Home Institution

University of Denver

Publication Date

Fall 2015

Program Name

Senegal: National Identity and the Arts

Abstract

This alternative ISP seeks to tell stories of women involved in the Senegalese hip-hop movement through the podcast medium. This paper describes briefly the history of hip-hop in Senegal, women’s increasing role in the genre and what it means to be a woman engaged in Senegalese hip-hop today. Six women with varying roles in the hip-hop community share their stories and thoughts about hip-hop as a whole and more specifically what it means to be a woman in the industry. These stories include: why it is important to have females in hip-hop, that hip-hop is more than just rapping, why there was a sudden absence of female artists, the content of their music, how the media has affected the hip-hop scene, and why women are both excited and scared for an upcoming generation of new female rappers. Using a podcast as a vehicle for this information allows for music, interviews, and anecdotes to be heard as one. The podcast describes who is being interviewed and why. Informants discuss their views on the past generation of women in the hip-hop genre and the girls who are coming up now. The music played in the podcast is used to demonstrate the styles of the Senegalese rappers being referenced. The songs are chosen to represent the styles of these female artists.

This alternative ISP seeks to tell stories of women involved in the Senegalese hip-hop movement through the podcast medium. This paper describes briefly the history of hip-hop in Senegal, women’s increasing role in the genre and what it means to be a woman engaged in Senegalese hip-hop today. Six women with varying roles in the hip-hop community share their stories and thoughts about hip-hop as a whole and more specifically what it means to be a woman in the industry. These stories include: why it is important to have females in hip-hop, that hip-hop is more than just rapping, why there was a sudden absence of female artists, the content of their music, how the media has affected the hip-hop scene, and why women are both excited and scared for an upcoming generation of new female rappers. Using a podcast as a vehicle for this information allows for music, interviews, and anecdotes to be heard as one. The podcast describes who is being interviewed and why. Informants discuss their views on the past generation of women in the hip-hop genre and the girls who are coming up now. The music played in the podcast is used to demonstrate the styles of the Senegalese rappers being referenced. The songs are chosen to represent the styles of these female artists.

Disciplines

Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Music

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