This Saturday I'll be djing between acts at The Apollo Theater's Africa Now! Concert. Yesterday, I had an interesting conversation with the Apollo's director about the different African crowds in New York (last year they had Tiken Jah Fakoly to an enthusiastic crowd of Francophone African Harlemites), got a tour of the building, rubbed the tree of hope, and stood on the stage where every American black performer of significance in the last 100 years has stood. Besides the fact of my inclusion in the symbolic welcoming of a new generation of Africans into the folds of Black American history, touching the log (while the Apollo stagehand watched me unamused) is really all I needed. Here's all the info:

Apollo and WMI Present AFRICA NOW! Saturday, March 16 at 8 p.m.

Africa Now! is a weekend festival spotlighting today’s African music scene. The festival centers around a blowout concert event on the legendary Apollo stage. Featuring a line-up of artists who have drawn upon their roots for inspiration and transplanted them into the global music landscape, Africa Now! is a must see event. Blitz the Ambassador, Freshlyground, Lokua Kanza, and Nneka are scheduled to perform on this special night.

Hosted by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson.

Presented in partnership with World Music Institute.

Tickets: $30, $40, $55 In person at the Apollo Theater Box Office By phone call Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000 Online at Ticketmaster.com

* Cross-posted at Dutty Artz.

It's quite a weekend for New York's prodigal child. Hip-Hop, that burst of youthful energy that was put out into the universe 30 plus years ago is coming back home from several places at once. It's arriving at a time when Rap music, in its birthplace, confusingly straddles the realms of hyper-capitalism, political activism, youth expression, marginalized's rebellion, adult reminiscence, mainstream politics, canonization, trivialization, and institutionalization. Regardless of the strange position that the genre has taken up in the contemporary American social landscape, the spirit of youth energy that birthed the genre, as well as the need to make heard the voices of the marginalized is very much at the forefront of the form globally. On Saturday and Sunday New Yorkers will be able to get a glimpse at the practitioners of Hip-Hop in this form at two different shows.  On Saturday at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn's oldest and largest performing arts venue. It features El Général (whose music we featured here and here), Amkoullel (here), Deeb, and Shadia Mansour (here) alongside Oud player Brahim Fribgane and Ngoni player Yacouba Sissoko. On Sunday, a showcase of Senegalese rappers called Dakar 2 NYC will take place at The Shrine, a smaller community bar and venue in Harlem. The showcase is part of a series put on by Nomadic Wax called Internationally Known (Africa is a Country is a co-sponsor), and features Thiat from Kuer Gui (whose video we featured here) and the group Fou Malade were two of the groups that were central to the Y’en a Marre movement (whose politics we featured here). They will be joined by Bat’hallions Blin-D and Baay Bia. Notably this event is happening in the heart of the community that hosts the largest Senegalese diaspora population outside of Europe. Now I'm not one to draw lines between what is and what isn't, but this convergence of global Hip-Hop upon the Biggie Apple in two very different contexts has got me thinking... (Warning! You now have all the information you need for the shows. If you don't like thinking, stop reading now!) In the United States, and particularly New York, Hip-Hop as a strict cultural form has aged. However, it's still a new form, and the creative processes and technique innovations that it helped mold are still on the cutting edge of music production and sonic style. But the original practitioners of Hip-Hop are getting to a point where they've either been left behind in the past or have moved on. In the U.S., the torch has been passed (sometimes not so graciously) to a second and third generation, often removed from the geography of New York City, who continue to innovate and excite audiences, but not always in the ways that the originators envisioned. I would even go so far to say that New York Hip-Hop purists have co-opted the genre so much as to not allow the legibility of actual youth rebellion within the city's own marginalized communities. This is why today I'm generally more a fan of digital music created in different regions around the world (including places like Chicago and New York) that don't necessarily carry the Hip-Hop label, but yet are produced, disseminated, and practiced very much in the spirit of New York in the 1970's. However, in some places, especially those where young people have been standing up to aging leaders, often risking life and limb just to let it know that they are there, Hip-Hop is still legible as youth rebellion (even when it's sponsored by the U.S. State Department). The more publicized cases of Tunisia, Senegal and Angola are not the only ones where youth music are taking a central role in the shaping of a vision for a new future. I've personally seen the impact that youth-fueled musical movements can have on a changing society in places as far removed from each other as Oakland and Monrovia. However, I would argue that today, more often than not Hip-Hop aesthetics are employed as a means of global legibility more than any desire to remain true to a purists' definition. It is this idea of global legibility that has allowed mainstream news publications to feature rappers at the center of political stories in Africa and the Middle East. As I listen to WNYC this morning, the celebration of youth voice on a mainstream news organization seems so unlikely when to think that Hip-Hop partly was birthed when young people felt like they weren't being spoken to by mainstream radio. But that's not really the issue here to me. My question is: what is really celebrated by mainstream institutions (sponsored by Bloomberg and Time Warner) when they are talking about and showcasing Hip-Hop? Is it the form? Is it that lyrical skill can now be recognized by middle-classed and/or middle-aged theater goers? And does this legibility of rebellion extend to an artist such as the Bay Area's Lil' B? What about Chief Keef? Or even Harlem's A$AP Rocky? Is rebellion only okay when it's safe, when it exists in far removed places where young people seem to represent the values that keep those middle class/agers safe in their social positions/homes/jobs/neighborhoods? And finally, how many people are going to the concert at BAM because they like Deeb's, or Shadia Mansour's, or El Général's, or Amkoullel's music? I, for one, sometimes worry about too much agency given to Hip-Hop as a catalyst in these movements. I see it as more of a vessel, and conscious or explicitly political Hip-Hop, the form of expression most often associated with such rebellion, isn't necessarily always the most impacting or important in a given context. Deeb himself has admitted that people in Egypt generally preferred pop music before the uprising, and only took on explicitly political music once the context of the uprising over took everyone's lives. In post-revolutionary Cairo, 7a7a and Figo probably carry more populist zeal than any conscious rapper. And, unless we see various forms of expression as vessels for the agency of a people, an audience, a movement, how else could we explain the adaptation of the (Mad Decent version of the) Harlem Shake to the North African political landscape? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmofqZjf-Bg I'm sure many of these questions will be addressed this evening at BAM as my compañero, DJ Jace Claton/Rupture, will be moderating a talk with Deeb, Shadia Mansour, El Général, and Amkoullel. The talk starts at 7pm.

