Explore the World through Music //
Africa >
Senegal
> Positive Black Soul |
 PORTRAITS COMPLETE LISTING |
 |
 Positive Black Soul© mondomix |
|
|
Click on the album cover to listen to all sample tracks
Positive Black Soul
The Senegalese rap duo Positive Black Soul was born of a fusion between two ambitious DJs from Dakar, Didier J. Awadi and Amadou Barry, aka Doug E. Tee. In the 80s the two teenagers had competed with each other at the head of two local groups, the Syndicate and King MCs. Their rivalry disappeared in the course of a birthday party Awadi threw on August 10th, 1989. Their common values, high quality rapping and complementary voices gave birth to Senegal’s first major hip hop band, PBS. Both Didier and Amadou have a strong sense of what they call their « Africanism », inspired by major figures like the Senegalese philosopher Kocc Barma, novelist Amadou Hampâté Bâ, humanist Sheikh Anta Diop and Ghana’s first President Kwame Nkruma. Drawing from a wide gammut of traditional West African sounds and instruments, the two singers have drawn parallels between urban African American styles and their local music. « In Senegal, we have very old musical traditions like the tassou or the taxourane which have a similar form to rap, » claims the duo.
Building on their Afro-optimism and a strong sense of local identity PBS steadily established themselves on the local scene between 1989 and 1992, before aiming for the international market. In this quest, they were greatly assisted by the French rapper of Senegalese origin, MC Solaar. For his first ever concert in Dakar in 1992, Claude MC invited the duo to open for him… and it brought the house down. That same year a compilation of Senegalese music, produced by the French Cultural Centre and Noire review, saw the light of day. PBS recorded « Bagn Bagn Beug » for it, and their international career seemed to take off.
Within two years their first album « Boul Falé » came out and was promoted throughout Africa by the Paris-based producer Mamadou Konté. This success coincided with PBS’s participation in Baaba Maal’s groundbreaking album, « Firin’ in Fouta » and, as a consequence, the duo were signed up by Island Record’s subsidiary, Mango. The energy of their live performances were captured the following year by the band’s first international release, « Salaam ». But Didier and Amadou never turned their backs on their local following, releasing their fourth cassette album in 1996, « Daw Thiow », or « avoid quarrels ».
But quarrels just seemed unavoidable between PBS and Island. Arguments over contracts prevented the Senegalese from putting their most ambitious album to date « New York Paris Dakar » on a global market. It took six long years for international audiences to enjoy this outstanding album which features guests such as KRS One, K-Mel, Manu Key and Supernatural.
By then, the variety of the group’s styles had brought it to the forefront of West Africa’s rich hip hop scene. Allying hardcore rap, reggae and raggamuffin with traditional rhythms and instruments, they became something of the darlings of the world music scene. But their high profile did not stop them tackling politically-charged issues such as corruption, AIDS, Western collusion in maintaining African dictators in power, and social unrest against the latter.
In 2003, Didier Awadi decided to embark on a solo career and, with his first eponymous album, he grabbed the Radio France International (RFI) Discoveries award. The reward and a torrid concert in Paris were dedicated to the memory of murdered RFI journalist Jean Hélène, marking Didier’s continued commitment to freedom of speech. His new six-man group goes under the name of Positive Black Soul Radikal, and features the new young talent of MC Ibrahima Loucard, aka Carlou.
August 2004
Daniel Brown
 Post a comment
|
 |
|
|
 |
 Radio Mix // listen to the mondomix playlist |
|
Radio Mix.
|
 |
|
 |
|
Print
Add to My Mondo Mix
Send
Add to your blog
Post a comment 
mondomix rss