Music Wire: News for the global urban generation

Movaizhaleine ‘QUAFFFFOUTRE” (produced by lord ekomy ndong)by allahndong
Movaizhaleine, probably the best hip-hop outfit on Africa’s West Coast, have created a viral hit with “Quaffffoutre”. They used a sample of the Gabonese president saying “Moi, je n’ai qu’à foutre” (me, I don’t give a shit) and looped it. As France and Gabon are having a little […]

Wendo Kolosoy, the veteran World music star, has released an album of material recorded in 2004 on the IglooMondo label. Kolosoy is hailed as the father of the rumba, having helped shape the style already in the fifties and sixties. “Banaya Papa Wendo” features 10 tracks with old sparring partners such as Jean-Louis Kayala Bikunda […]

Although it was only released in Belgium, one of our favourite albums in 2007 was “Hotel Impala” by Baloji. This Belgian rapper of Congolese origin has created an album that spans Hip-Hop, 70s soul, Afro Beat and chanson - quite a programme. The breakout single was “Congo”, a 7-minute masterpiece.
Baloji will be bringing his show […]

Senegal’s Didier Awadi, formerly of the pioneering Hip-Hop act Positive Black Soul, has made a strong stand against the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and the ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) countries. Like many people, he feels it is too heavily balanced in favour of the EU. The debate is a very complex one, […]

From having seen them a few months ago, I can safely say that France’s Orchestre National de Barbès is one hot live band. They have been gigging for years already, spreading their raï sounds across Europe. The band recently signed with the French indie label Wagram, and a new album, “Alik”, is foreseen in February […]

On December 15, 2007, a trio of music heavyweights, Wyclef-Jean, Jimmy Rosemond and Akon will travel to Haiti for a charitable endeavor spearheaded by Mr. Rosemond and Wyclef Jean. Yele Fest will tour local schools and the notorious child prison in Port-au-Prince to shed light on the current plight in Haiti of increasing poverty, weakened […]

One of the most impressive Hip-Hop producers outside the US happens to be one of the least known. Lord Ekomy N’dong is an innovative producer from Gabon that offers one of the savviest combinations of African sounds and a massive contemporary Hip-Hop vibe. His first album, “L’Afrikain”, played on a loop in our office […]

The French Hip-Hop duo Les Nubians will be appearing in New York before the New Year. The sisters play a neat style that has been summed up as “Afropean hip-hop with R&B”, singing in French and English. ‘Princesses Nubiennes’ (Higher Octave/Virgin) was the most successful French-language album in more than a decade of Billboard […]

With Middle East talks more or less on track, the Palestinian-Tunisian outfit Checkpoint 303 have released a new tune to the web called “Gaza Calling”. As a reminder, Gaza has been the subject of an air, land and sea blockade by Israel since Hamas took over there and following repeated missile attacks from […]

Romania’s Taraf de Haidouks will be making a special appearance on the France Inter radio show “Le Pont des Artistes” on Saturday Nov 24. What’s the big deal? The release of a new album, called “Maskarada”. Over the years, countless musicians have taken their inspiration from Central European gypsy music. So now this Balkan big […]