I have been a little silent lately here on AIAC. I'm gonna start posting more, although perhaps in briefer form (do visit duttyartz.com to see some of what I've been up to recently). For now I leave you with the White Mandingos:

https://soundcloud.com/whitemandingos/the-ghetto-is-tryna-kill-me While tapping into an Internet ethos which is totally unserious and trivializing (the Internet has turned us all punk?), there's a maturity (introspection? sense of history?) in this that is lacking in most of the popular younger artists' output (at least in my mind), making this better than 99% of American music released today. If you disagree, meet me in the comments section.

Well, the snowstorm in Boston will be shortening the length of the conference, and the performance by Debo Band has been cancelled. However, Harvard's Africa Remix Conference will be on and live today, Friday, February 8th. A lot of interesting folks will be presenting, including a keynote speech by Francis Falceto, the owner of the Ethiopiques record label. I am presenting in a panel called Producing Global Sounds, and will be talking about my experiences and practices as a 2nd-generation Sierra Leone diasporan and DJ. If you are conveniently in the Boston area you probably don't have to go to work, so stop by! For those of you who don't want to brave the weather, or don't live within reasonable distance from Cambridge, Massachusetts, follow the conference on twitter with the hashtag #AfricaRemix starting at 8:30am Boston time. The presentations are being recorded and will eventually be posted on the web, so we will share them with you in some form at a future date.

Every few years my mode of music discovery changes. I went from browsing the racks of my local corporate music chain as a teenager, to digging for hours in the back rooms of second hand record shops, to scouring obscure blogs and doing random YouTube searches. This year marked another change in my listening habits as a more social media-oriented, web-mediated exchange with friends and fellow artists from around the world, has taken over my music research routine. 

