African Hip Hop Blog Chart Watch January 30 2017
Words By Phil Chard
The team here at the African Hip Hop Blog are obsessed with numbers and trend analysis. To satiate our desire to figure out where urban and hip hop music is headed on the continent we have decided to start watching the charts and trying to see if we can read the tea leaves and see where consumer behaviour is trending..
We initially began #AHHBChartWatch on Twitter - where we would analyse the iTunes charts from the continent's three major markets ; South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. However we soon realised that daily updates were not necessary because the charts are pretty stagnant. For example the iTunes Nigeria album chart has been frozen for the past week.
For now we will be using Soundcharts to monitor iTunes charts and Myplaydata.com for the Nigerian radio charts. We do have plans to start collating data from Kenya and South Africa with details from other regions to follow soon after that.
SOUTH AFRICA
Singles
The South African charts are the most active charts in the region with a fair amount of churn in the top ten. As of today Monday the 30th of January 2017 - Migos train smash of a hit is number one. The song has been firmly rooted St the number one spot for a week now. The song appears on the list twice (No. 1 and 10). This is because the single version of the song and the album version of the song are now available since the release of Migos new album Culture.
The first local entry on the chart is OKMALUMKOOLKAT at number with the Gqi taken off his highly anticipated solo debut album.
The next and final entry on the chart is AKA with The World Is Yours. Expect the video for that on February 2.
Albums
The album chart is once again dominated by Migos. Okmalumkoolkat is at number 2. Mlazi Milano has been hopping around the top 3 spots daily for the last week peaking at its current position.
Nasty C's Bad Hair Extensions is currently at three. It too has been hopping around the charts. It peaked at number 2 within the last week before falling out of the top 10 completely only to surge up to number 3 on the 25th of January.
Once again the rest of the chart is dominated by American acts. Special mention must go to Drake and J Cole who have had all three if the km their last respective projects floating in and out of the tip ten.
Nigeria
SINGLES
The Nigerian chart is a little more stagnant when compared to the South African. Missy Elliott surged to number one today with her comeback single I'm Better. The only other appearances from African artists are from P-Square with Personally at 5 (released in 2014) and Caro by Starboy, LAX and Wizkid at 7 (released 2013).
Album
As mentioned before the iTunes album chart in Nigeria has been frozen for a week. M.I's Chairman is still number despite it being over 2 years old.
Kenya
Singles
The Kenyan singles chart has been dominated by Americans, particularly Wiz Khalifa. His song See You Again has been at number 1 for a month. Darassa's Muziki has been hopping around the top 3 spots over the last week. With A.Y's Zigo at 7 still holding strong over a year after it was released.
Album
The Kenyan album chart is dominated American albums and catalog albums like 2Pac's and The Notorious B.I.G's Greatest Hits compilations.
Myplaydata
Wizkid's Daddy Yo has jumped to number 1 and is now the biggest song in Nigeria a month after it was first released just before Christmas. Dammy Krane's and Davido's collaboration Izzue comes in at 2 while Runtown's Mad Over You has dropped from number 1 to 3. Tekno's Pana has now spent 27 weeks on the chart and jumped back into the top 5.
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 !
The Best of Kenyan Hip Hop So Far in 2016
by Phil Chard
Much like the rest of the continent that Hip Hop movement on the Eastern Ends of Africa is experiencing a great deal of growth within its various industries and nations. I linked up with Radio host and Blogger MIss Ruby to compile some of our favorite videos from the beginning of the year.
Odinareh Bingwa - Pressure
We featured this song from Odinareh earlier in the year here and we loved the trap feel and delivery from O. This song will be on his Diani – Papa La Kusini mixtape
Khaligraph Jones - Mazishi
Khaligraph is a veteran of the Kenyan scene having made his name known as far back as 2009. However 2016 is already proving to be one of his most successful years to date with appearances on MI's Illegal Music III mixtape, Coke Studio Africa and an East African tour in the works.
