Music

South Africa rapper Maarohanye convicted for murder

South Africa rapper Maarohanye convicted for murder

South African rapper Molemo "Jub Jub" Maarohanye has been found guilty of murder and attempted murder after driving into a group of schoolchildren in...
Watching out for Franco-Nigerian singer, Asa

Watching out for Franco-Nigerian singer, Asa

Similar to the British Invasion of the 1960s, a Nigerian Invasion of musical acts has been scoring success in the Anglophone world for decades:...
Hao Ge: An African super star singer in China

Hao Ge: An African super star singer in China

He is a qualified engineer from Nigeria who has become a super star in China. His stage name, Hao Ge, could be translated into...
Ayo: The Nigerian-Gypsy who won’t budge

Ayo: The Nigerian-Gypsy who won’t budge

Anyone attempting to prove the redemptive power of music needs to look no further than the Nigerian chanteuse, Ayọ. The 30-year-old soul singer defied...
Youssou Ndour: Live!

Youssou Ndour: Live!

Five years ago, the famed Pompidou Centre in central Paris hosted Africa Remix, a far-reaching exhibition of modern artists from all across the Motherland....
Afrika Bambaataa: Founder of hip-hop culture

Afrika Bambaataa: Founder of hip-hop culture

Known as the godfather of hip-hop, Afrika Bambaataa evolved from an inner-city gang leader to the emissary of a worldwide youth culture. Afrika Bambaataa was...
Libya: Israeli music video featuring Gaddafi speech hits youtube top

Libya: Israeli music video featuring Gaddafi speech hits youtube top

Whilst Muammar Gaddafi's eccentric lifestyle has been a subject of constant amazement within political circles, the entertainment industry might view things differently. A music...
Femi Kuti: “Real music lets you deal with the reality of life”

Femi Kuti: “Real music lets you deal with the reality of life”

Nigerian superstar Femi Kuti is that rare son of a legend who’s been able to carve out a stellar career of his very own....
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Kele Okereke — The Beauty of the Writing, the Strength of the Performance

British rock singer Kele Okereke, on hiatus from the alternative rock band Bloc Party, hit the road for his first Solo European tour. After...
Aloe Blacc, a soul-music treasure

Aloe Blacc, a soul-music treasure

In the wake of his hit song “I Need a Dollar”—a track made newly famous by this year’s HBO comedy-drama series How to Make...
Yannick Koffi, the 11 year old musical genius

Yannick Koffi, the 11 year old musical genius

Yannick Koffi is an exceptional and enigmatic 11 year-old musician. Affectionately called the «musical genius» by his Japanese fans, the Australian-Ivorian appeared on the...
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Vieux Farka Toure coming out of his father’s shadow

Ahead of the World Cup opening concert, Stefan Simanowitz meets a musician about to perform the biggest set of his life There is a saying...
Hijab wearing African-American Sumayya Ali against all odds

Hijab wearing African-American Sumayya Ali against all odds

Sumayya Ali probably surprises everyone but herself. The burgeoning African-American opera singer has performed on the television show American Idol, Zulu-danced with Step Afrika...
James Brown and Aretha Franklin: Two masters of 1960s “soul” music

James Brown and Aretha Franklin: Two masters of 1960s “soul” music

Among many significant artists whose names became linked with “soul music” in the 1960s, James Brown and Aretha Franklin stand out as exceptionally popular...
South Africa: Ras Dumisani’s rendition of national anthem in France causes diplomatic row

South Africa: Ras Dumisani’s rendition of national anthem in France causes diplomatic row

South African members of parliament, infuriated by a badly sung national anthem before Springboks and France clash have accused the reggae singer who “butchered...
Rihanna: A Glamorous and Angry Diva

Rihanna: A Glamorous and Angry Diva

Rihanna is not just an angry woman but also the most “Glamorous woman of the Year”, according to U.S. magazine Glamour. Glamour and Diva...
Mali Group, Tinariwen, earns top music honor

Mali Group, Tinariwen, earns top music honor

A Mali music band has emerged as the most inspiring and rewarding musicians of the past 12 months, beating the likes of Kings of...
Soweto Gospel Choir: A brilliant representation of South African Life

Soweto Gospel Choir: A brilliant representation of South African Life

The Soweto Gospel Choir performed for the first time in Paris between the 4th and 7th of November at the Théâtre du Châtelet. With...
This is it: A morbid marketing tool or a final tribute to Michael Jackson?

This is it: A morbid marketing tool or a final tribute to Michael Jackson?

This is it , a recently released documentary dedicated to the memory of the late “King of Pop”, is above all made for...
Egypt: Beyonce stirs political and religious debates ahead of concert

Egypt: Beyonce stirs political and religious debates ahead of concert

If there is one thing that could unite the muslims and Christians of Egypt, it is unlikely to be the raunchy dress style of...
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Seckou Keita Quintet – Gig Review

Clutching her walking stick, 80 year-old Audrey Federa from Worthing, scuttles to the front of the small Italianate-style church in Brighton, and starts girating...
Soweto Gospel Choir

Soweto Gospel Choir

With its unique blend of purely South African songs and international gospel songs, the Soweto Gospel Choir has seduced the entire world. During their...
Impempe Yomlingo: Mozart’s “Magic Flute”

Impempe Yomlingo: Mozart’s “Magic Flute”

In Finland, they are known as "Taikahuilu," in Hungry as "A Varazsfuvola," in Xhosa, one of South Africa’s official languages, it is "Impempe Yomlingo."...
Hip-Hop: An indelible influence on the English language

Hip-Hop: An indelible influence on the English language

Language is the product of society. As a society changes, so does its language. One of the greatest signs of a changing language is...
Hip-hop: From urban Black and Latino youth culture to global influence

Hip-hop: From urban Black and Latino youth culture to global influence

African-American and Latino teens with turntables and time on their hands in the 1970s invented hip-hop — a musical style born in the United...
Nashville in Africa: Unchaining Ghana’s Melodies

Nashville in Africa: Unchaining Ghana’s Melodies

Everybody knows Ghana is blessed with gold, cocoa and now oil, but one of its greatest resources is still neglected and untapped: the creative...
Morocco: “Mawazine Festival”, Music and Tolerance

Morocco: “Mawazine Festival”, Music and Tolerance

Kylie Minogue, Stevie Wonder, Warda Al Jasairia and Chab Khaled are among a long list of celebrities to take part in the star studded...
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Bob Dylan, the black advocate

An emblematic music personality, Bob Dylan's works have had a huge impact on the American society. In the 60s and 70s, his songs denounced...
The revelation: Staff Benda Bilili

The revelation: Staff Benda Bilili

Staff Benda Bilili are like nothing you have ever seen or heard before. A group of paraplegic street musicians who live around the grounds...
Nigeria rakes in MTV African Awards

Nigeria rakes in MTV African Awards

The Just concluded MTV African Music Awards saw Nigerian artists dominate the winner list. 11 Awards were given out on the night and 6...