The Soundcloud platform has taken on a central role in this transformation, as it has become a sort of default platform for the promo and first-exposure distribution of music from both major label and independent artists around the world. Importantly, this has facilitated my access to music scenes in lesser-represented countries, including many African nations which have been historically plagued by a lack of distribution infrastructure, and the presence of middle-(big) man distribution politics. Since any one platform's monopoly on our mediated exchanges is dangerous, Soundcloud's taking on this role in the global music production matrix isn't absent of its crticisms. However, the platform has helped allow music fans to get a more raw, honest, and direct glimpse into individual artists' creative processes. I was a late adaptor to Soundcloud, but once the right people started uploading to the platform, it quickly took over as one of my main go-to sources for new music. So, especially for the DJ-inclined readers of Africa is a Country, here is a round up of my 10 favorite Soundclouders in 2012: [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/69684517" params width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] DJ Znobia - DJ Znobia has probably been my favorite producer and remixer for the last five years. I hadn't heard anything from him for a while when I suddenly noticed him putting up a constant and daily stream of new songs on Soundcloud. The diversity of Angolan producers' output is impressive. However, it's Znobia who stands out, as a Lee "Scratch" Perry-esque experimenter, innovator, and genius of the scene. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/71234793" params width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] Akwaaba Music - Benjamin Lebrave has come into his own as a jack of all trades in the promotion of African music. The label owner, journalist and DJ is constantly traveling to get the low-down of what's happening at the current moment in various scenes. Beyond his label catalog, his many connections to producers across the continent and his constant liking and re-posts, have made him an all-star Soundclouder to follow. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/18823462" params width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] Afropop Worldwide - Afropop Radio is archiving all of its past shows on Soundcloud. It is worth spending some time on their page and going through their back catalog, so you can catch up with classics like Siddhartha Mitter's "Hip Hop Generation in Africa" piece. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/69842426" params width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] DJ X-Trio - X Trio releases some really nice edits of up to the time pop tunes from around the world. A Deep House influenced production style dubbed "AfroFlava," should see this Masters of Engineering degree holder personally pushing his sound to global dance floors in no time. Notable remixes that stayed in my DJ crates throughout the year were his versions of the Brazilian pop hit Nossa (Assim Voce Me Mata) and DJ Sbu's Le Ngoma. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/68947483" params width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] DJ Sliink - Alongside DJ Znobia, this guy is probably the most prolific remixer, producer, and Soundcloud uploader out there. A constant stream of his own tracks and mixes is accompanied by tracks culled from his peers and contemporaries in North New Jersey. His Soundcloud page is one of the best sources for playable, downloadable dance music around. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/57744172" params width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] Deejay Kuimba DZC - Portugal is developing a pretty amazing electronic music scene, so it's hard to choose just one of the many DJs I admire coming out of Lisbon and its surrounding areas. I don't need to say more about Deejay Kuimba of the DZC DJs other than that he does the above. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/57018945" params width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] Zuccony - This young Florida based producer's remixes have been some of my best secret DJ weapons this year. His aggressive sound may not be for everyone, but he's probably been the producer that has most made people to run up behind me while DJing to train-spot what I'm playing. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/67220547" params width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] Sonora - Joseph Sonora Longoria, my good friend from San Antonio, is a prolific producer who experiments with everything from Cumbia to Crunk to House. Fans of contemporary African music will really appreciate his Zouk-love approximating "Amor de..." series. He is also the producer who got me back on to Soundcloud after I missed downloading one of his remixes, and vowed to never let it happen again. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/48459620" params width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] Jumping Back Slash -  I wasn't too familiar with this South African DJ before this year, but his regular mention on OkayAfrica has pointed me to some really nice edits. Looking forward to seeing what else he comes up with in 2013. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/61149994" params width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] Captain Planet - An end of the year discovery in terms of Soundclouding, but Charlie B. Wilder aka DJ Captain Planet had long been one of Brooklyn's most solid DJs/diggers/remixers alongside the likes of Sabo and Uproot Andy. His now defunct Captain's Crate blog was an early staple of my MP3 blogging days. Currently living in L.A., he has a slew of really impressive original songs as well as remixes on his Soundcloud page, referencing everything from Afrobeat to Chimurenga to Mayan Tribal Guarachero. Not on his own page, but worth the stream is his Madlib-inspired Mystery Trip Vol. 1 Mixtape.

