rolling Afropop / Afrobeats / Afrodance 2019

Nigerian music writer Joey Akan profiles five Naija artists (Blaqbonez, Wavy the Creator, Fireboy DML, Odunsi and Teni) for the New York Times Style Magazine:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/29/t-magazine/nigerian-musicians-fireboy-dml-odunsi-the-engine.html

(I note that, just like in his recent Burna Boy review for The Fader, he uses the term “Afrobeats” for his American audience. Guess we’re stuck with that one)

Been absent here due to major surgery a few weeks back, but saw this: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/world/africa/zimdancehall-the-music-that-moves-zimbabwes-uneasy-streets.html

Probably more appropriate for the dancehall thread, but an interesting read nonetheless...despite the music being a bit meh to my ears, the messages seem urgent, and sometimes that's enough.

Hope you’re doing better, table!

Don’t know much about the Zimbabwean scene, but this was one of my favourite jams of 2017:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFzDqKRb7zc
ExQ ft. Killer T • Nhema

GoogleTranslate told me the lyrics are about haters telling lies. I was going to say it’s hard to read a line like “we are free spirits” as completely nonpolitical, but then I came across this.

:

TNS has the Midas Touch as far as I’m concerned. “My Dali” and “Joburg” (with Mampinthsa) are two of the best tracks of the year. This is his latest - and there’s an album on the way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVRbI2Pjjog
TNS ft. Mpumi • Umona

Nice low-key EP from Blackmagic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5Busrs7LGw
Blackmagic - BM19001

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kzum0bAFZ4
Blackmagic - BM19007

Just heard this on Eazzy's EP:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ8jNU1US2k
Eazzy - Away ft. Medikal

Away is so great

Ghetto love, made in Lagos.

So good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSHff6H5Wxc

AVala • Mo Fe Be

Hugely enjoying the TNS album, Madlokovu: King of African House. All tracks are cut from the same cloth, but it’s such a great sound, so who cares? He’s like Heavy K in that respect, similar penchant for high-drama euphoric rave synths as well.

Choice cut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlmVt4QZhPg
TNS ft. Stunner • My Rules

Oh, and try bonus track “Ayabonga”
for a darker twist, not unlike Mampintsha’s “Joburg”.

Next new Wizkid.

The video for A-Star's "Hypeman" came out a few weeks back. It's his weakest track and also his most WTF video— the Chinese stuff and the happy mugging with the cop kind of gave me a super icked out vibe.

will still stan for "Bogada" being my favorite track of the year, tho.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp5GVn-W5Uk

Bogada is so good. Afrobeats EOY poll anyone?

I'm seeing Nihiloxica tonight as an early birthday fun thing. I'm mad excited

Happy birthday, dog latin! How was/were Nihiloxica?

An Afropop EOY poll would be fun, but I’m not sure we have the numbers for that? How many people would participate, realistically speaking?

They were amazing, quite frankly. As good as you'd expect. Started loud, but were clearly hustling for the first 2-3 songs before bringing out the big guns. Total devastation

Maybe we could do a mini-poll. Get everyone to nominate 3-5 songs each ITT and then poll em in a separate thread?

That could work, I think.

“Dumebi” will doubtlessly score big in any poll format, but here’s Another Banger for yall’s consideration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JrxV6Me604
Rema • Lady

(from his brand new EP, which sounds very good on first listen)

New Reekado is another beauty:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rLSi6m2Ll4
Reekado Banks • Rora

It’s produced by (Along came...) Tuzi, one of my favourite up and coming Naija producers, simultaneously old-school inspired and a little freaky. He’s got one monster hit under his belt already (Skiibii’s “Sensima”), but I also love this non-hit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vW-y6QYt3w
TeeQ Bello • Happy People

More beauty:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3etaIUzTe1o
Buju ft. Zlatan • Spiritual

(This spellbinding song screams for an equally hypnotizing video. Don’t know what’s keeping them)

Loving the new Rema. Lady is the best track but it's all good. He has really found his own style.

digging this ep by kabza de small & dj maphorisa almost as much as its cover lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_5q-MiHF9I

i could be wrong since i still don't follow this stuff anywhere near as much as i'd like to but it seems like pretty much anything dj maphorisa touches is gold lately

Well, make that Kabza. It’s good to see him gettting top billing this time, in a reversal of Scorpion Kings. It’s his sound, not Maphorisa’s.

