By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Greetings to all our seasoned travelers. A warm hello to you, too, if you are a newcomer on this journey. I know you might be wondering what is going on here today, and why this article is somewhat different. Well, last week’s Spotlight was compiled on a New Music Friday, meaning it already comprised the worthwhile gems of the past release week (yes, it took a considerable effort to compile all in one day. You may hold your applause.)
So, I came to the decision to let this new week run ahead so the schedule can be reset and I can give you a list of a week’s most bountiful treasures right before the next week of releases. However, this doesn’t mean I was going to leave you empty handed this week. Oh no! I could never do that to you guys. Instead, this realignment coincides with the updating of the Monthly Editorial list I had been building up to over the past few weeks.
So I will present to you today the 3rd edition of the Afrocritik Music Monthly Spotlight Editorial which contains some of the best tracks from weeks 12-15 of the Weekly Music Spotlight. You are in luck, as normally the monthly editorials are typically only announced on our socials @Afrocritik. Make sure you go ahead to follow us to stay abreast of any information. Also, don’t miss out on the opportunity to get your own music featured on the playlists. Send an email to yinoluu@afrocritik.com for further details on how to get your work considered.
Now that all that has been explained, you can dive into the third edition of Afrocritik Music’s Monthly Editorial which plays host to:
- A Few Big Names: Which isn’t much of a surprise, but it also isn’t always a given. Celebrity efforts aren’t always the most impressive as they strive to appease the largest common denominator, but this month, my attention was held strongly by the experience and prowess displayed on the likes of Fireboy’s “Yawa,” “Good to Me” from Sarz and his academy, “Do You Mind” from Adekunle Gold’s release run, “Rockabye” from K.O the South African powerhouse, the moving “Olorun” from Asake’s controversial sophomore album…
- Unique Alternative Offerings: The softer, wilder, and more fringe acts put up a good showing over this last month, delivering emotive and contemplative quality as a counterpoint to the mainstream sounds. The cream that rose to the top include the likes of Anais Cardot’s Spanish guitar-driven, Francophone “Colors,” “Grown Ass Girl” from Alternative R&B superstar AYLØ, Kohen Jaycee’s energetic ballad “Let Me Be,” 3rty’s Afro-jazz fusion “Honey,” Hamzaa’s fun and funky “Borderline,” Lady Donli’s bold and charismatic “My Ability”…
- Boisterous Rap: Rap was well-represented this month with a number of new cats planting their flags in the scene, announcing braggadocious arrivals and flaunting energized flows. Standouts across the month included “No Kizzy” amongst others from Michael Carpenter’s Music To Step To EP, Rhoma BTW’s epic “Dat Shit,” Central Cee’s team-up with Ninho on his track “Eurostar,” SGaWD’s femcee fatale “Boytoy,” Nasty C’s monstrous second part of “Fire in the Booth,” “Everything Is Everything” as the tentpole of DAP The Contract’s PW3RS project…
- A Sizeable Dose of Amapiano: Every week, I bring a selection of the electronic styles sweeping the continent. Over the span of the month, they tend to cancel each other out. However, some songs made a strong enough impact to persevere through the month and these earworms include the likes of and this week they come in the form of “Amaputha,” and “Uzongenzani” off Nkosazana Daughter’s captivating debut album Uthingo Le Nkosazana, “JJ Phakathi,” from Shaun Stylist, “Hamba Juba” from the talented ensemble of Lady Amar, JL SA, Cici & Murumba Pitch, Njelic’s smooth “Abadala,” G Nako, Jux& Jay Melody’s collaborative catchy “Pipii,” “Sitaki” by Mbosso…
And so much more. These are just a handful of samples from the diverse selection waiting for you to revisit on the Monthly Editorial playlist. If you have trouble with the playlists, feel free to find our profiles @Afrocritik on your music streaming service of choice and the playlists should show up there. I recommend you branch out from the playlist periodically to check out the named albums and artists so that you can also find your own gems. Feel free to listen in the curated order or shuffle the playlist which could present an interesting and diverse experience considering the nature of this playlist. Either way, be sure to give the songs time to work their magic on you.
Don’t forget to add and follow the playlists, save your favourite songs as updates will be frequent, share the playlists with the people you care about, and get the information necessary to submit your own songs (or those of your people) by reaching out to yinoluu@afrocritik.com.
ENJOY!