rolling Afropop / Afrobeats / Afrodance 2019

GreyC • Sere:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWp7aDX0-90
(produced by Killertunes, who’s been pretty quiet this year, so far)

Always time for the elder Apata sister:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5SWYkPVNKw
Reminisce ft. Niniola • Jensimi

ANOTHER MASSIVE BURNA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so4dgTRaWFk
Burna Boy • Anybody

(the low-key lush production is by Rexxie, who’s moving up a level here)

(video is top notch too)

Question for rob: did you ever check out the Santi album?

Burna is seriously in the zone this year. Imagine if Location was all him and no Dave?

Dang, bad timing on my part getting super busy the past few weeks--this thread is overflowing!

I did listen to the first six tracks on Mandy & the Jungle. As at least one other poster mentioned, "RX-64" was the highlight, even better than "Sparky" imo. I just listened to and loved "Baby, Are You Coming," so I'll queue up Mandy again, it's pleasant listening for sure. That said, I'm much more curious about wrapping my ears around this amapiano thing, so I'm not sure how long I'll stick with Santi.

As I was about to post in the other thread: that Burna song is awesome! Listening to Dangote for the tenth time the other day, I only just realized how much he sounds like Fela on that--in a good way, not like he's derivative, more that his singing has stepped up a level in terms of being fiery and expressive. I'm pleased "Anybody" seems to be continuing in that vein.

oh also wanted to say thanks for posting that Mayorkun & Kizz song "True"--that's a jam. They can throw back to kiSS daniel all they want :)

btw the Wizkid feature on the new Goldlink album is worth checking out / add to the "Wizkid, put out an album pleeeease" file

alright, I didn't make it to the end of the Santi album. I liked bits of it, but for my taste, the lack of drama/grit in his voice + the lack of drama/grit in the production = soporific.

Switch up either half of that equation and I think you'd have something more special. Case in point: the Juls song "Maayaa" that longneck posted is very nice. Also, virtually all of the guest vocals stood out more for me than Santi's, and I kept wishing someone more expressive or eccentric was singing. otoh, he's got something or I wouldn't have thought about it this much.

Thanks for reporting back, rob. Feeling you about the Santi. Does this have the drama/grit you’re looking for?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWyAjHV_nmU
Mojo ft. prettyboyDO • Chop Life Crew

New Tshegue EP, first and last tracks are bangers:
https://ekleroshock.bandcamp.com/album/telema

“True” is nice enough, but between it, “What If I Say”, the new Fireboy DML...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YgTEm_-i4U

...and the current Sheeran/Bieber thing, I have Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls” in my head way too often these days.

Not unrelated:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp6xej5xWfs
Joeboy • Baby

(this song is big in East African countries as well)

Oh, and there’s a new Maleek Berry, “Flashy”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gjuJZ4hTxc

(He was on Jimmy Fallon last week, performing “Zulu Screams” with GoldLink)

Thanks for the Tshegue heads-up, Jordan! I added both “Solola” and “The Wheel” to this thread’s Spotify playlist. I think I liked “M’Benga Bila” best on first listen.

The Kizz Daniel track I do wholeheartedly like now has a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgu-QlgKJts
Kizz Daniel • Eko

There really is no escaping Kizz, is there?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPhct2qvzcQ

Young John ft. Tiwa Savage & Kizz Daniel • Ello Baby

Loving this ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzGhYfL5LII
Gigi Lamayne - Fufa (Official Music Video) ft. King Monada

That one is great, so much good stuff coming out of South Africa.

I love this song, fantastic beat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP2wMOFuXp4

Makhadzi ft. Master KG • Tshikwama

And this slower-placed one too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XusdWegEXvA

Aubrey Qwana ft. DJ Tira • Ngaqonywa (Remix)

Amapianoing to perfection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeJeRmHZtrg

Jungle Beats • Sapha Lonto

Rema interview on pitchfork: https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/rema-is-leading-the-next-generation-of-nigerian-pop-interview/

I'll admit I'm a little shook by his "afrobeats is old/for old people" view

Probably checks out with most people on this thread lol

But Rema has certainly blown up when these demos/freestyles are topping the charts.

