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 Desire Thompson
Burna’s Boy’s mother delivered a special message while accepting the honor for “Best International Act” at the BET Awards. Bose Ogulu, the manager and mother of the Afro-fusion musician accepted the award on her son’s behalf.
By Jayne Augoye
Nigerian afro-fusion artiste, Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has won the 2019 BET best international act award. The talented singer floored Teni Makanaki and Mr Eazi to win the coveted category in the award.
Continue reading “Burna Boy wins 2019 BET Best International Act Award”
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 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”
Uganda’s youngest rapper Patrick Ssenyonjo alias Fresh Kid has been nominated in International Award in the Carolina Music Video Awards 2019.
The fast-rising rapper gained a nomination in the category of the best video for the month of April. Continue reading “Fresh Kid nominated in America’s Music Video Awards”
Some of the facilitators present at the signing of the deal at UMG office in California wereJoel Katz, Efe Ogbeni, Vanessa Amadi (Stealth Management), Sipho Dlamini, Managing Director of Universal Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (English-speaking), Adam Granite, Executive Vice President, Market Development at Universal Worldwide and Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group Worldwide.
By Makeda Easter
This has been a particularly global year for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The lineup also includes Nigerian stars Mr. Eazi and Burna Boy, two artists representing afrobeats, a genre that’s steadily gaining traction in the U.S. and beyond.
It’s not the first year that Coachella has hosted Nigerian artists. The 2012 performance of Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, featuring Fela Kuti’s youngest son and band, is just one example of the handful of the country’s artists who have played the Indio festival. And 2018 was expected to be a big moment for afrobeats at Coachella when Wizkid was booked, but he missed the gig due to visa issues.
Continue reading “Mr. Eazi and Burna Boy highlight the rise of afrobeats at Coachella”
African music continues its meteoric rise across the globe, spearheaded by the resurgence of the Afrobeats movement. From chart-topping pop collaborations with mainstream artists such as Drake, Rihanna, Ed Sheeran and Alicia Keys, to the resounding influence of African producers and artists across the international music industry, the sound that has rocked the continent for decades, now touches the hearts of many around the world.
On April 27, 2019, international music insider Eshoon Nashun will launch the “Coming to America Music Festival” in Washington, DC with some of Africa’s top artists at The Anthem. The newly-built 6,000 seat venue in the Nation’s Capital will be the setting for mega acts including headliner, Davido, Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer.
Continue reading “Davido to headline “Coming To America Music Festival” in Washington DC”
By Adewojumi Aderemi
Just last week, Kida Kudz released another infectious single, “Jiggy Bop”, which saw him unveil even more of his rap range than we had heard on his previous hits, “Issa Vibe” and “Again”.
While Kid Kudz’s melodic delivery certainly made the song extra catchy, it’s the fantastic production work, particularly its mystical beat, that pushed the track over the edge, and that’s all thanks to British-Nigerian production duo, Sons of Sonix.
Continue reading “Discover Sons Of Sonix, the British-Nigerian duo looking to spread Afropop to the world”
By Socrates Mbamalu
Alex Boyé has become known for his uplifting music. Now his support of mental health campaigns has seen him being honoured for adding his voice to suicide prevention efforts.
Three years ago, Nigerian-born Alex Boyé appeared on one of America’s best-known talent shows, America’s Got Talent. He was 44 years old at the time and had been singing for 25 years. With his signature white mark under his right eye, a boisterous spirit and great charisma, he took to the stage and blew away the judges with his energy and music. Boyé has gone on to become an important voice in music.
Continue reading “Nigerian-Born musician Alex Boyé releases two singles for Mental Health Awareness Month”
By Christina Cala
Thutmose is the name of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, but it’s also the stage name of Nigerian-born rapper and songwriter Umar Ibrahim. After immigrating with his family to Brooklyn, N.Y. at the age of 8, Thutmose grew up caught between the America he was experiencing and the America he imagined.
Continue reading “Thutmose experiments with genres while honoring his Nigerian roots”
By Chantilly Post
Coming To America 2 is in the works and Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall have already begun their fittings for the anticipated film. While fans are looking forward to the resurgence of McDowell’s, Akon included, the “Right Now” music maker advises the lead actors to make sure they cast real African stars.
When Afrigo band ascended to the stage at the magnificent Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Washington DC last year, the audience went gaga.
On their feet were thousands of Ugandans living in the diaspora and well-wishers who had gathered for the Uganda Festival and Business Expo 2018.
Continue reading “Afrigo band set for Uganda Festival in New York”
By Lizbeth Brown
Ghanaian hip hop musician Samuel Adu Frimpong popularly known as Medikal pulled a massive crowd when he performed in the United States of America.
The ‘Omo Ada’ hitmaker delivered a stupendous and amazing performance to a fully-packed auditorium.
In his feature film debut The Burial of Kojo, Blitz Bazawule tells a story of two brothers through the gaze of a gifted girl who travels between gorgeous lands that exist in life and death.
It’s not your ordinary narrative film, but a cinematic fable that is surreal, magical and infused with Afrofuturistic elements. Yes, it is complex and yes, it will probably make your brain bleed with its visual prowess, but Bazawule isn’t here to give you normal. He’s here to change the game while rattling your senses with a dose of global and inclusive storytelling. As Bazawule said, “Nobody cares about normal, right?”
By Aanu Adeoye, CNN
Eritrean-American Rapper Nipsey Hussle’s death in a shooting near his clothing store was greeted with shock and disbelief by celebrities and fans alike.
