It’s been a busy year, and we’ve fallen a bit behind in posting the most awesome new Afropop videos we’ve come across. So today we have nine new offerings for you. We start with the latest from Mali’s Amadou & Mariam and proceed with Tuareg rock, Afro-house from the Caribbean, all-female Brazilian Afrobeat, a playful red state nudge from Willie Nelson and Orville Peck and much more. 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 2024.” Enjoy!
Amadou & Mariam: “Mogolu”
The world-renowned “blind couple of Mali,” as they were once billed, has teamed up once again with Manu Chao, who composed this song for them. Filmed in the streets of Dakar, the video is an eyeful, especially for the performance by Tik Tok dance phenomenon Akamz. The track will be featured on an upcoming “best of” retrospective album.
Meridian Brothers: “En el Caribe estoy triste”
Colombia’s eclectic Meridian Brothers are always full of surprises. This track teases their forthcoming album Mi Latinamérica Sufre (out July 12). The album delves into Colombia’s unique champeta style, a blend of Afro-Colombian beats and Congolese soukous guitar. The soukous element is prominent on this nimble track. The singer may be “sad in the Caribbean,” but this music is likely to have the opposite effect on you!
Noise Cans & Jesse Royal: “Attention”
Bermudian dancehall producer and artist Noise Cans has been called “enigmatic” and “mysterious.” Here he teams up with Jamaican reggae star Jesse Royal for a trippy club track that begins with a magic potion ground in a mortar and pestle and served in tea, and winds up in full Afro-house rave ecstasy. Just out today, it’s another landmark in a maverick career.
Aba Diop & The Yeremande Family: “Ngeweul Sunu Ker Mame (Our Griot Home)”
Get ready, America. Aba Diop, one of the hottest and most in-demand sabar percussionists out of Dakar, Senegal, has landed with his band in Brooklyn and will soon begin touring. In this video, shot with Diop’s extended lineup back home, is as fine a display of this bracing drumming and dance style as you’ll find anywhere. Afropop welcomes this world-class artist to our shores, and we look forward to showcasing his work in the months to come.
Malika Zarra “Ouhelt”
Malika Zarra’s journey begins in the Berber (Amazight) mountains of Morocco, and continues in the Paris and, for many years now, New York jazz milieu. All that and more comes across in the latest video from her adventurous 2023 album, Rwa (The Essence). One YouTube comment says the track is “as if Chuck Mangione grew up in Morocco.” We can’t improve on that!
Funmilayo Afrobeat Orquestra, Seun Kuti, Egypt 80: “Upside Down - (Live Session)”
The Sao Paulo-based Funmilayo Afrobeat Orquestra is a fine example of the global reach of the sound Fela Kuti gifted to the world in the final decades of the last century. As an all-female Afrobeat juggernaut, this band also definitively claims the genre for women. Here, FAQ team up with Seun Kuti and members of Egypt 80 for a mega-jam on a Fela classic. Sticking with the Fela formula, the session begins with over nine minutes of terrific instrumental solos. These gals can play. But be sure to stay with it for their bold new take on the vocals.
Orville Peck & Willie Nelson: “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other”
Here’s something different and special. Some years back, long-time Afropop contributor Ned Sublette penned this song about cowboy “love that dare not speak its name,” and Ned was rightly honored when none other than Willie Nelson recorded the song. Now we get a new version for a new era, featuring South African (U.S.-based) country musician Orville Peck. Playfully daring, and beguilingly sweet, the track is the lead single on Peck’s upcoming duet album, Stampede: Vol. 1.
Mdou Moctar: “Imouhar”
Tuareg rocker Mdou Moctar has just released the album, Funeral for Justice, and as the title suggests, he’s none too happy about political goings-on in his homeland, Niger. More on that coming when we interview Mdou in the weeks to come. This, the latest video from the album, takes us inside a thrilling studio performance. Imouhar is the Tuareg equivalent of "brother" or "comrade.” It’s a familial expression of the shared bond among Tuareg people.
TitoM & Yuppe: “Tshwala Bam [Ft. S.N.E & EeQue]”
South African singer/songwriter Thato Seth Mathobela, professionally known as TitoM, is an Amapiano super producer/DJ from Mamelodi, Pretoria. Born in 1998, music has been part of Tito’s life since he can remember — he christened this knack through his chosen moniker TitoMusic (TitoM for short). He started producing in 2012 while in Grade 8 and made a splash with the Bacardi thread of the larger Ampiano movement. His latest, video has earned over 12-million views in just over a month.
