Afrocritik’s Weekly Music Spotlight: Something Different
By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Good day, my brave and bold music expeditioners.
Welcome to the new month. I hope your wallets are still well-stocked with your salaries and that your days have been going smoothly. Aren’t we glad it’s that time of the week again? Time for me to bring you another edition of the Weekly Music Spotlight to add some spice to your days.
This week, I’ve decided to truly test your bravery and take a few wild swings. I’ve gone the extra mile to seek out some stylistically diverse gems beyond our usual fare. As such, this week’s Spotlight is all about dipping our toes into lesser-explored genres and, hopefully, uncovering some new and unexpected favourites for your listening pleasure.
Be sure to follow us on our socials, @Afrocritik, to stay updated on changes and announcements related to the Spotlight. 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 into this week’s selection of uniquely flavoured tracks. We have:
NON-ENGLISH NOUVEAU: It wouldn’t be a journey to different sounds if we didn’t completely change the language we’re working in. Kenyan singer-songwriter, Njoki Karu, released her lovely Folk album, Mwīhoko: Ûtheri wa Ngoro, which blesses the playlist with “Heaven”, “Fall”, and “Hope”.
Cameroonian singer and composer, Ful, also brings forth an album in RRR, and the project gives us the varied offerings of “Easy Easy”, “N’oublie pas”, and “Dans Dos”. We also feature “Everyday” from the Tears on The Dancefloor album by Canadian-Congolese singer, Pierre Kwenders.
SOME UNIQUE FUSIONS: Sometimes, the unique and different can be born from a marriage between familiar elements. These fusions imbibe typical fare with a touch of the extraordinary. Diamond in the rough, Braye, gives us the bouncy title-inspired vibe, “Bossa Nova”, Tayoristar embodies sonic experimentation all over his new EP, I Love You So Much (ILYSM) exemplified by “Hurt”, “You”, and the previously spotlighted “Ada”. Producer and recording artiste, Remy Baggins, dazzles with his Clarity album, which gives us the Phonk-adjacent “Far Away”, the pulsating “Bumpy Ride”, and the Electropop-flavoured “All Night”.
MORE STANDARD FARE: Not all the songs on the spotlight will push the envelope to the same degree. There was still a decent selection of songs more in line with our usual. Magixx of Mavin fame launched his I Dream in Color album that gives us “Sempe”, “Okay”, and “Alchl”, the ever-effervescent Korede Bello’s new two-pack release makes the list in the form of “Tiny Drops” and “Make Me”. Fasina teams up with BeatByWill to give us “Safari”, “What I Can Do” and “Illegal” represent Bims’s Don Pablo project,
SOUTH AFRICAN GEMS: Today’s trip to the south of the continent is a brief one. The focus of this section is the brilliant Gqom work demonstrated by DJ Tira on his Khuphuka project exemplified by the likes of “Baba Wami”, “Shiwowo” and the titular “Khuphuka”. “U” is another groovy Gqom track courtesy of Surreal Sessions.
However, there’s still some straightforward Amapiano in the form of Sobzeen’s “Kunzima” and TitoM’s “Hamba Dgedwa”.
As always, this is just a glimpse of the musical wonders awaiting you in our playlist. Take a chance on exploring the albums and artistes mentioned—you might just uncover some personal gems of your own. And if you’re a budding musician with a sound worth sharing, don’t hesitate to reach out to us to learn how to get your songs considered for the Spotlight.
As I sign off, fully embrace the music and let it embrace you. Hopefully, you’ll create memories, discover new places, and vibe as hard as you can to the tracks on this list. Enjoy the journey, and have a fantastic week filled 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.