Audio: Junior Freeman's "Dumyarea" is Hipco from Liberia
<p>Our friends over at <a href="http://africasacountry.com/2011/07/11/dumyarea/#more-29285" target="_blank"><strong>Africa Is a Country</strong></a> have hipped us to the stirring sounds of Liberia's musical renaissance. A generation of young urbanites is creating new forms of dynamic music including a hip-hop infused genre called "Hipco." One of these new musical pioneers is <strong>Junior Freeman</strong>, who has taken the oft heard phrase "Dumyarea" and made it the basis for a rollicking populist dance anthem. The term itself is used by sellers in markets to stake their claim on a certain area. Of course the phrase has migrated into everyday use among Liberians. It has become so popular that President <strong>Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf</strong> used it to help launch her (yes, Liberia's Prez is a woman!) re-election campaign.</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p>Freeman's song is done in the Gbema style, which is basically like taking some traditional Liberian music and putting it through a digital sieve. While the song has a political tone, don't expect anything to serious or somber. This is a catchy up-beat track that will leave you with a sunny disposition and the urge to turn anything in your immediate area into a drum. Listen below.<br><br><br></p><p><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F18650413"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F18650413" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/libeat/dumyarea">Dumyarea</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/libeat">LiBeat</a></span></p>
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