MUSIC
Stream the best African music this week and listen to new releases from M3nsa, Fally Ipupa, Shekhinah, and more.
Every week, OkayAfrica highlights the top African music releases — including the latest Afrobeats and amapiano hits — through our best music column, African Music You Need to Hear This Week.
Read ahead for our round-up of the best new African music tracks and music videos that came across our desks this week.
M3nsa – “Emefa’s Revenge”
M3nsa’s latest release is a tale of revenge, a West African psychological thriller that sounds a warning shot about scorned love, similar in spirit to previous releases like “Fanti Love Song,” but darker and more sinister. “It’s over, my friend, you don’t know how this ends,” he sings, less a threat than a statement of inevitability. There’s also a lightness to it, a sunshine that betrays the enormity of the situation. It’s in the way he leaves a phrase hanging, catches his breath, then returns to it when he’s ready to fully commit. “You done fucked up the train this time, my friend,” he declares, almost comically, while striking a fine balance between the neo-soul and Afrobeats that raised him, and a fluid third space that’s neither purely rap nor R&B.
WizTheMc – “Wait For You”
Born in South Africa and raised in Germany, WizTheMc is part of a new crop of emergent pop stars focused on global reach, but on their own terms. “Wait For You” is inspirational, feel-good music for a world in search of release. Produced by regular collaborators bees & honey, it’s an enticing display of what happens when talent and awareness merge, a world away from the usual.
Mimi Mars, Cici – “Crazy”
On “Crazy,” Mimi Mars fully reps East Africa, bringing an Afrobeats vibe to the Bongo Flava template and stamping it with her voice. Joining the vocalist, actress, and media personality is South Africa’s Cici, who gets the assignment and executes it effortlessly. This is how you cross-collaborate.
NO11 – “Too Hot”
NO11 takes the best of what Afro-tech, Afrobeats, and amapiano have to offer, runs the whole concoction through the wringer, and emerges on the other side with a banger. “Too Hot” finds its balance in these grey areas, proving yet again that genre fluidity is where it’s really at.
Vanco – “Repeat” (feat. DEELA)
Vanco leads from the heart. A champion of the Afro-house movement, his releases have given countless dancefloors a reason to withstand the heat, not to mention remixes for the likes of Moby and the Black Eyed Peas. He’s joined by DEELA on his latest single, “Repeat,” and it’s a match shaped by discerning spirits, a snapshot of the times, and a push towards something new and forward-facing.
Shekhinah – “Say You Love Me” (feat. Brandon Dhludhlu)
Shekhinah is a true gem, an artist who will outlive the current moment. A formidable songwriter and vocalist, she has endeared herself to listeners across the continent. She links up with Brandon Dhludhlu on “Say You Love Me,” adding her voice to the current wave of Afro-house dominating global dancefloors, permeating sets, and keeping the music in control. Stellar.
Fally Ipupa – “Alifa” (feat. DJ Maphorisa and TRESOR)
Fally Ipupa has long staked his claim as a continental force. Singing primarily in French, he’s built the kind of trust with his fanbase that allows him to step away, recharge, and return stronger. “Alifa,” alongside fellow countryman TRESOR and DJ Maphorisa, carries echoes of Magic System’s timeless “Premier Gaou,” and will keep the real ones going until he blesses us again. The track comes from his latest album, XX, which also features Wizkid, Angélique Kidjo, Lokua Kanza, and more.
Sarnilo – “Bayabika”
On “Bayabika,” Sarnilo inches towards the spiritual, her voice a clear channel to other worlds. It’s in how she guides her wail in the opening moments, how she lays her verses, how she breathes in between, allowing micro-worlds to hold her words. It’s in the lyrics themselves, too: “ngiva bangibikela/ bathi awuhlolisise, konke kusa hamba kahle.” (I hear the ancestors calling me/ they tell me to introspect). Light work.
Babble Hume – “SHAKE’A”
Babble Hume has been building a following in Johannesburg’s cutthroat scene, cultivating a dedicated audience that sustains them online. They make music about the travails of young, Black twenty-somethings figuring it out. Yet the sound is anything but confused — it’s clear-eyed, determined, and focused on the prize. “SHAKE’A” is endless vibes, the epitome of carefree and driven.
Lodù – “follow”
Lodù’s “follow” lives up to its intention. “I will never let you go,” she sings over a bass-inflected bop anchored by head-nodding drums. It’s warm, expansive music that recalls open country, seaside air, adventure, and new love. Joyful and hopeful, it’s brave in its view of companionship and excellent in its execution.
Kcee on Afrobeats Intelligence
A podcast as a bonus track, perhaps? Joey Akan sits down with Kcee on the latest episode of Afrobeats Intelligence, where the two discuss longevity and what it means to experience success before a genre becomes globally dominant.
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