Awadi

Born on August 11, 1969 in Dakar, Senegal, Didier Awadi grew up with a father of Beninese origin and a mother of Cape Verdean descent. Influenced by hip-hop aesthetics that were beginning to travel the globe, Awadi founded the group Positive Black Soul (PBS) in 1989 with Amadou Barry (Duggy Tee). Together, they presented Boul Faalé in 1994 and became pioneers of rap in Senegal. The group continued to compose at a steady pace, releasing Salaam (1995), Daw Thiow (1996), New-York-Paris-Dakar (1997) and Wakh Feign (1998). The duo's ability to deal with major social issues, their contribution to hip-hop and their use of traditional instruments all stand out. While Positive Black Soul ran out of steam, producing two albums in 2000 and 2001(Revolution and Run Cool) before moving on to other projects, Didier Awadi chose to go it alone. In 2001, he released his first cassette, Kaddu Gor, and won the RFI Musiques du Monde award in 2003. This award gave him the opportunity to play concerts in Europe, including Paris in 2003, before he was awarded the Tamani d'or for best African rap musician in Mali in 2004. The same year saw the release of his second solo album, Un autre monde est possible, which he presented at the Iba Mar Diop stadium in Dakar. On this album, Didier Awadi reiterated his commitment to the cause, accompanied by Tiken Jah Fakoly on "Stoppez les criminels", and became a popular cultural and political figure, promoted to the rank of Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2005 by France and Senegal. He toured internationally once again, then presented Sunugaal (2006) and Présidents d'Afrique (2007), a show that became an album in 2010. Didier Awadi is part of a transnational intellectual history, drawing inspiration from the likes of Nelson Mandela, Thomas Sankara and Patrice Lumumba, and collaborating with other committed African artists such as Lexxus Legal and Smockey. This role as spokesperson for certain demands was then renewed on Ma révolution (2013) and Made in Africa (2018), and on stages in Morocco, Quebec and Benin. After a stint as a jury member on the Island Africa Talent show in 2014, Didier Awadi committed himself in 2019 to the NGO SOS Méditerranée on the track "À travers les vagues", then actively helped populations during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. He returned to the world of music in 2023 with his album Quand on refuse, on dit non, on which he takes a fresh look at society.