 Sorrow’s Child
|
 Estelle |
Believe
it or not, some of rap’s most acclaimed and promising acts come
from outside the States. “Vancouver [has been] a cool spot for
underground hip-hop,” explains Canadian MC Kyprios of the
influential Sweatshop Union collective. “In the mid-to-late
‘90s, I remember when Pharcyde came and [artists] were really
excited about coming because they had no idea they’d get over the
border and there’d be so many heads that were into the
music.”
The Vancouver music scene is but one of many
thriving hip-hop scenes around the globe; and each scene has produced
artists and collectives that have reinterpreted hip-hop to fit their
culture. The global scope of hip hop is immense — from Prophets
of Da City and RASHID in Johannesburg, South Africa; to Tokyo,
Japan’s most famous hip hop export, DJ Honda, has worked with
Afrika Bambaataa, Mos Def and GangStarr.
But
London has more of a stake in hip-hop culture than many Americans
realize. Newcomer Sorrow’s Child touched on the perception:
“When people think about London, they think about ‘cup
o’ tea an’ biscuits’ and the Queen’s
English,” he says. “But they don’t know that we have
a high amount of gun crime and black-on-black crime. We’re all
part of the same struggle.”
For
songstress-MC Estelle, the biggest boon for international hip-hop is
the chance to push the music and art forward. “We do what we do
on a real musical level,” shares Estelle. “It’s about
taking it where no one has taken it before.” –todd williams
