a cassette entitled Boul Falé. The album was followed by more touring in France, as well as in England and Switzerland. [1] In the same year, the Senegalese musician Baaba Maal offered PBS the opportunity to be on his album Firin' in Fouta . Maal was signed to Mango Records and because of this recording with him, Positive Black Soul were signed as well. They released their album debut Salaam on Mango Records. [3] After achieving success in Senegal and some abroad, the group continued touring, including 130 performances in 1997. [1] They also began organizing concerts in Dakar and promoting new groups including Daara J and Pee Froiss. [4]

Positive Black Soul's first international release, New York Paris-Dakar, had been previously released as a cassette in Senegal. However it was only in 1997, six years after its initial appearance, that it was sold outside of the country. [5] The American rapper KRS-One, one of the group's collaborators on the album, shared a similar philosophy and interest in Pan-Africanism with Awadi and Barry. [5]

In 2002, the group appeared on the Red Hot Organization's tribute album to Fela Kuti, Red Hot and Riot. They contributed to a track titled "No Agreement" alongside Res, Tony Allen, Ray Lema, Baaba Maal, and Archie Shepp.

Since about 2002, the group's members have been pursuing solo projects. On August 14, 2009, PBS performed in Dakar for their 20th anniversary effectively ending speculations about whether they have disbanded. Guests at the concert included powerful Senegal music stars such as Youssou Ndour and Ismael Lo.

Activism

Positive Black Soul has promoted political activity and activism in other areas. The group urged Senegalese people to participate in the country's government and vote in elections. [2] PBS also decries images of Africa in the media, which they view as one-sided. [6] They state: "We want to show the positivity in the black soul. That's our fight. Africa is not only a land of suffering, misery, war and disease. We're proud to live there and we are not suffering." [6] They view their chosen medium of rap as an accessible way to talk about issues such as corruption and politics. AIDS has also been featured in their music: one song, "Écoute Fils" ("Listen Son"), is written about the disease and cautions listeners about its dangers. [7]

Discography

Related Research Articles

Music of Senegal

Senegal's music is best known abroad due to the popularity of mbalax, a development of Serer conservative njuup music and sabar drumming popularized internationally by Youssou N'Dour.

Baaba Maal Senegalese singer and guitarist (born 1953)

Baaba Maal is a Senegalese singer and guitarist born in Podor, on the Senegal River. In addition to acoustic guitar, he also plays percussion. He has released several albums, both for independent and major labels. In July 2003, he was made a UNDP Youth Emissary.

Senegalese hip hop is a form of hip hop that originated in Senegal in the early 1980s. When hip hop first hit the scene in Africa, it went from merely being a fad, to a more social and political movement. Amongst the most influential leaders of this movement were artists from the country of Senegal. With the modernization of the country, and the rise in media, the youth of Senegal were able to embrace a new form of expression.

<i>Firin in Fouta</i> 1994 studio album by Baaba Maal

Firin' in Fouta is an album by Senegalese singer Baaba Maal. It was released in 1994, and is his fourth release on Mango Records, including one with Mansour Seck. It was produced and engineered by Afro Celts Simon Emmerson and Martin Russell, respectively.

Mor Dogo Thiam was a Senegalese drummer, cultural historian, and entertainment consultant. His surname is pronounced "Chahm".

Ashley Maher is a Canadian singer and songwriter who has meshed the rhythmic impulses of West Africa and Latin America with Western song structures.

Daara J Musical duo

Daara J are a Senegalese rap duet that consists of N'Dongo D and Faada Freddy. Their music takes influence from hip hop, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and reggae and is performed in English, French, Spanish, and Wolof.

Alioune Mbaye Nder Senegalese singer (born 1969)

Alioune Mbaye Nder is a Senegalese singer. Nder takes his name from the n'der, the drum favoured by his griot father.

Didier Awadi Senegalese rapper

Didier Awadi is a Senegalese rapper and a significant figure in Francophone West African hip hop. As a founding member of Positive Black Soul (PBS) with Duggy Tee, Awadi toured around the world contributing to the international popularity of Hip Hop Galsen. Awadi works as a solo artist, accompanied by his crew PBS Radikal. He participates in the Senegalese music industry through his label, recording studio, and rehearsal space, Studio Sankara. Awadi offers a conscious and revolutionary style of music strengthened by articulated and rooted messages. His motivation and inspiration is grounded in the Burkinabé revolutionary Thomas Sankara's phrase: "Let's dare to invent our future!"

Mansour Seck is a Senegalese singer and musician born in Podor, in the north of the country. Best known for his collaboration with lifelong friend Baaba Maal, he has also toured and released several solo albums. He is blind.

Pee Froiss

Pee Froiss is a hip hop group formed in Dakar, Senegal in 1993. It was originally produced by another hip hop group from that city, Positive Black Soul, and since recorded with the duo. The band's music is rapped in Wolof, French, and English and features traditional Senegalese instruments such as the kora as part of its instrumentation. Pee Froiss was one of the first rap groups to include a female performer in their lineup, Sista Joyce. The group's members create all of their own music videos with very sparse resources, the first of which was released in 1996 with their first album.

