Belgian hip hop
Encyclopedia
Belgian hip hop music has a few rappers stemming from Africa
and Italy
. Belgium
, like France
, controlled Africa
n countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(formerly Zaire), Rwanda
, and Burundi
until the early 1960s. Like in France, immigrants
from these countries started to study and live in Belgium
.
The Belgian hip hop
scene started in the late 1980s with a U.S.-based techno/hip hop group called Technotronic
. In the group was an emcee named Ya Kid K
from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
who later led the group into international fame with hits like "Pump up the Jam" and "Shake That Body". In 1990, she also joined the group Hi-Tek 3 who were heard on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
movie soundtrack
.
However, the first major pop rapper from Belgium was Benny B
, who had a very mainstream and commercial sound. According to the European Music Office's report on Music in Europe, this was the first of many pop acts that helped inspire a backlash and the creation of an underground hip hop scene http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/MIE/Part2_chapter08.shtml.
Also in the late 1990s in the Walloon south of the country, French speaking/rapping Starflam
was the biggest name in hip hop. In the Flemish
north Dutch speaking/rapping groups like 't Hof van Commerce
, Krapoel In Axe, St Andries MC's, and ABN were popular, rapping in their regional dialect
s.
To find out more about today's Belgian hip hop scene, check out http://www.belgianhiphop.be/ and http://www.vlaamserap.be/
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, like France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, controlled Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
(formerly Zaire), Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, and Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
until the early 1960s. Like in France, immigrants
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
from these countries started to study and live in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
The Belgian hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
scene started in the late 1980s with a U.S.-based techno/hip hop group called Technotronic
Technotronic
Technotronic is a Belgian studio-based music project formed in 1988 by Jo Bogaert , who had already made his musical mark in the beginning of the 1980s as a part of a cover band and as a solo artist under various New Beat projects, including The Acts of Madmen and Nux Nemo...
. In the group was an emcee named Ya Kid K
Ya Kid K
Ya Kid K. is a Congolese-Belgian hip hop artist. Her sister, Karoline 'Leki' Kamosi, is an R&B singer.-Biography:...
from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
who later led the group into international fame with hits like "Pump up the Jam" and "Shake That Body". In 1990, she also joined the group Hi-Tek 3 who were heard on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
movie soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
.
However, the first major pop rapper from Belgium was Benny B
Benny B
Benny B was the leader of a Belgian hip-hop group of the same name. Their singles "Vous êtes fous!" and "Qu'est-ce qu'on fait maintenant ?" peaked respectively at #3 and #2 in France in 1990. The group enjoyed a rapid success, followed by an equally quick loss of public interest...
, who had a very mainstream and commercial sound. According to the European Music Office's report on Music in Europe, this was the first of many pop acts that helped inspire a backlash and the creation of an underground hip hop scene http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/MIE/Part2_chapter08.shtml.
Also in the late 1990s in the Walloon south of the country, French speaking/rapping Starflam
Starflam
Starflam is a Belgian hip hop group from Liège in the French-speaking southern part of Belgium - Wallonia. The group started out in the early 1990s under the name H-Posse with members DJ Mig One, Fred'alabas, Seg and Balo. A few years later, after Brussels-born Akro and Mista R. joined the group,...
was the biggest name in hip hop. In the Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
north Dutch speaking/rapping groups like 't Hof van Commerce
't Hof van Commerce
't Hof van Commerce is a Belgian hip hop crew from Izegem in the province West Flanders in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Their name means 'chamber of commerce' in their local dialect...
, Krapoel In Axe, St Andries MC's, and ABN were popular, rapping in their regional dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s.
To find out more about today's Belgian hip hop scene, check out http://www.belgianhiphop.be/ and http://www.vlaamserap.be/