Papa Moussa Lo, a.k.a. Waterflow, was born in Pikine, an outlying area of Dakar that epitomizes the hardships of families and the lack of opportunities for the youth in Senegal. His name reflects his attitudes about life through the flow of water, the life-sustaining element of the earth that flows positively forward each day. Waterflow is the charismatic and thoughtful spokesperson for Wag�bl�, a pioneer hip hop group in S�n�gal, formed in 1997.
Wag�bl�’s name connotes the communal meeting place for the people to discuss the issues that affect their lives; the group’s philosophy originates from the name’s associated acronym, Wax Aduna G�ddu �ttu Baatin Lemu �l�k, which essentially means that Wag�bl� feels that their calling is to speak truth to the world about the essential spiritual knowledge of life in order to ensure a positive future.
After contributing to six hip hop compilations, Wag�bl� teamed up with Norwegian manager Fred Russel and producer Tom Roger and released Wag�bl�’s first album, Wag�b’ Rap New Generation in S�n�gal in 2003. Its release was the culmination of Hip Hop Rally Oslo Dakar, a major festival organized with artists and music industry people from Norway, S�n�gal, Kenya and the U.S.
Wag�b’ Rap New Generation firmly established Wag�bl� as the “voice of the voiceless” on the Senegalese hip hop scene. Wag�bl�’s second and critically acclaimed album, S�n�gal, was released in 2005 and voted best album by a group at S�n�gal’s Annual Hip Hop Awards that same year. Since the release of S�n�gal, Wag�bl� has toured Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, France, The Gambia and Guinea, while remaining steady on the scene in S�n�gal.
Wag�bl� has also collaborated with other artists on two CDs, with Minoritet 1 on Two Worlds, One Struggle and with One People on their debut CD, Tatanka.
Wag�bl�’s music is a unique blend of hip hop, poetry and spoken word. They describe their style as ‘Rap Afro,’ a style fashioned by combining rhyming patterns with themes that speak to the difficult life of the disenfranchised youth, as well as highly-politicized and cultural messages. Through Rap Afro, Wag�bl� builds on the tradition of the griot as the storyteller who affirms the values of society, the oral historian, societal critic and spokesperson for the community to speak truth to those in power. Wag�bl� raps in Wolof and French, though the group also speaks English.
Although many find Wag�bl�’s messages universal, their primary focus has been to empower the youth of Africa towards building a better world for themselves in light of what many see as a failure of the leaders of the previous generation. Wag�bl�’s messages to the youth in S�n�gal emphasize hard work, self-determination and encourage the building of the future in S�n�gal, their Motherland, rather than dreaming of life in the West. Wag�bl� is known for their appearances at schools and universities in S�n�gal; for them it is an essential opportunity to connect with and inspire the youth of the country.
Waterflow is a member of One People, a global peace organization based in Norway; Wag�bl� also serves as ambassadors for Diambaars, a sports-based youth empowerment program in S�n�gal.
Currently, Wag�bl� is recording their third album and planning for another European tour next year. Wag�bl� has served extensively on panels and participated in workshops on the role of hip hop in politics throughout Scandinavia and the United States. Wag�bl� was featured in Nomadic Wax’s award-winning documentary Democracy in Dakar and Lydverket, a hip hop documentary broadcast on Norwegian national television. Wag�bl� performed at the 2008 Norway Cup and Waterflow was recently interviewed by Ben Barnier for a special piece on Senegalese hip hop that aired on ABC national news.
He also participated in a Future of Music retreat in New Orleans with many other artists, including Hank Shocklee of Public Enemy, towards building a collaboration of artists to work on socially conscious issues, particularly the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Waterflow is the manager and editor of www.kingsize.sn, the first official hip hop website/webzine in S�n�gal. He currently resides in Washington, D.C. and is particularly interested in collaborating with conscious artists and projects that contribute to community-building and demonstrate the importance of the positive purpose and image of hip hop in general and African hip hop in particular. .
