The Channel 0 Emcee Africa tour is a tour that is sponsored by Sprite. It was associated with Emcee Africa - The Battle Chronicles, a talent show televising the competition. It was a continent-wide search for the premier freestyle MC/Rapper. The tour started in Accra, Ghana, and then went through Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Nairobi, Kenya, Luanda, Angola, Lagos, Nigeria, and Johannesburg, South Africa. Gaborone, Botswana, was included in the second season, while Luanda, Angola, and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, were cut from the tour.
The motive of the tour was not only to find the best freestyle MC, but to initiate international awareness of the 'street life' surrounding social and cultural context of the localized music. In other words, the tour was attempting to better contextualize the application and reception of hip hop culture in each visited country.
The winner received $10,000, a video and a song deal.
The first season of Emcee Africa followed the host Leslie 'Lee' Kasumba to the various host cities, where the local MC/Rapper's were invited to an audition. The final eight MC's were selected to face off in a knockout competition to determine the winner. During the auditions, each performer had two minutes to prove their candidacy for the final eight to a panel of judges. A topic was given to each contender to Freestyle about in order to ensure each contestant was truly improvising and not using any written material. After eight contestants were selected from each country, a separate contest was held, where the eight members would face off to battle each other in two 30 second parts, divided into 2 rounds, followed by the Final. The winner from each country was then flown into Johannesburg to compete for the "Emcee Africa" title, as well as the grand prize. A judge from each country's panel was then flown in to ensure neutrality in the final competition.
The second season followed a similar format with similar rules, except that ten contenders were selected from the auditions, rather than eight. In the second season, contestants who made it through to the second round did not Battle each other but were rather judged based on a performance. From the performance, the judges panel selected two finalists to face off in a final battle.
For the Final Battle in the first season, audiences could log into www.channelo.co.za, and vote for their favorite MC/Rapper from the previous competitions, to reappear in the final stages.
Leslie 'Lee' Kasumba (a top hip hop radio DJ from South Africa's YFM station) is the host. She also corresponds for Africanhiphop.com.
On the tour called 'the Battle Chronicles', she was chosen to narrate her daily experiences of traveling.
"Never before has a continental Hip Hop reality based competition such as this existed."
Date: Saturday, 22 December 2007<br> Location: Usher Forte, Accra, Ghana<br> Co-Host: Eddy Blay (XFM)<br> Judges: Dj Black (Ghanaian DJ), Kwame Swift, Reggie Rockstone<br> <br> Final 8: Grafik, ID, J Town, Melodrama, Padlock, Rhyme Miller, Robin Hood, Trigger<br>
Date: Saturday, 12 January 2008<br> Location: TCC Social Club, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania<br> Co-Host: Reuben (Clouds FM)<br> Judges: Lindu, Lufunyo, Professor Jay<br> <br> Final 8: Abbas, Adili, God Emcee, Neville, Phoenix, Rage, Randal, X-Wray<br>
Date: Saturday, 19 January 2008<br> Location: Nimbus Art Centre, Lagos, Nigeria<br> Co-Host: Tito (RayPower 100.5 FM)<br> Judges: Blaise, Ikechukwu, Modenine<br> <br> Final 8: Del, Delta P, E-Law, Jizzy, Maximum, Teeto, Torpedo, Vector<br>
Date: Saturday, 26 January 2008<br> Location: WAPI, Nairobi, Kenya<br> Co-Host: Eve D'Souza (Capital FM)<br> Judges: Doobiz, Mwafrika, Nazizi<br> <br> Final 8: Big Mic, Faya, Kimya, Lethal Dynamic, Mohammed, Point Blank, SNM, Tua<br>
Date: Saturday, 1 February 2008<br> Location: Elinga Teatro, Luanda<br> Co-Host: <br> Judges: DJ Samurai, Kool Kleva, MC K<br> <br> Final 8: Agape, Jorge, MG, Nigga Chi, One See, Ray D, Sunny Boy, Yung D<br>
Date: Saturday, 9 February 2008<br> Location: Roka Bar, Johannesburg, South Africa<br> Co-Host: AK (YFM)<br> Judges: Mizi, Proverb, Ready D<br> <br> Final 8: Adamiz, Ben Sharpa, Heavy G, Projectah, Quaz, Slege, Snazz D, Steezy Stylish<br>
