Rolling Afrobeats / Afropop 2016

Not completely sold on the Tiwa Savage album yet. She always struck me as a very instinctual performer - going in and finding JUST the right groove on a track. But on this one she sounds a bit... uninspired? And the musicality of the production seems to be trying to take our attention off that fact? Idk. Maybe I need to listen more.

I like the Tiwa album fine. Find myself coming back to the Dr Sid duet the most:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0icSGP7nI

Tiwa Savage ft. Dr Sid "If I Start To Talk"

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/12510354_1094013080641206_6560921050425908673_n.jpg?oh=4e45da27083e33c028393309f08cb6b6&oe=5745632F

Village Voice Critics poll of nearly 500 critics on 2015--

Am hoping I missed some votes, but maybe I did not--

As for afropop, I cast the sole track vote for Nigerian Wizkid's "Ojuelegba " ...I haven't looked to see what other afropop cuts or albums made it

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, January 13, 2016 3:44 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

two votes for South African track-- Heavy K (ft. Tresor), Give Me Luv

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, January 13, 2016 3:50 PM (4

Wizkid jumped on Good Time:

https://soundcloud.com/afrobeat360/kiss-daniel-good-times-wizkid-version

This is pretty cool - Major League DJz feat. Riky Rick, Cassper Nyovesst & Danger - Zulu Girls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4Blry0FHqo

Wizkid did his own version of (Jamie xx's) "Good Times" as well:
https://soundcloud.com/hwing_net/wizkid-good-times-remix

"Final (Baba Nla)" has him back at no 1 in Nigeria. Here's the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srwAd1iR5qI

(I want that white shirt with black/grey front he's wearing!)

The new Reekado Banks is very pretty: "Oluwa Ni (Wemi You)":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXS0Qag1j4o

More from Naija:

Good track: Jesse Jagz ft. Ice Prince "Jaga Love":
https://soundcloud.com/olaniyiericson/jesse-jagz-jaga-love-feat-ice-prince-officialjfkblogspotcom

Loving this one a lot:
https://soundcloud.com/bigklef/big-klef-x-meaku-x-eddy-kenzo-feel-it-prod-by-jopee
BigKlef ft. Meaku & Eddy Kenzo "Feel It".

Not new, but it's amazing (great video too): QDot ft. Olamide "Ibadan", produced by Antras.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRZNZZZ8d38

Anyone know more about this style? According to a YouTube commenter this is "a Yoruba penkele/faaji beat". Is there a connection to fuji music?

Also from 2014, and also produced by Antras: Jhybo Rapwoli ft. QDot "Baba Alaye":
https://soundcloud.com/lekanpizzazz/baba-alaye-classicnaija

QDot x Antras have some real jams: "Question (Ibere)":
https://soundcloud.com/nigerian-hip-hop/q-dot-question-prod-by-antras

Their (most?) recent collaboration, "Alhaji":
http://tooxclusive.com/downloadmp3/qdot-alhaji-prod-by-antras/

One of my new year's resolutions was to pay more attention to Ghana. So far, so good:

M3dal ft. EL "Krom Ay3 D3":
https://soundcloud.com/medal233/krom-ay3-d3-by-m3dal-ft-el

DJ Sawa ft. Ephraim, Nero X & Opanka "Blessings":
https://soundcloud.com/deejay-sawa/dj-sawa-blessings-ft-ephraim-nero-x-opanka-prod-by-eyoh-soundboy

Mr Eazi "Sample You" (love those synth strings!):
https://soundcloud.com/guilty-beatz/mr-eazi-sample-you-prod-by-guiltybeatz

DJ Breezy ft. Papa Kojo "Boys Dey Town (Boys Wo Krom)":
https://soundcloud.com/djbreezybeat/boys-dey-townprodby-dj-breezy

Atom ft. Jhunea "Y3 Wo Krom":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WogAoIFaDq4

Ghana, Sophomore City: two big new albums:

E.L has finally come up with a followup to 2012's Something Else, it's called E.L.O.M. He dropped several rap mixtapes in the meantime, but this is him in all-round entertainer mode again.

