In this conversation, Kat and I had the pleasure of speaking with Cameroonian international student and hip-hop artist Astrid Mafogang about her experience in the music industry today as a part of the African diaspora. We dove into the complexities of identity and representation, gaining insight into Astrid’s music-making process and how she views and incorporates her Cameroonian identity into her music, despite living outside the continent and making much of her music in London. 

A special thanks to Astrid for joining us and engaging in this great conversation! She is out on all platforms as Mafogang, please feel free to check her out!

"All of these different cultures are a part of me. I didn't want to limit myself to one sound."

SixSaidIt is a multifaceted artist who seamlessly flows across the borders between hip-hop’s hottest subgenres to create a sound that is uniquely her own. In this wide-ranging conversation, I had the opportunity to speak to Six about the cultural influences that compelled her to rap, her experiences navigating the music industry as an artist who refuses to be put in a box, her songwriting process, and more. Along the way, you’ll hear clips from her two singles “GOAT” and “Bite Size,” as well as her newest release “Japa 2 Japan” which is available now.

For more on SixSaidIt, you can follow her on Instagram, TikTok, and X @sixsaidit and stream her music on Apple Music, Soundcloud, Spotify, and YouTube. Want to learn more? Check out our previous article “Representing The Black Atlantic World: SixSaidIt” on the Hip Hop African blog now.

Special thank you to Six for being part of this episode.

This year, our Spring Series covers South Africa. In this episode, we have a conversation with South African Hip-Hop pioneer Emile YX?. Emile is part of the pioneering Hip Hop group Black Noise, one of the earliest Hip Hop groups in South Africa. He later co-founded the Hip Hop NGO Heal the Hood, which is based in the Cape Flats community of Cape Town, South Africa. A Hip Hop elder statesman, scholar, and educator, Emile visited the Hip Hop in Africa class to talk to us about his work and his scholarship.