This time no theme, just another Music Break for your weekend!

Weekend Music Break No.108

1) This week starts out with Morocco via Bronx rapper French Montana’s approach to the current Afropop zeitgeist in the USA, and obligatory accompanying video shot in Africa… a trip surely inspired by Ugandan youth’s propensity towards “viral dance videos,” Nice, but what’s up with that ending French!? 2) Awesome Tapes From Africa recently reissued the hit 1980s album from South African Bubblegum artist Umoja. Here is the original video for the hit double platinum song “707.” 3) Up next J Hus, the catchy-hook-laden UK street rapper of Gambian origin, releases the long awaited first single from his forthcoming major label debut. 4) Fellow UK Afrobeats artists, Omo Frenchie, Kwamz, Flava, Sona, Selimax and GB team up for an Africa Is a Country all star lineup. The results are hypnotically spectacular. 5) Then, we head to Nigeria, with Burna Boy, and the visuals for his new single “Hallelujah.” 6) That is followed by another standout performance from Nigerian artist YCEE, “Juice,” featuring production by super producer Maleek Berry. 7) We love anything that brings together the Americas with Africa. So, Sean Tizzle, and his salsa-afropop hybrid “Latin Lover” takes us to Central America and the Caribbean. 8) Heading a bit South from there to the Pacific Coast border of Ecuador and Colombia, Rio Mira play “Román, Román” live at the Petronio Alvarez festival in Cali. 9) Cuban Hip Hop is getting a lot of attention these days. Last week saw the release of the Afro Razones album. This week, we have Cuban Hip Hopper La Dame Blanche showing us a bit of her recent trip to SXSW in Austin, Texas. (Side note, it’s amazing for me to hear the connections between traditional Pacific coast Afro-American music and the Cuban melodies in La Dame Blanche’s flow.) 10) Finally, we have to pay homage to the cradle of contemporary global pop music, Jamaica, with Alkaline and his new single “After All.”

Have a very happy weekend!

Further Reading

Repoliticizing a generation

Thirty-eight years after Thomas Sankara’s assassination, the struggle for justice and self-determination endures—from stalled archives and unfulfilled verdicts to new calls for pan-African renewal and a 21st-century anti-imperialist front.

Drip is temporary

The apparel brand Drip was meant to prove that South Africa’s townships could inspire global style. Instead, it revealed how easily black success stories are consumed and undone by the contradictions of neoliberal aspiration.

Energy for whom?

Behind the fanfare of the Africa Climate Summit, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline shows how neocolonial extraction still drives Africa’s energy future.

The sound of revolt

On his third album, Afro-Portuguese artist Scúru Fitchádu fuses ancestral wisdom with urban revolt, turning memory and militancy into a soundtrack for resistance.

O som da revolta

No seu terceiro álbum, o artista afro-português Scúru Fitchádu funde a sabedoria ancestral com a revolta urbana, transformando memória e militância em uma trilha sonora para a resistência.

Biya forever

As Cameroon nears its presidential elections, a disintegrated opposition paves the way for the world’s oldest leader to claim a fresh mandate.

From Cornell to conscience

Hounded out of the United States for his pro-Palestine activism, Momodou Taal insists that the struggle is global, drawing strength from Malcolm X, faith, and solidarity across borders.