Rolling Afrobeats / Afropop 2016

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

omg "koffi anan"

as an aside, I feel like a lot of new Kwaito is referencing Mandoza over Oskido & TKZee and others, which is a nice if only slightly different direction for the genre, which come to think perhaps is causing the GQOM reaction, but I'm not in Durban and couldn't really say.

but this old Mandoza track feels more current than it would have last year...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqkVq3u4_fY

Yes, it's him again! Eez Young John d wicked producer: Dammy Krane ft. Olamide "Solo":

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

Yes!

Miscellaneous Naija offerings:

Fun track, lots of great sounds in the mix: Skiibii "Sampu"

Real banger, and again, this track just SOUNDS so good: Mella ft. P-Square "Ginger"

New Patoranking "Another Level"

Humblesmith ft. Davido "Osinachi (Remix)". I posted the original (with Phyno) last year. Thanks to this remix it has now blown up big time.

Girl power: DJ Lambo ft. Cynthia Morgan, Seyi Shay & Eva "The Motion"

Indulge me while I post some Ghanaian alkayida variations:

Sherry Rose ft. Liwin & Flint Stone "Tumbin Giiwa"

Kwabena Kwabena "Tuamudaa"

Dobble "Otan Hunu"

Strongman ft. Kesse "Mene Woaa"

Trigmatic ft. Stonebwoy "Gbedu"

I cheated, those last two aren't alkayida, but they're very Ghanian and very good nonetheless.

And you know, feel free to discuss. People seem to think this thread is too quiet for them to participate in it. Then again, don't discuss too much, it might scare off people from participating in it. (my takeaway from the Rolling threads Spotify playlists discussion elsewhere)

Turns out I've been seriously sleeping on Simi's "Open And Close":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hk0MDGH0J8

Just popping in to mention that Tiwa's album is finally on spotify and Tidal. I'm enjoying it.

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 ...

― etc, Sunday, January 31, 2016 7:30 PM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I was in the room when she shot this video... she's just the coolest fuckin person, extremely humble and down to earth. i was shooting a little minidoc on Afrobeats/Naijapop and got the chance to spend a little time with her. the way she relates with journos is A+ ... very professional and warm. im rooting for her

spent a lot of time with Ice Prince, curious if people here are still interested in checking for dude or not, i wasn't a huge fan of Trash Can but 'mutumina' hits. I shot a great show he put on with the rest of Choc Boys, Timaya, and Sarkodie in Jos, looking forward to putting together a cut

I always felt like Ice Prince was one of the least interesting rappers qua rappers. He does have a few nice songs though.

agreed his pure rapping is not very good, but he's had some strong songs. 'whiskey' and 'gimme dat' are jams, and obv oleku is what it is

Def feel like this deserved more love than it got

http://youtu.be/jPNy1zE99rA

http://www.thefader.com/2016/02/18/davido-cover-story-interview

Wow.

really does feel like 2016s primed for a serious crossover to happen

"Mutumina" is okay, but Ice Prince doesn't do much for me in general. I mean, "Oleku" was one of the first Naija songs I fell in love with, it's a classic, but what makes it special is Brymo's hook. "Gimmie Dat" is a jam, and so is last year's "Boss", but I liked that one for its Tekno-ness first and foremost.
Unkyoka, how do you like Yemi's "Koffi Anan"? Is there a video for it in the works?

The Tiwa up on Spotify includes the bonus tracks, so I *finally* got to hear the track with Wizkid. It ain't half "bad", but as male/female Wizzy duets go, the best by far remains "Oh Baby" with Efya. Also possibly the only time he was out-hooked by a singing partner ever. Is this why he decided to leave it off the Ayo album?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKNC3zxz-Vw

Legendury Beatz ft. Efya & Wizkid "Oh Baby"

Oooh, just noticed that Davido post. Reading now.

Nothing afrobeats about it, but as an older guy, I found this quote amusing:

"There was no Snapchat, no Instagram. There was barely Twitter,” he says. “I just went off the radar.”

Wow at Davido and Wizkid's kiss-and-make-up performance, fucking amazing. Had totally missed that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsNC2qaCamw

Interesting piece. Just hope he will drop that album soon (the details in the article are vague), and that, with Sony's backing, he can make some serious waves. But: back in 2012, Sony signed a deal with D'banj as well, and basically nothing happened. Davido's ambition seems to be becoming the African alternative to Jeremih, and the Sony guy is looking at an African "Cheerleader". But this music deserves to be heard worldwide as more than just another novelty. I'm not getting my hopes up, it's very hard for any musical genre that's perceived as exotic to get a real foothold within the Western musical sphere, especially when its rhythms are so different - Jamaican music being the glorious exception obviously.

