New Year, New Genre, Familiar Sounds

Lij Michael broke out onto the Ethiopian music scene a decade ago with his album ‘Zare Yihun Nege,’ a pioneering experiment in the young and untested genre of Ethiopian hip-hop. In the nine years since, Lij Michael (Michael Taye) has played a fundamental role in shaping the relatively new genre and pulling it to new heights of popularity among Ethiopian audiences. His second album, ‘Atgebam Alugn’ was released in 2021 and received well by audiences and critics alike.

Lij Michael sat down with The Reporter following the recent release of his third and latest album, ‘Addis Arada,’ to describe the music-making process, the past and future of Ethiopian hip-hop, the shortcomings and strengths of the Ethiopian music industry, and his plans for the Ethiopian New Year. Wendmagegn Lema, special to The Reporter, caught up with Lij Michael. EXCERPTS:

 

You are among the very few musicians to have released an album for the New Year. Tell us about the new album.

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Yes, a number of artists have collaborated with me on my new album. Dagmawit, Haleluya, Sayat Demissie, and others have collaborated with me on this album. The album recording process was good, like any other album making process.

Who is behind the lyrics?

Based on the genres of music I play, I compose most of the lyrics myself. There are musical messages I want to transmit to this generation. There are very good pieces of music from previous generations of Ethiopian musicians and I include some of these great works in my music. I do it because I want the musicians of this generation to know more about the great music we had. So part of my music is also promoting oldies.

There have been many towering musicians and artists in Ethiopia’s music industry but their works and names have been forgotten. I believe I have to promote them, apart from creating my own music. Doing so also gives a local flavor to my music.

Of your works so far, including the latest album, which do you think has been received best by the audience?

I like all of my work. But the musical genre I usually work in is a bit difficult. There’s a lot left to do for hip-hop to penetrate the Ethiopian audience. I cannot compare the three albums I’ve done so far; all three are the best for me.

All three albums have their own level of acceptance among the audience. The first album was widely acclaimed, but also criticized. People asked how a hip-hop album has a place in Ethiopia. It was a new idea to do the whole album in one genre. The album was criticized on the papers, the radio, and everywhere.

But gradually, after listening to my music, everyone began agreeing it is possible to do a hip-hop album. 

After all that, I had to be responsible and careful about the second album. Many were wondering if I would do a hip-hop album again, after the criticism of the first one. I did do that, but this time the feedback was very positive.

I learned a big lesson from the feedback to my second album. I learned that the audience wants hip-hop with a localized musical context and touching on national themes and ideas. I saw that when bits and pieces of local music genres are used as ingredients and embedded into hip-hop, the acceptance was very high. This was a big lesson for me.

My third album—‘Addis Arada’—was just released so we’ll see the audience’s reflections and acceptance after a month or so. It is difficult to judge so early.

Which Ethiopian holiday is your favorite?

I love all Ethiopian holidays. But unfortunately whenever there is a holiday, I usually have to travel abroad for concerts and other work. Even if I am in Addis for the holidays, I am usually working. We typically do concerts on the nights before the holidays and I spend the day sleeping. So I often celebrate the holiday after it has passed.

Before joining the music industry, I celebrated all the holidays. Enkutatash [New Year] is my favorite. I also like Fasika [Easter].

Do you take part in holiday preparations at home, like buying and slaughtering animals the traditional way?

The first time I was asked to slaughter a chicken for a holiday, I cut it up completely. My grandmother was there and she said it could not be eaten because it was slaughtered incorrectly. So we had to buy another chicken.

Since then, my family has never allowed me to slaughter chickens. It happened years ago. Only my older brothers do it now. I’ve never slaughtered a sheep or anything since. But I help my brothers out with the work whenever they do it.

Do you celebrate holidays with your family? What kind of atmosphere do you prefer for the celebrations?

Our family celebrates holidays like any other Ethiopian family. I usually do not stay at home all day. I stay a little while and then go out to my friends’ homes before coming back again. I find the vibe at home really nice afterwards. So I used to spend the holidays with both my friends and family.

This was in the past. After doing my albums, I usually spend holidays abroad.

How did hip-hop begin to flourish in Ethiopia?

There were a number of artists and groups who had been doing hip-hop before I joined. There was Habesha Phenomena, a hip-hop music group, and there was Mad Boys before Habesha Phenomena. There were a lot of hip-hop artists under these bands. They were very talented. I grew up watching their work wherever they performed. I still feel grateful to their contribution to where I am today.

Habesha Phenomena included musicians like Samvod and Sami Kasa [Kasa Show], among others. Mad Boys included Henock, Abel and others.

Then there was the Gamo Boys, a hip-hop band that came after Habesha Phenomena and Mad Boys. After Gamo Boys we formed the ABC Hip-Hop Band. ABC stood for Aku, Blen, and Crazy.

Crazy was my former stage name. I was called that because I was a little chaotic; nothing harmful, but I was crazy about music.

