Rolling Afropop / Afrobeats 2021

there were a good amount of pieces that came out about ghanaian drill last year, which touched on the topic. like this one: https://www.complex.com/music/2020/10/inside-ghana-asakaa-drill-scene/

yaw tog's "sore" is a banger among bangers.

Missing breastcrawl, his eoy poll was a treasure trove. What are the songs I’ve been missing out this year to consider on my ballot?

All Over Me and Don't Want You Back are my faves off the Laycon album and I'll be nominating at least one of them for EOY.

Others:

Yeeko is fantastic.
Bounce by Rema is exceptional.
Overdose by Dunnie
Navy Kenzo - Nisogelee
Prettyboydo - Police n Teef
Kwesi Arthur - Baajo

I've enjoyed a fair bit of Afrobeats this year, but it was frontloaded

― Urbandn hope all ye who enter here (dog latin)

From these I really liked:

Laycon - all over me
Dunnie - Overdose

Don’t care much about the rest but Navy Kenzo beat could be something I’d absolutely love in the right context.

Crayon - Too Correct (feat. Rema)
Masterkraft, Bella Shmurda & Zlatan - Hallelu
Omah Lay - Understand
Wizkid - Mood (feat. Buju)
Ice Prince - Kolo (feat. Oxlade)
Teni - Moslado
Burna Boy - Kilometre + Want it all
Davido & Focalistic - Champion Sound (rather South African tbh)
Stonebwoy & Focalistic - Ariba
Reekado Banks - Ozumba Mbadiwe
Olakira - Summer Time (feat. Moonchild Sanelly)
Ayra Starr - Bloody Samaritan

In the worst case scenario, none of them will make my ballot, but they're still on the playlist

I've been asked to play "Afrobeat and Highlife" on NYE. I'm only adjacently familiar with that kind of stuff, so I'll probably stray into more modern territory; so these personalised lists are great.

I always think it would be great to have a mini Afrobeats poll (or maybe including soca/dancehall too since there seems to be a lot of crossover between posters more than anything else.

Moka, the Lojay 7 Sarz EP a few have mentioned might appeal to you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4IEaUhIuCs

thanks for that complex link, vc

So are we going for Bounce or Soundgasm for EOY?
Both are wonderful, imo. Peace of Mind is a favorite too, but the two I mentioned are more likely to succeed.

Also... looking past Essence, will you be going for Mood (mentioned above) or Anoti. Again, I love them both.

Moka, the Lojay 7 Sarz EP a few have mentioned might appeal to you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4IEaUhIuCs

― rob

Ok yeah! This is sounding delightful.

Some other songs which I really like:

Kwiish Sa - LiYoshona
Scorpion Kings x Tresor - Folasade
Omah Lay - Understand
Busta 929 - Mmapula

have you tried Tresor's new album Motion? I think Thrill and Dancing with the Moon were the early singles

I totally lost track of amapiano this year, but De Mthuda's "John Wick" came on my playlist last night and it's good

I might definitely vote for Dunnie - Overdose. I’ve played it 5 times in the last 12 hours.

Bounce is my track of the year in any genre so I'm noming it whatever

Yeah I love that Dunnie song. Really sweet

Loke Loke by Oluwa Kuwait and Teni is also a sleeper hit in my listening. Every time it comes on I'm impressed by it.

Burna Boy and Wizkid have a song out called B. d'Or. I am sure Messi appreciates. It's totally perfunctory though.

spotify fed me this new amapiano remix of Angeliqe Kidjo's "Agolo" - by Da Capo's Touch? or something? It's lovely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-wy0wyuoYQ

Nice.

i have regretfully late passed this whole thread but I just ran into Yeeko on the best-of-the-year nominations and I need ya'll to know this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSbi2Jvls7A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdJcmvQ0DFc

idgi, what's the connection?

Wasn’t delirious released like a decade ago? I think it even made it to the ILM poll

https://travelnoire.com/missed-afrochella-2021-heres-what-went-down-in-ghana?item=3

Brief look at afrochella 2021 with Wizkid and more

I suppose Yeeko does sound a bit like Delirious

rolling afropop 2022

xps, yes i definitely hear Delirious in Yeeko