For those who were in Dakar or nearby, on February 25, 2022, at the Grand Théâtre National Doudou Ndiaye Coumba Rose, the young prodigy of Mauritanian music Amadou Birane Mangane alias Adviser left his loan there. The young rapper has gratified Senegalese music lovers with a concert to the size of the building that intends to host him. To miss it was tantamount to a crime of lèse-majesté. What is this oxymoron? this dissonant agreement? Since when does Mauritania know about rap and who is this ‘Amadou’ who set the Grand Theatre on fire?
Who is Amadou Birane Mangane?
The singer whose name has just been written, calls himself Adviser. It looks like the name of a meta-human of CentralCity. In 2010, the Mauritanian rapper began his ascent to the musical zenith with the album ‘Alhamdoulilah’. Immediate success. A hit. Adviser is a rebel. To be politically correct, we will say that he is a committed artist; a mythical puncher who exposes the wounds of our society. The young singer confirms his reputation with ‘Thiagal’ (2014) and ‘Inawona’ (2018). But the real success falls on him, in July 2021, after the release of ‘Volume’. He charms. His voice and his lyrics bring a new relief in a landscape without colors. This album will propel him to the top of the charts in Africa.
Le clip “Volume”
Adviser increases the ‘Volume’!
Just after the video clip, directed by artist MD Mangane’s brother, went online on YouTube on May 6, 2021, it was a rush — nothing to do with “The Gold Rush”, the French title of Charlie Chaplin’s film. Long awaited, fans tear it off like hot buns. And the clip has not yet finished picking up the ‘likes’ (68K) and collecting the ‘views’ (4.5 million). This song begins with ‘Alhamdoulilah’; it is also the title of his first album, which will open the doors to success. This video clip, in a slightly blue background, exudes a certain calmness. Currently, this clip is a hit on TikTok.
A rap against the tide
We agree on one fact: rap has taken over the music scene. It is a hit on online download platforms. But this abundance of artistic productions leaves much to be desired. There are insipid texts, with bitter, depraved and foul-mouthed crudity, which depict saligauds whose overly spicy words give us the top of our hearts and burn our ulcerative stomachs, which are somewhat shameless. Adviser escapes this vicious cilice and the brutal rhythm. It is quite the opposite of modern rappers—or should I say postmodern. We can see that he takes a rare care to write his texts: the vigour and precision of the images are fists in the mouth of stereotypes. Let’s be clear, I don’t intend to regulate rap, to reduce it to something that caresses sensibilities. No.
Colourful and flowing songs
With Adviser, we are far from these incomprehensible songs to which we understand nothing at all. Without a doubt, this young rapper writes extraordinary melodies like ‘Doftam Maayo’ which has garnered more than a million views on YouTube. His songs are flashes of punchlines, bursts of rhythmic-rimmed proses, anthropometric portraits of an Africa that convey strong words. One can seduce while remaining oneself and having no desire to go foraging elsewhere.
