Das EFX, Saian Supa Crew, Mr Devious, Redman, Eric Sermon, KRS-One, traditional Maasai music...
Sounds Like
according to the reviewers, this is what X Plastaz sound & look like:
X Plastaz's "Msimu Kwa Msimu" effortlessly mixes Maasai elements with hip hop and is probably one of the best examples of the way traditional sounds are now being incorporated into urban music (BBC website)
X Plastaz from Tanzania work in polyrhythms that could give a more by-the-book practitioner an aneurysm (Amazon.com)
This is what I wanted from Dizzee Rascal videos: raw, thugged-out footage from under a bridge. (Stylus Magazine about the Bamiza video)
With just enough musical backing, however, the magnetism of the Plastaz’ voices is not lost in translation: every one of the five emcees can seriously flow, and brother-sister tag team and Steve (now 15 years old) and Dineh (18) are staggeringly good rappers for any age (Dusted Magazine)
And while the Tanzanian hip hop scene in its infancy certainly owed much, if not imitated directly, the hip hop music coming out of the U.S., the Bongo Flava groups take just as many cues from dancehall, Indian film music and -- in X Plastaz case -- traditional Maasai chanting. The latter is what makes X Plastaz stand so far out from the Bongo Flava crowd: including in their crew a Maasai warrior on vocals. (Aquarius records)
X PLASTAZ ON BET HIP HOP AWARDS CYPHER 2009
Another first: Swahili rhymes on BET Hip Hop Awards! In September 2009, Gsan traveled to Brooklyn, New York to participate in this year’s BET Cypher, the annual gathering of America’s top hip hop emcees. He was joined by KRS One, Wale and Nipsey Hussle and the other two cyphers feature Mos Def, Eminem, Black Thought, Joe Budden and more.
The Cypher will be broadcast on October 27th on BET all across the USA. Watch it live or
wait a few days until the video is up on Youtube!
Meanwhile... X Plastaz dj Threesixty aka Bamba Nazar produced the new single by REDMAN which is on Red's forthcoming Def Jam album. The track is called 'Coc back' and its video will be released before November. This track is creating a major stir on the web right now so you should google it and download already!
X PLASTAZ FEAT. FID Q - FURAHA video out now! June 2009
Here it is, the long awaited & brand new video by XPS. Shot and edited in Arusha by the students of Kilimanjaro Film Institute (KFI). Music by dj Threesixty aka Bamba Nazar.
Faza Nelly Day Facebook group
The annual day in memory of the late X Plastaz member Faza Nelly (Nelson Chrizostom Buchard) is held around the 29th of March in the city center of Arusha. To keep updated about the event, join the Faza Nelly Day facebook group.
Added live footage: MAASAI REGGAE at Gabao Hip Hop
Video: Maasai reggae - live in Libreville, Gabon, 2006
November 2007: X Plastaz song on ZIMBABWE LEGIT album
Ziggy from X Plastaz is featured on the new Zimbabwe Legit on a posse cut titled 'All over the map', together with Maggz, Kenny Majozi and Zimbabwe Legit themselves! Cop the all-new album from these true African hip hop pioneers now - it's called House of Stone and can be bought online or from select hip hop stores.
October 2007: X Plastaz song on DJ GREEN LANTERN mixtape
The track 'Picha halisi', a collabo with poet Jimmy Rage and producer dj Threesixty, is featured on 'God's own country', the new mixtape by dj Green Lantern and Team Invasion. Green Lantern is known from being Eminem's former deejay, currently working with Jay-Z whom he joined on his African tour. He also has a show on Sirius satellite radio. The God's own country mixtape is the official soundtrack to the short film by that name, a so-called Nollywood (Nigerian Hollywood) production by director Femi Agbayewa which was shot in the US.
July 2007: VIDEO 'CHEZA' now on Youtube!
Click the player above to watch the latest X Plastaz video.
Containing footage from their concert tours abroad between 2001 and 2006, 'Cheza' shows the international success that X Plastaz' unique brand of Tanzanian hip hop has harvested. From the 10.000 people attending in Libreville, Gabon, to an encounter with Miss Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, you are getting a peek into the life on stage and backstage and the fun that X Plastaz have with their fans & fellow artists.
July 2007: VIDEO 'CHEZA' on East African television
On Friday the 6th of July, the Cheza video will premier on the East African tv station Channel 5, which broadcasts all over East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda)! Other tv stations will follow soon.
June 2007: VIDEO 'CHEZA' premiers online
Our friends at Bongo5, Tanzania's most popular news & entertainment website, have the world premier to X Plastaz' brand new 'Cheza' music video!