The 33-year-old musician, real name Ermias Davidson Asghedom, was shot dead in an attack on Sunday that also left two others injured.
The city of Los Angeles where he grew up and dedicated his life to helping kids break out of the cycle of gang violence mourned his passing.
Continue reading “How Nipsey Hussle connected to his Eritrean roots “
By Inemesit Udodiong
Afrobeat, a fusion of African pop, dance, and hip hop, is having a great moment right now. All over the world, people are listening, dancing and buying tickets to sold-out shows by Nigerian artists.
It is also topping streaming and airplay charts across the US and Europe. Earlier this year, Davido‘s 2017 hit single, ‘Fall’, became the longest charting Nigerian song on American Billboard chart. It was the most Shazamed song by New York radio listeners in 2018.
Now, New York-based Warner Music Groupjoins the likes of Universal Music Group andSony Music, who have already boarded the Afrobeat train. The world’s third largest record label has a new partnership with Nigerian music label Chocolate City.
Continue reading “Nigerian music label, Chocolate City, signs new deal with Warner Music Group”
Celebrated Kenyan rapper King Kaka on Wednesdaygot a moment in the spotlight after his song got played at American Airlines Center, Dallas, USA.
The musician was attending an NBA match between Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings when his song ‘Dundaing’ featuring Kristoff and Magix Enga started playing in the arena.
In an Africa fresh from economic liberalization, music found a new voice, thanks to social media and platforms like YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music, which streamed thousands of African songs into the homes of millions in the diaspora.
Continue reading “Put Your Money Into These Rhythmic Beats from Africa”
It all started one night in Lagos, Nigeria. The first time that Bas, the Queens-bred rapper signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville label, performed in front of an African audience was surreal. He’d accompanied Cole on tour following the release of KOD, the North Carolina rapper’s 2018 album.
Bas, the son of two Sudanese immigrants, had gone to Nigeria just to kick it with his labelmate and longtime friend from Fayetteville.
But when Cole asked him to come perform a few songs, Bas planned to play two from his March 2016 album, Too High to Riot.
Continue reading “The Queens Rapper Connecting American Hip-Hop to African Audiences”
Nigerian-American music star, Davido, lost to singer Taylor Swift (North America) in the “Favourite Global Music Star” category of the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award which was held at a lavish ceremony at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, March 23.
Continue reading “Davido loses out to Taylor Swift at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award.”
By .
It’s good to be J.S. Ondara right now.
The Kenyan-born singer-songwriter just wrapped a successful show at SXSW in Austin, Texas in a victory lap promoting his newly released debut album, Tales of America.
His next stop on a nationwide tour is right here in Philadelphia as the headliner at World Cafe Live on March 22.
By Owen Fairclough
African music has been influencing Western music for generations. Now, a new wave of musicians are becoming huge stars in their own countries, partly due to the growth of music streaming services. And they’re determined to show the rest of the world a diversity of sound that in the past has been lumped together as simply world music.
Owen Fairclough of CGTN AMERICA reported from the South by Southwest music festival.
Continue reading “African music gaining in popularity in America”
By Nasiba Yakubu
Despite the gloomy commentary Ghanaian music receives, there are twinkle, twinkle little Ghanaian stars in the global music sky that must leave us with satisfaction that Ghana is doing something right to keep the global night bright.
Ghanaian artistes and their counterparts in the diaspora have made impressive strides with their unique talents over the years.
The constant growth witnessed in the industry has pushed Ghanaian music unto one of the world’s renowned music grading charts, The Billboard Charts.
Continue reading “The club of 8 Ghanaian stars to have entered Billboard Chart”
By Michael Klugey
While hip-hop has been long associated with its roots in America, there is a new class of African artists participating in the genre. Leading this new wave is 24-year-old musician Kwesi Arthur, from Tema, Ghana.
Kwesi Arthur is currently the youngest Ghanaian to have a BET nomination—in the viewer’s choice category for Best New International Act in 2018. He exploded onto Ghana’s rap scene in 2016 with the bass-heavy trap anthem “Grind Day” which, two years later, won Hip-Hop Song of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards for its remix with Sarkodie and Medikal.
He has since them released Afro-swing tracks like “Anthem” and records like “African Girl” that explore afro-fusion sounds. Kwesi raps in both Twi and English and, in many ways, uses his music as a vessel to tell the tales of what other young Ghanaians face.
Continue reading “Meet Kwesi Arthur, Ghanaian musician taking African Hip-Hop to the world”
J.S. Ondara discovered he loved the music of Bob Dylan when he lost a bet.
Ondara was in high school in Nairobi when he got in a fight with another student over the song “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.”
It’s a Guns N’ Roses song, Ondara argued. No, said his classmate, it’s originally from a folk singer named Bob Dylan.
“So, we got into this fight, and we made a bet,” Ondara explained. “I lost a bet. But I got to discover the music of Bob Dylan and fell into this rabbit hole, which eventually led me to Minneapolis, to his home state. ”
That’s right.
When Ondara won the US visa lottery five years ago he swapped Nairobi for Minneapolis — “straight to the cold” — because of his love for Bob Dylan.
Continue reading “This Kenyan musician followed his love for Dylan to a new life and career”
Continue reading “Meet Gilbert Mulamba: The Congolese musician who records with US luminaries”
Continue reading “Meet J.S Ondara: The next big musical export from Kenya to the world”
