Africa Is a Country

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Boima Tucker

Boima Tucker is a music producer, DJ, writer, and cultural activist. He is the managing editor of Africa Is a Country, co-founder of Kondi Band and the founder of the INTL BLK record label.

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The CIA’s Charles Taylor Revelation

Recent revelations, which have always been suspected, have strengthened the United States' role in the Liberian civil war, adding fuel to claims of American intervention in Liberia since its founding as a Western style nation-state.

Sarkodie

http://youtu.be/il7o5zG7jB0?t=12s Sarkodie takes a break from the Azonto and jumps on a Hammer beat, getting back to his rap (Hip-pop? Tema-pop? Hip-life?) roots. The interpretive dancing, and artsy black and white beach shots make it seem like the director has been watching some Ingmar Bergman. The track, featuring Obrafour on the hook, is from "Rapperholic," a recently released album. I don't think this is the much anticipated (by me) Konvict music album, but I'm excited to hear it regardless.

Africa is a Kickstarter

http://youtu.be/YXI1kUk6Uqk Two music related Kickstarter campaigns deserve your attention. The above video is from The Nile Project, a campaign put together by Egyptian ethnomusicologist Mina Girgis, and Ethiopian-American singer Meklit Hadero. Meklit and Mina, based in San Francisco, are raising money to complete an international music collaboration based around the cultures of the Nile River. They've already lined up an impressive series of events including a floating band, a TED X event, and a world touring show, but they need your help to begin on their scouting trip to recruit musicians. Visit their page to donate. Already almost funded is the Radio Tanzania project, focused on the Tanzanian Broadcasting Corporation in Dar es Salaam. In conjunction with Tanzania's celebration of their 50th year of independence, the state radio station is digitizing their archives to preserve Tanzanian cultural and political history. The campaign will also help fund a documentary about the preservation process including interviews with historical Tanzanian cultural figures. And if you're still looking for something to give to, don't forget that Sorie Kondi is still trying to get to SXSW in Austin, Texas!

10 West African Club Tracks

I'm a DJ. So it's only right I give you ten songs that filled up my crates in 2011 to play out the year. No rankings, just the first 10 club friendly Afropop tracks I could think of:

When Benjamin Lebrave passed me Sarkodie and E.L.'s "U Go Kill Me" in Accra this summer, I knew that with the Ska piano skank, winding synth, minimal funky drum pattern, catchy chorus, and rapid fire verses, it would be high on my list for club tunes in 2011. Even better, it has become an anthem for the Asamoah Gyan inspired Azonto Dance.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTJ3bwDIyWc&w=250&h=25]

DJ Arafat seems to come up with a new name/persona for every song. After I asked the Ivorian owner of a tape shop in Harlem for some new Coupe Decale, he played the intro for "Frapper Baboula Tala" about ten times in a row. I sometimes do the same thing when I'm alone in the house.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DnXMIfUu5w&w=250&h=25t=11s]

The Sahel Sounds blog brought my attention to some of my favorite music in 2011. After learning about Iba One, and subsequently obsessing over what else might be out there, I went on a Skyrock hunt for some of the latest Malian tunes. There I came across Kaba Blon's "Moribiyassa" a song from the amazing Balani Show scene in Bamako. The song recently became available for purchase internationally on Sahel Sound's Songs from Saharan Cellphones compilation, and the Masalacism label just released a full Décaler Balani compilation this week!

[bandcamp track=2884660575 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]

I learned about London based Nigerian girl pop group Shiikane via This is Africa. The Afropop remix of their cover of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's "I Wonder if I Take You Home" channels the Francophone club style so well that I think the Parisian take on Coupe Decale/Logobi might finally be ready for the Anglophone mainstream.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foRRqJP_3pI&w=250&h=25]

I heard Atumpan's "The Thing" everywhere in Ghana and Liberia. My favorite part about hearing it in the club was seeing people sing mockingly to the closest person of the opposite sex, "I am teaching you the thing." It features Stone from the Bradez.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z4VrDu_ZYw&w=250&h=25]

Out of M.I.'s Chocolate City camp, Ice Prince's debut single "Oleku" was the summer jam in 2011, and my favorite tune out of Nigeria. The double time piano line echoes another summer jam from the year before, but the minimal drum beat keeps a tension driven frenzy underneath the whole thing. When this would come on in the club everybody would move in slow exaggerated unison, and then explode into enthusiastic singing when Brymo's chorus dropped.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A576XVrgD4&w=250&h=25]

I don't think I've ever seen one song dominate a nation's psyche like Junior Freeman and African Soldier's "Dumyarea" did in Liberia this summer. Maybe it was because it was an election season, and all the politicians co-opted the song for their own campaigns, but you could not go anywhere and not hear this populist anthem.

[bandcamp track=845589801 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]

PepeSoup's output has been astonishing in 2011. The "Pump Tire" single is one amongst a host of projects that the Italy based Liberian-Italian duo has put out on their Soupu Music label. Their sound takes influences from the vast range of House styles coming out of Europe, but mostly UK Funky which has been inserting a West African sensibility into its scene from the beginning.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOq_6aVOqPI&w=250&h=25]

So D'Banj singed with Kanye. I don't know what that means, cause I've been waiting to hear anything from Sarkodie on Konvict for over a year now. Regardless, Oliver is a nice club tune, and I'm excited for the video to drop. Don Jazzy again!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PsEpYG_nAg&w=250&h=25]

Cabo Snoop and his genius producer I.V.M. Beats broke a more Kuduro influenced House sound into the Afropop mainstream in 2010. Unfortunately, I.V.M. Beats passed away in a tragic car crash early in 2011. Still, now that South African House has firmly made it to the electronic music mainstream, it's Angola's turn to shine. DJ X Trio is helping make sure that happens by remixing South African songs like Professor's "Jezebel". This tune was a staple in my sets this year. Check out Benjamin Lebrave's write up on it at The Fader.

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/30707931"]

Happy New Year. See you on January 5, 2011.

Global Genre Accumulation

If there’s an underground dance scene or marginalized community nearby, Diplo or some DJ like him has or probably will “discover,” re-frame, and sell it to audiences in another part of the world.

Liberian Demo-crazy

There's been a lot of rumors and propaganda flying around related to the Liberian run-off election, so it's hard to get a sense of what's really happening on the ground. But international and local news show that the police have killed three people, radio stations are being closed, and burnt down, and votes are being counted invalid. Worst of all the tense atmosphere and a boycott by the CDC party has led to low voter turnout. If anything, this should be a wake up call to all those that thought having democratic elections would sweepingly solve a post-conflict country's problems. Let's hope that these dark days are just a short detour on the long road to the empowerment of the Liberian people. Photo Credit: Glenna Gordon

Lone Stars Shining

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKJ-DCMBKKI It seems that the election atmosphere remains tense, but word from Liberia is people are taking it all in stride. Beyond mainstream politics, it's time for celebration. The Lone Stars Vol. 1: Hipco and Gbema compilation is out! The album was released this past Tuesday, and is available for purchase by digital download at Bandcamp, iTunes, or Amazon. The above video is for David Mell's "Hero", one of the songs featured on the compilation. I think the album really shows the amazing talent working in both Liberia, and the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana. Support these artists by buying their music!