africa

[WATCH] Dave Chappelle Dances Upon Arriving in Ghana for Festival Appearance

by
Dave Chappelle Tests Positive for COVID-19

Dave Chappelle is celebrating his arrival in Ghana by dancing. The comedian is on hand for Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa’s Black Star Line Festival. Chappelle is on hand to be part of the line-up, in conversation with Chance and had a pop-lock session with African dancers.

Ahead of co-headlining the festival with Chance the Rapper and Chappelle in Ghana this week, Vic Mensa is helping the area by bringing clean water to three villages.

According to TMZ, Mensa made a previous trip to Ghana and stated that after seeing the villages’ conditions, including poor water sources, he decided to make an impact. Mensa would partner with his father, a Ghana native, to launch an initiative.

“We’re building 3 boreholes in different communities in Ghana to provide clean drinking water; the first being the Asokore Zongo in Koforidua where my family lives, which is already built,” Vic said. “The other locations are a nearby community called Effiduase and then our ancestral village in the Volta Region, Amedzofe. Most people in communities like this in Ghana experience constant waterborne diseases.”

The post [WATCH] Dave Chappelle Dances Upon Arriving in Ghana for Festival Appearance appeared first on The Source.

Vic Mensa Creates Clean Water Sources for Three Villages in Ghana

by
Vic Mensa Hosted 12-Hour Sleep Out to Raise Money for the Homeless in Chicago

Vic Mensa is co-headlining a festival with Chance the Rapper in Ghana this week. While he is there, Vic is helping the area by bringing clean water to three villages.

According to TMZ, Mensa made a previous trip to Ghana and stated that after seeing the villages’ conditions, including poor water sources, he decided to make an impact. Mensa would partner with his father, a Ghana native, to launch an initiative.

“We’re building 3 boreholes in different communities in Ghana to provide clean drinking water; the first being the Asokore Zongo in Koforidua where my family lives, which is already built,” Vic said. “The other locations are a nearby community called Effiduase and then our ancestral village in the Volta Region, Amedzofe. Most people in communities like this in Ghana experience constant waterborne diseases.”

The total population of the three areas is 226,000 people. The drilling for the boreholes will take 3-4 weeks, including 10-15 days of installation. The cost to complete the boreholes is $45,000.

The post Vic Mensa Creates Clean Water Sources for Three Villages in Ghana appeared first on The Source.

Van Lathan Calls Akon A “Clown” For Comparing African & Black American Performers

by

Akon has been on quite the press run lately, and not everyone is impressed. The hitmaker’s recent remarks about Nick Cannon earned him a viral moment. However, his comments comparing African performers to Black Americans received a bit of pushback.

According to Akon, Africans are “a little different when it comes to stage presence.” He added, “Them n*ggas gon’ be wobbling, pants hanging half down, bored as hell, half asleep ‘cause they high as hell on stage. But Africa, we wake up in the morning—like, look at these YouTube clips of all these kids from Uganda. Like these kids are performers. So for us, it comes natural.”

Read More: Akon Draws Backlash After Comparing American & African Performers

Quickly, Akon was called out for his alleged anti-Blackness by both Africans and Black Americans. Van Lathan also chimed in with a response, and he didn’t mince words.

“First off, Akon has been on his clown sh*t for years now but that’s another topic… I wanna say something though. I’m Black. Like Black American Black,” wrote Lathan on Instagram. He then took readers on a history lesson.

“Like South Louisiana bayou bondage Black.” He added, “Like my father was raised by Bishop and Lizzie Lathan Black. The kind of Black where you grow up around old people with scarred souls who tell you about everyone who died and everyone who lived so you could sit down and drink a soda on a Saturday.”

“The type of Black where you understand the beauty and the danger of your skin from the beginning, because the old people want you know what they been through. Real talk, I’m sick of seeing people sh*t on that. And make no mistake, when you single out Black Americans for criticism, the ones who have culturally empowered the entire diaspora, you’re sh*tting an entire experience I feel connected to by birthright. This seems to be happening more now, why?”

PARIS, FRANCE – NOVEMBER 18: Youssou NDour and Akon perform at AccorHotels Arena on November 18, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Wolff – Patrick/Getty Images)
Read More: Akon Says He Supports Nick Cannon Having So Many Kids

Lathan accused Akon of making millions by “cosplaying like brothers from Atlanta or Miami.” He then questioned why there is a need to target Black Americans specifically.

The podcaster’s hot take was co-signed by several other influential figures in his comment section. Akon has yet to respond to his latest controversy. Check out a few more reactions below.

[via]

EMPIRE Hosts “The New Africa” SXSW Showcase with Pandora

by
pasted image 0

Leading indie label, distributor, and publisher EMPIRE staged their first showcase for night two of SXSW music, ‘The New Africa,’ at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q, only a month after launching EMPIRE Africa. BNXN FKA Buju, Cheque, Fireboy DML, June Freedom, L.A.X., Wande Coal, and other label artists and contemporary Afrobeats trailblazers performed at the sold-out event, which was hosted by Nigerian comedian and actor Basketmouth and DJ Poizon Ivy. Monster Energy and Puma were also sponsors of the event, in addition to Pandora.

Empire expanded in February, announcing EMPIRE Africa, highlighting the success of Nigerian artists like Freboy DML and Olamide. “Don’t forget the rate of streaming music in the States is not the rate of streaming music in Nigeria,” said Kareem Mobolaji, regional head of West Africa with EMPIRE, to Forbes. “If 10 people are streaming you in the U.S., that’s equivalent to having 60 people streaming you in Nigeria.”

You can read more about EMPIRE’s expansion here and see images from the celebration in Austin below.

Visual Portfolio, Posts & Image Gallery for WordPress


E2A0687


E2A0363


E2A0252


E2A0238


E2A0194


E2A0186


E2A0115


E2A0073


E2A0038

The post EMPIRE Hosts “The New Africa” SXSW Showcase with Pandora appeared first on The Source.