Africa: Rikki Stein’s Gonzo Journey As an African Music Manager
[Afropop] Even if you are a longtime fan of African music, you may not know the name Rikki Stein. But Rikki is one of those people behind the scenes that makes things work, and the world go around. Over the years he has managed the Master Musicians of …
Africa: The Deepest Roots of Revolution – How Six Musicians Transformed African Music
[Afropop] In the tense summer of 1962, in a dimly lit bar on the outskirts of Oran, Algeria, revolution wore an unexpected face. Cheikha Rimitti stepped onto the stage, her shoulder deliberately bared in the style that had earned singers like her the s…
Mali: Lucy Duran On the Life and Music of Toumani Diabaté
[Afropop] When we at Afropop Worldwide learned that the great Malian kora player Toumani Diabaté had died of kidney failure this past July (2024), we knew we had to find a special way to honor him. We had known him for nearly 35 years, and had man…
Africa: Afropop Top Videos – 2024 Year End Special
[Afropop] Awesome videos have been coming at us fast and furious. Here’s a set of eleven to get you grooving through the holidays!
Africa: Womex 2024 Wraps Up in Manchester, UK
[Afropop] The end of October brings autumn leaves, cooler weather, Halloween, and, of course, the Worldwide Music Expo (aka WOMEX). The floating convention takes place in a different city each year and this year it was held in Manchester, England. The …
Congo-Kinshasa: Gims Brings French-Congolese Pop to Madison Square Garden Theater
[Afropop] Gims, formerly Maitre Gims, is a fantastically successful French-Congolese singer, rapper, producer and songwriter. Born in Congo the son of Djanana Djuna, one of Papa Wemba’s singers in the band Viva la Musica, he came to the world as Gandhi…
Nigeria: Seun Kuti Gets Heavier Yet
[Afropop] Seun Kuti, youngest son of the Afrobeat legend and founder, is just out with his seventh studio album, Heavier Yet (Lays The Crownless Head). It’s a strong set of tracks, featuring an updated lineup of the Egypt 80 band, and the requisite dee…
Ethiopia: The Atse Tewodros Project Aims At Reconciliation Between Ethiopians and Italians
[Afropop] Gabriella Ghermandi is a singer, performer and writer born in Addis Ababa in 1965 to an Italian father and an Italian-Eritrean mother raised in Ethiopia. Ghermandi moved to Italy in 1979, during the harsh repression of the military Derg regim…
Africa: Ibrahim Maalouf Embraces the World
[Afropop] Ibrahim Maalouf is shape-shifting Renaissance man. A master of the quarter-tone trumpet, a modified version of the instrument capable of playing Arabic scales (maqamat), Maalouf has performed and recorded classical music, jazz, experimental w…
Mali: Mali’s Amadou and Mariam Celebrate Five Decades in Music
[Afropop] Mali’s Grammy-nominated Afro-rock sensation, Amadou and Mariam, once billed as “The Blind Couple of Mali” have had a big year this year. They recently played a cover of a Serge Gainsbourg song at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralym…