Afropop is excited to debut an exclusive track off the upcoming Ten Cities compilation, set to drop Nov. 17 on Soundway Records. The project brings together musicians from five cities in Europe with five cities in Africa. Among those cities are Naples and Luanda, where Neapolitan producers Marco Messina and Lucio Aquilina traveled to collaborate with Angolan artists DJeff, DJ Satelite and MC Sacerdote. “Quero Falar” brings together Messina and Aquilina (together calling themselves Lunabe) with Sacerdote for a track that mixes the best of the three artists’ backgrounds.
An interesting aspect of this collaboration is that the two Neapolitans’ backgrounds are at least as different from each other as they are from Sacerdote’s. Marco Messina began his career with the rap group 99 Posse. Don’t believe that hardcore Italian rap exists? Check out the class-conscious banger “Tarantelle Pe’ Campa'.” Lucio Aquilina, on the other hand, creates minimalist techno and old school house, with a flair for some particularly shimmery sounds.
MC Sacerdote, the Angolan part of this equation, is an outstanding kuduro rapper, who has worked with retro revivalist producer Batida. For more on the story of kuduro, check out our Hip Deep show, “Kuduro and Beyond.” The track’s title, “Quero Falar” means “I want to talk” in Portuguese, and this collaboration reveals real communication across cultural and linguistic barriers. With furious rapping from Sacerdote and playful electro production from the two Italians, “Quero Falar” should light up club dance floors in Luanda or Naples, or here in Brooklyn, for that matter.
