rolling afropop / afrobeats 2017

Let's start the year with Wizkid's new single, Daddy Yo, which should be huge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2uqOvEo2bQ

this is old but i really love this old Makossa song from the 80s from Prince Eyango. When i don't listen to it for a bit i forget Makossa has such a Caribbean flair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS0aWtc1snM

Daddy Yo: Kind of funny Wizzy has someone else singing the big hook for him this time; not so funny he failed to give Efya a credit for doing so.
I'm not really convinced about its hugeness outside Africa, but iTunes tells me it's doing some business in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Is RCA promoting him up there, that you know of, longneck?

Produced by renowned dancehall producer Dre Skull, by the way.

I'm more enamoured with "Good Love", the Wizzy track DJ Maphorisa recently dropped that he apparently had laying around somewhere. Could listen to him in this mode for hours:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bhs0s0nRbs

Yes, Davido's been disappointing lately, but I like him a lot on the new DJ Jimmy Jatt joint, "Orekelewa". The fact that it was produced by Young John in post-"Good Time" mode doesn't hurt:
https://soundcloud.com/djjimmyjatt/dj-jimmy-jatt-ft-davido-orekelewa

This is good too: Tekno and Flavour doing their thing on Masterkraft's "Far Away":
https://soundcloud.com/afro-songz/masterkraft-far-away-ft-tekno-flavour

Add in Wande Coal's "Iskaba" and King Perry's "Continental Boy" and you've got yourself the beginning of a great playlist.
Can I claim the name Naijapolitan for this sound? (thanking Yemi Alade for the inspiration, of course).

I would think the scandinavian sales are down to the «street team» of me and my friends, lol. So no, I haven't seen any promotion for it at all yet. The Dre Skull credit makes sense. Afaict there is increased interest for all things afro in the caribbean, and this beat seems designed to cash in on 2016s dancehallwave. I happen to like it a lot, but I won't be surprised at all if it fails.

Btw: http://jaguda.com/2017/01/07/wizkids-daddy-yo-runtowns-mad-make-billboard-debut/

My favorite wizkid-related song of 2016 would be Patoranking's This Kind Love btw. I just love those horns.

That was my favourite as well. I see Wizkid's part on it as a more fleshed out version of his hook on the *other* international hit he was involved in last year, Major Lazer's "Boom".

Some jams that stood out to me while listening through the new Olamide album, which is good:

Pepper Dem Gang (Prod. Young John):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_g5__Y4fuY

Omo Wobe Anthem feat Burna Boy (Prod. Pheelz):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlKcJ68eseg

Woyo (Prod. Young John):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az8c-wW71Sc

Be Mine (Prod. Pheelz):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEOaHJnFGqs

I enjoyed the original but Skales' Temper Remix feat. Burna Boy takes it up another notch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwnlBbnjuJs

Found this in my Release Radar this week.I like it a lot.

https://soundcloud.com/eazzyfirstlady/eazzy-x-shaker-x-djfrenchkiss-baakor

Check this song 'Radio' it's really dope.

http://www.britznbeatz.co.uk/single-post/2016/12/30/Nonso-Amadi---RadioLyrics

Loving the new Seyi Shay, "Yolo Yolo", a lot. Also promises much for DJ Coublon in 2017:

https://soundcloud.com/loggmax/seyi-shay-yolo-yolo-prod-dj-coublon

Fun new track by Reekado Banks, "Killy Person (Freestyle)":

https://soundcloud.com/afro-songz/reekado-banks-killy-person-freestyle

New Orezi bangs too, "Just Like That":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FE0ih-FTOA

this Maleek Berry is v beautiful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=047xGplGP4o

hopefully they'll do a remix minus Geeko

Radio is, indeed, very dope. He sounds a bit like a west african k-major. The guitars on e-kelly's leg over and juls' radio are very similar though (outside of being in a different key of course).

Also loving Yolo Yolo. I think we posted Tonight in last year's thread but since it's going to be with us for a while I figured I might as well post the video in here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcQSo0mrjBo

Hush The Silence does nothing for me, however.

