CONFIRMED FOR RAW 2010: AZAGAIA (MOC)

Azagaia has worked with music as an expression since 1997, when he was part of various well-known Hip Hop groups in Maputo, Mozambique. In 2005 he went solo, and after various single releases, his first solo CD Babalaze came out in 2008.

Azagaia’s radical, academically informed style is incisive, direct and critical. His songs expose the concerns of millions of Mozambicans, and the social and political troubles of the country. Azagaia speaks of the mysterious death of the first president of Mozambique, Samora Machel, of the murder of journalist Carlos Cardoso, of Mozambican police, of HIV-AIDS, of media and other issues that afflict the Mozambicans.

His rap has travelled throughout society: from grocers in the market to the intellectuals and Mozambicans in the Diaspora. The lyrics have been reflected in all of the country's independent newspapers and on the Internet. In 2008, his video clips were banned from state-run television and radio channels, which only increased the popularity of this artist.

And Azagaia would not stop. His next singles had the same razor-sharp vibe and again addressed thorny social issues, "Babalaze" became an instant hit, and Azagaia spread his message on a countrywide tour. In mid-2008, he was invited to participate in Mestizo Festival in Porto, Portugal, where he teamed up with major stars of world music.

The same year, Azagaia became a victim of more censorship in his home country: he was asked to appear in the Prosecutor's Office due to a song about the 2008 ghetto riots in Maputo. With the help of the League of Human Rights and other national and international organizations, he was acquitted of the alleged charges.

Censorship did not crush Azagaia, and he reissued a reedited version of his last CD in Angola and Portugal. In 2010, his second CD hits the streets of the Portuguese-speaking world: Cubaliwa, which means 'birth' in Emakwa, one of Mozambique's 32 languages.

Azagaia is ready once again to shake the system, fight corruption and deliver his signature rap – this time at RAW 2010 alongside a massive international line-up up ARENA 4: GLOBAL & URBAN - presented by My World IMAGES and MidWeekBrakes.