Not sure about the glorious bit. People like Vybz Kartel, Busy Signal and Popcaan are hardly the household names they should be.

Anyway, I've been playing Mella's Ginger a lot lately. Strong tune. I'm also enjoying this remix of LK Kuddy's With You, featuring Wizkid and Yung6ix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Y1DKdomjA

Not sure about the glorious bit. People like Vybz Kartel, Busy Signal and Popcaan are hardly the household names they should be.

I couldn't agree more, but I'm talking about the permanent place Jamaican music in general (ska > reggae > dancehall) has acquired within the fabric of Western pop music over the past decades. It's still a very modest position, but something African music can only a dream of.

(Popcaan is probably a thousand times better known than Davido or Wizkid)

idk if this has been posted or not but fans of afrobeats are likely to enjoy this interview with tony allen
it was interesting to hear him talk about the way his style evolved and he has a lot of quality life advice to boot
(i am not a shill, i just don't post to this thread regularly) http://www.thetrapset.net/052-tony-allen-fela-kuti-afrika-70-solo-artist-rocket-juice-and-the-moon-team/

xpost

True. Mostly because he made an album that somehow crossed over to people who aren't into dancehall though. The people who reviewed or bought his album are hardly checking for his new singles or riddim contributions.

But why isn't SA house bigger than it is? That's a pretty universal sound. It's big, has melodies and lyrics about love and hope and you can dance to it. Its obscurity puzzles me.

They're club tracks though. Their structure and length don't lend themselves well to the charts and to (mainstream) radio play. (Always felt that Busiswa's "Lahla" was just one Rihanna retweet away from blowing up worldwide though).

I believe someone like Prince Kaybee gets played a lot on the radio down there? Going to Cape Town in a couple of weeks so I guess I'll find out what sort of presence this music has down there.

Well yeah, but we were talking about its popularity here, right?

Do report from Cape Town, be interesting to hear!

Maybe you'll hear or see these guys (they're from Jo'burg, I believe):

BIG FKN GUN ft. Bhubesii "Amafilimu":
https://soundcloud.com/big-fkn-gun/amafilimu-featuring-bhubesii

Popcaan and vybez aren't household names but then again neither is Boosie. It's unlikely that any Naija artists are going to really turn into highly visible pop figures (maybe Wiz could have a couple Sean Paul-ish crossover hits), but what would be nice is a recognition that what's happening in Lagos and Accra etc is dynamic and deserves the same respect that dancehall has in most circles of musically woke consumers. Even hardcore record dudes I know who can list the most important dancehall or roots artists still ask me shit like "isn't that stuff just auto tuned dancehall knockoffs?" when I talk naijapop etc. I think it's partly about the intense cultural training we have to see Africa as backwards but that's another discussion. I mean even Fela was niche in his heyday

One of the things I loved about Lagos was how seamless the weaving in and out of trap and charted rap hits into the local fare that you'd hear in clubs and at bars. It felt very organic, and I do partly think there's more room for naijapop to make inroads into US club culture than dancehall. Popcaans record was good but Ayo was better, and much more suited to American club tastes imo.

Otoh maybe it's already happened and the media is just catching on now. Londons full of Afrobeats nights that draw huge crowds and from what I hear so is Brooklyn lately,

I'm a fan of dancehall but I feel like wande coal or Yemi (sometimes) or phyno music is way more exciting and sonically boundary pushing, might just be a preference based on living in its backyard for so long. Either way will be interesting to see if the hypebeast train catches wind and starts paying attention

US rap, R&B and dancehall were sonically a lot closer together during the period in which Sean Paul was blowing up and you literally had the Neptunes making beats for Beenie Man etc so it was all kind of interconnected in a way it isn't now. Other than when a Nigerian artist drops something with a hamfisted trap beat there isn't a great deal of crossover. And it's not like there are many dancehall artists having international hits right now.

I fully expect someone to eventually turn up from either Nigeria or Ghana and make a shitload of money but international sounds need to be aligned first - London club music can drift a lot closer to this stuff, and there's going to be a consistently large level of expat interest, especially in London. D'Banj was supposed to be that guy (like he was literally hanging out with Kanye West) but that obviously didn't happen. Fuse ODG came up from London and had genuine hits and consistent Radio 1 airplay but I don't think he was ever going to be a particularly durable pop star. Naija pop in particular is easier to turn into actual pop than dancehall is, it's far from impossible to imagine a particularly melodic song going supernova either by accident or design - if it's the latter then the right figure just needs to come along.

Three from London:

MoeLogo "Pénkéle"

Ezi Emela "Voicemail"

Mazi Chukz ft. Maleek Berry "Dem Hail"

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