rolling afro 2020

Happy new year, y'all! I simplified the thread title a bit this year - hope that's okay with you guys. If not, call the mods!

Let's start 2020 off right with this banger from late November:

Sarkodie - Oofeetsɔ ft. Prince Bright [Buk Bak]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbC-gCHMIdY

rolling Afropop / Afrobeats / Afrodance 2019

2019 thread for reference

bookmarking

That’s what you get for dragging your feet! Glad there’s a new thread tho.

If I can make one general request to everyone posting here: please add song info when you’re posting a YouTube or any other link. This not only makes it easier to search the thread, but also so many of these links go dead, often sooner than later, especially when they’re not the “official” ones (I mean, just have a look at last year’s thread).

Hope to be posting some stuff soon (there’s plenty!), if I can get myself in the right mindset.

Okay, here goes:

longneck, that Sarkodie x Prince Bright track is a banger indeed. Talk about a pair of old hands... Buk Bak, the group Prince Bright started out in, made an azonto classic in 2012 with “Kolom”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPyqZ5Dub-Q
(and I only just now found out
that they were veterans even then.

But back to the here and now: Give me a single reason why there wouldn’t be a new Nini album in 2020:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl36uos9Wrc
Niniola • Omo Rapala

Reminder: This song wasn’t nominated for the EOY, but “Boda Sodiq” was, so you can vote🔶 for that one!

Califor...naija Love:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVte8a_2q80
Davido ft. WurlD, Naira Marley & Zlatan • Sweet in the Middle

Reminder: You can vote🔶 for the album it’s from in the EOY (as well as for the track “Disturbance” - too bad “Risky” wasn’t nominated).
Love how big African artists can now make albums that appeal both to their home market and the world at large, mainly because, unlike before, r&b/rap/urban(o) is more than ready to meet Afropop halfway.
I’m linking the Pitchfork review ufo mentioned in the 2019 thread because it’s a very good piece. Wish there was more writing on Afropop like this.

More Naija: Fireboy DML is making good on the promise of “Jealous” (a song you should definitely vote🔶 for in the EOY). Kinda crazy, but his album Laughter, Tears & Goosebumps is handsomely outstreaming both the Davido and the Starboy EP. And it’s only right, this is perfect Naija pop. The new video is for “Scatter”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtbwTgY3AIk

“Vibration” is the other big track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEV1awtNdOs

...but you should also definitely listen to “Gbas Gbos” (and by then you might want to vote🔶 for the album in the EOY - it’s been nominated, so go right ahead!)

Will vote

👍 winning over the ILM electorate one voter at a time

"Jealous" is a strong contender for my #1 slot and I've never heard the album! Will have to rectify asap

It’s only been out for six weeks or so. I wasn’t too crazy about the follow-up singles to “Jealous”, so my expectations weren’t particularly high, but the album blew me away - and like I said, it’s not just me: besides being the #1 album in Nigeria, it’s also #1 in Ghana and Uganda, which is quite extraordinary for a rookie like him.

Breastcrawl,do you (or someone else) think you could make a playlist of all the nom'd thread related tracks? As I think I mentioned I didn't have the time to nom anything this year and need to catch up on all of your faves.

I have an overall South African playlist in the works, and I can make a rest-of-Africa tracks one too. Watch this space. Later today okay?

yay! (okay!)

So, I made a playlist with all the nominated SOUTH AFRICAN tracks and albums (including two tracks by non-SA artists with significant input by SA artists/producers: “That’s For Me” and “My Power”).

First the 36** nominated tracks, from “Sondela” to “John Cena”, and after that the 9 nominated albums, from Sho Madjozi down to Tresor, where we come full circle. I arranged both tracks and albums in an approximation of stylistic order.

Here’s the playlist:
ILM 2019 EOY🇿🇦SOUTH AFRICA

**Missing is Heavy K ft. Moonchild Sanelly’s “Yebo Mama”, which is not on Spotify. This is the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmdn52afm2U

(...and a note regarding Kwiish SA’s “Iskhathi”: The original vocal version that I love so much seems to have disappeared completely (I think there was a rights issue). The “Vocal Version” that is on Spotify (and this playlist) is no longer the original vocal version with, you know, actual vocals. There is a video version with re-recorded vocals by Vukani, but it’s not nearly as good.)

And as promised, I also made a playlist with the nominated [non-South African] AFROPOP tracks, and I threw in the albums as well. Again, it’s tracks first, albums second, 51 tracks and 19 albums to be precise.

