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  Belgium - KGM Crew, a young Hiphop trio from Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania, are going to be giving Euope a taste of “Bongo Flava” (Tanzanian
Hiphop) this April, when they perform in some of the major cities of Northern
Europe during their first tour.
Formed in 2000 by Enoch Fredy aka Man Noks, Christopher Mwamnyange aka Man Kill
and Said Abdallah aka Sultan, KGM Crew’s lyrics’ dropping and stage presence
caught the attention of the jury at the 5th InterRegional Music Crossroads
Southern Africa Festival in 2004 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Music Crossroads Southern Africa is a unique youth empowerment through music
initiative of JMI (Jeunesses Musicales International) based on a series of
workshops, festivals and competitions for budding young African musicians in
Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia. Music Crossroads offers
musical training, development and experience to young musicians combined with
the opportunity to develop individual self-esteem, self-expression and social
networking.
The three members of the KGM Crew come from a tough neighborhood in Dar es
Salaam (Kigogo, Mburahati ) that they refer to as “Uswahilini” or "ghetto".
These young Hiphoppers met during a neighborhood street rapping battle in 1998
and have been rapping together ever since.
Influenced by international rap artists such as ‘Lost Boyz’, ‘KRS1’ and ‘Nas
Escobar’, the KGM Crew perform a typical Tanzanian rap called ‘Bongo Flava’.
Although relatively unknown in the rest of the world, Bongo Flava is the best
selling popular music in East Africa today. This US Hiphop influenced style
developed in the 80’s-90’s in Dar es Salaam to become a distinctive music genre
that incorporates local melodies, beats and topics. Usually sung in Swahili
(combined with English), Bongo Flava freely mixes different music styles (rap,
R&B, reggae, taraab, salsa…), both contemporary and traditional. The name Bongo
Flava comes from the Swahili word for brains or intelligence, “ubongo”, which is
also the nickname of Dar es Salaam. Lyrics often aim to educate audiences on
subjects such as AIDS, poverty, social behavior and personal experiences.
KGM Crew European Tour
April 2005
03.04 Brussels (Belgium)
04.04 Brussels (Belgium)
06.04 Frankfurt (Germany)
07.04 Amsterdam (Netherlands)
08.04 Amsterdam (Netherlands), Antwerp (Belgium)
09. 04 Brussels (Belgium)
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