For the first time in the history of music and arts here, the Botswana Hip Hop Association (BHHA) will in early April host festivals to showcase hip hop cultural activities.
President of the association, Luccy Luffet, said the festivals would feature open session performances by hip hop artists in various ranges such as rap, skating, break dance, beats, and graffiti.
She said artists countrywide were eager for the event, which is expected to change the hip hop terrain.
“More hip hop albums will fill the market and more shows will be hosted countrywide,” Luffet said. “The festivals will be used to stimulate the growth of the industry.”
She said the BHHA would grow the industry by giving the underground and financially struggling artists the opportunity to market themselves in the open sessions.
Artists whose performances would stand out are likely to get sponsorship from corporate bodies who are billed to attend the events. This would ensure artists secured enough money to record their albums and advance their careers in hip hop and the other arts.
Luffet said some of the artists expected to grace the event are local rappers Enigma, Chubb Heights, Cibil Nyte, Samba T, and Apollo. She added that the shows would give young up-and-coming-artists the opportunity to lay a strong foundation in the industry by networking with established rappers.
“The festivals will erase all the shadows that have been making it hard for the public to see young Batswana who are talented in hip hop cultural activities,” she said.
The BHHA president said with the prop provided by these festivals, artists should stop the common practice of recording their music in tapes mixed behind closed doors and then uploading it on Facebook.
Music promoter Godson Thsipietsile said promoters and managers attending the event will be hunting for talented artists to nurture. He said nurturing of artists would give them more confidence to hold more hip hop shows.
Meanwhile Ozzi said they were soliciting support from different companies who showed interest in funding festivals in a bid to make these events bigger than imagined. Mafia Souls, a hip hop clothing retailer and Hub magazine had so far been identified as the only ones who had declared they would support the festivals. Ozzi added that he expected Mascom to join the team of sponsors.
