Music of Namibia

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The music of

hip hop
.

The Sanlam-NBC Music Awards and the Namibian Music Awards are two separate institutions that give out annual awards at shows on December 2 and May 6 respectively.[1] The Namibia Society of Composers and Authors of Music (NASCAM) has helped promote Namibian music within and outside the country.

The Namibian music industry remains under-developed, with no major record labels or distribution infrastructure.[2] A lack of focus to produce economically viable Namibian music products and the absence of effective marketing and distribution structures are two of the factors inherently hampering the development of the local music industry.The country's online music retailer, DONLU offers streaming services.

Folk music

Traditional Namibian dances occur at events such as weddings and at traditional festivals such as the Caprivi Arts Festival. Folk music accompanies storytelling or dancing. The Nama people use various strings, flutes and drums while the Bantu use xylophones, gourds and horn trumpets.[3]

  • The
    Otjiherero is the primary language of Oviritje music. Oviritje was made popular by Kareke Henguva as a pioneer of Modern Oviritje Music when he together with the likes of Kakazona Kavari, Meisie Henguva and Oomzulu Pietersen introduced the keyboard element as prior to the introduction of the keyboard Oviritje Music was performed with vocals only. Prior to Kareke people like Matuarari Kaakunga and Bella Kazongominja have developed the Oviritje genre.[1] Today in recognition of his contribution to the Oviritje music Kareke Henguva has been accorded the title of doctor of modern Oviritje music. Other groups that took over from Henguva and made this music popular are The Wild Dogs from the Okakarara area with their hit song "Kaondeka", Okazera from the Omaheke Region, the first group to include a San-speaking member, Bullet ya Kaoko, based in Opuwo in the Kunene Region, Tuponda, Katja, Millenium, Kareke and the United Kingdom-based Oviritje queen Kakazona ua Kavari
    .
  • Maǀgaisa, a dance music genre commonly known as Damara Punch, is performed by Stanley, ǃAubasen, Dixson and Damara Dikding. Phura Duwe is known to be the king of Ma/gaisa as he came up this genre of music then follows the likes of Raphael and Pele, Pule, Ruby and Riio.[2]

Many female singers are entering the Ma/gaisa world yearly.

Khoekhoegowab
.

  • Shambo, the traditional dance music of the
    Oshiwambo-speaking people, derives its name from "Shambo Shakambode" - "music". In the late nineties Yoba Valombola blended existing Oshiwambo music widely popularised by folk guitarist Kwela, Kangwe Keenyala, Boetie Simon, Lexington and Meme Nanghili na Shima. Later Setson and the Mighty Dread Band combined these and other Namibian styles and this was the birth of Shambo shakambode music. Yoba based Shambo on a dominant guitar, a rhythm guitar, percussion and a heavy "talking" bassline. Themes range from love to war and history. Young Namibian musicians contributed sampled tracks backed by a blend of house music and Kwaito. Prominent shambo musicians include Tunakie, Ama Daz Floor,[4] Tate Kwela and D-Naff, also a gospel musician. Kwiku mixes shambo with Kwassa kwassa. The genre was made popular by Tate Buti and his sister Janice with Faizel MC on the song "Kwiku". It is listened to by most Namibians including Basters and Coloureds. In 2005 it was recognized by the Namibia Society of Composers and Authors of Music (NASCAM) as one of Namibia's folk music genres. The annual Sanlam-NBC Music Awards also included it as one of their awarding genres in 2005. Other kwiku artists include trio PDK, Olavi, Killa B, Castro, Faizel MC, Tunakie
    , and the late YT de Wet.
  • Stefan Ludik
    is the most successful Afrikaans musician.

Popular music

Popular styles of music in Namibia include

Gazza, Gal Level, EES, Lady May, Sunny Boy
and Big Ben have become continental celebrities as well as Placa Gang a group of hard working dream chasers.

Reggae/Dancehall/Afrobeats

The Namibian reggae platform has produced artist such as Ras Sheehama, Petu, Ngatu, who has been performing since 1994, Mighty Dreeds and EES. In the early eighties a band called We Culture was formed in Katutura and this turned to be Namibia's first reggae band. Another band followed called Roots rebels also based in the Katutura location. The Namibian independence came and most of the Namibian population that was in exile came back to Namibian and bands like Young Dreads later renamed as Mighty Dreads, Ras Sheehama, Los Amadeus, Omidi d Afrique, Shem Yetu, Organised Crime and 40Thieves. Most of these bands faded or became one and a group of young Namibian reggae musicians came up later. Most of the Mighty Dread band members left and formed Formular band or engage into solo careers. Dancehall, Ragga and Dub was gaining popularity and singers like Ngatu (from the Mighty Dread), Doren, Iron Roots, Ras Kasera and Ten-Dreadz came up with a new blend of Ragga Dancehall. EES is also respected in the R&B, hip hop and kwaito genres of Namibia. Buju Bantuan a.k.a. Katjoko (not to be confused with Jamaica's Buju Banton), the late La Chox and Kamasutra are one of the youngest reggae artist. Prominent kwaito artist Gazza has also associated himself with the genre as well as Killa-B

Rock n roll

South African
white communities. G3 a duo of two young Namibians gained success with their hit single "Olupandu" in 2005. One of the country's most durable rock bands is Bedrock (The Band In The Sand). Formed in 1994 in Oranjemund, the band has released four albums of original material over the years: Recovery (2001), So, Where's The Party? (2003), Simplicity (2008) and Desert Rock (2010). They describe their sound as Desert Rock, an eclectic mix of styles from 1970s rock, blues, pop and folk. A feature of their compositions is the subtle thread of humour which underpins most of their work. The opening song of their debut album, Rock 'n' Roll, was voted by the South African Rock Digest as one of the Top 30 South African songs of 2003. It was also their first song to gain radio play. Despite numerous personnel changes over the years the band continues to thrive, playing regular gigs in and around Oranjemund.

