Afrocritik’s Weekly Music Spotlight: Something Different
By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Greetings, fellow avid music adventurers.
I hope the second quarter has started with a favourable bang for you. If not, fear not—there’s still plenty of time to turn things around. Perhaps what you need is a change of pace, and that’s exactly what I aim to deliver with this week’s Music Spotlight!
This week, I decided to shake things up as a challenge to us all—and to the diversity of our tastes. Of course, you’ll still find our usual staples, but this was a week for pushing boundaries and trying something new. Who knows? You might stumble upon a fresh genre, a new artist, or even a wildly left-field track. After all, that’s why we do this!
Before we dive in, don’t forget to follow us on socials @Afrocritik to stay updated with the latest Spotlights. How else would you know that the Monthly Editorial Playlist has been updated for March? Or that the Weekly and Monthly Spotlights are now available on Audiomack too?
There’s a lot to gain by keeping in touch with us on social media. Feel free to engage with us; let us know which other platforms you’d like to see the playlists on, or even share your own playlists with us!
And if you or someone you know is releasing music that deserves to be discovered by our adventurous listeners, don’t hesitate to drop me a line at yinoluu@afrocritik.com for details on how to get your music considered.
Now, without further ado, let’s dive into what might just be our most eclectic playlist yet. Our palette-widener features:
GENRE-BENDERS: It is only fitting to start by highlighting some of the most diverse entrants on the list. Senegalese innovator, Youssou N’Dour, released a deeply introspective folk album in Eclairer le Monde which gives us “Noflaay”, “Sam Fall” “Ahmadou Bamba” and the more energetic “Bul ma Laaj”.
Tanzanian singer, Amani, follows suit with introspection on the piano-driven spoken-rap hybrid “Amani”. We get some reggae from the Ivorian legend Alpha Blondy in “Je ne suis pas Fache”, and from Keziah Mallam, the audio therapist, teams up on the Tim Lyre-assisted “Trouble”. Native Records artiste, Rigo Kamp, releases his nostalgic Afro-tinged disco-laden self-titled Rigo Kamp EP represented here by “Move On”, “Forbes List”, “Summer”, and “Miss You”.
UNIQUE AFROFUSIONS: In the spirit of being different, we have a number of artists who put their unique spins on the Afro-conventions. Singer, M3lon, demonstrates his soulful touch on “Trojan”, “Sundress”, and “London Girl” off his EP, When Life Gives You Melons.
Ivorian singer and rapper, Didi B, explores his versatility on his new album Diyilem & Bazarhoff:Genius with gems like “Mouvement”, “Fatumata”, “Good Vibes”, and “Entre Nous Deux”. Syemca shows us different sides of himself across his Bipolar EP with songs like “No Stress”, “WWGD”, and “Room 104”. June Freedom’s signature style is evident on his new single “Bonita”, and Qasim seeks to establish his own style on “Blessings”.
AMAPIANO: Even our usual trip to South Africa is more experimental this time around. Djy Vino’s new Jappino project gives us a very soft, instrumental-focused variant of Amapiano exemplified on tracks like “Cool Affair”, the precedent-setting “Intro” and the titular “Jappino”. Nqabashe is a project from Ca Ma Gu that expresses the artistes’ soulful nature with songs like “Molweni” and “Ixilingo”. Finally, we have Malumz on Decks’ exploration into Afro-Techno and 3-step on their Qhayiya Lam project which gives us “Valamehlo”, “Inyakanyaka”, “Isoka”, and “Heavens are Watching”.
And there you have it, this week’s eclectic cross-section!
This one’s a real doozy, and I hope it nudges your tastes in exciting new directions. I’d encourage you to play through the entire playlist—either straight through for the full curated experience or on shuffle for a surprise journey. That way, you might uncover a few unmentioned gems along the way.
It’d also be worth exploring the albums and artistes featured to discover personal favourites of your own. And if you’re a budding musician with a sound worth sharing, don’t hesitate to reach out—we’d love to hear how your tracks could feature in a future Spotlight.
Wishing you a fantastic week ahead, filled with great vibes from this list. I urge you to keep adventuring on your own—and if you stumble upon something extraordinary, do share your finds with me. Enjoy the journey, and may your week be blessed with musical highs.
Warm regards,
Yinoluwa “Yinoluu” Olowofoyeku is a multi-disciplinary artist and creative who finds expression in various media. His music can be found across all platforms and he welcomes interaction on his social media @Yinoluu.