Friday Music Break, N°10

By: Sean Jacobs

British based Nigerian rapper Modenine starts off our weekly Friday Music Break. Here’s four more.

No we’re not including the video just below just because Flint, Michigan-born Tunde Olaniran is half Nigerian. Yes we are. But he is also talented. (Detroit MC Miz Korona makes a feature appearance.)

Nigerian pop gets a French makeover

More pop rap from West Africa: Veteran (yes, they’re been around for a while now) rappers VIP, from Accra, are now flogging fantasy, cars and girls. Computer graphics come in handy.

From about a year ago: rapper Pharoahe Monch gets help from the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble (or it’s the other way around).

See you Monday.

À qui s’adresse la CAN ?

Gerard Akindes

Entre le coût du transport aérien, les régimes de visas, la culture télévisuelle et l’exclusion de classe, le problème de l’affluence à la CAN est structurel — et non le signe d’un manque de passion des supporters.

01.22.2026

Who is AFCON for?

Gerard Akindes

From air travel costs and border regimes to television culture and class exclusion, the problem of attendance at AFCON is structural, not because fans lack passion.

01.19.2026

Lions in the rain

Maher Mezahi

The 2025 AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco was a dramatic spectacle that tested the limits of the match and the crowd, until a defining moment held everything together.

01.18.2026

What’s in an AFCON final?

Maher Mezahi

From national redemption and continental dominance to personal legacy and political ambition, the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final means everything to Africans.

Culture

01.16.2026

Empty stands are not the whole picture

Harlem Lamine

Why focusing on attendance figures at the 2025 AFCON is the wrong way to measure the tournament.

01.14.2026

Between Bambali and Nagrig

Maher Mezahi

The rivalry between Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah pushed them to unprecedented heights, but also links two seemingly distant and disconnected villages.

01.14.2026

The untameable Victor Osimhen

Solace Chukwu

The volcanic temperament and irresistible brilliance of the footballing star converge as the Super Eagles close in on continental glory.

01.05.2026

Grounded expectations

Afolabi Adekaiyaoja

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations marks a transition period for the Nigerian men’s national team. This could be good for them (and the nation).

01.04.2026

The twins who shaped Egyptian football

Ahmed Assem

While international media focuses on the legacy of Mohamed Salah during this Africa Cup of Nations, Egyptians are focused on a pair of identical twin brothers.

01.04.2026

Where are the politics of Bafana Bafana?

Lee Nxumalo

While most sports in South Africa are inseparable from the national political imagination, men’s football manages to stay relatively removed.

01.03.2026

Just touched down in Morocco

Maher Mezahi

Does the development of African football necessitate a trade off in vibes at continental tournaments?

12.30.2025

Cédric Bakambu’s gesture

Alasdair Howorth

How the Congolese national team has become a rare source of unity, recognition, and solidarity for communities living through war.

12.28.2025

Three footballers walk into a stadium

Maher Mezahi

What the presence of an unlikely trio of football icons at AFCON tells us about migration, African identity, and the histories that continue to shape the modern game

12.27.2025

The Senegalese paradox

Cherif Sadio

How Senegal rose to become one of the most fertile grounds in African football, and why this success still struggles to transform the local football economy.

12.27.2025

Le paradoxe sénégalais

Cherif Sadio

Comment le Sénégal est-il devenu l’un des viviers les plus prolifiques du football africain, et pourquoi ce succès peine-t-il encore à transformer l’économie du football local.

12.26.2025