hype :: Swiss Rap meets Bongo Flava

From Rio de Janeiro there is 'Baile Funky'. From South Africa there is 'Kwaito'. Urban subcultural sounds are coming from places other than New York or London. From Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania - there is 'Bongo Flava'. There is a website dedicated to the movement: www.bongoflava.com, a site established by a German filmcrew who did a movie on Bongo Flava.

German label Outhere Records released a tasty Bongo Flava compilation in 2004. Jay Rutledge of Outhere is responsible for the some of the foremost contemporary African sounds becoming known to the rest of the world. For the tour to accompany a CD on the Lagos (Nigeria) scene, Outhere received support from the German government. Exciting recent news for me personally, is the funding by the Swiss Government for a project called 'Swiss Rap meets Bongo Flava'. You can download that whole CD here! Listen to Swiss dialect mixed with Swahili, deliverd in Bongo Flava style.

One day the Australian Government will be funding hip hop collaborations with our northern neighbours. Indonesia! PNG! East Timor!