D-Black Featuring MI Abaga – Champ (Official Video)
by Phil Chard
Ghana’s D-Black and MI Abaga were invited to South Africa by SA Tourism a few months ago to help promote the nation in West Africa. While on the trip the two took the time of out of there schedule to shoot a video for their song Champ. Directed by Nick Campos the video is far from a complicated affair featuring the two rapper reciting their verses in front of a garage filed with two luxury super cars while taking occasional break to recite the verses inside the car.
#SubmissionSunday | Ko-Jo Cue – N.A.A (No Azontos Allowed)
by Phil Chard
Ko-Jo Cue is tired of being misunderstood, ignored under appreciated. On his new Trino produced song titled No Azontos Allowed, Young Daddy Lumba takes aim at fake friends, struggle rappers and those that don't recognise his talent..
E.L – Portay Dey Be Featuring Cabum & Edem (Official Music Video)
by Phil Chard
E.L., Cabum and Edem take us back to the late 90s on the BAR’s latest video for Portay Dey Be. The Pascal Aka is an ode to the high budget, pastel colour themed videos of Hype Williams and Director X that dominated the turn on the century.
On the song E.L pays homage to The Notorious B.I.G borrowing the flow made famous by the Brooklyn MC on Victory. Cabum opts to adopt an early Busta Rhymes flow circa his E.L.E album. Edem adopts a flow very similar to that of Method Man.
I have always felt that E.L makes a better rapper than the pop act he usually morphs into for his albums. His recent releases that are leading up to the release of BAR III have been nothing short of stellar.
We spoke to the SA-based Ghanaian artist C-Tea about his new EP
by Sabelo Mkhabela
C-Tea, a producer and vocalist from Ghana is on the come-up. He has songs by the likes of Sarkodie, Bolo J and Davido bearing his production credits. The man also recorded and mixed most of the Swazi rapper 80 Script’s EP You Do The Dishes (read our review here). C-Tea moved to South Africa in 2012, and recently released an EP called I’m Alive which caught our attention. We threw a few questions his way.
Interview done by Themebelani Gina
Who is C-tea?
My name is Jonathan Takyi Mensah aka C-Tea. I am a young afro pop singer and producer. Humble and I love God. I grew up in Agona Swedru in the central part of Ghana.
Tell us how you got or came up with the name C-Tea?
In secondary high school back in Ghana, my friends called me Cocoa tea just because I use to make the best Cocoa tea (hot chocolate) in school. I never expected nor loved the name but it stuck, so then I decided to shorten it to C-Tea.
You started off as a producer then branched into a recording artist. What inspired the move?
Growth was a big part of it; I did not want to limit myself to just only one aspect in my career since I had the passion for singing too.
What is the biggest challenge for you as a music producer?
My main challenge is the people that I work with. People tend to want the full job done but they don’t like to pay the required amount or the amount that you charge, therefore it is very easy to get ripped off, especially by people who have known you for a long time.
You have worked with Sarkodie, Bolo J and Davido. Are there more big names we should look out for in the near future?
Yes, there are big names but I would rather let that be a surprise for everyone and keep people guessing.
You are a Ghanaian artist based in South Africa, how have you been received by the locals, both fans and other artist?
The reception is good and I need to get myself to the people more to gain more fan base.
Tell us about your EP “I’m Alive”.
This EP basically gives you a clear understanding of who I am as an artist. It is versatile; there is a little bit of something for everyone. The EP came about when I actually started understanding who I am as an individual and what my purpose is. The title says it all, I am now alive and ready for whatever comes my way. I have now decided to be alive in music and not let myself die in my career by things that surround and distract me from being focused. I only understand that perfections will only exist when you constantly practice.
There are a lot of successful self-taught producers. How did going to school help your production?
I got to have more understanding on the little that I already knew and also got a better understanding of the business side when it comes to music. Going to school also got me more informed and made me more technical about things.
Take us through C-Tea’s Song making process?
