rolling afro 2020

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

Anyways, followed!

in case you want to sing along:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=witjmEEV7Es

More NaijaPiano news: DJ Tunez, a trailblazer on the NaijaPiano front (see upthread for examples), just released his all-piano EP Love Language Vol. 1. It actually features 5, 6, 7+ minutes tracks, which is perfectly normal in South African house of course, but probably a first in contemporary Nigerian pop (well, there was that extended version of "Maradona", clocking in at 5'03, but that was probably aimed at the SA market).

He’s doing this stuff together with D3an, an EDM producer, a rarity in Nigeria - DJ Tunez himself is someone who spins the tunes and fronts the records, he’s never actually produced them to my knowledge - unless he’s recently upped his skills.

Tanzania interim report:

Section I: Bringing the bongo flava:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFGoCIOQKPY
Rayvanny ft. Diamond Platnumz • Amaboko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qwLTgPmFDA
Eddy Manda ft. Marioo • Mwendo

Section II: Supplying the singeli spice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJj5_3x0qWM
BillNass ft. Meja Kunta • Huna Baya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWbDAHF-pUc
Sholo Mwamba • Anataka Uma (two years old, but new on Spotify)

(these beats are exhilarating but the musical soundscape can be so pretty too, check those piano sprinklings in “Anataka Uma” and what happens in “Huna Baya” around the 2-minute mark. man, I love “Huna Baya”)

This one is so good too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaJ2a-vSGVg
Rj The Dj ft. Meja Kunta • Acha Nilewe

Did you know it was about drinking, a lot?

Gqom isn’t dead, it might be on the verge of a comeback in fact. This is the big gqom hit this year in SA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E_tnuq2IZQ
Mshayi ft. Mr. Thela & T-Man • iParty

More like a classic iFootballMatch – a banging first half, and then things *really* take off after that cup of tea at halftime.

Getting down to the best part:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIVGQnD7NEI

This one is blowing up as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4ODy3KLwKc
Master Dee ft. Sdudla Somdantso • Rebellion

That farfisa-like synth sound swirling through and over it all is spectacular.

It’s actually a remix of the original 2019 version with Mr Vee Sholo (who is on the remix as well, I’m guessing, but no longer tagged). I might prefer the original - it’s more focused perhaps?

xxxxxxxxxxp thanks Rob

Friday favourites:

1) finally a new Amaarae - very good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU6TgShlJDw
Amaarae • Leave Me Alone (co-produced by Kuvie)

2) Motown Tiwa - brilliant stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xWEh1nW1gQ
Tiwa Savage • Dangerous Love (produced by Cracker “Jealous” Mallo)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBDupJtO3LA
Dj Boat & Kobi Jonz - Call Melanin
Both based in the US (I think DJ Boat is the one who curates that massive afrobeats playlist on spotify)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwGybat7Ivk
Kobi Jonz - Coca

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx6E9Shpkn0
Buju - Commander (from last year, now a single)

I've returned a lot to Eve Bounce - still so much potential to cross deep dancehall production with afrobeats, I miss that side of the music.

Not sure how well it fits into this thread, but I've recently become obsessed with Ugandan drumming unit Nihiloxica: https://nihiloxica.bandcamp.com/album/kaloli

Would love to know what other artists milk a similar vibe.

I’m not into them enough to know. There’s those percussion-based bands from DRC, KOKOKO! and Konono No. 1 before them, but their vibe is different, I think.
Are you familiar with the Uganda-based Nyege Nyege Tapes label? It’s where Nihiloxica released their previous album and EP. They might have other stuff you like (although for instance Tanzanian singeli is obv a different kettle of fish).

(btw I know dog latin likes Nihiloxica a lot, and two other posters were raving about the current album on the Rolling Global Outernational thread just this week)

I like “Black Kaheera”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=104HtCkswEs

Nabozo, “Red” from Adey’s new Akiba EP is built around two smashes from the early 00s (both Caribbean in this case) just like “Eve Bounce”, but crucially lacks the “deep dancehall production” you mention, so ymmv.

Good EP btw, Adey is a producer by origin, most famous for doing Ycee’s “Juice”. He also produced one my favourite tracks of this year, “Trouble” by DRB Lasgidi and Tems.

“Bomo” and “Fugazi” are the highlights imo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_HCvFYsUSE
Adey ft. WANI • Fugazi

Love the new Wizkid, will listen to the Azana album in the morning, but “Addicted”, the new Niniola x Sarz collabo has got me close to tears right now:

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

(and of fucking course I’m posting the extended version!)

^unavailable and afaict not on YT anymore?

it is over here (and it’s her official YT account)

this is the single edit

ah ok, I guess it's not available in Canada yet for some reason

btw I just heard Rema's "Woman" for the first time and it's amazing

rob, did you personally commission this one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZHLxJeXwpI
Adekunle Gold ft. Nailah Blackman • AG Baby

You’re damn right about “Woman”. So vibrant, joyful and... lecherous. Best slice of NaijaPiano so far.

I also am seriously besotted with Tiwa’s “Dangerous Love”. The way she suddenly pulls that I’m deep, I’m deep, I’m deep in love with you section out of the bag in the middle of the second verse!

The Nigerian big guns are really coming through right now.

haha AG and NB is an totally unexpected & delightful combination, but no I was not consulted :) It's a great song though, no? I was actually a bit disappointed in Nailah as her last single was such an obvious Doja Cat ripoffhomage, but all is redeemed and AG is truly having a great year.

"Addicted" is available for me now, and it's beautifully hypnotic.

The treated background vocals on that Tiwa are wild, I need a few more listens to make sense of it as a whole.

Bringing the beautiful noise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6PpiX8ptMw
Serge Beynaud • Kointabala

Warning: this is classic Beynaud!