Photo Credit: Guillaume Gozel
Here’s some background on SMOD, who will be making their US debut at globalFEST 2012:
SMOD—named for the four high school friends and hip hop fans who founded the Malian group—tells it like it is. Their beginnings as a popular Bamako crew took a fascinating musical turn when Sam, son of Malian pop duo Amadou & Mariam, picked up the guitar.
The result was a distinct roots-rap hybrid sound that incorporates crunchy organic sounds, strong flow, and Afro-centric beats, a mix the group has dubbed “Afro-Rap.” Defying Malian and American rap orthodoxy, SMOD breaks into new musical territory with a flourish that caught the ear of globalist producer Manu Chao.
“SMOD embody a new spirit, a new freedom of expression, unchained by old social constraints or the need to kowtow to the rich and powerful.”—Andy Morgan
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