rolling afro 2020

This Tiwa Savage album is becoming one of my favorite listens of the year. I even like the Sam Smith collab and I usually can't stand him.

Oddly enough I like the second half better.

of course I made a thread:

next level at 40: 🌸TIWA SAVAGE’s CELIA🌸 album

someone should make a thread for fireboy too, i would but i'm not sure i can properly articulate what i love about his album

I don't why it took me months to listen to the Omah Lay ep but it is fantastic, title aside

A lot of afrobeats gets compared to dancehall but on “Ye ye ye” he really sounds like current dancehall in a way that I haven’t quite heard from Nigeria before

What? No link for the Fireboy thread?

Thraed of 🔥 Fireboy DML 🔥 and his new album Apollo

The tracks Nigerians are listening to the most when they’re not listening to Burna:

This one is nice, if a bit generic. I hear talk of TikTok, might explain its popularity:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65O_4LXRyoc
Olakira • In My Maserati

The next song makes liberal use of Brymo’s classic hook for Ice Prince’s “Oleku”, which was huge when I started discovering Afropop. It’s nice to be able to feel your own sense of history with this music. It also continues Mayorkun’s hot streak in 2020:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yH5zhQgXPY
Jamopyper ft. Mayorkun • If No Be You

Also DJ Tunez’s “Pami” with Wizzy, Adekunle & Omah Lay (see upthread), and all things Omah in general, of course.

Not quite as popular, but extremely good, with great ominous-sounding production by Cracker Mallo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIjkFCCLdcA
Jaido P ft. Olamide • Tesina Pot

heat from Tanzania, featuring Rayvanny, as is often the case:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xAaGTFG0cI
Baba Levo ft. Rayvanny • Ngongingo

(also seconding Lucy Anita in the comments:

Lucy Anita 1 day ago
Am really waiting for a day where I will see men dancing infront of ladies almost naked while ladies in the same song are fully covered🤣🤣🤣

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJddptqCSz4
Bella Shmurda • Dangbana Orisa

I’m very much on board with producer Rexxie’s transition from zanku master to semi-spiritual vibes dealer, as witnessed by tracks like this one, Johny Kore’s “Aje”, Korede Bello’s “Morire”, and even Burna’s “Bebo”.

love the new Olamide, produced by P.Priime:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6KWkycPh4g
Olamide • Eru

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ3_nqVUPBM
Vinka - Red Card
Hailing from Uganda, clearly reminds me of A Pass

new Davido sounds good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lta5go9P-go
Davido • FEM

that is great

his album is def in my top 10 most played of 2020

...and he is promising A Better Time with his next album!

new Niniola song with soca producers Stadic and Jonny Blaze:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml2Zrvc63Do
Stadic x Jonny Blaze ft. Niniola • Sibe

(it’s on their respective labels, not on hers, so probably not an official Niniola single)

Stadic does alot of soca production, no?

the answer is right there in my post!

More recent soca/afropop intermingling here and here.

FEM rules

Yes, although I see some Davido haters on twitter knocking the song

Free speech was a mistake

...which is exactly what the song is about.

ta gueule !

it was also a mistake to post that Peruzzi song earlier. I should have known (better). have seen enough instances of that guy being a p.o.s.

A timely shot of Angolan kuduro/house bangers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXpXq5rxKdA
New Kiss ft. Leo Hummer & DJ Vlado Poster • Abre o Pé

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3v2CdH5gzM
Gilson Gera ft. Dzey9 Beat • Não Tamu Aguentar

damn, it’s *Vado* Poster!