It’s “pop” in the broadest sense: My focus was on the stuff that’s featured on this thread but I also included more leftfield stuff: DJ Nigga Fix, Hama and the four (!) Nyege Nyege Tapes albums that were nominated, and music that’s more within the remit of the Global Outernational thread, by KOKOKO!, Blick Bassy, Salif Keita, and Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba. Plus I included an exclusive Afropop cut of The Lion King: The Gift. And yeah, I basically excluded Afrodiasporic stuff.

Ultimately, it’s all a bit arbitrary obviously, and I might have missed some things, but whatever. So skip away and enjoy!

That playlist in full:
ILM 2019 EOY🔶AFROPOP NOMS

Apologies to DJ Nigga Fox for the typo. Here’s his nominated track “Vício” to make up for it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dM3tfr4aMY

Breastcrawl is the main reason I'd like a 'like post' feature :) Thanks! For these playlists, and for posting so much good music throughout the year.

brilliant. thanks!

You’re welcome, guys. Glad you appreciate it!

listening to the Fireboy album now and would recommend anyone doing likewise to skip the opening track which is, IMO, just on the wrong side of corny. Also this way you start with Vibration

Good tip, but... (how) did you like the album?

I didn't get all the way to the end but I liked what I heard. It's very mellow; no surprise there, but it kind of washed over me. I will probably give it another chance soon I think

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebZ7Ng1okCg

Yo Pe (Remix), the hit from Innoss'B and Diamond Platnumz wasn't posted in the 2019 thread, so I'm throwing some East-Eastern vibes to start off the thread.

I've been sleeping on Skales for a while but these two Oliver Twists are pretty good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc1Qy85kRc4

Remix:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcLKy9sBXgM

Official video for the remix will be out in a couple of hours:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uszx3CwUASQ

This is exactly what I want to hear right now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asuw9E1CY3U

Diamond Platnumz ft. Teni • Sound

longneck, are you familiar with this track (and the EP its from)?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5ShVeGKOLY
Alpha P • Paloma

He’s not just any old Rema copycat, these two go way back (and he was the singer, Rema the rapper!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KewSzDxZzdo

So... this is certainly interesting. Never heard of him before but the similarities are striking, yes,

So basically Rema jacked his partner's style, huh? lol. I really like Paloma though. Thanks, breastcrawl!

maybe he’s jacking Rema back for jacking him first? I’m not sure, in that 2015 clip Alpha sounds more like early Wizkid.

But anyway, there it is: the first attempt known to man at NaijaPiano:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT9GvDEnprI
Adekunle Gold x DJ Tunez • Kelegbe Megbe (Remix)

(you may know the original from last year’s thread - or from the EOY noms playlist)

We’re not exactly at Kabza level here yet, the vocal is buried too much in the mix for starters, but I’ve been waiting for this to happen and God knows how Naija pop might be sounding in a year’s time. Remember what Uhuru-wave and gqom>shagqom shaku did for Naija pop?

Yeah I heard and dismissed it, lol. The original version is awesome though.

I appreciate the effort much more than the outcome. Blissed out is not an easy sound to achieve.

can't listen to that right now but gonna take it as retroactive vindication of my saying "Kelegbe Megbe" sounded like the Nigerian wing of the House of Sun El

dubious self-otms aside: yesss, I am ready for blissed out naija!

It’s not that it’s bad - I just prefer remixes that improve on the original tune. And this particular one was already perfect.

xp

fucking hell, you’re right, I remember! I guess it was destined to have this role in NaijaPiano history. Check out this (condensed) sequence from last year’s thread:

Can’t wait to hear what NaijaPiano is going to sound like.
― breastcrawl, zondag 30 juni 2019 1:27

Digging the new Adekunle Gold, “Kelegbe Megbe (Know Your Level)”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MucSft25l6I
― breastcrawl, maandag 1 juli 2019 23:32

Playing catch-up this morning. That Adekunle Gold track "Know Your Level" is really good--great to see it as I haven't enjoyed much he's done in a long time. It would fit nicely in the Nigerian wing of the House of Sun-El
― rob, donderdag 11 juli 2019 15:39

That’s a connection I would never have made! Not sure I can hear it like that though, it feels more of a piece with the Burna stuff to me.
― breastcrawl, donderdag 11 juli 2019 18:20

Yeah it's not like a huge break from other naija stuff or anything, but Gold is such a gentle presence (compared to someone like Burna) and, especially, the little break at 2:00 gives me some of the same feeling as...whatever we'd call that Sun-El microgenre. If that moment was stretched out I think it would connect even more strongly.
― rob, donderdag 11 juli 2019 18:30

good call, rob!

