rolling afro 2020

Really feeling this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PunmVUajwkg
Mugeez • Six In Da Morning

(Mugeez is half of R2Bees, for those who don’t know)

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

Tems has a new song out herself too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfuupoRHh3E
Tems • These Days

And so does Lady Donli:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0xQmpUAWOo
Lady Donli ft. Darkovibes • Wonda Wonda

Oh, and Reekado keeps bringing it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G12XzzLEF8
Reekado Banks ft. Parker Ighile • Options

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.

Billboard profile on Tiwa, Davido and Eazi:

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9387009/tiwa-savage-davido-mr-eazi-billboard-cover-story-interview-2020

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.

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=bJNiMNUSrw8
Mory Kanté • Yéké yéké

(the first African song ever to top the Dutch charts!)

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/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAVii_7hsbb/?igshid=1w7z3zkyj4hz9

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

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 :)

that line up is class tho

🔥 indeed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbGplLI5qWE
ToluDaDi ft. Gyakie & Joojo Addison • Faya

(guy is Nigerian, based in Ghana)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn1OV2RStGU
WurlD - National Anthem (Growing Wings)

Follow-up on his EP with Sarz. It's more "Nigerian", has some nice touches.

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QQI50J1Igk
Zlatan, Papisnoop, Jamopyper - Unripe Pawpaw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NnjbS3RLCc
Yung 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

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

obsessed w the new Wande Coal "Again"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67J_MwJIQOs

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 posted
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxosuWSUels
TDM / Wande Coal / Sarz - Tofunmi (2019)

“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=KCYp9OIF9FY
Ceeza Milli ft. Wizkid • Shayo

Other songs (besides “Again” that is) from Nigeria’s top 10:

Adekunle Gold • Something Different:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whptJMsHQVI
Congrats to Adekunle and Simi on their first child.

Bad Boy Timz • MJ:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcw4QJWD0MY
SO 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=2CSZKpQ0J5s
In 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?)

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

add in this one as well:

Philkeyz • Rhythm nd Bass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlEWTTpQy4U

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

GuiltyBeatz even

excellent

so no one called me out on "Tootsie R... Slide"? disappointed in you folx.

Back to the matter at hand - Juls and Randy Valentine bringing serious vibes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kqLKkC6qZg
“Wata”

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=JkJI43tNxrw
Abramsoul ft. Eleniyan • Colo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMoFDGKDw6c
E Kelly feat Joeboy - Oreke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp2VhLClSUU
Ladipoe feat Simi - Know You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJBgtu_zqSc
Viktoh feat Zlatan - Nor Nor

And since it's this period
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnA0Z5WssYg
Shirazee - 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...

brand new Fireboy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5I55D90RbY
Fireboy DML • New York City Girl

brand new Rema:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRweltAO-zg
Rema • Ginger Me

The return of the artist formerly known as Santi. It’s some good shit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxV3SPQpdcg
Cruel Santino ft. Octavian • End Of The Wicked

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh3QegGVlCY
GreyC - Ibadi (prod. Mystro)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYBWrQumfVg
Burna Boy - Wonderful

hey everyone. I'm in a bad signal area but have we talked about Moonchild Sanelly's new song Bashiri yet?

https://youtu.be/9RBsGd3eXBw

“Bashiri” is great, also liking the Greyc. “Wonderful” is being discussed (but not nearly enough!) on the Burna/African Giant thread.

Telz, the guy who produced the new Burna, also did this track off prettyboydo (or Prettyboy D-O, whatever)’s new EP Wildfire, which is excellent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fy4sNF0_q4
prettyboydo ft. Olamide • Wetin You Smoke

This beat is, this beat is, this beat is getting busy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh86KtnpndY
Sun Tai La ft. Tulenkey • Aboa Tintin

I'm a few weeks behind, but "Again" is really good, has that same too-short quality that "Kpalanga" has--a good trick to get those repeat plays!

I also really like that Bad Boy Timz "MJ" song, really beautiful bass

"MJ" was another slow burner for me (just like "Again", what a perfect little song) - there's two remixes out now as well, one with Teni and one with Mayorkun, which I like best:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QwJmttoGIo

^noted those as well. I tried the Teni for one for a few secs but wasn't grabbed, will check out the Mayorkun later

this Juls "Wata" song is super cool, almost verges on Francis Bebey territory

oh dang, a remix yet

From last year, never heard it before, but it sounds like the best thing ever right now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-X6XD3Fuh0
Sound Sultan ft. Olu Maintain, Teni & Mr. Real • Odo

(all well-known artists, two veterans and two relatively new ones - how this video gets only 212 views in 9 months between the four of them is a mystery)

A friend of mine sent me this Ebo Taylor track and asked for similar stuff. This is way outside my wheelhouse, so looking for any guidance from the Afro hive. Is there a good comp or playlist I can point him to (and check out myself)? Any of the more current Afrobeat artists have a similar vibe? I sent him Indestructible Beat of Soweto but think that misses the mark...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvbRC5C8JQg

There's a lot to choose from in terms of vintage 60s/70s West African music. First off, a few Ebo Taylor albums were reissued pretty recently. Some good comps include: Strut's Nigeria 70s series and on Soundway, the Nigeria Special comps plus Ghana Special and the Ghana Soundz comps.

I'd start with the first Nigeria Special comp: https://www.discogs.com/Various-Nigeria-Special-Modern-Highlife-Afro-Sounds-Nigerian-Blues-1970-6/master/53871

There are contemporary artists who draw on vintage stuff to some degree, but I suspect your friend won't want to immediately jump into that.

That particular Ebo Taylor track is reggae, no? Which isn't what he's mostly known for. I have a vague notion lots of Nigerian artists flirted with the genre, tho the only concrete example I can come up with is
"Jahojah Comfort Me" by Pazy & The Black Hippies.

brb copyrighting the term “Remapiano”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt8d-4IMAXs
Rema • Woman

(Forthcoming album alert: Rema is now dropping a new song every week. Last week’s “Alien” is also good)

my Spotify playlist for tracking and tracing amapiano’s influence on West-African pop:

🇳🇬🇬🇭🇿🇦NAIghAPIANO🎹🎹

I saw a lot of people hating on Alien online - they don't want to hear him rapping, lol