^love the production on Tonight

New Skuki is fire:
https://soundcloud.com/skukiofficial/skuki-pass-de-agbara
("Pass The Agbara")

So is the new Rayce ft. D'banj:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1jh4vr2ULA
("Shikishiki Mami")

This track has legs and legs:
https://soundcloud.com/loves-abeats-recordings/mr-eazi-skin-tight-remix-ft-stefflon-don-haile-wstrn
Mr Eazi ft. Haile & Stefflon Don "Skin Tight (UK Remix)"

yeah that is rly popping off rn

heard the cutest interview w/ eazi on radar radio this week where he was just hilariously sleepy and unassuming and not about the star life at all. "mixtape coming soon, 11 tracks on there, hopefully you can maybe vibe with one or two of them idk"

hopefully they'll do a remix minus Geeko

― rob, Monday, 23 January 2017 22:51 Bookmark

hater!

Lilyeatswellxo3 weeks ago
why is he dressed like a teenage mutant ninja turtle

ha this was my first encounter with Geko and further investigation indicates I'm missing some uk rap context here. He's quite charming on Englisia.
plus since posting I've come to appreciate his raspy croak as a dash of salt in the luxurious cream. It does still look like he won a fan contest when he shows up in the video

Yes, Davido's been disappointing lately, but I like him a lot on the new DJ Jimmy Jatt joint, "Orekelewa". The fact that it was produced by Young John in post-"Good Time" mode doesn't hurt

Yeah this song is the best I've heard Davido in a long time, very nice! Daddy Yo, Tonight & Skin Tight (UK remix) are all really awesome. Great start to the new year!

this dance track is big in SA dance circles, I think it came out late last year officially, so may have been in last years thread and a a billion remixes are floating around, but this is the original, pretty great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvRVHim8YkA

So here's an interesting but not wholly unlistenable train wreck. Verse Simmonds and Machel Montano come together on an afropop beat, lol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS0NSb1k9Dk

I kind of like it, but, of course, nothing adds up. I have no idea if this is the right thread for this but I'm letting the beat dictate the genre.

So has anyone heard the Mr Eazi "mixtape" yet? It's an apple music exclusive, apparently, and I might well end up buying it from iTunes, but only if it's worth it.

"Leg Over" is on youtube at least:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v15sS1sL_S4

i love leg over, haven't heard the full project yet

Yeah, Leg Over is the jam.

My current jam is Dotman & Davido - Escobar. I just love the sonics on the hook.

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

This was just posted by curmudgeon on the 2016 thread:

Although many locals refer to all the new pop in Nigeria as “hip-hop”—even though much of it is not really hip-hop as we know it—the term the local industry folks prefer is “Naija pop.” “Afrobeats” is also used by some, but Ade judges it a term imposed from the outside—a kind of appropriation—and also far too general to have much meaning. Seun Kuti sees a different appropriation here, the adding of an “s” to his father’s genre coinage of the 1970s, and in that, Seun senses a certain “insecurity” among those producing and marketing the new music; he predicts the term Afrobeats will not last long.
http://www.afropop.org/34229/dispatch-from-nigeria-3/
― curmudgeon, vrijdag 17 februari 2017 14:57 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

They have also spoken to Young John. The interview has yet to be published (or podcast, I guess). Could be interesting.

The Singles Jukebox likes Runtown's "Mad Over You".
It was posted on last year's thread, but as it has since become the biggest song in Western Africa, here it is again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb4X1BWNO5k

P-Square are now living in a post-Pana world as well: "Away".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl9VNPzodcY

But what is the post-Pana world if not just another corner of the Eazi Universe? The Eazi "mixtape" longneck mentioned above is now on Spotify.
Eazi is also featured on "Heartbeat", the first single from another "mixtape" that just dropped, Afropop 101 by Legendury Beatz.

https://soundcloud.com/afro-songz/legendury-beatz-heartbeat-ft-mr-eazi

Let me throw in LB's remix for Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" as well, it's cool:

https://soundcloud.com/legendury-beatz/ed-sheeran-shape-of-u-afrobeats-refix-by-legendury-beatz

And hey, this just in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=helEv0kGHd4

"If" by Davido, produced by Tekno!

I'm rather behind and most of the stuff that's catching my ear has turned out to be from late 2016 but 'Yolo Yolo' really is fantastic.

