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Samini declares he’s the boss on new album, ‘CEO’

Ghana’s award winning music superstar, Samini has made a strong statement with his 4th album titled ‘CEO’.  He launched the album over the weekend with a listening session at the Golden Tulip Hotel followed by an album signing and retail tour across Osu Oxford Street, Melcom Plus shopping centre, Legon and the Accra Mall. The […]

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STP85698Ghana’s award winning music superstar, Samini has made a strong statement with his 4th album titled ‘CEO’.  He launched the album over the weekend with a listening session at the Golden Tulip Hotel followed by an album signing and retail tour across Osu Oxford Street, Melcom Plus shopping centre, Legon and the Accra Mall. The launch was closed with an after party at Aphrodisiac Nightclub, and at each stop, fans had the chance to interact with Samini.

After three successful albums back to back and several local and international awards to his name, it leaves very little to the imagination why the reggae/dancehall artist would want to title his album in a manner that suggests that he is the boss of Ghanaian music. On the title track which is in a typical rap battle freestyle tone, Samini gives reasons why he is the CEO, pointing out some flaws in the industry.  On the track, he exclaims that he never flops in his shows unlike some of his counterparts who rush into the studio to record some rhymes and when they get on stage, they have no timing and so resort to miming.

He also pointed out that most of the Ghanaian artists now sound the same due to the over-use of computer synthesizing. He adds that when he is however able to rock live shows, some of his colleagues go about saying that he uses black magic or juju to stay on top. In one of the hooks, Samini remarks “…Tell them I be CEO, that be why I no dey play no CD shows, people travel to see live shows…” With spoken intercessions by none other than Kwaw Kesse, and a chorus that goes like “…I live in space, I am a star, you try to hate, you no go go far..”, the track ‘CEO’ will certainly be causing some controversies on the airwaves although the song may never get a commercial release.

On the subject of controversies, Samini may have cleared rumours in certain quarters that he isn’t on good terms with fellow artist, Sonnie Balli due to the striking similarities in their music styles. The two appear on ‘Still Burning’, the second cut on the album. There are other exciting collaborations on the album as well, including ‘Free’ featuring Obrafour;  ‘CID’ featuring 2face; ‘Tempo’ featuring Mugeez; ‘Popping’ featuring Paedae; ‘Yensa’ featuring Kwaw Kesse; and a remix to the hit single, ‘Sweet Mistake’ featuring M.I.

The 18-track album also includes the hit songs, ‘Sweet Mistake’ and ‘Trigga’. Samini revealed at his album listening session that he produced the beat on ‘Yensa’ himself,  to prove to the world that he can put to use  what he studied in Sound Engineering, from the UK recently. According to Samini, the next song to be released from the album would be the hot collabo with Mugeez, ‘Tempo’; adding that a music video for the song would be out song.  All songs were written and arranged by Samini with productions by JMJ Asasease, Coldeye, Eugene (UK), and Keywah.STP85717STP85718

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Album Review

Album Review [ALEWA]: SANTROFI Resurrects Ghana’s Classic Highlife with a Bang!

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Fellow Ghanaians, the moment of waiting for classic highlife music is over! (more…)

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Album Review

Alpha P Makes an Impact With His Debut EP- “King of The Wolves”

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Alpha P

The Music Industry in Nigeria is competitive and ever evolving. Between 2018 and 2019, we have witnessed the rise of artistes like Joeboy, Teni, Fireboy DML, Blaqbonez, Rema, Oxlade, Zlatan and the list goes on and on. (more…)

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Youssou N’Dour’s new album, ‘History’ pays homage to great African artists, without losing sight of the future ahead

Youssou N’Dour’s new album meditates on moments from a storied career and pays homage to late great African artists, without losing sight of the future ahead. History (Naïve Records release: May 17, 2019)gives new life to tracks from Babatunde Olatunji’s 1970s records, N’Dour’s own cassettes sold on the streets of Dakar in the 1980s, and a 2019 […]

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Youssou N’Dour’s new album meditates on moments from a storied career and pays homage to late great African artists, without losing sight of the future ahead. History (Naïve Records release: May 17, 2019)gives new life to tracks from Babatunde Olatunji’s 1970s records, N’Dour’s own cassettes sold on the streets of Dakar in the 1980s, and a 2019 hit by Swedish star Mohombi. N’Dour reinvigorates them all with that inimitable voice—and mature musicianship—that makes Youssou N’Dour the undisputed King of African Pop.

