Photo credit: Joao Paglione
Berlin-based Angolan rapper Diamondog (Diamantino Edgar Capacassa Feijó) throws his hat into the ring for the title of Africa's fastest rapper with this verse from the track Time and Money.
Whoa! I hear our Ghanaian friends cry, what about Sarkodie? Yeah, Sarkodie is fast (see below), and easily Ghana's fastest, but we think Diamondog might just be a shade faster. What do you think? Any volunteers for the syllable count?
It occurred to us while comparing the two that there aren't many African rappers vying for this title. Ordinarily if something goes up on YouTube as the fastest this or biggest that, someone will try to top the "record" within days. Perhaps African rappers aren't generally interested in speed. After all, it's a handy skill, but you won't impress anyone if your fast rhymes are unintelligible or fail to flow, or if your music simply sucks. But still there must be more than two fast African rappers who aren't sacrificing musical quality for speed. So we're throwing this open to you all: Send us your nominations for the title of Africa's fastest rapper and we'll check the evidence and post a motormouth Top 10 for everyone to argue about. Nominations to info@thisisafrica.me; subject field: Africa's fastest rapper. To keep this professional, recorded artists only, please.
A HIP-HOP WORLD
For all their faults, compilation albums are still a great way to introduce people to sounds and artists they probably wouldn't ordinarily encounter. But, of course, there are so many thoughtlessly-produced tinny-sounding compilations out there that we don't blame you for treating them with caution. Worldwide Rap, the album on which Time and Money features, is a collaborative compilation that we think is one of the best of its kind.
The album is the result of German hip-hop Producer/artist LMNZ's desire to bring the world a little closer together through music, and for effort alone the guy deserves some props. 76 artists from all over the world, 29 languages (Hebrew, Russian, Wolof, Dutch, Sanscrit, Lingala, Afrikaans, Greek, Portuguese, Arabic, etc.), and a range of influences from jazz to soul to salsa to Arabic and Chinese music. Imagine trying to do this before the we had the internet.
Here's the full track Time and Money, featuring Adam Opinio (Swedish), Lady Daisey (English), Diamondog (Portuguese), and LMNZ (German), followed by lyrics in English. Wanna hear more raps from across this lonely planet of ours then head for the album's Bandcamp page to pick whatever pricks up your ears, or cop the lot. There's a pdf file of all the lyrics translated into English, so no worries about feeling lost.
LYRICS - TIME AND MONEY
Lady Daisey
Sure I got the time
I keep it, right here in my pocket
Let me pull it out and rock it
When I was a child
I grew up in a kinder garden
As I got older it got colder
All my playgrounds got paved over
Since time began
time and time again
Character makes a man, so
Are u bold, are u sold, are u told, are u cold,
in control of your
Rock n roll, rhythm and blues
Hiphop and soul
HOOK
They say that time is money, but money ain't time!
Is money the essence of every life?
And if so how much do you want for your soul?
1 hundred, 2 thousand, 3 million more?
ADAM OPINIO
Can you ever tell what time is
Is time something we're situated in
or just accepting
Is it just something they've made up
while we stand by watching
tempting us with things that we can't reach
we thank them and bow for what we'll never get
When we're searching for happiness in
when we're trying to succeed in
when we're looking for a life in our democracy
When we try to find peace of mind, peace in freedom
Find five faults and you'll find them all
In Mammon, egoism, masculine, feminine, religion
search and you shall find in eternity
When the words are out, then the feeling takes over
The expectation that we must chase time, yeah bills
Store liquid assets, shit man in the west we got such
strange customs
HOOK
They say that time is money, but money ain't time!
Is money the essence of every life?
And if so how much do you want for your soul?
1 hundred, 2 thousand, 3 million more?
Diamondog
Eyo stop I have 16 bars that way hear me/
life is sweeter than honey and sugar, and sweeter than (pussy)
stay on all the time /
a wrong attitude in your life you go to the jail or will be haunted
Follow the good way as the (Tim Maia) Brazilian singer says
wealth acquired unlawfully, brings remorse and makes the devil your
partner/
manhood brings dignity
if you want you can build big things
dont look to the e.g. our president but to Mandela, Mandume and Ghandi
We have oil, diamonds, uranio and florests
but we haven’t got food, health, we just have gangsters on the government
each looking for themselves but God doesn’t give for all
and don’t forget that our country is not just the capital where the president lives
because we are millions in bad conditions in the middle of a boss swimming in millions of
dollars
in this situation of desperation they pass in front of the people with mercedes bought with our
blood
HOOK
They say that time is money, but money ain't time!
Is money the essence of every life?
And if so how much do you want for your soul?
1 hundred, 2 thousand, 3 million more?
LMNZ
i ain´t got time
like anybody else here ain't got none,
but i just take my time
open the beer with my teeths
lean back and observe what´s happenin around me
consistent greed for paper doesn´t lose
it´s importance in the life of many,
denizens of the planet strive for that goal(to make money)
so their existence is embossed only by the pursuit of cash
sun is shinin, but who cares
the sallary will be spent for a week in spain anyway
u cook of stress and hecticness
climb up the job ladder
u ain´t got sex on ur mind
so the barreer between u and ur woman s growin wider
but who cares
u ll marry quick at night
between 2 appointments
ur 3 days awake(joke on the actual german techno hit "3 tage wach")
ur eyes become small like the wholes in a sieve
cause the competition ain´t sleepin
u can c that
before u go like "that was the last straw"
go to the wellnessarea
cuz ur guideline in life
is the lovely money,
goodbye
HOOK
They say that time is money, but money ain't time!
Is money the essence of every life?
And if so how much do you want for your soul?
1 hundred, 2 thousand, 3 million more?
CREDITS
Produced, composed, arranged and mixed by LMNZ
Lyrics by Daisey & Britt Traynham, Adam Wassrin, Diamantino Feijo, Markus Gram
Guitar: Oliver Jungnick (Die Gefundenen Fressen)
DIAMONDOG ONLINE
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter
WORLDWIDE RAP ALSO AVAILABLE AT
iTunes
Amazon
emusic
Musicload
