rolling afropop 2022

I decided not to fret about titles & country-specific threads this year.

I love this tense & teasing track, bit of an antidote to how melancholic a lot of naija has gotten (though it's not exactly joyous):

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

Portable x Poco Lee Ft. Olamide - ZaZoo Zehh

Yes, stop & start feel but very energetic. Not ultra smooth Nigerian r’n’b ( not that there’s anything wrong with that)

yay!

Not ultra smooth Nigerian r’n’b
― curmudgeon, Friday, January 21, 2022 8:15 PM (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink

Hem, speaking of the devil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPJG5eeRHDc
Ice Prince & CKay - Shakara

It's no "Make Up Your Mind" or "Kolo" but Ice Prince is still on a nice string after his comeback. Ckay obviously of Love Nwantiti's fame.

Rema is on a track with FKA Twigs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxDD49WNogQ
FKA Twigs feat. Rema - Jealousy

This came out last year but was only recently reviewed in The Singles Jukebox. It's pretty great:

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

Ayra Starr & Ckay's "Beggie Beggie" is nice, I should probably check her whole album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1Vp9gpO_OM

not quite sure where to post this, but the new Pierre Kwenders single "Papa Wemba" is great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6y4F8Q1CR4

Nomfundo Moh's album, Amagama (Words), is out. The soft beats support a singer still ecstatic at having found her own voice and a little imprisoned in the melodies that have worked best for her, but it's still a solid, pleasant first effort.

Some odd notes in this review—"AG has the writing and vocal chops to make better music than most of the leading men of Afropop" o rly—but an interesting read nonetheless: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/adekunle-gold-catch-me-if-you-can/

i think she's inelegantly stating that he is probably a better technical singer than someone like burna boy or wizkid, which i think is fair.

the album is solid overall, tho i think the singles kinda tower above everything. of the new songs, i especially like the fousheé collab.

I understood the line, but I think it's a weird critical move to assert that AG is ~capable~ of writing better music than BB or WK when he demonstrably has never done so. Maybe if she'd only said vocal chops I might not have cared—I certainly don't listen to Davido for his impressive pipes lol—but I have a fundamentally different way of listening to music than someone who would listen to AG and BB and think the former clearly has more potential

anyway, I listened to about half of the album and lost interest. Maybe he has "chops" but he sure lacks charisma! Not sure I blame Gold entirely for that, I'm bored with a lot of naija production right now, and I posted the review because I agree with her conclusion. OTOH I think African Giant has probably come closest to that point, and I always wished Wizkid had done more in the Ojuelegba vein

I understood the line, but I think it's a weird critical move to assert that AG is ~capable~ of writing better music than BB or WK when he demonstrably has never done so.

oh yeah totally agreed

the lovely new Rema single does exactly what I think that review was asking for

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQLsdm1ZYAw

Calm Down

debut album out in March

Reekado Banks & Fireboy DML - Ozumba Mbadiwe (remix)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qNHgciOut8

(I don't remember if the original version was posted last year)

sounds kind of like someone put Bounce in the freezer for a few hours

Rapper Riky Rick died this morning in Johannesburg from suicide, he was 34. I was a fan of the hit Ungazincishi and he seemed to be all around the place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQsND8-oYnQ

Anotha banga– but without the tag this time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTTsxSoYEFs
Rema & AJ Tracey - FYN (Prod Kel P Vibes)

Signature addictive King Monada melody

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjmzfSBQHDc
Rechie Teanet & C Boy Teanet - NuNu Ft King Monada

Buju and Pheelz' Finesse was #1 on the global Shazam chart when I checked it last night. I predict it's going to be huge this summer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyeCxH9wbDc

those Pheelz and Teanet tracks are great - the Rema's halfway there. Thanks!

Yes to “Finesse “

otm, that is excellent, and the video is the first time I've been hyped for the metaverse

Teanets are really nice too--is that South African?

the Rema is maybe a little relaxed to a fault, but I could see it sounding really good in the context of an album, the production is deeper than I first thought

I like this bit of naijapiano from Niphkeys & Reekado Banks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHI3JGyuRH0

Yes, and their parents were musicians/performers too. Read that father Peter was killed by a policeman

https://fourwaysreview.co.za/377379/richie-teanet-brings-a-different-sound-to-south-african-music-industry/

That’s re Teanet

thanks!

I'm playing catch-up. On the darker side of production, uMlando

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY1AKe1Qnkw
9umba, Toss & Mdoovar - uMlando (feat. Sir Trill, Sino Msolo, Lady Du, Young Stunna & Slade)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq6zkFOHEiw
Major League Djz x Mathandos x Nvcho ft C4 Djs - BAKWA LAH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmiIDKQV8kE
Cyfred - Lengoma ft. BenyRic, Nkulee & Skroef, T&T MusiQ

On the lighter side, I don't think that last year we posted ThackzinDJ, Tee Jay & Sir Trill - Yini Sdakwa

And I posted about TAYO from Musa Keys, but it was not Selema
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUfphAcgjLA
Musa Keys - Selema

the pheelz song is gonna be a big hit, and deservedly so.

loved the group vocals on this video from pheelz's tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pheelzonthebeat/video/7069775235326758149

With stars like @YAWTOG_, @KwakuDMC, @JayBahd1 and @ygaokenneth, will #Asakaa, or Ghana drill, replicate the recent global success of Nigeria's #Afrobeats and South Africa's #Amapiano?https://t.co/BT6RUFojU9

— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) March 22, 2022

Rema album sounds absolutely wonderful

omg just the transition from Divine to Hold Me was swoooon

why chris brown, rema?

it is indeed wonderful. go swoon over here: REMA : days of Rave & Roses (& of course Bangers)

while you’re all having fun on the Rema thread, let me post some hot stuff here.

this is a fucking jam, biggest streaming song in Nigeria right now (well, until the Rema album dropped):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A-CjKOQWvg
Asake • Sungba

but what? shock horror! his first absolute smash of the year wasn’t even posted here? sleeping on the job, folx! (you thought “Finesse” dropped out of thin air?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PnZf9U1HxQ
Asake ft. Olamide • Omo Ope


and another current naijapiano hit with its own unique vibe. slowed and screwed perhaps? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRn1gL9NNb8
Zinoleesky • Rocking

Rocking is cool

I'm not sure I get the fuss with Asake, though I liked Omo Ope more that Sungba and could see him growing on me. What's the connection between Omo Ope and Finesse?

speaking of: I'm glad Buju changed his name, but how exactly does one pronounce BNXN? bee en ex en I guess?

he's said it's pronounced "benson," which is his real last name

yeah, that will def put an end to any potential confusion with Buju Banton, which I assume is the reason for the name change

ha! thanks vc, I wasn't actually expecting anyone to know the answer lol. do you all listen to afrobeats podcasts or radio or...?

What's the connection between Omo Ope and Finesse?

gotcha

ha! thanks vc, I wasn't actually expecting anyone to know the answer lol. do you all listen to afrobeats podcasts or radio or...?

― rob, Friday, March 25, 2022 2:15 PM (eight minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

ha, i saw an article about his name change and it helpfully pointed out the pronunciation. also the first track on his e.p. from last year is called "daniel benson (buju)"

lmao I suppose I could have googled it myself. I only figured out the change because Finesse got greyed out on Tidal

Buju should have doubled down and renamed himself Buju Benson, who's going to recognize BNXN ?

get himself double sued

The Asake ep is dope- I didn’t quite get him at first either but he’s got it. Omo Ope is the standout though - Olamide guesting it (and him being signed to YBNL) makes a whole lot of sense. He’s very much the next generation’s Olamide.

sign of the times:

https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/ckays-love-nwantiti-tops-first-billboard-us-afrobeats-songs-chart-1235050658/

here’s the full top 30:

https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-u-s-afrobeats-songs/

all Nigerian btw, except for the big Ghanaian hit of the year - which is super lovely and happens to have a suitably Naija sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxyzTOX_tDQ
KelvynBoy • Down Flat

my favorite cover version:

This guy 😅 @_LHOGY pic.twitter.com/X39cOXvx3v

— Black Star ⭐️ (@kelvynboymusic_) March 3, 2022

ok I get the fuss now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WU__JQuB8g

(Sungba remix w/Burna Boy)

so then how do you (and others) feel about Black Sherif before and after Burna?

