Hip-Hop OuterNational concluded Saturday night with a huge concert at the Alliance Française, Accra.? Featuring performances by all the artistes who participated in the project including Bantu (Germany), and Fu Infanterie (France), Buk Bak, King Ayisoba, Kwaku T, and Jahwi.? Also on hand to rock the crowd were up-and-comers Mobile Boys and 2 Toff.? Hip-Hop OuterNational, which was supported and organized by Goethe Institut and Alliance Française, provided a solid platform for this unique mélange of artistes hailing from France Germany, Nigeria, and, of course, Ghana.

The panel discussion held last Thursday night at Goethe Institut as part of Hip-Hop OuterNational also went off well, as the participants discussed the music industry, hip-hop and society in their respective countries. The discussion featured the opinions of a varied group of individuals, all of whom come from different corners of interest in regards to global hip-hop.? Included on stage for the discussion were Reggie Rockstone, DJ Black, Panji Anoff, Prof. John Collins, Adé Bantu (Germany’s Bantu), Voodoo (of France’s Fu Infanterie), and Brian Shimkovitz (American researcher).

Saturday night’s performance perfectly complimented the panel discussion with a powerful display of showmanship on the part of all the participants.? Alliance Française big outdoor stage was lit up with performances from a wide range of local artistes along with Bantu from Germany and France’s Fu Infanterie (Octrobre Rouge and Section Fu).? King Ayisoba and his dancers gave a memorable performance, especially for those who were new to this unique performer who so seamlessly fuses tradition with modernity using his kologo and infinite humility.? Local hiplifers 2 Toff, Mobile Boys, rocked the crowd before the visitors from abroad brought their unusual (for Ghanaian most ears) sounds.

First it was Octobre Rouge, a group featuring Voodoo, L.O.G.A.N., and Grain d’Caf, brought thick beats and tight French rhymes.? Section Fu, which joins producer Voodoo with Atimali and Dexter (the graffiti artistes responsible for what you now see on the side of Busy Internet), came next with their own interpretation of the Parisian underground.? The crowd had their hands in the air in no time, as any doubt as to whether these French guys could move the crowd were torn to pieces. Fortunately, there was a large segment of Accra’s Francophone community in the audience so the words were not lost in translation to the entire audience.? French or not, no one would deny that the energy of the music itself made language secondary. ?

Bantu was a huge success as well.? Their blend of afro-beat, hip-hop, reggae, and Fuji had the crowd on their feet.? Connecting their lyrics to political and social struggles felt in Africa, Bantu made a strong impact on the audience members, both local and foreign. One song, “No More No Vernacular (Teacher Don’t Teach Me No Nonsense),” had the crowd at first giggling at the clever title but then thinking about the important message of retaining local knowledge that song brought forth.

Buk Bak were the last group to perform before the whole crew of collaborators emerged onstage for a grand finale of sorts.? Not surprisingly, anyone who not standing by this point got up and sang along with Buk Bak, as they busted out old favourites like “I’m Going to Come” as well as more recent hits. ?

All the artistes involved intend to continue with collaborations and communication across continents in order to build on what they began here in Accra.? A compilation release of the material recorded during Hip-Hop OuterNational is almost certain.

Using hip-hop as a metaphor for life, these artistes showed that despite cultural, ethnic, or geographic differences, the quest for expression, enjoyment, and peace through music is shared the world over.