rolling afropop / afrobeats 2018

that's great!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnoQ_w8tmgc

Mlindo's Macala got a video, one of the highlights from his excellent album

reading random folks on twitter proclaiming fave Afrobeats songs of 2018:

New Wande Coal, “So Mi So”, produced by Juls: https://youtu.be/A6mRKZsAxMs

― breastcrawl, Tuesday, May 8, 2018

This got some support as did Burna Boy- Ye; Starboy-Soco

When Kwesta comes in... whew.

xp Good timing, curmudgeon!

Juls and Wande Coal just released their new collabo, “Sister Girl”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGN70AYZmdo

woah that Macala track is amazing

Sister Girl *sounds* great, but I wish he'd grabbed Maleek Berry or someone else a little smoother for that one

Nice promotional documentary for Eazi’s Lagos to London project, also focusing on the Lagos music scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urGj3A9ndiI

It also features Eazi protégé Joeboy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2lzgHh8p-k
Joeboy feat. Mr Eazi • Faaji

The new Kizz Daniel album is strong. Star of the show, perhaps surprisingly, is DJ Coublon, who’s killing it on his four tracks, especially on “Maye”, a last-minute addition to the album. It’s where No Bad Songz starts being great instead of just good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxWBEU65Abo

(listen to those backing vocals!)

Good to see Coublon back at the forefront. He’s low-key done some very good tracks this year (including Yemi Alade’s “Oh My Gosh”). I’m fond of Dabenja’s “Take Away”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5xSof_vDhY

Really? No one has an opinion on the Kizz Daniel album?

Anyway, the beat goes on - from Tanzania:

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

Navy Kenzo feat. Diamond Platnumz • Katika

I started listening to it earlier today and it sounded solid. Will keep listening for sure.

I want to hear that Kizz Daniel, but end of year means the "I should check this album out" pile is getting quite tall.

Speaking of, Okay Africa put out a list of best Nigerian songs:
https://www.okayafrica.com/nigerian-songs-best-2018-year-listen-stream

Burna Boy "Ye"
Wizkid x Terri x Spotless x Ceeza Milli "Soco"
Olamide "Science Student"
Niniola "Bana"
Odunsi, Zamir & Santi "Alté Cruise"
Naira Marley x Olamide x Lil Kesh "Issa Goal"
Teni "Case"
Tekno "Jogodo"
Tiwa Savage x Duncan Mighty "Lova Lova"
Mr Real x Idowest x Kelvin Chuks x Obadice "Legbegbe"
Falz "This Is Nigeria"
Davido x Duncan Mighty x Peruzzi "Aza"
Odunsi (The Engine) "Falling"
Patoranking "Suh Different"
D'banj x Slimcase x Mr Real "Issa Banger"
DJ Spinall x Wizkid "Nowo"
Tay Iwar x Odunsi (The Engine) "Sugardaddy"
Mr Eazi x Giggs "London Town"
Wande Coal x Juls "So Mi So"
Olamide x Wizkid "Kana"
2baba x Peruzzi "Amaka"
Sarz x WurlD "Trobul"
ClassiQ "Gargajiya"
M.I "Last Night I Had a Dream About A Hummingbird"
Adekunle Gold "Ire"

(ty NickB for the C&P)

They really like Odunsi, huh? Some questionable choices on that list, but def some undeniables as well.
I'm kinda shocked that Tekno and Davido (and even Yemi Alade) had so much relatively weak output in an otherwise really strong year for African music.

yeah there were a couple tunes there I didn't recognize and was pretty perplexed by after clicking

I don't think I'd even heard of Odunsi before reading the list. Does anyone here rate it? seems like fairly standard, maybe even mediocre, rnb on first blush

Yeah, the Odunsi love really sticks out. He seems to be the figurehead of the alté scene, the “alternative” (and I guess quite bourgie) scene that broke through commercially this year and that’s associated with Lagos Island (he and the Island scene are both featured in the Mr Eazi documentary I posted a few days ago).

I don’t find his music particularly interesting either, for the reasons rob states, but I get that it might be exciting/cool to have someone doing credible homegrown contemporary r&b when you’re a Nigerian listener.

I like that wavy/vibey/groovy thing so much more when it’s mixed with a healthy dose of Afro elements: that’s why I like the Show Dem Camp album better than the Odunsi, for instance (they came out a week apart iirc). My impression is that in Ghana they’re better at this, Kuvie is a good example.

Somewhat related: I also quite like where Kenya’s Blinky Bill (!) is going with his more old skool neo soul influences on his album Everybody’s Just Winging It And Other Fly Tales (!) - lots of low-end and not too shy of homegrown beats (the recent Wizkid-coined buzzword ‘stew’ feels somehow appropriate).

http://www.youtube.com/mIVAPwcG0xc

Blinky Bill feat. MVROE & Kivango • Showdown

I get that it might be exciting/cool to have someone doing credible homegrown contemporary r&b when you’re a Nigerian listener.

That makes a lot of sense. I think I was just misled by the "alternative" tag and expected something more out there

longneck, the weird thing about Davido this year to me was that he was pretty much consistently good in collaborative tracks (the DMW crew stuff - “Aza” is on the list for a reason) and in features, but that his own singles were relatively weak (even if “Assurance” was legit one of the biggest hits of the year).

As for the list, I guess “Gargajiya” is relatively obscure - ClassiQ is a representative of the Northern Hausa scene, and this track has the musical feel of that region (the title actually translates as ‘culture’ or ‘traditional’):

https://youtu.be/MuSgk5wHNfk
(^this is the audio - there’s no official video...
(...there is this though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAjwjrQSyiQ

(Confusingly, there’s also a South African house artist with that exact same name - I’m waiting breathlessly for their classicq Hausa house collaboration)

Aaaanyway, what were the (other?) entries on the list you guys found questionable/perplexing?

oh it wasn't too many, the three Odunsi tunes; the Teni I didn't hate, it just didn't seem very special; the ClassiQ, not because of the Hausa folk angle but more the claim that it married that sound with pop to impressive effect; and the Adekunle Gold, who I've enjoyed in the past but I wasn't feeling that track

tbc: these aren't exactly well considered opinions, so it's quite possible I'm giving good stuff short shrift

I didn’t realize there were blurbs to go with the listings, making my observations on ClassiQ kind of redundant.

“Case” is a bit of a bizarre pick when “Askamaya” is also available.

Rob otm, and also, yes, Askamaya >>>> Case.

Idk, I understand that they've tried to keep it at one song per artist (excepting Odunsi, of course) but a list that does not have songs like Fake Love or Kana (or Commando) just feels... off, imo.
The Davido I enjoyed the most in 2018 was the FIA remix with Stefflon Don, but if we're talking appearances, I'd pick Bobo, Mind and maybe even Aja over Aza (which is also fine). The D'Banj entry feels minor,surely there were better shaku shakus this year? And is London Town really the best Eazi this year? Is AKWAABA too ghana for them? Would also have liked to see Terri, Ycee's Say Bye Bye and maybe Kidi's Adiepena on this list, I guess.

Burna Boy "Ye"
Wizkid x Terri x Spotless x Ceeza Milli "Soco"
Olamide "Science Student"
Niniola "Bana"
Odunsi, Zamir & Santi "Alté Cruise"
Naira Marley x Olamide x Lil Kesh "Issa Goal"
Teni "Case"
Tekno "Jogodo"
Tiwa Savage x Duncan Mighty "Lova Lova"
Mr Real x Idowest x Kelvin Chuks x Obadice "Legbegbe"
Falz "This Is Nigeria"
Davido x Duncan Mighty x Peruzzi "Aza"
Odunsi (The Engine) "Falling"
Patoranking "Suh Different"
D'banj x Slimcase x Mr Real "Issa Banger"
DJ Spinall x Wizkid "Nowo"
Tay Iwar x Odunsi (The Engine) "Sugardaddy"
Mr Eazi x Giggs "London Town"
Wande Coal x Juls "So Mi So"
Olamide x Wizkid "Kana"
2baba x Peruzzi "Amaka"
Sarz x WurlD "Trobul"
ClassiQ "Gargajiya"
M.I "Last Night I Had a Dream About A Hummingbird"
Adekunle Gold "Ire"

Forgot to edit out the list that I kept in the post as reference while writing it, sorry.

“Fake Love” is a glaring omission, yes - but “Kana” is actually on the list! (“Nowo” is there as well, so that makes three fir Wizzy as well). “Akwaaba” and “Adiepena” are Ghanaian tracks, so their absence is not strange. I do agree with you about “London Town”, it’s my least favorite thing Eazi has done this year.

Oh right, totally missed Kana on the list, lol.

I also really miss Tiwa's Vibe on that list even though Lova Lova might well be the best Tiwa song this year.

Great list. Can you Spotify it? I would swap out 'Case' for 'Shakeam' even though both songs are great

I would ad 'Ma Lo' and possibly 'One' by Tiwa Savage

oh wait, sorry i thoguht that was a personal list but it's OkayAfrica's

They do have a best of 2018 playlist up but it's kinda different from this one.
https://open.spotify.com/user/okayafricaofficial/playlist/2NfPwqoxwxlOSwKK3sn6an?si=8S8wUwD8SQiNl5TIWow1lQ

That’s a pan-African one by the looks of it (and apparently a work in progress?). Blinky Blink is on it too, yay!

just in case you didn't spot this one:

Okayafrica - Best of East Africa 2018
https://www.okayafrica.com/east-african-songs-best-2018-listen-stream/

Looking forward to checking out that list, there’s quite a few I haven’t heard.