“Second Sermon” (July 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFdD3Y8mqPI

“Second Sermon (Remix)” (December 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPf8LT2uNbs

how it started: “First Sermon” (May 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M8GrF2b7M0

so yeah, these are all from 2021, but they’re very relevant to the BBC piece curmudgeon linked about Ghana drill/asakaa, even though Black Sherif, the biggest star to come out of this scene so far, doesn’t even get a mention there.

this sound has blown up in Ghana over the past 18 months at least, and has been influencing mainstream Ghanaian pop as well. I have to admit I was slow to catch on - for instance, I only realized well afterwards that that big bass in Okyeame Kwame’s “Yeeko” (as well as many other recent Kuami Eugene-helmed hits) comes straight from drill.

a recent one that comes out of asakaa but very much does its own slightly trippy thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=294N-3477PU
Jay Bahd ft. Skyface SDW, Chicogod & City Boy • Masherita

the black sherif x burna boy track is excellent, it's true

I do prefer that version yeah, but I should have said re: Asake that it wasn't so much that Burna elevates the song, more that it prompted me to listen to it again and I liked it—that said Burna is always welcome!

that Masherita is really good. drill (or that glissando bass sound anyway) is huge in dancehall right now too

table is the table posted this in last year's thread, though unfortunately it looks like you can't stream it there anymore: https://hakunakulala.bandcamp.com/album/nai-yetu-mixtape

sorry, should mentioned that's Kenyan

that glissando bass sound

haha I tried to explain the difference between trap and drill to a friend recently and "glissando bass" is about the only way to do it quickly

fun to listen back to Yeeko with that in mind btw, I definitely hadn't picked up on that either given how different the vibe is (this time I also noticed he says "drilly" at one point...I think)

Interesting how Free Mind from 2020 is outperforming most of the songs from If Orange Was A Place

I had no idea either, but I just checked the YouTube comments: people are seriously feeling this song

Less glissando bass

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErIwMUm91Xs
Pabi Cooper, Focalistic & Ch'cco - Banyana Ke Bafana

Focalistic is still on a roll, beyond the fact that something in his pitch is the definition of (bafana) charisma

This is also delightful and proper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsRwRaOqrxw
June Freedom, Djodje - Si Ki Min Krè

I don't remember we posted that song with Buju which is on Basketmouth's all-pleasant Horoscopes EP (if you want 20 Nigerian stars pocketed in a EP size).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg5yK6aZ2C8
Your Body

Video for Emiliana is out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypr5QN7Xn_M
Ckay - Emiliana

“all-pleasant” is selling Horoscopes short, I feel. It was my favourite afrobeats/afropop album/EP of the year until Rema came along.
it’s world-famous-in-Naija comedian Basketmouth’s second project as a musical curator, after 2020’s Yaba, which was also very good. Remember “Myself” with Show Dem Camp and Oxlade?
On the new one he’s also included Ghanaian artists like Efya and Kwabena Kwabena.

A very important factor in the success of these projects is producer Duktor Sett, who has managed to forge a wonderful, unifying sound for all these different performers (a sound with lots of oldskoolisms - I’ve never drunk it, but I always wish I had some palm wine at hand when I’m listening to this stuff)

Read more about it in this Joey Akan piece

There’s also an accompanying podcast with Basketmouth and Duktor Sett, I just discovered. (I haven’t listened to it yet)

Anyway, this is “Money”, featuring Oxlade and Efya:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHhgx1M9itg

(btw we really need to talk about Oxlade! the guy is responsible for both my favourite song (well, it was a tie) and my favourite afropop “project” of 2021, and I can’t find any mention of either on ILM!)

this is Oxlade’s first single of this year, “Want You”:

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

(btw we really need to talk about Oxlade! the guy is responsible for both my favourite song (well, it was a tie) and my favourite afropop “project” of 2021, and I can’t find any mention of either on ILM!)
― I'm too sophisti for the pun generator, so sophisti it hurts (breastcrawl), Friday, April 1, 2022 6:47 PM (forty-four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Which were those ? He didn't really have much to his name last year, even if I usually like everything he's on, Kolo with Ice Prince being a big one, Ojújú maybe ? If we are talking about the Dunnie Remix (technically 2020), then as sole voter in the YEP I feel entitled to ask for explanations :D

I think the production on such all-star projects, which requires no risk taken, is what holds back more of my enthusiasm on the Horoscopes EP. I tend to see them as a showcase, a pretty polished postal card for Nigerian music. I did hesitate in also linking Celowi and the closer, my other two favorites on first listen. Also seeing The Cavemen. being featured again made me think I should get interested in whoever is doing highlife in 2022. Anyway, all-pleasant was meant positively.

I really like Want You, it starts vibey, but then the bass pulse comes, and it finishes almost funky.

oh, I’m aware “all-pleasant” was meant positively, but it felt too much like damning the ep/album with faint praise when it’s actually damn excellent.

but let’s talk Oxlade >>>>>>> oh yes, “Ojuju”was definitely *that* song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzvDyh0DOIY

…and the Eclipse EP it’s from is *that* project - all four tracks produced by a magically rejuvenated DJ Coublon, all four among my most played tracks of the year.

(for some reason, these August releases were given “Troniq Music” as their main artist after having intially been simply credited to Oxlade - Troniq Music being nothing more than the name of the (his own?) record label. very confusing and commercially unwise. I suspect a Starboy-like situation, as in: after Oxlade signed an international deal with Epic Records, he may no longer have been allowed to release that stuff under his own name. haven’t been able to verify this tho)

the long and short of it is that Oxlade has become my favourite singer in afropop. the guy’s in love with his own voice and all the things he can do with it and I love him for it.
his feature-to-own-material ratio is about 10 to 1, I think, but this year should see more, more, more of solo-him. either way, most of his features are very exciting as well - this vocal tour de force from last year was a big hit in Ghana, for instance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqmxpTbOHX4
Sarkodie ft. Oxlade • Non Living Thing

At first I thought the hook on Fireboy DML's new single was a bit light and I've rapidly changed my mind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaC6tL7zYxo
Fireboy DML - Playboy

Also since we've established that remixes are a good thing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7wqi1HZFq8
1da Banton - No Wahala remix feat. Kizz Daniel & Tiwa Savage

Ojuju is beautiful! I'll have to check out the rest of that EP as I loved "Away" back in 2020 but he hasn't crossed my radar since. "I Want You" didn't make as much of an impression, but I'll revisit it later.

I'm into this new BNXN that's in a hazy, relaxed & warm mood, sounds like an afternoon nap with the windows open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COgIYkIzg1k

BNXN - For Days

new Black Sherif, “Kwaku the Traveller”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb6I7GoTvzI

can’t remember the last time a Ghanaian artist did so well in Nigeria, if at all: this song is Naija’s most streamed track, the Burna remix of “Second Sermon” is at 10 and he’s got features at 3 (“Always” with Darkoo) and 19 (Poco Lee’s “Yard”).

his delivery is so dramatic, with that great voice he has

“For Days” is lovely - hints at r&b (which it has in common with some of the Rema and, of course, MiL-Wizzy).

“No Wahala” is one of those surprisingly (well, I’m starting to get used to it) big global Afropop hits on TikTok/Shazam. They’re going the “Love Nwantiti” route with it, with all sorts of remixes (there’s a French one out, for instance). Absolute banger, of course - the kind that sounds like it’s always existed. Love the slide guitar.

“Playboy” is good, not “Peru”-good, but very solid, and it might grow on me some more.

Can we take a moment to let Fireboy’s success sink in? “Peru”, in its *excellent* Ed Sheeran remix version, peaked at #2 in the UK for several weeks and is still in the top 5, and currently sits at 53 in the Billboard Hot 100. Man even has a video with Madonna under his belt. I wish him Elton John and of course Jon Bellion collabs next.

btw, the Peru remix spawned some of the dumbest reviews in TSJ in living memory, I’m talking about the second and third 4-scores.

and yes, rob and everyone else who hasn’t heard it yet, do check out that Oxlade EP, as well as the Basketmouth album!

loving this from Boj (who goes waaay back in the Naija scene) with Moliy and Mellissa (who you might both know from the Amaarae album, they’re sisters apparently):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyqSIHjvgUk
“In The Loop”

previous single, the Juls-produced “Culture” with Enny, is good too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWtCDU1EQmc

8-song EP on the softer side featuring two songs with Azana including title track Nanini

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DKNliP8Gac
Lebza TheVillain feat. Sino Msolo & Tosh - Sosha

Introducing Magixx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=divDTLBDmCw
Magixx - Chocolate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwsGYaF-cEM
Magixx feat. Ayra Starr - Love Don't Cost a Dime (Re-up)

hadn’t checked in on prolific Ghanaian (self) producer Magnom for quite some time, but “Sweetie”s low-key vibe hits the spot for me today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gs9kaxxI4U

"kwaku the traveller" is really something, isn't it? immediately commanding. idk if i've ever heard this kind of delivery over a drill beat

Mellow & Sleazy are dropping a 9-song album (EP ?) in three days. I am enjoying the drive and percussions in recent single SJEPA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkAeAc23vLU
Mellow & Sleazy (feat. Focalistic & M.J) - SJEPA

Actually, that edit is no good and they should all be credited
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHkm9Odpzw4
Focalistic, Mellow & Sleazy and M.J - SJEPA

went on vacation for a week so I'm behind here, but that Boj "In A Loop" song is really nice

Billboard profile on the newly Warner-signed Pheelz

he’s hoping for Cardi B and/or ***Ye and/or Rihanna and/or Drake on the remix for “Finesse”

I mentioned Poco Lee’s “Yard” upthread because of its Black Sherif feature, but it merits more than just a mention - it’s a great track!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbDSxVrT4ZA
Poco Lee ft. Black Sherif, Bella Shmurda & Alpha P • Yard

(the fact that it’s produced by P.Priime may have something to do with it)

BOJ feat. Wizkid & Darkovibes, Awolowo remix is alright

I'm out the loop and doing a DJ set on Sat. What's really making you tick?

people, don’t sleep on Oxlade’s “Want You”. textbook example of a grower, that one.

