rolling afropop / afrobeats 2018

As gqom-y as shaku shaku has gotten so far:

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

Skuki, “Owello”

Haha, that's totally a south african beat.
I didn't know this duo, they're cool. I like Forkanizer from last year and they have a lot more with collabs with Lil Kesh, Olamide etc.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwc4fkT74qk)

Skuki have been around for a long time, but for some reason their older stuff has been wiped off the face of Spotify.

Search:

“Over The Mountain” feat. Olamide (2015):
https://youtu.be/ZUO2fQFU6DY
(either the very first Young John copycat production, or this mysterious ‘BimOnTheBeat’ was actually a YJ alias)

“Voom Va” feat. Phyno (2013):
https://youtu.be/5Pe7whelUMc
(stone-cold classic; an absolutely thrilling record)

Check these great dance videos on the hard-hitting iWalk yephara song (the dance is something viral from last year's hit "Shut up and groove" by Distruction boyz, and Macassette / DJ Raybel "remade" the song...if I got it right)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IErsqu64T7c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og_kaTxfE3U

and for the reference and because the dancing is so amazing, here's this unofficial video from shut up and groove
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr1whZOcLRc

Nabozo, forgive me if I misunderstood your post, but I don’t really hear the connection between “iWalk ye Phara” and “Shut Up And Groove”? However, I came across another track with TDK MaCassette involvement that IS extremely similar to SUAG, “Yeba” by Rude Boyz:

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

But yeah, “iWalk ye Phara” is very good and I enjoyed the dancing!

(Sorry, that should be "Yebo")

It ain’t no “Hola Hola” (although the bassline tries very, very hard, and admirably so), but Sugarboy just dropped his first good song since… well, “Hola Hola”:

https://soundcloud.com/gworldwideent/sugarboy-chop-feat-ycee

Sugarboy ft. Ycee, “Chop”

I think the connection was in the dancing, not the song, but i might be mistaken?

The new Lil Kesh, “Apa Mi”, sounds great. Produced by Princeton, who did the Sugarboy as well. One to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4LILt3Dp5E

Minz - Odoyewu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAaSsLNUFRg

And more dancing because it's cool and belongs to the genre (on Gwara Gwara)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7AgxSPhx54

No respect...For the second year in a row, the Nabisco (N.A.) edited NY Times Magazine special issue 25 Songs that Tell Us Where Music is Going has no artists based in Africa (mostly all US & UK this year except for 1 K-Pop, a hiphop remix with Puerto Rican rappers, and a Scottish pop group with 2 members of Liberian heritage )

You were expecting something from the culture department of Times Magazine ? :) I always found them to be doing blandness-incarnate filler, or maybe their readers are that shallow. But yeah, culture is not global at all, just imperialistic.

The issue does have nicely penned pieces on Chicago footwork DJ Taye and one on a remix with Farruko, Nicki Minaj, and Bad Bunny; SZA ,and Bruno Mars's Finesse remix. But I was expecting more from a former ilxor who writes well and is very smart and who got a bunch of talented writers from elsewhere to contribute. An editor doesn't have to like Scandinavian whatever(pop or metal) or Nigerian Afropop to recognize that it should be included in something with the heading "25 Songs that Tell Us Where Music is Going," but he didn't do that this year or last year (the first time he edited this). Instead, as when he was the music critic at New York Magazine he generally followed his interests-US and UK pop, rap, and r'n'b.

very sad to see that DJ Spoko has died: http://www.factmag.com/2018/03/14/influential-south-african-artist-dj-spoko-has-died-aged-35/

Could I have your attention please? It’s (not just) another Guilty Banger:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRPCBg1N4Yo

GuiltyBeatz feat. Mr Eazi, PappyKoo & Patapaa, “Akwaaba”

That's "Pappy Kojo", of course.

(that "audio" video is perfect in all its simplicity too)

Tekno seemed to be slowly losing his mojo in the past few months (Nabozo referred to it upthread), but I gotta say, the brand new “Yur Luv” is love at first sight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNTXmiajBn0

Makossa, baby!

(He shouldn’t be so shy about producing his own tracks, this is only the second. The previous one, “Go”, was the best thing he released last year, along with “Yawa”.)

This one’s from Angola: Preto Show ft. Biura, “Sacanagem Clepatia”. It’s huge:

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

He’s got one out with Davido as well, produced by KS Drums. Nice to hear Davido on something different:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eATONOOqC1U

Preto Show ft. Davido, “Banger (Mamawe)”

Reporting from the Angolan rabbit hole.

Preto Show has been involved involved in all kinds of great stuff. Check out his (mini-)album Panamera, released last year.
This one is fire too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xINs0T7B3ME

(The Crew ft. Preto Show & Zoca Zoca, “Esse Moço”)

And how about this guy? He just dropped an album too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MtzV1_HaBo

(Nerú Americano, “Zaranza”)

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

(Nerú Americano ft. DJ Vado Poster, “Adoço”)

Going back in time a bit further, to 2015:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIjADsddG8o

(Os’Banah, “Banzelo”)

A bonus interlude, just for fun, and because it’s all new to me, this kuduro classic from 2009 or 2010:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEU2934eJuE

(Agre G, “Piké Piké”)

But this is the big one…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z64YURwg50w

(Os Santiegos ft. Nerú Americano, “Sem Maldades”)

The music, the dancing. Holy fuck.

I think DJ Vado Poster is my favourite person in music right now. Of the ones I posted he produced “Adoço”, “Banzelo” and “Sem Maldades”.

(Also, I can’t help thinking Shaku shaku is just kid’s play compared to all of this Angolan mayhem.)

that's awesome

Proper video for “Akwaaba” is out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHjV0kzFKG8

(GuiltyBeatz feat. Mr Eazi, Pappy Kojo & Patapaa, “Akwaaba”)

(There's dancing)

2018's first official Summer Jam, btw

steady

???

