Afrocritik’s weekly music spotlight: energy boost.
By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Greetings again, my adventurous music discoverers.
Ramadan Kareem and a marvellous Lent to all who celebrate. It’s crazy to think that the first quarter of the year is almost over already. How time flies when you’re having fun! (Hopefully, you have been having fun this year so far.) As we reflect both religiously and temporally, the time has come once again for me to grace you with an edition of the Weekly Music Spotlight.
This week, there was a lot to choose from, as I was bombarded with decent music from all fronts. Last week, we got quite experimental, and this week won’t be too different. However, this time, the focus is on bringing you some rejuvenating energy to keep you pushing through to the end of Q1. Whether through tempo or genre, lyrics or theme, many of the songs featured this week are sure to inject you with a blast of energy.
Don’t forget to follow us on our socials, @Afrocritik, to stay up to date with the Spotlights as they come out. Interact with us and let us know what gems you’ve discovered on our list. Also, if you or anyone you know is releasing music that deserves to be discovered by the musically adventurous, don’t hesitate to drop me a line at yinoluu@afrocritik.com for details on how to get your music considered.
And now, without further ado, let’s dive right into this week’s selection of energy boosting tracks. We have:
THEMATIC MOTIVATION: Energy isn’t always about busting a sweat, sometimes it can come from a shift of mindset and that’s where these songs take us. Rising star, Rybeena’s Virtuoso album is saturated with hustler mentality and we pull from it in the form of “Go Harder” and “World Best”.
O’Tims realigns us spiritually for obedience with “I’ll Follow”, Freddie Gambini sets the pace to instil in us some “Confidence”, Olivetheboy teams up with Qing Madi for the resilient title, “Survivor”, and rapper extraordinaire, K.O, pumps it up with the boisterous “Push It”.
SOME HIGH-ENERGY AFRO-FUSIONS: Here’s what most people probably think of when I say energy; high-tempo pulsating thumping rhythms. TAR1Q bares his emotions on fast-paced drums on “Must Have Been”, Kelvyn Boy invites everyone to the dancefloor with “Break It”.
Badsome navigates rattling traditional percussion all over “On My Way”, Rybeena’s “Ivory Coast” and “Amapiapala” provide interesting takes on other genres. MiDi KwaKwa’s “DiH” and “Rosalina” (off her new MOONFLOWER project) bring funky and Amapiano energy respectively, while South African rapper, Riky Rick, gives us smooth vibes on the bouncy “Raindrops”.
SOUTH AFRICAN GEMS: Our seasoned veterans know we always round up with a trip to the South of the continent. This week’s trip was a rewarding one with some nice variety. Fiso el Musica’s INCEPTION project kicks us off with airy soulful Amapiano with “Mama”, “Wamuhle” and “Woza”, with that energy bolstered by Sfarzo Rtee’s “Hello” and AmaKay Musiq’s “Tap and Clap” as well as a DJ Maphorisa and Xduppy remix of Odeal’s “Blame U”.
DrummeRtee924 serves up a wild ride in “The Crazy Stena Guitar”, Tembisa DJ Ggoldie shows her stuff on dance-ready “Mageba” and Unlimited Soul teams up with Djy Fresh and TurnUpKiid for “New Culture”. The final leg of our trip takes us aboard the AfroHouse ship captained by U’R MUSIC, an album from UR HOME, a project by genre staples, Darque and Shinzo. We’ve only highlighted “Memeza”, “A Father’s Prayer”, “Nkosi”, and “Meant To Be” but I strongly recommend the whole album.
As usual, this is just a sampler of the musical wonders awaiting you in our playlist. Take a stab at exploring the albums and artistes mentioned—you might even uncover some personal gems of your own. And if you’re a budding musician with a sound worth sharing, don’t hesitate to message us to find out how to get your songs considered for the Spotlight.
As I leave you for the week, fully embrace the music and let it embrace you. Hopefully, you’ll form memories, discover new places, and vibe as hard as you can to the tracks on this list. I encourage you to go adventuring on your own as well—and maybe even share some of your great finds with me. Enjoy the journey, and have a blessed week filled with musical highs.
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.