A master of West African rhythms and credited as one of the founders of the Afropop genre, Salif Keita is world renowned for his unforgettable…
Artist Profiles: Salif Keita
Tag: Afropop
Artist Profiles: Amadou & Mariam
During the 1960s, in Bamako, Mali, a young girl of six used to appear at local festivals by popular demand. On the other side of…
Diali Cissokho Brings North Carolina and M’bour Together on Routes
Diali Cissokho and Kaira Ba – Routes (Twelve Eight Records, 2018) Routes is the new album by North Carolina-based Diali Cissokho and Kaira Ba. Diali…
Likembe Meets Afropop
Lulendo – Mwinda (Buda Records, 2017) Mwinda is the fourth studio album by Angolan singer-songwriter and likembe (thumb piano) player Lulendo Mvulu. Most of…
The Hybrid Sounds of Belgium’s Zanzibar
Zanzibar – Fiali in Chicago (Home Records, 2016) Belgian multi-ethnic band Zanzibar plays an unexpected mix of rhythmic Afropop music, harmonica-based American blues, boogie woogie,…
Artist Profiles: Ze Manel
Singer and multi-instrumentalist, Ze Manel is one of the most famous and influential contemporary musician to emerge from the West African country of Guinea Bissau.…
Artists Profiles: Angélique Kidjo
Angélique Kidjo is one of the African singers with more attraction and performance power. The direct rhythms, strong, energetic, taken from the traditions of her…
Artist Profiles: Fatoumata Diawara
Fatoumata Diawara (a.k.a. Fatou) was born of Malian parents in the Ivory Coast in 1982. As a child she became a member of her father’s…
Artist Profiles: Lokua Kanza
Lokua Kanza was born in Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire). His father is one of the Mongo people, known for…
Artist Profiles: Alif Naaba
Alif Naaba has been steeped in the musical traditions of Burkina Faso, West Africa. His Afropop style combines pulsating polyrhythmic percussion, kora textures, and funky…