Rolling Afropop 2023

My haphazard explorations of Maskandi and Afro Soul and Amapiano and thereabouts have taken me into various other corners I didn't know about, and my latest fascination is with Tsa Manyalo, which is Limpopo wedding/party music. There's not quite enough of just that on Spotify to reach our genre thresholds, so I widened the scope out a little to "Sepedi Pop", but the extra variety does the experience no harm!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3BW3cqDHqYSqC0B1a8xQcV?si=1bf0468876524f9b

ooh nice

ooh "koko" is real fun

It's mad as a box of frogs and I love it

Enjoying glenn's playlist too

I have nothing much else to contribute to this thread ATM other than I'm convinced coupe decale is quite the thing

I love this lowkey, as the man puts it, bordering on melancholy but also def horny track from Olamide & Ckay:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcjOlcWaaU8

Trumpet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fhtbd5NxW0
Buju, Kiss Daniel & Seyi Vibez - Gwagwalada

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM8ULpYAX8M
Falz & Vector - Yakubu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjCg3jFLBuw
Gyakie & JBEE - Scar

And special for rob:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdo1E-qsCoQ
Zinoleesky - Many Things

Nothing that really lifts me off my feet here I must say

I don't know how my esteemed colleagues feel about them, but there's a bunch of new naijapiano songs (Asake's 2:30, Joeboy's Body & Soul, Young Jonn's Aquafina) that sound rather messy.

And special for rob

lol, but I agree it's not that remarkable -- I guess the thrill is gone

fyi the current Zinoleesky banger is party No Dey Stop with Adekunle Gold:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnXq06m9P4g

Jonz with last year #1 boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsEjqV7kZdM
Ruger - Jonzing Boy

He also has a more upbeat (though maybe less personal) single out called Bun Bun with Jugglerz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n22O3NR1yRI
Ruger & Jugglerz - Bun Bun

and I guess Shu-Peru is the song of the moment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1NPXKoTGy0
Kizz Daniel - Shu-Peru

I've heard worse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_-v1fNdSHs
Asake & Olamide - Amapiano

The new Burna is... lazy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxnu4MmAF68
Burna Boy - Sittin On Top of the World

For @pitchfork I wrote about @asakemusik’s new album Work of Art, which is phenomenal. Asake’s one of the best artists right now, just the most unimpeachable in the Afropiano / Street Pop zone rn. He had the best Nigerian pop album of 2022 and now 2023!!https://t.co/QSQ3CdmBGe

— Joshua Minsoo Kim (@misterminsoo) June 16, 2023

Since Chale was posted her, why not Mnike? Oozes coolness, and the chorus seeps through directly to hook onto your brain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_hgm2Mf6Ag
Tyler ICU & Tumelo.za feat. DJ Maphorisa, Nandipha808, Ceeka RSA & Tyron Dee - Mnike

Full version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxwydXdudWo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyaVNggovdM
Iyanya & Buju - Sinner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmytMK1ZjcY
Omah Lay - Reason

That's a very good one and Tom London's career introduction after being Soweto's Finest lead choregrapher

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-oVLcko1cE
Tom London feat. Optimist Musicza and Soweto's Finest - Tom London

Fast review: Dreamlike song. Floating, dense, smooth. The fast delivery and overdubbing on the chorus is serpentine, the keys are like soulful high notes in a prog song, and the whole production slays.

very unengaged this year sadly, but wow "reason" is fantastic, I'll have to check out the whole deluxe edition

"Sinner" is nice too. I just really love BNXN's voice; I revisited Gwagwalada and loved it

Agreed, also he knows how to make music fun

Mid-year is when I start engaging usually. Doing it any earlier feels like you're alone to push the cart, but around June it's like abundance and let me do harvest season on this music.

yeah I was very invested in being an early adopter / hit-spotter for my pet genres for a while, but this year I think that's finally left me

Watched just now this Tyla performance on DSCVR:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r3XnJAXmI0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88a7rr8KXcE

Hadn’t realized how attractive she is. She has the mannerisms of a popstar down to a T, a great voice and an excellent set of singles so far.

Hope she makes it big.

I had to google the lyrics of Fireboy DML's latest single YAWA because I had a doubt

There is no word for how weird the coloured accent is (Tyla).

I only found out today that A-Star is born and bred in London

Anyway his recent album King of Afrodance is good fun

Billboard's "best albums of 2023 so far" includes Davido and Spinall.

Enjoying Tom London upthread

2023 has been less insanely good for afropop than 2022 was, but isn't it always like that? You can't have Rema, Burna Boy, Wizkid and Asake all do albums every year - and the two we've got were a bit less good than last year. Highpoints for me were seeing Rema and Burna Boy live at Roskilde, my first afropop shows. They both brought down the house.

I loved In The Garden from the Davido album, which isn't the hit. But it's so good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFStBh7AMZQ

And I think Adekunle Gold made his best album yet with Tequila Ever After? Opener Chasing Peace of Mind is incredible, combining the naija sound with amapiano rhythm as so many others do, but then getting Habib Koité from Mali to put some desert guitar on top of it, and taking the afrofusion to the next level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDqaVLUvrvs

Lojay is on the new French & Swae - Wish U Well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyuCgK3_W-E

Ayra Starr coming to DC in September

Loved that track from Adekunle

Yay! Ruger has a new album out called R U The World

MTV video awards nominees :

Best Afrobeats
Ayra Starr – “Rush” – Mavin Global Holdings
Burna Boy – “It’s Plenty” – Atlantic Records / Spaceship Entertainment Ltd.
Davido feat. Musa Keys – “UNAVAILABLE” – Sony Music U.K. / RCA Records
Fireboy DML & Asake – ”Bandana” – Empire Distribution
Libianca – “People” – Sony Music U.K. / RCA Records
Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down” – Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records
Wizkid ft Ayra Starr– “2 Sugar” – Starboy / RCA Records

MTV winner was Rema and Selena Gomez

The stuff from this summer is very good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvO36ngj2P4
Oxlade feat. Dave - Intoxycated

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ1UyrBljgw
Reekado Banks & Adekunle Gold & Maleek Berry - Feel Different

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7CHVcjwpAg
Fireboy DML - Yawa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBNKFH7Xj70
Qing Madi & BXNX - Ole

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2td9-16fsc
Victony - My Darling

Realizing we haven't posted Stamina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pz7y8Sl0co
Tiwa Savage, Ayra Starr and Young Jonn - Stamina (produced by Magicsticks)

Still Focalistic biggest fan on ILX, such baffling fun music, so creative

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g73VxMU8Rp8
Focalistic feat. Ch'cco, Mawhoo, Eeque, Thama Tee - Wena my Dali

Ditto Chley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2byDgJ8AyA
Diamond Platnumz feat Chley - Shu!

There are loads of piano-adjacent music from Tanzania, also newcomers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhWQ2SXTO-Y
Abigail Chams x Marioo - Nani?