Black Diamond
shining on the youth

By Alemayehu Seife Selassie

Despite numerous musicians coming to the Ethiopian music scene, very few dare to try something different. Going with the usual moaning songs and monotonous tunes, few are likely to make it big. Some however, jump in to the scene whether the crowd is ready for them or not. Starting out with their Hip Hop style song Adega (Danger), members of the Black Diamond are among those who dare to break the redundant cycle.

Composed of three young vibrant members, Black Diamond’s aim is simple; to bring awareness to the young in a language they would likely listen to. Semere Kiros, Mezgebu Molalign and Temesgen Melese have been working together as dancers for the past four years. Temesgen works on traditional dances, and the two perform modern dances, the three came to know each other while they were very young. But as they were spread to different locations at National and Ras Theatre, they had to call each other and sit to talk about their future collaboration.

All the members of the band write songs and the single “Adega” is the brainchild of Temesgen and he explains what that music is all about, “This is a song which tells the story of Ethiopian rape victims. And the music clip of this song, shows how a Youngman whose sister has been raped tries to stop such acts .”
Composed of the different modes of dancers, there is one great element of variety that stands out in regards to black Diamond. The two members Mezegebu and Semere being modern dancers, and Temesgen traditional, they listen to different styles of music. And as the result of those compositions they are likely to come up with a different chemistry. “Our songs are a mix of the two types (modem and traditional). Hip Hop is the type of song where you speak of the problems you face in your life”, Temesgen said.

The group stated that they are inspired by the late Hip Hop artist 2 Pac as his messages were strong. They also added that the attempts 50 Cents made with his songs trying to end the feuds between East and West coast is also something they respect. “We hear lots of hip hop songs which just speak of simple matters. But we want to pass a message that would be vital and at the same time would depict who we are. We want to build people with our songs”, the group said explaining how they would be different from other local Hip Hop artists.
Currently Black Diamond is working on the video of the two songs Adega and another single Wetatinet (Youth) that was written by Semere.

The song that has been written by Mezgebu, entitled Maninet (Identity) is also one of the songs this group is working on.
Speaking on how the group does its music Mezgebu said, “We work on our songs together. When one gets the original song idea, the rest of us work together on editing it in a way we thought would make it best.”

Meszegebu’s song Maninet tells that the cradle of all fashion is here in Ethiopia. “We should not be told that we are imitating the West because they got it from us in the first place so if we are imitating we are imitating our ancestors, he said. This artist also states that the group does not want to be just a musician. “In the first place it is not our goal to be musicians all the way. But we had this message to pass over and things we have to speak about.”
The group thanks their friend Zemi who has supported them in financing the making of theirs singles. Working on the theatre hall where there are lots of talents has also created a good working atmosphere for this group. Meeting different instrument players and composers, the group finds these as rewarding ingredients for their endeavor.
“We are hopping that our music video would also speak more than the music for we are working hard on it”, Semere said.

One factor that makes this group’s songs different is their attempt to make suggestions on how the situation would best be resolved. “We don’t just want to indicate the problems and leave it there. We also want to suggest the solutions,” Temesgen said.
Working on an untapped market has more installed for these artists. And they state that they are likely to take advantage of that. “The beauty of art is you don’t work on the same thing tomorrow, so we would be working on something different tomorrow.” Semere said.
The group is also working on the new film that aims to be screened for the upcoming Ethiopian millennium, Gira Megabat [confusion]. “This is a film that will entertain and enlighten audiences dealing with the youth and the problems that they face. In our film, we would indicate problems and suggest solutions as well”, Temesgen said. The trio that have served as dance choreographers for the Ethiopian film Love and Dance, are also planning to give dancing courses to the youth.

One strong stand the group stands firm on is, to rap in Amharic all the way, “When our music hits the top, we plan to go round the world rapping in Amharic and getting the attention we deserve. People would then ask what is that language these guys are singing?” and as to how far they plan to go they simply said, “As far as there are blacks on earth and there are good motives there would be Black Diamond”, the group concluded.

February 9, 2007