Dzekashu MacViban Ibeyi; Feb 17, 2015. XL Recordings. When I first watched the unsettling video for “River” by Ibeyi ( [pronounced ee-bey-ee] made up of Cuban-born, Paris-based twin sisters, Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Díaz), on Okayafrica, I was first confused,…
[Conversation] Michael Baird: “I’m not a purist, but I want to be able to hear your roots in music”
Interview by John Wisniewski Born in 1954 in Lusaka, Zambia, and of British nationality, Michael Baird spent his first 10 years in Zambia, then went to England and has been residing in Holland since he was 13. He founded…
[Short Review] Fatoumata Diawara Channels the Innocence and Power that History Associates with her Name
Serubiri Moses ‘Fatou’ is the short form for Fatoumata or Fatouma where I come from. Her name alone has a long history within Islamic cultures: a city was named Fatimah in Portugal during the Moorish period; Fatimah is the name…
[Short Review] The Chairman of Nigerian Hip Hop
Dzekashu MacViban A skit which is as outrageous as it is hilarious introduces us to MI’s third album, The Chairman, setting the tone for the album’s treatment of its main thematic concern, which is overcoming the travails one encounters…
Le Blanc d’Eyenga 2 and the Burden of a Sequel
Dzekashu MacViban One of the most anticipated movie sequels in Cameroon perhaps delivers as much as it falls short. Thierry Ntamack (middle) The desire to leave Cameroon for greener pastures, an issue which is ingeniously documented in the…
Jovi: A New Chapter in Cameroonian Hiphop
Last year, the Cameroonian hip-hop scene took a major step in consolidating its place in the African hip-hop world with MuMak’s release of Jovi’s self-produced debut album, H.I.V (Humanity Is Vanishing). Before Jovi’s emergence, no solo Cameroonian hip-hop act, especially…
A Ugandan MC's intimate keyboard Hip-Hop
Serubiri Moses Originally published in Start When we meet at 2:45 pm, I’m sitting at the grand piano in the Green Room, behind the stage of the National Theatre wondering whether he will make it through the rain, but I’m…
The Question of Language in Contemporary African Hip-Hop: Locating Valsero, 2Face and eLDee
Rene Nyah Yong Although hip-hop historians cite 1978 as its birthday, hip-hop’s roots can well be referred to the African continent. Music had long been part and parcel of the religion and culture of the African people. It had always…
Q & A with Ntone Edjabe on Chimurenga, Fela, and Politics
“By developing editorial projects together and assisting each other in areas such as distribution, we quietly mainstream our own aesthetics and reduce our dependency on the global publishing system” Ntone Edjabe Interviewed by Dzekashu MacViban Ntone Edjabe was…
AYO : Music Is My Therapy
Interviewed by Belinda Otas With her earnest lyrics, a haunting and soothing sound and a raspy, seductive and magnetic voice, AYO has won adoring fans across Europe, North America and Africa, for her openness which many can relate to.…