I'm out the loop and doing a DJ set on Sat. What's really making you tick?

― Urbandn hope all ye who enter here (dog latin), 26. april 2022 17:47 (three days ago) bookmarkflaglink

Anything Fireboy and/or Rema, Sungba Remix, Kwaku the Traveller

New Burna Boy out 2 July titled 'Love, Damini' (his real name)

yesss

For fans of Osama

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZhKGa_d-Tk
Thee Suka - Aluwawa

Also we haven't posted either Mufasa or Jinja. Tekno has entered that sweet territory of effortlessness and he has endured remarkably well since his initial streak of hits (Duro - Pana - Rara - Samantha).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H0AEH3kPTY
Tekno - Jinja

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6LPkQyYdwg
Tekno - Mufasa

He has endured, but he is a bit past his prime, no?

There is no denying that Tekno has a formula, but it does not sound stale to me, rather like the classic afrobeats sound.

Playfully yours from Ghana, previously mentioned re-Horoscopes EP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2Qfe8JZHJE
Kwabena Kwabena - Fingers

I like those two recent Tekno singles a lot, especially “Jinja”, but his problem is he hasn’t sounded current in ages, which *might* be by choice, but it has made him more or less irrelevant as a hitmaker.

there’s something sad about his career. he was almost on a par with Wizkid and Davido at one point (remember he gave “If” to Davido when Davido was at the nadir of his career), but when he finally released his debut album in December 2020, at least three years after the fact, I don’t think anyone talked about it, anywhere. at least the album’s bizarre title, Old Romance, made a lot more sense than when he came up with it in 2017 or whenever it was. I listened to it once, and it was nice enough, but again, out of touch with the times and no urgency to it whatsoever.

but who knows, he might catch a wave again someday 🌊

but speaking of endurance: this slept-on track from 2019…

In other news: Wande’s still got it (see also the Amaarae track posted over the weekend):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snpa4_kUkkg
melvitto ft. Wande Coal • Gentility
― breastcrawl, woensdag 5 juni 2019 23:38

A friend turned me onto this great lo-fi afropop track from Nigeria (not to be confused with the Toronto indie-pop act of the same name):

Hotkid - "Star"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksEfm6MuJ0w`

^^ really nice, thanks to your friend

liking the boj album a great deal, even if he does tend to fade into the background and let the guests shine sometimes

Focalistic touring the US through June. In Houston MY 13; Dallas May 14

but who knows, he might catch a wave again someday 🌊

disclaimer: unabashed Oxlade fanboy here, but here’s yet another song of his I just•can•not•stop playing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x80x3_JqOws
Smallgod ft. Oxlade • Biou Biou

Oxy is permanently crazy in love, basically.

Smallgod is a Ghanaian-Dutch entrepreneur-turned-artist/A&R guy whose new album features an impressive line-up of Ghanaian, Naija, UK and Dutch guest artists: https://thenativemag.com/essentials-smallgod-connecting-the-dots/

Omah Lay has announced his first album Boy Alone is being released on 24 June 2022. Woman is the latest song revealed after Understand and the Bieber duo. I find it dangerously drowsy though, which I suddenly have less patience for after Rema's energy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFtZqhnXyGw
Omah Lay - Woman

For those interested, Kwaku the Traveller now has a video. The guy loves the camera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIDiI5kyBDQ

In the last hour or so I've been discovering King Promise who has shaped up a nice career. This little ballad is unassuming but pleasant enough to post, I dig the use of amapiano. Other favorites include his early singles Selfish, Alright with Shatta Wale which I will post for pleasure (2020), Fine Wine with R2Bees, CCTV. His other single from 2022, Bad 'N' Rude with WSTRN, is not bad either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCbAYj9tH2k
King Promise - Ginger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgA3PEO9V9U
King Promise (feat. Shatta Wale) - Alright

Also, I'm usually not a fan, but legit sound production from Stonebwoy on his latest and I didn't remember he was doing such an excellent Burna Boy impression.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD2pME-cLiY
Stonebwoy - Therapy

Fresh and irresistibly groovy from SA, hope it hits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0RbA4RntcA
Konke & Musa Keys (feat. Nkulee501, Skroef28 & Chley) - Kancane

The man behind Dorobucci and Adaobi is reborn from his ashes to gather some young stars around... a very soft beat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8SNlvR86xc
Mavins, Crayon, Ayra Starr (feat. LADIPOE, Magixx & Boy Spyce) - Overloading (Overdose)

that is a beautiful tune, thank you

after all these years i'm still a total sucker for classic dorobucci/passionfruit kinda vibes

Two new Ghanaian hits that both incorporate that big backing chorus line thing that’s all the rage in Naija pop this year.

Wendy Shay’s bleak “Survivor” even has a bit of Yoruba in the chant - in hopes of a crossover perhaps? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUbqTYsQpGs

Kuami Eugene’s “Take Away” is all about tauntingly flaunting it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZBYRX6USqE

more of a good thing:

is there such a thing as “too much Oxlade”? don’t think so!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pDQjwaH3qk
Oxlade • Ku Lo Se

more of a good thing, part 2:

lyrically at least, this is Bloody Samaritan Redux, but do we need more female fuck-you songs in afropop? I think we do!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S06IoLBDI7I
Ayra Starr • Ase

(oh, and London producing)

2022 will be remembered as the Asake takeover.
Here’s Peace Be Unto You:

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

^^ in at 92 in the midweek UK chart, another milestone for afropop.

“Last Last” climbed to number 20 last week, making it by far Burna’s biggest UK hit as the main artist.
Meanwhile, after almost *six* whole months, “Peru” is *still* in the top 20.

sorry i'm a real newb to afropop, just hearing "last last" and damn that's a good song.

welcome aboard, map!

thanks, i have ambitions to keep up that i'm sure will recede shortly

that Asake song is fantastic. I'll probably tire of that naijapiano/rubbery bass sound soon-ish but not yet

otm about "last last" and about the new asake, loving them both a lot

new DaBaby (yes, this is the Afropop thread):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QJl3NMDePs
DaBaby ft. Davido • Showing Off Her Body

that's a dud imo

what makes this a dud for you? the track itself ( I happen to think it’s a jam) or the fact that it’s DaBaby (which, sure)?

mostly DaBaby, who I've rarely loved but don't have any prejudice against. But I don't get anything from his presence here, the chorus is particularly eye-rolly. Production isn't bad or anything, I could see liking it with a vocalist I like more. Probably doesn't help that I'd listened to Last Last and PBUY right beforehand

idk maybe I am a bit prejudiced about crossover attempts tbh. but compare that to this, which just has tons more atmosphere & character:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmZ7KQD5Qvg

loool you’re going to apple-and-orange me with an *Oxlade* track? of course that one is much better, it’s from last summer’s Eclipse EP, one of the musical highlights of 2021, as noted upthread. didn’t know he dropped a video for “More” after all this time, so thanx for the headsup!

(you really should listen to that whole EP tho!)

I have! I'm super grateful for your Oxlade hyping

And yes that was an extremely deliberate thumb on the scales / hey check out this new video :)

thanking you for your Oxy fan service!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZquVz7FBdQg
Gyakie - Something

been loving ruger - "girlfriend" ... just a sublime song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1D6qsTEVj0

lasmid - "friday night" ... big song out of ghana right now, love this chorus. a bit reminiscent of fireboy "new york city girl". very sweet, memorable song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrghLct81sc

yes, “Friday Night” is so good! it’s like the friendly cousin of Kuami Eugene’s “Take Away” - you can tell that Lasmid’s favourite nightspot does *not* have a VIP section

cucurucuu!

yes, Ruger has ever so slyly established himself as a serious player in Omah Lay’s slipstream.
“Girlfriend” spells out his cock bandit persona times two. it’s a great song, but I love “WeWe”, another new track on his upgraded The Second Wave EP even better: https://www.youtube/watch?v=kG68cdAC_Do

it has distinct echoes of W4’s decade-old, semi-legendary “Kontrol”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udDglAxeV0c

https://thenativemag.com/shuffle-re-visit-kontrol-w4s-afrotrap-afrotrap/

(although Ruger doesn’t seem like a guy who would relinquish control to his female partner, at least not on (the) record)

btw, this was the biggest banger on the first edition of The Second Wave, which came out in November: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzFUM5AW1YQ
Ruger • Dior

cucurucuu!

“WeWe”, once more, with feeling:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG68cdAC_Do

Enjoying Girlfriend
Speaking of Omah Lay, his new album is finally coming out July 15

So I'm digging the Omah Lay. No surprise, it's on the introspective and minimal side (see cover), only two features and no obvious hit, but it's consistent, heartfelt, like a little brother to Rema's album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=258haho4GRE
Omah Lay feat. Tay Iwar - Tell Everybody

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Eu7rMtmcc
Omah Lay - Never Forget

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmq2txrRu2w
Omah Lay - Bend You

I could have posted I'm a mess or Soso rather than Bend You
They don't outline his whole program like those lyrics though

I put my all in till I see evidence
For her face and her leg e dey shake
Like say she get epilepsy
She say the taste is a sweet and e bitter
At the same time peppermint
Crocodile teeth, Skillibeng
Yes my thing strong no fit bend oh
By my face I innocent
Until I bend you

no obvious hit

I haven't gotten to the album yet, but I thought "woman" was nice when I heard it—which doesn't make it a hit ofc

this is spectacular:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpnlnMq2S3I
BNXN fka Buju ft. Wande Coal • Kenkele

sound and song-wise it reminds me of nothing so much as Wizkid and Duncan Mighty’s “Fake Love” from 2018, another new-star-with-inspirational-veteran duet, coincidentally or not.