Raj - Bwakire / Good Morning
When Kenyan rapper Raj released the repetitive and catchy song Bwakire. I wasn't sold on the song initially until I found myself singing the it involuntarily days later. This song about early worms is a real earworm.
125 Ft Red Acapela - Taabu
Kenyan outfit 125 linked up with the folk music duo Red Acapela on Taabu. The song has an experimental yet refreshing sound that borrows from traditional elements produced by House of Dille
BV Accurate – Kwaheri
Former Cr3w member BV Accurate released the third video off his Day Departure EP titled Kwejeri. The song and EP can be streamed via Soundcloud here
Party Like A Moda (Explicit) - Abbas Kubaff ft Victoria Kimani (Official Video 2016)
Abbas Kubaff has been an institution in the Kenyan Hip Hop scene for a few years now, the outspoken artist linked up with Choc City artist and fellow Kenyan act Victoria Kimani on the aptly titled turn up tune Party Like A Moda.
Nyashinski - Now You Know (
Former member of the iconic Kleptomaniax rap trio Nyashinski returned from his extended sabbatical from Hip Hop and Kenya after moving back form the USA with one of the most impressive songs n this list . The song Now You Know which speaks on the ills of the game has a poignant and beautiful video that displays just how effective simplicity can be.
C2K - KIDERO GRASS FT. KAGWE MUNGAI
Since relocating back to Kenya from South Africa C2K seems to be building solid reputation and following for himself with popular releases like Lupita and his current single Kidero Grass featuring Kagwe Mungai on the song that pokes fun at Evans Kidero's Kidero Grass initiative that wanted residents of Nairobi to plant grass throughout the city in preparation for Barack Obama's' visit.
Kagwe Mungai – Doctor
And Finally we have accomplished producer, singer and rapper Kagwe Nugai (also the artist that inspired this whole piece) and his song Doctor. In my opinion this joint has the potential to be a certified continental smash as Kagwe merges Dancehall , Bongo Flava and Hip Hop.
#SubmissionSunday | Lucid – Lights Went Off
by Phil Chard
Lucid is a 24 year old Kenyan rapper now based in Canada who submitted his dark and introspective single Lights Went Off. Oddly enough this music reminds me a lot of the stuff Buks is currently making.
Kevin Grands – Wish Featuring Superprodusir
by Phil Chard
Kenya’s Kevin Grands switches gears sonically on his new release for Wish which features a chorus from Superprodusir. The song which borrows heavily from 80s pop sounds and influences is a laid back song about a man waiting for the green light from a from a woman “because he can’t read her signs”
@KevinGrands
The AHHB Podcast Featuring E.L, Youngsta, DJ Obi, And Poe
by Phil Chard
The AHHB podcast is back once again with what is undoubtedly our best episode to date, no really I mean it this time.
We have interviews with the world record holding DJ Obi to discuss his gruelling 10 day marathon set, we speak to Youngsta who is currently on tour in Europe having interesting encounters with groupies, we also speak to E.L about his two new singles and his BAR III release and finally we also speak to Poe about his new single I Want You.
In between all these incredible interviews we also have music from Kagwe Mungai and DJ Switch’s massive Now Or Never Remix that features Ginger Trill, Proveb, Proddy Ugly, Zakwe, Blaklez, BigStar Johnson, Pro, Reason, Siya Shezi, Shane Eagle, Kid Tini and Youngsta.
Follow us on Twitter @africanhhb @philchard
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
Submission of The Week | Yours Truly – Afforded Freedom EP
by Phil Chard
We receive a great deal of submissions here at the AHHB. The ones that are not bad enough to make your ears bleed usually make it #SubmissionSunday where we feature all the best music sent in by artists across the continent. However once in awhile we receive a submission so jaw droppingly good that it reminds us of why we love blogging about African Hip Hop. Yours Truly and his Afforded Freedom EP is one of said submissions. The Kenyan poet/rapper who now resides in the USA has released what I consider to be one the best submissions we have ever received. We did a full tweet review of the album on our twitter page.