I like this one a lot: "Mi Na Bi Po":
https://open.spotify.com/track/6GGGf5X6JAwDVoG7tr8QRQ
https://soundcloud.com/elrepgh/mi-naa-bo-po-el

"Koko" has a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6KHY_QJQII

…and two years after ThanksGiving, highlife singer Bisa Kdei releases BreakThrough. (Its pretty short, just 10 tracks, compared to E.L's 19). Perfect reason to repost current smash "Brother Brother":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3BO-2b8IdQ

Loving these posts. Following the mainstream stuff is pretty easy thanks to shazam, africharts and the digital sales chart, but stuff like this easily flies beneath my radar.

Let's hear it for East Africa:

From Kenya: Bizy K ft. Susumila "Tam Utam":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQeZJ8yqAp0

This one's been around all last year, from Zambia: Roberto "Ama-Rulah":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBloeWs7N1I

Wizkid's Oje finally has a video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5ywBFBuJps

Wow! That feels like validation for this awesome jam. It was my favorite 2014 track, along with "Pooley" and "2 On", and I've never understood why Legendury Beatz and Wizkid squandered it the way they did.

As I wrote back then:
While we're on the Naija House tip: How is it even possible that Legendury Beatz & Wizkid's Oje (posted two months ago) has not blown up by now? Why did Wizkid give that track it away? It's better than all the new tracks on Ayo.
― breastcrawl, zaterdag 22 november 2014 19:10 (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

PS: They should go all the way now, and release a 6-minute extended version for it. Would be a long overdue first for Naija.

Gotta love the blurb, I think they used it back then too:

"Dance Music has been re-modified with an African Twist by the Kings of AFROBEAT: Legendury Beatz who have created the club anthem "Ojé (feat. Wizkid)." The collaborative effort between Wizkid and Legendury Beatz is always a Club Banger however The perfection and fusion of sound is beyond our ability to articulate in a way that does "Ojé" Justice. ''Oje" is here to take over the dance floors across the world."

It somehow true though, and I do hope it will take over those dancefloors.

btw, I tried to make a Young John playlist in spotify - if you see anything that's missing but available in spotify, please let me know.

Good idea! I've been actually keeping one myself. It has a handful more tracks (or is that a country-specific issue?), hard to see which ones they are at the moment (I only have access to Spotify mobile right now). Guess I should have made it public earlier, would have saved you the trouble, but here it is now: eez the other YOUNG JOHN d wicked producer playlist.

A lot of them were greyed out but I found a few I'd missed, so thanks!

It does look like it's gonna be a Young John 2016 too!

A star-studded remix for the 2015 hit that never was (#20 on my tracks ballot):
Sexy Steel ft. Olamide & Tekno "Sisi (Remix)"
http://tooxclusive.com/downloadmp3/sexy-steel-sisi-remix-ft-tekno-olamide/

But really it's all about this one - that bubbly bass! DJ Kentalky ft. Lil Kesh "Blessings":
https://soundcloud.com/olaniyiericson/dj-kentalky-officialjfkblogspotcom-ft-lil-kesh-blessings

you guys hear davido apparently just signed some huge deal w/ sony

Yeah I saw that -hope something good will come out of it.

This - Dj Maphorisa's Soweto Baby, was posted in late 2015 but since it just now got an official release and is available in Spotify I'm posting it again in here so forks can include it in this year's playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaYJbNkIrNk

Guessing it will become a hit somewhere in Africa this year.

