He has fire in his belly, With a humanistic and direct style of reggae, with touches of hip hop and Afrobeat, Daah Sossa crusades against the inequalities that prevent the world from turning as it should.
Daah Sossa is a rebel – a rebel against injustice, misery and lack of humanity. And his music is his best megaphone for shouting this internal anger.
Born in Lyon to a Beninese peace activist father, Daah Sossa visited Montreal in 2002 and fell in love with the city. He felt at home. Three years later, he made the great leap and emigrated to Quebec. His head was filled with travels, with the realities of African countries, and with music. His name says something about his history: in Fon, one of Benin’s languages, Daah means a head of family or clan, and Sossa is his father’s traditional name.
Daah Sossa sings reggae with hints of hip hop and Afrobeat in French, English and Fon. He raises hopes of changing things by singing, urges people to act for the well-being of all underprivileged people on the planet, and denounces the neo-colonialism instituted by western countries to keep developing countries under their tutelage. For him, music is the best way of spreading his humanistic messages.
In Montreal, he puts all his energy into making his views heard. He has performed solo, with the Kaluminity collective and with the Bass Ma Boom Sound System. He has also formed his own group, the Daah Sossa Band, with six musicians of varied origins and outlooks. “I haven’t closed any doors on myself. I set out to encounter various artistic worlds to find the people with whom I want to make music.”
He says he conveys his own style, reggae world beat, as opposed to traditional reggae or to pure dance hall, with world music accents. But his rhythms are forever reggae. He also remains steadfast in his ideas. This is why, in 2006, he founded Daah Connexion, a group aimed at supporting the development of emerging countries and raising awareness to promote involvement in improving the lives of the underprivileged.
After a few years in Montreal, the city continues to seduce him. “This city intensifies the artistic fibre. It is very easy to meet people and set up projects, even if reggae lovers are still fairly few.”
Learn more about Daah Sossa Band at
myspace.com/daahsossa
Learn more about Nuits D'Afrique at
festivalnuitsdafrique.com
Photos by
HeatherLWeimer.Com