Start by saying a little prayer, start-making melodies which gives me the idea I am going for while opening a new session. I then lay down the progression I got from the freestyle melody I was going for. I then build the drums, play the ideas that comes in my head and then the arrangement. After arranging, I then start recording the freestyle to get the melodies I am going for or sometime write the song and now find melodies to it. I then head on to record, believing in my heart that it’s good. I then export the raw song and listen over and over again for a couple of days to see what needs to be fixed or added, then I come back to finish to project
#SubmissionSunday | AYAT – BARISUJEY Featuring KIddblack
by Phil Chard
Ayat is a an artists hailing from Medina, Ghana who currently resides in the United States. The rapper just linked up with Kiddblack for the video for his trap themed single BARISUJEY
The AHHB Podcast Featuring Kweiks, Kagwe Mungai & Takura
by Phil Chard
AHHB Podcast V 2
We might be slightly delayed but the African Hip Hop Blog podcast is back with another incredible episode. I can assure you that we are getting pretty damn good at the podcasting thing. This week Phil shares interviews our #FeatureFridays winner Kweiks, who shares details of his career and how he overcome a life threatening accident to pursue his musical dream. He then crosses over to Kenya to hear about the type of music made by Kagwe Mungai and why his mother is happy that he chose to pursue music and finally we hear from Zimbabwe’s Takura who just dropped his 5 track EP Stripped.
We play Riky Tyler’s new remix for Swerve featuring Tshego and Doto from Kweiks as well a brief discussion onto the serious accusations made by Julius Malema against South Africa’s Mabala Noise label. Enjoy !
Sarkodie – Eny3 De3 Ehia Ni Featuring Strongman
by Phil Chard
The Number one Obidi continues to release this music at an impressively consistent rate.. Earlier today Sarkodie linked up with fellow Ghanaian rapper Strongman on Eny3 De3 Ehia Ni - a fast paced Azonto centred song.
Earlier this week Sarkodie also released a dedication to his fans in the form of the Sarkoholics freestyle. A song he recorded after asking his fans to tweet him to get personalised shout outs on the song.
Studio now !!! Wanna drop your names in there 😊😊😊 tweet Now ... Freestyle going down
— KingSark (@sarkodie) August 2, 2016
You Can Now Stream E.L’s ELOM ALbum For Free
by Phil Chard
While E.L preps for the release of BAR III and continues to slay his competition with his new releases, the BBNZ rapper has just uploaded his last album ELOM for free streaming on Soundcloud. If you have not sampled the album then you have no excuses. I personally liked the ELOM but our writer Sabz had a slightly different opinion. Read his review below.
E.L – Body Bags
by Phil Chard
E.L seems hell bent on hammering home the point that his Best African Rapper series is not just some marketing gimmick but a certified fact. With tracks like Kaa Bu Ame. Love God and Talk Don't Bother Me all dropping within the last few weeks has already made a very strong case for his argument. Not content with that E>L just dropped his new release Body Bags and once again it is a lyrical onslaught.
I sat down with E.L last week to talk about his new releases and his plans for BAR III, you can listen to the interview below.
#SubmissionSunday | Kweiks -Doto
by Phil Chard
Kweiks teased the release of his latest single Doto with the release of his #DotoDeyCome freestyle last week and has just dropped the song itself. The song is a hard knocking track produced by Spiky with hard knocking trap drums and horns.
Twitter Review | C-Real – Business Suits & Dress Shoes EP
by Phil Chard
Ghanaian wordsmith C-Real dropped a surprise 5 track EP to mark his birthday on July 16 . We decided to give it a brief review on our twitter account.
Business Suits EP - Curated tweets by AfricanHHB
Sarkodie – MMMP Featuring Edem
by Phil Chard
Sarkodie has displayed an incredible workrate as of late . This month alone, he has released the single and video for Bossy, dropped a diss record (Kanta) and collaborated with Patoranking yesterday a leak of a song that he did with Eva Alordiah also popped up on the interwebs. Now the Ghanaian artist has released his own official single for MMMP ( More Money More Problems. As the title suggest the song speaks on the stresses of success and features fellow Ghanaian Edem.
The Best Of Soundcloud Mixtape Vol. III
by Phil Chard
We are back with another edition of our Best Of Soundcloud mixtape series. As always we have collated some of the best African Hip Hop jams for your listening pleasure. This week we feature music from Cameroon’s TchopDye, Zimbabwe’s Cal_Vin, Rwanda’s Raiza Biza, Kenya’s Benady and many more.
