My interview in XXL !

American Hip-hop has become a global phenomenon since its inception in the late 70s. But do you ever wonder about the international hip-hop scene or how our culture has influenced other countries? I do. Since I can’t travel the way I’d like (it’s a recession, word to Jeezy) the next best thing for me was to reach out to people who live what I want to see. Enter Sindanu Kasongo, a 32-year-old, Parisian hip-hop journalist who has been writing for Rap Magazine—France’s premier hip-hop magazine—for five years. Citing Jay-Z, Public Enemy, Slick Rick and Big Daddy Kane as some of his favorites, he’s traveled extensively to various parts of the U.S. to explore our culture and has interviewed some of hip-hop’s elite, abroad and in his home city. This is his perspective on the music from a local and international standpoint.

GangstarrGirl: Paris always strikes me as a place that wouldn’t have much hip-hop influence, so how did you get into it?

Sindanu Kasongo: When I was around seven, there was a show on French TV called H.i.p. H.o.p and they taught how to break dance. Me and my friends practiced in front of my TV not knowing that break dancing was part of hip-hop culture. The show eventually got canceled and I ended up just listening to Zairians music (my parents are from Zaïre) and whatever else there was playing on TV like pop and rock (Duran Duran, U2, The Stranglers and French acts). When I was 12, my older cousin who was heavily into R&B introduced me to New Edition. I liked them but it was too soft for me so he also made me listen to Public Enemy. That’s how I knew I had found my thing. When I was in high school I went on holidays in London where in the early 90’s, they already had hip-hop radio. I spent my days in front of the radio recording hours and hours of shows and that’s how I discovered The Source Magazine. [From there] I knew I needed to get a dictionary [to improve my English] so I could understand these astonishing things.

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Thx Starrene !