http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL6aGKw6dng Video for Douala rapper Kastra. I haven’t yet figured out what he means with “I’m your brown cacao in your black cappuccino.” And what’s with the line ” … call me Chris Brown only if you’re Rihanna”? But the music pushes all the right buttons.
Over the last two years, the NRBLN – BLNRB project has brought together German and Kenyan musicians, resulting in the eclectic album BLNRB – Welcome to the Madhouse. They’ve now also uploaded this video for the track ‘Msoto Millions’ by Jahcoozi (featuring dancehall collective Ukoo Flani). Follow the project on their blog — they’re promising […]
Mamani Keita arrived in Paris in the late eighties as a backing vocalist for Salif Keita. And ended up staying. “Making French money isn’t easy,” she sings. It’s the title track of her new album with music by Parisian instrumentalist Nicolas Repac.
Blitz The Ambassador talks about the initial reception of his music (“slow”), the musical Fela! (“it made the people more open and made the people understand the larger context”), his early records, his collaboration with Corneille for the track ‘Best I Can’ (“trying to express how I felt about where I’m at”), the future (“I […]
I’m looking forward to hearing Shabazz Palaces play during their European tour later this month. It seems like the live renditions of the new songs don’t quite sound like the Black Up album versions. Via Gorilla vs. Bear.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers funk jam track Ethiopia came following “a life-changing trip Flea and Josh took to the African country.” Josh says: It was like a musical field trip. We had outings every day. It was like summer camp… and then Flea got lost and when he was lost, he went through a […]
Kinshasa-born rapper Youssoupha moved to France at the age of 10. Ever since releasing his first tapes he’s been strident in his critique of the French media’s lazy depicting of the festering banlieues. In 2009, columnist Éric Zemmour filed a complaint against Youssoupha after being name-dropped in one of his songs. Back then, Youssoupha reacted […]
Nneka‘s “Soul is Heavy” from her new album. Extras: Part 1 and Part 2.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNn2bqNSS6k&w=600&h=369] Filmmaker Kurt Orderson sent me “The Unseen Ones,” his new 19-minute musical documentary about the very talented Cape Town rasta rapper Nico10long working on his new self-titled EP (produced by Martin Muller). The dialogue is mostly in Afrikaans with subtitles. Rastafari’s appeal, gangsterism, HIV-AIDS, and identity politics, all get a turn. Fellow MC’s Benji […]
There's no record that Hugh Masekela could play football. But he acted like he could kick a ball in a music video.
Tupac Shakur's intensity did not just appeal to just young people in the United States, but also on the continent.
Young Mauritians are definitely “Fight[ing] Pu More Freedom.” Organizing through Facebook they’ve been on the streets ‘the last week.”
“Too much politics and the clang of commerce” is staining 9/11 commemorations here in New York City today. So it also makes sense that we look somewhere else for music that articulates how some of us feel. Thanks to Neelika for suggesting the song “Days of Fire” by Nitin Sawhney, featuring singer Natty, as an […]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLdCoVnESsY&w=600&h=369] I’ve had this on repeat. New Mexico band Beirut’s mesh of Balkan and “world music” (I know isn’t that the same thing and aren’t all music, world music?) with their 2006 hit “Gulag Orkestar.”
In "One Day I Will Write About This Place," Wainaina wants to create a life uniquely his own.
New video for the Congolese AIAC favorite Lexxus, recorded in Kinshasa, featuring the Kinois rapper LeslyMan.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOq_6aVOqPI] Italy based, UK Funky influenced, electronic music purveyors Pepe Soup recently released the above song and video, a proud recollection of Liberian childhood punishment survival. The Italian-Liberian duo have been busy this year, releasing a string of EPs on their own label, and contributing to the soundtrack for Al Jazeera and Dutch […]
Since we’ll be on break for a minute (details tomorrow) when the following central African countries celebrate their independence days, let’s do a quick roundup for Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, and Gabon. August 13, The Central African Republic is the home of Deep House DJ Boddhi Satva, who we talked about here before. [youtube […]
Easy listening. ‘Bassa’ is a song by the Côte d’Ivoire-born, Mali-raised and now France-based artist Fatoumate Diawara. We could use a translation — because maybe it’s no easy listening at all. Anyone?