Even more Young John - who even got to be in the video for this: Stringz' Grace feat Buckwylla. Love those harmonies!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR1KMN4oRv0

damn this thread is awesome. i wasn't expecting afrobeats / afropop to soundtrack my snowstorm 2016

been listening to these two from the tail end of 2015 a lot

SPHEctacula and DJ Naves ft Professor - KOTW ANTHEM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28XsElSWQxE

L'vovo Derrango ft. Mampintsha - Next Better Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtVUhSz9wCY

feel like kwaito got heavier in December 2015, and it sounds damn great to me.

also - breastcrawl that DJ Kentalky track you posted upthread is sick

Yeah the KOTW Anthem was posted in the last thread but it's such a fantastic track I'm glad it made it into this one as well. "Ya-y dis-co liiiiiiiights!" is just about the only thing I understand in there, but honestly, it's more than enough.

E.L UPDATE:

My actual favourite on the ELOM album is this glitterball of a track with Efya: "On And On":

YouTube link
Spotify link

…and a big Woof! to the L'vovo!

'soweto bb' was on my year end list

4 x New Naija, pt. 1:

Skuki promised us a Young John joint, but okay, Masterkraft will do for now: "Zero Competition":
https://soundcloud.com/skukiofficial/skuki-zero-competition

4 x New Naija, pt. 2:

Understated party track by Kiss Daniel label mate Sugarboy, "Hola Hola":
https://soundcloud.com/gworldwideent/sugarboy-hola-hola

4 x New Naija, pt. 3:

Is Naija's no 1 female rapper finally blowing up? Eva (Alordiah) ft. Phyno & Reminisce "Kanayo"…

…& her dog (track starts at 1:38):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTyWwNDjZ3o

full track: https://soundcloud.com/eva-alordiah/kanayo-eva-alordiah-ft-phyno-x-reminisce

4 x New Naija, pt. 4:

2Baba (=2Face Idibia) ft. Phyno & Chief Obi "Coded Tinz":
https://soundcloud.com/hypertek-digital/2baba-coded-tinz-ft-phyno-x-chief-obi

3 x Francophonique, part 1:

New Reniss: "La Sauce".
https://soundcloud.com/new-bell-music/reniss-la-sauce-prod-by-le-monstre

3 x Francophonique, part 2:

Los Grumos "Baa W33". Are they French-Ghanian?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKs4fuXDPzc

3 x Francophonique, part 3:

From last year's thread, now an actual hit in La France: Franko's "Coller la petite".

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

This is where Naija soaks up the Ghanian alkayida beat and starts doing its own things with it:

Phyno "Ezege (Wickedest)", as produced by Del B:
https://soundcloud.com/dj_kbs/phyno-ezege-wickedest-prod-delb

and, holy fuck!,...

Yemi Alade "Koffi Anan", as produced by PhilKeyz:
https://soundcloud.com/dj_kbs/yemi-alade-koffi-anan-prod-phil-keyz

Yeah! Been having Koffi Anan on repeat all day!

Fucking loved this last yr, just got a video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vSXgEQ-ou8

Pretty wild stuff:

Zoro ft. Flavour "Ogene" (produced by KezyKlef & Major Bangz):

https://soundcloud.com/freemedigital/zoro-ogene-ft-flavourv

Really wild stuff!

Serge Beynaud "Mawa Naya":

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

the full dance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0INE56HQewg

Yemi Alade's "Johnny" is truly a joy! I feel that with the right push it could be an international hit, it's got the video for it too.

― breastcrawl, vrijdag 4 april 2014 23:10 (2 months ago)

I guess Yemi got that idea too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op6te9u2IFU

Not sure if Google Translate-ing your lyrics and not having anyone checking your pronunciation (I mean, "fakon" for "façon"?) is the way to go though…

― breastcrawl, Saturday, 7 June 2014 20:10 (1 year ago)

She's just released a Swahili version of "Na Gode" with a video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_7fy-UiHfM

Found via http://www.chickabouttown.com/kenya-gets-hat-tip-in-swahili-version-of-yemi-alade-na-gode/ , after I'd been mildly obsessed with Franko's "Coller la Petite" (heard it a bunch in Xiaobei clubs last year but never twigged the title) and found Biche's translations/annotations on the Camfranglais lyrics helpful: http://www.chickabouttown.com/franko-coller-la-petite-lyrics-with-english-translation/ ... oh, and despite Yemi's debut being a bit of a disappointment, Mama Africa's a promising title ...