Stonebwoy & Mugeez – We Made It
Witness The Funk – Ncika
Kid Tini – Shay’wei
DexKwasi & Sarkodie – Fine
SlapDee – 10101
Raiza Biza – Bring It On (Demo) Feat. Lukan Raisey
Solve The Problem – Once Was
IFKR – Omi Gbono Feat. Odunsi
Teeklef – Timmy Turner (African Cover)
Gigi LaMayne – Delete Your MF Number Feat. Xtatic
King Lutendo – Lost In July
TTP Presents The Now Or Never Street Remix
Blaklez – Ooh Child
Phyno – E Sure For Me
Xtatic – Jabulani Remix
Benady – Hakuna Matata
JR – 4Four
Epixode – Body Feat. Mr Eazi
Cal_Vin – Izandla Emoyeni Feat Asaph
TchopDye – Passa Passa
VOL III Track List
E.L – Love God (Official Music Video)
by Phil Chard
E.L drops the video for his latest single off BAR III titled Love God. I just interviewed the Elien President (and he failed to mention this surprise release….) and he did confirm that this song is the first official single from the project, he is still undecided if BAR III will be a full album or mixtape. He also hinted at a massive collaboration with a legendary artist. You can get the full interview tomorrow, but for now enjoy the video.
@elrepgh
FimFim – Ohene (Official Video)
by Phil Chard
Ghanaian FimFim just dropped the video for his new single Ohene. At a time when we are beset with stereotypical videos I appreciate the fact that he attempted to tell a story in this video as he depicts a a tale of a number of men who take part in an annual tournament to seek a highly sought after treasure from a group of bandits. In actuality it's a TDK cassette (remembers those?) but still it is entertaining .
@FimFim_GH
FOKN Bois & yoyo tinz Present FOKN Ode To Ghana
by Phil Chard
Ghanaian rap duo FOKN Bois have partnered with yoyo tinz on the 21 track album titled FOKN Ode To Ghana. The album features instrumentals solely produced by Hobo Truffles and are taken from an instrumental album of the same name that was released 2 years ago.
This album will edutain you and hopefully inspire positive action. “Sorry it took us so long…there was traffic and light off and pipe off in Dansoman”
The album is available for free via the FOKN Bois soundcloud and bandcamp pages but they are also accepting donations towards their work via their paypal account (foknbois@gmail.com) or you can choose to pay for it via bandcamp.
E.L’s 2 New Singles May Be Ushering in BAR Season
by Phil Chard
I don't I design, it's just a good habit
Best rapper every year, they know I should have it
If Kings are made I guess a fella should practice
Shook rappers act wild they just look savage
Best rapper every year, they know I should have it
Started from lines to verses to book chapters - Love God
Despite the fact that he is an artist that can play several roles (rappers, singer, producer) I feel E.L strongest facet by along margin is when he raps and does not focus on making a “radio” hit. With the release of BAR III on the horizon it seems the 5 time VGMA winner, E.L is hell bent on silencing his critics.
Earlier in the week E.L dropped Talk Don’t Bother Me (which we featured on our latest mixtape), the song is a well orchestrated track where E.L plays the dual role of himself and his mother as he has a conversation with her about the negative forces that are intent negating his success.
However it is on his latest release Love God where E.L drops a myriad of jaw dropping and impressively complex set of lines
His many talents and award wins aside, I felt that E.L’s project Hip Hop and BAR II were much more impressive offerings than his much delayed follow up album ELOM. If the rest of BAR III is on the level of his latest releases we might all be entering BAR Season.
@elrepgh
The AHHB Podcast Featuring King Dizo, Ghana Rap Beefs & Racial Slurs
by Phil Chard
AHHB Podcast V 2
The AHHB podcast is back once again with another incredible episode filled with news and music from across the continent. This week we play music from Sarkodie and M.anifest as their lyrical back and forth heats up as well as music from Yung Swiss, Truey Donatello, Poe. The podcast also features an interview with our #FeatureFridays winners King Dizo after we discuss Cassper Nyovest’s appearance on Sway In The Morning in the USA.
E.L – Kaa Bu Ame (Official Video)
by Phil Chard
5 time 2016 Ghana Music Awards winner E.L just dropped the video to Kaa Bu Ame. The song’s title is roughly translated to " Don't Mind Them" and as he proclaims on the song "next time you say my name make sure you put some respect on it " . The song is a follow up to his sophomore album ELOM as we all await the release his BAR III.
@elrepgh
Something Special Happened At The Barclays Center
by Phil Chard
Something incredible happened last night in Brooklyn, New York. I truly feel that decades from now what I witnessed with the One Africa Music Festival will be described as a watershed moment in the global takeover that African pop music is about to embark on.
