20 Jul Histories of Hip Hop with Akala @SouthbankCentre, London | Event Review
A weekend of events celebrating hip hop at the Southbank Centre in Central London kicked off on July 14 with a presentation by UK rapper and poet Akala breaking down the musical history and origins of hip hop music,joined by Sona Jobarteh who is a member of one of the five principal kora playing, also known as Griot families from West Africa and the first female kora player to come from this prestigious musical family.
For the second year running, E4’s Udderbelly entertainment season at the Southbank Centre played host to London’s exclusive spoken word/music night Poejazzi on July 1st, which featured a band with lead vocalists that change costume six times in a set of just seven tracks, a young reincarnation of Joni Mitchell with in song jokes that induce both giggles and sadness and a Nigerian poet whose transcendental play on words play out like spells found in cosmic dustbins.