…which, and this is totally coincidental, I nominated for the 2010s Poll - search under ‘Starboy’ and consider voting for it!

that is great... "BNXN" has to be one of the more confusing midstream name changes in recent music history

That is nice...not sure it reaches the heights of Fake Love, but good lord that's an extremely high bar! (I do hear why your mind went there though.)

I was listening to some slightly older BNXN the other day (Cold Outside, Confident, For Days), and he definitely has that special something.

Joining the chorus on Ruger's Girlfriend: that song is fantastic. I would not have gone with a lyric video though lol

yeah his catalogue on Tidal is a total mess thanks to the name change: entries for BNXN, BNXN fka Buju, and Buju

yes, “BNXN”, let alone “BNXN fka Buju” is just terrible in every respect. they should have gone for *Daniel ‘Buju’ Benson* or something, but it was probably deemed not modern enough as artist names go.

BNXP lol

LMAO

now that i know it's supposed to be read as "benson" i'm like "ok..." but removing all vowels and having the x stand in for two diff letters, it's just a lot

ANYWAY... great song

Kenkele really interesting use of autotune and singing by Buju, it wasn't always clear he could diversify his style, but he's been taking it one step at a time and is always interesting to follow. Very good song indeed.

First Video for Boy Alone after Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOGJ76ct8G8
Omah Lay - I'm a mess

halfway during “Kenkele” Buju seems to invoke the Dutch snack kaassoufflé, which is very distracting indeed

exciting chart news: Oxlade’s “Ku Lo Se” seems to have gone TikTok-viral. apart from giving him his first proper Nigerian hit since “Away” and blowing up all over Africa and the Caribbean, this has also resulted in a UK chart debut, at #96 no less. hurrah!

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNQF86yX/?k=1

#kulosachallenge

just noticed I’ve been spelling it wrong up til now: it’s “Ku Lo Sa” - thanks TikTok people!

Mogoya is an all timer for me (along with its incredible remix companion album featuring Sampha, Sun-El Musician among others) so I was really happy to see Oumou Sangaré has a new one out called Timbuktu. Here's the lead single and album opener. It's got some interesting American folk and rock production, supposedly due to her being stranded in the US during 2020 for the pandemic. Interesting textural contrast to the Berlin production of Mogoya. It's Malian through and through though, and classic Oumou. Definitely one of the better releases of the year so far for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tulfimCd6JE

yeah i adore that earlier Sangare album too

curious to hear the new one - early singles lacked the intensity (feels like a production choice) but oh well

tems' 2020 song "free mind" has been charting on the hot 100 for a bit, what's going on there? tiktok?

i think it's organic, although it did take off after a song from the same project was sampled on that future/drake single & that hasn't felt coincidental to me. i will say on a purely anecdotal level tems is the no 1 artist i've heard playing from cars/street corners etc in bed stuy this summer. i think ppl just fuck w/ her in a real way, she makes classic R&B music that also feels fresh and i think it's connecting deeply on an artist level w/ ppl in a way that transcends stuff like tik tok

this from upthread:

Interesting how Free Mind from 2020 is outperforming most of the songs from If Orange Was A Place

― human and working on getting beer (longneck), woensdag 30 maart 2022 23:38

I had no idea either, but I just checked the YouTube comments: people are seriously feeling this song

― celebrating ten years of constant posting (breastcrawl), donderdag 31 maart 2022 0:07

Crazy that Vibe Out is the least played song (on Spotify) from that EP

that’s how little clout Obama has these days

(it’s on his 2022 Summer playlist)

different EPs tho, “Vibe Out” is from last year’s one, “Free Mind” is on the one before that.

Vibe Out is such a jam.

"free mind" is great, but it's weird for an album cut from years ago to take off like this. seems like it's just a product of mainstream fans digging into a newly-popular artist's back catalog and landing on a gem.

delightful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1idqvGdCitU
Zinoleesky ft. Tiwa Savage • Jaiye Foreign
(produced by Pheelz)

hey, the guy partly responsible for the best track of the 2010s just dropped a new song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYAiEtyoAE0
L.A.X • Para

Jaiye Foreign: A+

let’s count down the Naija hits, shall we?

.@fireboydml’s “Bandana” with @asakemusik spends a third week as the No. 1 song in the country while the viral ode to Wizkid debuts at No. 2

1. @fireboydml Bandana
2. @carterefe__, @TigaBerri Machala
3. @burnaboy It’s Plenty
4. @asakemusik PBUY
5. @burnaboy For My Hand pic.twitter.com/9pEsKGgYBU

— TurnTable Charts (@TurntableCharts) August 12, 2022

love this slice of Tanzapiano, so pretty:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmv_0Fpw5zk
Marioo • Dear Ex

that is some seriously smooth beatmaking

Kreyòlapiano?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9QJ4-SjJM4
Mickael Marabou ft. Davido • Mwen Love Ou

yep

https://musictalkers.com/latest-news/92-featured/8397-mickael-marabou-davido-teams-up-on-new-upbeat-romantic-pop-hit

Mickael describes the genesis begin with both her and Davido’s willingness to take a risk. “Once we decided to collaborate, we sent Davido two songs he chose this “Mwen Love Ou”, it was an honor to have them choose this one because it was in my native tongue Creole” Mickael explains. She continues on, “So it was great working with him on a sound that’s not his usual Afrobeats sound, it is more of a mix of house music techno mix with Afrobeat, which is called “Amapiano”.

Born in Brooklyn from Haitian parents, Mickael Marabou

AfroKreyolapiano it is then

*not done chanting:*


following up “Finesse”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhS0aKygDww
Pheelz ft. Davido • Electricity


following up “Omo Ope”, “Sungba”, “Sungba (Remix)”, “Palazzo”, Peace Be Unto You (PBUY)” and “Bandana”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrIP_igi76U
Asake • Terminator

Ooooooooooo! New Asake!

Those are both great! But lol they're not exactly deviating from the formula are they, though I appreciate the ambition in Terminator. Electricity kind of just evaporates

I have nothing positive to say about Asake - find him tacky, don't like his voice and "arena" effect, and this aside he brings nothing new. Bullshit mediocre artist.

He will be forgotten fast

peace be unto you

lol

peace be unto you
― big movers, hot steppers + long shaker intros (breastcrawl), Saturday, August 20, 2022 8:06 PM (fifty minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

16 rounds I'll be King Kong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmidK8z4YzE

still lolling at Nabozo's draconian Asake verdict, dude has put out what, 4 singles? mang

Anyway, BNXN's Bad Since '97 EP is so good y'all, lots of beautiful deep bass to get lost in. If you liked "Kenkele" upthread, definitely take 20 minutes to listen to this. Wizkid's great on it, Olamide sounds like a random weirdo wandered into the studio to growl into the mic but it works, etc

right on time, there's a vid for the jazzy title track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amsNoH8Uuyc

am right in the middle of this. track 2 is great. and, man, “Many Ways”: Buju 😍 Wizzy 😍 Juls 😍

definitely a highlight! As much as I love autotuned smoothie Wizkid, he sounds so good over more acoustic productions too. I listened to Made In Lagos for the first time in a while the other day, and it struck me what a jazz-like approach to singing he has, he's a real crooner

also a new dj tunez song ft wizkid, tay iwar & alpha p

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omJwK3hfQ5M

i can't remember if i posted about this but i really like the tay iwar single from earlier this summer, "bad4u"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1NtUYN2-cw

wow, didn’t realise today was my birthday!

xp

oooh, “Majo” has the piano 🎹🎹🎹!!!

wiz has been posting about the imminent release of new music pretty much all year including w/in the last week or two but the combo of these new features + the video for the chris brown single also coming this week leads me to believe that we're getting quite close

definitely a highlight! As much as I love autotuned smoothie Wizkid, he sounds so good over more acoustic productions too. I listened to Made In Lagos for the first time in a while the other day, and it struck me what a jazz-like approach to singing he has, he's a real crooner

breastcrawl
Posted: 10 December 2014 at 23:28:37

And this is Uhuru feat. Speedy with the remix for "Ungowami", now also featuring Wizkid. True loverman anthem!

i'm maybe more in between nabozo and the hivemind on asake but the new song is nice

made in lagos becoming a micro genre unto itself makes me very happy

Haha, I had initially dismissed him with my first sentence, and then since I trust my wife's judgment, I asked her on the spot what she thought of Asake, and boy she doesn't mince her words. I think she added overhyped too.

Giddy with excitement about new Wizkid music, haven't had a chance yet to listen !

made in lagos becoming a micro genre unto itself makes me very happy

― J0rdan S., Thursday, August 25, 2022 3:09 PM (twenty-one minutes ago)

otm, that was my other takeaway from revisiting it: that album *really* set the agenda for a lot of stuff that came after

Re: Asake, tbh I like PBUY and the Sungba remix a lot, but I'm less hyped on the rest and I straight up didn't like Bandana (possibly cuz of Fireboy though!)