Lex posted this mix in the mix-thread, but I feel it sorta belongs here as well: https://thump.vice.com/en_uk/track/teki-latex-berite-club-music-mix-exclusive-stream (this is a link I found that has a tracklist)

It hits me a bit the same way the first Abrantee mix I ever heard hit me. That is, this is probably a frenchified version of it, calling it 'berite club' a bit like calling it 'afrobeats'. But it has a lot of west african influence, including Franko - Coller la Petite from Cameroun! Though to be honest, I still haven't made my way through the mix, I keep going back to hear Champions League Defeat and Block Party etc over and over. Great music!

Alfred Soto: I love its sheen: the synth pads, rhythm guitar, whistle. The steady groove conveys an attachment less mad than the title suggests.
[7]

this tawdry oaf...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU_NWi3u6lo

eaaaaaar worm

The Teni is great, would have been my next post.

(as for your other post, take it to the Boring Belligerence thread)

not familz w/ that partic thread but anyone who likes the song should have the decency to drag that smugly piss-poor read

The Eazi tape isn't quite... steamy enough, is it? He almost singlehandedly managed to infuse a bit of sex into the naija pop scene, which is otherwise heavy on marriage proposals and empty braggadocio (wads of money, big cassavas and gifts of banana). I was hoping for some proper sex jams (leg over fits the bill) but there's not enough air on this for it to heat up properly.

That's an interesting point. I'm underwhelmed by it as well. Most of all, I'm missing Juls. I mean, Eazi and he crafted a very special sound together and now he's nowhere to be found. Does anyone know what happened there?

Interesting review of the album:
http://www.okayafrica.com/audio/mr-eazi-life-is-eazi-download-accra-to-lagos/

The Twitter storm Mr Eazi started when he said “Ghana’s influence over Nigeria music cannot be underestimated” was a needful point, but maybe needless to point out. The symbolism in the cover art for Accra to Lagos is even more telling. Choosing to drape himself in a “Ghana Must Go” patterned outfit next to the phrase Accra to Lagos is a direct provocation of thought, and not a call to arms.

More on the Ghana-Nigeria issue by the same writer:
http://www.okayafrica.com/controversial/mr-eazi-tweet-nigeria-ghana-rivalry/

Still, Eazi seems perhaps a bit too eager to "return" to Lagos from Accra, what with most of the tracks being produced by Naija big shots?

Find myself enjoying the Legendury Beatz goodie bag more right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJjG27stjkA

Legendury Beatz ft. Wizkid x Mugeez "Undercover Lover".

xpost to rtc:

The point is that you're using it to lash out at a fellow ILX'er (who's probably not following this thread). It's a lousy attitude.

(And if you're that concerned about bad music writing, you know there's a thread for that too.)

Yeah , his eagerness to return to Lagos is def part of the problem. E Kelly mastered the Juls sound on Leg Over though - and it's the best track...

Sure, E-Kelly did a great job there, but is there a reason Juls is not on the album at all (GuiltyBeatz has one track, at least)? Can't seem to find anything about them having parted ways.

No, I sure hope he's saving Juls for the "proper" album.

Mr. Eazi's gig at a nearby university is sold out. Oh well. Tekno's coming too, but he's too samey for me. Some cuts I like though

DJ Vetkuk vs Mahoota - Thando Lok'dlala (ft. Black Motion, Nokwazi & Drumatic Boys)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYUQkH7gi0k

Wow at this

I might actually prefer the radio edit that's on Spotify. It packs more punch.

Yeah that's dope. A bit of Babes' rhytmic urgency in there, no?

Yes, and echoes of "Lahla" as well.

Never got around to posting their previous jam last year:

Vetkuk vs Mahoota ft. Sparks Bantwana & Character: "SoHamba Ngo 7"
https://soundcloud.com/news-muzik-2/vetkuk-vs-mahoota-feat-sparks-bantwana-character-sohamba-ngo-7afro-housewwwnews-muzikcom

Or this monster:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYhM2K1i8C4

Major League ft. Cassper Nyovest & Kwesta: "S'get It"

Now that Korede Bello has Kelly Rowland on the remix for "Do Like That"...

https://soundcloud.com/mavinrecords/korede-bello-x-kelly-rowland

…we can play Spot the Theme:

Diamond Platnumz ft. Ne-yo "Marry You":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdOaBtUvH80

Seyi Sodimu ft. K. Michelle, "Love Me Jeje (Remix)":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpz2R1ULOfI

Serge Beynaud's Accelerate -- now here's an album I can get fully behind. 16 tracks, all spanking new. Hard (but very varied) percussive beats, more generous with melodies than your average coupé-decalé, often clearly Naija-inspired, if a few years behind the latest trends there (telling that both Iyanya and Flavour feature on a track). Ironically, one of the most relentless (and best) tracks, "Zimbolo", features Tanzanian smoothie Diamond Platnumz. And I love that Ivorian guitar sound (that reminds me of bachata at times). Exhilarating stuff!

