Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars at the Highline Ballroom
With only a week into the summer, NYC was already in the midst of an intense heat wave. The temperatures steadily hit above 90 degrees Fahrenheit by noon. The past few days were scorchers. The 29 th...
View ArticleSearching for Sugar Man
In the early 1970s, an obscure musician from Detroit, Michigan was signed on to Sussex Records. After releasing two albums that were met with low sales and mixed reviews, he was dropped from the label...
View ArticleShattering the illusions of cultural separation: an interview with DJ Zhao
As musically curious and adventurous as any DJ we ever met, DJ Zhao is on a mission to demonstrate the connections between all cultures through music. Even more interesting is his special focus on...
View ArticleOrchestre Poly-Rythmo rock Central Park, New York
If you’re a fan of the reissued African music on labels like Analog Africa, Soundway Records and Strut , then Orchestre Poly-Rythmo should be a household name. These juggernauts of funk have been...
View ArticleIs house music stealing kuduro's thunder in Angola?
Fofa Ndo kuduro show in Luanda, June 2012 (Photo by Dj Satelite) A couple of months ago I wrote about the emergence of kuduro in Lisbon as a symptom of the increasing socio-economic collusion between...
View ArticleAngola’s critical rappers remain defiantly vocal as elections draw near
The sign reads 'Liberate the Angolans' minds'. Members of protest group Central 7311 calling for Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos to step down. LUANDA | ANGOLA | Violent crackdowns are...
View Article“We've been to the moon and back”: afro-futurism in music
(Photo credit: Leeroy Jason) Although Afro-futurism doesn't have one clear-cut definition, for the purpose of this article we'll go with the one that defines it as a study of science-fiction themes...
View ArticleFunky Ghanaian-infused hip hop with Blitz the Ambassador in Brooklyn
Blitz the Ambassador during his Brooklyn gig There are few who embark on tours with the gusto of Blitz the Ambassador . The name ‘Blitz’ fits him very well indeed, for the man is tireless. He has been...
View ArticleAmadou & Mariam and Just a Band play Central Park, New York
August 4th was a very hot day in New York, but that didn't stand in the way of the throng of people who gathered at the SummerStage in Central Park for a triple bill concert of Just a Band ,...
View ArticleAngola's politically-conscious rappers vs. apolitical kuduristas
Angolans are following the elections quite closely. This guy always orates loudly on the latest news in Luanda's critical newspapers, and always attracts a sizeable audience. Word of warning: No...
View ArticleAmerican jazz giants inspired by Africa
Jazz, born in New Orleans and enjoyed the world over by people from all walks of life. However, one part of the globe often neglected in any conversation about jazz is Africa. Perhaps this wouldn’t be...
View ArticleLionel Loueke live at the Blue Note, New York (Pix)
Lionel Loueke at the Blue Note, New York Right on the heels of the release of his latest album, Heritage , Beninese guitarist and vocalist Lionel Loueke had a three night engagement at the Blue Note...
View ArticleFelabration 2012 and the legacy of Fela Kuti beyond Africa
With a Broadway show about his life, a series of reissues on the Knitting Factory label, biographies and tribute albums, the interest in the musician, independent thinker, cultural and political icon,...
View ArticleWill Afrobeats endure?
There was a time when it seemed like African artists needed to fit a particular idea of the "African artist" to command an audience outside the continent. To sell concert tickets, drive album sales...
View ArticleFatoumata Diawara live in NYC (gig pix) & coming to Europe
Hot on the heels of her debut album Fatou , released in North America in August, Ivorian born, Malian musician Fatoumata Diawara is currently on a North American tour that saw her make a stop at the...
View Article"For a child to be a child": an interview with hip hop activist Keyti (Senegal)
Keyti (Photo: yeastCulture) Keyti (real name Cheikh Sene), is one of the pioneers of Senegalese hip hop, having been actively involved in the scene since the mid nineties as an emcee, activist,...
View Article10 incorrect assumptions held by aspiring African artists
The music business in most African countries is extremely fragmented, with lots of one-person record labels, no clearly structured distribution and A&R systems. And though the internet has made it...
View ArticleRick Ross in Nigeria, Solange in South Africa – whose story do they tell?
Rick Ross is not the first American hip hop artist to enjoy touring the African continent; ever since the late eighties when LL Cool J performed in Abidjan there’s been the occasional motherland trip...
View ArticleBET Cypher 2012 – focus on Africa (again) with Sarkodie, Jean Grae
Sarkodie The much revered BET Cypher, one of the permanent features on the annual BET Hip Hop Awards, has built a little reputation by featuring African emcees. In the USA, not everyone is ready to...
View ArticleHow the Nigerian music industry recovered its mojo
M.I., D'banj and Eldee The Nigerian music industry always turned out hits that played beyond the country's borders, but after the heyday of the 70s, this happened only occasionally. The international...
View ArticleMajor labels want in as African urban music takes off
One8 member 2Face Idibia Whatever became of One8 ? They were meant to be Africa’s first supergroup, with a roster of artists plucked from Nigeria, Uganda, Gabon, Tanzania, Zambia, Ghana, Kenya and...
View ArticleFelabration in NYC
The indelible mark made by Fela Kuti on music and political activism is immeasurable. All over the world, the social and political messages in his music continue to resonate with people from all walks...
View ArticleNneka live at Joe's Pub, New York City
A day prior to her CMJ showcase at Littlefield in Brooklyn, Nigerian-German singer-songwriter Nneka performed two intimate sets at the venerable Joe’s Pub in NYC. I attended the earlier set and - to...
View ArticleThe adventures of Chief Boima in the Red Light District
After last month’s afro cosmic disco funk special with Dj Gioumanne, Africanhiphop.com's monthly African hip hop radio is back with an October edition filled with new joints, exclusives and another...
View ArticleDJ Zhao: observations from South Africa, a nation still segregated
Downtown Johannesburg My immediate impression of Johannesburg was of a modern, wealthy and stable city with an international air, an impression bolstered by the friendly, smartly dressed, hip...
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