Majo is very cool. Not gonna fall for "new Wizkid album coming soon" talk though, I've been burned before :)

after Joeboy scored the biggest hit of his career last year with “Alcohol” (later retitled to “Sip”), he thought it a good idea to follow it up with the straight-to-TikTok “Cubana”. it bombed, unsurprisingly. but he’s mended his ways and is now back to the straight and narrow with an absolutely brilliant track, produced, just like “Sip (Alcohol)” by Tempoe.

loving both these video approaches:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dptz4nVbaE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0BiX7Mt4yo

PS we can discuss the lyrics later. or not.

speaking of Tempoe: has anyone besides Nabozo and me been listening to the Omah Lay album?

my expectations weren’t all that high, because of the drop in quality of the singles after “understand”, and the first half of Boy Alone seemed to confirm that. everything sounded nice and good but nothing stood out. when “understand” came up as track 7, I was like: man, what happened to those hooks you used to made?
but the next track, “never forget”, gave me one of the biggest musical shocks/jolts in recent memory. what a breathtaking song/production/performance. and the adventure didn’t stop there: “soso”, “how to luv”… some real deep tracks there.
I’ve been digging this album for several weeks now and the first half of the album has revealed itself gradually as well in the light of what follows behind (“i’m a mess”, “temptations”, that bassline!)

anyway, “never forget” is one of my two songs of the year so far, and I have no hesitation in saying that for me it’s one of the best Afropop songs ever.

(to come back to Tempoe, he produced most of the tracks, but “never forget” is the work of Semzi, best known here for thread favourites “MJ” by Bad Boy Timz and “Fall For Me” by Laycon and YKB)

I never got around to checking that out but def will now.

In the meantime, that Joeboy track is dynamite!
I'm not sure I followed the lyrics really, other than the Fela shout-out and the fact he won't share his charger

ok yeah "never forget" rules. Semzi has a real flair for bass. "safe haven" now sounding pretty great too, kind of a deep oceanic take on the "anthem" Last Last/Asake sound (do we have a shorthand for this?)--but my ears are worn out for the day so I'll have to come back to this

interesting take on “safe haven”! I never made that connection

the "anthem" Last Last/Asake sound (do we have a shorthand for this?)

you rang m’lord?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pvVyHyX2Zg
Olamide • We Outside

The Omah lay has been on constant rotation, it's my favorite release behind Rema this year, and I'm constantly returning to 'Soso' and 'Never Forget'. They're both lighter than air as well as grave and murky. Nigerian pop really likes to use inebriation as romantic metaphor for alienation, youthful doubt, fear of being numb.

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

Well, surely not just metaphor, I'm sure they like their drink a little too much

aiui palm wine is pretty important to Igbo and Yoruba culture, and it figures in their folklore and more contemporary culture (e.g., Amos Tutuola). Most relevantly there is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm-wine_music

Omah is more of a cognac guy tho

lol sure I just meant stuff like this and Joeboy's "Sip" might be tying more into traditional themes than you'd expect (or not, sorry if I'm 'splaining here)

rob be sipsplaining

Tekno has got his groove back (thank you, Kiss!) and it’s a joy to behold:

“After Party”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aDjFAWJzB4

also a nice new twist on the anthemic chorus line thing

Since the UK afro thread is not the most active, I might as well post this here.
We've been enjoying playing this, and for once, the French feat is good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHLesr_8Y0Q
NSG & MHD - In Da Car

“In Da Car” is some good shit!
besides 4Play, there’s two boss Dutch producers involved in that one: Diztortion and Spanker.

if you’re looking for a super cho French rap feature, look no further than this one, one of my crucial 2022 jams:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lp9clJSB7E
Aya Nakamura ft. Damso • Dégaine

(I’m cheating of course, this one being French on French)

meanwhile, the latest boy (Spyce is sooo old news) from the House of Mavin, Bayanni, just dropped his 4-track debut EP.

single “Body” is good (love the strings!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXh-McyVOvw

…but my favourite here is the lewd “Ta Ta Ta”, which has drill bass and suitable murky production:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn3L_HbcrpA

I've been really really really enjoying "Girlfriend" by Ruger and "I'm A Mess" by Omah Lay recently. So much great music in this thread.

Oooh, Aya Nakamura and Damso! Two faves, one track.

I’ve never felt comfortable posting (South African) piano in this thread, but I’m hoping this poll I created might get the amapiano party started again on ILM, because we’re seriously logging… lagging behind. here’s your invitation - I hope you will all participate:

drowning in a blissful ocean of log drums and keys: 🎹🎹 amapiano a-z 🎹🎹 an ilm poll

Asake album out, and no, it’s not called Haters Gonna Hate

haven’t listened to it yet, this is just a public service announcement. pbuy!

The album sounds really right and good. 30 minutes! Organise is an early fave but there are more.

Tight not right but ok

- - Whitney Houston

Lol!

Wow, I love the flow of this.

yeah the Asake sounded great to me too, a really fascinating project. From one angle, it doesn't deviate from the formula at all. But it explores every possible corner of it, and since there's barely a breath between tracks—and quite a few end very abruptly—it almost comes across like a single-song suite

i'm also digging the asake, agreed that it flows very well. there's enough differences between the tracks that it isn't monotonous though. i particularly like "nzaza" and the particularly amapiano-flavored "sunmomi"

I love the Asake more and more. I might just be a bit out of the loop on afropop, but it's one of the most inventive and new-sounding albums I've heard all year, from anywhere? It's as if he loves the thing on amapiano-albums where one beat morphs into another so much that he wouldn't wait 6-7 minutes for each one, and therefore turned everything into 2-3 minute sketches. And on top of that is the usual 'organic' instrumentation, but instead of the usual jazzy sound there's a gospel choir and that wonderful rustic violin, which really ties the album together. It feels a bit much to call it 'deconstructed amapiano', but it does feel a lot like all those British artists adjacent to the dance-scenes, taking sounds and ideas and turning them into weird personal projects. Like PinkPantheress or something.

It's great to listen to, and a lot of fun to think about as well.

Yay, Asake album is lush

Somewhat reticent profile of Asake: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/asake-afrobeats-new-album-mr-money-with-the-vibe-1234588970/

Tbh a Magicsticks profile might be more revealing (not that I have any idea how they collaborate)

Anyone watched the Afrobeats documentary series? On Netflix, at least in Canada

hey, did you know we had a trend going on?

http://thenativemag.com/asake-davido-anthemic-chants/

I shall have no qualms posting Amapiano in this thread (there's a nice spectrum here after all).

Mbosso from Tanzania has a nice track with Costa Titch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKWey2e8NY0
Mbosso Feat. Costa Titch & Phantom Steeze - Moyo

Going back to SA, very chill amapiano "ballad" here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErB9HJU2vOk
K.O feat Young Stunna & Blxckie - SETE

Nomfundo Moh still in her space but I don't mind a romantic duo with Kwesta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnrWXf5yuU8
Nomfundo Moh feat. Kwesta - Sibaningi

And finally, afrobeats-wise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ommOZ_493yU
Mr Eazi - Personal Baby

asake album is really lovely but i wish he let the songs breathe a little they're so short & he definitely has enough ideas to carry them a bit longer

the occasional amapiano beat makes it particularly fascinating, a 2 minute amapiano track just seems perverse

Much as I am loving the proliferation of amapiano, I am starting to get (only slightly) concerned that quite so many artists within and without SA are taking on the sound to the point where everyone has to have at least one amapiano song in their repertoire (usually a lot more)

you can spare yourself your ever so slight concern trolling - that ship has long sailed.

this is from a year ago already:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rphoHc0JLU

and as Davido said in an earlier incarnation of this phenomenon, it’s The Sound!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVNPkCI-ytY

Nowadays I feel like the Amapiano export industry is where all the creative potential is. I especially appreciate it when it's really well integrated and subtle. Compared to the deep and hard sound that tends to be crushed under its own dark gravitas and sluggish block structure (Felo le Tee, another 3-hour album by KdS). The core sound is a little behind. I will still lend an ear to Busta 929, Focalistic, but I haven't even listened to the aforementioned KDS, couldn't get into the new Mr Jazziq at all, I find myself skipping and getting tired, too many songs are absorbed in that opaque internal space, that inner conversation. So I get the Amapiano fatigue and I've been wondering when the next sound is due.

Part of my own fatigue is the exacting challenge of finding songs from Spotify though.

thanking you for rating an album you haven’t even listened to, very useful information.

it’s a great album by the way, can’t be mentioned enough

Lol, I will eventually get to it, if only out of loyalty to the artist. I was just pointing to the obvious that artists going deep into the rabbit hole may discourage even original fans of the sound, and widen the divide between the DJ-side and the pop-side, which feels more vital and interesting right now. There's something for each listener though, I just don't have the dedication to line up 100-minutes+ albums, and I think KDS can take a little blame for this excess.

