Channel O Sprite Emcee Africa tour

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.

Format and rules
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.

Wildcard
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.

Host
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.

Quotes
"Never before has a continental Hip Hop reality based competition such as this existed."

Ghana
Date: Saturday, 22 December 2007 Location: 🇬🇭 Usher Forte, Accra, Ghana Co-Host: Eddy Blay (XFM) Judges: Dj Black (Ghanaian DJ), Kwame Swift, Reggie Rockstone Final 8: Grafik, ID, J Town, Melodrama, Padlock, Rhyme Miller, Robin Hood, Trigger

Tanzania
Date: Saturday, 12 January 2008 Location: 🇹🇿 TCC Social Club, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania Co-Host: Reuben (Clouds FM) Judges: Lindu, Lufunyo, Professor Jay Final 8: Abbas, Adili, God Emcee, Neville, Phoenix, Rage, Randal, X-Wray

Nigeria
Date: Saturday, 19 January 2008 Location: 🇳🇬 Nimbus Art Centre, Lagos, Nigeria Co-Host: Tito (RayPower 100.5 FM) Judges: Blaise, Ikechukwu, Modenine Final 8: Del, Delta P, E-Law, Jizzy, Maximum, Teeto, Torpedo, Vector

Kenya
Date: Saturday, 26 January 2008 Location: 🇰🇪 WAPI, Nairobi, Kenya Co-Host: Eve D'Souza (Capital FM) Judges: Doobiz, Mwafrika, Nazizi Final 8: Big Mic, Faya, Kimya, Lethal Dynamic, Mohammed, Point Blank, SNM, Tua

Angola
Date: Saturday, 1 February 2008 Location: 🇦🇴 Elinga Teatro, Luanda Co-Host: Judges: DJ Samurai, Kool Kleva, MC K Final 8: Agape, Jorge, MG, Nigga Chi, One See, Ray D, Sunny Boy, Yung D

South Africa
Date: Saturday, 9 February 2008 Location: 🇿🇦 Roka Bar, Johannesburg, South Africa Co-Host: AK (YFM) Judges: Mizi, Proverb, Ready D Final 8: Adamiz, Ben Sharpa, Heavy G, Projectah, Quaz, Slege, Snazz D, Steezy Stylish

Final Battle
Date: Friday, 28 March 2008 Location: 🇿🇦 The Pyramid, Johannesburg Co-Host: Proverb (Metro FM) Judges: Dj Black (Ghanaian DJ), Mizi (South Africa), Modenine (Nigeria), Nazizi (Kenya), Professor Jay (Tanzania), Wordsworth (United States) Finalists: Big Mic (Kenya), J Town (Ghana), Rage (Tanzania), Snazz D (South Africa), Teeto (Nigeria), Yung D (Angola) Wildcard winner: Adamiz (South Africa)


 * Snazz D wins the first season of Emcee Africa, earning him $10,000 (USD), and a single and video deal featuring Wordsworth.

Botswana
Date: Saturday, 18 April 2009 Location: 🇧🇼 Fashion Lounge, Gaborone, Botswana Co-Host: Judges: Apollo Diablo, Zeus, Final 10: Aztech 1, Blain, Cibil Nyte, Dizzo, EQ, Kid, King Ming, Nitro, Oracle, Simba Round 1 Blain vs. Aztech 1 Cibil Nyte vs. Nitro Kid vs. Dizzo EQ vs. King Ming (both disqualified) Simba vs. Oracle (both advanced due to disqualification) Round 2 (Individual Performance) Aztech 1 Cibil Nyte Dizzo Simba Oracle Final: Oracle vs. Cibil Nyte Winner: Cibil Nyte

South Africa
Date: Saturday, 25 May 2009 Location: 🇿🇦 Roka Bar, Johannesburg, South Africa Co-Host: Reason Judges: HHP, Nthabi, Zubz Final 10: Adamiz, G.C., Maraza, Mr. Calibre, Otis, Phoenix, Rhyming Type, S!ck, Soniq, Ulysses Round 1 Otis vs. Adamiz Rhyming Type vs. Phoenix G.C. vs. S!ck Ulysses vs. Mr. Calibre Maraza vs. Soniq Round 2 (Individual Performance) Adamiz Phoenix S!ck Mr. Calibre Maraza Final: Maraza vs. Adamiz Winner: Maraza