(xp to self: the guy’s name is Blinky BILL, no need to make it any worse)

There's a new Davido and it's pretty good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWYc2ezruO4

There's also a new Tekno, but on a first listen it's lacking some... fizz? It might grow on me, of course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWeit5vyzpo

going through okayafrica's best of east africa list and this is delightful:

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

Sauti Sol - Short N Sweet ft Nyashinski

OkayAfrica also did a looong Ghana list: https://www.okayafrica.com/ghana-songs-music-best-2018-listen-stream

GuiltyBeatz x Mr Eazi x Patapaa x Pappy Kojo "Akwaaba"
Kuami Eugene "Wish Me Well"
Kwesi Arthur x M.anifest "Feels"
Shatta Wale "My Level"
Joey B x La Même Gang "Stables"
Amaarae "Fluid"
E.L "Ghana Meets Naija"
KiDi "Thunder"
Becca x Sarkodie "Nana"
Eddie Khae "Do The Dance"
La Même Gang "Stone Island"
Akwaboah x Strongman "Forget"
Efya x Mr Eazi "Mamee"
R2Bees x Wizkid "Supa"
B4Bonah x M.anifest "Devil Is A Liar (Remix)"
Juls x Kojey Radical "Normal"
Kwesi Arthur "Woara"
Sarkodie "Black Excellence"
Medikal x Kwesi Arthur x Ahtitude "How Much"
Wendy Shay "Bedroom Commando"
King Promise "Abena"
Miyaki "Anfara"
Mzvee x K "Bend Down"

Somehow I think I've only heard Awkwaaba :/

aw that Sauti Sol is adorable!

I guess Blinky Bill is an old Australian cartoon? Anyway, breastcrawl your link didn't work, but I listened to "Don't Worry" and it's a little weird and very good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPIZRezWjj8

I feel like dog latin might be partic into this?

hmmm I'm not sure about it yet, might need to give it a couple more plays. First thoughts are that there's something missing from it, like a hook of some sort that isn't there...

I was thinking last night while I was tired that it would be great if (some of) the specialist thread regulars were to compile a sort of 'best of year' or 'best of all time' list - say 25 absolute anthems of the genre and then make a poll that's open to all board members? It would be a great chance for people who don't post or follow these threads to get a good primer on a style they aren't familiar with. What do you think?

yeah so far the Blinky album is less out there than I was expecting, and scrolling up I see breastcrawl was talking about neo-soul influences on it so I'm not sure where I got that idea. More positively it reminds me of last year's Pierre Kwenders album that I love.

I like the specialist poll idea and would be happy to help put together one for dancehall, though a 2018 one would be considerably easier than an all-time.

Yeah, a 2018 dancehall poll would be nice. A 2018 african music one might work too. Soca is more difficult because of the seasons thing, which doesn't go well with annual polling.

Okay, first things first: Here’s the correct link for Blinky Bill’s “Showdown”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIVAPwcG0xc

The album is far from perfect (his vocals are quite weak for one) but there’s 5 or 6 tracks that I really like. (rob, I think I can sorta see your Kwenders comparison, but BB feels far more stodgy to me. Did you know Pierre K has a new song out?)

OkayAfrica’s East African 25: Yes, I like that Wasafi Records sound, am currently digging “Katika”, which I posted last week. The biggest Tanzanian hit of my year, Rayvanny’s “Chombo”, is not on the list unfortunately.

I wasn’t blown away by any of the songs I hadn’t heard before. I do like this punchy dancehall track though:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B1RmTjWyUQ

Brian Simba feat. Vanessa Mdee & Michael Love • Silence

Surprised by the absence of Eddy Kenzo on this list tbh. I thought his output this year (album included) was really good.

Also not on the list, just a super sweet song from Rwanda I fell in love with today:

https://youtu.be/uYjV6Rw9u_Y

Muco feat. Deejay Pius • No More

Once more, with feeling:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYjV6Rw9u_Y

Anything resembling singeli or other “street music” (Tanzanian or otherwise) is probably not mainstream enough for this kind of list - although some of those videos have millions of views iirc.

Which brings me to this: It might be old news, but I just found out that the Sound of Sisso compilation (which includes Makaveli’s “Nammiliki”) and other Nyege Nyege Tapes releases are now on Spotify (these were discussed on this thread back in February).

This is a very interesting link in this regard, about Nyege Nyege and “East Africa’s new wave” - also old and possibly posted before somewhere:
https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/3107

gah, SoundS of Sisso!

xp oh cool!!

I like the poll idea, btw. It could be a good way to generate more interest in African pop. I mean, 12 people voted in the Burna Boy poll and the Rolling playlist on Spotify has only 15 followers, down from 29 last year and 55(!) in 2016. That says a lot about the current state of ILM, I guess (as well as forks’ marketing skills).

Those numbers don’t say everything though, because I don’t think the thread was busier in previous years - so maybe the goal should be stimulating engagement more than anything, and a poll might help do that.