Yours Tully AF EP - Curated tweets by AfricanHHB
Submission | Hanta The Samurai – Niko Kazini
by Phil Chard
What is a rapper's musical catalog without a "grind hard" anthem? Kenyan rapper Hanta The Samurai has just dropped his version of the "they sleep I grind adage" titled Niko Kazini which means "works hard in Swahili"
Submission |CON_ONE – MansaMusa
by Phil Chard
CON_ONE is a Kenyan born artist who is now based in Riverside, California. The rapper is working with producer Wade Hoggs on a full length album which should be dropping next month. The rapper and producer duo just dropped their new single Mansa Musa which speaks of the ancient Malian ruler who was the richest man to ever walk on earth. The song features song impressive lyrical showmanship as CON_ONE raps about his lofty intentions.
Tipping The Skales: We Take A Look At Bad Recording Deals & Disgruntled Artists
by Mayuyuka
There have been great breakout successes for independent artists all across the world lately. In the States Chance The Rapper hasn't relied on any deals, and in South Africa Cassper Nyovest has built himself an empire with his record label Family Tree.
It's an investment the label makes in an artist, and like any other investment a healthy return is expected
For every great indie success, however, there's a lot more successful artists with label backing. Now what about those successes who we see hit the limelight but are signed to deals which seem aren't in their favour. Once in awhile, the curtain is pulled back and the façade of bottle popping and fresh whips gets put firmly in the spotlight. Well, Skales is a prime example of a major signing gone wrong it seems. Although since resolved; news of his and his managers arrest brought about a slew of documentation online.
The Nigerian allegedly signed a 200 Million Naira deal with the then Howie T and Dipo Abdul-helmed record label Baseline Music. Now if this is all factual, it intrigues me because the deal purportedly included a new car, a lifestyle allowance and a new house (legally, and not mistakenly referred to as property). Now I say that somewhat facetiously but the point of ownership is essential to talk about when we speak of record deals. Along with an artist receiving an advance to record music with the best facilities available to them, all these other perks are considered loans from the record label. It's an investment the label makes in an artist, and like any other investment a healthy return is expected. That means any advances offered to an artists have to be paid back through sales and a cocktail of other revenue streams. Before that debt is settled though... the label has access to any surety it can get. Surety is literally insurance on the prospect of future losses. Put simply, an artist's value is tied to the label for as long as they're contracted to them: until they recoup a return.
Now let us track back a little: A label willing to give an artist an extreme makeover (rapper edition) deluxe package isn't being charitable and is just putting as many eggs into a basket they believe in as they see fit. So it wasn't a surprise to hear that Skale's earnings were reportedly divided in a 70– 30 percentage split in favour of his label.(of course Skales has denied these rumoured percentages to be true, so let us assume that those are splits, or arguments sake.) This agreement applied to income from both his current and any previous deals apparently, meaning he sold off his previous and potential earnings to a corporation. What's most striking is the alleged 10 Million British Pound fee he'd have to pay to buy himself out of the contract.
I'd hazard a guess that the typical 360 Degree Deal is responsible for a lot of artist's unhappiness. In such a deal the label has access to an artist's image rights, copyright, performance fees, syndication fees, royalties, publishing rights and literally any other income the artist earns from. All signed away in exchange for the access and perks the label provides. As preposterous as that sounds, it is somewhat the norm. It sounds harsh on an artist, but when you have access to an allowance, studio facilities, distribution and other perks the price to retrieve your freedom is pretty high! In Nigeria alone there have been a range of artists leaving after being at loggerheads with their labels.
Here's a few of the verifiable accounts we have so far:
Milli just parted ways with Chocolate City apparently due to having his music unsupported by the label and a collaboration with Wizkid shelved. He goes so far as accusing label honcho M.I Abaga of stifling his career! We've seen contractual disputes between D'banj and Don Jazzy tear apart their partnership as well in eerily reminiscent fashion. Meanwhile, Ice Prince has moved on to form his own label, an imprint under Chocolate City, after announcing that his original deal with Choc City had expired two years ago.
