rolling afropop 2022

after Joeboy scored the biggest hit of his career last year with “Alcohol” (later retitled to “Sip”), he thought it a good idea to follow it up with the straight-to-TikTok “Cubana”. it bombed, unsurprisingly. but he’s mended his ways and is now back to the straight and narrow with an absolutely brilliant track, produced, just like “Sip (Alcohol)” by Tempoe.

loving both these video approaches:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dptz4nVbaE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0BiX7Mt4yo

PS we can discuss the lyrics later. or not.

speaking of Tempoe: has anyone besides Nabozo and me been listening to the Omah Lay album?

my expectations weren’t all that high, because of the drop in quality of the singles after “understand”, and the first half of Boy Alone seemed to confirm that. everything sounded nice and good but nothing stood out. when “understand” came up as track 7, I was like: man, what happened to those hooks you used to made?
but the next track, “never forget”, gave me one of the biggest musical shocks/jolts in recent memory. what a breathtaking song/production/performance. and the adventure didn’t stop there: “soso”, “how to luv”… some real deep tracks there.
I’ve been digging this album for several weeks now and the first half of the album has revealed itself gradually as well in the light of what follows behind (“i’m a mess”, “temptations”, that bassline!)

anyway, “never forget” is one of my two songs of the year so far, and I have no hesitation in saying that for me it’s one of the best Afropop songs ever.

(to come back to Tempoe, he produced most of the tracks, but “never forget” is the work of Semzi, best known here for thread favourites “MJ” by Bad Boy Timz and “Fall For Me” by Laycon and YKB)

I never got around to checking that out but def will now.

In the meantime, that Joeboy track is dynamite!
I'm not sure I followed the lyrics really, other than the Fela shout-out and the fact he won't share his charger

ok yeah "never forget" rules. Semzi has a real flair for bass. "safe haven" now sounding pretty great too, kind of a deep oceanic take on the "anthem" Last Last/Asake sound (do we have a shorthand for this?)--but my ears are worn out for the day so I'll have to come back to this

interesting take on “safe haven”! I never made that connection

the "anthem" Last Last/Asake sound (do we have a shorthand for this?)

you rang m’lord?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pvVyHyX2Zg
Olamide • We Outside

The Omah lay has been on constant rotation, it's my favorite release behind Rema this year, and I'm constantly returning to 'Soso' and 'Never Forget'. They're both lighter than air as well as grave and murky. Nigerian pop really likes to use inebriation as romantic metaphor for alienation, youthful doubt, fear of being numb.

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

Well, surely not just metaphor, I'm sure they like their drink a little too much

aiui palm wine is pretty important to Igbo and Yoruba culture, and it figures in their folklore and more contemporary culture (e.g., Amos Tutuola). Most relevantly there is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm-wine_music

Omah is more of a cognac guy tho

lol sure I just meant stuff like this and Joeboy's "Sip" might be tying more into traditional themes than you'd expect (or not, sorry if I'm 'splaining here)

rob be sipsplaining

Tekno has got his groove back (thank you, Kiss!) and it’s a joy to behold:

“After Party”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aDjFAWJzB4

also a nice new twist on the anthemic chorus line thing

Since the UK afro thread is not the most active, I might as well post this here.
We've been enjoying playing this, and for once, the French feat is good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHLesr_8Y0Q
NSG & MHD - In Da Car

“In Da Car” is some good shit!
besides 4Play, there’s two boss Dutch producers involved in that one: Diztortion and Spanker.

if you’re looking for a super cho French rap feature, look no further than this one, one of my crucial 2022 jams:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lp9clJSB7E
Aya Nakamura ft. Damso • Dégaine

(I’m cheating of course, this one being French on French)

meanwhile, the latest boy (Spyce is sooo old news) from the House of Mavin, Bayanni, just dropped his 4-track debut EP.

single “Body” is good (love the strings!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXh-McyVOvw

…but my favourite here is the lewd “Ta Ta Ta”, which has drill bass and suitable murky production:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn3L_HbcrpA

I've been really really really enjoying "Girlfriend" by Ruger and "I'm A Mess" by Omah Lay recently. So much great music in this thread.

Oooh, Aya Nakamura and Damso! Two faves, one track.

I’ve never felt comfortable posting (South African) piano in this thread, but I’m hoping this poll I created might get the amapiano party started again on ILM, because we’re seriously logging… lagging behind. here’s your invitation - I hope you will all participate:

drowning in a blissful ocean of log drums and keys: 🎹🎹 amapiano a-z 🎹🎹 an ilm poll

Asake album out, and no, it’s not called Haters Gonna Hate

haven’t listened to it yet, this is just a public service announcement. pbuy!

The album sounds really right and good. 30 minutes! Organise is an early fave but there are more.

Tight not right but ok

- - Whitney Houston

Lol!

Wow, I love the flow of this.

yeah the Asake sounded great to me too, a really fascinating project. From one angle, it doesn't deviate from the formula at all. But it explores every possible corner of it, and since there's barely a breath between tracks—and quite a few end very abruptly—it almost comes across like a single-song suite

i'm also digging the asake, agreed that it flows very well. there's enough differences between the tracks that it isn't monotonous though. i particularly like "nzaza" and the particularly amapiano-flavored "sunmomi"

I love the Asake more and more. I might just be a bit out of the loop on afropop, but it's one of the most inventive and new-sounding albums I've heard all year, from anywhere? It's as if he loves the thing on amapiano-albums where one beat morphs into another so much that he wouldn't wait 6-7 minutes for each one, and therefore turned everything into 2-3 minute sketches. And on top of that is the usual 'organic' instrumentation, but instead of the usual jazzy sound there's a gospel choir and that wonderful rustic violin, which really ties the album together. It feels a bit much to call it 'deconstructed amapiano', but it does feel a lot like all those British artists adjacent to the dance-scenes, taking sounds and ideas and turning them into weird personal projects. Like PinkPantheress or something.