I've always tried to keep up and posted Amapiano in our threads, so please don't get mad at me breastcrawl :)

I found this tune by a new Canadian artist in an Apple Music R&B playlist. Very distinct amapiano influence.

https://open.spotify.com/track/68qSx0qS9nfVm4X0wFIBx1?si=up-UF1tpQuS2uvoiaEdKJQ

According to this, it's not so much influence as intentionally trying to make ama: https://www.onscenemagazine.com/home/news/music/2022822-luna-elle-is-crazy-off-love-for-her-amapiano-debut

Oh right! Fascinating.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but what's most interesting about the genre's spread is there isn't really a particularly prominent artist or track leading the wave, right? Unlike afrobeats' slow rise to prominence, which was punctuated by both one-off hit singles and artists like Wizkid and BB consistently releasing tracks & albums, making guest appearances, having mediocre US/UK features on their songs, Drake taking an interest, etc.

on second thought, I gather this might be somewhat different in Europe?

That track/artist will surely come along. But you’re right. It seems to spread in an… organic sort of way. As much as I enjoy current SA amapiano though, I am a bit frustrated that so little of it seems to be at all concerned with the genre’s pop potential - if only because someone outside SA looks set to be the one or ones spearheading the movement globally. Looking at the Apple Music London charts today, Oxlade’s Ku Lo Sa is number one (!) while Asake and Burna Boy dominate the list. Which is great. But seeing a “real” amapiano track in the mix would be awesome.

From the little time I've spent in SA, Amapiano is played as is on the radio and blasted in some popular restaurants / taverns / shops, public space, and obviously in clubs. Afrobeats has relatively little penetration and influence, since SA produces so much music of its own, it's there but a little further in the global periphery. The pop side is already well covered between the gentler house, hip hop, the gospel type of stuff. At its core, Amapiano remains dance music from the lokshin, an underground culture, much like Gqom was.

Of course. I’d just like to see some of the originators get a little of the crossover action that must surely be on its way.

I think amapiano succeeds in part by playing the long game

Africa’s most out there music festival (afaik) is blossoming and Museveni’s government doesn’t like it:

https://thequietus.com/articles/32062-uganda-s-government-issues-guidelines-for-nyege-nyege-festival

wow…

This just made my year 🤍🌴🦅 pic.twitter.com/eQsNHwAIa2

— Ozedikus Nwanne 💯 (@ozedikus) September 17, 2022

just wow…

…Just some boys from surulere doing what they know best pic.twitter.com/mbg3UE1EbI

— ᴏғᴀ (@oxladeofficial) September 17, 2022

asake album debuted at no 66 in the US, outselling ari lennox (among notable other debuts last week). wild times

highest-charting nigerian debut album of all time

yep, also debuted at #22 in the UK album chart. not so much outselling as outstreaming tho, it’s #12 on US Apple Music Top Albums today, and the #1 (!) on UK Apple Music Top Albums - two weeks after its release. wild times indeed.

streaming = selling these days

clearly not to the chart compilers or it would be much higher up there

j0rdan is right. there are multiple streaming services and the albums in front of him seem to have more cross-platform appeal

for example, asake is doing much better on apple than spotify, where he’s not in the global or us top 50 album charts

just checked the uk album chart on spotify and he’s not on there either

Steady green like broccoli

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crtQSTYWtqE
Ayra Starr - Rush

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TZAt8mPvnU
Kwesta X Kabza De Small Feat Masterpiece - yvk-K’shubile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNzLp2OChBU
Costa Titch & Diamond Platnumz feat. ma Gang - Superstar

That Ayra Starr track is right up my alley. I especially love the subtle synth bass.

Yeah it's infectious, lots of hooks (Aje Aje Aje, chorus, bridge), backing vocals & pulsating bass doing wonders, her best track so far.

https://theface.com/music/black-sherif-interview-album-the-villain-tour-burna-boy

Black Sherif interview

Moliy's new EP Honey Doom is very enjoyable if you dig her voice (as I do)

Hard w/Moonchild Sanelly isn't quite representative, but is fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhwBr5VkrpI

Young Jonn, "Xtra Cool"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWWCj-EbevI

I don't much about this guy, but this is kind of a perfect distillation of the amasake sound

talking about making it against all odds:

So what do we think of Young John's apparent attempt to become a solo artist over other people's production?
https://soundcloud.com/dee-moss-374676760/dj-hol-up-feat-young-john-gbagbe-prod-mojarz

― human and working on getting beer (longneck), woensdag 24 februari 2016 10:57

Hmmm, it's nice enough (though really nothing special), and I wish Young John all the success in the world, but I think he's already found his calling.

― breastcrawl, woensdag 24 februari 2016 18:29

I hope so too, lol

― human and working on getting beer (longneck), woensdag 24 februari 2016 21:15

wait it's that Young Jonn??

none other

He’s still a boring vocalist lol. Wish him all the best nonetheless.

ok lol that thought did occur to me (since "Young John the wicked producer" is perma-lodged in my brain) but he looks so, well, young in the video I assumed it couldn't be him

My favorite non-Asake song at the moment is probably Electricity, which just suddenly started to make all the sense in the world to me.

this is his biggest hit yet, massive in Naija and getting there in the rest of Africa, #43 on Shazam worldwide. perseverance pays off, people! he seems more interested in this than in production (although he’s had some big hits as a producer in the past couple of years, that distinctive sound he used to have has long since been buried in the past)

he looks so, well, young in the video I assumed it couldn't be him

I thought Zinoleesky looked like a child and he’s like 26 so I know how you feel.

haha wow yeah I wouldn't have guessed 27, though dang 20 is impressive.

I kind of agree about him being a boring singer, but I think that tracks works anyway—or at least, I'm not surprised it's popular

I mean, someone like P.Priime is only 20 *now*, and he came up three years ago

sheesh

speaking of palm wine (well people were speaking of it months ago), came across show dem camp's 'palmwine music 3' album, and it's worth checking out. reminds me a bit of the juls album from last year in concept (though that one was clubbier and more influenced by uk sounds) in that it's a revue-style compilation featuring one artist collaborating with some of the best and brightest in the nigeria scene.

loved this one with bellah, who i am def checking out more of after this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=232XULY-SJA

and this one with our guy boj
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r49K9xwf3UM

bellah seems to be more for the r&b thread, but "wyw" still goes

after 33 million views as an A Colors Show vid, the song of the year (well, it’s top three at the very least) finally gets the proper video treatment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4qud199tQk

Is it better than the A Colors Show version though? I’m undecided.

The New Rihanna single is co-written by Tems and sounds like a Tems song.

https://open.spotify.com/track/35ovElsgyAtQwYPYnZJECg?si=M8JNZnDyT6mUykLPi7vEug

Is it better than the A Colors Show version though? I’m undecided.

― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Friday, October 21, 2022 6:11 PM (one week ago)

you just mean the videos, right? as in: the song is exactly the same

Forreal? I thought it sounded slightly different. Anyway, I prefer the green video, I think.
And speaking of videos, this one is a lot of fun:

Blaqbonez - Back in Uni
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4y_kzpCthQ

sorry, longneck, I meant to phrase that as a question; I'm not sure if they're the same mix or not

I'm not sure either, but for some reason I feel/felt like the first version was a bit more naked and raw. It might just be the sparsity of the video that brings out the vocal performance more, idk.

Mr. Seyi with the Vibez:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuF6wCbHIAY
Seyi Vibez • Chance (Na Ham)

Tiwa goes Asake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgeTnpTkzI0

…on “Loaded”.

snippets of this song have been doing the rounds for some time now. maybe there was a tug of war about under whose name it would be released?

as it is, it *sounds* fantastic, but it’s also way too short, especially since Asake and Tiwa don’t interact on the song at all.

…and it has to be said, the video *looks* absolutely stunning in every aspect, like so many videos in afropop do

... and especially Asake videos, it must be said.

Such fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=douM3B78IhY
Mavins / Mavin All Stars* • Won Ma Do

*they include:
Rema
Boy Spyce
Crayon
Bayanni
Magixx
LADIPOE
Ayra Starr
Johnny Drille

love,
Don Jazzy

oops, *Won Da Mo*

Yeah this is hitting my "Bounce by Rema" buttons

With the release of the new Wizkid (which I'm still listening to right now), I was thinking about doing a best naija album/EP of the year poll with these options:

Asake - Mr Money With The Vibe
BNXN fka Buju - Bad Since ‘97
Burna Boy - Love, Damini
Fireboy DML - Playboy
Omah Lay - Boy, Alone
Rema - Rave & Roses
Wizkid - More Love, Less Ego

Am I missing anything? I'm not happy about the lack of women, but if there's an eligible contender, it's off my radar. I could also be persuaded to include Ghana if anyone had suggestions from there.

It’s very weird how Tems has had a bigger year than anyone, yet there are no female naija artists out at the moment except for Ayra, who will probably blow up before any of the guys do.

yeah it's pretty galling! Also lol that two of those 6 titles have the word "boy" in them, and one has "Mr"...not subtle lads

I thought about expanding to Ghana just so I could include Moliy's ep but I doubt it would get any votes anyway. On that note though, has anyone tried the Black Sherif album?

I’ve tried it. It’s good but I need to return to it.

