Arts + Culture
“Yaa Amponsah” was recorded in London in 1928. Its guitar pattern became the backbone of Ghanaian highlife
In 1928, Kwame Asare, also known as Jacob Sam, recorded "Yaa Amponsah" in London with Sam's Trio. The…
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Arts + Culture
“Sweet Mother” came out in 1976 and never left. Prince Nico Mbarga’s song for every African mother
Prince Nico Mbarga and Rocafil Jazz released "Sweet Mother" in 1976. Sung in Pidgin English over a highlife…
Arts + Culture
The voice in Black Panther’s score belongs to Baaba Maal, a Fulani singer from the banks of the Senegal River
When composer Ludwig Göransson went to Senegal to research the Black Panther score, he recorded with Baaba Maal.…
Music
Top 10 Ghanaian Rappers Killing It Right Now
Sarkodie, M.anifest, Amerado, Kweku Smoke and six more: the ten Ghanaian rappers in the best form of their…
Arts + Culture
Paul Simon went looking for South African sounds in 1985. He found Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the isicathamiya choir founded by Joseph Shabalala, reached a global audience through Paul Simon's 1986…
Arts + Culture
Afrobeat or Afrobeats? One letter separates Fela’s revolution from Burna Boy’s stadium tours
Afrobeat is the style Fela Kuti and Tony Allen built in Lagos in the late 1960s and 1970s.…
Arts + Culture
Tabu Ley Rochereau took Congolese rumba to the Paris Olympia in 1970. He later served in government
Tabu Ley Rochereau, one of the great voices of Congolese rumba, performed at the Olympia in Paris in…
Arts + Culture
He named his music after a mountain in Japan. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister and the birth of fuji
Sikiru Ayinde Barrister built fuji music from the were songs sung to wake Muslims for the Ramadan meal,…
Arts + Culture
“Jailer” was a Nigerian song about freedom that France fell for first: Asa’s 2007 debut
Asa, born Bukola Elemide, released her self-titled debut album in 2007 on the French label Naïve. Produced mainly…
News
Top 10 Francophone African Artists You Need to Know in 2026
The top francophone African artists of 2026. From Aya Nakamura to Dadju and Fally Ipupa, the voices defining…