Lala Shishi :King Monada – Malwedhe
We chanced on an article ” Collapsing “disease” hits Zim, SA “, intrigued we decided to find out what is causing this “disease” and if there is any cure . You might have seen videos from South Africa and Zimbabwe, were people listen to a song , it gets to the chorus and they act like they’ve collapsed/Died. It turned out this collapsing disease is caused by a song titled ” Malwedhe ” by King Monada. Malwedhe is the biggest song in South Africa now. It has gone viral and all over social media you see people doing the #IdibalaDanceChallenge . It has an interesting back story to it, earning a feature on LaLa Shishi
The dance sees fans falling to the ground at the chorus and words: kena le bolwedhe bja go idibala (I have an sickness of collapsing). Malwedhe(which vaguely translates as collapse), addresses a lover that if she leaves him, he will faint. Thus, when the song gets to the hook around the rhythmic chants of “Idibala… Idibala…,” people mimic fainting to practice was the song preaches. ” Malwedhe aka akamo maratong. ( My sickness is rooted in love ralationships or comes from love relationships) . Kena Le Bolwedhe bja go idibala ( I have a sickness of collapsing) Wa nhlala kea idibala ( If you break up with me, i collapse) ” .
This song has set a tone for a break away from the regular gqom/afrohouse vibe that S.A is known for. Its a christmas jam and we cant wait to idibala (collapse) the next time its played.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hoUCH0BOq4
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 :King Monada – Malwedhe
We chanced on an article ” Collapsing “disease” hits Zim, SA “, intrigued we decided to find out what is causing this “disease” and if there is any cure . You might have seen videos from South Africa and Zimbabwe, were people listen to a song , it gets to the chorus and they act like they’ve collapsed/Died. It turned out this collapsing disease is caused by a song titled ” Malwedhe ” by King Monada. Malwedhe is the biggest song in South Africa now. It has gone viral and all over social media you see people doing the #IdibalaDanceChallenge . It has an interesting back story to it, earning a feature on LaLa Shishi
The dance sees fans falling to the ground at the chorus and words: kena le bolwedhe bja go idibala (I have an sickness of collapsing). Malwedhe(which vaguely translates as collapse), addresses a lover that if she leaves him, he will faint. Thus, when the song gets to the hook around the rhythmic chants of “Idibala… Idibala…,” people mimic fainting to practice was the song preaches. ” Malwedhe aka akamo maratong. ( My sickness is rooted in love ralationships or comes from love relationships) . Kena Le Bolwedhe bja go idibala ( I have a sickness of collapsing) Wa nhlala kea idibala ( If you break up with me, i collapse) ” .
This song has set a tone for a break away from the regular gqom/afrohouse vibe that S.A is known for. Its a christmas jam and we cant wait to idibala (collapse) the next time its played.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hoUCH0BOq4
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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Radio Afrodicia (KPFK) Interview
Last week I was invited by a long time supporter of Akwaaba, Nnamdi Moweta, host of the weekly Radio Afrodicia show on KPFK in Los Angeles. This interview is a good roundup of the different music trends and developments I've witnessed this past year throughout Africa,...
Delany Duvall: Light Work EP (free!)
Delany Duvall is an Angolan cat I've been following for a minute. He caught my attention a year ago with his cover of Kanye's song Power, which I wrote about for Fader. Since then, I've seen an incessant flow of remixes and bootlegs, and have been dying to release...
Kossi Ape’son: Gazo Cool Catché
Originally published in the Lungu Lungu column for Fader magazine. Living in Ghana, I am constantly bombarded with references to azonto, the dance craze which has taken over the country in the last year. If it’s not kids spontaneously busting out azonto moves on the...