Rophnan: My Generation Concert & Major Lazer Mixtape

Rophnan: My Generation Concert & Major Lazer Mixtape

On August 25, Rophnan officially released his album in Addis Abeba. The My Generation concert was a major event attended by thousands – with a queue twice as long outside! The event was much more than a release party, it was the culmination of weeks of sky rocketing buzz around Rophnan, who’s come to embody the hopes of his generation.

Let’s rewind: last February, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigned unexpectedly, in the midst of massive protests across the country. His successor Abiy Ahmed was appointed in April, and since then a wave of hope has been sweeping across the country. Rophnan’s album and EP came out exactly at this time, and has incarnated the aspirations of his generation. The political context, combined with the very nature of the music, pioneering the junction of EDM with Ethiopian instruments and traditions, have propelled Rophnan into exponential growth.

Rophnan has become a symbol, not just for the club scene which he emerged from: his hype has gained the critical mass to push him onto the mainstream stage. His manager points out countless symptoms of this incredible growth: the number of booking requests, which now come in at half a dozen per day – most of which are turned down; Rophnan’s performance in front of 13,000 people on Mezkal Square, or more anecdotally cars blasting Rophnan’s songs even in remote villages.

It’s no surprise to see this music revolution spilling beyond Ethiopia’s borders: Rophnan’s song Get to Work is featured on Major Lazer’s recent Afrobeats mixtape, one of the very few underground songs within a line up of usual suspects: Davido, Tekno, Maphorisa etc – stream it here.

Follow Rophnan on Instagram and Telegram.

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Pen & Paper Album Launched Live in Concert

Pen & Paper Album Launched Live in Concert

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Rophnan: My Generation Concert & Major Lazer Mixtape

On August 25, Rophnan officially released his album in Addis Abeba. The My Generation concert was a major event attended by thousands – with a queue twice as long outside! The event was much more than a release party, it was the culmination of weeks of sky rocketing buzz around Rophnan, who’s come to embody the hopes of his generation.

Let’s rewind: last February, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigned unexpectedly, in the midst of massive protests across the country. His successor Abiy Ahmed was appointed in April, and since then a wave of hope has been sweeping across the country. Rophnan’s album and EP came out exactly at this time, and has incarnated the aspirations of his generation. The political context, combined with the very nature of the music, pioneering the junction of EDM with Ethiopian instruments and traditions, have propelled Rophnan into exponential growth.

Rophnan has become a symbol, not just for the club scene which he emerged from: his hype has gained the critical mass to push him onto the mainstream stage. His manager points out countless symptoms of this incredible growth: the number of booking requests, which now come in at half a dozen per day – most of which are turned down; Rophnan’s performance in front of 13,000 people on Mezkal Square, or more anecdotally cars blasting Rophnan’s songs even in remote villages.

It’s no surprise to see this music revolution spilling beyond Ethiopia’s borders: Rophnan’s song Get to Work is featured on Major Lazer’s recent Afrobeats mixtape, one of the very few underground songs within a line up of usual suspects: Davido, Tekno, Maphorisa etc – stream it here.

Follow Rophnan on Instagram and Telegram.

RELATED

Lala Shishi : Sarkodie – Glory

Lala Shishi : Sarkodie – Glory

Yeah!! Me kai s3 ber3 a mese me ndamfofc s3 mede Ghana b3kc baabi MekaeMadamfo bia y3fr3 no Kwame Boadi Ns3m a mekaa3 no 3mu fa k3se3 Kwame woangye manndi Wose me fa kc gye me din Kwame ny3 ni Just believe and dont you ever give up Wo daya soo no so sene mountain...

Pen & Paper Album Launched Live in Concert

Pen & Paper Album Launched Live in Concert

  Ko-Jo Cue and Lil’Shaker filled the venue at Alliance Francaise this past Saturday, 21st of October. The release concert of their new joint album Pen&Paper drew a huge and hyped crowd, occupying the open air theater to the last seat and rail. Backed by a...

Buzz Meets Biz – first stop: Berlin

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Lala Shishi :2Baba ft Peruzzi – Amaka

Lala Shishi :2Baba ft Peruzzi – Amaka

Music serves two purposes; To entertain and to educate. Some songs can make you dance others can make you think about life. 2Baba’s Amaka song makes you do both at the same time.

2Baba’s internalisation of his struggle with life and using it as fuel for his music makes him deliver songs that don’t only feel timeless, but relatable. 2Baba and Peruzzi lament being stood-up by their prospective lovers. If you have tried online hook-ups before you’d know this happens alot.

 ” I like woman, I dey straight forward. I like truth and I dey rock rumors eh I don’t know wetin you want to do. But make you let me know if you go show up eh Because I don buy diesel, I don buy shayo for yard o. I don call Gaaga, I don call my guys around o I don call my Mama, I tell am say you bam o. I don call everybody, I call everybody”    He made an appointment with a lady he met on Instagram, decided to throw a party for her, but she failed to show up. He talks about the girl coming to his area and seeing other people but failed to pass by his place. 2Baba talks about being straightforward ; he doesn’t like rumors and he made his intentions known to the lady ; he loves her and wants to have a thing with her but she still bailed on him. Hence, the chorus  “Amaka disappoint me, but iyeneke confusion (But there is no confusion) Amaka disappoint me, iyom ke disappointment o (I don’t want disappointment)”. 

