Nigerian superstar, Burna Boy had an interesting chat on Tuesday, 13th of August, with South African TV host, Trevor Noah on one of the most popular TV shows in both America and the world, The Daily Show.
The appearance was part of Burna Boys promotional tour for his new album, African Giant and the interview created a feast of laughter .
Continue reading “Trevor Noah Hosts Burna Boy On Daily Show”
With highlife legend Abrantie Amakye Dede and entertainer Kwadwo Nkansah (Lil Win) as special guests, Ghanaians resident in Columbus, Ohio recently marked the 18th GhanaPic, an annual health and wellness community festival.
Continue reading “Ghanaians in Columbus, Ohio celebrate culture and community at annual family picnic”
BY ALEX PATRICK | Herald Live
“Just because you’re born in poverty doesn’t mean you are poverty.”
These were the powerful words of the Ndlovu Youth Choir choirmaster Ralf Schmitt after the Limpopo-based group knocked the socks off the judges at America’s Got Talent in July. The choir had been selected to perform at the show, and on Wednesday, after making it through a second round of the competition, they leave for Hollywood and the finale.
Continue reading “Meet the SA choirmaster who has ‘America’s Got Talent’ in rhapsodies”
The “Wash It” singer tells the Recording Academy about her multinational background, growing up in L.A., Tulsa, Nigeria and Kenya and breaking out of what can sometimes be an isolating music scene
By RACHEL BRODSKY
Everyone has an origin story, and R&B/Afropop singer Victoria Kimani‘s is especially memorable. Born in Los Angeles to Kenyan parents, the 34-year-old moved all over the globe—specifically to Tulsa, Okla., Nigeria and finally Kenya—during her teen years.
Continue reading “Afropop Queen Victoria Kimani Is Kenya’s Best Kept Secret”
BY KEMET HIGH
Afrobeats has been steadily infiltrating the U.S. airwaves for the past few years. In fact, you may have heard Afro B’s “Drogba (Joanna)” thumping out of someone’s car speakers this summer, bringing the uplifting vibe you need when the sun is out.
The term afrobeats has been used to describe a collective campaign of different musical styles stemming from Africa, not to get mixed up with Afrobeat, which is a West African music genre blending fuji and highlife music with American jazz and funk, pioneered by Fela Kuti. Afrobeats is a word that’s used to bring awareness to African-influenced music from collectives like the Flight Club, artists like Davido, Burna Boy, and Wizkid, and producers like P2J.
Continue reading “How Afrobeats Is Influencing American Pop Music, According to Producer P2J”
Viewers will soon be transported to the vast and magical grasslands of Africa when Discovery Channel’s new series, Serengeti, premieres on Sunday. The docuseries follows the heartwarming and harrowing tales of wildlife living within Tanzania’s largest national park.
Kenya native Lupita Nyong’o narrates the six-part series, produced by Emmy-winning filmmakers Simon Fuller and John Downer, who also directed the show.
Continue reading “LUPITA NYONG’O TALKS BEING THE ‘VOICE OF GOD’ WHILE NARRATING THE MAJESTY OF ‘SERENGETI’ IN DISCOVERY CHANNEL NEW DOCUSERIES”
As the live action movie for “The Lion King” is taking the world by storm, South Africans have even more to be proud of as a number of local icons have worked the new version.
Dr John Kani plays Rafiki, the mandrill with an unnaturally long tail. Rafiki performs shamanistic services for the lions of Pride Rock and is a great martial artist. Kani was working on the set of Black Panther and playing none other than King T’Chaka when he was approached to voice Rafiki.
Continue reading “WATCH: South African icons that were involved in ‘The Lion King’”
By Rufaro Samanga
The devil works hard but Burna Boy certainly works harder. Last night, the indomitable Nigerian artist appeared on the late night American talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! alongside Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie, who were promoting their new film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Continue reading “Watch Burna Boy Perform ‘Anybody’ on Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
By Amanda Waltz
Audiences will be immersed in three days of history and traditions of African art when DanceAfrica: Pittsburgh returns to Kelly Strayhorn Theater from Fri., July 26-Sun., July 28.
Continue reading “DanceAfrica: Pittsburgh returns to Kelly Strayhorn Theater for three days of African cultural immersion”
The “live-action” Lion King remake hews closely to the original film, even recreating some scenes with shot-for-shot precision. But Beyoncé’s album that accompanies the film, The Lion King: The Gift, takes an approach that’s more inspired than a simple retread of familiar songs. Though the 27-track release is liberally woven with at-times distracting spoken word excepts from the film, the songs themselves are only inspired by the story, and you don’t need to be a Lion King fan to get on board.
