Africa: How Beyoncé Reclaims Country Music’s Roots for Black Artists
[Afropop] You have no doubt heard that global music diva and 32-time Grammy Award winner Beyoncé dropped a pair of hit country songs–“Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages”–in her performance at the Super Bowl in February. Both songs will be feature…
Egypt: Zakariah Ibrahim – 1952_2024
[Afropop] On February 12, Egypt lost one of its greatest champions of traditional culture. Zakariah Ibrahim, director of the El Mastaba Center for the Preservation of Egyptian Folk Music, and founding leader of the traditional ensemble El Tanbura, pass…
Rwanda: Can Ish Kevin and His Generation Save Hip Hop?
[New Times] On March 3, Ish Kevin, a Rwandan renowned lyricist and rapper, released a snippet of his next big project, produced in the old-school hip-hop style of the 90s and early 2000s, announcing a plan to “save” the genre, which had disappeared fro…
Zimbabwe: Bob Nyabinde Remembered . . . Biography Launched, Memorial and Concert a Success
[The Herald] Kwekwe was a hive of activity on Saturday when several musicians, Government officials, relatives and friends turned up in numbers to celebrate the life of the late musician Bob Nyabinde.
Liberia: Visa for Music Audition Attracts Over 100 Artists in Monrovia
[Observer] Visa for Music (VFM), in collaboration with the government of Liberia, thru Sehwah Liberia, the Music Union of Liberia (MULIB), and Be100 Africa, has held the first audition for VFM 2024 in Monrovia.
Zimbabwe: Macheso Samples Songs From New Album . . . Album Name, Title Tracks to Be Announced On June 7
[The Herald] Sungura music singer Alick Macheso is oiling up his machinery for his upcoming 13th album set for release on June 7.
Africa: Cine Africa – the Kitchen, the Grenfell Tower Disaster, and the Windrush Scandal
[Afropop] On June 14, 2017, 72 residents perished in the Grenfell Tower disaster in London. Grenfell Tower was a “council house,” one of Britain’s federal government-funded buildings based on laws stretching back to 1875, meant largely for the working …
South Africa: Six Arrested, Including Alleged ‘Mastermind’, for Murder of Rapper Aka – Police Minister Cele
[Daily Maverick] The six suspects were due to appear in court on Thursday. The award-winning rapper and his former manager were gunned down on Florida Road, Durban, in February 2023.
Zimbabwe: Reggae World Mourns Morgan Heritage Lead Singer
[The Herald] Kingston. — The reggae world is in mourning following the passing of Peter Anthony Morgan, the lead singer of the beloved reggae band Morgan Heritage, at the age of 46.
Nigeria: ‘Bob Marley – One Love’ – a Film That Will Live in the Memory, By Yusuf Bangura
[Premium Times] I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It is a must watch for those who lived through the Marley years and young people who love reggae and want to understand the life of the man who popularised it.