İ listened to it once too, it was good, I guess, but all of it was more of Black Sherif - there was nothing that perked up my ears, like his individual singles did.

more candidates, going by my scrobbling stats (Naija only):

Basketmouth - Horoscopes (very good!)
Prettyboy D-O - Love Is War (also very good, but from Oct 21)
Adekunle Gold - Catch Me If You Can (solid)
*Simi - TBH (To Be Honest) (sounded good, but I still need to revisit)*

if we’re considering EPs/minialbums (and why not? the Buju is one too):

Victony - Outlaw
Bryann - Ileke (from Dec 21)
Kizz Daniel - Barnabas (from Nov 21)

…and/or ‘22 Deluxe versions of ‘21 releases with a significant amount of new material:

*Ayra Starr - 19 & Dangerous Deluxe*
Ruger - The Second Wave Deluxe (EP)

also, recent releases by people like Bella Shmurda and Blaqbonez might be of interest (I haven’t listened to ‘em yet)

there’s also the recent Show Dem Camp album and
The Cavemen. album from Oct 21

Fave is a new female singer on the scene, she had a (5-track) EP out this year.
but yeah, slim pickings, especially when it comes to album-length projects

please don’t ask me the same question about amapiano albums/“EPs”. my brain will implode

lol yes let's stick to Nigeria for sanity's sake

Thank you for all that!

I'm leaning toward being a strict 2022 stickler for two reasons: 1) to make it a manageable enough list that the curious could check everything out in a reasonable amount of time 2) this is shameless EOY poll campaigning :)

I might make an exception for the deluxe 19 & Dangerous though. Pity I can't shoehorn Oxlade in

fwiw I started the Blaqbonez and found it uneven, though I can't claim to have given it a fair shot

dang this Basketmouth sounds great, unfortunately it's a 2021 release, but I'm glad you mentioned it

it was released in February!

hm maybe Tidal is lying to me

ok they are, sorry about that!

I raved about it here at the time too!

maybe you should try the Simi album for some more female representation

yep, I added that to my listening pile (my ears cannot listen to another new album today)

With the release of the new Wizkid (which I'm still listening to right now), I was thinking about doing a best naija album/EP of the year poll with these options:

Asake - Mr Money With The Vibe
BNXN fka Buju - Bad Since ‘97
Burna Boy - Love, Damini
Fireboy DML - Playboy
Omah Lay - Boy, Alone
Rema - Rave & Roses
Wizkid - More Love, Less Ego

Am I missing anything? I'm not happy about the lack of women, but if there's an eligible contender, it's off my radar. I could also be persuaded to include Ghana if anyone had suggestions from there.

― rob, Friday, November 11, 2022 8:51 AM (eight hours ago)

these are 4 of my top 8-10 albums of the year in any genre. such a strong year for the country

Fave is a new female singer on the scene, she had a (5-track) EP out this year.
but yeah, slim pickings, especially when it comes to album-length projects

― big movers, hot steppers + long shaker intros (breastcrawl), Friday, November 11, 2022 1:13 PM (four hours ago)

fave is great. it felt like "baby riddim" had some real staying power. she's managed by joeboy's team so i think she will continue to grow but i know they weren't rushing it w/ her

i forget where we talked about tyla from south africa who had that great song "getting late" last year... i thought she had superstar potential but she's barely put out music since and they lost the momentum, not sure what happened. but she just put out a new song this week called "to last" that is pretty dope... kinda does the same thing as "getting late" where it teases this release that never comes tho on a less grand scale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPuiAUzz1B0

so Simi and Fave made a lovely single together:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5qoTakVVAM
Simi ft. Fave • Loyal

…and this is Fave’s latest, “Scatta Scatta”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQe9ZezSQgY

she only had a choreo for half the track

i forget where we talked about tyla from south africa who had that great song "getting late" last year... i thought she had superstar potential but she's barely put out music since and they lost the momentum, not sure what happened.

"getting late" was actually from 2019 but just got a big push last year with a video. the follow-up "overdue" was even better but i think didn't do as well commercially. idk what she's doing yeah, the "getting late" video got her an international deal with epic so it wouldn't surprise me if it's weird label shenanigans where "overdue" underperformed so they slowed way down.

"to last" is pretty nice though, hope there's more on the way

I made the naija poll: Best Naija Pop Album/EP in 2022

Apols to Ayra Starr, but I decided to be ruthless about the release year.

Ruger is not on that poll, though Girlfriend might end up my SOTY. His new one is really lovely (musically anyway):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_-R1JKCNrA

Ruger - Asiwaju

Yeah Girlfriend is currently my track of the year too!

I'm not really one to listen to whole Afro pop albums but I'll give these all a listen

I especially like it when Ruger sings "Baby, let me take a look / OHHH LORD!"

Three minutes of sweetness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7Gofo8j3E0
Iyanya - One Side

sweet like banana

alongside “Asiwaju” Ruger also twin-released Girlfriend - The Sequel, called “Red Flags”. spoiler alert: gf in question leaves him, Ruger gaslights her:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zEPGHPZCF8

another sweet jam from Iyanya’s new EP is “Sweet Argentina”, with Kuami Eugene providing the Ghanaian flavour - that’s three quarters of a World Cup group of… sweet there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDpUG5cF1iY

Wizkid show in March 2023 in Washington DC is @ Capital One Arena that holds 18,000. Booked by Live Nation

Just overheard Tyla - To Last in a store - mentioned upthread by j0rdan - and idk if it was the bass in there but it sounded really good.

Also overheard “Guchi - I swear” next. Not as impressive but also sounded nice.

Ok just heard Tyla on my cheapest headphones and have to reconfirm that bass is massive

ooh, “I Swear” is very sweet!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQkSDnHXc20
Guchi ft. Yemi Alade • I Swear

where is the store you’re hearing these songs in, Moka?

Ok just heard Tyla on my cheapest headphones and have to reconfirm that bass is massive

where is the store you’re hearing these songs in, Moka?

― big movers, hot steppers + long shaker intros (breastcrawl)

It’s a local sneakers store - different brands. I go from time to time, they always have great music.

so in Mexico, right?

I want to highlight “Sete” by K.O with fellow SA rappers Young Stunna and Blxckie, a song Nabozo posted back in September. two months later it’s still sitting atop of the SA charts. it has slowly evolved into one of my favorites of the year - a beautiful breeze of a song. Nabozo called it an amapiano ballad, but I have to disagree: the interesting thing to me is that it sounds very much like a Mzansi version of an afrobeats song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErB9HJU2vOk

(btw the cross-pollination is real: I can’t remember a time when Naijapop was doing this well in SA (“Calm Down”, “Last Last”, “Ku Lo Sa”, “Rush”, all big hits). maybe they provide an African alternative to the homegrown amapiano dominance - although interestingly, the Naijapiano bastardizations are doing very well too: Kizz & Tekno’s “Buga (Lo Lo)” was huge and even Asake’s “Organise” is making waves)

speaking of perfect blends of Naija and SA piano:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf7zrgeK_kU
Lojay ft. DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small & Herc Cut The Lights • Canada

“Bad Boy”, Oxlade’s new song with Mayorkun, makes me a bit sad. yes, it’s produced by Magicsticks (a/k/a Mr. Providing Asake with the Vibes), but it’s a bit generic and is devoid of most everything that makes Oxy so unique as a vocalist and a songwriter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcsYXN39_Rw

(I can only imagine how hard it is to deal with an out-of-the-blue global smash hit when you haven’t even been able to establish yourself as a major star in your home market. the pressure (internal and external) to come up with the “right” follow-up must be enormous.

CKay (a lesser talent), who was in a similar situation, might have handled it pretty wisely: come up with a copycat followup (“Emiliana”), but otherwise keep plotting your own course. hopefully it will pay off for him.)

the new DJ Tunez joint, also a Magicsticks production, at least has a healthy dose of oomph and Wande Coal personality (plus killer organ licks!) - in short, “Flex”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC0UJ32t3Us

Hey! Emiliana is a *jam*!

did I say it wasn’t?

that Lojay song is great and the Canadiana in the lyrics/video is p funny, interesting that Canada has become such a diasporic/emigrant signifier (Skeng put out a "Canada" this year too, though it's not great)

I'm kinda bored by both those Magicsticks songs—not sure if he needs Asake to make it work, or if I'm tiring of this sound

did someone say they wanted faster stuff?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd0aor9XcVM
Oyoki Onanayo • Maman Bololo

(cheating of course, as this is Ivorian)

sounds like a hit - and not unlike “eMcimbini”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqus4a-mxII
Rotimi ft. Nektunez • Make You Say

timely, because yes, they did bring back the love today! - also quite subdued for a football anthem, and all the more appealing for it frankly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_zg693gBw4
G.F.A. ft. King Promise • Black Stars (Bring Back The Love)

Ivorian faster-stuff provider Oyoki Onanayo coming thru again, this time with old thread friend Serge Beynaud:

"Mata Pkohou": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEgNZhdl_jM

absolute scenes at the local market: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT3YFHLL1kE

Loving the Ivorian stuff. My thing totally

Have any of you listened to the Hagan album Textures? I checked it out after seeing this Resident Advisor review: https://ra.co/reviews/35161.

