a beautiful and gracious reminder that 'no matter where you're from, your dreams are valid.' this woman is grace personified. i am overjoyed for her. so well deserved.
12 hours ago
Showing posts with label africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label africa. Show all posts
Monday, March 3, 2014
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
soul food: shad's 'flying colours'
no words to describe this dopeness, y'all. i don't know how shad keeps getting better with each album, but he truly does. this is all kinds of magic. and the collaborations are really smart, too. this is a perfect combination of brilliant storytelling and masterful technique.
it is thoughtful, intelligent, sharp, introspective, and it makes you think. it makes you stop everything to listen. and it consistently knocks you over with just how bloody good it is. it has also rendered me unable to review it properly because i keep jumping out of my seat yelling 'whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!! whaaaat!?' and startling everyone around me. i shall therefore leave that to the professionals and go back to my vigorous head-nodding.
it is thoughtful, intelligent, sharp, introspective, and it makes you think. it makes you stop everything to listen. and it consistently knocks you over with just how bloody good it is. it has also rendered me unable to review it properly because i keep jumping out of my seat yelling 'whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!! whaaaat!?' and startling everyone around me. i shall therefore leave that to the professionals and go back to my vigorous head-nodding.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
video: 'matatizo' by just a band
incredibly powerful video from just a band.
'matatizo' is the first video from the group's sorry for the delay and it's dedicated to the memory of issa juma, the composer of the song, and 'all the kenyans who have their hears and bodies so their children could be free'. via their youtube page, the band urges all to read more about the story behind the video: 'we lived to tell - the nyayao house story'.
'matatizo' is the first video from the group's sorry for the delay and it's dedicated to the memory of issa juma, the composer of the song, and 'all the kenyans who have their hears and bodies so their children could be free'. via their youtube page, the band urges all to read more about the story behind the video: 'we lived to tell - the nyayao house story'.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
soul food: just a band's 'sorry for the delay'
i posted just a band's awesome track probably for lovers a little while ago, and now the full-length album sorry for the delay has been released. it's all kinds of refreshing goodness.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
shad k: it ain't over
Friday, October 19, 2012
afrika21 mixtape~ fela kuti + ginger baker: live! remixed
(Photo Credit: David Corio)
In celebration of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s birthday, life, legacy and music Society HAE has teamed up with Nigerian hip hop collective and production company Str8buttah to release “Fela Kuti + Ginger Baker: LIVE! Remixed.” The DocuMixtape combines snippets of rare interviews with Fela, Ginger Baker and Fela’s musicians with sound bites and remixes of the live recordings from his 1971 “LIVE!” album, which featured The Africa70 Band and Ginger Baker. Original soundscapes by Teck-zilla of Str8buttah are also present on the DocuMixtape's featured tracks.
“Fela Kuti + Ginger Baker: LIVE! Remixed,” is part of Society HAE's AFRIKA21 mixtape series celebrating The Continent's creative thinkers in the fields of music and art.
“Fela Kuti + Ginger Baker: LIVE! Remixed,” is part of Society HAE's AFRIKA21 mixtape series celebrating The Continent's creative thinkers in the fields of music and art.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
new music: 'long gone' by kenna
it's been a minute since we've heard from ethiopian-american artist kenna.
here is his latest track long gone, from his forth coming album songs of flight.
here is his latest track long gone, from his forth coming album songs of flight.
new groove: 'probably for lovers' by just a band
and now...the first in a list of holy-crap-i'm-late-on-this-but-i-have-to-post!
check out the the latest single from "africa's super-nerdy art/music collective" just a band. it's from their forthcoming album sorry for the delay. i love the entire feel of this infectious track.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
soul food: 'the village' by ian kamau
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
illume sessions: nneka in her own words
nneka was recently on an east african tour. while there, she stopped by kigali, had an amazing performance, hung out with the illume crew and blessed us with her 'madness'. it's an experience i will never forget. her new album soul is heavy is out now and it is timeless and beautiful and urgent and necessary. here are part one and two of 'illume sessions ~ nneka: in her own words'
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
soul food: k'naan's 'is anybody out there'
k'naan's EP more beautiful than silence is finally here. check out the second single, 'is anybody out there', collaboration with nelly furtado.
Friday, January 20, 2012
soul food: k'naan's 'nothing to lose'
while we await this:
k'naan has released this:
k'naan has released this:
i love the simplicity of this...the percussive flow...the collaboration with his idol, nas. the EP is meant to tide us over until his full-length album is released. you are indeed correct if you think i'm doing some sort of happy dance right about now.
k'naan: more beautiful than silence
1. "is anybody out there" (ft. nelly furtado)
2. "nothing to lose" (ft. nas)
3. "more beautiful than silence"
4. "better"
5. "coming to america"
via complex
2. "nothing to lose" (ft. nas)
3. "more beautiful than silence"
4. "better"
5. "coming to america"
via complex
Monday, January 16, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Friday, December 9, 2011
soul food: zaki ibrahim's 'something in the water'
canadian/south african afropolitan zaki ibrahim has released a new single from her forthcoming album every opposite. something in the water is a soulful house track and is the first release from her first full-length album, which was conceived and recorded entirely in south africa. i don't know about y'all, but this is the perfect track to lose myself in after a loooooong week.
Monday, December 5, 2011
soul food: illume sessions ~ shad k
so we had this idea one day. and it grew into 'illume sessions', a mini-documentary series featuring artists and change-makers. after many misadventures in the editing lab, illume creative studio's first 'illume sessions' episode is up, and it features the brilliant shad k. it was filmed while shad was back in rwanda performing at the kigali up! festival. check it:
i learned so much working on this. and i'm so excited to be working with by brilliant partners in crime. and also: shad is awesome.
more soon come!
i learned so much working on this. and i'm so excited to be working with by brilliant partners in crime. and also: shad is awesome.
more soon come!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
horn of africa: african-led solutions
what can we, as africans, do to help? we cannot wait simply for government-led initiatives. the crisis becomes more intense and more overwhelming on a daily basis. but we must keep in mind that whatever action we take is bound to make a difference, however small.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
soul food: tumi and the volume's 'asinamali'
you know who's a) awesome and b) ridiculously slept on? tumi and the volume. from their latest album, pick a dream (the quartet's third alubm, nominated for a south african music award in the best rap album category) here's the brand new video for the first single: asinamali. literally translating as 'i have no money', this track tackles the attitudes to and politics of fame and money, and all that comes with it. also: it's highly head-nod-able.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
a thousand [and one] hills
a few weeks ago, i was listening to zoe chace interview ms. lauryn hill on NPR. it appeared as though ms. hill was back: performing again, talking about recording again. i took to twitter and facebook and tentatively shouted it from the various virtual mountaintops. my prayers to the gods of music had been answered: ms. hill is back. i had no idea, at the time, that on her journey back, she would show up in my proverbial back yard. a little over a week ago, i was standing backstage at a concert that i had dreamed of attending since i was about 17. as the announcer began his introduction, i stood next to ms. hill as she climbed the steps to take the stage at the pan african dance festival in kigali, rwanda and i had myself a moment, y'all. i suddenly snapped out of professional organizational mode and fully realized what was happening. ms. hill was back. and she was here. in the land of a thousand hills. if you had told me 15 years ago that this was even possible, there is no way i would've been able to fathom it. but a few brilliant people with a vision and relentless determination made it happen! and i bore witness.
this is the exact time negrita's brain realized what she was witnessing.
...read more here...
this is the exact time negrita's brain realized what she was witnessing.
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