This Mid-tempo afropop song is going to a party banger and whiles we dance to it we can still learn a thing or two from the interesting message it carries.

 

Lala Shishi – explain the song, in Ga.

 Every week, we will shed some light on the meaning of current hits in and out of Ghana: many bangers have an underlying message or social commentary, carried out using sophisticated and ever evolving wordplay – an aspect that is vastly lost in translation. The music videos don’t always unlock the true meaning or intricacies of hit songs, and lyrics alone are not always enough to understand the numerous double entendre and wordplays, so… here we go!

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Lala Shishi : Sarkodie – Glory

Lala Shishi : Sarkodie – Glory

Yeah!! Me kai s3 ber3 a mese me ndamfofc s3 mede Ghana b3kc baabi MekaeMadamfo bia y3fr3 no Kwame Boadi Ns3m a mekaa3 no 3mu fa k3se3 Kwame woangye manndi Wose me fa kc gye me din Kwame ny3 ni Just believe and dont you ever give up Wo daya soo no so sene mountain...

Pen & Paper Album Launched Live in Concert

Pen & Paper Album Launched Live in Concert

  Ko-Jo Cue and Lil’Shaker filled the venue at Alliance Francaise this past Saturday, 21st of October. The release concert of their new joint album Pen&Paper drew a huge and hyped crowd, occupying the open air theater to the last seat and rail. Backed by a...

Buzz Meets Biz – first stop: Berlin

Buzz Meets Biz – first stop: Berlin

  Throughout the months of October and November this year, the international workshop program "Buzz Meets Biz" is taking place in Germany, Spain, and Ghana, bringing together young music professionals from the mentioned nations plus the UK. Not only active...

Lala Shishi :2Baba ft Peruzzi – Amaka

Music serves two purposes; To entertain and to educate. Some songs can make you dance others can make you think about life. 2Baba’s Amaka song makes you do both at the same time.

2Baba’s internalisation of his struggle with life and using it as fuel for his music makes him deliver songs that don’t only feel timeless, but relatable. 2Baba and Peruzzi lament being stood-up by their prospective lovers. If you have tried online hook-ups before you’d know this happens alot.

 ” I like woman, I dey straight forward. I like truth and I dey rock rumors eh I don’t know wetin you want to do. But make you let me know if you go show up eh Because I don buy diesel, I don buy shayo for yard o. I don call Gaaga, I don call my guys around o I don call my Mama, I tell am say you bam o. I don call everybody, I call everybody”    He made an appointment with a lady he met on Instagram, decided to throw a party for her, but she failed to show up. He talks about the girl coming to his area and seeing other people but failed to pass by his place. 2Baba talks about being straightforward ; he doesn’t like rumors and he made his intentions known to the lady ; he loves her and wants to have a thing with her but she still bailed on him. Hence, the chorus  “Amaka disappoint me, but iyeneke confusion (But there is no confusion) Amaka disappoint me, iyom ke disappointment o (I don’t want disappointment)”. 

This Mid-tempo afropop song is going to a party banger and whiles we dance to it we can still learn a thing or two from the interesting message it carries.

 

Lala Shishi – explain the song, in Ga.

 Every week, we will shed some light on the meaning of current hits in and out of Ghana: many bangers have an underlying message or social commentary, carried out using sophisticated and ever evolving wordplay – an aspect that is vastly lost in translation. The music videos don’t always unlock the true meaning or intricacies of hit songs, and lyrics alone are not always enough to understand the numerous double entendre and wordplays, so… here we go!

RELATED

Lala Shishi : Sarkodie – Glory

Lala Shishi : Sarkodie – Glory

Yeah!! Me kai s3 ber3 a mese me ndamfofc s3 mede Ghana b3kc baabi MekaeMadamfo bia y3fr3 no Kwame Boadi Ns3m a mekaa3 no 3mu fa k3se3 Kwame woangye manndi Wose me fa kc gye me din Kwame ny3 ni Just believe and dont you ever give up Wo daya soo no so sene mountain...

Pen & Paper Album Launched Live in Concert

Pen & Paper Album Launched Live in Concert

  Ko-Jo Cue and Lil’Shaker filled the venue at Alliance Francaise this past Saturday, 21st of October. The release concert of their new joint album Pen&Paper drew a huge and hyped crowd, occupying the open air theater to the last seat and rail. Backed by a...

Buzz Meets Biz – first stop: Berlin

Buzz Meets Biz – first stop: Berlin

  Throughout the months of October and November this year, the international workshop program "Buzz Meets Biz" is taking place in Germany, Spain, and Ghana, bringing together young music professionals from the mentioned nations plus the UK. Not only active...