t.i.a in umricka: wale's attention deficit

wale's album attention deficit drops today, after much anticipation (hyped by a tour that has spanned much of this year). it's hard to believe it's his first album, since his mixtapes have had so much impact. saturated with rather awesome and clever collaborations, i am rather loving it, so far.


the jewels so far: 'shades' with chrisette michele; 'diary' with marsha ambrosius; 'world tour' with jazmine sullivan; and the crazy ridiculous show-em-how-it's-done 'tv in the radio' with fellow afropolitan, k'naan.

t.i.a in umricka, killing it.

tv in the radio--wale feat. k'naan

well played, mr. folarin, well played.

wavin' flag: the world cup 2010 anthem

k'naan has adapted his powerfully inspirational song 'waving flag' for the FIFA world cup, which will be held in south africa in 2010.

give me freedom;
give me fire;
give me reason;
take me higher.

assata shakur

thirty years ago, today, Assata Shakur--an American political prisoner--escaped from detention in the US and was granted political asylum in Cuba.

"Like most poor people in the United States, I have no voice. The Black press and the progressive media, as well as Black civil rights organizations, have historically played an essential role in the struggle for social justice. We should continue and expand that tradition. We should create media outlets that help to educate our people and our children, and not annihilate their minds. I am only one woman. I own no TV stations or radio stations or newspapers. But I believe that people need to be educated as to what is going on and to understand the connection between the news media and the instruments of repression in America. All I have are my voice, my spirit and the will to tell the truth. But I sincerely ask those of you in the Black media, those of you in the progressive media and those of you who believe in truth and freedom to publish my story.' -Assata Shakur



hear Assata in her own words, here.

image courtesy of the martyr index

fela! on broadway

you know what looks awesome?

the Fela! musical is now on Broadway.


directed by Bill T. Jones,
starring afropolitans Kevin Mambo and Sahr Ngaujah, and
featuring the impossibly amazing Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra.

photo source: playbill

the image: iyaDedE

iyaDede by barron clairborne

soul food: afropolitana: somi's if the rains come first

somi's if the rains come first in stores all over north america, today.

listen to and download the album, here.

download 'prayer to the saint of the brokenhearted' (right-click to download)

music source: giant step

and, now...we dance.

the 'african air horn dance' by jusa dementor of zimbabwe.

*wanders off in search of an airhorn*

soul food: an evening with Somi

a couple of weeks ago, jazz enthusiasts in kigali flocked to the beautiful shokola for an intimate performance by somi, a rwandan/ugandan new york-based soul-afrobeat-jazz vocalist. from the day i discovered somi, five years ago, she has been an integral part of my afropolitan soundtrack. her homage to home is a constant thread that runs through all her works, and she consistently embraces her roots while acknowledging all of the other influences that have shaped her into the artist she is today.



shokola--a cafe/restaurant that effortlessly blends african tradition with contemporary design--provided not only a venue, but a setting an ambience that was a crucial ingredient to the intimacy of the show. surrounded by small bonfires and rustic lamps hanging from age-old trees, the crowd gathered under the venue's signature Bedouin tents on sofas, around tables, on cushions, and sat on whatever space was available in eager anticipation; thirsty for truly good music.




the show was a blend of songs from jazz classics, to somi's own older material, to a preview of her new album. she began with 'ingele', an afro-jazz hit from her first album red soil in my eyes, which was followed by nat king cole's 'nature boy' and later by her bluesy interpretation of a reggae classic, bob marley's 'waiting in vain'.



the set was all-too-brief, and concluded with a track from her latest album if the rain comes first in which she sang of returning home: 'home is where you know you can always touch your feet to the floor.'








it was a powerfully moving performance and the a capella rendition of nina simone's 'feeling good' left the crowd hungry for more. it is still rare to have such an enormous talent in such a perfect setting, and it was a refreshing preview of what is on the horizon of the arts scene in kigali.

how [not] to write about africa

a satire piece written by binyavanga wainaina for granta magazine
as narrated by djimon hounsou



"Whichever angle you take, be sure to leave the strong impression that without your intervention and your important book, Africa is doomed."

Wainaina is a kenyan author and award-winning journalist and is currently a Bard Fellow and Director at the Chinua Achebe Centre for African Literature and Languages in Bard College.

read the entire piece, here

[thanks, kweli.]

new music: k'naan and q-tip

we've heard the african roots and the roots rock reggae. and now, the folk/poetry inspiration.
the brilliance continues

j.period and k'naan present the messengers: episode 3: bob dylan

download here.

also, after eight long-ass years of being foolishly overlooked and underrated, q-tip's kamaal the abstract has finally been released.



i am, quite literally, jumping around in excitement.

dear 2009, re. music, you are rocking my world. love, me.

milestones

you may be wondering why i am currently doing a dance of joy...it's because of this:

Rwanda was named today as the world's top business reformer, measured by the changes the country has made over the past year to make doing business there easier. And Mauritius retained its top ranking as the African country in which it is easiest to do business. The two countries are named as top performers in the annual report on the ease of doing business published by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank. "It now takes a Rwandan entrepreneur just two procedures and three days to start a business," said a statement issued by the IFC and the World Bank. "Imports and exports are more efficient, and transferring property takes less time thanks to a reorganized registry and statutory time limits. Investors have more protection, insolvency reorganization has been streamlined, and a wider range of assets can be used as collateral to access credit." Rwanda's ranking was based on the number and impact of reforms introduced in the year to May 2009.

woo hoo! brilliant news for a people that have worked so hard to rebuild and redefine.

source: allAfrica.com
image source