Date: Friday, 28 March 2008<br> Location: The Pyramid, Johannesburg<br> Co-Host: Proverb (Metro FM)<br> Judges: Dj Black (Ghanaian DJ), Mizi (South Africa), Modenine (Nigeria), Nazizi (Kenya), Professor Jay (Tanzania), Wordsworth (United States)<br> <br> Finalists: Big Mic (Kenya), J Town (Ghana), Rage (Tanzania), Snazz D (South Africa), Teeto (Nigeria), Yung D (Angola)<br> Wildcard winner: Adamiz (South Africa)<br>
Date: Saturday, 18 April 2009<br> Location: Fashion Lounge, Gaborone, Botswana<br> Co-Host: <br> Judges: Apollo Diablo, Zeus, <br> <br> Final 10: Aztech 1, Blain, Cibil Nyte, Dizzo, EQ, Kid, King Ming, Nitro, Oracle, Simba<br> <br> Round 1 <br> Blain vs. Aztech 1<br> Cibil Nyte vs. Nitro<br> Kid vs. Dizzo<br> EQ vs. King Ming (both disqualified)<br> Simba vs. Oracle (both advanced due to disqualification)<br> <br> Round 2 (Individual Performance) <br> Aztech 1<br> Cibil Nyte<br> Dizzo<br> Simba<br> Oracle<br> <br> Final: Oracle vs. Cibil Nyte<br> <br> Winner: Cibil Nyte
Date: Saturday, 25 May 2009<br> Location: Roka Bar, Johannesburg, South Africa<br> Co-Host: Reason<br> Judges: HHP, Nthabi, Zubz<br> <br> Final 10: Adamiz, G.C., Maraza, Mr. Calibre, Otis, Phoenix, Rhyming Type, S!ck, Soniq, Ulysses<br> <br> Round 1 <br> Otis vs. Adamiz<br> Rhyming Type vs. Phoenix<br> G.C. vs. S!ck<br> Ulysses vs. Mr. Calibre<br> Maraza vs. Soniq<br> <br> Round 2 (Individual Performance) <br> Adamiz<br> Phoenix<br> S!ck<br> Mr. Calibre<br> Maraza<br> <br> Final: Maraza vs. Adamiz<br> <br> Winner: Maraza
Date: Thursday, 7 May 2009<br> Location: Tantra, Accra, Ghana<br> Co-Host: Eddie Blay<br> Judges: Kwaku T, Scientifik<br> <br> Final 10: Augustt, Boy Gemini, C-Real, Chymney, Krime, Melodrama, Padlock, Props, Robin Hood, Rocky<br> <br> Round 1<br> <br> Padlock vs. Chymney (both advanced due to disqualification)<br> Props vs. Augustt<br> Melodrama vs. Robin Hood (both disqualified)<br> C-Real vs. Boy Gemini<br> Rocky vs. Krime<br> <br> Round 2 (Individual Performance) <br> Chymney<br> Padlock<br> Props<br> C-Real<br> Rocky<br> <br> Final: Props vs. C-Real<br> <br> Winner: C-Real
Date: Sunday, 10 May 2009<br> Location: Insomnia Nightclub, Lagos, Nigeria<br> Co-Host: <br> Judges: B.O.U.Q.U.I., Modenine, Naeto C<br> <br> Final 10: Black Jesus, Collyde, Cwitch, Dirty-A, Emperor Trench, E.Y.M.E., Jizzy, Sergio, Taikoff, Torpedo Mascaw<br> <br> Round 1<br> <br> Dirty-A vs. Torpedo Mascaw (both advanced due to disqualification)<br> Collyde vs. Taikoff (both disqualified)<br> Cwitch vs. Sergio (both disqualified)<br> E.Y.M.E. vs. Jizzy<br> Black Jesus vs. Emperor Trench (both advanced due to disqualification)<br> <br> Round 2 (Individual Performance)<br> <br> E.Y.M.E.<br> Dirty-A<br> Emperor Trench<br> Torpedo Mascaw<br> Black Jesus<br> <br> Final: Black Jesus vs. Dirty-A<br> <br> Winner: Black Jesus
Date: Sunday, 28 June 2009<br> Location: Club Clique, Nairobi, Kenya<br> Co-Host: G-Money<br> Judges: Doobiz, Mwafrika, Nazizi<br> <br> Final 10: Bizzill, Kaligraf, Kimya, Kips, Lethal Dynamic, Lon' Jon, OD, Olu, Point Blank Evumbi, X-tatic<br> <br> Round 1<br> <br> Point Blank vs. X-tatic<br> Kimya vs. OD<br> Lethal Dynamic vs. Bizzill<br> Lon' Jon vs. Olu<br> Kaligraf vs. Kips<br> <br> Round 2 (Individual Performance)<br> <br> Kaligraf<br> Kimya<br> Lethal Dynamic<br> Lon' Jon<br> Point Blank<br> <br> Final: Point Blank vs. Kaligraf
Date: 28 June 2009<br> Location: Club Clique, Johannesburg, South Africa<br> Co-Host: Proverb (Metro FM)<br> Judges: HHP (South Africa), Naeto C (Nigeria), Nazizi (Kenya), Proverb (South Africa), Zeus (Botswana)<br> <br> Finalists: Black Jeez (Nigeria), Cibil Nyte (Botswana), C-Real (Ghana), Maraza (South Africa), Point Blank (Kenya)<br> <br> Round 1 (Individual Performance)<br> <br> Black Jeez<br> Cibil Nyte<br> C-Real<br> Maraza<br> Point Blank<br> <br> Final: Zeus vs. C-Real<br> Final 2: Cibil Nyte vs. Zeus<br> <br> Winner: Cibil Nyte
2008: "Battle Chronicles (Emcee Africa)" - (by DJ Black, Rage, Yung D, J Town, Mode9, Snazz, Professor J & Nazizi) (3:49)<br>Produced by Don Juan (Octave Couplet) as featured on Hype Sessions Vol. 21: Jazzworx FM The Album.<br>CD published by HYPE Magazine in their 25th Issue, June/July 2008.<br> <br> 2009: "All Around The A" - (by Proverb, Naeto C, HHP, Nazizi, Zeus, Tamarsha & Cibil Nyte) (5:15)<br>Produced by Don Juan (Octave Couplet).