Continue reading “A Guide to All the African Artists Who Appear on Beyoncé’s Lion King Album”
by Nick Duerden
When Burna Boy arrives three hours late to an east London studio on a balmy July evening, he is laid-back to the point of comatose — and monosyllabic. He asks that the photo shoot happen quickly, and when he sits down to be interviewed, the first thing he does is stand up again. “No,” he says, suddenly definitive. “Need a smoke. Come.”
Continue reading “How Burna Boy Became Nigeria’s Surprise Success Story”
The superstar’s new album will feature a number of African stars who rarely get exposure in the U.S.
By Elias Leight
Beyoncé has announced The Lion King: The Gift, an album that will accompany the remake of the famous Disney animated film will have a track list that includes stars from Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa, artists who rarely get exposure in the American mainstream.
Continue reading “African stars Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Burna Boy to feature in Beyoncés ‘Lion King: The Gift’ Album”
Abrantie Amakye Dede is billed to hold what is expected to be an explosive concert with his Apollo High Kings Band, Kurl Songx and comedian cum musician, Lil Win from July 20th to 1st September 2019 at a concert dubbed ‘Amakye Dede Live In Concert’ in the United Stage of America, (USA).
Continue reading “Ghanaian stars, Amakye Dede, LilWin, Kurl Songx to tour the US”
By Motlabana Monnakgotla
Three Grammys in 12 years. And more global awards in their 17 years of existence. In February this year, at the 61st annual Grammy awards in Los Angeles, South Africa’s child and Africa’s pride, the Soweto Gospel Choir (SGC) walked up to the stage to a rousing ovation.
Continue reading “Soweto Gospel Choir: Three Heavy Grammys And A World Singing Their Praise”
By Nick Meyer
Arab Americans and Muslims are overwhelmingly cast as background characters at best, terrorists, dictators and other negative roles at worst.
But an Egyptian American actor named Zeeko Zaki has made headlines recently for his role as Special Agent Omar Adom Zidan, also known as “O.A.,” on the CBS crime procedural drama show “FBI.”
Continue reading “Egyptian American on CBS show said to be the “first Arab American Muslim hero””
The Ndlovu Youth Choir from South Africa gave a beautiful performance on the stage of the television show America’s Got Talent got 4 yesses from the judges, including Simon Cowell! Their rendition of ‘My African Dream’, conducted by choir director Ralf Schmitt, composed by SA-born Alan Lazar, aired on US television on Tuesday night.
By Selim Bulut
On a Saturday night in Black Flamingo, a cramped basement venue in Brooklyn, New York City, Kampire is blasting out a set of body-shaking, high energy African electronic music. The DJ, who grew up in Zambia before moving to Kampala in Uganda, has built a reputation for her energetic DJ gigs, which are filled with the most innovative sounds from Africa and beyond: Afro-house, Latin bass, St Lucian soca, Congolese soukous, baile funk, kudoro, gqom, and other, currently nameless and undefinable genres coming out of studios in Kampala.
Continue reading “Meet Kampire, the Ugandan DJ bringing new rhythms to dance music”
By Amina Wako
American singer, actress and producer Selena Marie Gomez will feature in the latest movie by Kenyan rapper King Kaka.
King Kaka met Selena about a week ago at the Cannes Film Festival becoming the first Kenyan artiste to grace the festival in its 72 years of existence.
Continue reading “Kenya rapper, King Kaka, to Feature Selena Gomez in His Upcoming Movie”
Netflix has signaled that Africa holds massive untapped potential for their expansion — and even Thierry Fremaux recognizes the continent is about to have a filmmaking explosion.
By Tambay Obenson
Netflix has acquired worldwide rights (excluding China, Benelux, Switzerland, Russia, France) to French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop’s feature debut, the award winning “Atlantics,” which premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it was awarded the Grand Prix.
Continue reading “Netflix acquires Senegalese Cannes Film Festival’s ‘Grand Prix’ winner”
By Zita Allen
Abdel Salaam, artistic director of BAM’S DanceAfrica, has announced that when the 42-year-old festival, founded by the late Baba Chuck Davis, returns to the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Memorial Day weekend (May 24 – 27) it will highlight a dramatic international story of rebirth, reconciliation and transformation in the African nation of Rwanda.