Vice Magazine recently ran an interview with Al Walser, the DJ who nabbed a Grammy nomination for a less than stellar performance on his song 'I Can't Live Without You,' scandalizing the mainstream Electronic Dance Music (EDM) circle. If anything, his nomination sheds light on the disoriented state of the music industry. But, I would argue that the industry's turning of (black) dance music (BDM) into a ready-made commercial genre for Las Vegas pool parties did that pretty well already anyway. If anything, with Al Walser the industry is getting what it deserves. Interesting for our purposes, in the interview he reveals himself as a proud child of mixed African-European parentage. We see this most clearly in moments when he's rubbing shoulders with some pretty big movers and shakers. On his hitting it off with President Obama, he says:

I don’t know if you know, but I happen to be from one of the smallest countries in the world, Liechtenstein. And I happen to be the first bi-racial from that country. I met Obama the first time at a fundraiser and we hit it off. He couldn’t believe I was from Liechtenstein, and you know, my mom was white and my dad is black, just like with him, and I grew up with my white family, just like him. There was a connection over being bi-racial. We hit it off. We had a really cool chat. It was great, he’s a great guy, I loved him.

And on his relationship with the Jackson family:

The first time I came to L.A., I stayed at Katherine Jackson’s house. Whenever they were in Switzerland or in Liechtenstein, they would stay at my place. Be it Jermaine, some of the kids… there’s tons of family footage, and we’re going to release it maybe one day. Originally it was my father who met Joseph Jackson in Africa, in Congo, like 20 years ago or so. And they talked about their sons and they invited us over. And Jermaine came to Lichtenstein many times, and we traveled around the world together. And because Jermaine at the time was living with his mom, at Katherine’s house, I automatically was “inside.” Michael would call in and I’d be at the table with Katherine, alone. Believe me, it was a very interesting time for me and I learned a lot. I’m forever thankful to the Jacksons.

These stories intrigued me so I did a little searching. His flickr page is filled with photos of him and various celebrities, including the following photo of him "in the Congo with government officials": It gets perhaps even a little more surreal in a video of Walser with Snoop Dogg, where he is helping the rapper collect a lifetime achievement award from a festival in Brazzaville. He's obviously connected in some pretty high places, which makes me wonder what his relationship to the Congolese government is. I also found a video for his song 'African Queen' which has many different versions, including the original below, a Euro Dance version, and a "Summer Mix" which approximates to the prevalent Afropop sound today. http://youtu.be/zcxg32qMi54 Is his aim to market himself strategically to various niche markets, with the goal of dominating awards shows worldwide? There's no question this guy's been hustling. I support his nomination 100 percent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYnBiZmiRcM&w=560&h=315 Hello! Boima here, and I'm back helping out with the Friday music break. A Haitian Rara (not Ornette Coleman) sampling rap/poem by Hyperdub affiliate The Spaceape got me excited this week, so that's my lead off pick -- above! Not only do the U.S. and China have political happenings this month, but Sierra Leoneans go to the polls next week as well. Bajah and the Dry Eye Crew put out a song appealing for peace amongst young people, who are often conscripted by politicians to carry out violence during election periods. Back in Sierra Leone, the musical messages to hold politicians accountable reassuringly continue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gog5HorNpvU&w=560&h=315 Meanwhile a young diaspora Sierra Leonean is making noise in the U.K. with an electro-pop sound and Nikki Minaj-esque video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAbCYkE2QMM&w=560&h=315 M.anifest releases a NICE neo-Hiplife video with the beautiful Efya off his album Immigrant Chronicles: Coming to America: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj7C1-CV_w8&w=560&h=315 His countryman Sway goes full Akon this week, dropping a video for an electro pop collabo with Mr. Hudson and Crystal Waters! But I can't help wonder, what happened to Up Ur Speed Sway? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgPD-NsvIn8&w=560&h=315 Awadi goes to Medellín, Colombia to sing about revolution. I wonder if the FARC is in on this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaXXzw5FgaM&w=560&h=315 Which reminds me that I had the pleasure to spend a weekend with Medellín based, Pacifico reppin' Explosión Negra in Philadelphia recently: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnBL1SNUOCc&w=560&h=315 New high quality Liberian video for a not-so-Hipco rap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3_IAOXZaI8&w=560&h=315 I'm realizing that I kind of over-Hip Hopped this Music Break, so here's a nice change of pace from Portugal based singer with Cape Verdian roots Dino D' Santiago featuring Pedro Mourato and Gileno Santana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmy04YmbpAw&w=560&h=315 And finally, London based A.J. Holmes, who's learned from and collaborated with musicians from classic Sierra Leonean bands like Super Combo and the S.E. Rogie band, goes to the sea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdXsm81FkBo&w=560&h=315

