Afro Dancehall tells a unique story of the African diaspora and its cultural influences. So much of the popular music of the West has roots in West Africa. Jamaica’s biggest musical export, reggae, being one of the most obvious examples combining West African rhythms with other influences—American R&B, ska, and rocksteady.
As genres like reggae, dub, and dancehall made their way back to Africa, musicians adopted and further developed them with the sounds of their traditions and communities. Afro Dancehall encompasses the circular influence of musical genres.
About the producer:
Ismaila (Iss 814) grew up in the suburbs of Dakar, in Baye Laye, Guediawaye where music, more specifically rap, is omnipresent. The “hip hop galsen” movement embraces the community’s daily life and engages itself towards developing it politically and socially.
With three of his older brothers being rappers as well as true role models, Ismaila naturally aspired to follow in their steps as he watched them evolve in this expanding movement. Younger, he followed them everywhere, inevitably determined to contribute to their music and the local scene. This drove him to self-learn music production and rapidly make a breakthrough thanks to the quality of his productions and assertive rap.
