All Man, No Myth

Hans Larson:

Teddy Yo, a young, vibrant rapper, has been making the local magazine headlines for sometime now. The rapper’s innovation in blending the Gurage melody and beat with a contemporary hip-hop beat has been appreciated by many. His trademark music, Guragetone (including a track by that name), was a hit three years ago, and he is now out with a new album. Very soon he will be releasing more singles and later a new project.

Teddy Yo (full name Tewodros Assefa) resides with Eden, his wife of two years. He sometimes wears inconspicuous clothes when he goes out that blend into society and a baseball cap down low over his eyes. He does this just so that he can get from Point A to Point B without having a dozen conversations along the way with fans and random people who recognise him. He is the epitome of an arada or an in-the-know Addis Abeban.

But after a one hour interview in a relaxed café, he became a whole lot more. During the interview, he talked about life, happiness and even history.

People love him, and he gets the encouragement to do what he does from them, he said, but he had a bone to pick with views held by some regarding Amharic rap.

“Some people say rap is not good for our culture or that it is not part of our tradition,” Teddy Yo began.

He begged to differ. There is more in common with Ethiopian tradition than some people think, he said.

For example, after kings of old, like Emperor Tewodros, gathered their troops for battle, they would basically freestyle rap to get the troops ready for war in what is known as kererto and shillella, he explained.

His voice intensified as he described the connections of rap with the doo-rag (bandana) that Emperor Menelik wore under his hat, tilted like rapper R-Kelly does today, to the cornrow hairstyle of Emperor Tewodros and the combs stuck in the afros of the Afar and Kereyu. Even Negus T’ona of the Welayita wore an earring like most rappers, he said, as his own glistened in the evening light.

“I am not saying that American rappers took everything from Ethiopia, but there is a connection and many shared traditions,” he said.

>Most Amharic rappers only rap about partying and having fun, but Teddy Yo raps about life. To him, life is not only about the good times, but also the bad. He raps about the parties and he raps about the problems. He does this in a way that is often humorous, even to older generations that normally do not like or listen to rap.

His track 904 is a funny but all too true story of meeting a girl in a minibus, who turns out to be a golddigger, taking all his money and leaving him broke. He has some simple but wise words for those who want to avoid such relationships.

“Be honest, tell the truth, and do not pretend to be rich,” he says with a smile.

His latest album was Dimts Albaw Mesariya (Silent Weapon). It came out about three months ago.

During high school he listened to Tupac, Notorious B I G, Ice Cube, and Easy-E, all rappers in the US. He and his friends would then freestyle together. They called it ‘Enka Salamta’.

Now he is preparing to release some follow-ups to the single that brought him fame, Guragetone, with two more singles entitled Oromotone and Tigray Reggae. They exhibit his unique prowess in combining US rap with Ethiopian rhythms.

His next music video project will focus on social problems and issues. He plans to work with NGOs to distribute the album for free in order to reach the people who need to hear the message the most.

Teddy Yo has big dreams for everybody, himself included. In the next five years, he sees himself with his own recording studio and production business at the top of his own building in Addis Abeba.

Production quality is very important to him including sound and video quality.

“I spend my own money to make sure my videos have good quality using current techniques and technology,” he remarked. “There are some good guys here in Addis that work hard and research online everyday to keep up with all the latest video and sound engineering tips.”

Though he takes pride in quality and the latest techniques, his main focus is the lyrics.

“Everyone, listen to the lyrics; listen to the message,” he said.

“Everyone” is best taken literally, meaning the young, the old, the locals and those abroad, to all of whom he said, “Thanks – very much,” as his closing remark.