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Belgian hip hop has a few rappers stemming from Africa. Belgium, like France controlled African countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), Rwanda, and Burundi until the early 1960s. Like France, immigrants from these countries started to study and live in Belgium.
The Belgian Hip-Hop scene started in the late 1980s with a U.S.-based Techno/Rap group called Technotronic. In the group was an emcee named Ya Kid K from the former Zaire who later led the group into international fame with hits like "Pump up the Jam" and "Shake that body". In 1990, she also joined the group Hi-Tek 3 who were heard on the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie soundtrack.
In the early 1990s the Brussels' rap crew De Puta Madre started rapping in French and Spanish. They became an underground success and are still highly respected in the Belgian Hip-Hop scene.
In the late 1990s, Rwandan Hip-Hop pioneer J.C. Matata moved to Belgium and created a Hip-Hop/Reggae/Zouk group called ZAMZAM. Outside the Hip-Hop scene there are a few musical groups from Africa living in Belgium like the female a capella group Zap Mama from The Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Also in the late 1990s in the Walloon south of the country, French speaking/rapping Starflam was the biggest name in Hip-Hop. In the Flemish north Dutch speaking/rapping groups like 't Hof van Commerce, St Andries MC's and ABN were popular, rapping in their regional dialects.
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