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Sarkodie talks on Asakaa Drill and more on Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio

This Week’s Episode Features a Conversation With Sarkodie, the 5 Hottest Tracks of the Week, Africa Rising and LootLove’s Favourite Track of the Week!
Tune in to Africa Now Radio With LootLove This Sunday, August 1st at 2p Lagos/London / 3p Johannesburg/Paris / 6a LA / 9a NYC on Apple Music 1 and broadcast on Cool FM in Nigeria every Sunday at 6pm.
Cover Star Interview
Prolific Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie joins LootLove via FaceTime on Apple Music 1 to talk about his latest track, “Non Living Thing (feat. Oxlade).” He also discusses his new album, No Pressure, working with artists like Cassper Nyovest and US rapper Vic Mensa, how he promotes Ghanaian artists in London and abroad, and what excites him about the next generation of African talent.
The Big 5
LootLove shares the 5 hottest new African tracks of the moment. This week’s selection includes new tracks from Fireboy DML, Ayra Starr, Djodje, Deejay Telio & Julinho Ksd, Dlala Thukzin feat. Zaba, and Victor AD feat. Mr Eazi.
Africa Rising
South African R&B singer-songwriter NVMI is the latest artist featured from the Africa Rising playlist, a campaign which shines a light on the next generation of African superstars, and this week’s show features his singles “summer days” and “what u need (feat. The Woodź),” from his EP, Let Me In. Listen HERE.
Loot Loves
Each week, LootLove chooses her favourite track, taken from one of Apple Music’s African playlists. This week she shines a spotlight on South African R&B singers Adrienne Foo & Phiwo and their single “777,” from Apple Music’s Mood playlist. Listen HERE (and find a roundup of all LootLove’s selections on Apple Music’s new LootLoves playlist, HERE).
Tune in and listen to the full episode this Sunday, August 1st at 2p Lagos/London / 3p Johannesburg/Paris / 6a LA / 9a NYC on Apple Music 1 at apple.co/_AfricaNow or on Cool FM in Nigeria every Sunday at 6pm.
Sarkodie on why the album title is ‘No Pressure’
Yes, exactly what the title says, ‘No Pressure.’ Literally, no pressure. I’ve been doing this, as you said over 10 years. And it’s very difficult, especially for a rapper in Africa, to be able to keep it for that long. So I think I’ve gained a right to be able to believe and trust myself and trust the process and the pace that I go, because I feel like a lot of people rush to impress so quick that you put out everything that you got and now you have nothing left to show the people.
Sarkodie on emerging sounds in Ghana like Asakaa Drill
Ghana is in a right space now. Every generation takes it to the next level. So these new guys are going to do way bigger than what everybody has done, and that’s what’s going to happen generation after generation because they’re looking at what we did and looking at the flaws and they’re going to better it, especially for the Kumerica movement. That’s a representation of Ghanaian hip hop at this point and people love it. People in the UK vibe to it. I’ve been here a few occasions and when they played the Kumerica sound, you can see how people really love it.
Sarkodie on how Oxlade manifested collaborating with him on “Non Living Thing”
The spiritual thing about the song is Oxlade apparently had recorded a song for me even before meeting me as Sarkodie. So him as a young artist wrote the song, thinking this song is for Sarkodie. Yeah. So long ago, apparently he was like in a DM trying to hit me up about, “Bro, I have a song. I have a song.” So now, when we met it’s like, this is a song that I wrote for you. So it was very, very… It’s a moment for me, very spiritual.
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Dreamville/Interscope Records Exec Produce “CREED III” Soundtrack — “Ma Boy” by J.I.D & Lute Out Now

People & Lifestyle
Ghetto Gastro’s debut podcast, In The Cut by Audible Originals is Out Now

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Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio with Dadaboy Ehiz this Friday with Pheelz

This Week’s Episode Features a Conversation With Pheelz, the 5 Hottest Tracks of the Week, Africa Rising and Dadaboy Ehiz’s Favourite Track of the Week! (more…)
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These are the emerging artists to watch in 2023, according to Spotify

