On Wednesday December 11, 2024, the Guédiawaye Hip-hop association paid tribute to Matador. Why him, and why now? It’s because this closed-faced man has done a lot for the hip-hop movement in Senegal. Don’t be fooled by his small size and taciturn character. We are talking about the artist who knew how to combine his art with pure altruism.
Behind his tough guy mask hides an affable, but above all very sensitive, person. A keen observer, he was able to put feelings on paper, social unhappiness, poverty and so many other evils, a priori unspeakable. He is the author of “Sonn Boy” released in 2011. This hit, to say the least violent, has nevertheless only reflected the face of a marginalizing society which has finished plunging a certain youth into what is now defined as depression. The artist, having experienced it, put himself in the shoes of a young man from the suburbs. His only refuge was the arms of his beloved whose only mistake was to fall in love with a “failure”. In prison at home, hated in the street, the protagonist could only end up committing an “Honor Crime” before wishing for his own death. Far from fiction, this is everyday life for many young people in the suburbs. And the street has not forgotten the one who spoke for it.
THE DECISIVE TURNING POINT
He is Babacar Niang in civil status, Mbaye for his friends and Matador to describe an artist whose texts and their stage adaptation came straight from his “guts”. It goes without saying that the man commands respect. A perfect camouflage to hide a sensitive and altruistic soul who, at a moment in his life, forgot himself to give himself body and soul to the cause of improving the living conditions of young people left to their own devices. And it was in 2006 that a new page in the history of urban cultures opened thanks to him.
A founding member of Wa Bmg 44, one of the suburbs’ very first rap groups, Matador’s goal was to represent his people on the national artistic scene. While other rap groups were already established in neighborhoods like Sicap Liberté and others, we had to offer something to the suburbs and definitely break with the clichés of delinquent youth. This is how “Bokk Mënmën Gëstu 44” was born, in 1990, in Thiaroye.
The figure is in reference to the massacre of Senegalese Tirailleurs by the French army in 1944 in Thiaroye. This sufficiently informs the personality of the creators of Wa Bmg 44 who, from the first days of the hip-hop movement, understood that beyond art, we must carry out noble fights. Moreover, he was part of the organizing committee for the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of this painful event. “A symbol of recognition of citizen commitment,” according to him. But, for him, this is not a consecration in itself. Indeed, his commitment and activism for Thiaroye and the suburbs have only evolved over the years, from the creation of Wa Bmg 44 to the present day.
Now aged 50, Matador could have started to consider retirement as an executive in the industrial boilermaking sector. Having graduated at the top of his class, he will never practice the profession that could have made certain members of his family proud of him. But that was before he became the man he is today, that is to say the man who, for the first time in the history of West Africa, created an association for the promotion of urban cultures and for improving the living conditions of young people in the suburbs. “Success cannot be individual. For me, it is collective and shared. Today, I do not regret having followed my passion for hip-hop and having allowed young people who did not fit into any of the classic patterns of socio-professional integration to have a job and to occupy themselves usefully. “, he maintains.
NOTEBOOK OF A RETURN TO HOMELAND
Between 2005 and 2006, Wa Bmg 44 was one of the most prominent Senegalese rap groups on the international scene. But, with responsibilities coming with age, some members of the group decided to stay in Belgium. Each tour there was one less, but not Matador. “At one point, I suffered a certain look from an inquisitive society which seemed to reproach me for returning to Senegal after each tour. She could not understand that I did not envision my life anywhere other than in my native land,” he explains in a speech accompanied by facial movements which highlight thin lips topped with a thin mustache of a day.
Obviously, the company could not have suspected that Matador, with each trip, brought back more and more experiences in his luggage. For him, it was a kind of benchmarking that didn’t speak its name. “I left, and I saw that in Europe an industry was already developing around hip-hop. I immediately knew that this is exactly what we were missing in Senegal. This is how I organized my return home around this point which would allow us to manage several concerns at the same time,” recalls the artist. In 2006, upon his return to Senegal, he took the necessary steps to set up Africulturban with the intention of offering a cultural offering that would occupy the youth of the suburbs, remove certain social barriers, but above all train young people for careers. who revolve around hip-hop culture.
Africulturban thus became the very first cultural initiative with such vocations. Rap, slam, dance, graffiti, audiovisual arts, artistic makeup are all areas in which young girls and boys have been initiated, in addition to an offer of space for expression and liberation. of artistic creativity. From Mbao to Pikine, via Guédiawaye, Africulturban has sparked vocations and inspired artists. Some have successfully reproduced the example given by Matador. Among them, a certain Malal Talla alias Fou Malade with the creation of the Guédiawaye Hip-Hop Association whose annual Guédiawaye By Rap festival is currently in its 11th edition. The godfather is none other than Matador, the precursor. “Already in the 90s, Matador was one of the rare people who believed that there was a way to make hip-hop culture useful, to put it at the service of the people. He believed in this movement from the start. But, beyond everything he has done for urban cultures in Senegal, Matador is an exemplary person, moderate and very disciplined,” testifies Fou Malade in a voice overcome by emotion.
A PRECURSOR
He continues: “Everyone knows that we operate in an environment where there are often tensions. And every time this happens, all minds turn to Matador, because he has the art of silencing quarrels. We owe him a debt of gratitude.” Malal Talla is full of praise for her colleague. “It was he who paved the way for us through his rap, but also through his sharp mind which changed many things in the world of hip-hop. He showed us that another way of being useful was possible. We were in darkness, in a suburb with no prospects for the future.” Matador has dedicated his entire life to hip-hop. Despite being in his fifties, he still retains this underground spirit which shines through in his everyday style. His freelock hair still hasn’t left him even if the hat replaces the cap from time to time. According to Didier Awadi, his old companion of over 30 years, Matador is a big fan of hip-hop culture. He has it in his blood. Having gone through dance, rap and slam, Matador has become a patriarch whose voice counts. “If there was a soldier in the hip-hop movement who should be promoted to General, it would be Matador. He is a staunch advocate who calls me back into the ranks every time I take up Afrobeat, threatening to take up it too,” he says teasingly.
However, Awadi above all retains the human values that make up Matador’s personality. He describes him as a man of principle and conviction whose social and artistic work can only validly arouse wonder. Today, a leading figure in African rap, the Senegalese artist Dip still remembers the rage that Matador exuded. The young Dominique Preira, still in school, maintains the image of an artist who broke with what was happening in rap at the time. “Being a kid and hearing a rap artist say in an audio that he wishes for his own death was something special at the time. Matador came with a style of rap that was unknown to us. It was the first time I saw such originality in a rapper. He inspired us a lot and encouraged us to do live shows. Matador deserves nothing but respect and admiration,” says Dip. In addition, he also salutes the unifying spirit that Matador has always demonstrated, a sort of link between the elders of the hip-hop movement and the new generation. “Every time I have had to meet him, he invites me (we the new generation) to discuss with our elders. He has a positive spirit and always gives us advice and pushes us to always move forward,” he adds.
Assane FALL