Didier Drogba!

http://www.jewanda-magazine.com/2015/10/video-coller-la-petite-meme-didier-drogba-et-mokobe-ny-resistent-pas/

Sugarboy's vid for "Hola Hola" just dropped. Loving this sly banger more every day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYyk98g7UKo

Brand new video for Qdot's "Ibere (Question)" as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-qndheV038

some definite killer trax on here; i immediately gravitated to 'Koffi Anan' and 'Soweto Baby'

playlist updated, will check back in a month

Rolling Afrobeat & Afropop Thread 2016 Spotify Playlist

merci beaucoup, forks!

been loving Soweto Baby as well, great song.

just heard this one yesterday from Tanzanian (via Uganda), very sweet song, I like it a lot already

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

only just realised there was an eva alordiah album this year! loved "kanayo", gonna go in

love babes wodumo's sound but like the heavy-k album (and lots of house-adjacent genres) it's not really an albums thing - every track is worthwhile but listening to them as an album isn't the best way to do it

what are ppl's afropop lists of this year? (also, what are we calling it? both davido and yemi alade seemed to veer away from "afrobeats" when i talked to them, in part precisely because of the confusion with afrobeat; davido calls it afrofusion, yemi calls it afropolitan)

the djs ive talked to prefer 'afropop' which makes the most sense to me...separates it from like south african house qua house while accepting that as an influence directed more toward 3-4 min pop songs

everyone ive talked to say afrobeats was a way of selling it in the uk & also tends to lump together very difft genres as if they were one genre... i think maybe afrobeats could be seen as synonymous with a bigger umbrella around 'modern african music all-inclusive' where afropop is pop songs derived from older genres (dancehall, house, highlife or w/e). I think this thread tends to center around afropop while often incorporating records that are outside that (south african house for ex) but typically in relation to afropop as a center

@lex

Actually, I play them both as albums and it works just fine. However, my wife got me the Babes CD in SA and it seems as though Amatsegetsege is really the bonus track and not the opening track, as it seems to be on streaming services.

Anyway, when i was in Cape Town in March, the SA people I spoke with seemed to think Black Coffe was (deep) house while Heavy-K was afropop and Shumaya was kwaito 2.0, so it all seems to be a bit relative. I think afropop covers most of it, for the reasons given by deej, mostly.

Here's a list. Choosing Diana over Pana seems weird as hell to me, but what do I know?
http://pulse.ng/buzz/pulse-list-2016-top-20-nigerian-songs-of-2016-id5889409.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=Autofeed#link_time=1481653517

I always just stick with afropop (i don't write about music or anything so not like i am doing this in any way other than conversation), but like the DJs D-40 mentioned, unless i am talking about the specifics of a genre i always just call it Afropop. Kinda like the idea of Afropolitan though.

otoh, i think these are my favourites from this year, in no real order, sure i am missing a bunch though as this is just off the top of my head (and searching this thread)...

DJ Kentalky ft. Lil Kesh - Blessings
Navy Kenzo - Kamatia
Vicmass Luodollar - Bank Otuch (Remix Ft. OCTOPIZZO)
Nonini ft Jegede - HiiNiYA
Babes Wodumo - Wololo
King Monada - Ska Bhora Moreki
Nyashinski - Mungu Pekee

To me, at least, the defining grace of afropop is the «pop» component, suggesting that this is music that both is and *should* be widely popular, whereas the -beats label kinda sorta suggests that this is a club-centred, more marginal phenomenon. To us that might be where the house component seems to fit in, but I'm guessing Wololo has been blasted from Ubers for months now, and even Davido went with the house drums for his big crossover attempt with Tinashe.

nah i don't think beats is just the marginal stuff, i think '-beats' is basically any contemporary african music regardless of genre or origin

So Davido's output this year basically sucked right?

was also not super impressed w/ burna boy's tape

Pree Me is good. I also liked three of the songs on Davido's EP. None of them are better than The Money, but not much is.

