VICE magazine/ The Music Issue/ Brazzaville Hardcore: Talking Rap and Revolution with Congo’s Martial Pa’nucci
By Christopher Clark
MARTIAL PA’NUCCI, ONE OF THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO’S MOST POPULAR RAPPERS, HAS MADE HIS REPUTATION CONFRONTING POLITICAL REPRESSION.
[…] Together, social media and hip-hop have helped to create solidarity between the growing number of youthful citizen movements, activists and disaffected youth across Africa and its diaspora. The last time I spoke to Pa’nucci he was in Senegal as a guest of the International Federation of Human Rights. While in the country he was also looking to deepen relationships with the leading members of Y’en a Marre and the Senegalese hip-hop community. All of these relationships had been initiated via social media. Just before Pa’nucci left Brazzaville, bound for Senegal, he released the latest hit single from his album, « Sassoule », a play on the French expression « ca me soule » (« I’m done ») and the surname of the Congolese president, whom the song’s lyrics describe as follows:
« Slaughterer of Congolese / Eh, everyone knows / Drainer of public funds / Eh, everyone knows / Gravedigger of the nation / Eh, everyone knows »…