Few things are quite as exciting as discovering new talent to listen to on repeat, add to your favourite playlists and lean on for emotional support over the course of the year.
For fans of African music on Spotify, 2023 promises another roll-call of amazing artists, ready to break through to fame and mainstream streaming success.
If anything, African music has consistently unfurled waves of new, fresh talent every year who have propelled the global interest in Afrobeats, Amapiano and its many other sub-genres. 2022 was a breakout year for artists like Buju, Costa Titch and Asake, whose success propelled them into Wrapped top lists at the end of 2022.
And while those talents took their voices to the main stage, a slew of rising stars was also laying the groundwork for their own breakout year. Some of these musicians are primed to release their best music in the coming months. Others have enjoyed early success on Spotify, and show many indications of even greater success on the horizon. Others are relatively new elements, developing new takes on familiar sounds that harken towards major shifts in popular music.
Hailing from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda with a wide array of styles, cultures and perspectives, these artists are, according to Spotify data, the ones to watch in 2023.
As Asakaa drill music picked up in Ghana, Reggie’s banging anthem Geng Geng was leading the charge as a favourite among music lovers. Built on shared experiences and a collective sense of solidarity, Reggie’s music is usually built around brotherhood and growing in the second largest city in Ghana – Kumasi
With a handful of guest verses and a 2021 release titled Limelight, Melissa is one of the most interesting newcomers in music. This Ghanian’s verses portray a gifted pen at work, and her silky voice has been employed navigating a range of sounds from jazz, reggaeton, R&B to Afropop influences. 2023 should give us more Mellissa music.
This multi talented musician is one who has proven indeed audience sharing and collaboration is one of the best ways to break through in the music scene. He registered his first song Goldigga by collaborating with Black Sherif. SAMSNEY used this song to showcase his musical prowess as an artist to look out for in 2023.
Snypa has a knack for identifying, and stringing together artists for the best collaborations. For instance, he assembled Kwesi Arthur, Ms Banks for the highly infectious Gbedu which became an instant hit when it was released.
Ghanian drill rapper Beeztrap KOTM is fairly new on the scene but he proved his mettle with his hit track Radio, featuring Reggie which took 2022 by storm. The success of that track, and others like Cinderella and Distance Relationship will see him become a firm favourite on 2023 playlists.
Below is the list of other emerging artists on the continent.
SOUTH AFRICAN EMERGING ARTISTS | KENYAN, TANZANIAN & UGANDAN EMERGING ARTISTS | NIGERIAN EMERGING ARTISTS |
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Emo-Afrobeats Act OGC Explores Victory, Growth, And Success On New Single “Blessed Boy” Featuring Odumodublvck

Rising Nigerian Emo-Afrobeats star OGC is thrilled to share latest single, “Blessed Boy,” following the enormous success of his debut EP, “Epiphany,” which debuted on Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums Worldwide. The song is the lead single off his next album, “The Maraji Experience.”
Download and Stream “Blessed Boy” https://song.link/blessed-boy
As they take us on a journey of their ascent to the top of the industry against all obstacles, the Grey Beatz-produced song stars NATIVE Records frontline sensation Odumodublvck. Odudomoblvck provides a glimpse of what his victorious return to the oil city of Port Harcourt might entail. Both musicians use their past to demonstrate to the audience that it hasn’t been a smooth ride. The track’s flawless soundscape, which is created by the alluring drum and bass beats, gives it even more vitality.
Speaking about the single, OGC said: “After the success of my debut EP ‘Epiphany’ I knew God has a purpose for me and felt like pouring out my emotions in ‘Blessed Boy’. Also I needed someone who has a similar story to me and who better else than my brother Odumodublvck. He understood the assignment and killed it.”
OGC is getting set to release his forthcoming debut album titled “The Maraji Experience” later this year and it promises to be an exciting project.
CONNECT WITH OGC:
Instagram – Twitter – Apple Music – Spotify
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D Jay shares tender new song ‘Morning Stress’

D Jay gets the year off to a tender start with his new song ‘Morning Stress.’ Stream or download ‘Morning Stress’ across all major digital platforms here: https://empawaafrica.lnk.to/DJayMorningStress
After months of lodging on some of the continent’s hottest playlists, thanks to his unforgettable 2022 hit ‘Balance It’ – which raked in over 20M streams on Boomplay alone – and later its Mr Eazi-assisted remix, D Jay is ready to deliver his next chart-topping delight: ‘Morning Stress.’
Another love song to put the singer’s feelings into perspective, ‘Morning Stress’ is an instant Afrobeat charmer, driven by a steady flow of drum loops that pave the way for D Jay’s supple intonations – one that he seeks to woo his love interest with, singing: “Baby girl, come caress me oh, caress me/Free up my mind, oh”.
Announcing ‘Morning Stress’ as his next release on Twitter two days before Christmas Day, D Jay’s new song could be well underway to become another infectious hit, following in the footsteps of his previous release, ‘Balance It’, seizing the airwaves in the process.
Last year, D Jay was one of Ghana’s breakout stars, dominating social media and the airwaves with his irresistible song ‘Balance It’ – a smooth cut that has to date accumulated over 40M streams on all digital streaming platforms.
CONNECT WITH D JAY
Instagram: onlydjayy
Twitter: @onlydjay
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