Ghana
Date: Thursday, 7 May 2009 Location: 🇬🇭 Tantra, Accra, Ghana Co-Host: Eddie Blay Judges: Kwaku T, Scientifik Final 10: Augustt, Boy Gemini, C-Real, Chymney, Krime, Melodrama, Padlock, Props, Robin Hood, Rocky Round 1 Padlock vs. Chymney (both advanced due to disqualification) Props vs. Augustt Melodrama vs. Robin Hood (both disqualified) C-Real vs. Boy Gemini Rocky vs. Krime Round 2 (Individual Performance) Chymney Padlock Props C-Real Rocky Final: Props vs. C-Real Winner: C-Real

Nigeria
Date: Sunday, 10 May 2009 Location: 🇳🇬 Insomnia Nightclub, Lagos, Nigeria Co-Host: Judges: B.O.U.Q.U.I., Modenine, Naeto C Final 10: Black Jesus, Collyde, Cwitch, Dirty-A, Emperor Trench, E.Y.M.E., Jizzy, Sergio, Taikoff, Torpedo Mascaw Round 1 Dirty-A vs. Torpedo Mascaw (both advanced due to disqualification) Collyde vs. Taikoff (both disqualified) Cwitch vs. Sergio (both disqualified) E.Y.M.E. vs. Jizzy Black Jesus vs. Emperor Trench (both advanced due to disqualification) Round 2 (Individual Performance) E.Y.M.E. Dirty-A Emperor Trench Torpedo Mascaw Black Jesus Final: Black Jesus vs. Dirty-A Winner: Black Jesus

Kenya
Date: Sunday, 28 June 2009 Location: 🇰🇪 Club Clique, Nairobi, Kenya Co-Host: G-Money Judges: Doobiz, Mwafrika, Nazizi Final 10: Bizzill, Kaligraf, Kimya, Kips, Lethal Dynamic, Lon' Jon, OD, Olu, Point Blank Evumbi, X-tatic Round 1 Point Blank vs. X-tatic Kimya vs. OD Lethal Dynamic vs. Bizzill Lon' Jon vs. Olu Kaligraf vs. Kips Round 2 (Individual Performance) Kaligraf Kimya Lethal Dynamic Lon' Jon Point Blank Final: Point Blank vs. Kaligraf

Final Battle
Date: 28 June 2009 Location: 🇿🇦 Club Clique, Johannesburg, South Africa Co-Host: Proverb (Metro FM) Judges: HHP (South Africa), Naeto C (Nigeria), Nazizi (Kenya), Proverb (South Africa), Zeus (Botswana) Finalists: Black Jeez (Nigeria), Cibil Nyte (Botswana), C-Real (Ghana), Maraza (South Africa), Point Blank (Kenya) Round 1 (Individual Performance) Black Jeez Cibil Nyte C-Real Maraza Point Blank Final: Zeus vs. C-Real Final 2: Cibil Nyte vs. Zeus Winner: Cibil Nyte


 * Cibil Nyte wins the second season of Emcee Africa, earning him $10,000 (USD), and a single and video deal.

Winners

 * Emcee Africa winner (season one): 🇿🇦 Snazz D
 * Emcee Africa 2 winner (season two): 🇧🇼 Cibil Nyte

Singles
2008: "Battle Chronicles (Emcee Africa)" - (by DJ Black, Rage, Yung D, J Town, Mode9, Snazz, Professor J & Nazizi) (3:49) Produced by Don Juan (Octave Couplet) as featured on Hype Sessions Vol. 21: Jazzworx FM The Album. CD published by HYPE Magazine in their 25th Issue, June/July 2008. 2009: "All Around The A" - (by Proverb, Naeto C, HHP, Nazizi, Zeus, Tamarsha & Cibil Nyte) (5:15) Produced by Don Juan (Octave Couplet).