Isbethelo seGqom TLC Fam

Gqom is tribal house music for those who prefer to hear influences from their Zulu ancestors, not a sample pack they found on the Internet. If there was any doubt, we can start with the genre name itself, gqom, which … Read more »

When the People Move, The Music Moves Too Meklit

It’s a rare artist whose lineage spans from Mulatu Astatke to Buffy Sainte-Marie–in fact, Meklit may be the only one. Her latest album, When the People Move, The Music Moves Too, on Six Degrees Records, grafts Meklit’s singer-songwriter impulses to … Read more »

Toy Raha Toy D'Gary,Monika Njava,Regis Gizavo,Toko Telo

Madagascar’s exquisite folk and pop music have never received the global acclaim they deserve. Some have speculated that this is because Madagascar’s idiosyncratic rhythms and melodies are a world apart from the West and Central African idioms that fed into … Read more »

The Light Ammoye

This is reggae through a kaleidoscope. Jamaican-Canadian singer/songwriter Ammoye is a soul rebel on a soul path, singing her way to her higher self. Reggae is the light shining through her kaleidoscope, refracting into a spectrum of musical shapes and … Read more »

Rafiya to Perform at Essence Fest in New Orleans Rafiya

Music continues to be a male-dominated field, from producers and label executives to performers, particularly in the African and diasporic music genres. It was a breath of fresh air to speak with Rafiya, a New York/New Jersey-based female singer/songwriter thriving … Read more »

Ian Brennan on Social Justice and the Power of Songs Tanzania Albinism Collective,Tinariwen,Zomba Prison Project

Photos by Marilena Umuhoza Delli Ian Brennan is a Grammy-winning producer, whose set of recordings on the Zomba Prison Project  in Malawi put his work on our radar, and was featured in the Afropop program, “Off the Beaten Track in … Read more »

Manny Ansar Reflects on the Festival au Desert in Timbuktu Ali Farka Touré Band,Terakaft

Manny Ansar is the man behind the Festival au Desert, an annual concert in Mali which started in 2001. Due to terrorism and threats of violence in northern Mali, the festival has been canceled since 2012. In response to the … Read more »

Carmen McCain: The Culture of Kannywood Adam Zango

Carmen McCain is an assistant professor of English at Westmont College. Her research focus is on Hausa-language literature, film and popular culture. Hausa is a language spoken by over 50 million people across West Africa. Most native speakers are in … Read more »

Abdalla Uba Adamu: Music, Film, Culture and Religion in Northern Nigeria

Abdalla Uba Adamu is a professor of both Science Education and Mass Communication at Bayero University in Kano, Nigeria. He specializes in media and cultural education, particularly the interface between Islamic religion, Hausa culture and media—film, music and literature. When … Read more »

From Baby Steps To Giant Strides: The Dawn Drake Story Dawn Drake,Dawn Drake and ZapOte

Dawn Drake is an active musician in New York, with over 15 years of experience. She is a bass player, percussionist, singer/songwriter and bandleader of her “global funk” ensemble, Dawn Drake and ZapOte, which is known to blend different genres … Read more »

From Freetown to the World: Producer Chief Boima and the Kondi Band The Kondi Band

The Kondi Band is a multigenerational, cross-cultural collaboration that started with a bootleg remix. Five years ago, a young DJ/producer, Chief Boima (Dutty Artz/INTL BLK), saw a video on YouTube by an elderly, blind Sierra Leonean musician, Sorie Kondi, entitled … Read more »

Elida Almeida: Taking Cape Verde to the World Elida Almeida

Elida Almeida is a rising star in Cape Verde’s music scene. After releasing her debut album, Ora Doci Ora Margos, the young singer won Radio France International’s coveted “Prix Découvertes” in 2015 and went on to tour throughout Africa, Europe … Read more »