Is it just me or could this Mr Eazi "Kpalanga" go on for another few minutes?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHHCX_Y1blM

Oh wow, damn that’s good! Killertunes continuing down the “Doyin” trail (another song that was way too short btw). Probably my favourite Naija single of the year so far.
Tekno must be jealous - and I’m not just saying that because of the “kpalanga” connection.

"Kpalanga" was the first song on the apple music Africa Now playlist I listened to today, and it is great!

The new Runtown is viiiibes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvGoaq3t_xs

Runtown ft. Darkovibes & Bella Shmurda • Body Riddim (produced by Del B)

This guy is due for a real comeback - I was lukewarm on last year's EP.

Both of those are very nice. I posted this Burna banga over in the other thread but it deserves its place in here as well.

Nappy & Burna Boy - Aye
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCXjRUasA48

Speaking of gorgeous Killertunes productions, I never posted “My Lady” by Ghanaian singer King Promise last year, but I did nominate it and me and two others voted for it. Beautiful song, he’s such a strong melocidist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ76p4_RrOw

I definitely voted for it. One of my favourite tunes from last year. It’s the 2019 Mad Over You in my book.

I definitely voted for it. One of my favourite tunes from last year. It’s the 2019 Mad Over You in my book.

(Sorry for the dp - network issues)

Rundown track is excellent, love the glistening slide guitar plus those wah-wah squelches

Anyone else catch the soukous beat during Super Bowl halftime? That has to be a first (@ 0:34)

That was incredible, @jlo + @shakira! 👏 #PepsiHalftime #SBLIV

SOON: Fans can relive their favorite moments from the #PepsiHalftime show HERE https://t.co/TegS1TZFKy pic.twitter.com/1HkRu99cRR

— NFL (@NFL) February 3, 2020

Wrote on the Rolling Global thread:

Shakira At Super Bowl halftime used the Congo instrumental song Icha by Syran Mbenza. The guitar solo is by Lokassa Ya Mbongo I am reading on twitter. Colombian champeta is drawn from Congolese rumba in part.

Am I correct that this was discussed in another thread?

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

Dj Manzo Sa feat. Comado and Mthandazo Gatya - "Senzeni"

yes, here:
THE HOUSE OF SUN-EL: Sun-El Musician, Simmy, Mlindo The Vocalist, and other related artists

it’s a brilliant track!

Oh ok didn't know there was a Sun El connection, thanks
Yeah it's ridiculously beautiful

there isn’t a Sun-El connection as such, but it fits the brief of beautiful South African house(y) music that’s not amapiano, generally speaking. or something.

just want to thank this thread - and especially regular posters like breastcrawl and Nabozo - for being my window into African music over the course of this (and every) year. about 10% of my "favourite songs" list was discovered here. http://www.saidthegramophone.com/

my pleasure, sean. anything to make your wonderful yearly list even better!

Which are the songs that have a shot at the top 77?

Uwrongo? Cool Me Down? Ngihamba Nawe?

Jerusalema? Hehehe

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, December 8, 2020 5:01 PM (six days ago) bookmarkflaglink

Omah Lay deserves a shout either through his first EP, Damn, Godly or Infinity.
Jerusalema definitely. I've seen people try to build hype around Makazi, Yaz Abantu. Tugela Fairy is deserving.
Thanks for following Sean, tbh it's really hard to get in front of breastcrawl's military-grade radar.

lol please keep coming up with potential new display names, Nabozo!

was just listening to Omah’s “Lo Lo” again, thanx to sean’s list. that was his first song I fell for, but man, did I give him a hard time. couldn’t see what made him worthy of his instant stardom at first, but he’s proven this mere mortal being very wrong.

also #teamjerusalema here (for the second year running)

my tracks ballot is going to be a nightmare for sure, and Omah Lay is partic hard to narrow down. I actually most responded to "Ye Ye Ye" but also love "Lo Lo" and "Damn." I liked "Green Light" so much on the Olamide album I may have overlooked "Infinity."

tbh it's really hard to get in front of breastcrawl's military-grade radar

so otm, if I actually find a song that hasn't already been posted here, it's generally safe to assume it actually came out last year

as for the meaning of #86 on sean gramophone's list, from the ever-useful YouTube comments:

El Comentarista:
Please can someone tell me what it means "Ngongingo "?

