It seems everyday I am introduced to great young new global African artists who are bringing the world a new universal sound of Africa. The new sound of Africa is rock, the new sound of Africa is funk, the new sound of Africa is blues, the new sound of Africa is pop, the new sound of Africa is soul, the new sound of Africa is house, the new sound of Africa is Afro Beat, the new sound of Africa is Jazz, the new sound of Africa is authentically African. A sound that represents the heart, soul, heritage & up bringing of the new faces of global African artists who will become the new era British invasion on the world music scene.
African artists from the UK like Seal, Sade , Yaaba Funk & Shingai Shoniwa of the Noisettes along with their equally taking over the global charts American counterparts like Somi,Wale & Mr. Mama Africa Akon have been setting the world music scene on fire & paving the way for the new global African sound that is erupting & will be sure to attain its full rise in 2011. Africa is the root of world music & these young Africans are bringing it back home. Check out Gamu Nhengu, Kobi Onyame,Tawiah & Asa.
“UK based Zimbabwean born singer, Gamu Nhengu has reportedly been signed by 50 Cent on his new recording label, G-Note Records. Gamu Nhengu was controversially dropped from the X-factor competition last year. Also, last year, her family also faced being deported to their native country after the UK home office refused their visa renewal application on administrative grounds…”READ MORE
“Born on the 3rd of July 1982 in Accra, Ghana, Kobi Onyame (born Kwame Barfour-Osei) moved to England at the tender age of 1. At the age of 7 he relocated with his family to Ghana. During his early years he drew musical inspiration from the likes of Lords of the Underground, Naughty by Nature, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Kris Kross. Till this day, he says these groups influenced him with their musical style, image, lyrical content and beats. His other musical influences include Jay-Z, Notorious BIG, Common, Kanye West, Panji Anoff, Kwaku T and Talib Kweli…” READ MORE
Born in Battersea to Ghanaian parents, Tawiah’s soulful rock melodies with gospel inflections compliment her quirky rainbow child punk rock fashion style that is very much her own. One can clearly hear & see the culmination in adaption of her personal influences which she touts as Kim Burrell, Björk, Radiohead, Erykah Badu & Ella Fitzgerald as her musical favorites & Vivenne Westwood as her fashion favorite. Tawiah comes to us from the Brit School peforming academy in London,which boasts recent success stories like Amy Winehouse, Adele & Leona Lewis. Tawiah’s short resume in music is impressive as she has rocked the stage singing backup for Corinne Bailey Rae & touring with uber producer Mark Ronson’s band. Taiwah recently inked a deal with Warner Music Group & is ready to take the world by storm as yet another child of the Black Star nation who will meet a meteoric rise to fame!
“This purveyor of ‘twisted soul’ is blessed with a voice bigger than God and the kind of self-confidence only three years at the Brit School can give you, says Paul Lester..She looks like a nu-rave Rasta libertine, talks like she received instruction at the Fagin School of Enunciation for Girls, sings like Gabriel’s trumpet carrying the Good News and walks like a woman who knows her time is now..” READ MORE
“THE STORY OF ASA (PRONOUNCED ASHA) BEGINS IN LAGOS, NIGERIA….where she found a home in her father’s extensive and eclectic collection of records from soul classics to traditional Nigerian music. Starting to sing at a young age, Asa was inspired by the sounds and messages of artists such as Marvin Gaye, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey who served as touchstones when she later began crafting her own songs. It wasn’t until she was studying in Paris that she truly formed her musical style, immersing herself in the songs of her musical contemporaries — Erika Badu, D’Angelo, Rafel Saadiq, Lauryn Hill and Angelique Kidjo. Asa fuses pop, r&b, world, funk, soul and reggae in a debut eponymous album where she sings in both English and Yoruba. Featuring impeccable percussion, a funky Hammond organ and reggae-infused bass, the album has two stand-out tracks: Jailer, a song about “the irony of oppression, the one that operates in everyday life” and Fire In The Mountain. Asa’s album met recognition worldwide and the artist engaged in an extended tour including Europe, North America, Africa and Japan. Asa gained global recognition as a charismatic songstress with a trademark husky voice, unafraid to tackle serious issues with intelligence and confidence. “This Nigerian singer-songwriter might actually be a twenty-first century Bob Marley” — BBC Music….”READ MORE
South Africa’s own DJ Black Coffee AKA Nkosinathi Maphumulo is getting lovers of classic house music to dig deep into its African Roots. DJ Black Coffee has been burning up the airwaves & clubs in Europe & Africa while creeping his way into a north American takeover reminiscent of the genre’s hey day in Chicago & New York a la Frankie Knuckles & Larry Levane . DJ Black Coffee is smashing records & taking names as not only the only DJ to spin 60 hours straight, but he put that extra spin on it for the record books since he lost his left hand in an accident at the age of 13. Black Coffee is exactly the lift that the global house music scene needed to get back on that high -that lovely spiritual feel good Juju that comes deeply roasted & flavorfully Black!
Pay close attention to the global sound of my Harlem sistren & a special African Lady who goes by one name -Somi.
“A true multicultural woman, Somi was born in Illinois to immigrants from Rwanda and Uganda, then spent her early childhood in Zambia. The African cultural legacy, always crucial to her sound, is as vital as ever in her current music, which Somi likes to call New African Soul. But so too is the music she heard upon relocating to New York, with American jazz singers like Nina Simone and Sarah Vaughan as essential to her artistic development as the legendary African female voices of Miriam Makeba, Cesaria Evora and Sade…”Read More
ALL HAIL AFRICA …AFRICA STAND UP- RISE!