white city

selling mixtapes from the trunk in Cape Town, South Africa

goofy white kid hears reggae, dancehall, and afropop for the first time from mixtape kiosks on canal street while visiting family in NYC. bass all blown out, early NY rap samples, dancehall vocals on top. it was like an alien spacecraft delivering a new language and culture. this was a formative moment.

fast forward - 20 years. the soccer fields in the very affluent northern suburb where the kids play. the fields, the park, the playground are packed tight. the parking lot is nearly full - not with the obscene soccer mom grocery getters, but taxis, mid 80's imports, and the odd vintage mercedes and bmw. the sides are staffed with east africans, mexicans, south africans, the occassional standout american. the jerseys represent a who's who of international soccer and national colors. as dusk settles in - the social scene moves to the parking lot. ghana has made it through the group stage. the spirit is lively. an african summer party in the central ohio suburbs -where only the upper can afford to live. the alien music from the canal st kiosks re-appears. all the current sounds in african rap, dance hall, and reggae are represented. man this city has changed.