Rolling Afrobeats / Afropop 2016

:re the wizkid/seyi shay controversy, notjustok seems to think maybe she was right after all.

http://notjustok.com/2016/06/21/wizkid-seyi-shay-dilemma-decoded-bolaji-oyegunle/

Two big new ones:

Lil Kesh has parted ways with YBNL, but hey, I guess it counts as a Young John record, right? "Bend Down Select"

https://soundcloud.com/djsuperstunner/bend-down-select

And one year after "My Woman My Everything", Patoranking turns to Ghana for inspiration again. "No Kissing" features Sarkodie; GospelOnDeBeatz provides the alkayida-ish beat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T-GeoXlEBg

Note to Spotify users: the Young John track is listed there under the moniker "Youngjonn".

playlist is updated.

couple nice new kwaito songs climbing the SA dance charts lately, really like Wololo

Babes Wodumo ft Mampintsha - Wololo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlkybvVEQ4g

DJ Tira ft Black Motion & Drumetic Boyz - Sfuna Abo Chomi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axyaytKP4UI

Wiz Kid collaborated with and bowed down to Nigerian juju music legend King Sunny Ade in 2013 I see on Youtube (for those tracing back historic influences)

Kiss Daniel is now on a North American tour. He's gonna be in a club outside Washington DC Saturday. Based on my experience with that club, he will probably come onstage around 2am and be singing over tracks.

Two killer Naija tracks (plus bonus jams):

Boybreed "Tumbo Tumbo", produced by Omeiza (see the Ezi Emela above):
https://soundcloud.com/boybreed/tumbo-tumbo

(It's also on Spotify, search for "Boy Breed")

Flavour ft. Phyno & Zoro "Gbo Gan Gbom (Une Soul):
https://soundcloud.com/freemedigital/flavour-ft-phyno-zoro-gbo-gan-gbom-une-soul

Produced by Kezyklef, who also produced Zoro's fantastic "Ogene" (ft. Flavour). That track was posted earlier this year, but not the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTWYQnbqN8I)

(There's also a remix out that adds Lil Kesh and Ycee)

…as well as Phyno's brand new track "E Sure For Me (Olisa Doo)":
https://soundcloud.com/freemedigital/phyno-e-sure-for-me-olisa-doo

I just lurk, thanks for a great thread! I have been listen to this a lot lately and didn't see it posted
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxeJ3PPhYaM
Konshen - Bruk Off Mi Back

That would go in the dancehall thread! It's the biggest tube from the Moskato riddim, which is still ruling everything. Great song.

lmao, sorry!

No problem! (*tube = tune btw, lol)
Konshens is in fact on a good new afropop tune, Shabba (not the wizkid one), so you just gave me an excused to post it:

https://youtu.be/bhx1kxqPFZ8

Your irregular Tekno update:

His new single, "Pana", a sort-of-ballad:
https://soundcloud.com/triplemg-music/pana-tekno-prod-by-krizbeatz

With Capital Vibez on "Abasi", GospelOnDeBeatz producing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoiUn1RhA1U

And especially with Yung Muse (from Liberia) on "Danze". This one's for bangin':
https://soundcloud.com/yungmuse/yung-muse-ft-teckno-miles-danze

Mr Eazi continues his conquest of his native Nigeria, guesting on DJ Neptune's "Marry" (a Kiddominant production):
https://soundcloud.com/afro-songz/dj-neptune-marry-ft-mr-eazi

Seyi Shay teams up with the wonderful Niniola on "Juba (Bow Down)", GospelOnDeBeatz producing this one as well:
https://soundcloud.com/seyi-shay/juba-ft-niniola

Two new ones from Young John:

…one a bit disappointing: Lil Kesh "Kojo":
https://soundcloud.com/freemedigital/lil-kesh-kojo-prod-by-young-jonn

…the other one a lot of fun: Viktoh ft. Ycee "Mad Jam":
https://soundcloud.com/sterlingsoundz/viktoh-ft-ycee-mad-jam-prod-young-john

Finally caught up on this thread (to a degree anyway) a few weeks ago and am now completely obsessed with this stuff again--currently being blown away that there's an entire album of Kiss Daniel and so far it is all up to the standard of Mama and Good Time.

I don't think "Raba" by DJ Shabsy x Kiss Daniel & Sugarboy has been posted; the bassline on this is beautiful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MihRmGPYOk

Pana is my joint.

yeah Pana is rad, love the percussion, it's like analogue trap at times

Classixx got Young John to remix one of their songs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir2nF3K4nhw

nothing special compared to most of this thread but kind of interesting data point

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/is-this-the-year-that-african-music-conquers-the-us/2016/08/17/561c8e5e-60a8-11e6-9d2f-b1a3564181a1_story.html

Andy Beta article. The answer to the headline is still probably no.

Olamide has two strong new singles, both produced by Major Bangz:

Sere with Lil Kesh:
https://soundcloud.com/afro-songz/olamide-sere-ghetto-story-ft-lil-kesh

Owo Blow:
https://soundcloud.com/afro-songz/olamide-owo-blow

Today I'm in love with this Masterkraft produced song from a girl group that has totally gone under my radar. Great name though:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NhtEmoZmpI
Shiikane - Loke

Playlist is updated.

