By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Salutations, fellow travelers and adventurers! I have missed you all as much as you have missed the playlist. Thankfully, technical difficulties cannot stand in the way of our noble musical excursions. We return with a reinvigorated vigor for our expedition to discover beautiful musical gems from around Africa and her diaspora. We’ll take it easy as we resurface, and will pick the speed back up over time. For now, we ease back into our rhythm spurred on by a week of interesting releases.
Before we get to this week’s playlist, I’d like to announce that the long-awaited third edition of the monthly editorial playlist will be made available soon. This will feature the crème de la crème from Weeks 9-12. Make sure to follow our socials @Afrocritik and check out our DPS pages to stay informed. 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.
With the housekeeping out of the way, let’s forge ahead into the thirteenth edition of the Afrocritik Weekly Music Spotlight which plays host to:
- A Few Big Names: Seeming workaholic Asake is back with a whole other LP less than a year after his debut. Work of Art is represented here by “Basquiat,” “Mogbe,” and “Olorun,” CKay releases the deluxe version of his Sad Romance project which gives us “Hallelujah,” and “Capture My Soul,” Omah Lay is also on the deluxe train with the upgraded version of Boy Alone from which we plucked “Joanna,” Reason,” and “Imagine”…
- Fast-Rising Femmes: Libianca of worldwide “People” fame has a new single for us to delight in with “Jah,” Hamzaa gives us a funk-laden single titled “Borderline,” Black Panther-featured Bloody Civilian gives us “Come From,” and “Escapism” from her stellar debut EP, Anger Management, Ghanaian superstar Amaarae made a massive splash with her breathtaking Fountain Baby album from which we are spotlighting “Disguise,” “Princess Going Digital” and the pop gem “Sociopathic Dance Queen”…
- A Sprinkling Of Rap: Our light selection of tracks this week is mostly comprised of South African juggernaut Cassper Nyovest’s uptempo expressive “Soul,” Gee Baller’s charismatic Spanish guitar-infused drill banger “Spanish Breeze,” T.O.D SZN and Tomi Obanure’s braggadocious “Rise It,” Ghanaian newcomer Amerado’s big and boisterous fast-flowing “The Hardest,” LADIPOE’s melodic collaboration with Bella Shmurda on the energetic “Guy Man,” Julixn Drizzle’s uplifting drill effort on “Strong Strong” …
- Amazing Afro-Alternative Arias:This week gifted me with a number of direct and fused alternative sounds that break free from or push the boundaries of the mainstream sounds such as the moving and inspiring “Fire” from Marvin Brooks & Worlasi, the emotive ballad “Let Me Be” by Kohen Jaycee, 3rty’s jazzy bossa nova influenced “Honey,” Kash Kaaria & Ndovu Kuu’s combined electronic dance efforts on “Si Unipende” …
These are but a few of the discoveries waiting for you to peruse on the playlists you should see to the right of this page. 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 check out the albums named to find your own gems, too. Feel free to listen in the curated order or shuffle the playlist if you’re feeling adventurous. 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!