Pop Music Archives

Eritrea: Origin of Rap?

January 29, 2020January 29, 2020TesfaNewsLeave a Comment

In Eritrea, Masse (ማሰ) and MelQes (መልቀስ) performances, just like what’s now called free-style hip-hop, are combination of speech, prose, poetry and singing and delivered in a rhythmic flow, on the spot, without any rehearsals. BY MILKA TEKLOM | ERITREA PROFILE I don’t think I am cold-hearted but when I hear gang-related shoot outs, my […]

Ethiopia: Regime’s Crack Down on Teddy Afro, Country’s Controversial Pop Star

September 6, 2017TesfaNews24 Comments

BY TOM GARDNER | QUARTZ AFRICA Ethiopians of all stripes have found something they can agree on: the government’s treatment of Teddy Afro, the country’s biggest pop star, is woefully misguided. On Sep. 3 police stopped the best-selling singer, whose real name is Tewodros Kassahun, from holding an album launch in a hotel in Addis Ababa, the […]