The thing is... I've never heard of afrobeats as a genre marker outside of in a Nigerian/West African context. If you say Afrobeats in SA, they'll just look at you funny. Afropop, they can live with. I'm guessing the same goes for Kenya or any other African country where they make modern sounding popular music.

i think its different between South Africa and the other countries of Africa, Afrobeats & Afropop were used fairly generically when i was in Kenya (granted that was years ago now). But I think that SA has always kinda distanced its musical traditions from the rest of the continent, at least post-apartheid, and stick with there own genre markers because of it. But their pop music gets labelled afropop (for obvious naming convention reasons) so they to live with it.

SA has (obviously) had a different sort of history compared to the other nations of sub-saharan africa and i think their music is one reflection of that.

also i agree on Davido, he was on a steep decline this year.

I should adjust the last line of my earlier post to 'post-colonial history'

Pree Me is good. I also liked three of the songs on Davido's EP. None of them are better than The Money, but not much is.

― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Thursday, December 15, 2016 3:04 AM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

'the money' is like his 9th best single or something though.

I don't disagree with that.

it's funny that the two afropop artists really getting the western push - davido and wizkid - mostly spent 2016 failing to get long-awaited albums out

but something i've always said about genres or scenes is that their health can be measured in how good the b-tier artists are, not the auteurs and stars and a-listers.

I guess the main reason for them not getting albums out is their attempt to breach the western markets and not quite figuring out how. Your point still stands though. .

davido got a project out and it was bad

wizkid spent part of the year appearing on the year's most streamed record. i think they're just being strategic w/ rolling him out, not 'failing'.

Wizkid did try to crossover on his own, though. Remember this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-EUPC7SGaw

It went exactly nowhere.

The weird thing to me is that the crossover moments on Davido's EP, the Tinashe song and the ATL trap joint were the songs I liked the best on it. I had to overcome a bit of initial resistance with regards to the Tinashe joint but it's really pretty good. She overdoes it in the video though.

he released one records where he was a bit player along w/ two singers and a rapper, i don't think that qualifies as an effort to 'cross over.' that wasn't pushed to radio, it didn't get a video

labels monetize 'artist development' now, i'm sure that's all that's happening here

the Davido ep is fine, not bad

the Eva Alordiah album is excellent throughout, dare I say the best afrobeats album of the year that I heard?

Judging from what's been nominated so far we're in for a repeat of no afropop songs placing in the ilx poll because everyone likes different ones; here are mine I guess

1. Mazi Chukz ft. Maleek Berry - Dem Hail
2. Yemi Alade - Koffi Anan
3. Kiss Daniel - Mama
4. Krishane ft. Patoranking - Inconsiderate
5. Tekno - Pana
6. ShiiKane - Loke
7. Kwamz & Flava - Take Over
8. Eva Alordiah ft. Phyno & Reminisce - Kanayo
9. Babes Wodumo ft. Mampintsha - Wololo
10. Young John ft. Lil Kesh - Bend Down Select
11. Mella ft. P-Square - Ginger
12. Serge Beynaud - Remanbélé
13. AY ft. Diamond Platnumz - Zigo (Remix)
14. Stunnah Gee ft. Davido - Dengeme
15. Reniss - La Sauce

yeah, i don't know there was any one song to rally around this year, will probably vote Wololo higher than any other afropop. that said, maybe the Kiss Daniel album in the album poll? I will be voting that one really high, seemed well loved earlier.

