Genesis – an exclusive look for Jamati readers

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | May 6, 2013 | Leave a Comment

Matthew Shell of ‘Freedom’ fame shares his latest work with us.  This time, ‘Genesis’, ropes in a very talented young man, Arun Shenoy, a GRAMMY® nominated record producer and songwriter with a social conscience  whose company donates 100% of revenue from albums sold direct through his company’s website to milaap.org, a micro finance organization that educates and empowers the underprivileged in India.

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Filed in Music » Reviews » Up and Coming

Anna Mwalagho and Afrofloetry to perform at Bossa Bistro

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | April 25, 2013 | Leave a Comment

Anna Mwalagho will be performing with Afrofloetry tonight at the Bossa Bistro in Washington DC.  For those who have not had an opportunity to watch Anna Mwalagho in action, this will be a treat.  She is passionate in her delivery, eloquent in her prose, and enthusiastic in her dance.  You will also leave a more socially conscious individual as she shares her views on social situations.

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Filed in Events » Lifestyle

Coca-Cola wants Africa to go crazy

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | April 19, 2013 | Leave a Comment

The latest Coca-Cola ad for Africa is a beautiful one, highlighting the kindness that people around Africa are doing.  The ad begins by saying that “If being kind to strangers is crazy, then Africa is the craziest place on earth.”

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Filed in Lifestyle » Television

Matthew Shell releases us with Freedom

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | April 3, 2013 | Leave a Comment

Matthew Shell, the son of a Zimbabwean mother and American father, is acutely in tune with the elements of a great song. This talented producer was featured on Grammy.com and has produced several artists including Marcus Johnson, Kenny Wesley, D2D, Carolyn Malachi, Kolten Perine (‘Secret’), Greg Adams, Paul Jackson, Jr.,  and Trey Eley. He has also engineered & mixed for DJ Flexx, Free, Jeff Lorber, Marcus Mitchell, and Gerald Albright, among others.

Matthew Shell (Photo: Jeff Vespa/WireImage)

Filed in Music » Reviews » Up and Coming

Zewdy introduces us to ethio-soul fusion

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | April 2, 2013 | Leave a Comment

We don’t hear enough of the contemporary artists of Ethiopian descent who do an excellent job of blending contemporary western genres with a traditional Ethiopian rhythm. There is Nhatty Man who melds rap and ethio-beats into  a funky hip-hop dance/rap genre which is both unique and exciting.  Wayna Wondwossen is more contemporary R&B, and very talented in her own right.

Zewdy

Filed in African Hip-Hop » Music » Up and Coming » Videos

Selasi joins Kandi Burruss on Bravo TV reality show, The Kandi Factory

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | March 26, 2013 | Leave a Comment

We were first introduced to Selasi when he appeared on several episodes of  ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta‘. He shared some of his experiences with Jamati in 2009.

Selasi (Bravo TV screenshot)

Filed in African Hip-Hop » Music » Up and Coming

‘Embrace’ takes on terrorism from a different perspective

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | March 26, 2013 | Leave a Comment

Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla is a Kenyan/American of South Asian descent who was voted Top 21 Tastemakers and “Most Important Movers and Shakers” in America by Genre Magazine in 2007.

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Filed in Film

Nairobi Half Life fights to live for a few more nights

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | March 21, 2013 | Leave a Comment

On March 21st 2013, one feature film will screen in cinemas across the USA. Audiences at each venue will be asked the question. Should this film receive one week’s theatrical release at this cinema? If the majority vote “yes” then that film will return to that cinema for a week’s theatrical release. We have the cinemas, we have the audience… the question is… do you have the film?

Nairobi Half Life

Filed in Cinema » Events » Film » Lifestyle

International Reggae and World Music Awards is slated for May

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | March 19, 2013 | Leave a Comment

The International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRWMA) are scheduled to be held in Fort Lauderdale, FL on May 4, 2013.

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Filed in Events » Lifestyle » Music » Uncategorized

Sousou and Maher Cissoko performed at Kennedy Center

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | March 14, 2013 | Leave a Comment

Swedish/Senegalese couple Sousou and Maher Cissoko share a destiny shaped by music. Sousou grew up in southern Sweden and fell in love with the kora, a western African stringed instrument, when her father started playing with the Gambian griot Alagie Mbye in the early 1990s. Maher Cissoko was born into a well-known griot family from Casamance, Senegal, and learned to play the kora at an early age.

Sousou and Maher Cissoko

Filed in African Hip-Hop » Music » Up and Coming