Culture

Ami Faku recently released her latest single "Lala Ngoxolo" featuring Emtee. The song starts the year off on a soothing tone for the difficult times in which South Africa (and the world) finds itself amid the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. Ami Faku is best known for her emotionally evocative songs and "Lala Ngoxolo" certainly keeps to that standard. Read: Ami Faku's 'Ubuhle Bakho' Certified Platinum The modern Afro-soul track is a call for peace with "Lala Ngoxolo" translating to "rest in peace" in the Xhosa language. The bitter-sweet song calls listeners to remembrance all those who have since passed on. Emtee balances the track out with his upbeat and encouraging rap lyrics which are carried on the strumming of acoustic guitar. This collaboration is somewhat unusual but provides a much-n...

Mozambique has reportedly been hard hit by cyclone Eloise which landed in Mozambique this past Saturday. The cyclone made landfall in central Mozambique on 23 January causing immense flooding and infrastructure damage. Close to 7000 people in the coastal province of Mozambique have reportedly been displaced. This follows after Eloise destroyed more than 5000 houses. Furthermore over 100 000 hectares of viable crops have been destroyed along with nine schools demolished, 17 schools have been damaged as well as 11 hospitals. Read: Cyclone Kenneth Has Made Landfall: It is the strongest storm to ever hit Mozambique The UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the most severely affected areas are mainly in Buzi, Dondo, Nhamatanda and Beira City. Reaching those displaced is made ...

In recognition of the new wave, MTV Base, since last year, follows up their main Hottest SA MCs List with Hottest MCs New Wave. As is always the case every year, the list was decided upon by a panel of insiders who are clued up on South African hip-hop. This year's panel members were: DJ Nikki Newlands, music curator Kabelo Makhudu, DJ Zan D, writer Misa Narrates, event MC and presenter Uncle Vinny and journalist Jade Kelly. The panel was hosted by MTV Base presenter and rapper Tshego Koke. Below is the final list: MTV Base’s Hottest MCs New Wave 2021 List 1. Blaq Diamond 2. Touchline 3. Lucasraps 4. Dee Koala 5. 25K 6. Indigo Stella 7. Maglera Doe Boy 8. Tumi Tladi 9. Hanna 10. Benny Chill

West African native and the newest Mavin Records signee Ayra Starr is fresh out of the gate and already getting tongues wagging. The 19-year-old has released her self-titled debut EP, starting with head bopper "Away." Born in Benin and raised between Cotonou and Lagos, Nigeria, Starr's sound allows her versatility and distinctive styles to take center stage. Her new five-track EP exhibits strong examples of soulfulness and a diverse musical range that usually takes some years to master. But, what can't African women do? The introductory "Away" is a pulsating, hip-grinding track that re-explores what typically makes up a break-up song. On the track, Starr says, "I free styled half of 'Away' at a time I was feeling down. It was like therapy. Singing the song out loud was like...

The 2021 MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) have released the first round of finalists for the exciting "Listeners' Choice" category. Twenty artists from 18 different African countries have made the first round of finalists, making it a highly contested category. South African artist Focalistic has secured a spot along with Durban's favourite female beat dropper, DBN Gogo and DJ Dinho. Nigerian songstress Tiwa Savage has also made it as a finalist alongside several other artists from across the continent. Read: Here Are the 2021 MTV Africa Music Awards Nominees Focalistic is known for his genre-bending music with his fusion of amapiano with rap. He collaborated with music heavyweight Riky Rick on the cult hit single "Ungazincishe". Focalistic dropped his highly-anticipated EP Sghubu Ses Exc...

Femi Kuti shares his new single, "As We Struggle Everyday," the latest drop from the upcoming double album Legacy +, a joint endeavor with his son Made Kuti. "As We Struggle Everyday" is a politically-charged afrobeat tune about people having the voting power to hold their 'leaders' accountable, but often failing to do so. Throughout the song, Femi sings "As we struggle everyday We try to find a better way See these leaders wey suppose jail Na him my people dem dey hail." Femi explains: "'As We Struggle Everyday' is about how hard people work everyday to make ends meet and still go to vote corrupt politicians into power who are meant to be in jail." Legacy +, which is due out February 5 from Partisan Records, includes a full album by Femi titled Stop The Hate and an album by his son, Made...

In 2019, Ostinato Records became the first label granted access to the grand Archives of Radiodiffusion-Télévision de Djibouti (RTD), a vault of secrets and stories from East Africa. Below, Ostinato Records founder Vik Sohonie writes about their new release, Djibouti Archives Vol. 1: Super Somali Sounds from the Gulf of Tadjoura. In 1977, on the eve of independence of the Republic of Djibouti, a small country on the Red Sea in East Africa, a densely packed archive was pieced together in a quiet corner of the national radio. Over the years, it became a premier but largely unknown African archive housing thousands of master reels and cassettes of the finest East African sounds. It has endured fires and theft of invaluable recordings. Those scars linger on the delicate films of quarter-inch ...

Just hours after having been sworn in as the 46th President of the US alongside Vice President, Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden reportedly signed 17 executive orders including doing away with the infamous Muslim travel ban. The ban, which was enforced under the former Trump administration in 2017, targeted predominately Muslim countries in the Middle East but also included several African countries such as Nigeria, Chad, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Eritrea. READ: African Union Criticizes Muslim Ban: US Took "Many of Our People As Slaves" But Not As Refugees Following a star-studded and uplifting inauguration ceremony, the Biden-Harris administration is already getting to work. According to Vox, President Biden has put an end to Trump's anti-Muslim campaign which had declared predomin...

Eritrea-born singer-songwriter RIMON has just released a live performance of her tracks "Never Learned How to Cope" and "Feed Me." The Amsterdam raised and London based songstress delivered a psychedelically beautiful performance live on her YouTube page in such a way that we questioned our sobriety. The session, originally performed for Eurosonic, acts as a rebirth for the artist as her musical and visual journey continues to evolve before our eyes—while teasing new unreleased music to look forward to. It seems as though those around the singer agree, as she was then honored with a Music Moves Europe award. In the first half of the live performance, RIMON, with the help of a live choir and band, performs the single off of her EP I Shine, U Shine, before seamlessly transitioning to new t...

Makhalanjalo has released his highly-anticipated single "Thand'izinto". The single is the latest offering from the the relatively new artist who has swept through Cape Town's music scene. "Thand'izinto" comes ahead of the upcoming album Amanzi. Read: Interview: Mx Blouse Pushes the Boundaries of Kwaito on Debut Album 'Elementality' "Thand'izinto" is the kwaito single for those nostalgic for the classic kwaito sound. Makhalanjalo brings back the wavy sounds of old-school kwaito with synthesizers and drums. The Cape Town-based artist spits fun Xhosa lyrics while also delivering a light dance song. "Thand'izinto" refers to a person who likes going out, having a great time and just generally enjoying life. According to Between10and 5, Makhalanjalo performed "Thand'izinto" late last year a...