The first video is for opening track "Akrakabo":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgQ1CXd0sQc

Oh, wow. That last minute of Akrakabo. That's absolutely stunning.

Wizkid's "Sweet Love" (the song he's been teasing for like a year) just dropped. Turns out it's afrobeat (no -s!) bliss. The bass and the beat are just…

http://www.thefader.com/2017/03/01/wizkid-sweet-love-video-record-deal

So happy he kept the Yoruba too - it looked like he was settling into a mid-Atlantic pidgin/island hybrid as his default in his bid for international stardom.

…that beat though...

Yep, this is the effortless Wizzy that I love.

Don't mind me as slide in to plug a friends track that deserves more attention than its getting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GXli8m4hz4

Akrakabo is really awesome, love the traditional breaking out from behind the modern veil at the end. I think I went back to the 2 minute mark and re-listened to the end 2 or 3 times in a row. Will listen to Accelerate for sure. I don't have much knowledge of Bachata but your comment has me intrigued. i feel like afro pop has a natural lean into the carribean music scene of course, but i would be curious to listen for the links to more classic afro-latin music, perhaps this is already happening? like wizkid-popcaan is a natural fit of course, but what about Wizkid teaming up with Mexican or Columbian pop-stars?

speaking of wizkid, Sweet Love is fantastic, happy to see he stuck with the Yoruba as well. This is maybe my favourite first blush of a Wizkid song, normally he takes a bit for me to really get into. Maybe that bodes well for its shot at breaking out internationally. What do you guys figure his track to a breakout US hit is? Now that he has name recognition from One Dance, does he hope for a streaming hit that breaks though? or would he get enough of a push to get on radio before that? i assume the former, but not sure if he gets a push on radio due to the deal. And does he get on some spotify recommended playlists?

fuckin love Thando Lok'dlala, Nkwz should sing on every SA house song. I feel like DrumeticBoyz have turned a corner toward pop, but managing to stay a bit true to their GQOM roots. I agree longneck, definitely got some of Babes affect on it for sure.

dog latin, are you around? there is new Eddy Kenzo, called Jubilation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HslgsjEUV4M

I like it, not as much as Sitya Loss, but another great track, curious to hear from another Kenzo fan

really love this new durban track too, Colours Of Sound - Emuva (feat. SneMusiq). brutal name for the DJ's but this song is getting me thru some cold winter days. feels like driving around a rich neighbourhood and not giving a shit that the folks in it are looking down on you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMF6oo-niCA

So the British library just made 8000 vintage afropop recordings available for free. I haven't had the time to check it out yet but I'm putting the link in here anyway.

http://www.openculture.com/2017/03/stream-8000-vintage-afropop-recordings-digitized-made-available-by-the-british-library.html

the serge beynaud album is immense. "atôkplè", "dieu n'oublie personne" and "la danse du way" also highlights. the percussion!

i love how the synths in "dieu n'oublie personne" sound...arabic??

I haven't gotten around to the album yet but THAT bit of Akrakabo, when another song just emerges fully-formed from the chrysalis of the first one, is absolutely incredible.

I keep coming back to the Faut bien me regarder -> Zimbolo -> J'ai cherche partout run in Accelerate, love that Diamond Platnumz shows up.

anyone know more about this? https://www.bellanaija.com/2017/03/the-silent-music-company-calls-out-sugarboy-and-kiss-daniel-over-alleged-theft-of-its-artiste-barz-song/

I think I like the original more tbh

also this is a really awesome party song from Akothee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYEp_tp8smA

The Kilamiti/Kilamity thing is kind of shocking in how blatant it is. It looks especially bad on Sugarboy and his (and Kiss Daniel's) record company. Why pull this stunt for such a mediocre track? I mean, it starts promisingly enough, but I lose interest after one minute. But maybe they really are that desperate after all the disappointing follow-ups to the mighty "Hola Hola". Sad to say my expectations for his debut album are not very high.

