From its early happy-go-lucky beginnings, the genre went on to become the voice of a generation, speaking truth to power and holding up a mirror to society.
Call it appropriation or appreciation, it’s hard to imagine a single musical style that has permeated every corner of the world the way hip hop has. From Mongolia to the Gambia, hip hop’s four elements – mcing/rapping, djing/mixing, breaking/breakdancing and graffiti – have become part of global urban culture, birthing localised forms and further entrenching its influence.
As it continues to evolve, each new development is met with global approval. Nowhere has this connection been more powerful than in Africa. As an African-American art form, the continent is in many ways the spiritual home of the sound, with its pioneers drawing on musical traditions imported to the Americas by their slave ancestors. Having taken root on the continent in the mid-1990s, hip hop would go on to become the soundtrack of many African youth. Its contribution to fashion is also undeniable.
Over the years, African artists have embraced the sound as their own, with the more inventive artists giving it a potent relatable spin where language is not a barrier. Today, the rap game remains strong – as playful and militant as ever, imploring its listeners to let loose while lambasting corrupt regimes that plague the Motherland. Now a mainstream staple in nearly every country, the sound’s ubiquity continues to shape the collective conscience of the continent, testing the limits of freedom of expression and providing a platform for both economic and social empowerment.
Music In Africa has compiled a playlist of some of the biggest hip hop songs from the continent so far in 2024. Make no mistake, this is not by any means a definitive list, and neither is it an endorsement of a single style or a certain group of artists. Rather, the playlist features a broad range of artists from all regions of the continent for your listening pleasure.
West Africa
Woke by Ice Prince (Nigeria)
Otan by Sarkodie (Ghana)
Jungle music pt.1 by Kwesi Arthur (Ghana)
Captaino by ST Gambian Dream (Gambia)
Mouctar by Amaza (Guinea)
Bideew by Mgeey (Senegal)
Donnez Moi La Force by Suprême Nabiga (Burkina Faso)
Central Africa
Big Flex by Mic Monsta ft. Mihney (Cameroon)
Asante by Afande Ready ft. Stamina & Madame Mury (DRC)
East Africa
8pm in Nairobi by Khaligraph Jones (Kenya)
Tabasco 2 by King Kaka ft. Stella Mwangi, Shekina Karen & Vallerie Muthoni (Kenya)
Isio’s Last Words (Hangman Part II) by Ken Koast (Kenya)
Deja Vu by Soulja (Sudan)
Nakam by Kaa La Moto ft. Ssaru & Boutross (Kenya)
Nasikia Harufu by Roma ft. Chidi Benz (Tanzania)
Mbichi by Maandy ft. Breeder LW (Kenya)
Champion by Tungi256 ft. Ruyonga, Chief Clansman & Triggah (Uganda)
Days in My Country by Hyper249 (Sudan)
Southern Africa
After 10 by Cassper Nyovest (South Africa)
Piece 4 Peace by Priddy Ugly (South Africa)
Never Leave by Nadia Nakai & Kash CPT (South Africa)
KMT by KRYTIC (Zambia)
Lyonse New Year by Chef 187 ft. Milz The Teacher (Zambia)
Banga by Holy Ten ft. Kimberley Richard (Zimbabwe)
Mkoma Brian by Voltz JT (Zimbabwe)
Mari by Young Gemini (Zimbabwe)
North Africa
Flenn – 2MNT #2 (Algeria)
Nirmou by Tala3 Biha ft. Kibou (Algeria)
JACK II by SKORP (Algeria)
HASH N’ BLEM by ElGrandeToto ft. UnknownT (Morocco)
ARABI by Mohamed Ramadan, Future & Massari (Egypt)
Lang by Arsenik (Egypt)
Public Diali by Frizzy (Morocco)
Classe S by Samara (Tunisia)
