International hip hop artist AZitiZ can inspire and pull crowds by the thousands. Her family and friends know her as Lalita Garrett, the woman who comes home from the studio, chills with her bff’s and beep bops to Lauryn Hill. Her fans know her as the artist that is constructing a new narrative of gender relationships that values communication, respect, thoughtfulness, and spirituality along with positive affirmations of shared black identity which transcends gender inequalities. Creating a social balance for the lovers of music in all genres.
Touring around the world to such places as Poland, Germany, and Australia, AZitiZ is looking forward to getting back to her roots for the South Africa Conscious Music Movement tour launching April of 2012.
“I believe that all forms of expressive culture eventually have a reconnection point in Africa. If Hip Hop music intends to continue its upward movement in the ground-breaking, world-changing ways that they have to date; they also must find their points of reconnection, which is Africa,” a spokesperson for AZitiz said in a recent interview.
According to the Hip Hop Archive, the origin of hip-hop in South Africa cannot be fully appreciated without considering the political history of the country. Influenced by groups like Public Enemy, hip-hop began in the late 1980’s as an expression of rebellion against the practices of the Apartheid regime.
Fast forward to 2011 and make your way to Dakar, the capital city of Senegal on the western edge of Africa. Journalists are banned from saying or writing what they want, hip-hop artists have stepped up to speak for those who can’t. Moussa Lo, a.k.a. Waterflow, is one of Senegal’s most famous hip-hop artists. He said he became a hip-hop singer not for success or his own glory, but to be “the voice of the voiceless.” “Hip-hop in Africa needs to grow,” Waterflow told ABC News, “because we are the journalists for the people.”
The Explore South Africa tour will be the voice of the voiceless as well and will also be instrumental in promoting the ideals of socio-economic and racial parity.
This new tour, is an initiative driven by AZitiZ aka Lalita Garret from the USA and Mduduzi Mvemve ”DjDuce” from RSA. This initiative aims to assist conscious hip hop artists, fans and brands to enter into the South African market with the hopes networking, sharing their love for the genre as well as learning the in and outs of the music business via our Global Hip Hop Industry Panel of Experts.
The ESAT is a positive life style session that utilizes popular culture, educating artist on all aspects of the music business as well as utilizing music and spoken word for info-taining and entertaining the audience. Applying technology as a tool to bridge both personal and intellectual spaces. The Explore South Africa Tour also focuses on building bridges and connecting with the youth of South Africa in a way that will impact the region and leave it with a better sense of hope.
The ESAT tour fully promotes ideals like the Hip Hop Archives and appreciates the scope of their movement in Africa and others like it.
For more information on the Explore South Africa Conscious Music Movement Tour contact Carla Barnes @ EOTM Public Relations – 213-290-3573 – E-mail: [email protected]
For more information on international sensation AZitiZ click here for her EPK.