TAG: Africa

Mar16

GET INVOLVED: Join Kenna, Lupe, Santigold, and More on “Summit on the Summit” (Video)

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In early January, Kenna began his ascent up Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, with a team of of nearly 300 men and women, including fellow musicians Lupe Fiasco and Santigold, actors Jessica Biel and Emile Hirsch, plus scientists, United Nations representatives and experienced mountain guides.  The journey was documented on “Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro,” which premiered on MTV Sunday night. It’s refreshing to see MTV finally air something substantial. If you didn’t catch the premiere read on to learn more about the Summit and how you can get involved today:

The Summit on the Summit is a mission that probably sounds familiar. The name has …

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Mar04

Next Stop… Soweto – Township Sounds From The Golden Age Of Mbaqanga (Review)

Township Sounds From The Golden Age Of Mbaqanga

NEXT STOP... SOWETO



With Next Stop... Soweto, Strut trace some of the amazing music that often only appeared on short run 45s at the time; rare lost gems deftly culled from the '60s + '70s South African "township jive sound." Featuring music recorded primarily for the local market, the album takes the listener far beyond the accepted township jive template into fusions with jazz, gospel, rumba, funk and traditional mining songs. It delves into the golden age of mbaqanga. Jazz had been a fixture in South African music since the ‘50s and jive (or mbaqanga) initially emerged a decade later as a fusion combining elements of rural Zulu music and harmony vocal styles with Western instrumentation. You can hear influences from American R&B and '60s rock and surf, in the same way ska and rocksteady developed in Jamaica. And if you like desert blues from Sahara, you will also like the fusion of mbaqanga.

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Feb27

Black Man’s Cry: The Inspiration of Fela Kuti (Review)

Various Artists

Black Man's Cry: The Inspiration of Fela Kuti

Released by Now-Again Records


To begin describing the epic importance of Fela Kuti is to write a doctoral thesis on the history of African music from before his birth to the present day. To understand the impact the music of a person such as Fela is to consider the history of struggle, prejudice, racism, and political disenfranchisement as an understandable whole.  In the music of Fela Kuti, we see these positive undercurrents of political awakening, consciousness, activism, empowerment and liberation.  These values are what make the messages embedded in the work of Fela ...

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Nov12

Wale – Back Into Go Mode

It is not very often that an emerging artist is traditional enough to swiftly gain support but unique enough to be in a class of their own. Then again, it takes a special something to land on our 150th issue cover before even having an album out. For people in the know, Wale is far from a “new” artist. Delivering rock-solid mixtapes and now a phenomenal debut album to the masses, this D.C. champion has been someone to pay attention to for a while now. We caught up with the URB favorite to talk Attention Deficit, touring with Jay-Z and Africa.


URB: First and foremost, the album is very very good. You should be very proud…

Wale: Thank you so much man. I appreciate it.


Yeah, it’s great. I mean, I’ve been a fan of you since the 100 Miles and Runnin’ mixtape. …

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