By the way kruezer, "Jubilation" is fantastic, the EDM-y production works very well here, I think. Best thing I've heard from Kenzo since "Sitya Loss".

What's your opinion on Darassa ft. Ben Pol's "Muziki" that's very big in East Africa?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWyiC2CBtyI

Personally I think it doesn't match up to AY's "Zigo (Remix)" (especially vocally), but that fat synth bass and especially the way that beat is recorded are pretty great.

Five from South Africa:

"KwaMakhelwane", the most recent Dbn Nyts single, features… Nokwazi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRckNX-1B8U

DJ Maphorisa & DJ Buckz go gqom on "Goosheshe" (feat. Sjava & TDK Macassette):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWwOU4HTE5U

More gqom: DJ Bongz ft. DJ Tira, Dbn Nyts & KidTank, "Kuruza":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cti5FMzM36s

…and from the Babes Wodumo album, "Family" ft. Mampintsha & Cassper Nyovest:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzmSuFFtNX4

Something else altogether: DJ Clock ft. Chicco Twala, "Saba Kufa":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adU-8OPdyYY

And of course, and just for the record, Black Coffee is featured on the new Drake album.

Also, Tekno dropped his next smash to be, "Yawa" (produced by Masterkraft, just like that Akothee track):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsQnCwV4Gr8

I feel this UK Afrotrap banger belongs on this thread too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvtxRv38Ep4

Don-E ft. Nado, "You Alright Yeah?"

Holland represent:

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

Kevcody, "Pakurumo"

completely overstimulated by the serge beynaud record

Akrakabo still song of 2017 for me.

And that moment 2:00 in... It just struck me, there are few songs where the most ecstatic moment is when it goes down in intensity, but with that absurdly driving hyper-modern beat, when there's a moments breath, it's the best thing ever.

feeling this WizKid/Drake single
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShVNtAYLOM0

It has grown on me but it's very controlla-wave 6 months late.

this version of it sounds different than when it was titled something else

i dont really see it as controllawave though

i mean its an actual afropop artist lol

Well... I always start singing "gyal yuh body good and you're special to me" (popcaan's verse) every time I hear the beat.

eh you might be right idk maybe im just subconsciously hunting for another controlla

at any rate its at the very least pleasant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqW18C4plZ8

ILM's 2017 Rolling Afrobeat/Afropop Thread Spotify Playlist

Nigerian blogs mentioned here in addition to discussion of piracy issue

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/03/world/africa/nigeria-lagos-afrobeats-music-piracy-seyi-shay.html

excerpts from article

In Lagos, Africa’s biggest city, legitimate music stores are rare, streaming services haven’t caught on and fans are flocking to markets like Computer Village, with its rows of yellow umbrellas shading young men selling illegal downloads. Throughout the city, thousands of pirated CDs are churned out each day, and some artists even pay to appear on them, hoping the exposure will somehow be worth it....

“We’re no longer getting revenue from oil, so we’re arguing that content is the new crude,” said Aibee Abidoye, general manager at Chocolate City Group and 5ive Music, which seeks royalties on behalf of three Lagos-based record labels....

Many musicians pay to have their music heard. Popular music blogs like notjustok.com and naijaloaded.com collect as much as $120 from unknown musicians to promote a single song. Budding musicians also pay to have their songs featured on “latest mix” CDs hawked on the streets. A collection called “Mega Mix” contained new pirated songs from well-known musicians like Davido and Wizkid, along with songs from 43 less-known singers.

hey. not sure if this interests you but I've started a Spotify play list of Uganda Pop tracks, mostly made up of stuff I found online last summer, but sadly limited to what's on Spotify. It's collaborative so if you fancy it feel free to add anything you like to it https://open.spotify.com/user/1153731601/playlist/3mGD7yiSrXji5dhfvKCSuH

hope you don't mind: i jacked that for the thread playlist as well.

