Rolling Afropop / Afrobeats 2021

I still don't like Bounce, but hard to say what my SotY is. Southy Love has proved its immense replayability but I guess it's from December.

This is no "One Leg Up" but I actually like the flat beat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-rbG6h_1kU
Blaq Jerzee, Mr Eazi, Harmonize - Falling For U

And since we're in confessional mode, my zero year is 2014 with SOS from Yung L. I discovered a few things (Burna Boy) on my own, and then a little while later friends of my roommate introduced me to the South African scene on the dancefloor of our living room with Kohna, Xigubu or Shumaya and suddenly what looked at first like a curiosity was the beginning of (probably) a life passion. I also married one of said friends. She says I dance better now.

2012 for me. The Oliver Twist thread on this board pushed me in a certain direction and I've been adrift ever since.

that’s lovely, Nabozo. can’t claim for African pop to have impacted my love life like that, but hearing Sarkodie’s “U Go Kill Me” changed my musical life for good - and for the better!

anyways, sorta forgot about “Hallelu”, but it’s good. hadn’t played “Southy Love” much either, because of my (non-musical) aversion against Peruzzi, but have to admit it’s a great track - P.Priime proving he’s also great at naijapiano.

always happy when other posters give me a reason to go back to a particular track that I didn’t rate enough initially or that just fell thru the cracks. another case in point: dog latin having Worlasi’s “Fkn Guy” in his Q1 highlights list. I posted it here myself and then basically forgot about it, but it’s great!

let’s see what you all think of the new Eltee Skhillz. it’s produced by Krizbeatz, who in 2016 had the hottest sound in Africa with Tekno’s “Pana” but has been nothing more than solid since. this track however... it’s not naijapiano, like Eltee’s “Lucy (Remix)” with Niniola, but it’s going all kinds of places. EDM and dancehall came to mind, and that is also how it is described in the YouTube blurb, but I never heard anything like it before tbh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2hlM7BIXZs
Eltee Skhillz • Galala

Speaking of the past, it's 10 years since Oleku but Ice Prince is still here. Oxlade is especially great here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts19iSWEvds
Ice Prince - Kolo feat. Oxlade

The song is not really excellent, but the video and dancing is (I'm in love with Nife, the girl with blue hair).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejNMVMVFWqQ
Eugy & Chop Daily - My Touch

Too much autotune but still got something
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc5J9oB3tdo
Ruger - Ruger

I like the adventurous production on Galala, there are good ideas there, but the chorus does not work for me the way it's placed

Happy Easter!

In case you’re ready for the second coming:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAhmUNl62mc
Naira Marley ft. Busiswa • Coming

(produced by Rexxie)

(biggest song in Naija right now)

Bounce - the video:

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

Oh my.

Coming is massive, btw. Vroom vroom!

I've kinda been on the fence about Naira Marley until now, but this one is undeniable. And yes, Rexxie is a major problem.

it’s the long overdue answer to the question “Baby Are You Coming?”

Naira leaving behind a thread of amapiano awesomeness

(I deeply regret where this is taking me)

lol I like the production on that, but I'm going to be sad if I eventually have to put naija alongside dancehall in the "can't play this out loud in company" category

seems like a good moment to deflect and finally post Naira’s previous moment of glory, “Soapy”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q6Rixmvujc

(seriously, this track, one of the defining African hits of 2019, was never posted on ILM. my lame excuse is that I never got around to finishing the accompanying thesis I was working on in my head. did manage to squeeze it into my EOY track noms tho)

seems like a good moment to deflect and finally post Naira’s previous moment of glory, “Soapy”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q6Rixmvujc

(seriously, this track, one of the defining African hits of 2019, was never posted on ILM. my lame excuse is that I never got around to finishing the accompanying thesis I was working on in my head. did manage to squeeze it into my EOY track noms tho)

sorry, that was bound to happen. Zing has been playing me all day today

took two doses of soap to clean the thread ;)

the things you can do with soap!

Soapy is his other great track, yes. And I do think the raunchiness of Coming... uhhh... hits the right spot. It’s almost sweet - the song sums up what most people have been longing for these past thirteen (?) months perfectly. Who doesn’t like coming?

on a bit of a Naira kick atm. his only long(ish) form so far, the LOL (Lord of Lamba) EP from Dec 2019, is good stuff, as I remember it. best track is “Oja” imo.

but discovery of the day is this track from last July from Marlian labelmate C Blvck:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8OMxVrDduU
C Blvck • All The Best

(again produced by Rexxie, all of this and the above before the naijapiano conversion obv)

all of this and the above

get vour bling on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haLN5b85PGc
Blaqbonez ft. Amaarae & Buju • Bling

Digging this (Akay ft BM - Flexing):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIgnbmz92_Q

nice one - it’s that UK afro thing

here’s a hot one from Tanzania:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkroWpr7Bfg
Navy Kenzo • Nisogelee

nice one - it’s that UK afro thing

Oops, wrong thread, I guess. I couldn't find where the artists are based.

