RIP: Leon Botha aka Solarize

African DJ and artist Leon Botha has died in South Africa. Botha was better known as Solarize, for his work with Die Antwoord. He appeared in “Enter the Ninja” and acted as Die Antwoord’s warm-up DJ in concert. What was less known is that Both was a qualified artist with several shows behind him. Sadly, he was also the oldest living sufferer of the rare progeria condition, which accelerates ageing in the body. He died in Cape Town just after his 26th birthday. Visit Botha’s amazing Flickr stream.

Manou Gallo to tour with Bernard Maseli

Ivory Coast sensation Manou Gallo will be on tour to celebrate the 10th year of Polish jazz vibraphone player Bernard Maseli throughout April 2011.

Gallo, a highly-rated bassist and percussionist, released “Dida” and “Lowlin” on the IglooMondo label. More details are available  on the IglooMondo site. Click through for the Polish tour dates.

Malian Hip Hop prodigy for the 1st time in the US

Amkoullel

Invited by various universities and students organisations committed to education and social change through Hip Hop, AMKOULLEL will be doing workshops, panels and performances with his multi-instrumentalist musician playing Ngoni and Talking Drums. He will also play in various NY and LA clubs… the buzz is growing fast!!

Die Antwoord to tour North America

Outrageous South African hip-hoppers Die Antwoord (The Answer) have announced the dates of their upcoming North American tour. Starting on October 12 2010 they will play at Vancouver, before touring the West Coast and then switching coasts until a last date in New Orleans on October 30. Expect mayhem and broken beats, no subtitles!

The concerts tie in with the release of their new album “$O$”. Click through for the full dates.

Kafa Beanz release East African Hip Hop

Get the futuristic blend of hip-hop, soul, and Ethio jazz by hip hop legend Burntface, Grammny-nominated Wayna, female rap phenomenon B Sheba, AP, Gabriel Teodros and more! Andromeda: Chronicles of Blackopia Vol 1 is available!!!

King Sunny Ade inducted into Afropop Hall of Fame

Although he has slipped from the spotlight slightly of late, King Sunny Adé remains one of Africa’s most respected (and enjoyable) musicians. A master musician and bandmaster, Adé is the king of Juju music and follows Youssou N’Dour, Oumou Sangare, Angelique Kidjo and Thomas Mapfumo in receiving the award (even though he preceded them all musically) and was recently inducted into the Afropop Hall of Fame. Watching the video, I wish he was playing Europe this summer. Click through for the video.

Conneticut to host int’l Hip-Hop gathering

Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. will host the 4th annual Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival, the first and largest international hip-hop festival in the US, on April 3rd and 4th, 2009. This year, the event is headlined by K’naan, the rising star in international hip-hop. The Somali MC spent the last 2 years touring with Damian and Stephen Marley. His vividly spoken images of war-torn Somalia and fierce criticism of American gangster rap has garnered him appearances on BET, MTV and collaborations with Mos Def and M1 of dead prez. K’naan signed with A&M/Octone in 2008 and released Troubadour in February 2009.

Rokia Traore: Dounia

Rokia Traore provides another superb track in “Dounia”, with a clip that is as elegant, refined and intriguing as her music. She recently won a César award in France for the album “Tchamanche” and has a date in Paris in May. Click through for other dates and to see the clip of “Dounia”:

Africa Fete celebrates 30 years as festival and promoter

Africa fete festival

For 30 years already, Africa Fete has been one of the motors of African music, through their annual festival in Dakar and different events in France. The founder, Mamadou Konte, died some time ago but had built a up a highly professional team that is pursuing his work. If you look a the festivals and releases of the past two years, it is clear that African music is having a particularly hard time. So the role of Africa Fete is all the more important in continuing to allow new African music to survive.

The 30th anniversary will feaure a combination of new and established acts, that include: les Amazones de Guinée, Fallyssa, Imhotep (IAM) appearing Didier Awadi, Duggy T and others as well as Omar Pene, Thione Seck, Alioune Mbaye Nder, Saintrick and other surprise guests, playing with the Africa Fête big band.

The festival is to be held on December 6 in Dakar. For details, visit Africa Fete.

Kenge Kenge sing for Obama

No matter who gets elected, the world will feel the impact of the next American president. So although politicians around the world are remaining very diplomatic, artists are coming out in support of Obama - particularly in Africa. Kenya’s Kenge Kenge have recorded one of the sweetest tracks a gentle tribute, which opens with a very laidback groove and then picks up. Neat. This track was featured on their European tour.

To buy the track, visit World Music Network.

MTV Africa announces award nominees

MTV Base has announced the nominees for their upcoming MAMA African music awards to be held in Abuja, Nigeria on November 22. The ten categories cover best male, female, live performer, alternative, Hip-Hop, artist of the year, new act and video. I strongly recmmend a visit to their site to get an overview of the current music scene across Africa. Although South African and Nigerian artists get the most nominations, tiny Gabon is in with a good chance through one of our favourites: Movaiz’Haleine. They are nominated in the best video category for the track “Nous” (Us) directed by John Gibbs. Check it out and then visit the other tracks at MTV Base.

South Africa’s Tone Deaf Junkies showcased on Facebreaker game

Not a lot of people know that South Africa has a vibrant electronic scene. It gets a little showcase this month, with the release of the “Facebreaker” game on Xbox and PlayStation. The South African group Tone Deaf Junkies are featured alongside people such as Drop Kick Murphys on the game’s soundtrack. The track is from their album “Alpha”.

Global Hip-Hop to be featured at CMJ

The College Music Journal Marathon (CMJ) is New York’s largest music, film and media conference and will host hundreds of live performances, films, lectures and networking events. This year’s CMJ INTERNATIONAL HIP-HOP THROW-DOWN will unite the talents of a creative and diverse group of lyricists and DJs from Africa, Korea, Canada, and Europe at club DROM, located at 85 Ave A in New York’s East Village on Thursday October 23rd 2008. The event will begin at 8 PM and will last until 3 AM and will feature live international hip-hop music and DJs spinning music.

The show feature a handful of rising stars including Blitz the Ambassador (Ghana), Drunken Tiger (Korea), King Reign (Canada), Empire Isis (Canada), Chachi (Cape Verde) and Too Many Fish (France). DJs Boo and Soulscape from Korea will be on the turntables. V.J Kwon from Korea will set the tone and visuals for the night. There will also be an all French Hip Hop showcase at Hiro Ballroom on Friday, October 24th featuring La Caution, Mangu and Wax Tailor.

Check out Blitz on MySpace.

“Many Lessons” looks at Islam and Hip-Hop in West Africa

The German label Piranha takes a look at Hip-Hop and Islam on the compilation “Many Lessons”, recently released in Europe. Islam is a strong influence across West Africa, despite the fact that most countries are secular by nature. This selection of tracks looks at how Islam is incorporated into the buoyant Hip-Hop scene, which is one of young Africa’s ways of getting itself heard. The artists include General Snipe, Keur Gui, Dread Skeezo and Sister Fa. Click through for the full track list.

Kasaï Allstars and Konono N° 1 refused entry visas in Europe

Despite having toured the world already several times, the Congolese bands Kasaï Allstars and Konono N° 1 have been refused visas by several European countries, so disrupting a number of major festivals and bringing their agent to the brink of bankruptcy. The group first had problem renewing their passports in Congo, and were then sent on a labyrinthine chase for visas and paperwork from the French, Belgian and UK embassies (where they were to play). At the end of the day, these proved unsuccessful and the tours have been cancelled - over 25 dates in all.