Oh, nice!
There's also a new Tekno + Krisbeatz single today. The kid can do no wrong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw3YPJ1DUAU

Some gqom for the summer:

https://soundcloud.com/afro-songz/distruction-boyz-shut-up-groove-ft-babes-wodumo-mampintsha

Really nice vibe on this one.

how come nigerian music labels can't find illegal markets but they can prevent me from hearing a new Tekno jam >:(

It's on Spotify! You can also get it here:
https://www.mp3naija.com.ng/music/tekno-samantha-prod-by-krizbeatz

Thanks!

hope you don't mind: i jacked that for the thread playlist as well.

― Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Friday, June 9, 2017 7:41 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

no probs, but be aware most of the tracks are not from 2017

never a stickler about that

"Loose Guard", the new Flavour featuring Phyno, is a beauty. Finally, a perfect blend of the classic Young John sound and current post-kayidawave.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GakI5IS4SSg

Also, damn!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvOWpwOR2UU

Vision DJ ft. Samini, "Like December".

Another Juls joint.

Talking about Juls, surely people have noticed Leap of Faith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20bOgmbxvIw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJC3XtyRXpU

Not entirely sure where to post this, but MHD has been mentioned on this thread in other years, so I'll just write a bit about him here. I loved the remix that was on the Berité mix I posted upthread:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2I3pXTe3QE

But MHD is apparently a legitimately big French rapper, who calls his sound 'Afro Trap' and had a top ten hit with pt 8 (Never)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRRPt0ysfyI

His debut album MHD was released last year, and it's kinda pretty great. Much more hip-hop, I suppose, but very good.

Also, any opinions on the Wizkid album? Love the opener, the rest hasn't really caught on yet.

Saw Yemi Alade with a band (drummer and 2 keyboardists plus 2 dancers) do a good late-night gig at the Howard Theatre in DC this past weekend. Keyboardists provided some backing vocal tracks, but Yemi's vocalizing was live and her dancing (and that of her dancers) was energetic and fun

https://www.gq.com/story/diplo-africa-tour-interview

Yeah, me and this producer, E-kelly, did a song for Mr Eazi. Before I left, I was like, Hey, this is an idea for a song. I gave him the stems—the music for the beat. Then I land and he's already sent me three demo versions with new drums. And Skales has already done a new version of “Run Up” with new guitars. The records were voiced and mixed. I've never seen people so hungry and the quality so high. In America, I can't get Travis Scott to answer my text messages. I gotta go pour water on his face to wake him up and get him to voice a song. I don't mind doing that, but I also don't mind being here on the frontier, making music with all the Nigerians.

...

I'd never been to Africa, besides South Africa, and everybody in South Africa calls it fake Africa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2u5Gbadn7o

this is pretty great

The new Patoranking & Diamond Platinumz collabo is perfect.

https://youtu.be/ZjN4agWqTdc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwC1xMwxVnI

I hope you enjoy that nice piano
And The Patoranking I have on repeat is This Kind Love, which has a video out this year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGJuX7Gjbdo

Seyi Shay is still one of the most interesting too. Yolo Yolo also now has a video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I2UK8kFzAM

And since this thread has been dreadfully under-used, here's one more for cuties and Tekno in the middle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPe57sFzjhw

Just got onto this last night. Never heard of Diron Animal, but he's Angolan by way of Portugal and is also in a Portuguese band called Throes + the Shine. His solo album is pretty much all party jams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poBQolEtlM8

Diron Animal Album out on Soundways I should checkout.

Patoranking "This Kind Love" is nice. I like the horn sample

diron animal is great!

Christ, so much good stuff in here! How did I miss this thread for so long?

I've been looking into Team Salut, who produced the Seyi Shay single posted upthread and a few other Eugy tracks. They seem so be doing exactly the kind of stuff I wanna hear in 2017.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxL25sKo5so

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9fwJGfinvo

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

what did you guys think of the Unforgettable clip, I don't care much for Montana and I cringe a little, but there are proper dance moves found in Kampala

the new Alade should drop in a matter of days, there's new singles being posted on youtube
I feel all fuzzy after listening to her french versions, that are as approximate as they are charming

I think Na Wash has never been posted
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75GFzWtHQrg

I'm really getting into Lil Kesh. He's one fire right now, here's the latest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGZFbMI2NiA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNUgqIQhIUQ

And more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyWK_dLxPUc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3c6i5vK_ck

also previously unposted
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h_T3nFjZSg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiLhvpLF-Es
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdxuZlN3e98

I love this so much!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8LFwC1nEpU

People seem to like Tony Allen's jazz project, The Source this year, but are ignoring his collaboration with Chicago Afrobeat Project. I'm seeing them live on the 18th.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoaGsn5epuA&feature=youtu.be

Sauti Sol are great. I love Nishike especially.