Township Disco / Bubblegum

Is better known as Bubblegum Mapantshula Afro pop that's the rhythm who brings the legends like late Brenda Fassie and the Big Dudes, Chicco Twala, Dan Nkosi, Ebony, Richard Makhubale of Volcano, Dan Tsahnda of Splash, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Alec OmKhali of Umoja. Gabkoz also is better known for such type of music in Namibia as well as Specco, Scorpion, Ocean Girls, Mr. Tjiuti, Raindrops, Sonic Witness, The Couples, Right Choice, Manelo, and People Choice band, Erick Mahua, Rirua Murangi and Chicco of Chiccolela Production who have contributed much in these genre to produce many up and coming artists like Skilpad who got much interest in syth sound of the original tune of township keyboards instrument.

Music of Namibia
Jericho
Jericho

Namibian Hip Hop

Jericho Gawanab (born 21 May 1980), is a multiple award-winning Namibian

entrepreneur. He is regarded as the most successful Hip Hop artist in the country. He won the coveted Best Male Artist at the Namibian Annual Music Awards (2011) becoming the first Hip Hop artist to do so. After establishing Ghetto Child, his own record label, he rose to fame with the release of his debut studio album, Check Who's Back (2006). Gawanab, professionally known as Jericho, continued his success by releasing studio albums which include: Lights Out (2007); Street Fame (2010); Let Me Be Me (2014) which features major South African rapper Cassper Nyovest and the legendary Hip Hop Pantsula
; The Walls of Jericho (2016) and The Recovery (2020).

Hip hop music and culture have influenced Namibian youth, especially the American acts Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Eminem.

Early

Namibian hip hop acts includes a group called Dungeon Family, which was composed of the newly recreated group The Kalaharians and the popular girl duo Gal Level. Other acts include Nakuni Heitah, Gurd Grill,[5] OmPuff, Black Vulcanite[6] and Mc Ray.[7]

Namibian hip-hop can compete with kwaito for popularity.

R&B, pop, afro-pop

Chris Brown. Jossy Joss and Big Ben
are one of the earliest singers of Namibia. Big Ben has been the most consistent with this genre since his first release in 2001.

Kwaito

EES performing kwaito

The kwaito genre is the most popular and successful music genre in Namibia. It's believed to be the biggest industry in Namibia's music and the only that is heavily supported by the youth. This is so because of socio-economic issues, as many artists enter the music industry with hopes of strengthening self-employment and making a living out of it.

South African kwaito
style. However, over the years Namibia introduced a different type of kwaito, which makes it slightly different from the South African tradition. The difference lies in production; Namibian producers focus their production on party-oriented music.

Namibian kwaito artists include

Gazza, Sunny Boy, Qonja, Tre Van Die Kasie, and OmPuff. The Dogg's debut album, Shimaliw' Osatana
, was the first kwaito album released in Namibia by a Namibian artist.

House

A Namibian DJ at work (DJ Basoff)

House music is played at raves in Africa, especially South Africa. African house is based on African traditional melodies. It is characterized by a fast moving beat with thin melodies and synthesizers. Sometimes it is accompanied by vocals.

Metal

Since the late 1990s some artists perform heavy metal in Namibia, among those the Arcana XXII, subMission, Delusion Of Grandeur, ScatterSoul. In 2007 the first Namibian festival took place with bands like CfD (USA), subMission (Namibia), Wrust (Botswana), Neblina (Angola), Delusion Of Grandeur (Namibia), followed by two other editions in 2008 and 2009 including artists like Lady Axe (South Africa), Juggernaught (South Africa), Azrail (South Africa).[8]

Electronic music

In the late nineties an ex Mighty Dread singer (Yoba Valombola, known as Benga), bassist and guitarist came back from Germany with a big influence and eager in change and started an independent label called Big Rat Communication. This was fuelled by the idea of producing Namibia's first electronic music ranging from, Trip hop, Drum and bass, Dubstep and drumstep. Due to the unpopularity of electronic music in Namibia, Yoba released his music only in Europe and America under the name Benga. Most of the electronic music Benga release is based on his early experiments of Reggae, Shambo, blues and rock. Yoba went back to the west and returned again after six years to Namibia to influence other Namibians. Some existing experimental artists like Thomas Swarts, Dtubsen and Joas tried forming a group and due to time and obligations, nothing worked out. Yoba is still based in Germany as an electronic artist and performing with other Namibian artists in Europe: widely as Canada and South America.

Record labels

Notable Namibian record labels include:

See also

References

  1. ^ Mbauruma, Bulle (10 April 2014). "Oviritje going downhill". Informanté. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  2. ^ The Namibian. "Raphael and Pele to reunite on NAMAs stage". The Namibian. Retrieved Mar 29, 2020.
  3. ^ "Winners". Namibian Annual Music Awards. Archived from the original on 27 April 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Ama Daz Floor release album number two". New Era. 29 May 2015.
  5. ^ "The Villager Newspaper Namibia". Thevillager.com.na. Retrieved Mar 29, 2020.
  6. ^ "Namibia: Black Vulcanite, Famaz Attak in Acoustic Friday Jam". Allafrica.com. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  7. ^ Reporter, New Era (Mar 17, 2017). "Weird Gang in fresh Hip-Hop comeback". New Era Live. Retrieved Mar 29, 2020.
  8. ^ Windhoek Metal Fest."WMF 2009". Archived from the original on 2010-04-26. Retrieved 2010-11-25..

Further reading

External links
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