New Timaya makes me happy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tx-HzZnr34

Hope you all aren't sleeping on the new A Pass album, Nva Kampala. Soft reggae/dancehall from Uganda.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SBTh4h-ElY

This is the openning track, Wuuyo

https://www.buzzfeed.com/reggieugwu/afrobeats-invasion

https://www.buzzfeed.com/reggieugwu/afrobeats-invasion

― Listen to my homeboy Fantano (D-40), Friday, September 9, 2016 7:20 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Like the sounds of this song, nice to see its gonna cross over

I think this is my favourite SA song of the summer, as mentioned in the youtube comments, has some serious bojo mujo circa 2005 vibes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_b-g3PjFws

I like the new Banky W. The Video is cool too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vol9JQE9oTM

Playlist is updated.

There's a new Babes Wodumo and I really like it:
https://open.spotify.com/track/2mkMQIi4gGXiPCbv4nLN17

just found out that Nyashinksi came back to Kenyan music this year, his new songs are a joy

Nyashinski - Mungu Pekee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfPb88GD1Tc

Nyashinski - Now You Know
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tnbg0l6sRkA

he was a part of Kleptomaniax back in the early 2000s, who put out this great song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3phE35z8q1w

which couldn't sound more like exactly what Nairobi radio was back then, when things were more kapuka (poppier) focused & genge had't taken over

poppier is probably wrong, it was more of a classic commercial vs. authentic debate

that babes wodumo song is great longneck, kwaito this year has come from her IMO

*best kwaito

https://www.instagram.com/p/BL0O2Q8DrWP/

new drumboss album potentially out this year, new single is cool, not his best work or anything but an interesting on where he might go with this one (however slight a difference really, don't think he's gonna re-invent anything anytime soon but it always work so who cares)

Yeah I haven't heard anything really mindblowing from drumboss since his last album.

This Mayorkun and Eazi collabo is good. Does it mean that Davido and Wizkid are getting along nowadays, though?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn67uUebBBk

Also,Shiikane's Loke got a video. I love this song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r9FvdNMSSU

R2Bees, Wizkid and Legendury Beatz come together:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcQSo0mrjBo

There is now a Babes Wodumo album and it kicks ass:

https://open.spotify.com/album/2qo3hg3iZ6Pm55qaR3U7fT

Also, Heavy-K is back with more gorgeous Heavy-K-ness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nase4xEjhhU

(my wife is back in Cape Town and I'm trying hard to cope with it all, lol)

Okay so I played the Babes Wodumo album while kneading pizza dough and it was a life changing moment. AOTY for me.

yeah! just listened to wodumo's album, great shit. I like how you can hear the collabs but they really don't take away from her sound at all, like the two Tira tracks you can definitely hear his work but its thru her voice. definitely the best straight though kwaito (i guess GQOM but i am old and can't handle genre change) album this year.

yeah, i'm a bit confused about the whole genre marker thing. I will say though that this is one of a very few new albums I've heard in 2016 that felt thoroughly modern, but I do realize that there are probably a lot of deep kwaito references I do not get. If anyone could tell me more about the transition from kwaito to gqom, I'd appreciate it. To me, at least, it sounds as if the phrases are shorter and more staccato?

playlist is updated.

I like how you can hear the collabs but they really don't take away from her sound at all, like the two Tira tracks you can definitely hear his work but its thru her voice.

― kruezer2, 4. desember 2016 03:02 (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This is very intriguing to me since I don't really know what to listen for. Care to elaborate?

This is very intriguing to me since I don't really know what to listen for. Care to elaborate?

― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Monday, December 5, 2016 9:39 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

They don't really (speaking in terms of the whole GQOM/Kwaito relationship thing) have a very close relationship in general I don't think. GQOM is for taking ecstacy and dancing and Kwaito is for getting drunk by the pool.

The Wodumo record is kind of the first real moment for merging Kwaito and GQOM sensibilities in any real way I think. It makes sense that it comes from her and Mampintsha (who are potentially engaged for real at this point) since Mampintsha is a long time part of Durban's Kwaito scene w/ Big Nuz for Afrotainment. As an aside I think Tira's most noticeable signifiers are higher BPM and tighter, heavier basslines.

That said, its interesting to listen to something like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF460058UkA

then this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JjW6sjwS_0

and finally Wololo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Me4LvzdZHE

First, I can't believe how current Kaffir still sounds, but that said, I feel like you can really hear the merging of the styles in Wololo. I think Babes herself is a major impact, having a consistent vocalist is certainly not something done in GQOM (though I am not in the clubs in Durban, could be they have people on top of the track while they are mixing I don't know) but most of the GQOM songs I hear have sample or at least modified vocals.

That said, I think the biggest difference in GQOM is ditching 4/4, most kwaito remains in 4/4 because its pop music afterall. Changing the beat structure is the thing about Wodumo's record that shows her break with classic Kwaito the most. Though on the flip side she has a lot more melody to her songs than most GQOM, which is yeah, staccato & full of breakbeats so it sounds a lot colder than Kwaito.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I hear in this too. Maphintsa is obviously a key player here, fusing the old and the new. Interesting point about the lack of traditional 4/4s. It kinda propels the harder parts of the clave drums to the fore, no?

had SUCH a fun time at the Davido gig last night :)))

Please tell us more, lex!

Anyway, I'm doing so research and it seems like this Bhizer song is tipped as the next gqom tune to bubble over:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaQug_4IeHk

New Mr. Eazi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9QHZG_PYjY

And new Tekno:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onhyeCsinK4

I'm loving the melodies in a lot of this stuff, but it seems like there's so much less low-end than either American or UK r&b/pop. Am I just clicking on the wrong tracks and missing some chest-rattlers or is it just a treble-heavy genre?