My stage name has since changed to Lij Michael, following my first album. So I’m no longer Crazy. Stage names and nicknames are common in hip-hop. We used to freestyle at clubs, day parties, carnivals and any event we could. 

My formal name is Michael Taye but many people still remember the name Crazy. One day, some friends wanted me to perform on stage and they came to my family home looking for me. I wasn’t there so they asked my family where Crazy was. They called me Crazy because they didn’t know my real name. My family told them they didn’t know anybody with that name.

I’ve tried but a lot of people still remember that name. Even after my album was released last week, people have been commenting ‘Congratulations Crazy.’ That name was given to me because I was so vibrant and restless on the stage when I was performing as a young artist. But I don’t want to promote Crazy; not since my first album. Similarly, I like tattoos, but I don’t want to promote that either because it might mislead young people.

How do you entertain yourself outside of work? Have you had any memorable encounters with fans?

I have encountered many kinds of fans. It amazes me how much some of them really like me. I never thought that people could like an artist this much. Some fans are afraid to speak when they meet me because of how much they admire me. Some express their gratitude through gifts. I’ve received so many gifts from fans.

Sometimes their family members or friends ask me to speak to them [my fans] and I call them and surprise them. Sometimes they don’t call directly or talk to me because they are afraid. But when their friends ask and I call them, they’re happy and surprised. I not only enjoy these interactions with my fans, but they are a huge responsibility that always pushes me to work harder and produce good music.

My fans are my encouragement. Whenever I see them, I always think of working more. Your past work is not a guarantee for your future. I know I must work hard to keep my fans. They are a reminder to work harder and never lag behind.

In the west, hip-hop and its related genres are often tied to black rights and similar movements. What purpose would you say your music serves? Do you use hip-hop as an instrument for certain objectives or just as music?

We have to shape ourselves according to where we are. What is ours is ours. The culture of hip-hop in other countries has its own contexts. Hip-hop in Ethiopia does not come attached to those cultures and contexts. Here, it’s only the music and we imbed hip-hop into our own local context.

Western hip-hop is more vulgar and doesn’t fit in with our culture. I’m not saying it’s all vulgar, but much of what we see in it is tied to materialism, money, and luxury. There are also western artists who use music to fight for freedom, human rights, peace, and life.

In our country, hip-hop is at a nascent stage. It is very early. It has been two decades since hip-hop started in Ethiopia. There were Ethiopian musicians who started hip-hop before us but it didn’t grow in those days.

I usually use hip-hop to sing about freedom, the right to expression, and peace. I also use the music to amplify the beauty of our women, through selected words. There are emerging hip-hop artists now. In the future, I believe hip-hop will grow faster and dominate. The acceptance and growth of hip-hop has been slow due to Ethiopia’s existing local original musical genres, which are more dominant. But we are doing our best to develop hip-hop in Ethiopia.

The young population is huge in Ethiopia, and the acceptance of hip-hop is gradual. But it will grow in the future.            

Would you say Ethiopian hip-hop is not growing as fast because the audience is not getting what it wants?

Ethiopia is very rich and diverse. If a musician uses hiphop to amplify only one group, then that musician remains stuck to that group. So, instead of picking one subject or group and focusing on that, it is better to capitalize on a unifying subject that represents the whole of Ethiopia.

The ground is well-staged for the growth of hip-hop in Ethiopia. We are the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s only a matter of time before hip-hop blows up here as it has in places like Kenya, South Africa, and other African countries.

It’s in its early stages in Ethiopia. So far, hip-hop here emphasizes only positive narratives. In the future, I believe it will cover a wider range of subjects.

How do you see it overtaking existing musical genres?

The genres of music from around the world are far removed from the four musical genres that originated from Ethiopia. If the foreign genres overtake the Ethiopian ones, they will fade over time and hip-hop will take over.

But this is not what we want. The upcoming generation of Ethiopian hip-hop artists are blending the original Ethiopian genres with hip-hop. That is the best way to go. They are creating a new beat. I see a lot of up and coming artists mixing the original Ethiopian genres with hip-hop and it is very promising.

If they get all the necessities, the new generation can do so much. The problem now is accessing studios. Finding a studio has become difficult for new artists. Even when they do find studios, the studio masters and producers refuse when the artists tell them they want to do hip-hop. The studio composers find it easier to do other genres, usually local, than composing hip-hop. But there are also good composers.

It’ll take a lot of work to grow the popularity of hip-hop. Studio access in Ethiopia is very limited, but if the up and coming artists could gain access, they could create a music revolution in a few years. 

How much did it cost to produce your new album?

The cost was typical. Yonas Negash is my composer; he’s a very good one. Excluding costs for music videos, the album took around 500,000 birr to do. I included a lot of artists in writing the lyrics, and I paid for that as well. Then there are composing, mixing, and mastering costs. Other artists might spend more than that to make an album. I think my costs were reasonable.

Your album is available on YouTube. How do you intend to generate income and recoup the costs?

The album was released on my own YouTube channel.

Did you consider releasing it through other channels?

