Kamikaze, Phinga off to Africa concert tour

Jackson natives and hip hop artists Kamikaze and DJ Phingaprint are again globe-trotters with a week-long trip to Ghana in West Africa to perform for the country’s Republic Day activities.

The holiday marks Ghana’s anniversary of becoming a republic in the British Commonwealth in 1960.

The pair also traveled the Czech Republic in August 2007 for a month on tour.

They leave today for Africa, a first trip there for each. “Actually, this is one of the to-do things that was on my life list,” Kamikaze says of visiting Africa. “I’m kind of excited about the prospect of traveling outside of the country again. They have a real good appreciation for hip-hop in other countries and it actually rejuvenated my love for it as well. … It’s going to be a cool thing.”

Phingaprint has been to Europe multiple times during festival season, and looks forward to immersing himself in another culture - “just getting with the people and seeing how they do things out there, noticing the similarities and the differences, maybe even getting some ideas from them on some of their craft.”

They are scheduled to headline several concerts in Accra and Cape Coast through July 3. The tour is sponsored by the Rhyme or Reason Foundation of Cape Coast and coincides with the foundation’s hip-hop conference that week. Foundation founder Carol O’Conner’s goal is to develop a sister-city relationship with Jackson and hip-hop artists from Ghana, according to a news release.

“Kamikaze and Phingaprint have a huge following overseas and we wanted to introduce Africa to some Mississippi hip-hop,” O’Conner is quoted.

“She kind of looks at Ghana and Jackson as having the same type of music scene that’s developing as far as hip-hop is concerned. They have a scene called hip life,” Phingaprint says. “It’s like hip-hop, the only difference is the music, maybe. The music has sounds that are most definitely indigenous to the country - Afrobeat type sounds or even reggae.”

“They’re getting a strong hip-hop scene over in Ghana and the thing that I’ve found is that overseas, those hip-hop artists look at American hip-hop artists as the masters of their craft,” Kamikaze says.

Cultural exchange is high on their to-do list. “Most definitely, for one, to make contact, make alliances or relationships to the point where we can commute back next year or the years following and also encourage them to come back here,” Phingaprint says.

“For me, Phinga and I are going to be ambassadors for the state of Mississippi,” Kamikaze says. “When we go over there, we are going to put our best foot forward because we’re going to be representing all of the citizens of Mississippi.”