Things you were shockingly old when you learned, Afropop version:

D’Prince is Don Jazzy’s younger brother.

People who have obviously written their own Wikipedia entry, Afropop version:

D’Prince.

Lol. I think I actually knew that at one point. I will always love D'Prince for this album cover.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71zZfoio4AL._SS500_.jpg

Packing hits like ”Take Banana” and ”Goody Bag”, he did not fail to capture my attention with that one, yeah.

I mean, those are hits!

Explicitly so!

Nini de catching a Kel P vibe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFthwLOqUe8

Niniola • Boda Sodiq

Did you notice this? The new 8-song album by J Balvin & Bad Bunny features one track featuring Mr Eazi, produced by Legendury Beatz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcwEyLhwL54

Btw according to Burna Boy's tweets Anybody track was produced by p2jmusic not Rexxie

“Como Un Bebé”: Yeah, that one’s a nice surprise and a bop to boot. I posted it on the Soca/Caribbean pop thread as yet another example of Afro-Caribbean cross-pollination.

“Anybody”: Thanks for clearing that up. When the song dropped some outlets (including OkayAfrica) were reporting Rexxie had produced it, but it was a bit strange, because a) it didn’t really sound like him b) his tag wasn’t there and c) he didn’t mention it on his Twitter - so this makes sense. P2J also produced “Zulu Screams”, I didn’t know!

Starting to feel Iron Man *almost* as much as Dumebi.

How do you like the non-Sarz Niniola, longneck? I think Kel P provided her with a great beat.

I’ve only listened once. My first reaction: hey, this is pretty good for a non-Sarz Niniola track!

lol, accurate

http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=7TMrCktOmmE

where (and how) the magic happened

my YouTube is weak these days...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TMrCktOmmE

^^
where (and how) the magic happened

Nice.

Spectacularly good new gqom:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_R_AOhzPx4
Material Culture ft. King Lee • Ngenzan

Their whole Skhothane EP is wild.
File next to Angola’s Os Santiegos, I suppose. Same setup: four dancers/chanters working with a beatmaker. Shame they don’t have videos for these tracks**. Also - imagine Busiswa working (with) these beats!

**(but this is them last year, dancing to King Lee’s amazing “Street Fight”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRwO1ie-LhQ)

AmaPiano fortissimo:

https://youtu.be/0N2fID9FpZQ

Vusinator ft. Soso & Killa • Gigabyte (also known as “Gigaba”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N2fID9FpZQ

That beat is everything.

Can’t wait to hear what NaijaPiano is going to sound like.

Noticed too late to attend that Kizz Daniels was in DC Friday night. Folks on twitter said he was likely just singing over tracks

Sweet stuff, taking off across Africa. But he’s (Nigerian-)American, so who knows, a potential US hit, post-“Fall”?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7oo1QmZ1ec
Rotimi • Love Riddim

Digging the new Adekunle Gold, “Kelegbe Megbe (Know Your Level)”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MucSft25l6I

The new Diamond Platnumz... “bangs” is not the right word, it rocks and it rolls perhaps, but either way it’s great. Fantastic production.
(and 4 million YT views within a week? that’s huge) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBWdmypdkYI

Diamond Platnumz • Kanyaga

I’m so happy there’s a new Malumz on Decks album. Lots of great groovy SA house jams (although the first two tracks may not be the strongest), including two remixes of “Shayi’number”. This is one of my favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Caf5HbibuVo
Malumz on Decks ft. Indlovukazi • Cwebetela

(btw, on Spotify the album (which is titled Find Your Way) is m/l hidden in the Compilations section of the Malumz on Decks artist page - all the more confusing as their debut album, The Journey from 2017, has been reuploaded as a 2019 release in the regular Albums section)

I fixed the date on The Journey and the album type on Find Your Way...

Thanks Glenn, great job!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SldyCVP02VM
ZERO12SFINEST ft THAMAGNIFICENT2 -Baby are you coming (Official Video)