One of the most anticipated annual releases for hip hop and rap fans, the Hennessy Africa Cypher 2024, released late June is an 8-minute showcase of owned rap style and brilliant wordplay.
Set in Lagos, Nigeria – a country hailed as a platform for showcasing extraordinary talent within the African music industry – the Cypher features six prolific players from the continent’s rap scene: Maglera Doe Boy, Didi B, Young Lunya, Khaligraph Jones, Ladipoe and Sarkodie.
Each artist brings his unique style and lyrical prowess to this dynamic collaboration – and, says Julie Nollet, Hennessy’s global Chief Marketing Officer, Cypher is also so much more than that. ‘As proved by this year’s six artists, it’s about poetry, community, inspiration and creativity, fueling the dreams of those honing their craft.
Hennessy has long been close to many forms of music. And it is only natural to celebrate African culture through a music genre that carries common values of progress and open mindedness.
South Africa’s Maglera Doe Boy contributes his thought-provoking verses to the Cypher. Following the success of his critically acclaimed debut project Diaspora in 2022, this year the rising star also features on a new single by award-winning rapper K.O, ‘Let Me Cook’, in a collaboration that showcases both artists’ rapping talents and lyrical finesse.
Cote d’Ivoire’s Didi B became the first Ivorian rapper to fill a Parisian venue – The Olympia music hall – earlier this year. The first Francophone artist to ever feature on a Cypher, he’s known for his ‘rap ivoire’, using local creole to narrate the everyday experiences of Ivorian youth. His album Before Olympia was released in February 2024.
Nigeria’s Ladipoe weaves words and metaphors into a tapestry of lyrical excellence. He dropped his latest track, ‘Hallelujah’, featuring Rozzz & Morrelo, in late April 2024.
Also featured is Sarkodie, the most awarded hip hop artist in Africa and the reigning Ghana Music Awards Artist of the Decade, whose ‘Championship Mixtape’ dropped in late May 2024.
Tanzania’s Young Lunya, the first hip hop artist from Tanzania to be signed on the Sony Music Entertainment Africa label (in 2022), curates rap music using Kiswahili in a way that keeps crowds captivated, while Kenya’s Khaligraph Jones contributes his unique style and powerful lyrics to the Cypher.
All six rappers speak their truths, showcasing their creativity in carefully constructed bars that are a testament to the diversity and innovation that define
the African hip-hop scene. Their lyrical talent not only honors the hip hop industry and all the icons who have come before but sets the standard for those to come.
Hennessy, as the global Cognac leader, has played an integral part in the promotion of hip-hop music and culture ever since the genre first emerged in the United States over half a century ago.
According to Dazed online, Hennessy was first mentioned by Digital Underground in their 1990 song ‘The Humpty Dance’ and has since featured in the lyrics of over 4 000 tracks, making it the most name-checked brand in the history of hip hop. ‘Hennessy’ by 2Pac, ‘Hennessy n Buddah’ by Snoop Dogg and ‘One Dance’ by Drake are just three examples of how the brand has been embraced by international hip hop icons.
In true Hennessy style, this year’s Cypher is set at a train station in Lagos, in keeping with the brand’s adventurous spirit and its boldness in mounting other exciting activations in unusual locations, such as a floating basketball court on the Thames River in London, or its takeover of Icebergs Ocean pool at Bondi Beach in Australia. Train stations are all about travel, and this Cypher marks the start of the next exciting leg of the journey for its rappers: this year, Hennessy plans to take the Cypher to new heights by having it playlisted on TV and digital service providers and music streaming services like Apple and Spotify.
Beyond Hennessy’s historical significance to the genre, the brand’s mission is to celebrate and nurture talent within the hip hop scene, consistently reinforcing its ties to urban culture and deserving talent willing to push the boundaries of creativity and inspire audiences from across Africa. In doing this, the brand has created a global impact that connects older and younger generations of artists, and expands further into multifaceted musical genres each year, from hip hop, rap and Afrobeats to Afropop and Amapiano.
Hennessy Africa Cypher 2024 is set to spark passionate discussion among fans and the broader hip-hop and rap community – conversations Hennessy hopes to continue in years to come, with this unique and powerful platform ‘paying it back’ to the African hip-hop industry.
View the full Hennessy African Cypher here:
About Hennessy
Founded on Richard Hennessy's pioneering spirit and with a legacy of over 250 years, the brand spans over 160 countries, but remains rooted in the Charente region in France. Beyond its iconic cognacs, Hennessy embraces cultural collaborations, evidenced through its many partnerships with visionary artists from around the world. Over the years, Hennessy has worked with cultural icons in design, art, fashion and music to celebrate a diverse range of creativity to reflect the multi-faceted nature of the brand and to bring to life the Hennessy cognac’s versatility.
For further information, serves and collaboration details, please visit Hennessy.com or follow @Hennessy on Instagram.
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