road rap meets afrobeat/funky thread ting

kwaku

Active member
http://www.thefader.com/2016/09/26/uk-artists-j-hus-belly-squad-mostack-kojo-funds

In 2016, the most ubiquitous pop hits are equal parts indebted to reggaeton, dancehall, and afropop. Some of our favorite rappers are also singers. One of the year's best albums is made up of rock guitar-driven R&B songs. For better or worse, it’s clear, genre lines everywhere are blurring. It’s happening naturally in one particular scene bubbling up in the U.K.: in cities like London and Birmingham, where residents are uniquely positioned to absorb African, Caribbean, and global black culture all at once, a new crop of artists is instinctively blending dancehall, afropop, hip-hop, grime, and R&B. These nine artists are on a new wave.

that needed to be written, thanks for sharing Corpsey
 

luka

Well-known member
Like I was saying on the bubbling thread the same thing going on in the Netherlands
 

luka

Well-known member
Wouldn't be surprised if it's everywhere in Europe with established African populations. The article misses a trick in identifying it as a UK thing
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
I guess when it comes to vocal-centric music, non-english-speaking countries practically don't exist for a lot of British people (myself included).

Even with afrobeats, I love a lot of those tunes but there is a language barrier which stops me from fully embracing it.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy

DJ Edu’s UK Afrobeats Cypher with Mista Silva, Sneakbo, Timbo, C Cane, Moelogo, Ike Chuks & Wusu
 

yyaldrin

in je ogen waait de wind
I guess when it comes to vocal-centric music, non-english-speaking countries practically don't exist for a lot of British people (myself included).

Even with afrobeats, I love a lot of those tunes but there is a language barrier which stops me from fully embracing it.
Did you try MHD? I hardly get anything but I love it.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy

Here's a playlist of this stuff which I've opened up to collaboration.

yyaldrin: sorry, what's MHD?
 

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
*hushed whisper* Its a shame that all of that Fader article fails to identify that the undoubted father of this whole wave is Sneakbo, but we can't talk about him because he went through that terrible sell-out year and also went and snitched apparently so nobody will bother listening to his music anymore.
 

kwaku

Active member
*hushed whisper* Its a shame that all of that Fader article fails to identify that the undoubted father of this whole wave is Sneakbo, but we can't talk about him because he went through that terrible sell-out year and also went and snitched apparently so nobody will bother listening to his music anymore.

Good point, had no idea about the snitch saga. Not sure where this belongs, certainly a lot softer than other bits posted but loved Sneakbo on this.

 

yyaldrin

in je ogen waait de wind
Love this! Thought it must be something obscure then I clocked it has 25 million views.

That whole album is amazing. I know they did some concerts and festivals this summer in Holland as well and all of them were enthusiastically received. Which goes against your language barrier theory I think.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
LoL so true. It struck me visiting Berlin this year how English people just EXPECT ppl from other countries to speak English.

Been listening to a lot of random African dance music on Spotify tonight and it really has a pomp and swagger to it, and all sounds so fresh, especially to European ears, although it is of course drawing so heavily on rap, R&B, pop and dancehall. Hearing all those influences collide with the African melodies and rhythms is exciting.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Totally into that MHD tune now. Thing is it's basically a UK Funky tune in French. Reminds me of


Interesting thing is that UK Funky could now be seen as the first flowering, over here of Africa's ascent within dance music/western music generally. And though it died over here, there's got to be every chance of it coming back, albeit in an altered form, given these conditions. I've probably already pointed out the bloody obvious re: drake sampling Crazy Cousinz for 'One Dance'.

Already queasily anticipating the white middle class Uni student version of Afrobeat,

Matter of fact I might make it ;)
 

luka

Well-known member
There's ones on there with over 50 Mil and parochial English writers still trying to frame it as a UK thing. As if London was the only European city with an African population.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
There's ones on there with over 50 Mil and parochial English writers still trying to frame it as a UK thing. As if London was the only European city with an African population.

You're right of course.

I'm aware, too, of my shameful disinclination to even draw a distinction between different regions in Africa producing music. Is Afrobeats/Afropop a name that people from African nations have been using, or is that a European/American imposition?
 
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