Senegalese Rappers Spit World News on Unique TV Program

The innovative "Journal Rappe" crew tackles tough topics.

Rapping Over Any Beat - Between crafting lyrical rhymes and engaging selective listeners, the art of rapping is hard enough. But a group of Senegalese rappers have opted to incorporate an informative edge to their lyrics, tackling some of the most complicated current events, like the Syria conflict. Keep reading to learn about the innovative news rappers behind the viral show, Journal Rappe. — Patrice Peck and Associated Press(Photo:AP Photo/Jane Hahn)

1 / 8

Rapping Over Any Beat - Between crafting lyrical rhymes and engaging selective listeners, the art of rapping is hard enough. But a group of Senegalese rappers have opted to incorporate an informative edge to their lyrics, tackling some of the most complicated current events, like the Syria conflict. Keep reading to learn about the innovative news rappers behind the viral show, Journal Rappe. — Patrice Peck and Associated Press(Photo:AP Photo/Jane Hahn)

All the News That's Fit to Spit  - Twice a week, Sengalese rappers Makhtar “Xuman” Fall and Cheikh “Keyti” Sene wax poetic about the middle East, social inequity and other hard-hitting news as co-hosts on the show Journal Rappe. The five-minute long program garnered such a huge following on YouTube that a local Senegalese TV network now airs it also.(Photo: Courtesy Natty Dread Edutainment)

2 / 8

All the News That's Fit to Spit  - Twice a week, Sengalese rappers Makhtar “Xuman” Fall and Cheikh “Keyti” Sene wax poetic about the middle East, social inequity and other hard-hitting news as co-hosts on the show Journal Rappe. The five-minute long program garnered such a huge following on YouTube that a local Senegalese TV network now airs it also.(Photo: Courtesy Natty Dread Edutainment)

Newsy Rhymes - "All eyes are turned to the powder keg of the world; To the Middle East where Syria is sitting on a bomb,” rapped Fall about the crisis in Syria. “Dialogue, discussions and negotiations; to legitimize a war you need a coalition."(Photo: Courtesy Natty Dread Edutainment)

3 / 8

Newsy Rhymes - "All eyes are turned to the powder keg of the world; To the Middle East where Syria is sitting on a bomb,” rapped Fall about the crisis in Syria. “Dialogue, discussions and negotiations; to legitimize a war you need a coalition."(Photo: Courtesy Natty Dread Edutainment)

For the Fun of It - A bilingual production, Journal Rappe includes lyrics rapped both in French and in the national Senegal language. While this has helped to gain even more fans for the show, generating sales has proved difficult in a country where making an album takes six months to a year. “By that time, the songs are no longer news when they come out," Fall told AP.(Photo: AP Photo/Jane Hahn)

4 / 8

For the Fun of It - A bilingual production, Journal Rappe includes lyrics rapped both in French and in the national Senegal language. While this has helped to gain even more fans for the show, generating sales has proved difficult in a country where making an album takes six months to a year. “By that time, the songs are no longer news when they come out," Fall told AP.(Photo: AP Photo/Jane Hahn)

The Weekly Grind - An entire week is spent writing, recording and filming the tracks for each five-minute show. Representing the genuine go-getter ambition that hip hop culture salutes, the Journal Rappe team use a green sheet to film their performances in a small second-floor apartment.(Photo: Courtesy Natty Dread Edutainment)

5 / 8

The Weekly Grind - An entire week is spent writing, recording and filming the tracks for each five-minute show. Representing the genuine go-getter ambition that hip hop culture salutes, the Journal Rappe team use a green sheet to film their performances in a small second-floor apartment.(Photo: Courtesy Natty Dread Edutainment)

ADVERTISEMENT
A New Spin on Hip Hop  - "They're taking it to some different place, a place we don't commonly see hip-hop which I think is fun and exciting," Murray Forman, an associate professor of media and screen studies at Northeastern University, told AP. "What I also like about this — they're pushing and challenging the flexibility of established media forms like a newscast."(Photo: AP Photo/Jane Hahn)

6 / 8

A New Spin on Hip Hop  - "They're taking it to some different place, a place we don't commonly see hip-hop which I think is fun and exciting," Murray Forman, an associate professor of media and screen studies at Northeastern University, told AP. "What I also like about this — they're pushing and challenging the flexibility of established media forms like a newscast."(Photo: AP Photo/Jane Hahn)

Innovative Rappers - The concept reflects how innovative the rap scene is in Senegal, where many artists contributed to anti-government demonstrations that helped spur the ousting of long-serving President Abdoulaye Wade.(Photo: AP Photo/Jane Hahn)

7 / 8

Innovative Rappers - The concept reflects how innovative the rap scene is in Senegal, where many artists contributed to anti-government demonstrations that helped spur the ousting of long-serving President Abdoulaye Wade.(Photo: AP Photo/Jane Hahn)

Opinionated and Proud - "They love that this is a place where we give more than information,” Sene told AP. “With journalists they may tell the other side but they stay neutral. We don't."(Photo: Courtesy Natty Dread Edutainment)

8 / 8

Opinionated and Proud - "They love that this is a place where we give more than information,” Sene told AP. “With journalists they may tell the other side but they stay neutral. We don't."(Photo: Courtesy Natty Dread Edutainment)