Artist Lij Michael on Seifu show

An entertaining interview with Artist Lij Michael on the Seifu show.  Lij Michael broke out onto the Ethiopian music scene a decade ago with his album ‘Zare Yihun Nege,’ a pioneering experiment in the young and untested genre of Ethiopian hip-hop. In the nine years since Lij Michael (Michael Taye) has played a fundamental role in shaping the genre and pulling it to new heights of popularity among Ethiopian audiences. His second album, ‘Atgebam Alugn’ was released in 2021 and received well by audiences and critics alike.

Lij Michael sat down with The Reporter following the recent release of his third and latest album, ‘Addis Arada,’ to describe the music-making process, the past and future of Ethiopian hip-hop, the shortcomings and strengths of the Ethiopian music industry, and his plans for the Ethiopian New Year. Wendmagegn Lema, special to The Reporter, caught up with Lij Michael. Of your works, including the latest album, which do you think has been received best by the audience? I like all of my work. But the musical genre I usually work in is a bit difficult. Hip-hop’s a lot left to do to penetrate the Ethiopian audience. I cannot compare the three albums I’ve done so far; all three are the best for me.

All three albums have their level of acceptance among the audience. The first album was widely acclaimed, but also criticized. People asked how a hip-hop album has a place in Ethiopia. It was a new idea to do the whole album in one genre. The album was criticized in the papers, the radio, and everywhere. But gradually, after listening to my music, everyone began agreeing it was possible to do a hip-hop album.  After all that, I had to be responsible and careful about the second album. Many were wondering if I would do a hip-hop album again, after the criticism of the first one. I did do that, but this time the feedback was very positive.

I learned a big lesson from the feedback on my second album. I learned that the audience wants hip-hop with a localized musical context and touching on national themes and ideas. I saw that when bits and pieces of local music genres are used as ingredients and embedded into hip-hop, the acceptance is very high. This was a big lesson for me. My third album—‘Addis Arada’—was just released so we’ll see the audience’s reflections and acceptance after a month or so. It is difficult to judge so early.