In this episode, Dr. Msia Kibona Clark breaks down the road to breakdancing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. They also have a solo debate about the topic of appropriation, referencing Ada Enechi’s 2023 article: Are Black People Being Pushed out of Hip Hop?

Dr. Msia Kibona Clark also discusses the online hubbub about South African artist Tyla’s racial identification, referencing Marti Bowser’s article in Blavity.

There are also a few milestones to recognize.

30 years ago…In Ghana, Reggie Rockstone & others were starting the Hiplife movement. In Senegal, Positive Black Soul Recorded their 1st  track “Boul Faale” (“Don’t worry”) in which they denounced the corruption of the local political system, and the groundbreaking group Daara J was formed.

20 years ago… K’naan released his 1st studio album, My Life Is a Movie. In Nigeria: Mode9 released his 1st album, Malcolm X. In Tanzania, X Plastaz released their first and only album Masai Hip Hop, which put Tanzanian hip hop on the map.