Summertime Vibes

Hipsters Don't Dance "Top World Carnival Tunes" for February 2015.

Sherise, via Unsplash.

One week after the World Carnival holiday, we are back with our first chart of 2015. Enjoy this round of tunes, and remember to visit the HDD blog for all the great up-to-the-time-ness out of London. Also, see the archives of posts.

Gino Brown x MercyO

South African house guy Gino Brown teams up with Nigerian MC Pinky Jay, the groove on this is great and Gino really has something going by putting these two styles together. House may have an affinity to powerful divas but now it’s time for Sh@t talking women.

Martel B x Badda Dan Dem Remix (Feat. Bigz, Frisco & Young Spray)

Martel B’s hit is bubbling up and this year has seen two remixes appear. This is the better one with UK legends Frisco and Bigz hopping on it. Also like Kanye at the Brits, you can peep Skepta in the back.The Naija remix deserves a listen as well.

Moelogo x Sweetie

His first release on a major label is a cover/interpolation of Bunny Mack’s classic Let Me Love You. Every family function should have played this, now the kids can now pretend it’s their own.

Yanga X Awuth’Yam REMIX (Feat. KiD & AKA)

This month’s chart is slightly skewed towards South Africa because we just came back from an incredible trip to the country. Effectively the same combo that came up with Run Jozi are back with this jam. Summertime flows and vibes.

Cassper Nyovest x Ghetto (Feat. DJ Drama & Anatii)

First of all shout out fellow Africa Is a Country contributors writers Dylan and Antoinette (as well as Leila) for putting us on in South Africa. One of the things we were recommended was Cassper. Lo and Behold a week or so later here he is teaming up with DJ Drama for Ghetto.

Further Reading

Writing while black

Percival Everett’s novel ‘Erasure’ raised questions about Black middle-class complicity in commodifying the traumas of Black working-class lives, but the film adaptation leaves little room to explore these tensions.

The Mogadishu analogy

In Gaza and Haiti, the specter of another Mogadishu is being raised to alert on-lookers and policymakers of unfolding tragedies. But we have to be careful when making comparisons.

Kwame Nkrumah today

New documents looking at British and American involvement in overthrowing Kwame Nkrumah give us pause to reflect on his legacy, and its resonances today.