Hiphop group X Plastaz, consisting of the Tanzanian rappers G'san, Ruf-nell and Ziggy-Lah, visited the Netherlands for two weeks in June, accompanied by the child rap group The Fortune Tellers and the Masai guest singer Yamat Ole Meipuko. Together, they performed as one of the acts at Festival Mundial in Tilburg, gave concerts in Utrecht, Maastricht and Antwerp and recorded their first CD. X Plastaz raps for a reason: to get the message across to the people.
With direct rap texts in Swahili that cut right to the heart of the issue, X Plastaz covers the social problems in Tanzania, such as broken families, street children, corruption and most of all AIDS. The way they convey their message is hard and confrontational, packaged in the contemporary music of the young: hiphop. “When someone dies, people are too embarrassed to tell anyone that AIDS was the cause of death. But we don’t hide anything. We are clear about what is really going on. Although we do present the message in stages. That works better in our culture,” rapper G’san explains.
Alcohol and women
G'san relates: “There have always been problems in our lives. I went to school, but not for long. My father spent all his money on alcohol and women. He forgot to take care of his family.” Because it is difficult for a Tanzanian to rebel against his father directly, he decided to express his experiences in another way. And not only for himself. “I see those problems throughout society. Many people recognize themselves in our rap music.”
G'san and his fellow group members began looking for a medium to tell their story five years ago. They chose hiphop, which is particularly popular with Tanzanian young people in cities. However, the music is increasingly appreciated by an older audience as well, and even the president has listened to their performance with interest, the group tells proudly.
There is a lively hiphop scene in their hometown of Arusha, where the members of X Plastaz were introduced to the music of American rap groups and took it for their own, as a medium to express their dissatisfaction.
Metaphors
In the context of ‘HIVhop’, which uses hiphop music to inform the public about AIDS in southern Africa, in March 2001 the NiZA supported an exchange of Dutch and South African artists with Tanzanian hiphop groups like X Plastaz. If you use your imagination, the band could look like a group of rapping AIDS spokesmen, since warnings about the destructive AIDS virus are a recurring theme in their performances – but not in the way we might think.
X Plastaz doesn't pull any punches, preferring the harshness of true stories. One example of this is a story in which a child is picked up and seduced is intended to make it clear how shameless it is to have sex with anyone and everyone. It is better to fall in love with someone first and to build a relationship. The group isn’t afraid to explain the rest of the story, either: first have yourself and your partner tested for AIDS, and use condoms.
Cross-over
The music of X Plastaz links up to local religious and musical traditions. Their latest discovery in their musical quest is making a cross-over with the traditional culture of the Masai, represented by the presence of guest singer Yamat Ole Meipuko, who raps along with them and makes music with his jewellery while jumping up and down. “The Masai are nomads and take along very few material goods. Most of what they own is worn on their bodies. That is why they wear their ‘instruments’ as jewellery, like bells around their thighs,” explain G'san and Ruf-nell. Masai horns have also been incorporated into their music.
Stage act
The boys are very excited about their European trip. In a home studio in Tilburg, they finally had the opportunity to make recording for their own CD/cassette, and they learned how to make significant improvements to their stage act. Because the recording industry in Tanzania is concentrated mainly in Dar es Salaam, X Plastaz had not yet gotten around to making their own album. They also lacked sufficient funds; the rappers make a living from odd jobs as hairdressers or tour guides.
In addition, their Dutch and Belgian performances showed that the rappers needed to work on their performance. In Tanzanian shows – in clubs, hotels or on the street – the texts guaranteed that they would attract attention. That is not the case here, because who in the Netherlands will understand Swahili? The message alone proved insufficient for Dutch stages. “You can see right away what is missing: a bit of show, which we have now put into it. This trip has been a very good learning experience, and good for our self-confidence,” says G'san. Koen van Wijk is a freelance journalist in Amsterdam.
