K-Nel: A surprise to Europe
Nelson Muriuki, better known as K-Nel, moved from Kenya to Germany when he was 19 years old. He thinks that surviving the European jungle is possible for anyone: ‘I believe that if you cannot make it in Africa, you cannot make it in Europe. At the same time, if you can make it in Africa, you can make it in Europe. I believe we all have a choice. But to make the right choice, you need the right information. K-Nel has his own music label and clothing line: Anglohili. He is based in Cologne, Germany.
Wonda Wendy: An African soul in Europe
‘I know where I come from, today I know just who to be’ Wonda Wendy was born in France but raised by Gabonese parents. To get to know her roots, she lived in Gabon for some time. Her track The best of both worlds expresses this double life. She thinks that Europeans can learn from Africans and the other way around: ‘Europeans are very individualistic. The family is a small circle, and I think that’s sad. In Africa there’s a big community and there’s always someone around. Europe is a cold place and Europeans could learn something from the African community feeling.’ Wendy is based in Paris and sings in French and English.
Scor.p.io: African warrior
Christian Nana (Scor.p.io) left Cameroon when he was 8, and lived without papers in the Netherlands for 13 years. It was a tough period: ‘I see myself as a African warrior, who has faced massive struggles to get where I am now. And music helps me. Writing tracks is like therapy for me.’ He understands why people want to leave Africa, but thinks that Africans should be fully aware of struggles that lay ahead of them ‘Seeing is believing and I’m gonna let you see. It’s time for you to see how this life can be. The pain, the hardship and all the misery. Struggles you’re facing all across sea’, he raps in his Surprising Europe track.
PepeSoup: funky soulfood
The Liberian/Italian duo Cukiman and Miss Annie's sound is just as mixed as the recipe of the Italian wedding soup: afrotech, kwaito, UK funky and house. Their third release ‘See the light’ is a mystical journey throughout analogic sounds, vintage drum machines and synthesizers. Their motto: ‘Back to the highest levels of positive messages, great elevation of mystical vibrations, back to the place of ones birth, the place of origin, back to the motherland Africa!’
What would be your message about living in Europe? Please upload your story or video (write your own track!) here
