By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Hello again, fellow sojourner! And bienvenue if this is your first time with us. Thank you once again for joining us on our expedition to unearth some great and enjoyable music from all across Africa and her diaspora; music that might not have crossed your path in your regular listens. Remember, if you want a chance to have your work spotlighted as well, send an email to yinoluu@afrocritik.com for further details.
This week’s edition of the Afrocritik Weekly Music Spotlight is our most experimental and adventurous yet! I implore you to proceed with an open mind and allow the musical experiences on offer to wash over you.Also, if you happened to miss out on last week’s playlist, fret not. The playlists will be archived and shared every four weeks, so follow us on our socials @Afrocritik to stay informed.
With all that said, sit back, relax, and don your adventuring hat for the third edition of the Afrocritik Weekly Music Spotlight, featuring:
- Some Big Names: “Feel” and “Kante” represent some of the softer gems from Davido’sTimeless, Asake shines as a feature on “Blessings Remix” and then again on new “2:30,” Falz and Vector team up to lambast Nigerian politics on “Yakubu” and Stonebwoy slows down the pace on “Far Away” …
- Emotions on Display: South-African sensation Lloyiso’s debut album is full of emotive ballads represented here by “Give A Little Kindness” and “Lonely Without You,” DabzFlp and friends wail about “Sweet Love,” Masauti represents his This Is Me album with Zouk-flavoured “Caro” and “Maupendo” Geoxpress enlists Eugy for “365,” …
- Lots of Electronic Bangers: The energetic hip-hop-influenced Amapiano jam “Morocco” represents Uncle Waffles’s new album Asylum, Tesh Carter speaks on the “Monster” on her mind in R&B-infused Amapiano, Beninese artiste Duet of Dualities teams up with GREYLEE for the heartfelt “Cheater” and braggadocious “Haters Gonna Hate,” Darque&Murumba Pitch work magic on “O Khokho” …
- Unique Alternative Outliers: The highlight of this week’s edition for me is the amount of left-field music that struck a chord with me such as Senegalese legend Baaba Maal’s emotive folksy “NdunguRuumi” and the pounding “Freak Out” ushering you to check out his Being LP, K3ndrick’s gospel power ballad “Nobody”,CorbonAmodio’s Grunge-tinged song “Waiting Room” “IntlunguNentlupeko” which is a sample of what the legendary Brenda Fassie’s nephew brings on his Jazz album Intwasa: The Becoming, the range of musicality and vocality across “Safari,” and “Ndi a Ni Funa” by Malian Ali Farka Toure, and South-Africa’s Muneyi respectively, Sjava’s expectedly moving “Kube Ngangazi” Nu Fvnk’salmmost discordant chants of “Enemies Enemies” …
All these highlights and more! Available for your perusal and enjoyment on the playlists you should see to your right. You’ll also find some of my favourite hold-overs from last week. Feel free to listen in the curated order or shuffle the playlist if you’re feeling brave. Either way, be sure to give the songs time to wash over 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 submit your own songs (or those of your people) by reaching out to yinoluu@afrocritik.com.
ENJOY!