I'm not sure how to describe it as it's quite eclectic. There are some familiar guest vocalists on it (Bryte, Aymos), but my favorite track is "Royal Jama":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf9BAxsRaRQ

Lots of other beautiful stuff on there too, plus the one with Bryte gets pretty frenetic

Love how that “royal hama” track sounds will check the rest. Didn’t expect it to be instrumental, there is a potential hit in the making with that one with a guest vocalist.

That one isn't really representative, but then no single track is.

"My Love" has vocals and shows the more UK dance side of things:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcqJzi6Qkb4

"Sise Ntweni" w/ Aymos, naturally, is SA house:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HuZ6ZB8PJQ

That range might strike some people as unfocused, but the whole things *sounds* amazing and ultimately cohesive

btw: https://hagan.bandcamp.com/album/textures

really enjoying this album, the name Hagan didn’t ring a bell, but then I did remember that Aymos track from earlier this year. great *textures* indeed, love what he’s doing with gqom as well.
don’t love the two UK r&b tracks tho, both of these singers are not good, wish these had been left off.
all in all a very nice December surprise, rob!

my pleasure! and agreed on the gqom track, that's a standout

I do like those two rnb tracks (well, the one about praying kind of grates on me lyrically), but I doubt I would have listened to an entire album that sounded like that

Ghana are in desperate need of help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cH8NP0lo_o
Kweku Flick ft. Smallgod • Blackstars (World Cup Anthem)

speaking of December surprises: Kwesta and Kabza De Small made a kwaito album for the piano era. it’s called Speak N Vrostaan and it slams.
it’s 2022, so there’s log drums and other traces of piano, which helps create a fresh, updated version of an old-school vibe. guests include veterans like Professor and Sizwe Alakine (f/k/a Reason) and young piano rappers like Young Stunna and Toss - and Kabza raps as well, under his alias Papta Mancane.

“Mrholo Wayizolo” (ft. Masterpiece YVK & Papta Mancane): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMnLCFoFt-0

…and there’s a Nigerian December surprise as well: a Mavins album, celebrating ten years of Don Jazzy’s label (but with music by the current roster only).
highlights (besides the hits “Overloading (Overdose)” and “Won Da Mo”) are the two new tracks with Rema in the starring role: “Alle” and especially “Amina”, which also features Ayra Starr, Bayanni, Crayon & DJ Big N: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmhNup0IQ_0

Oh wow, I hadn't realized it was Kabza rapping on that one (there was an earlier music video called yvk-K’shubile).

Very intrigued by the Textures, fantastic soundscape, completely new on Sise Ntweni !! Sounds like the future more than the past to be honest. Chopped, still intricate but more direct-hitting brand of amapiano-House, I'm ready and I want more.

Oh it's a British DJ. I hope the South Africans are paying attention. So fresh and playful.

long post alert!

used Sunday’s Senegal match in the World Cup to treat myself to some current Senegalese sounds (a deep dive, if you will. it’s such a lovely term, isn’t it?) had never realised before how much of a blind spot the Senegal scene was for me, although sure, I’ve listened to my share of Youssou N’Dour and there was that 2003 Dakar dem Dikk rap compilation.
my francophone Africa listening, which has always been spotty to begin with, has been mainly limited to artists from Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, DRC and Mali.

and duh, the Senegalese sounds turn out to be quite different (although there’s some kora-related overlap with neighboring Mali), as well as extremely rewarding.
those drum patterns the Senegalese supporters kept serving up non-stop from the stands during their team’s matches? there’s hardly a song without them - ballads are no exception, as you will see.
sadly, the Lions of Teranga were eliminated, but I made a line up of favourites just the same (all from this year or, in some cases, from 2021):

Your starting Eleven:

1️⃣Mia Guissé • Idda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x76ayjZpht0
percussive prettiness, as promised. this is #1 on Senegal’s YouTube top 20 - most of the top 10 are songs by female singers btw.

2️⃣One Lyrical & Leyna • Lune de miel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1QEi6RitCw
the only track here that feels (Naija) afropop-adjacent
3️⃣One Lyrical & Leyna ft. Bass Thioung • Dozéko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZGhhkygAmA
this one has drill bass!
(more on this duo below)

two from the above-featured Bass Thioung. first one is a recent World Cup tie-in, the second one is from last year:
4️⃣Bass Thioung • Na Flash Yi Takk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPxN2QkdFZM
5️⃣Bass Thioung • Je m’en fous de ça: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSm-85A3fI4

their video game is very tight too:
6️⃣Samba Peuzzi • Mbaraj: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CekaUtYLggg
7️⃣Samba Peuzzi • Lou Yakou Yawa (2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYBWX4vtql0

c’est vraiment trop lit 🔥:
8️⃣Bilou XIV ft. Zo Flame • Fatal ma fofou: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKPE9ahsN8I
9️⃣Bilou XIV • Touche du bois (2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkm8FXY53PM

loving the lushness:
🔟Fantastic Beatz ft. Matadi • eMaturr: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1TcK2zmOns

ending with a mid-tempo ballad from last year, produced by that same Fantastic Beatz:
1️⃣1️⃣Narah Diouf • Peundeul:

on the bench: OMG Oumy Gueye, who comes across as a kind of local Rihanna, lots of dramatic ballads, but also rapper’s attitude and catchy jams.

note: One Lyrical & Leyna (see 2️⃣ and 3️⃣) are a newly-wed celebrity couple, he a rapper, she a model. sounds corny as hell, but their Lune de miel (yes, it means ‘Honeymoon’) album is a pure delight. I might actually nominate it for the EOY poll.

1️⃣1️⃣Narah Diouf • Peundeul: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKcrjleCEOY

and here’s your supersub!

El Maestro le Kangham ft. Satou Niang • Moulay Thieuguine Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0Sb4UJqKhI

wow, this stuff is so nice!!! senegal!!

yeah super interesting, bc, thanks!

Yes, I like the supersub, El Maestro x Satou Niang, and have to still dig into more. Love how that Senegalese mbalax drumming style is there but it is melded with some afrobeats & r'n'b tinted melodies

I’d rather senegal than camila cabell’:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWKyDIU8L2w
Oxlade ft. Camila Cabello • Ku Lo Sa

I know what the point of these remixes is, but they are so fucking pointless

(and to make matters worse, this is definitely a different vocal take by Oxy)

something’s in the air…

My favorite Senegalese song of 2022 is Bilou XIV & Zo Flame’s “Fatal”. Modern mbalax songs have digital production that reduces the sabar drumming into these familiar, gestural rhythmic/melodic arcs—this doubles down on that in the form of a minimalist rap song. Phenomenal. pic.twitter.com/tIkT4H1eJO

— Joshua Minsoo Kim (@misterminsoo) December 9, 2022

yeah that one and Dozeko stood out the most to me from your rundown

I really like this minimalist banger from Zo Flame:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv5Z9dkHqco

"On a pas les moyens"

nice one! (and his DLS EP is also good)

Kelvyn Boy finally follows up “Down Flat”, my Ghanaian song of the year, and it’s another treat.

star of the show this time are the guitars, both the busy rhythm one in the background and the one that’s doing all those whoops and other flourishes more upfront (if it’s even a guitar!) - the background vocals and harmonies get a honorable mention.

suspect we have producer DJ Breezy to thank for that. that makes ten years of reinventing himself now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cIXsfzjZpg

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BerqreQ3KU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4kamcepV3g

posted these in the internet stuff/hyperpop thread but they can go here too because they vaguely fit and jim legxacy is just that good

yeah some of those are really dope... feel like he could get even better if the songwriting improves but the style is intriguing. i think i like the candy rain one the most

Really loving the Kwesta and Kabza album. N'gud vibes!

Candy rain melody too obvious for me to love but the dj song is good I think, albeit quirky conceptually for the states

Bad news in London; there was a crowd crush at an Asake show: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/dec/16/four-people-in-critical-condition-after-crush-at-o2-academy-brixton

that looks absolutely horrible… :-(

yeah that’s horrible. have been enjoying the asake album and had been thinking of going as it’s just down the road.

💔 pic.twitter.com/ne110ugRFb

— ASAKE (@asakemusik) December 17, 2022

The Uproxx poll of “hundreds of critics “ ( mostly US American I think) didn’t have much afropop afrobeats that I could see

Beyoncé won albums poll. 26 voted for Rosalia album, 3 votes for Burna Boy album, 2 votes for Rauw Alejandro album, 3 votes for Asake album

Burna Boy “Last Last” did make singles/tracks list

ok thanks

enjoying this list: https://www.passionweiss.com/2022/12/27/best-afro-jams-2022/

favourite discoveries so far are cabo snoop - "controlla" and yemi alade - "baddie"

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oPkeBJA5NU

Oh I had lost touch with Yemi Alade who was great live when I saw her a few years ago. Thanks

https://afropop.org/articles/2022-afropop-best-of-amapiano-and-afrobeats-top-10

These afropop. org lists are kinda randomly chosen it appears , but y'all might still find them of interest

― curmudgeon, Monday, January 2, 2023 5:13 PM (0 seconds ago) bookmarkflaglink

the rs list posted on the eoy thread looks promising
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-afropop-songs-of-2022-1234650065/

an interesting development: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/vigro-deep-my-house-my-rules/

Sunday New York Times newspaper has their Johannesburg bureau chief listing Art and music he likes . He mentioned Bakwa Lah video and his love of amapiano