Salama Salum:
@el comebtarista Ngongingo mean small ass and wowowo mean big ass according to this song!!

an independent earlier source confirms the second part:

Wowowo – Pronounced “whoawhoawhoa”, it’s Kiswahili for “Big butt.”

(I guess there were some clues in both the artwork and video!)

guys, Infinity - banging softness / male duo / Nigerian fashion / put it in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu69SyqwPGg
and the EP on the albums poll

hahaha amazing, thank you bc!!

so otm, if I actually find a song that hasn't already been posted here, it's generally safe to assume it actually came out last year

― loose Orwellian mobs (rob), Monday, December 14, 2020 8:52 PM (twenty-four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

haha, and then of course it's breastcrawl who comes and points it out to you, and you can feel he's giving you the eye and you should get disciplined asap.

or kindly reminding you that you must have been distracted because the song has already been posted and is right here in the spotify playlist at number 242

breastcrawl: maybe "Gunnery Sergeant Starboy" ?

thanx, but I’ve decided to go with “That’s What Search Functions Are For”

just came across this "Infinity" write-up in Rolling Stone:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/olamide-omah-lay-infinity-video-1085971/

it namecheks producer P.Priime, the third guy in the video. check that brilliant shot at 2'40, coinciding with his tag.

*namechecks

bizarre news from Uganda:

https://thenativemag.com/communities/omah-lay-tems-police-custody-uganda/

After watching the "Infinity" video last night, I woke up with the song in my head, so good call there friends

One small complaint though: it's actually Olamide who's the weak link for me. I love him on other songs (cf. "Green Light"), but all I want to hear is Omah on that one.

uganda seems like a powder keg right now. glad to hear bobi wine is out of prison.

also out of Ugandan prison: Omah Lay and Tems. Both presidential candidate for the opposition Bobi Wine and his rival Bebe Cool, son a former Museveni cabinet minister, are claiming a role in their release - Bebe Cool after allegedly calling the police on them in the first placce.

anyway, there's a video for "Godly" (sugar, no creme lol):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqUd72pK15Y

I think Kabza De Small would have a fair shot at top 77 if there was a single consensus track or album but the problem is he releases too much good music.

here's some consensus for you:

🎹🎹PİANO! PİANO!🎹🎹 - a song appreciation thread for ”eMcimbini” by Kabza De Small & DJ Maphorisa ft. Aymos, Samthing Soweto, Mas Musiq & Myztro

Hey that's good. I'll be doing my part to get it on the countdown.

brilliant track to (perhaps?) close off this year, which in Nigeria was dominated by the #endSARS protests as much as by the pandemic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3BxmBQDfhQ
Ajebo Hustlers ft. Davido • Barawo (Remix)

(produced by... 1da Banton! - see Nabozo’s post one month upthread)

thanks to this thread for providing much of my fave music of the year btw!

a pleasure, as always

I'm only just getting around to the Amaarae album today, and it's so good! I was worried her voice was too wispy to sustain interest across a whole album, but I was very wrong.

Thanks for making up the playlists for the nominated stuff as always breastcrawl and everyone for all the songs this year, I’ve been too damn busy this past year and need to catch up. Sounds like a tonne of great shit came out.

thanx kruezer! let me put said playlists up here as well. the afropop one includes the amaarae album, which, rob is right, is indeed very good.

(copied from the 2020 EOY Voting & Campaigning thread:)

Just like last year, I made two Spotify playlists for all the (*very* broadly defined) African “pop” that has been nominated:

one for all the South African stuff: first the 47/48 nominated tracks and after that the 16 albums that were nominated (I counted the Keleketla! album Nabozo is championing as South African), 273 tracks in total, a lot more than last year. that’s 25 hours of music to get lost in: lots of amapiano, some Limpopo house, a bit of gqom and of course several representatives of the House of Sun-El.

link: ILM 2020 EOY🇿🇦SOUTH AFRICAN NOMS

...and one for all the non-SA African stuff, 62 tracks and 18 albums, 279 tracks in total, similar to last year.
I stretched “pop” to include Nyege Nyege, Tony Allen & Masekela (counted this one towards the non-SA side) and “African” to include Afro-Portuguese (by way of the UK and France) batida-makers DJ Danifox and Nídia. Oh, and Moroccan-French band Bab L’Bluz is there as well, because I like ‘em.

link: ILM 2020 EOY🔷AFROPOP NOMS

Please let me know if you think I forgot or overlooked something!

