Junior Freeman & African Soldier – “Damyarea” (area song) by Akwaaba Music

Today Liberians vote for their next president. Just four days after the Nobel Foundation decided to let the world – and in particular Liberians – know how much they like Ma Ellen. We prefer sharing with the world a song that has been the soundtrack of an entire summer in Liberia – although summer there is the rainy season, which feels much more like winter. But meteorology aside, the “area song” has been an unavoidable sonic leitmotiv in all corners of Liberia. And we feel today’s a pretty OK day to share it: it’s also a sneak peak for our hipco and gbema compilation coming out… next week!!!!

We are excited to welcome Batida back on our pages, and even more excited to release this great little EP with them, in celebration of the founding of the African Union in 1963. Before we tell you the story behind this EP, we do want to stress that this free EP will only be available to download for a week! After that… moving on to other things.

The idea was to celebrate the 25th of May,  Africa Day with a musical tribute to one of the  (if not the) most emblematic figure of Africa: the woman, the mother, with her baby (and others) on her back, carrying and selling goods, finding a way to bring food to the table by the end of the day.

It all started with “Rap-Semba”, which Mpula of Batida produced in Luanda in 2010, where you can hear this chorus:  “Can of Water on her head… There goes Maria… There goes Maria…”
Mpula then challenged some of his favorite MCs, to build a poem on this figure that could be: Africa the continent, the African mother or even their own mothers, on a social or more emotional approach. The structure and instrumental are always the same but they brought their own life to each version.

1 – Karlon (aka Kota K)
He makes part of the history of the hip hop movement in Portugal, embracing the 4 elements, known as the founder of Nigga Poison, the most respected Afro Rap band in Portugal. On his version he talks about the generosity of women in his life and also in his hood, mostly immigrants from Cape Verde, taking care of the children, working and keeping their homes together.

2 – Izé Teixeira
Izé is mostly known for his groups Mc Malcriado and Neg Marrons. He has just released his new solo album called “Urb Africa”, where you find his condition divided between traditional Cape Verdian music with new Urban trends. In his version he talks about the “Mother Crioula”, that travels in search for a better life for her family. Again, a bit of a common story in Cape Verde and the rest of Africa, with his own.

3 – Ikonoklasta
The most activist rapper in Angola these days. He started as a radio dj in Luanda, was involved in groups like the Conjunto Ngonguenha, is a nuclear Fazuma element and now the most regular Batida Mc. On his lyrics he talks about his own life and the past and present of Africa.

We’ve received a few messages from remixers asking for a bit more time to finish their work. Based on what we’ve heard so far, we have no reason to want to stymie their talent, and our past remix contest have run on African time anyway… so you got yourself an extra couple of weeks to finish up, DEADLINE: MARCH 15. Meanwhile, here are some of the top submissions we received:

Ruff N Smooth – Azingele (Daniel Klauser remix) by klwzer
Ruff n Smooth – Azingele (BitRedux Remix) by BitRedux 2
Ruff-N-Smooth – Azingele (Dance Kill Move Remix) by dancekillmove

And even a dubstep remix… Azingele (th0r Ruff Remix) by th0rmusic

And of course the original track and downloadable acapella:
Azingele Remix Contest by Akwaaba Music

Last Fall in Berlin, Akwaaba Music’ Benjamin Lebrave moderated a panel for All2GetherNow / PopKomm in Berlin. The panel looked into the specifics and opportunities in the business of music, in Africa. Joining him were Penya Africa‘s director and head producer Robert “Wawesh” Wawero. Based in Nairobi, Robert is responsible for albums by Kenyan heavyweights such as Sauti Sol, Muthoni the Drummer Queen, Dela and of course Just A Band. Also on the panel was Cynthia Torto, head of events and sponsorships at Vodafone Ghana.

From our friends at Bomb Diggy’s website:

By far the baddest, biggest edition of Bomb Diggy will be the Amsterdam Dance Event Special!

a serious line-up will wreck the floor and smash a horny vibe in your face till 05:00 in the morning:

- yes.. a special set with the hottest baile funk tunes by European adopter Daniel Haaksman!
- the live deep and analog hiphoppedy global tech kicks of soundboy Filastine, together with MC Nova from Indonesia!
- BBRAVE from Akwaaba Music with the true African sounds, banging from calypso, hiplife, kuduro and back to Ghanian roots!
- Raving bassline and no-mercy bouncers from the one and only AC Slater!
- the brothers from Lisbon with their soca fueled bashment and kuduro influenced afro-electro: Octa Push!
- supported by the deep dubstep sounds from new kid on the block Tommy Tequila!
- and rounded off with the records of residents Mataklap, Makks & Ru-D

IF YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE HOUSE/TECHNO PARTYING AND SEEK OTHER SOUNDS ON THE AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT FESTIVAL:
COME TO THE OT301 ‘CAUSE THAT’S WHERE THE TROPICAL BASS IS GONNA KICK!

stay tuned if you want to win tickets for this night!
NO PRE-SALE!!!! SO DON’T BE TOO LATE!!!!

bye friends!
Bomb Diggy crew

Russ Jones and DJ Cliffy are having BBRAVE share the decks with them at their Saturday party Future World Funk, at the Notting Hill Arts Club. Tell your peeps, these guys play some serious, serious stuff, just have a quick listen at their respective myspace pages and enyoy, very nice cumbia, 70s Brazilian funk, and of course a dash of soukous and highlife with BBRAVE in there…

We’ve been eying Secousse for a while now… Radioclit, Vamanos, AJ Holmes and always dope guests, first Friday of every month, and this time BBRAVE joins the line-up, which until now has remained quite mysterious… perhaps having to do with the fact that the Radioclit boys are quite busy with the recent release of their Very Best album with Esau Mwamwaya

This just in! BBRAVE met some dancehall heads in Berlin, who wanted to see how his hiplife sounds fare at their caribbean weekly, Calabash @ ACUD. If you want to check it out, we can get you in for free, just hit us up, contact at akwaabamusic dot com. Or go to the facebook events page, and while you´re at it, join our facebook page!