kiss daniel is one of my favs this year for sure album wise

kontrol is prob my highest individual song

classixx - whatever I want (young john da wicked producer rmx)

this is so fuckin' good and accesses the actual good song i was certain was buried in the og

i luv "mama," "kontrol," "inconsiderate," "oh yay," sugarboy's "hola hola"

didn't really discuss Uhuru in this thread at all this year, they remained consistent in their appearances though

Jah Prayzah ft Uhuru - Tenge Doro Mdhara Vachauya ---This is a great song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbPpQmfWdmg

Mzee & Rafiki ft Uhuru - Domba ----this is pretty run of the mill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0OtFOI9AIQ

Vee Mampeezy ft Uhuru, DJ Buckz, Mapho ---not amazing but a nice tune, attempts a Y-tjukutja style break at the end, just not as great
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir4oXnXl0Bg

also been listening to this non-uhuru song alot over the last week, pretty love song

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

discovered iray mvmt's soundcloud - seems like a good hub for a lot of the afrobeats stuff emerging in the uk

https://soundcloud.com/iraymvmt

also this ep from a year ago is great!

https://soundcloud.com/dj-pmontana/sets/p-montana-loves-afrobeats

"Mama", "Kofi Anan," & Tiwa Savage "If I Start to Talk" are 3 of my faves

http://www.thenational.ae/arts-life/the-review/from-wizkid-to-shiikane-the-gunpowder-mix-of-afrobeats-is-catching-fire

Nice Lex overview

Dope piece, lex! The Shiikane sisters are actually London based. I recently discovered that we have mutual friends.

Nice piece, Lex, a really good introduction/overview indeed. One tiny correction though: Although Tekno is a very able producer, he has never (so far) produced any of his own singles.  He has only produced songs for other artists (and then often guests on vocals as well) - think Victoria Kimani's "Show", Bracket's "Panya" and Rima's "Feeling You". "Pana" was in fact produced by Krizbeatz, "the Drummer Boy". 

On that note, and with high hopes for 2017:
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7633323/rb-hip-hop-artists-to-watch-in-2017

(You need to scroll down quite a bit, but it's worth it.)

just seen this thread, glad you guys liked the piece. i haven't written much about afrobeats in general bc i think i'm so far from an authority but i had to really cram artists and tracks into that, and excise a lot of others, so i'm going to try to change this in 2017.

any reason tekno hasn't produced his own stuff?

Not sure why Tekno doesn't produce any of his own stuff. Not confident enough? Label policy (DJ Coublon and Selebobo are his labelmates)? Or is he just being smart by keeping things separate? It's rare enough for Nigerian singers to be producers as well to begin with, but Tekno's position seems pretty much unique. Now that he's made it into the big league and an album is in the works it will be interesting to see if there are any self-produced tracks on it.

Our favourite boy's most recent production job:

Stonebwoy ft. Tekno, "Last Station"
https://soundcloud.com/afro-songz/stonebwoy-last-station-ft-tekno

There's a new thread for 2017: rolling afropop / afrobeats 2017

Late but hopefully welcome: playlist for the thread for the year is finalized and closed.

ILM's Rolling Afrobeat & Afropop Thread 2016 Spotify Playlist

It's always welcome, forks. Thanks for the good work!

http://media.giphy.com/media/gFwZfXIqD0eNW/giphy.gif

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5rMfLJKwIE

Although many locals refer to all the new pop in Nigeria as “hip-hop”—even though much of it is not really hip-hop as we know it—the term the local industry folks prefer is “Naija pop.” “Afrobeats” is also used by some, but Ade judges it a term imposed from the outside—a kind of appropriation—and also far too general to have much meaning. Seun Kuti sees a different appropriation here, the adding of an “s” to his father’s genre coinage of the 1970s, and in that, Seun senses a certain “insecurity” among those producing and marketing the new music; he predicts the term Afrobeats will not last long.

http://www.afropop.org/34229/dispatch-from-nigeria-3/

With your permission, let me re-post this on the 2017 thread:
rolling afropop / afrobeats 2017