Always on the pulse of the discovery of black talent, BET has paid tribute to the lyrical skill of African hip-hop artists for a few years now. This year, Africans worldwide were proud to see Paris based Comorian rapper Soprano and UK based Senegalese artist, Estelle perform on a cypher in the US broadcast of the 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards.
Former African rappers that have appeared on previous cyphers are Ghanaian artist Sway from the UK, Somalian artist K'NAAN from Canada, and Tanzanian artist Gsan, member of the group X Plastaz.
Last year, the world experienced history with the first ever All African Cypher, which was created by BET International to demonstrate how the hip-hop movement and culture spanned way beyond the shores of the US and extended its impact to the continent of Africa. The cypher, which featured some of the hottest rappers in Ghana, was performed in four languages. Heavy weight artists such as 2011 BET Awards nominee, D-Black, founder of the Ghanaian Hiplife movement, Reggie Rockstone, Kwaku T, Tinny, BabyG, Ayigbe Edem and Ghana's fastest rapper, Sarkodie, all caught worldwide attention with their amazing delivery when they appeared on the 2010 International broadcast of the BET Hip-Hop Awards.
This historical event created a sensational viral frenzy and an unprecedented buzz in the entertainment industry. With such incredibly positive feedback from the press and the public, it seemed only natural that BET International executives, Michael Armstrong and Ava Hall would decide to incorporate an African Cypher into the International broadcast of the BET Hip-Hop Awards once again.
Which African country gets put to the test this year?
NIGERIA!
There is absolutely no question that Nigeria is more than ready for this challenge. Nigeria has had an amazing year with 2011 BET Award winners D'Banj and 2Face Idibia, as well as amazing album releases from incredible artists such as M.I, Ice Prince, P-Square, and Wiz Kid. Overall, the African entertainment industry continues to witness an emergence of incredibly talented artists from Nigeria who are making an impact internationally and redefining the image of African Hip-hop.
View individuals profiles of the featured male rappers(Click on image below):
An exciting twist to this year’s cypher is that both the male and female talents of Nigerian hip-hop will be represented with an Emcee and Femcee Cypher! With their own exclusive cypher, the Nigerian Femcees will not only make history by being featured in the first ever all-female African cypher, they will also be given an international platform to showcase their craft and talent. BET international made the effort to select the artists that they thought would demonstrate the best lyrical skill and delivery to a very devoted fan base. In the efforts to keep every part of the cypher 100% Nigerian, producer, IBK Spaceship Boi (The Don Jazzy Enigma Beat winner,) created the beat, and the legendary Cool DJ Jimmy Jatt and DJ Hazel Eyez were featured on the wheels of steel. Produced and Directed once again by BET International's Lilian N. Blankson, the cyphers were shot on location in Lagos by the award winning music video director, Clarence Peters, and his Capital Dreams Pictures Production Company.
International audiences in the UK, Ireland and Africa will be able to watch both of the cyphers in addition to two exclusive UK cyphers also featured by BET International on the international premiere of the BET Hip-Hop Awards airing Saturday, October 15th @8pm BST. Tune in and watch history in the making!
View Inidividual profiles of featured female rappers(Click on image below):
