jmcd wrote:
It's quite disappointing that you describe Swahili music like this. Obviously, Swahili music was not always like this. Perhaps looking at older music or more traditional styles could avoid this.
Yeah. There is a lot of Swahili music like this, but I think it was overrepresented in the first stuff I found. I find music in a language usually through a narrow window and expand out into the world by clicking on related videos, and I guess the window I climbed in was over in the autotuned-warbling corner. There is some Swahili music with a lot more edge that I like but it took me a while to find any. I quite like a couple of rappers from around 15 years ago ... both of whom have died (one in a car accident, the other one I don't know how). Actually, I like a lot of the modern rap too because the voices are just voices - but I don't really like when rap takes itself too seriously. The dancy rappy stuff is often quite fun. It's such a shame - I found in general I like music in Zulu more than music in Swahili, but I guess there are a lot of influences and resources in South Africa that aren't available up the east coast.
Having said that, here's a song that I find hilarious ... at least what I understand of it.
Jambo Squad - Digidigi It's pretty clearly a play on "No diggity" ... but it's about animals, in particular, the dikdik (
digidigi) Unfortunately, I can't find the lyrics online anywhere. Here's what I understand.
Code:
Spoken:
0:38
Digidigi ameliwa. :-( The dikdik has been eaten. :-(
Chorus:
Nimeenda Ngorongoro I've been to the Ngorongoro
Hakuna digidigi There's no dikdik / There are no dikdiks
mpaka Serengeti (gone) till the Serengeti
Hakuna digidigi There's no dikdik / There are no dikdiks
Nimeenda Mukubi(?) I went to [place name?]
Hakuna digidigi There's no dikdik / There are no dikdiks
Nasema no digidigi I say no digidigi.
No digidigi No digidigi.
Mi napenda sana digidigi. I really like dikdiks
Mi napenda sana kuwaona digidigi. I really like to see dikdiks.
Kama vipi ...
Various animal names that I hear ...
tembo elephant(s)
nyati buffalo(es)
twiga giraffe(s)
tumbili monkey(s)
pundamilia zebra(s)
faru big rhinoceros
fisi hyena
kangaru kangaroo (loan)
ng'ombe cow
chimpanzee chimpanzee (loan)
swala gazelle
simba lion
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Glossing Abbreviations: COMP = comparative, C =
complementiser, ACS / ICS =
accessible / inaccessible, GDV =
gerundive, SPEC / NSPC = specific / non-specific
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MY MUSIC
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