<i>Fo Deuk Revue</i> 1997 studio album by David Murray

Fo Deuk Revue is an album by David Murray released on the Canadian Justin Time label. Recorded in 1996 and released in 1997, the album features performances by Murray with Darryl Burgee, Ousseynou Diop, Assane Diop, Craig Harris, Robert Irving III, Abdou Karim Mané, Oumar Mboup, Hugh Ragin, Doudou N'Diaye Rose, Moussa Séné, El Hadji Gniancou Sembène and Jamaaladeen Tacuma. The album features a wide array of vocalists including Amiri Baraka, Amiri Baraka Jr., Didier Awadi and Amadou Barry from Positive Black Soul, Tidiane Gaye, Hamet Maal and Junior Soul.

ALIF is the pioneer female hip hop trio of Hip Hop Galsen. Emerging in the late mid-1990s, ALIF offered a feminine and feminist flavour to Hip Hop Galsen encouraging women to play their part in the movement. The group split beginning of 2010 after thirteen years.

Baay Sooley is a hip-hop dancer from Senegal. He has toured internationally as a dancer of the Positive Black Soul (PBS) crew. He choreographed the hip hop musical comedy "The Extraordinary Stories of the Poto-Poto Children". and created the street wear brand "Bull Doff".

Keyti is one of the first and most prominent hardcore hip hop artists in Senegal. With his group Rap’Adio, he offered a radical approach to Hip Hop Galsen violently recalling the initial purpose of hip hop as a means to denounce society’s flaws. Still radically critical, though less hardcore, Keyti now evolves in solo. He is part of the West African hip hop collective AURA and performs in its well-known musical comedy The Extraordinary Stories of Poto-Poto Children.

Matador is one of the most prominent figures of underground Hip Hop in Senegal. Founding member of the Thiaroye’s group, WA BMG 44, Matador has toured throughout the world gaining an international recognition from the underground hip hop scenes abroad. Since 2006, his struggle to represent the voiceless youth of his home country has taken a renewed turn with the creation of his structure, Africulturban in Pikine. Through this space dedicated to the youth, Matador reiterates his social and political engagement while pursuing his role of “Number One System Enemy” and “General Major Chief of the Dying People Army”.

Moona is a West African rapper. Known for her flow, sharp and poetic lyrics as well as for her active involvement with the youth, Moona is an active member of United Artists for African Rap (AURA) in which she represents her native Benin. Besides, Moona is the only female rapper to have been selected by Africa Unsigned among artists of the continent to receive support for their next production.

Hip hop galsen

Following an historical process of appropriation of American popular music by Senegal, hip hop emerged in the Senegalese capital city in the early mid- 1980s. Although hip hop galsen is now famous for its diverse musical productions, the movement there spread out from its dancing appeal rather than from its musical one. Indeed, Senegalese hip hop artists initially participated in this movement as smurfer, breakdancer, B-boy in general performing during organised podiums. Schools, nightclubs and other temporary public stages thus played an essential role in amplifying this movement in Dakar. Besides, and in contrast to American hip hop, which grew from the youth in the inner city ghettos, hip hop in Dakar began among a somehow middle-class youth who was able to access and/or introduce in their home place new ideas and new cultural expressions coming from abroad. Indeed, hip hop became popular in the capital city through the intensive through informal circulation of VH7 cassettes and recorded videos, which were imported from USA or France by diaspora people.

Rama Thiaw African filmmaker and screenwriter (born 1978)

Rama Thiaw is an African filmmaker and screenwriter. She is known for her 2009 documentary Boul Fallé, la Voie de la lutte and her most recent documentary The Revolution Won’t be Televised (2016).

Wagëblë

Wagëblë are a Senegalese hip hop act. Their debut album was released in 2003.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Harris, Craig. "Biography". Allmusic . Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  2. 1 2 3 Le Gendre, Kevin (2008-02-15). "Hip-hop with harps". The Guardian . Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "POSITIVE BLACK SOUL". Radio France Internationale . 1999. Archived from the original on 2008-10-11. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  4. ↑ Brough, Simon; Ellingham, Mark; Lusk, Jon; Clark, Duncan (September 2006). "Senegal & The Gambia". The Rough Guide to World Music: Africa & Middle East (3rd ed.). London, England: Rough Guides Ltd. p. 338. ISBN   978-1-84353-551-5.
  5. 1 2 Maillot, Elodie; Street, Julie (2003-02-18). "African rap: the Paris-Dakar connection". Radio France Internationale . Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  6. 1 2 C, Scott (1999-07-15). "Global 'coolinization'". Montreal Mirror . Quebecor. Archived from the original on 2008-03-21. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  7. ↑ Quist-Arcton, Ofeibea (2001-06-27). "Senegal: Pop Stars and Youth Break Taboos to Spread AIDS Message". allAfrica.com . Louga, Senegal: AllAfrica Global Media. Retrieved 2008-03-11.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.