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHRbEhLj540 I've recently taken on a new daily commute from Bed-Stuy to Harlem via the A Train. This route, once celebrated in song by Duke Ellington, was and remains famous for connecting New York's two largest and most historical Black Communities. Today, both communities retain their importance as cultural nodes for the descendents of Black migrants from the American South, but both have also become central nodes for New York's newest waves of African immigration. The almost hour long commute has given me plenty of time to get through a few DJ mixes. Given my daily trip's musical and cultural connection, perhaps it's only appropriate that I present "Take the A Train" updated for the 21st Century, a list of some of my favorite Africa-connected mixes from this year so far. Olugbenga's Africa in Your Earbuds #15 for OkayAfrica By far my favorite in the Africa in Your Earbuds series over at OkayAfrica. This schizophrenic but brief mix takes us from Highlife to Grime via Naija pop and Afrobeat, transitioned by Olugbenga's own productions. The personality that comes out in this mix is something that all mix creators should strive for.
Otelo Burning Mixtape I haven't seen the movie, but the mixtape is outstanding. There are plenty of surprising elements and favorite tracks, but standouts include Zaki Ibrahim's "Something in the Water" and "Walk on Water" by Reason. Both artists are on the lineup of Motif Records.
The Jungle Book Beat Tape by DJ Juls This is a beat-tape, a mix made up of original productions that sample from sources that have influenced the beat-maker. While others have attempted to do similar Dilla-esque sampling of West African sounds, DJ Juls's The Jungle Book beat tape is by far the best I've heard. The mix is perfect to vibe out to while doing something else, allowing oneself to get surprised by the various musical elements he throws in. Check out the great write up on Juls by Benjamin Lebrave at This is Africa.
Ngoma 13: Juju-Juke by DJ Zhao The great thing about the Internet is the ability to give a lot of context to a DJ mix to learn about what inspired the sound, and give background on the artists included. No one does this more thoroughly than Berlin-based DJ Zhao. His latest mix in his Ngoma series "Juju-Juke" is my favorite of his. Zhao expands on an idea I myself have played with, and puts it together into a beautifully executed mix.
Afro-House 2012 by Dubbel Dutch I've repeatedly said that Angolan House is one of the genres I'm most excited about. Benjamin Lebrave points to a flawless mix by a key figure in the industry, DJ Satellite. But it is an American who put together my favorite mix of African House tunes in 2012 so far. This mix culled entirely from the Soundcloud pages of various producers in Portugal and Angola is a stellar representation of the Kuduro-House sound.
The Ultimate Azonto Mix CD by DJ Neptizzle A springtime round up of the best in Azonto sounds via UK DJ Neptizzle. This is probably the most comprehensive round up I've heard of the impending Ghanian take-over of the global pop pallette. A great mix to get anyone dancing!
Fact Mix 307: Ayshay This mix officially dropped in 2011, but in December, so I mostly listened to it in 2012. Ayshay is the alias of New York via Dakar via Kuwait producer Fatima Al Qadiri. A deeply personal cross-section of the artist's Afro-Arab sonic identities, the entire mix is stellar. But it's the point where Madinina suddenly slips into Medina that made this one of my favorite mixes ever.
Yo No Soy Virgen, Pero Hago Milagros by Maracuyeah Based on the name and cover of this mix, it already deserves attention. Sonically you get Cumbia, Vallenatos, smashed together with the Dembows and Moombahtons of DJ Rat and Mafe's DC Latino experience. It's a formula to create another deeply personal and well put together DJ mix. My only critique comes inspired by my El Salvadoran friend who grew up in DC when it was still "Chocolate City," who said he wanted to hear Cumbia and Go Go mashed up.
Dark York by Le1f This mix is one I'm still wrapping my head around. Partly because the Uptown lingo, that Le1f spits mutedly over an amazingly curated selection of futuristic electronic beats from the best of the up and comers in the electronic dance world like Nguzunguzu, Skin and Bones, Matt Shadetek, is taking me a while to fully understand and interpret. Le1f raps fast and continuous around colloquial concepts that will have most of us playing catch up for awhile long after he's moved on to his next projects. It's also worth mentioning that Le1f (Khalif Diouf) is a representative of New York's Senegalese community via Harlem, and that's a perfect place to end our ride on the A Train. Almost.
Don't forget my own Africa-centered mix from earlier this year over at the XLR8R Podcast!