For those compiling your year-end lists, this playlist includes all the available tracks on this thread, organized roughly chronologically in order of mention:

ILM's 2017 Rolling Afropop and Afrobeats Thread Spotify Playlist

Right now I think my 2017 top looks like this (top 20)

Patoranking - Love you die (ft. Diamond Platnumz)
Juls - Early
Wizkid - African Bad Gyal
Tekno - Maria
Olamide - Wo!
Dotman - My Woman
Kcee - Juice (ft. Maleek Berry)
Akothee - Tucheze
Lil Kesh - Rora
Lil Kesh - No Fake Love
Fally Ipupa - Eloko Oyo
Tekno - Samantha
Seyi Shay - Your Matter
Kiss Daniel - Yeba
D'banj - It's Not a Lie
Kcee - Romantic Call
Wizkid - Come Closer
Orezi - Just like that
Becca - Na Wash
Eugy - Prize

excluding: Daddy Yo, This Kind Love, Yolo Yolo, Tonight, Akrakabo, Leg Over etc etc (2016) and You Alright Yeah (great but too British)

Aw is Akrakabo 2016? That's by far my favorite :(

Ah no I speak nonsense, it's 2017. I also just realized he says Tout le monde debout ehh and not Tout le monde est dévoué.

Yay, then I can keep it on my list :)

I love Kidi’s Odo - not sure if it’s been posted as my connection is acting up.

https://youtu.be/jINRh9t3hw0

Has Diamond Platnumz ever shown more attitude and been clearer that he has the chops to be the East African Wizkid ? Rick Ross in the midddle. Quite a decent hit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1iHgDTplfw

Not really seeing any much of any support for music listed here on year-end lists posted on another thread. Fader had a Davido song. Jon Caramanica at the NY Times has gone for Latin trap this year instead. Not much reggae dancehall or soca either.

It was supposed to be Wizkid's big breakout year but instead... he feels weirdly muted now. He was all over the place, just not where it mattered. I guess the main problem is that although most of the stuff he did this year was good, he just didn't have that one undeniable song?

No publicist in the US or U.K. has successfully marketed the sound to radio, streaming sites and critics

is Unforgettable afropop?

it was wizkid's song & they took him off it

i think it just took too long for ppl to push it & fucking drake & ed sheeran types capitalized off the sound before outside artists could

For your curiosity, here's a data-generated playlist of the songs most distinctively popular among afrobeats fans on Spotify in 2017:

https://open.spotify.com/user/particledetector/playlist/6VNHhLOXEkSMCWvIdYc1vB

I'm not really surprised that the list is mainly sweet stuff. Easy (Jeje) is great. You relate to these things differently if you're from Nigeria. Or is that data biased somewhat.

Spotify does choose to push certain labels, etc.

drake & ed sheeran types capitalized off the sound before outside artists could

This explains radio and spotify to some degree, but too many critics seam to just want to listen to American rap and indie and not go beyond that

Spotify, of course, isn't actually available in any African countries yet, so this is all based on fans in (or signing up in) countries where it's available...

personally didn't feel it was a great year for afropop. lots of good songs, but fewer than in previous years that matched my tastes
(ditto for american pop, for the record!)

I probably forgot to post it but Niniola's Maradona is probably in my top 5 this year. Her album is great too - even though her cover art is pretty bad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCbjK4259RM

the cover art is Blacksad!
http://www.europecomics.com/serie/blacksad/
was there a movie or something?

The Maradona cover is good - the album cover is bad, lol. I have no info about the blacksad connection - news to me!

The new Yemi Alade album is excellent & the Olamide that dropped a month ago has plenty of nice Young John jams.

The Olamide is uneven but it does have some jams.

does a wizkid vn of unforgettable exist?

https://youtu.be/FK5odIiRG4A
I prefer the French M version, actually. The most interesting thing about this one is that Swae Lee’s hook is actually a part of his verse from the original version (this).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0YOrxhBoj0
I don't know if it will get many plays, but the latest Mr Eazi is as classy, minimal and laid-back as it gets, and same for the video.
I quite like 911 too, even if this prod is nothing new at this point.
Love Maradona, Sicker is not too bad either.