My favourite track on this is “Nana Thula” with Njelic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBh-oPXY03k

Also, wow at this:
Kabza De Small & DJ Maphorisa ft. Corry Da Groove & Howard • Tears

Amapiano and Larry Heard, one step removed.

And in another overlap with the Sun-El thread, uptempo Samthing sounds great too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1eIvbA_DvE
Muzi ft. Samthing Soweto • Mncane

(from Muzi’s new album Zeno)

Mo’ amapiano:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpD50mJlS_w
Semi Tee ft. Miano & Kammu Dee • Labantwana Ama Uber

Some gqom:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9bGITkIHmM
Sho Madjozi • John Cena

And yes, I will keep stanning for anything TNS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP8FLR4mnxU
Tipcee ft. TNS • Ematarven

Tipcee doing it live.

And since it’s South African Friday: Prince Kaybee’s new Crossover Music EP (Kabza’s title is better lol) is damn good. Stellar SA house.

“Ndimlo” with Nhlanhla Nciza
is the song that’s being pushed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYUGwU888r4

“Monasi” with Indlovukazi might be my favourite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCHjqx_zHcc

Crossover Music is sounding really nice. calling it an EP seems kinda odd though when it's 45 minutes and 8 tracks (counting the Ndimlo edit as a bonus track)

Listening to Yemi Alade Woman of Steel album. Sounds good on first listen, not sure if I hear anything great yet. Need to listen some more

Did you manage to identify a standout track, curmudgeon? I found the Yemi album very underwhelming myself and I never returned to it. Should I?

However, I’ve been really enjoying Lady Donli’s album Enjoy Your Life. The two EPs she released prior to this were Alté/Nigerian alternative R&B (D-40 included the first one, by far the best of the two, in his best of 2010s list), but this album is 15 (short) tracks of retro afrobeat (nu afrobeat?). “Corner” (ft. VanJess & The Cavemen) is my jam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w6iFVQZ70E

The title track is a standout as well. “Cash” is the only track with an official video (the Corner one is fan-made): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ipvwmNh0F8

xps to ufo

ufo, even Scorpion Kings - 12 tracks, 76 minutes - is marketed as an EP (check the artwork). Like “mixtape” before it this term seems to be losing all distinctive meaning vis-à-vis “album” (in the SA context at least).

Another strong and short but sweet track: “Agbani” by sometime Lady Donli collaborator Bella Alubo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhzajBCMdPw

There is a remix with Zlatan that has it charms as well. Her Re-Bella EP that came out last December is good.

Still no video for “Spiritual”, but I checked back on Buju’s previous output, he dropped about ten songs in the past two years. Quality stuff. Loving this one a lot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GgJzcGBocY
Buju • Energy

killer haul breastcrawl! Will be digging into that Prince Kaybee. 'Mncane' is gorgeous.

A lot more fun and captivating than his previous one with Chris Brown:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9H3iinXZv0
Davido ft. Popcaan • Risky

(a SperoachBeatz production)

Not hearing any great cut on latest Yemi Alade btw

sweet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L74D8r1YlxE

CKAY - WAY FT. DJ LAMBO

they keep pulling the maphorisa songs off youtube so apologies if this one was already posted

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wguSRJ4ju18

TallArseTee Ft Kabza De Small x Dj Maphorisa - Gibela

i know amaarae has been posted before but her solo song is something else ... instant year end lister?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai0RgtrRGSY

*new solo song

Rema is incredible

Yes, he is damn good!

And yes, that Amaarae track is wonderful!

The CKay is nice, although I’m not sure the Beethoven riff really adds anything to it.

TallArseTee is an amapiano legend for “Bamb’ikhanda” alone. The EP
“Gibela” is from is not on Spotify yet, but this amazing track is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v92N4TuUHPY
TallArseTee x Mark Khoza ft. Kwela Tebza, Entity Musiq & Bontle Smith • Nine/9