What seems very unnatural is the relationship with Runtown and Eric Many Entertainment. His label allegedly breached their contract after failing to pay him his 35% split over a couple of years. He has a sordid tale to reveal which includes broken promises, extortion and death threats! The artist was banned from performing due to an injunction and subsequently terminated the agreement.
And now a run-down of other Nigerian acts who split from their labels, as per Pulse:
This sort of strife for artists isn't only isolated to Nigeria, as in South Africa there are plentiful stories with artists signed to labels such as Ghetto Ruff where popular musicians such as Ishmael and Zola have had varying disputes with label head Lance Stehr. The problem is clearly not limited to individuals either as the issues Zambian outfit Zone Fam have with Kenyan label Taurus Musik proves. Kenyan femcee Xtatic recently had an online outburst aimed at her label: she blames Sony Music Entertainment Africa for allegedly shelving her project even though she met her end of the deal. She goes on to list more East African talents she feels have been exploited in her exasperation, such as Ugandan rapper Keko.
It seems year after year we hear stories of beloved artists passing away broke and the like. And this is where stories like these take my mind. There are whispered tales of composers of indigenous music having their work owned by people with foreign names... and even artists' families inheriting their indebtedness! The vast amount of African legends, in any genre, that have been dealt hands they either were unaware of or misunderstood is extensive. Even if a label sounds like the underdog in relation to mainstream players... every label operates like a label: whether it is indie, an imprint or multi-national. In the relationship between artists and label the word partnership only counts in press releases and is rarely accurate. You are employed by a label to recoup its earnings, and in the meantime anything attached to you they own!
The tales of these artists converge to remind us that the music industry functions on a lot more than just talent, hype or the glitz and glamour us consumers literally buy into. Even talented artists require an understanding of what they seek to achieve. Sometimes being independent is the best way and other times a label provides much needed structure, distribution and reach. All this, however, should be negotiated. When signing to a label not every right needs to be cashed in! Without keeping some form of musical ownership... great strides such as the quotas in Nigeria or the newly enforced 90% local music on South African radio will all be in vain (like only play-listing songs from decades ago). With no publishing or royalties to their names, there'll be very few benefits for the talented folk who entertain us!
We've spoken about having a great team around you in a musical sense before. But an artists squad goals should include certified managers, publicists, accountants and more especially lawyers. We need people to turn up with, but we also need people to turn up... when we're signing on the dotted line!
“I see too many rappers, and not Enough CEOs”- Cassper Nyovest (Skelm)
Odinareh Bingwa- Pressure Official Video
by Mayuyuka
Kenya seems to be making strides in building it’s Hip-Hop presence in Africa and if Odinareh Bingwa’s latest visual for Pressure is anything to go by, they are definitely on to something.
Odinareh is an urban rapper from the south coast of Kenya, Diani. Pressure is the first single off his forthcoming Diani - Papa La Kusini mixtape to tide people over before he drops his Mwana Haramu album. The release date is yet to be announced. Rather than write a young book about the track I’ll the track speak for itself. This one definitely makes it on my #MusicToDabTo playlist. The Swahili-English bars show that music is a universal language and will have you nodding your head to the flow.
The AHHB Podcast Featuring Kid X, Mr. Beef & BK
by Phil Chard
The African Hip Hop Blog podcast returns with another incredibly entertaining episode lined up with news, interviews and music for the AHHB faithful. This week Phil plays music from Cassper Nyovest, Stanley Enow, C-Real, Boolz & Ricky Rick. He also digs into the vast AHHB vault and plays interviews with Kid X, Mr. Beef and BKAHHB Podcast V 2
Kid X speaks to us about his SAMA nominated mixtape ¾ Pace, Mr. Beef shares a brief introduction into his history and release plans, while BK who was recently signed by Sony Music tell us about her long and storied relationship with the music industry. The rapper/vocalist/producer also shares her plans for her mixtape, EP and eventual album release.
Major shout out to Ts’eliso Monaheng (Nemesis Republik) who can be heard as the second interviewer during the BK interviewer, Ts’eliso has assisted countless times with gathering AHHB content.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @pbafrica & @philchard