I'm curious, other than origin is there something distinctive about UK afro?

didn't mean anything thread-policey by that! I just like to specify tracks a bit, because Afropop/Afrobeats is not a country, so to speak. we've had several UK tracks in this thread already.

there is a UK-specific thread as well tho: UK afro - thread for discussing MoStack, J-Hus, Kojo Funds, Abra Cadabra, Belly Squad, Yxng Bane etc
some of it ends up in the rolling UK grime & rap threads, this is the current edition: Grime and UK rap 2021
...and let me plug J Hus and Pa Salieu while I'm at it:
j hus - dem boy paigon
Pa Salieu: Send Them to Coventry

Thanks for the links!

So I guess specifically for Afropop/Afrobeats there is this thread, the South Africa one, the Amapiano, and the UK afro? Anything I'm missing?

everything South African goes here this year:
MZANSI MUZIQ 2021 🇿🇦 Rolling South Africa thread

...unless it's artist-specific:
TRESOR, the Congolese-South African singer with the heavenly voiceAzana - Ingoma
THE HOUSE OF SUN-EL: Sun-El Musician, Simmy, Mlindo The Vocalist, and other related artists
🎹🎹PİANO! PİANO!🎹🎹 - a song appreciation thread for “eMcimbini” by Kabza De Small & DJ Maphorisa ft. Aymos, Samthing Soweto, Mas Musiq & Myztro

the Amapiano thread has technically been superseded by the Rolling Mzansi thread.

the second time around is better than the first time:

TRESOR, the Congolese-South African singer with the heavenly voice

Azana - Ingoma

replacing a broken YouTube link:Ethic Entertainment ft. Konshens • Figa (Remix)
(there seems to be a real effort going on to erase this track from all platforms)

Lots to explore! (I usually only check this thread)

Thanks again, breastcrawl

I finally made that Spotify playlist with (almost) everything posted in this thread, as well as afro(-adjacent) tracks posted in other threads this year. we’re at 74 tracks and counting (including a Canadian cuckoo’s egg):

ILM rolling AFRO🔹pop🔸beats🔻2021

South(ern) African sister playlist:

ILM rolling 🇿🇦 Mzansi MusiQ 2021 🇸🇿 🇳🇦

added two more:

1) an Angolan banger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IogfQFSymvo
Nerú Americano ft. Os Tik Tok & DJ Vado Poster • Salta na Areia

2) and this Nigerian master jam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhPOeKgO6LI
prettyboydo (or Prettyboy D-O) • Police N’ Teef

watch the video till the *very* end for a surprise appearance (first afropop claimed Justin B., and now...)

added two more:

1) an Angolan banger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IogfQFSymvo
Nerú Americano ft. Os Tik Tok & DJ Vado Poster • Salta na Areia

2) and this Nigerian master jam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhPOeKgO6LI
prettyboydo (or Prettyboy D-O) • Police N’ Teef

watch the video till the *very* end for a surprise appearance (first afropop claimed Justin B., and now...)

(and you're welcome, daavid. looking forward to checking out your Middle Eastern x Balkan x cetera beats thread!)

(sorry for adding ^one^ more too many)

one for rob's can't-play-this-out-loud-in-company playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhIqfu8l05o
Blaqbonez ft. Tiwa Savage • BBC (Remix)

Police N' Teef is excellent, and I like the nasal high-pitched voice. At first Amapiano was just copy-pasted into the beats, but now there are a lot of songs that have integrated it much more tightly and subtly.

Man, Martinique just quietly churns out dark, minimalist hip hop banger sand I'm here for it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Eehtz8NPQQ

Meryl x Akiyo - BB Compte

if I may redirect you to this, which is just the thread for it:
🀄️🀄️ Martinique to the world: 70 SHiiNE x Nacho • DOMINO 🀄️🀄️

Martinique c'est pas l'Afrique !

Good point, apologies. Completely forgot we had the Martinique thread

Sorry if this has been mentioned already but THERE IS A NEW TENI ALBUM OUT AND IT'S CALLED WONDALAND!!!!

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

Listening now. If there's anything half as catchy and lasting as "Shakeam" on this, it will be worthwhile

I give up

I haven't totally fucked it again have i breastcrawl? tell me i haven't

ah i can see it was mentioned upthread. late to the party as usual! I was trying to F5 "Teni" but it highlighted every instance of "lisTENIng" and I gave up