Music
The best new African music tracks that came out this week, featuring Adekunle Gold, A-Reece, 2Baba, Skales, Petite Noir and more.
Every week, OkayAfrica highlights the top African music releases — including the latest Afrobeats and amapiano hits — through our best music column, African Songs 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.
Adekunle Gold, Lojay, Shoday – “Bobo”
Earlier this week, Adekunle Gold announced the October-release of his new album, Fuji. The Yoruba genre is a foundational influence in modern Afrobeats and it’s one AG has utilized throughout his career, especially during its early stages. While it remains to be seen if he’ll expand its sonic template on the forthcoming project, its signature flourishes are all over “Bobo.” From the vocal inflections to the jiggy throb of the drums, it’s a beautiful run-up to the project. – Emmanuel Esomnofu.
Rachel Chinouriri – “What A Life”
Rachel Chinouriri’s world-building is divine, constructed from solid material and built to withstand storms. “What A Life” is a perfect exhibit: “I’m peeling onions in the kitchen, you’re in the garden raking leaves,” she sings, a lyric so mundane in its detail, so familiar in its texture, that it resists simplification and instead lands as pure truth. The British Zimbabwean artist has the rare gift of excavating the paranormal from the everyday, and here, she doesn’t so much sing as she lays the foundations for emotional architecture. “What a life, you’re the only ground I need beneath my feet,” she insists, her voice tessellating through the porous weave of the music, moving in and out of a chorus of impeccable instrumentation that feels like being held while the world falls away. – Tšeliso Monaheng.
2Baba – ‘Unstoppable (International Deluxe) [LP]’
In this newly-released international deluxe, Afropop icon 2Baba revisits one of his most triumphant projects. Starring the Nigerian act in his finest element, this deluxe version shows the ageless quality of his music, as he incorporates recent sonic touches to elevate its depiction of the present. Quite the purposeful release, it’s a well-timed reminder of 2Baba’s mastery. – EE
Umzulu Phaqa and Msfit – “Zoro, take me out of the friend zone”
On their debut album, And The Grammy Goes To, Durban natives Umzulu Phaqa and Msfit craft a striking exposition, leaving nothing to chance across seven songs built on grit and perseverance. “Zorro, take me out of the friend zone” wrestles with the longing to be someone’s one and only. Umzulu Phaqa paints the picture of devotion – doing everything for this person – yet still never earning promotion from the shadows of the friend zone. The production is fully fleshed-out, polished yet playful, its bounce giving the track an irresistible lift and marking it as one of the album’s standout moments. – TM.
Skales – ‘Martina’s Son [LP]’
Unarguably one of the hottest artists out right now, Skales’ new project arrives on the heels of a truly special moment. He’s been a consistent purveyor of Afrobeats’ brighter sides since his showing over a decade ago, and now he gets to weave those instincts around a larger thematic register, as he’s dedicating his album to his mother. It’s a wide-ranging album that’s brought even more variety with features which include FAVE, Joshua Baraka and Nasboi. – EE.
Petite Noir – “D2M” feat. Genesis Owusu and Toya Delazy
Petite Noir turns the heat on “D2M,” a follow-up to “Dominos” which was released a month ago. Where the former is a bouncy cut in the vein of bossa nova, the latter elevates that bounce and emerges with something that’ll drive you to move your body. “I have to find out where you are/ you made me feel so confused,” declares the artist while rumba rhythms work themselves into the song. The beat is somewhere between the manic drive of drum n bass, and the equally fast-paced rhythm of Shangaan electro. The features just add to make this vision broad in their own special way; Genesis Owusu and Toya Delazy also deliver stellar performances. – TM.
Keith Sweat & Qing Madi – “Working”
In recent years we’ve seen American stars incorporate Afro elements into their music. Often featuring an African act, it’s a fine way of sonically bridging two different sounds that however share aspects of history. On “Working,” we get a fitting duet that draws from the tender soundscape of R&B, which is here distinctly interpreted by Keith Sweat. Nigerian star Qing Madi proves the perfect guest, having a solid grasp on the genre as well. – EE.
Pedro Ramos, Jacinta Sanches – “Hello Carrol”
The Cape Verdean couple Pedro Ramos and Jacinta Sanches released their first album back in 1987 and they’ve kept going ever since, touching base with several sonic sensibilities while retaining the simple essence of their music. On their latest self titled project from Arabusta Records, they renew their keen sense of musicianship over six beautiful records. A standout is “Hello Carrol,” a sunny reggae jam that sounds like a fresh start. Quaint in its progression, it is reminiscent of Peter Tosh’s lighter records, but Pedro’s lead and Jacinta backing vocals are entirely original, spurred by an ostensible intimacy with the world. – EE
SN Project – “Njalo” feat. Thando Zide
“Njalo” sounds like how compassion feels: an all-encompassing warmth so seamless it refuses to let even the tiniest particle through. SN Project’s mandate has always been to create music that drifts between the freedom of jazz and the tenderness of soul. Here, joined by Thando Zide, they play with shades of color, mixing and matching as they move, improvising to the rhythm of life. “Ngiphelela amazwi mangibona ubuso nobuhle bakho” (I run out of words when I see your face and beauty) is the kind of poetry missing from the scene today, and SN Project is intent on bringing it back. – ™
Cholita – “Next Time”
Dre Skull’s Mixpak Records — the label that released huge albums like Vybz Kartel’s Kingston Story and Popcaan’s Where We Come From — returns after a multi-year hiatus with this new jam from Cholita. The new artist, who was raised between Kingston and Lima, Peru, goes in over a stripped-down dancehall-meets-pop beat on “Next Time.”
A-Reece – “Solo”
A-Reece stands as one of South Africa’s biggest rappers right now, his position earned through the sheer consistency of quality releases and a tireless touring schedule. His breakthrough came via Ambitiouz Entertainment, but his longevity has been defined by the independence and creativity that followed, particularly his work with the now-defunct The Wrecking Crew, where he linked with Mashbeatz, Flvme, and others to shape a generation’s sound. On “Solo,” from his latest release Business As Usual – a title that nods slyly to EPMD – A-Reece drifts into a laid-back zone, the kind of cut designed for indulgence. “Steady rollin’ that premium zaza / pray before I smoke, I’m feeling like a Rasta,” he sing-raps, his cadence weaving tightly through a beat that carries echoes of J Dilla’s head-nod brilliance. It’s A-Reece at his most comfortable: sharp, unhurried, and fully in command. – TM.
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