You're welcome, longneck. I'm trying, but wherever people are doing their self-isolating, it's definitely not on any of the Afro threads.
Two from South Africa:
Amapiano, Limpopo Style: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KihoTfZiG1EAiric ft. Nolly M • Gijima
TNS be TNS’ing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdVTp1LOiUUTNS ft. Luqua • iBhari
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Tuesday, 28 April 2020 21:36 (four years ago) link
Let's throw in two good corona songs:
Eddy Kenzo • 2020 (Tweni Tweni): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o-uZCq3AdA
Teni • Morning (not very specific, but it's my favourite from her The Quarantine Playlist EP with DJ Neptune): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAJAVoVO0V0
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Tuesday, 28 April 2020 21:40 (four years ago) link
why did I never hear this song before?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lRAgAM6Dak
Cina Soul • Adukwei (produced by NiiQuaye)
#ghana
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Saturday, 2 May 2020 00:54 (four years ago) link
It’s funny, just as I was wondering what had become of Reniss she came out with that wonderful song I posted the other week, and now she has a whole album out (titled Nzo), and it’s fantastic. What a delight (and proof that not only the Jessie Wares and Roisin Murphys of this world are looking to the 80s for inspiration). The video is for “Commando” instead of “Nyama Nyama”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMupMeJUKbQ
Interesting YT comment – it obviously refers to the makossa era, but I don’t know enough about Afropop history to really assess it:
Pure Cameroonian. This is how we sounded when dominated the African music industry.
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Monday, 4 May 2020 20:01 (three years ago) link
While I'm in a Cameroonian mood:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RahmyWFmTtY
Abz ft. Daphne • Ololiyo
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Monday, 4 May 2020 21:18 (three years ago) link
I'm spending some time checking out albums, and I'm curious to have recs.So far the most consistent I've found were Burna Boy (obv.), Fireboy DML, Adekunle Gold, Wizkid, Patoranking. I guess I can already add Yemi Alade.Also listened to Vanessa Mdee, Mayorkun, Stonebwoy, Santi, Niniola which had some good and bad.Lined up are Yung L, I guess Davido, Odunsi, Falz...
― Nabozo, Wednesday, 6 May 2020 09:47 (three years ago) link
sounds like you're on the right track Nabozo. I don't know how far into the past you want to go, but I quite liked Kiss Daniel's album from a few years ago. Tiwa Savage, maybe? I don't think Maleek Berry ever put out a full-length, but all his EPs are good.
I've been checking out Terri this morning. He's a Wizkid signee and you might remember him from "Soco".
His newest single, Ojoro, is sweet Naija-reggae (prod. by Sarz) with a genuinely amusing video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmfOooKjxqU
Also really liked last year's "On Me":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Mt2HizW78
― dip to dup (rob), Wednesday, 6 May 2020 13:19 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlc8i9TKNN0
NSG - Porsche. These chaps love a spinning camera angle, which usually ends up making me feel a bit queasy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFLqy5aqfDA
Octavian - Poison ft. Take A Daytrip, Obongjayar, Santi. I think this is Octavian's first afro type tune
― paolo, Friday, 8 May 2020 10:04 (three years ago) link
Also an afropop first for Nigerian expat Obongjayar, I think.
“Porsche” is very good, I love those drunk-sounding tracks. Didn’t know two members of NSG were brothers of Jae5: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/pkyeek/nsg-interview-kruddz-mojo-ogd-dope-abz-mxjib
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Saturday, 9 May 2020 09:58 (three years ago) link
Terri's “Ojoro” is a bop for sure. His Afro Series EP is good as well. He worked with some cool producers – besides Sarz and Killertunes there’s 3 tracks by IamBeatz (of Yemi’s “Mon Lo” and Burna’s “PH City Vibration” fame) and a track each by the wonderful Tuzi (who did Skiibii’s “Sensima” and Reekado’s “Rora”) and BlaiseBeatz (of Soft’s “Naughty”). He might be Wizkid’s truest disciple, for better or for worse.