As you know, it is very difficult to make an album in Ethiopia. Very few artists have the courage to do an album and very few do albums at the speed I have been doing it. I released this album three years after I put out my second album. Many people are questioning how I did it so quickly because Ethiopian artists typically take a long time in between albums.

I prefer releasing albums on my own channel. Then I do concerts. I am certain it will double my investments.

The good thing about releasing an album is it enables you to do concerts and live stage performances. The investment will pay off but my motivation isn’t recouping the costs. I never think about the money. I always do music out of passion. I love music more than anything. Music is what makes me mad with passion. Performing for an audience is also a huge passion of mine.

Why are most Ethiopian musicians reluctant to release albums?

Releasing a single is usually preferred. There are talented and fearless musicians who are releasing top singles. If they were to do albums, it would be explosive. I don’t doubt their albums would be just as well received as their singles.

However, most singers lack the encouragement to do an album. I do not know why. I think it could be about confidence or other issues. But I believe that if they want to do an album, they can. With passion, anything can be done.

A singer who wants to do an album has to find a good lyricist and a good composer. That’s it. Everybody has their own unique talent. The only thing is finding the perfect talents that fit you, and bringing them into the studio to do your album. It is a matter of gathering the perfect team to do the album. And that takes passion and encouragement. I wish to see these talented artists who have come up with these amazing singles doing albums.

The risk they fear is, I think, it is simple to gain acceptance with a single. But it is difficult to do the same with a whole album. But this is a wrong assumption. As long as you are in the music industry, you have to be brave and try. First of all, anything done with passion never fails. Second, even if it fails, it becomes a good lesson for your next album. If the single is loved, all the singer has to do is repeat the same path in the album. What the audience liked in the single, the audience seeks in the album. If at least three tracks out of twelve in an album are popular, it isn’t a failure. There is always an audience for at least some of the tracks. It is difficult to expect the audience to love all the tracks.

In my opinion, artists must have the passion and courage and work hard to make albums. They have to risk everything. I know a lot of musicians who have good singles, and have refrained from doing albums in fear of acceptance. This trend must be broken.

Do you have plans to collaborate with other artists?

I have collaborated with an American rapper named Chaotic.  I have collaboration projects underway with a number of artists, both from Africa and other continents. I had the opportunity to work with some of the greatest musicians in Africa on one stage at the One Africa Music Festival. It is held in the US, Dubai and London annually.

We have several projects underway. Having released my third album, my plan is doing singles in collaboration with other renown singers. A number of deals are underway through my management team. We will disclose the collabs when the works are finalized.

What awards have you won so far?

There is basically not much in the way of music awards in Ethiopia. I won a DireTube award. Internationally, I was nominated for the Africa MTV award in 2016 in Johannesburg.

Do you have special designers for your stage and music video costumes?

Of course. I have talented designers for Habesha traditional stage clothes. Sometimes, I am my own stylist. I tell the designers what kind of stage clothes I want, I give them a sketch, then they do it.

What are the most expensive clothes you’ve worn?

Everything is very expensive these days. But I remember I bought some traditional clothes for stage work. They were long cut with jewelry and some nice touches. I remember paying 80,000 birr for the clothes, which I ordered to wear on stage.

They raise the prices when you order with specific designs. They charge you more than what they charge in their shops. In my private life, I never use luxurious things. I wear jeans or sportswear. I don’t think we have to take things so seriously in life. But for the stage, I have to spend.

How do you evaluate the Ethiopian music industry?

Our music industry is yet to grow but the number of Ethiopian musicians is increasing fast. Everybody is part of the music audience today. The size of the audience has grown and the number of artists is growing in tandem.

But I believe there are a lot of ingredients lacking in Ethiopia’s music. There are very good and promising musicians. However, there are very few music studios. This is what is dragging our music industry backward.

If you go to Kenya, Tanzania, and other African countries in all four directions, building a state of the art studio is their priority. You see how Nigerians are dominating the music as well as the cinema industries. They built huge studios first. You can see how Afrobeat dominates the music industry. In Lagos, there are big studios in every corner of the city. From outside, Lagos buildings and houses seem like slums. But inside the buildings, they have amazing state of the art music equipment. Tanzania and Kenya are the same.

We are behind even our neighbors, let alone comparing ourselves with North America.

Ethiopia has clever composers and highly promising musicians. But there is a lack of studios. The software we use also needs upgrading. If these things are improved, Ethiopia’s music industry has real potential.

What are your plans for the new year?

I wish all Ethiopians more success, harmony, and love. I wish for all Ethiopians to live in peace. I wish for the new year to become a year when Ethiopians fulfill all their wishes. I also wish to celebrate the new year with happiness.

I wish to do successful work throughout the year. Planning for a new year is possible, but to do it, above all, peace is essential.

My plan is to do concerts. Concert deals for the new year are already underway. After doing three hip-hop albums, I believe it is time for some rest. But in the meantime, I will support up and coming artists in hip-hop. I will produce their works. These are my new year plans.