That's a good one. lol @ "make all your sins do the mannequin challenge".

I like Yemi Alade’s latest also. Seeing her live in DC was one of my 2017 highlights.

There's a wealth of music in Nigeria, and these lists below mix stuff that does not exactly fit on this thread, with stuff that does

http://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/music/10-best-nigerian-albums-in-2017-id7717539.html

1. Simi-Simisola
2. Wizkid-Sounds from the Other Side
3. Flavour-Ijele the Traveler
4. Falz-27
5. Ric Hassani-The African Gentleman
6.Ajebutter22- What Happens in Lagos
7. A-Q- Blessed forever
8. Bemyoda-Stark
9.Yung6ix-Highstar
10. DJ Spinall -Dreams

The link for the NET (Nigeria entertainment Today list) top 10 posted upthread isn't working but the cache is -- here they are typed out. Simi is number #1 on this too, and it has some of the same albums, but a few are different.

1. Simi-Simisola
2. Mr. Eazi-Acra to Lagos
3. Ric Hassani-The African Gentleman
4. Ajebutter22- What Happens in Lagos
5. Show Dem Camp - Palm Wine Music Vol. 1
6. Falz-27
7. Flavour-Ijele the Traveler
8. Wizkid-Sounds from the Other Side
9. DBanj- King Don Come
10. Niniola-This is Me

That's my cut and paste from the ilm year end lists 2017 thread

My main issue with nigerian music in 2017 is that the ca 125 tempo has been all but gone this year following the crossover successes of ojuelegba - one dance - skin tight - pana. It’s all about 100 bpm now and that takes some of the fun out of it. Still plenty of good music of course.

That Simi album is really nice

I mean, this is just lovely:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YthMTby33d8

One of the other singles even has slide guitar on it. Great album.

And to close the year in South Africa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P36O8dPuGDo

Some of that Simi album is too nice for me—-pleasant but not potent.

So, guys... what tracks are we going to try to get into the ilm eoy charts this year? I’m noticing that deej has omunye, Wo! and come closer high on his personal list and i’m fine with voting for either of those.

For your curiosity, here's a data-generated playlist of the songs most distinctively popular among afrobeats fans on Spotify in 2017:

https://open.spotify.com/user/particledetector/playlist/6VNHhLOXEkSMCWvIdYc1vB

― glenn mcdonald, Wednesday, December 13, 2017 8:18 AM (two weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Considering that it's sourced from outside Nigeria, this seems weirdly accurate for Lagos car/party/radio play give or take a few head-scratchers and - some of the more UK based artists.

Also Surprised Penalty didn't get love here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVDmkCJrptI

but maybe this speaks to that in some way:
I'm not really surprised that the list is mainly sweet stuff. Easy (Jeje) is great. You relate to these things differently if you're from Nigeria. Or is that data biased somewhat.

― Nabozo, Wednesday, December 13, 2017 9:25 AM (two weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

So, guys... what tracks are we going to try to get into the ilm eoy charts this year? I’m noticing that deej has omunye, Wo! and come closer high on his personal list and i’m fine with voting for either of those.

― human and working on getting beer (longneck), 1. januar 2018 19:10 (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

At least in the early part of the year, I thought Akrakabo was the clear consensus favorite. Other than that I'll vote for Simi and Wizkid in albums, and probably a couple other tracks.

Not all music has to be 'potent', btw. Pleasant is absolutely ok, and I often like to hear all the 'pleasant' stuff from around the world, it so often get's shunted to the side :)

i also had inde and j hus btw

"inde" is wonderful

I'm definitely going to vote for Runtown's Mad Over You. Who's with me?

Technically 2016 but still one of the defining songs of 2017 - at least for me.

deej, didn't you have Iskaba as well or am I dreaming? I'll gladly vote for Iskaba.

I'll also vote for If, Fall, Juice or Leg Over if there's a point to it. All classics.

Could someone please bump the 2018 Afropop thread for me so I can post something on it? I only have access to Zing right now but it’s impossible to get to that thread from there. Thanks!

Never mind, found a way in.

Link through to 2018 thread: rolling afropop / acrobats 2018

“acrobats”? bless you, Autocorrect!