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Saturday, 9 May 2020 10:01 (three years ago) link
Nabozo, you should definitely try Davido’s A Good Time, it’s a very strong album. As for Tiwa, I’d go with R.E.D. Here are some of my favourite/most played Naija albums by other artists from the past few years: Olamide: Lagos Nawa (a bit of an outlier in his oeuvre album-wise, it’s Young John jams galore, and I love it for that); Skales: Man Of The Year; Lady Donli: Enjoy Your Life; Mr Eazi: Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 and Life Is Eazi, Vol. 2; Simi: Simisola; Flavour: Ijele – The Traveler; L.A.X: Rasaking.
As for Ghana:Singers: Bisa Kdei: Highlife Konnect; King Promise: As Promised; Ebony: Bonyfied.Producers: Kuvie: Gruvie; Juls: Leap Of Faith; you could try Magnom’s stuff as well.Rappers: Akan: Onipa Akoma (fantastic album imo), Worlasi has several good albums.
Bonus grooves: Serge Beynaud (Côte d’Ivoire): Accelerate; Reniss (Cameroon): Tendon – and her new one Nzo of course!; Eddy Kenzo (Uganda): Roots.
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Saturday, 9 May 2020 13:14 (three years ago) link
oh yeah those Mr Eazi albums would be on my list too
IamBeatz (of Yemi’s “Mon Lo” and Burna’s “PH City Vibration” fame)
I feel dumb I never put this together--it makes so much sense! Those are both amazing, have they done anything else you rate?
I'm doing some overdue catch-up, and I have to ask breastcrawl what does "These are all nice five-finger exercises" mean? I agree that most of the naija-piano doesn't *really* bring the feeling (and that that Mayorkun track is an intriguing exception)
― dip to dup (rob), Saturday, 9 May 2020 13:54 (three years ago) link
Lots of great stuff posted as always, but special thanks for Reniss, "Duduke," and "iBhari" + "Gijima." So happy to be living through this remarkable Golden Age for South African music; the amapiano & sun-el threads are pretty much "actually, I am tired of winning" at this point
Re: Cameroon, I just picked up this comp a few days ago: https://analogafrica.bandcamp.com/album/pop-makossa-the-invasive-dance-beat-of-cameroon-1976-1984 I haven't had time to absorb it yet, but it was lots of fun on first blush
― dip to dup (rob), Saturday, 9 May 2020 14:21 (three years ago) link
I have to ask breastcrawl what does "These are all nice five-finger exercises" mean? I agree that most of the naija-piano doesn't *really* bring the feeling (and that that Mayorkun track is an intriguing exception)
lol, that's basically what I meant. It was the English translation I found for the common Dutch term “vingeroefening” – (*piano* terminology!) for trying your hand at something, trying to get the hang of it, but yeah, I don’t remember ever encountering it in English – in French it’s “exercice de doigté” apparently.
the amapiano & sun-el threads are pretty much "actually, I am tired of winning" at this point
Hope you’re including the Emcimbini thread in that – lots of great stuff in there as well!
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Thursday, 21 May 2020 21:35 (three years ago) link
Anyway, I’m happy to proclaim NaijaPiano is officially a thing now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj873iCY4aQShizzi ft. Davido & Wale* • Won Le Ba
(*yeah, that Wale)
Davido rides this groove just as smoothly as he did “The (Uhuru) Sound” back in the day.And man, those early 90s R&B backing vocals that come out of nothing towards the end of Wale’s rap!
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Thursday, 21 May 2020 21:36 (three years ago) link
By all means, let’s have more remixes of Afropop tracks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brRlkp9m2PYAlpha P • Paloma (DJ Tunez & D3AN Remix)
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Thursday, 21 May 2020 21:37 (three years ago) link
Really feeling this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PunmVUajwkgMugeez • Six In Da Morning
(Mugeez is half of R2Bees, for those who don’t know)
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Thursday, 21 May 2020 21:45 (three years ago) link
And especially this one, from (the reunited) DRB Lasgidi's comeback album Pioneers.It's all about guest vocalist Tems' great hook and Adey's glorious beat and production:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Kr1kILaWgo
DRB Lasgidi ft. Tems • Trouble
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Thursday, 21 May 2020 21:53 (three years ago) link
Tems has a new song out herself too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfuupoRHh3ETems • These Days
And so does Lady Donli:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0xQmpUAWOoLady Donli ft. Darkovibes • Wonda Wonda
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:13 (three years ago) link
Oh, and Reekado keeps bringing it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G12XzzLEF8Reekado Banks ft. Parker Ighile • Options
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14 (three years ago) link
Those are both amazing, have they done anything else you rate?
