Ethiopian hip hop music

Ethiopian hip hop music
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsEarly 2000s, Addis Ababa
Derivative forms
Regional scenes
Addis Ababa
Other topics
African hip hop

Hip hop music emerged in Ethiopia from early 2000s combining traditional Ethiopian music to modern one. Early musicians were appeared MCs including Algorash, Mad Boys, Abyssinia Boys and Afaris. Furthermore, Teddy Yo and Lij Michael popularized this genre, becoming one of the most iconic rappers in the genre.

Ethiopian hip hop music often deals with social and political issues, hard work, youth culture and romantic relations, usually sung in Amharic language. Addis Ababa is considered the regional scene of the genre where many musician blossom.[1] The hip hop genre has been criticized by many conservatives of "disrupting the Ethiopian culture".[2] Indeed, many musicians compromise with Ethiopian music genres such as Kassmasse, who blends his music with Northern Ethiopia highland music tizita and ambassel.[3]

  1. ^ Aga, Mark T. "10 of the Best Ethiopian Rappers/Hip Hop Artists in 2024 — allaboutETHIO". allaboutethio.com. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Reporter, Staff (2021-08-07). "K.A.S.S.M.A.S.S.E: Redefining A Genre". www.thereporterethiopia.com. Retrieved 2024-04-08.