It's great to listen to, and a lot of fun to think about as well.

Yay, Asake album is lush

Somewhat reticent profile of Asake: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/asake-afrobeats-new-album-mr-money-with-the-vibe-1234588970/

Tbh a Magicsticks profile might be more revealing (not that I have any idea how they collaborate)

Anyone watched the Afrobeats documentary series? On Netflix, at least in Canada

hey, did you know we had a trend going on?

http://thenativemag.com/asake-davido-anthemic-chants/

I shall have no qualms posting Amapiano in this thread (there's a nice spectrum here after all).

Mbosso from Tanzania has a nice track with Costa Titch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKWey2e8NY0
Mbosso Feat. Costa Titch & Phantom Steeze - Moyo

Going back to SA, very chill amapiano "ballad" here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErB9HJU2vOk
K.O feat Young Stunna & Blxckie - SETE

Nomfundo Moh still in her space but I don't mind a romantic duo with Kwesta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnrWXf5yuU8
Nomfundo Moh feat. Kwesta - Sibaningi

And finally, afrobeats-wise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ommOZ_493yU
Mr Eazi - Personal Baby

asake album is really lovely but i wish he let the songs breathe a little they're so short & he definitely has enough ideas to carry them a bit longer

the occasional amapiano beat makes it particularly fascinating, a 2 minute amapiano track just seems perverse

Much as I am loving the proliferation of amapiano, I am starting to get (only slightly) concerned that quite so many artists within and without SA are taking on the sound to the point where everyone has to have at least one amapiano song in their repertoire (usually a lot more)

you can spare yourself your ever so slight concern trolling - that ship has long sailed.

this is from a year ago already:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rphoHc0JLU

and as Davido said in an earlier incarnation of this phenomenon, it’s The Sound!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVNPkCI-ytY

Nowadays I feel like the Amapiano export industry is where all the creative potential is. I especially appreciate it when it's really well integrated and subtle. Compared to the deep and hard sound that tends to be crushed under its own dark gravitas and sluggish block structure (Felo le Tee, another 3-hour album by KdS). The core sound is a little behind. I will still lend an ear to Busta 929, Focalistic, but I haven't even listened to the aforementioned KDS, couldn't get into the new Mr Jazziq at all, I find myself skipping and getting tired, too many songs are absorbed in that opaque internal space, that inner conversation. So I get the Amapiano fatigue and I've been wondering when the next sound is due.

Part of my own fatigue is the exacting challenge of finding songs from Spotify though.

thanking you for rating an album you haven’t even listened to, very useful information.

it’s a great album by the way, can’t be mentioned enough

Lol, I will eventually get to it, if only out of loyalty to the artist. I was just pointing to the obvious that artists going deep into the rabbit hole may discourage even original fans of the sound, and widen the divide between the DJ-side and the pop-side, which feels more vital and interesting right now. There's something for each listener though, I just don't have the dedication to line up 100-minutes+ albums, and I think KDS can take a little blame for this excess.

I've always tried to keep up and posted Amapiano in our threads, so please don't get mad at me breastcrawl :)

I found this tune by a new Canadian artist in an Apple Music R&B playlist. Very distinct amapiano influence.

https://open.spotify.com/track/68qSx0qS9nfVm4X0wFIBx1?si=up-UF1tpQuS2uvoiaEdKJQ

According to this, it's not so much influence as intentionally trying to make ama: https://www.onscenemagazine.com/home/news/music/2022822-luna-elle-is-crazy-off-love-for-her-amapiano-debut

Oh right! Fascinating.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but what's most interesting about the genre's spread is there isn't really a particularly prominent artist or track leading the wave, right? Unlike afrobeats' slow rise to prominence, which was punctuated by both one-off hit singles and artists like Wizkid and BB consistently releasing tracks & albums, making guest appearances, having mediocre US/UK features on their songs, Drake taking an interest, etc.

on second thought, I gather this might be somewhat different in Europe?

That track/artist will surely come along. But you’re right. It seems to spread in an… organic sort of way. As much as I enjoy current SA amapiano though, I am a bit frustrated that so little of it seems to be at all concerned with the genre’s pop potential - if only because someone outside SA looks set to be the one or ones spearheading the movement globally. Looking at the Apple Music London charts today, Oxlade’s Ku Lo Sa is number one (!) while Asake and Burna Boy dominate the list. Which is great. But seeing a “real” amapiano track in the mix would be awesome.

From the little time I've spent in SA, Amapiano is played as is on the radio and blasted in some popular restaurants / taverns / shops, public space, and obviously in clubs. Afrobeats has relatively little penetration and influence, since SA produces so much music of its own, it's there but a little further in the global periphery. The pop side is already well covered between the gentler house, hip hop, the gospel type of stuff. At its core, Amapiano remains dance music from the lokshin, an underground culture, much like Gqom was.

Of course. I’d just like to see some of the originators get a little of the crossover action that must surely be on its way.

I think amapiano succeeds in part by playing the long game

Africa’s most out there music festival (afaik) is blossoming and Museveni’s government doesn’t like it:

https://thequietus.com/articles/32062-uganda-s-government-issues-guidelines-for-nyege-nyege-festival

wow…

This just made my year 🤍🌴🦅 pic.twitter.com/eQsNHwAIa2

— Ozedikus Nwanne 💯 (@ozedikus) September 17, 2022