Bonus: Friday Music Break

10 new music videos to finish this week of blogging. Here’s a first video by photographer and graphic designer Laurent Seroussi for Salif Keita’s new Tale album, produced by Gotan Project’s Philippe Cohen-Solal: Vimeo clip above. (The YouTube version of the clip seems not to be available everywhere. Weird Record Label Thinking.) Next, a glorious video for […]

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Friday Music Break

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Hello! Boima here, and I’m back helping out with the Friday music break. A Haitian Rara (not Ornette Coleman) sampling rap/poem by Hyperdub affiliate The Spaceape got me excited this week, so that’s my lead off pick — above! Not only do the U.S. and China have political happenings this month, but Sierra Leoneans go […]

Friday Bonus Music Break

Afbeelding 23

Above is how people keep warm in Johannesburg winters. And below is what you hope to bounce to during long summer nights.

Abdoulaye Wade’s praise singer Coumba Gawlo

Meeting Coumba Gawlo

Senegalese griot singer Coumba Gawlo Seck is a rising star both in her native country and in Europe. People also occasionally ask her about her political opinions. What makes Coumba Gawlo interesting is that she is a supporter of embattled Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade. (He is so unpopular that he has been forced to face […]

Music Break

Today is Senegal’s independence day. Carlou D transformed himself from the rapper he was in Didier Awadi’s band Positive Black Soul to the singer-songwriter (supporting for Youssou N’Dour) he is these days, and did so in style. Although we’re still waiting for his new album ‘Audiovisa’ to come out, this song, ‘Ligueye’, should be on […]

Music Break

We like Dakar-based rapper Awadi around here. Now he’s teamed up with Tunisian artist Samy Dorbez to bring us “Dégage” (Leave), a warning to all those that refuse to relinquish power (many on this list) and a hat tip to those that are fighting for that to change.

Presidents of Africa

didier awadi president d'afrique

We’ve already written about some of the songs featuring in Didier Awadi’s latest project, Présidents d’Afrique, which has been in the making for over five years. The full ‘album’ is finally here.

Music Break: Unité En Guinée

This Sunday, Guineans will go to the polls in a presidential run-off contest between ex-Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo and his rival Alpha Condé in what is considered their first democratic election since independence in 1958. It’s been a long road since the first round of voting in June—the run-off has been delayed several times […]

The Darkness in Senegal

My former PhD adviser, David Styan, pointed me to this mixing of popular protest and music in Senegal (not widely reported in English speaking media):  Both old school crooner, Youssou N’Dour, and Senegalese rap pioneer, Didier Awadi, have just released songs (for free download and Senegalese radio) laying into the Senegalese government over electricity cuts.  […]

Young Lions

Didier Awadi & Phat 4 from Senegal by Javed Jafferji WV7X8236WV7X8651 crop

Great radio series of five ‘emerging cultural voices’ by NPR’s Africa Correspondent, Ofeibea Quist-Arcton. From her base in Dakar, Senegal, Quist-Arcton focuses on young artists from making an impact not just musically, but politically. The inclusion of Senegalese rapper, Didier Awadi, (above), might come as a surprise to some.

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