Awesome videos have been coming at us fast and furious. Here’s a set of eleven to get you grooving through the holidays!
Check out the full Afropop Top Videos playlist for all our recent selections. And remember, if you have suggestions of videos our fans would love, send them to info@afropop.org with the subject line “Top Videos 2025.” Enjoy!
Lucibela: “Lembra Tempo”
The Cabo Verdean songbird has done it again with her third album, Moda Antiga, perhaps her best yet. Her poised, confident blend of melodious joy and melancholy puts her in top contention as the next Cesaria. This video captures the unique charm of the good life in Cabo Verde.
Mdou Moctar: “Takoba (Injustice Version)”
Moctar stand out among today’s Tuareg desert bluesmen in part for his blazing guitar flights, but also for his fierce critique of political affairs in Niger. This song from his upcoming album Tears of Injustice(February 28, 2025) features passionate vocals over guitar histrionics. Lyric translations take us inside a troubled trek through the Sahara.
Samba Mapangala: “Kilimanjaro”
One of the great living veterans of Congolese rumba’s golden age, Samba Mapangala sings a praise song to Mount Kilimanjaro. It’s fitting, as this Kinshasa-born artist made his biggest impact while leading his band Orchestre Virunga in East Africa. The video is a charming blend of Congo dance demos in and around Washington DC, and touristic clips of the legendary mountain. But the music! Oo la la! Nothing like it.
Femi Kuti: “Politics Don Expose Them”
The elder statesman of Afrobeat—Fela’s first son—continues to carry the torch for the heavy grooves and biting political messages that his father championed. This one aims squarely at deteriorating political and economic conditions in Nigeria. And he does it all in under three minutes.
Moonchild Sanelly: “Tequila (To Kill A Single Girl)
South African singer, rapper and stylist charts her own course through the tricky world of today’s African pop. This one is more a melodious punk song than anything close to Amapiano. In bright blue lipstick and eyeliner, Sanelly both celebrates the Mexican liquor and warns of its dangers.
Kizaba: “Les Églises de Kinshasa”
Montreal-based percussionist, singer, composer Kizaba has developed his own high-energy variant on his Congolese roots. Shot in Montreal, not Kinshasa, the song tells the true story of his brother who remained in Congo and was the victim of a dishonest pastor. The track is a preview from his upcoming album, Future Village (February 14, 2025).
Joyce N’Sana: “Télama”
Another Congolese artist based in Canada, N’Sana is a winner of Radio-Canada’s Révélation award, and one can see why. This swanky Afro-rock track, showcases her strong, sassy voice full of toughness, confidence and soul. The video is an appropriate mélange of bi-cultural images: urban Canada in autumn with costumed African dance in the dusts of time.
Abel Selaocoe: “Bach Cello Suite No. 6, Sarabande”
This is deep. South African classical cellist presents a remarkable and unique, one might say Africanized, take on classical music. In this video, he plays it straight though. His tone and expression are nothing short of marvelous. Stay tuned for more on Selaocoe on a future edition of Planet Afropop.
Kizz Daniel: “Marhaba”
This track from Nigerian artist Kizz Daniel is a surprising merger of African rap and gnawa music. The sound is spare, the vibe ancient, the lyrics (subtitled) absolutely contemporary. As distant from Afrobeats as one could be, this track charted in Nigeria for three weeks.
Emma Lamadji: “Ndeke”
At one time, Emma Lamadji sang backup for Oumou Sangaré, but she’s clearly an artist in her own right. This track is best described as Afro-soul. It’s slick, but with a cool vibe and, as the video shows, she’s Sangaré’s equal when it comes to elegance and style.
oShamo: “Life of the Party”
If you like a video with a story, this is a fun one. oShamo works in his mother’s laundromat, and when she leaves him alone with a scolding, he’s off to be, well, you guessed it, the life of the party. A young artist from Mr Eazi’s emPawa Africa production house, oShamo has a striking baritone voice and plenty of style.
