It is only a few months until Sinterklaas, so you would expect the Dutch people's rhyming muscles to be on edge again. But nothing could be further from the truth. During the Drongo Festival, an event on multilingualism at the Utrecht Jaarbeurs, MC showed Akwasi that flawlessly. With his Dutch-language raps, he fits well into the current wave of more sensitive Nederhop, alongside someone like Typhoon. Saturday, September 26, he had an hour and a half to work on a couple of Drongovisitors and about five students from Utrecht's power district Kanaleneiland explaining how you do it: rapping.
And so then it turns out to be really complicated.
The first misconception that can be definitively dispelled is that rhythm sense is colour- or nationality-specific. Indeed, everyone failed hopelessly at speaking on the slowbass Which Akwasi deployed. 16 bars in punishing four-quarter time: there you have flow for it. And flair, which is basically the same thing. The flair with which a person suddenly turns out to be able to speak French much better after two glasses of wine than when he tries it sober.
Akwasi is an exemplary educator. He supports everyone, is mild in his criticism, sprinkles compliments and makes a joke when the tension calls for it.
The gap between the Drongo visitors and the kids from Kanaleneiland seemed unbridgeable at first. One group almost overenthusiastic, eagerly modern and politically 'totally ok', the other group expectant, slightly suspicious and hesitant to give in. After an hour and a half of toiling over their own lyrics from their own hearts, to a rhythm that seemed so easy at first, everyone was one. So you don't just do that. Rapping. With impact. With your message.
Suffering fraternises. So does art. Akwasi demonstrated that. Grandmaster.
English (UK) 
Nederlands 
Français 