Cracker Mallo, Nigerian producer du jour, just dropped his own EP, A Friendly Introduction To Saund, (“saund” yes, his tag will tell you why): two instrumentals, one track with Olamide, that wicked single with Fireboy, and this cracking tune featuring himself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEgAbgCFn1c
Cracker Mallo • Do Better

West African afro&b - let's hear it from the girls:

Simi • No Longer Beneficial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkVOvN5boK8
Tems • Damages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lU0DnT89_c
Amaarae • Fancy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9nCy25Mwko

Feeling Red Card and the kuduro/house bangers

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

NSG - MCM

that’s a banger as well. as I mentioned on the UK Afro thread, that beat is courtesy of Dutch producer Yung Felix - see also “Pareke” with Niniola a bit upthread.

had completely missed this excellent slice of NaijaPiano. always great to hear Flavour’s voice being put to good use:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7RSzuwWoeU
Masterkraft ft. Flavour • Equipment

Well, this is totally unexpected. Darey, who was big in the 00s (pre-Wizkid and Before My Afropop Time), teams up with Patoranking and just knocks it way out of the park. Produced by Pheelz, not exactly a rookie himself, who’s on fire this year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF5yOs2MEH8
Darey ft. Patoranking • Jojo

Interesting story about the female bikers in the video.

Tems (see four posts up) just dropped her debut EP, For Broken Ears. Final track “The Key” is incredible:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmxjaA8aRxE

It's stretching pop but I am discovering Fongola from last year and there are moments on this record that just floor me. I think I saw it being recommended by mihr, but I don't think it was really discussed here. People are largely failing at attempts to categorize it. I remember hearing of that French producer when Aljawal (by détruit & Alsarah) was released a few years back.
Anyway, are there other recent records in this vein ? Besides maybe Nihixiloca.
Azo Toke and L.O.V.E.

I also get strong Francis Bebey vibes.

Fongola didn’t ring a bell immediately, but okay, so this is about KOKOKO! They have never really grabbed me, but I will give it a listen.

any thoughts on the Tems EP btw?

Liked it, but I find her style limited.
Niniola - Colours and Sounds is out today. We know most of the songs (it goes as far back as Bana), which may be slightly disappointing but it makes for a really tight set of songs.

Agreed on the Niniola. It’s a great introduction for newcomers - like you said the post-first album singles make up half of the album, with only 7 new tracks, including two with SA amapianists Shuffle Muzik (who she’s worked with before) and two Kel-P joints (very welcome given the Burna situation). What this album does have in common with Twice As Tall is a track with Timbaland. It’s a nifty afropop joint, very on point, which raises the question: who ghost-produced this?
On balance, I would have liked the focus to be more on her housey side, but I’ll take it.

oh look, one of the Shuffle Muzik-produced tracks has a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmlh2x8wTBw
Niniola • Look Like Me

(feel the track with Busiswa might have been a better choice perhaps?)

worth posting here as well - Aya goes for that Naija sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAA31YId_sQ
Aya Nakamura • Doudou

(I mean, that beat is Wizkid-worthy)

New TNS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CtqVSdB7oM
TNS ft. Luqua • Nyathela

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWkzKrzeMdA
Harmonize - Jeshi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xAaGTFG0cI
Baba Levo & Rayvanny - Ngongingo

Apologies if they were previously posted

I posted "Ngongingo" last month. You could do a search before posting - and then even respond to the track if you like it! I prefer a thread with some feedback to one where people just post tracks and run, but perhaps that's just me.

You could also search this Spotify playlist which features more or less all Afro(/adjacent) stuff that's been posted on ILM this year (nearly 400 tracks so far):
rolling✳️all-inclusive✳️afro 2020 playlist

Anyway, "Ngongino" is a banger, and "Jeshi" is very nice as well. The more East African tracks the merrier.

Bella Alubo is mad underrated. She just released a new EP, the ironically titled Popstar. "Gbolahan" is the single, but "La La Land" is where it's at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DPa6WHDN-4

(also, "Gba Gbe (Motive)")

Ghana:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oes1g4J93Ac
Bisa Kdei ft. Medikal • Netwerk

More Ghana - I love this rollicking track from Kuami "Rockstar" Eugene's new Son Of Africa album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA2DNDwDgkM
Kuami Eugene ft. Obaapa Christy • Wa Ye Wie