Idris Elba, The Music Man
I have gone a whole 2 WEEKS without talking about ‘my’ Idris. Can you believe it? I must be slipping!
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Chris DeShield – Poised to take BET’s 106 & Park by Storm
Chris DeShield is a mild mannered man with a disarming sense of humor. Born to Liberian parents in a musically inclined family (his brother, Cyrus DeShield, sings with Metro City), Chris DeShield can play the piano and always knew he wanted to be a singer. This multitalented singer has penned songs for Jennifer Hudson and written with Mario. He has opened up for Snoop Dog, B2K, MC Lyte, and Jesse Powell, to name a few, and has even had a cameo as the boyfriend of the woman that played Eddie Murphy’s wife in the movie, ‘Dreamgirls‘.
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KenO brings R&B Smoothness
Who is KenO? Who does he sound like? John Legend? Keith Sweat? Or maybe Ne-Yo? It is hard to put a finger on KenO’s sound. And this, readers, is how you know talent. In this day and age of digitized voices, it’s refreshing to hear (and meet) an artist with a unique sound.
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Wawesh a.k.a. Kiboi – Producing Grammy Nominees
Wawesh has been creating a swirling buzz in Swahili speaking communities in Eastern Africa and the Diaspora via his three consecutive hit singles (Mjanja, Wawero and Wasanii) plus a highly acclaimed debut album, “It’s Meant To Be”.
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Hil St. Soul – SOULidified
Born in Lusaka, Zambia, Hilary Mwelwa relocated to London with her family at age five. As a child she adopted her father’s love of music, as their home was immersed with the sounds of traditional Zambian music along with such American R&B/soul icons as Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. This influence from such R&B greats is evident in Hilary’s powerful, soulful vocals.
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Soul:ID – Sex, Love, & Philosophy
This group with members from Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo met in Brussels where they formed the group, Soul ID. Their debut album’ , ‘Sex, Love, & Philosophy‘, highlights their collective musical talent. Dubbed ‘Afropean Soul’ by Zap Mama, their sound is very much like Loose Ends, and SOS Band. Tchai’s strong vocals are back by a talented Dad-D, V, and Urban Deep, and an array of beats and tempos that will get even the most jaded person up and dancing. Their talent has caught the attention of Wyclef Jean, Zap Mama, Craig David, and Youssou N’dour, among others and helped them gain a strong following
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Simphiwe Dana – Zandisile
Simphiwe Dana whose first name means ‘gift’ is truly a gift to those looking for real music. Her clear vocals and enormous stage presence has had audiences clamouring for more. She has toured with Angelique Kidjoe and is hailed by many as a young ‘Miriam Makeba’. Determined to keep her native language alive, she sings in Xhosa, lending an authentic touch of African style to her music.
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Tcheka-Cape Verde’s Batuku Ambassador
Tcheka, born Manuel Lopes Andrade, was born in Santiago, Cape Verde. He plays traditional percussive guitar and weaves the batuku style (a style traditional to Cape Verde that was banned by the Portuguese, but continued by the women in the fields as they worked. Batuku is performed with a group of people, mostly women, formed into a circle beating a tchabeta, a percussive instrument traditionally made of tightly rolled panos, a cloth woven in rural Santiago which nowadays have been replaced with plastic bags, which is placed in between the thighs and beat with the hands. On the inside of the circle is a narrator who places a pano around the waist and dances the torno to the rhythm while improvising verses, calling to the circle members who respond while maintaining the poly-rhythmic beat of the tchabetas.) Tcheka grew up performing with his father before launching out on his own at the age of 15 and developing his unique style.
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Assane Ndiaye Rocks the House in Washington DC
Roxana Bangura had an opportunity to speak to Senegal’s singing sensation Assane N’diaye during his US tour.
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MC Solaar – Chapitre 7
Claude M’Barali a.k.a. MC Solaar was born in Senegal to Chadian parents who later relocated to France when he was 6 months old. He adapted his name from his grafitti tags, ‘Soar’ and ‘Solaar’. His rapping style, fused with a jazzy edge has always been popular with crowds around the world and brought him to the attention of Guru, who featured him on his (Guru’s) album, Jazzmatazz. His latest offering, Chapitre 7 is a wonderful mix of styles and beats. In his song, Paris-Samba, he explores the salsa rythms of latin dance and then takes you through a reggae beat in ‘Clic Clic’. ‘Da Vinci Claude’ showcases his gift of rhythmic rap and a rock beat. There are few who can match his gift for rhyming so effortlessly and making that sound like music in itself. It is no wonder he has a large following. ‘Sous les Palmiers’ is reminiscent of the rapping, good music feel of old that transports you to the days when people made music for the fun of it. ‘Merci‘ harkens back to his jazzy hip-hop style with a soothing beat. Overall this album is bound not to disappoint MC Solaar fans who are always waiting with bated breath for his next production. The album was produced in New York City.
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Gerald Barclay – Wu: The story of the Wu Tang Clan
Gerald Barclay has been making music videos for Snoop Dog, Master P, and Nona Hendrix, to name a few. He has also made a great award-winning documentary about Liberia that is still hailed as monumental in the telling of the war that ravaged that nation. He has also produced and directed a movie, Bloody Streetz, that can be found in DVD stores around the nation. His crowning achievement, though, might just be the documentary of one of the most talented hip-hop pioneer groups from the 90′s, the Wu-Tang Clan. The group’s first album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) propelled the legendary group to infamy and clinched their position as a strong hip-hop group from the east coast of the United States. They basically shifted the balance of power that had been dominated by west coast rappers, and changed the way the game was played.
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African Events Calendar
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November 6, 2012
Sonic Diaspora w/ Wageble @ Patty Boom Boom
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November 2, 2012
Chopteeth to perform at Black Cat
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October 27, 2012
5th Annual African Women’s Empowerment Workshop
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October 19, 2012
The Unlikely Secret Agent
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