Montes/Montanhas in Latin American Hip Hop

Montes/Montanhas in Latin American Hip Hop

From the mysterious mountains of Latin America, some compelling gems arise in hip-hop lyrics. The rap crew, Crack Family from Bogotá, Colombia rhymes in their hit “Medicina” (which has some very cool images of Colombian mountains in the music video):...
Hip Hop and/as Martial Art

Hip Hop and/as Martial Art

In my fieldwork in Japan, my man Jase Ng took me to see the “Hip Hop City” Mural in Kawasaki–the diverse working class city on the outskirts of Tokyo.  There at the left of this epic monument to hip hop in Japan, the artist Dragon76 has connected hip...
RIP RapMoz icon, Azagaia

RIP RapMoz icon, Azagaia

The name of our recently departed brother, the Mozambican MC, Azagaia, means “spear” — a reference to his anticolonial cultural politics and his “words as weapons” artistic ethos.  CIPHER Team member, Janne Rantala, describes his views in...
‘Mo Salah’ lyrics

‘Mo Salah’ lyrics

In early January 2018, the first well-known hip hop reference to footballer Mo Salah appeared. It quickly spread across the globe, with artist in other countries using the footballer as a reference point for excellence – most of them comparing themselves to Mo Salah...
Alienness (MZK) – The Bronxstyle

Alienness (MZK) – The Bronxstyle

Bboy Alienness refocused a generation through this seminal dance text of the 2000s. Inspiring a new old school, Alienness pushed the emphasis from power moves back to movement with feeling and groove, teaching: “I can teach a chihuahua to stand on one hand but I...