Youssou N’Dour’s new album, 'History' pays homage to great African artists, without losing sight of the future ahead
Youssou N’Dour’s new album, ‘History’ pays homage to great African artists, without losing sight of the future ahead

He’s achieved a globe-spanning career, 35 albums, and hits at the top of charts around the world, but N’Dour still sees each project as a chance to explore different directions. 2017’s Seeni Valeur took to new heights the spirited Senegalese mbalax that N’Dour popularized in Senegal and around the world, while Africa Rekk (2016) featured up-to-the-minute Pan-African collaborations with Akon, Fally Ipupa, and producer Spotless, who returns on History.

The new album opens with “Habib Faye,” a moving tribute to the bassist who, as musical director of N’Dour’s band Super Étoile de Dakar, shaped their sound starting in the 1980s. The two giants of mbalax worked on separate projects in recent years, but at Faye’s untimely death in April 2018, N’Dour cancelled shows to be at his funeral. “Habib Faye was my friend, bassist, and music director for almost twenty years.” N’Dour reminisces. “Together we created many songs and played many shows around the world. Naturally, this is the first song I wrote for this album.” It‘s serene, not a lament but a contemplative elegy, a prayer with a mbalax beat and smooth sax by Cameroonian Alain Rodrigue Oyono.

History honors another late legend: Babatunde Olatunji, the Nigerian-American drummer, singer, and social activist whose Drums of Passioninspired the likes of John Coltrane and Carlos Santana. “I wanted people to know about Babatunde, a great Nigerian who had an immense impact on his country,” N’Dour explains. N’Dour returns Olatunji to the spotlight with covers of “My Child” and “Takuta,” co-composed with Prince Ayo Manuel Ajisebutu, that feature Olatunji’s original vocal recordings at the center of new arrangements. N’Dour’s own unmistakable voice carries Olatunji’s songs into the present moment.

N’Dour also digs deep into his own history, with fresh takes on three tracks from across his remarkable career. The first recording of the love song “Salimata” dates to 1989’s Jamm, while “Ay Coono La” appeared on Set in 1990. These were electric times for N’Dour: after 10 years as a star in Senegal at the helm of Super Étoile de Dakar, his work with Peter Gabriel brought him international notice, and his 1989 album The Lion attained global fame. Reimagined for 2019, these tracks have a new energy and lush production that leaves space for the emotional colors of N’Dour’s voice to glow.

With “Birima Remix,” N’Dour places the past and future in harmony. From the album Joko in 2000, “Birima” tells the legend of a Senegalese king. Now N’Dour has recreated the song with a new richness in collaboration with Seinabo Sey, a young Swedish singer with Senegambian roots making waves on the Scandinavian electro-soul scene. Sey’s new lyrics pay tribute to her father’s heritage and the immigrant experience, creating a multilayered exploration of African values and ancestors. N’Dour’s remix of “Hello” by Swedish-Congolese singer Mohombi shows that History is not only about the past: “Hello” swept Mohombi to the final of Sweden’s Melodifestivalen competition in March 2019.

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N’Dour’s new songs make vivid, current stories a part of History. “Confession,” a collaboration with Mike Bangerz (BGRZ), a French beatmaker of Beninese heritage, chronicles the romantic plight of a young emigrant working abroad. On “Macoumba,” N’Dour, BGRZ, and saxophonist Oyono riff on the characters and sounds of Dakar’s streets, where a macoumba is an unlucky gambler. “Tell Me” rounds out the album with a multilingual plea for connection and trust.

Throughout his extraordinary career, Youssou N’Dour has always been moving forward, creating new sounds even when he makes forays into tradition. Now, exploring his own past and the legacy of friends and heroes, N’Dour makes History his own.

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Album Review

Listen UP: Kosi YNot feat. Spicer – Color Me

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Kosi YNot - Color Me Kosi YNot – Color MeKosi YNot – Color Me[/caption] Kosi YNot is a Ghanaian singer, song writer and rapper. (more…)

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Album Review: A journey through Sarkodie's 'Highest'

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sarkodie Highest tracklistEnviably decorated rapper, Sarkodie has released his 5th studio album, christened Highest. It is a collection of 16 songs and three interludes. I embarked on a journey of listening to the album and upon completion, this is the experience I want to share; (more…)

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WATCH: Exclusive listening of Becca’s ‘Unveiling ‘ album, featuring Mr Eazi, Kofi Kinaata, Stonebwoy & more

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Becca UnveilingOn August 18, multiple award-winning Ghanaian singer, Becca will release her album, ‘Unveiling’ to mark her 10 years in the music industry. The album contains 10 tracks carefully selected to represent her anniversary, with 3 bonus tracks that all together define the dynamism of Becca as an artist. (more…)

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