Fireboy DML’s “Vibration” was produced by him! T-Classic’s “Nobody Fine Pass You” is another one.
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:33 (three years ago) link
Billboard profile on Tiwa, Davido and Eazi:https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9387009/tiwa-savage-davido-mr-eazi-billboard-cover-story-interview-2020
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Thursday, 21 May 2020 23:34 (three years ago) link
Tiwa quote:
I think labels still don’t quite understand how to sell Afrobeats. And they haven’t really put their machinery behind the genre yet. A lot of times when we drop a record, it’s put on playlists like [Spotify’s] African Heat. We already come with huge followings. I look forward to when we’ll be on the same playlists as Billie Eilish or Justin Bieber. Give us that kind of global campaign — treat Afrobeats like a pop record and not a tastemaker record or something that cool urban kids in the diaspora listen to. How often do you see an American artist get signed and he or she already has 5 million followers on their own? Even 1 million? And you don’t want to give them the same push as Bieber? If [African artists] even had 25% of that push, Davido and Eazi would be billionaires. That’s the vision I want for Afrobeats. They haven’t even begun to scratch the surface. But when they do, it’s going to explode.
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Thursday, 21 May 2020 23:39 (three years ago) link
RIP Mory Kanté. If there had been a Rolling Afropop thread in 1988, we would have been all over this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJNiMNUSrw8Mory Kanté • Yéké yéké
(the first African song ever to top the Dutch charts!)
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Friday, 22 May 2020 18:40 (three years ago) link
This looks great: this Monday, the 2020 edition of the Africadelic Festival will be livestreamed through the Instagram page of the Paradiso venue in Amsterdam from 12pm-12am CEST (www.instagram.com/paradisoadam).
Performing artists, among many others: Baloji, Batida, Blick Bassy, Blinky Bill, Femi Kuti, Fokn Bois, Joey le Soldat, Onipa, Sampa the Great, Yuri da Cunha.
There are also talks and interviews, and a film programme (with free viewing on 24, 25 and 26 May).
Check this Facebook link for more details: https://www.facebook.com/events/248730829661281/Or check the Paradiso website (but not everything here is in English): https://www.paradiso.nl/en/program/africadelic-2020-online-edition/77120/
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Friday, 22 May 2020 19:42 (three years ago) link
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAVii_7hsbb/?igshid=1w7z3zkyj4hz9
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Friday, 22 May 2020 22:32 (three years ago) link
Speaking of festivals, I have a friend who insists on booking tickets for the next Afro Nation in Portugal (2021...). I like the line-up and want to visit the region but no way I'm going there in July, I'll burn to a crisp.https://media.resources.festicket.com/www/admin/uploads/images/96681857_728710764543827_3197520379262271488_o.jpg
― Nabozo, Saturday, 23 May 2020 14:13 (three years ago) link
Considering that festival is refusing to reimburse ppl who bought tickets for this year's edition I would strongly dissuade your friend from giving them money.
The Algarve also the least interesting region of Portugal but that's another story :)
― Daniel_Rf, Monday, 25 May 2020 10:00 (three years ago) link
that line up is class tho
― ||||||||, Monday, 25 May 2020 10:45 (three years ago) link
🔥 indeed:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbGplLI5qWEToluDaDi ft. Gyakie & Joojo Addison • Faya(guy is Nigerian, based in Ghana)
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Monday, 25 May 2020 20:05 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn1OV2RStGUWurlD - National Anthem (Growing Wings)
Follow-up on his EP with Sarz. It's more "Nigerian", has some nice touches.
― Nabozo, Thursday, 4 June 2020 12:35 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVYp5qky--s
Manny Norté, 6LACK, Rema, Tion Wayne - 4AM (feat. Love Renaissance)An Atlanta, London, and Lagos collide, shot in Ghana.
