Female Hip-Hop in the Sufi Community of Taalibe Bay : Interpretative analysis of the Sufi symbolism and meaning behind two music videos

Abstract: Senegal is a country in West Africa that is 95% Muslim and where Islam is deeply linked to hip-hop music. According to existing academic research, the emerging rappers in the artistic and cultural scene in Dakar are men and belong to the Sufi Taalibe Bay brotherhood, whose founder Ibrahim Niasse (1900-1975) is considered the spiritual leader of the rappers. Through the use of hip-hop, they communicate religious messages and attract many young people to Bay’s movement.This thesis presents for the first time a study concerning the musical material of a young Senegalese female artist belonging to this Sufi brotherhood, namely Aida Sock. Currently, no academic studies are acknowledging the presence of the female disciples of Bay and how they use hip-hop music as a means of spreading Sufi mystical Islam. This study aims to fill this academic gap through an interpretative analysis of the symbolism and religious message present in two of Aida Sock’s music videos: “Road to Redemption” and “The Highest”. The research also hopes to encourage othe racademics to look into this untouched topic further.