I produce a bunch of data-generated playlists on Spotify, including a set based on the distinctive listening of countries. There hasn't been much African representation in this list, because Spotify hasn't been directly available in any African countries, but we just launched in South Africa, finally, and with a little tweaking of thresholds this week I was able to get lists for Ghana and Tanzania, as well. So, if you're interested:

Ghana: https://open.spotify.com/user/thesoundsofspotify/playlist/6zvs325lRproQd0Sd83oQg?si=k0tX616kT9mgp9Z0za4ehQ
South Africa: https://open.spotify.com/user/thesoundsofspotify/playlist/6KeYZIeYiElx86iOhDigH3?si=PMOriAFJTEWQ5kv7hsmHPw
Tanzania: https://open.spotify.com/user/thesoundsofspotify/playlist/56S93wwXTegxAuz9Np96zY?si=q4s8d5E9SgWqoD5v2BBK6g

I think this new Mayorkun (ft. Davido) track is pretty nice!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EitxN6DDN4

Slimcase seems to be the man of the moment in Naija music. Here's an interview where he talks about Shaku Shaku (3:00), the meaning of "SaintSamiGanga" (4:23) and says he is the most featured Naija artist since December until today and he might be right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5d2JDKgDoo

There's this new Ghanaian artist with a song sounding like UK afroswing. The beat might be taken from "Barking" by Ramz, quite similar beat at least. Interesting to see how big impact this UK sound (Not3s, J Hus etc.) will have there.

Kwesi Arthur - The Anthem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW-i367I1Ro

I think soundwise afrobeats is a bit locked-in. You can look towards America, Jamaica, UK, South Africa, retro African (trad, 90s or Antenna-levels party synths), but then you sound derivative and "interesting", and the next song you can come back to the central sound, even if every new idea there is quickly exhausted.
I think my favorite song of the year is still Soco (which has a video).
I'll be staying in South Africa for a while, so I soon get the opportunity to complain about them and third-rate distruction boyz songs too :)

Ha ha! Where in SA are you going to be staying? The whole Afro Bashment/Swing scene is still cool but it seems like all the best songs came at the beginning of it. It has settled in now but it doesn’t seem too exciting anymore.

The trajectory reminds me of Mr Eazi’s. He’s still good, but there’s no magic in what he does anymore.

Another excellent Sauti Sol track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3oOJcyf7iA

I find this a baffling statement:

I think soundwise afrobeats is a bit locked-in. You can look towards America, Jamaica, UK, South Africa, retro African (trad, 90s or Antenna-levels party synths), but then you sound derivative and "interesting", and the next song you can come back to the central sound, even if every new idea there is quickly exhausted.
― Nabozo, donderdag 29 maart 2018 9:36

Mutatis mutandis and all that, but can’t this basically be said about all music ever?

Also, how are you defining “afrobeats” here? As Nigerian and/or Ghanaian contemporary pop music? African pop music in general? Just looking at Naija pop: At any given moment, there are several different strands of music that are popular simultaneously. Right now there’s pon pon, there’s shaku shaku, you have Simi, Olamide, “Soco”-phase Wizkid, Rudeboy, Niniola… - what’s the “central sound” here? (And that’s not accounting for the styles and genres that aren’t (currently) mainstream/on the charts.) All of this is evolving and shapeshifting continuously - influenced by factors both internal and external, indeed. What’s not to love?

I agree with you on “Soco” though. Here’s that video you mentioned:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VrWaED18_g

Oh right.. afroBEATS, I read that as afro swing. Sorry. Anyway, I agree w breastcrawl on this particular point. Last year was a bit samey w all the 98 bpm stuff but atm it feels less predictable.

"Akwaaba", the Italian edition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzadvC4D8Z0

Akiti Wrowro ft. GuiltyBeatz & DJ Kess, “Kokoti”

It's true, it's constantly "evolving and shapeshifting", I just feel with a rather narrow margin for creativity, like any dance-pop music (what it is). Anyway my idea was only that looking towards established styles from other countries is not really a door leading to creativity for afrobeats, so I feel there's not much to hope from Nigeria receiving UK influences back or from copying South Africa for example. As for the "central" sound, I guess it's one of those "know it when you hear it" based on rhythms, vibe, melodies, vocal style etc.
And to answer longneck: Johannesburg :)

And a brand new song from Ghana (KiDi - Adiepena)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH8DAiSjmfA
And this one with old boy Sarkodie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag_ffZ-OV38

And WSTRN followed up on Ben Ova and it has Tiwa and Eazi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07rVIVkKA58
What do you think ? It's alright but lacks punch / intensity imo.

https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2018/04/04/599485289/my-friendship-with-janka-nabay-genius-of-bubu

Janka’s music doesn’t exactly fit this thread, but his use of programmed Sierra Leone born beats makes him kinda related. This NPR piece is by a guy who directed a video for Janka sometime after first hearing his music on a cassette brought back from S L.

I guess it's a bit late in the year for dec 2017 songs, but has anyone noticed that song by Burna Boy (koni baje) ? Actually the album came out this year (Outside)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9iW99DAs70

No Skin Tight, but Mr Eazi / Efya with a decent song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y7phGL6Sl4

I guess it's a bit late in the year for dec 2017 songs, but has anyone noticed that song by Burna Boy (koni baje) ? Actually the album came out this year (Outside)

I think I mentioned way upthread that imo Outside is fantastic. The first 5 tracks, including Koni Baje, are especially strong, with Ph City Vibration probably my favorite

The new Wizkid & Mut4y is awesome:
https://youtu.be/nUNe2svMR2A