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HIP-HOP 50
Poetic hip-hop and political activism
The American musician, producer, poet and advocate of 'ewomancipatie' finally returns to the AB with a new album. Akua Naru's fans know that she grew up in a Pentecostal community in Connecticut where women hold positions of leadership. Aside from female emancipation and female empowerment, she was raised on gospel until being introduced to hip-hop by a very young uncle: he provided the beats on which she began rapping as a 9-year-old.
She also integrated themes such as political activism, Black Power and human rights into her theatre and art curriculum. Naru often presents her positive message during workshops or in panel discussions (check out her keynote during the KU Leuven x AB talk: Is hip-hop still a force for social change? on 26/10).
Her powerful, deeply poetic lyrics are most beautifully rendered live, surrounded by top-notch musicians who blend the history of black music – from afrobeat to R&B, blues and jazz – perfectly with the sublime rapflow of one of the strongest storytellers in the hip-hop scene.
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