Continue reading “DanceAfrica celebrates Rwandan rebirth/renewal in New York”
Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud, who stars in the anticipated live action reboot of Aladdin alongside Will Smith, sent a dedicated message to his Egyptian fans on social media to express his pride of being Egyptian and encourage his fans to see it.
Titled ‘Egypt, this one’s for you!’, Massoud begins the video with “Oh Egyptian people, greetings!”
Continue reading “Egyptian-Canadian Mena Massoud is Aladdin, with Will Smith as Genie”
By Inemesit Udodiong
CBS has ordered seven new series for the 2019–20 season. The lineup includes Chuck Lorre‘s sitcom “Bob Hearts Abishola” starring Folake Olowofoyeku, Billy Gardell and Shola Adewusi.
It is a love story that sees a middle-aged compression sock businessman from Detroit, played by Gardell, fall for his cardiac nurse, a Nigerian immigrant played by Olowofoyeku.
Continue reading “Nigerian actress Folake Olowofoyeku plays lead role in new CBS show ”
By Urowayino Warami
Nigerian music stars Burna Boy, Teni and Mr Eazi have been nominated in different categories for the Black Entertainment Television (BET) awards.
The BET Awards were established in 2001 to celebrate yearly African-Americans and other American minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment.
Continue reading “Nigeria’s Burna Boy, Teni, Mr Eazi Nominated for BET Awards”
By Suzy Byrne
A comedy clubgoer in Naples, Fla., called police to report that Egyptian-American standup Ahmed Ahmed told a joke about organizing a terrorist organization.
One day after seeing the comedian, the unidentified man called the non-emergency police line to report the “terrible” joke the comic said at the start of the show.
Continue reading “Audience member calls police on Egyptian-American comedian over jokes”
By Bouchra Rafi
A new Moroccan comedy duo named “Les Inqualifiables” recently produced and performed their own comedy tour in the United States.
The show, entitled “Si’a moi y’a toi” (If there’s me, there’s you), was first performed on April 4, 2019, in New York where the tour began and closed in Los Angeles on April 19.
Continue reading “Moroccan Comedy Duo ‘Les Inqualifiables’ Perform Across the US”
By Stephanie Wangari
Kenyan comedian, Eric Omondi, has been invited to the United States on June 8, 2019, for the Madaraka Day celebrations, organized by the Kenyan community in Baltimore.
The comedian has been invited to perform for Kenyans in America at The Hermes Center of St. Demetrios 2504Cub Hill Road, Parkville, 21234.
Continue reading “Kenyan Comedian to Grace Madaraka Day Celebrations in US”
By Adewojumi Aderemi
Growing up in Nigeria, there is a clearly prescribed mode in which genders must be performed: women are the caretakers; men are the financial providers. Men must also be the emotionless defenders of everyone, particularly the women, around them.
Coupled with his time spent watching American films of valiant men, such as Rockyand Commando, it was this image of machismo that Oluwatobi Ajibolade ascribed to being a man. It is this image that the Nigerian-Canadian artist hopes to redefine with his debut album, STILL.
Continue reading “TOBi Is The Nigerian-Canadian Musician Taking North America By Storm”
Egyptian-American Oscar winner, Rami Malek, has hinted he would appear as a villain in the latest James Bond film starring Daniel Craig, alongside a cast including Ralph Fiennes and Lea Seydoux.
Rami Malek, who won the Oscar for his performance as Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody”, said in a video message: “I promise you all I will be making sure Mr Bond does not have an easy ride in this”.
By Joseph Longo
Rafiki, based on the Ugandan short story “Jambula Tree” by Monica Arac de Nyeko, follows a Kenyan Romeo and Juliet romance between the daughters of rival politicians. Kena (Mugatsia) and Ziki (Sheila Munyiva) explore first-time love in a country where being gay is illegal. Doused with saturated colors and tender performances, Rafiki is a rarity in queer cinema with a bright and hopeful tone.
By Olanrewaju Eweniyi
Nigerian-Americans are on track to becoming one of the most successful immigrant groups in American history, but that journey is not without its pressures and struggles. On HBO’s Backstories, Yvonne Orji, one of the most visible Nigerian-Americans today, shares her story
Orji talks about how she went from graduate school to pageant queen to Molly on Insecure. She has come a really long way, but her Hollywood journey actually started with her participating in Miss Nigeria in America, where she turned to comedy after she realized she needed a talent to compete. Continue reading “How She Landed Her Game-Changing ‘Insecure’ Role”
