Photo: Richard Perry/The New York Times

After packing the national stadium for performances in their home country of Sierra Leone and contributing music to the Academy Award–nominated film Blood Diamond, African superstars Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew are poised to conquer the global airwaves with their international debut album (due out in fall 2010) and their unique sound, which blends the swagger and funk of hip-hop, the passion and energy of dancehall, and the socially conscious vibe of reggae. The group has generated so much buzz in the hip-hop world that major stars including ?uestlove and Black Thought of the Roots, Talib Kweli, K’Naan, Res, and El-P have contributed their vocal and/or production talents to the upcoming release, helmed by the production team Fyre Department (whose credits include 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, GZA, Talib Kweli, Justin Timberlake). With this great collection of creatives, Bajah’s own star is rising as the Sean Paul of West Africa with the social conscience of Bob Marley and Fela Kuti.

So much more than just another hip-hop outfit, Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew have been likened to another band renowned internationally for speaking out against political and social injustices: U2. In Sierra Leone, now emerging from the throes of a brutal 10-year civil war, Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew are hailed as “the voice of the voiceless,” speaking truths on behalf of those people who have no political power, spreading messages of peace and reconciliation, outing corrupt politicians, and inspiring the disenfranchised youth to pursue their dreams. “We always speak about real stuff, like the suffering, what is going on,” says the group’s frontman, Bajah. “So most of the youth, the fans, are going crazy over it, because they think it’s the reality—that’s how it is. So they show mad love at times.”

In Sierra Leone, the term dry eye is an expression of boldness. “The kids that always try to ask questions and want to know things are the dry eye. If you always coming up to talk to the elder people, trying to ask them certain questions, they say, ‘Oh, you, you’re dry eye,’ like, ‘You’re bold. You’re too bold!’” Bajah explains. “But we just use dry eye because we decide to talk about the bad things going on. Cause the leaders, we take them as our fathers—but we still gonna say some things, the reality. We just gonna stand, no matter what. No more tears in the eye. We’re just gonna stay dry eye and say something. You understand? That’s strong.

“We talk about different things,” Bajah continues. “We talk about love. We talk about life, social problems. Music is about life.” And now, Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew are sharing their unique perspective on life and spreading their message of hope, love, and inspiration across the globe through their vibrant, infectious music and their electrifying live shows. And the world is listening…

Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew have been welcomed as part of The Roots/Okayplayer hiphop community, and recently performed as invited guests at the annual Roots Picnic in Philadelphia. They’ve also wowed crowds at some of New York’s most prestigious venues, including the Knitting Factory, B.B. Kings’, Joe’s Pub and Prospect Park’s Celebrate Brooklyn Bandshell. Upcoming appearances include the a showcase at the Knitting Factory, a performance at Brooklyn Museum and, on August 6, a free show headlining a night at the Lincoln Center out-of-doors festival.