The Lighthouse & Senegalese Hip Hop!

Leaving Dakar, Senegal's lighthouse


The lighthouse


Friends leaving the lighthouse




Stopped by the Institut Français Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar to experience some Senegalese hip-hop
This is Bideew Bou Bess--They won Youssou N'Dour's music competition
And started performing in this hoods with their logo on their lower back



The performed in Wolof, Arabic, French, some occasional English, and some languages I didn't recognize


Which caused my friend and me some confusion during this number as the men in animal masks jumped and danced around during a spoken word piece.
We suspect it was a folk tale..but who knows!

Here's one of their songs with some fantastic imagery around Senegal:



Here's another video with a different sound but from a local music channel:




check out Bideew Bou Bess's website!

Philip Monteiro!!

Philip Monteiro at the Institut Français Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar, Senegal

He has a very island, West African vibe to his music

these women performed an amazing combination of mbalax and belly dancing

He opened with an absolutely fantastic cover of the Black Eyed Peas' Tonight's Going to be a Good Night

I didn't film the cover, but here's a quick taste of his music:

and here's a better quality one that has a full song:

check out Philip Monteiro's website

Orchestra Baobab!!

Orchestra Baobab at the Institut Français Léopold Sédar Senghor, Dakar, Senegal

 the most entertaining musician (see second video below for his dancing)

 this section gave the music a very Latin feel

best. fan. ever.  (and yes this is him strolling around on stage)

A sample of Orchestra Baobab:

watch long enough to see his dancing:

Baaba Maal

 Baaba Maal performing a duet

at the l'Institut Français Léopold Sédar Senghor, Dakar, Senegal

 

The Senegalese singer Baaba Maal!

 The stage, ready to rock

 A duet...with the paparazzi

Baaba Maal and Mbalax dancers

Check out the Mbalax...it's a Senegalese specialty in dance with rhythmic drumming:

A slice of what a 25 year career sounds like:

Baaba Maal's site (and in English!)