Though it was not the first all African Music event to be held in America (recently we had the All Access Ghana that was held in Washington DC and Sarkodie impressive Apollo Theatre concert) but this was different for a number of reasons. Firstly, according to reports tickets for the event sold so well that the organisers had to create extra seating to accommodate the demand. According to NotJustOk founder Ovie Ofugara who attended the event, he estimated that about 15,000 people were in attendance. From the images that I received from attendees and what I saw via the livestream provided by Tidal I wouldn't argue those numbers.
Estimated crowd attendance for #OneAfricaMusicFest currently set at 15,000. 13,000 tickets sold, 2,000 complimentary. Game-changer.
— Övie (@OvieO) July 23, 2016
The second impressive feat was this event was promoted without a major sponsor. Not one! As Banky W expressed when he called Paul Okoye (not the P Square guy, the CEO of Upfront & Personal Management and Consultancy). That was a brave and bold decision from Mr Okoye. Having facilitated a number of deals and endorsements on the behalf of several notable Nigerian celebrities and events, access to potential sponsors would not have been a difficult task for him.
The only major strategic partnership that the evet seemed to line up was their streaming partnership with Tidal which is how I was able to view the event. By streaming the concert the One Africa Music Festival became one of the first truly global event in African music. The combination of the artists involved performing in in America, coupled with their streaming partner is something completely new to the continent.
Despite its title, the line up for the “One Africa” concert was very Nigerian centred, featuring Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Davido, Flavour, Seun Kuti, Don Jazzy, Timaya, Ayo Jay, Sound Sultan, and Praiz all from Nigeria. Stonebwoy and Efya from Ghana while Diamond Platnumz represented Tanzania. There were the Nigerian American artists Jidenna and Wale on the bill but Wale did not perform for unclear reasons. Essentially this was the Nigerians and friends concert.
The performances and coordination of the event were stellar, outside of a few sound issues that I picked up on the stream. However some of these issues went relatively unnoticed by the attendees that I spoke to who all attested to the incredible energy and atmosphere in the crowd.
The standout performers were Tiwa Savage who gave a masterful live set as she rolled through her hits looking incredibly ravishing and polished before closing out her set by throwing up the Roc to confirm her signing to Jay Z's Roc Nation. Wizkid who was the final act of the night displayed his incredible stage presence as he teased and entertained the crowd while engaging them in between songs. All this was achieved despite not having the support of his full band who could not make the event for unknown reasons. In a high energy moment Wizkid also brought out producer Swizz Beats before they ran through a medley of the Ruff Ryder beat maker’s hits. Throughout his performance Wizzy kept saying that he had too many hits and eventually that proved to be very true as he was forced to skip his last song of the night, ironically it was Final due to time constraints.
Seun Kuti delivered a powerful rendition of his father's 12 minute song Zombies assisted by the full Egypt 80 band. Diamond Platnumz delivered another impressive live set and showed the Barclays Center crowd why he is one of East Africa's most popular artists, all this despite the fact that his trousers kept falling. Jidenna showed off his Nigerian side in a way I have not seen before. Appearing on set with spirit masquerade costume that danced behind him he broke out into dance and impersonations of his father as he kept the crowd hyped, performing songs like Classic Man and his new song Chief Don't Run.
Timaya delivered a high energy set on his own before being joined by Soca star Machel Montano as they performed a number of high energy songs before announcing that a joint album was in the works.
Ultimately all the artists on the bill are some of the best performers in the continent so the quality of their sets remained high as Banky W who played the dual role of host and performer did a stellar job to keep the audience engaged. The only real disappoints were Davido who, despite having a solid repertoire of hit songs once again failed to translate that to the stage as he lip synced most of his set (again). Ayo Jay came out to perform his hit Your Number which was the only song in his performance yet somehow he ran out of breath a number of times.
In summation this was an incredible moment for African Music and the artists involved. Though it was heavily focused on Nigeria and its stars the successes of this night will reverberate across the continent as African stars continue their infiltration of American and European markets. The fact that this event occurred without sponsorship is a true sign of how far the demand for African Pop Music has grown in the diaspora. No longer a genre consumed solely by expatriates it is now reaching new audiences who are more than willing to pay to enjoy the culture. Mr Okoye who clearly has balls made of reinforced steel gambled on himself and the music and won in a big way. The success that was this night was not only limited to the attendees but everyone who streamed it live and saw first hand just how far African Music has gone. This left no doubts that African artists are now ready to expand beyond the continent and the world is ready to receive them.
We have spoken before of how labels are now scrambling to get into Africa, well it seems first world fans are also scrambling to consume the culture and we all saw it take place at the Barclays Centre last night.