Universal Music Group’s expansion in Africa continues, with its latest artist deal including the launch of a new label that will be signing more African musicians. The artist is Booba, the Senegalese-French rapper whose catalogue has apparently never been available in its entirety in Africa before.
Booba already has his own label Tallac Records, but he’s setting up a new imprint with Universal Music Africa called 92i Africa. It will be signing hip-hop artists from across the continent, starting with DopeBoy DMG in Senegal and Didi B in Côte d’Ivoire.
This is all part of Universal Music’s renewed push into Africa since launching a regional HQ in Côte d’Ivoire in 2018. Since then the major label has opened offices in Senegal and Cameroon, and in May 2020 launched Def Jam Africa with a remit to… well, do exactly the same thing that 92i Africa will do now: sign rap and hip-hop (as well as Afrobeats) talent from across the continent.
UMG’s various sub-labels compete with one another fiercely in the west, so this may also be the model it’s moving towards in Africa.
Image by Naumova Ekaterina / Shutterstock.com
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