March 2007: NEW TRACK 'CHEZA' world premiere on National Geographic website
The brand new X Plastaz track 'Cheza', was launched on the 15th of March at the website of National Geographic, the worldwide tv station and magazine about nature, wildlife and traditional cultures. It was picked to be part of 'GeoRemixed: Big Beatz 4 a Small Planet', the second in the National Geographic World Music Exclusive Remix series. You can buy the track online at National Geographic or at Calabash music, who also offer the entire first album (Maasai hip hop) for sale as mp3 download.
'Cheza' was produced by Kid Sundance and features the vocals of all six X Plastaz including the late Faza Nelly. The video, containing archive materials of six years worth of X Plastaz touring worldwide, will be launched this spring.
BUY CHEZA (mp3) from National Geographic for only 99 cents!
November 2006: NEW TRACK 'NDANI YA SHEREHE', mixtape coming soon
Over the past year and a half, X Plastaz recorded a number of new tracks for their second album. Some of these still feature the late Faza Nelly. New this month here on Myspace: the track 'Ndani ya sherehe', a party song featuring Nelly which was recorded in June 2005 at the studio of Kid Sundance (Holland). The final mix was completed in November 2006 and it's one of the new songs on the upcoming X Plastaz mixtape with 20+ new and unreleased tracks, remixes and outtakes.
Click play to watch the new video 'Nini dhambi kwa mwenye dhiki'
March 2006: X PLASTAZ MEMBER FAZA NELLY DIED
X Plastaz member Nelly aka Faza passed away on wednesday 29 March 2006 from wounds inflicted by a knife after a neighbour attacked him for no obvious reason. Read more at www.Xplastaz.com where you may sign the condolence register.
X Plastaz have decided to stay together, make music and tour. Through their work they will continue Faza Nelly's unfinished work: the second X Plastaz album for which he had thought out the concept; the music video to Faza's solo track 'Nini dhambi' which was completed 3 days before he died; new videos to the tracks he completed in 2005; a next level stage show which he had been designing in his quiet back room in Arusha...
X Plastaz: Tanzanian hip hop travelling the world June 2006: performances in Gabon (West Africa) at Gabao Hip Hop (Libreville) in front of over 10.000 local hip hop fans. The entire festival was in dedication to Faza Nelly
April 2005: performances in Brazil at PercPan (Salvador, Rio de Janeiro)
June 2005: X Plastaz tunes are used in the last episode of MTV Trippin (featuring Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake and Talib Kweli in Tanzania), broadcasted in USA and Europe.
The world about X Plastaz
Just do a search for X Plastaz at Google, or look for interviews by O Globo (Brazil), BBC (UK), YFM (South Africa), P3 Soul (Sweden), Oor (Holland), and many more...
Who's X Plastaz?
In the vibrant Tanzanian hiphop scene, the group X Plastaz is one of the most familiar names, with a huge following especially among the common people. Their conscious Swahili rap lyrics strike a chord with the Tanzanian youth, who can relate to their topics like Aids, unemployment, divorce and even life in prison. Their music is a unique mixture of traditional chanting and elements from hip hop, ragga and even Hindi music.
Whether performing in Europe or Brazil, being interviewed by Australian or South African radio, X Plastaz are the international embassadors of East African hip hop. Their track Msimu kwa msimu is a favorite among many radio deejays and features on high rotation playlists of youth radio stations such as Hollands Fun-X and its video is played on South Africas Channel O.
X Plastaz consists of six rappers/singers, the majority of whom still live in their home town of Arusha in Northern Tanzania.
The three brothers Ruff, Gsann and Ziggy used to work in a haircutting saloon Arusha, a city in the heart of Maasai land. In recent years they have joined forces with Yamat Ole Meipuko, a Maasai singer who lives in a traditional Maasai dwelling on a 2 hour's drive from Arusha town. Yamat has won various Maasai singing competitions in his age category, and adds a unique vocal element to the stew of Swahili rhymes and tough hiphop beats.
The rappers also tour with their 14 and 16 year old rapping brother and sister who are well known for winning numerous talent awards, defeating even adult rappers. Today, all of them make up the group X Plastaz.
Hey. Check out the new tracks from the forthcoming album Maisha Lounge Vol. 1. Featuring Carola Kinasha, Ray C and more DSM artists… Chilled Swahili Electro Vibe.
Yo X-Ps, I love the new single and especially the music video - keep it up & show the world, what African Hip Hop is made of. Big ups from your Zambian Brother overseas.
What's up X Plasta? How is life treating ya? Tunawakalisha Bongo yetu hii kwa kwenda mbele Stop by my page anytime and give me a holla. One love Aleyfex
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