― Nabozo, Friday, 5 June 2020 11:11 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QQI50J1IgkZlatan, Papisnoop, Jamopyper - Unripe Pawpaw
― Nabozo, Friday, 5 June 2020 11:25 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NnjbS3RLCcYung L featuring WizKid - Eve Bounce (Remix)Weird use of a Let me blow your mind sample buried in the mix but the song is good
― Nabozo, Sunday, 7 June 2020 10:22 (three years ago) link
Mut4y and new singer Elhi have an EP out. The single is Feeling U but it's a consistent set of songs.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOwz1J84vdw
― Nabozo, Monday, 8 June 2020 12:15 (three years ago) link
obsessed w the new Wande Coal "Again"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67J_MwJIQOs
― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), Tuesday, 9 June 2020 08:22 (three years ago) link
There's a remix with Wizkid and Ceeza Milli (of Soco): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjlFPt0imUE
Also like this one from last year, don't know if it was postedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxosuWSUelsTDM / Wande Coal / Sarz - Tofunmi (2019)
― Nabozo, Tuesday, 9 June 2020 10:37 (three years ago) link
“Again” took a while to grow on me, but I’m loving it now. That is not an official remix btw, it’s Ceeza (just him, not Wizkid) freestyling/vibing on Wande’s track), as posted on his Insta.Ceeza’s most recent single does feature Wizkid though:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCYp9OIF9FYCeeza Milli ft. Wizkid • Shayo
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Tuesday, 9 June 2020 19:52 (three years ago) link
Other songs (besides “Again” that is) from Nigeria’s top 10:
Adekunle Gold • Something Different:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whptJMsHQVICongrats to Adekunle and Simi on their first child.
Bad Boy Timz • MJ:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcw4QJWD0MYSO much MJ in African pop right now (and not just there of course, see “Tootsie Slide”)
Omah Lay • Bad Influence:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CSZKpQ0J5sIn fact, EVERY SINGLE track of his Get Layd* EP is in the top 10 right now. Not quite sure what happened there.
(*don't we have a thread for titles like that?)
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Tuesday, 9 June 2020 19:57 (three years ago) link
Your semi-regular Naija*piano update:
Kiddominant ft. Cassper Nyovest • eWallet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSm0LksthLw
Airboy • Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozeacunsQTo
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Wednesday, 10 June 2020 10:40 (three years ago) link
add in this one as well:
Philkeyz • Rhythm nd Bass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlEWTTpQy4U
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Wednesday, 10 June 2020 10:44 (three years ago) link
Mr Eazi duets with King Promise on “Baby I’m Jealous” from his new 4-track EP, with Guilty Beatz producing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIHw6xfzZbM
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Thursday, 11 June 2020 20:47 (three years ago) link
GuiltyBeatz even
excellent
― Spottie, Thursday, 11 June 2020 20:59 (three years ago) link
so no one called me out on "Tootsie R... Slide"? disappointed in you folx.
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Friday, 12 June 2020 20:31 (three years ago) link
Back to the matter at hand - Juls and Randy Valentine bringing serious vibes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kqLKkC6qZg“Wata”
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Friday, 12 June 2020 21:00 (three years ago) link
btw, good to see Zlatan's "Unripe Pawpaw" here - we've been seriously sleeping on zanku in this and last year's threads (cough Naira Marley cough cough).
currently digging this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkJI43tNxrwAbramsoul ft. Eleniyan • Colo
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Sunday, 14 June 2020 20:03 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMoFDGKDw6cE Kelly feat Joeboy - Oreke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp2VhLClSUULadipoe feat Simi - Know You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJBgtu_zqScViktoh feat Zlatan - Nor Nor
And since it's this periodhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnA0Z5WssYgShirazee - Tired
I've been listening more to Buju's Spiritual and Ohema than Lenu (remix). I'm also discovering a new "family" of artists I wasn't aware of with King Perryy, Show Dem Camp, Odunsi, Soft, Dremo, Melvitto...
― Nabozo, Sunday, 21 June 2020 18:32 (three years ago) link
brand new Fireboy:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5I55D90RbYFireboy DML • New York City Girl
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Monday, 22 June 2020 22:45 (three years ago) link
brand new Rema:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRweltAO-zgRema • Ginger Me
― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 10:17 (three years ago) link