I went ahead and created a new thread for afrobeats / afro-pop btw
Rolling Afrobeats 2021

I guess someone can come up with a fancy title for a South African thread (rolling amaKhosi nezIndlovukazi yAmapiano, gqom, house neKwaito 2021)

not sure we need a Rolling South African thread. we have plenty of active and ongoing SA-themed threads as is.
what do others think?

I'd like to be less of a bystander re: afro-pop this year, but that's more likely to happen on a Nigeria/Ghana thread than a SA one so I defer to the experts here. FWIW I like the Sun-Et Al. thread, it feels very classic ilm, so I def wouldn't want to pre-empt that one

i think a rolling south african thread to collect everything might be good actually, it's a little awkward at the moment with everything split over about three different threads, and it's helpful to delineate the new year too

we can make threads for any particular albums that deserve more attention of course but having a single rolling thread to collect everything else would be my preference

it would also make it much easier to keep up with things which is the biggest benefit

I think it made sense in 2019-20 to have individual threads with the guys driving the new sound, but now as it grows organically it does feel complicated to assign a logic to each thread.
Things are working rather well on the afro-pop front with the rolling thread + individual threads for main artists - albums that are big events - occasional polls

I agree that there’s a strong case for a Rolling SA thread, even if like rob I’m very partial to the Sun-El thread. it’s definitely true that the logic behind those threads is getting increasingly difficult to maintain. a Kabza-produced Samthing Soweto amapiano release could go on all of the current three main ones, for example.

If it’s alright with you folx I will make that Rolling thread and try to wrap up the other ones to some extent. Don’t think I will go for anything fancy as a title tho, wouldn’t want to create any new confusion!

more likely to happen on a Nigeria/Ghana thread

oh for sure, was just alluding to my own biases there. That said, I watched a Baloji-directed short on the Criterion Channel the other night (Zombies, highly recommended) that made me want to check out the Congolese scene.

I endorse the rolling SA plan.

If anyone has moderating powers I'm happy to have Afro-Pop added to the title, which I also slightly prefer as a catch-all, although imo afrobeats is still okay as a term despite the slight controversy it has attracted, it's known by listeners by now and it's also what we post :)

If anyone has moderating powers I'm happy to have Afro-Pop added to the title, which I also slightly prefer as a catch-all, although imo afrobeats is still okay as a term despite the slight controversy it has attracted, it's known by listeners by now and it's also what we post :)

let me ask a moderator

yeah sure, but it appears a little arbitrary to me to consider that afro-pop is acceptable as an umbrella term for bongo flava but that afrobeats is not, especially if we accept that the term is now international and, correct me if I'm wrong, still in use.
I'm no expert in the genre, but there used to be a plurality of terms (Azonto etc) corresponding to the different styles and dances even in NIG-GHA, so I always thought of afrobeats as an umbrella.
The fact that the Tanzanians so easily collaborate with the Congolese for example also muddles waters and would almost make you wonder about having other umbrella terms
Anyway, I don't mean to be argumentative here, just saying it's hard to cut clear and reconcile all views (international, African, national etc).

still in use *in Africa (and West Africa most relevantly).

like I said, we’ve done this before, but “afrobeats” has been controversial from the start, as a term coined in the UK a decade ago for the burgeoning new pop scene in Ghana and Nigeria, with a play on “afrobeat” (because Fela Kuti cs was the only reference people had in the UK), that had no currency in those countries themselves - and still isn’t universally accepted there (Burna Boy insisting on “afro-fusion”, Adekunle Gold naming his album “Afro Pop”). it was never meant to include the pop music of other African countries (where the Fela Kuti connection would make even less sense to begin with). It’s unfortunate that the term has caught on in the US music press as well, but it doesn’t mean we have to toe the line. I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t think of describing Sun-El’s music as “afrobeats”, and yet that is the trend as it is internationally.

“Afropop” or “African pop” are simply much more neutral as descriptive terms. the only problem you run into is where to draw the line for what constitutes “pop music”, but that’s a general debate that has nothing to do with *African* music specifically.

our two new Rolling threads for 2021:

Rolling Afropop / Afrobeats 2021

MZANSI MUZIQ 2021 🇿🇦 Rolling South Africa thread