Africa Is a Country

Weekend Music Break No.72

Africa Is a Country Podcast
African Five-a-Side Podcast

Weekend Music Break No.72

By
Boima Tucker

Manny and Floyd

Kicking things off this week, South Africa’s BoysnBucks collective show off their “Umswenko” in a new video for “Mswenkofontein”:

A bit of Afrobeats from Sierra Leone, Lady Matto brings a nice London-shot video for her uptempo dance track “Oba”:

Nigerien Afro-Rock group Tal National released an album this week. Shabazz Palaces member, and AIAC contributor Tendai Maraire offered up a remix to celebrate the occasion:

DJ Simón de la Onda sent over a couple videos from Guinea and Angola, just as I was putting together this list!

First up Les Jumeaux Damaro bless us with “To Mara Fanyi”:

… and some Angolan Kizomba from Marceny to give a little romance to your Saturday!

Get it while it’s hot! DJeff offers up a free download of his track “Ser Kazukuta” featuring Yuri da Cunha and BZB:

São Paulo’s MC Bin Laden is Brazil’s craziest videoclip maker:

Back to Sierra Leone via Idris Elba and his Krio rapping on Ghanian super group VVIP’s remix for “Selfie”

A bit of shameless self-promotion in the form of a new remix that I released last week. This one fuses the Afro-Bolivian Saya tradition with pan-African rhymes delivered by Mexican rapper Bocafloja:

And finally, in honor of the “fight of the century” tonight (#TeamManny!), Wax Poetics offers up the most memorable boxing entrances. Let’s see if Manny and Floyd’s entrances can live up to the standard set by “Mr. Unbeatable” Roy Jones Jr.:

Further Reading

Beats of defiance

From the streets of Khartoum to exile abroad, Sudanese hip-hop artists have turned music into a powerful tool for protest, resilience, and the preservation of collective memory.

Drawing the line

How Sudanese political satirist Khalid Albaih uses his art and writing to confront injustice, challenge authority, and highlight the struggles of marginalized communities worldwide.

Not exactly at arm’s length

Despite South Africa’s ban on arms exports to Israel and its condemnation of Israel’s actions in Palestine, local arms companies continue to send weapons to Israel’s allies and its major arms suppliers.

Ruto’s Kenya

Since June’s anti-finance bill protests, dozens of people remain unaccounted for—a stark reminder of the Kenyan state’s long history of abductions and assassinations.