Afropop Worldwide

Shailah Edmonds is a young American singer keen to “inspire and impact rap and pop musicians to incorporate African rhythms and voices to their music.” That’s a fine mission, though perhaps an uphill climb. Edmonds has thrown her hat in the ring with a new song called “The Native in Me (Is Getting Restless).” The track features a lineup of New York-based musicians from Mali, Guinea, Cameroon and Burkina Faso: Famoro Dioubate, balafon; Abdoulaye “Djoss” Diabate, guitar; Idrisssa Kone, talking drum; JoJo Kuo, trap drums; Mamadou Konate, djembe. We know that American hip-hoppers are turning on to Naija pop, and that blues/rockers groove on Sahel desert guitar bands. But it’s nice to hear a young pop singer reaching out to the amazing African talent in New York. Let’s hope it’s a trend. [audio mp3="https://afropop.org/migrated-uploads/2015/12/Native-In-Me-IntroEditMIXmp3.mp3"][/audio] Find on CDBaby: http://cdbaby.com/cd/shailahedmonds6