I'm taking over the Friday music break this week. First up, the prolific Azonto producer E.L. surprises us this week with a 25 track debut album. He had so many songs stored up he decided to release a video for one that's not even on the album. Check his Swagga. http://youtu.be/oNZ-bMFgYH8 Kanye and Jay Z team up with Romain Gavras who capitalizes on images of our global instability. Will marrying Hip Hop with riot chic help out Angolan protesters? Probably not. http://youtu.be/FJt7gNi3Nr4 In a video that is a little more grounded than your average commercial Hip Hop video (and especially contrasting with the one above), Nas, who has collaborated with family members before, releases a song and video tribute to his daughter! http://youtu.be/xP4_0z2M85Q Trying to deliver on the promise to incorporate more Afro-Latino-ness on the blog, here's Colombian Pacific Coast Hip Hop group Choquibtown's latest "Hasta El Techo." http://youtu.be/azYcDY7mnco And, Maga Bo's "No Balanço da Canoa" featuring Rosângela Macedo and Marcelo Yuka. The remix album for his Quilombo do Futuro project dropped this week. http://youtu.be/6dbb4y7AIG4 Nos vemos a primeira feira!

http://youtu.be/fvCvNwzsYvE Latin America and the Caribbean haven't gotten enough attention on this site. We're going to intentionally rectify that, and I'm excited to start by sharing this video from sometimes collaborators of mine, Los Rakas. Beyond having worked with Los Rakas I'm a fan, especially because they are able to take the best of what Panama represents in its multi-cultural, multi-lingual stew of Afro-Caribbean culture, and mix it so effortlessly with another amazingly multi-cultural place I once called home, Northern California. The above video is for a single from the Hip Hop in Spanish project: 24 Horas Escuela de Karate, by the always impressive Ski Beats (check the first single with Spanish rapper Tote King here). If you don't know much about Panama's historical cultural mix, I'd say start here. And if you really want to go in, head on over here for sounds like the following, and a lot more. http://youtu.be/NLvhg_143Qg

Freedom Day in South Africa. Togo Independence Day. And Sierra Leone's 51st Independence Day. That's all today. We've been celebrating Freedom Day with music elsewhere today. So this post is for Sierra Leone. My current favorite song we played last week but there's more: a Bajah and Dry Yai Crew song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bHOWazDJls Refugee All Stars released an album this week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXSWe0V4VMA Sierra Leoneans are active in the diaspora too. Like Janka and the Bubu Gang: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBRobRddHaA Or Shady Baby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M07Xf286Sfc And a classic for an election year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y70NmnU1kDw You'll tell us what your favorite Togolese tunes of the moment are in the comments.

http://youtu.be/q88JPrlhzh4 If you're unfamiliar with my musical work, OkayAfrica.com recently did a profile on me for their web TV series. Meanwhile, a team of fellow African DJs in New York and I have linked up to try and establish a permanent home for people of all backgrounds to enjoy the young, fresh, creative sounds coming out of the diaspora at large in downtown Manhattan. This Friday at Bamboo in Manhattan’s East Village we present the second edition of a night we’re calling PAN. Joining us will be DJ Marco, the owner of San Francisco's Baobab Village, and the crew from Andrew Dosunmu's Restless City who will be celebrating their theatrical premiere. Hopefully the night will also serve as a celebration of independence and freedom for all the local Sierra Leoneans and South Africans. Here's the poster:

The Northern Nigeria repping White Nigerian (isn't he Lebanese Nigerian?), along with JJC, invites us all to a Hausa-Pidgin speaking world of cross-racial national identity. It's schticky, but the truth is, the world could use a little more exposure to stuff like this. http://youtu.be/rNM9_8J3cf0 Download the track over at TIA.

http://youtu.be/afO9RSfdVEA Thinking about Mbalax Dub, got me wanting to share some more of Kaba Blon. It doesn't seem like they have uploaded anything online yet, and the only song available for purchase I believe is Moribayassa. But, Mo Laudi was playing me some more of their tracks the other day. He had gotten them from a Malian friend in Paris.