After a fourth-quarter 2k11 spent touring Europe and playing shows in his native Ghana, Blitz The Ambassador is back on American soil. This black-and-white clip catches up with the native sun at Chicago’s The Shrine where he speaks on the spiritual vibe of the iconic venue. Chi-town: catch round two of Blitz at The Shrine 3/24. Video by Cam Be and Jamaar J.
For our top 11 LPs of 2011 we opted to stick to works we featured on Okayafrica in the past 12 months. We scraped up some new works, some re-issues, and a fair amount of rare compilations. Browse our top albums (and one EP) of 2011 below and check out our top music videos, songs, and side-eye moments of the year!
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Fela Soul: Fela Kuti x De La Soul
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Bambara Mystic Soul: The Raw Sound Of Burkina Faso 1974-1979
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The FOKN DunaQuest in Budapest
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Danger [Re-Issue]
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Tassili
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From Africa With Fury: Rise
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Assimilations
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Give The Beggar A Chance/Dawn of Awareness [Re-Issues]
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BLNRB: Welcome To The Madhouse
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Native Sun
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Put Some Red On It
It’s been a great freshman year for us at Okayafrica. To culminate it, we’re highlighting our choice content from the past 12 months. Browse our top 11 music videos of 2011 below and stay tuned for top 11 LPs, songs, and side-eyes lists!
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Art Melody “L’ébène Est Dans Le Noir”
Montage by Guib.
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Nneka “My Home”
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Just A Band “Kichwateli”
Directed by Bobb Muchiri for BLNRB.
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Tinariwen & TV On The Radio “Tenere Taqqim Tossam”
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Spoek Mathambo “Control”
Directed by Pieter Hugo & Michael Cleary.
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Blitz The Ambassador “Native Sun”
Directed by Blitz the Ambassador & Terence Nance.
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Lexxus Legal ft. Leslyman “Fauchés”
Directed by Ronnie Kabuika
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Buraka Som Sistema “Hangover (BaBaBa)”
Directed by João Pedro Moreira & Carlos Afonso.
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Mo Kolours “Biddies”
Directed by Stefan Asanovic.
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Die Antwoord “Fok Julle Naaiers”
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Ruffest “Siyabenzela”
Directed by Jasyn Howes.
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Okayplayer points to this new interview clip from our boy Blitz the Ambassador, in which he ”reflects on his beginnings in hip-hop and its story-telling legacy based in West African tradition… and speak[s] about the relationship between African and American hip-hop.” You also get some live footage from a recent Chi-town show. Watch it above!
Our boy Blitz The Ambassador has been traveling around Ghana on MoCADA‘s The Journey Home — a ten day tour of the West African nation’s historic arts and cultural sights. As part of the visit, Blitz will be playing a special concert in Accra on Oct. 15 at the Allianse Francaise with French/Cameroonian sister duo Les Nubians and VIP. Watch a clip of Blitz and the crew soaking in the vibes of Accra city above. And get acquainted with the local sounds of VIP on this hip-life toting “Akwaaba (Remix)” below. Ghanaians, don’t miss out on this show!
This Saturday September 24th, the Afrotainment and Museke Inc. Online African Music Awards will take place at Afrotainment’s New York studios. Don’t sweat it if you’re not in New York City because the awards show will be broadcast live on the Afrotainment channels 751 and 667 on the Dish Network in the US and online Here and Here.
Musicians performing at the show inlclude: Rwandan-born Iyadede, Viviane Ndour of Senegal, Ghana’s own highly acclaimed wordsmith Blitz the Ambassador, Afropean sisters Les Nubians and the increasingly popular Congolese star Fally Ipupa.
African music superstar from Benin, Angelique Kidjo, will receive a Lifetime Achievement award for being a role model and inspiration for African musicians everywhere.
These live performances are sure to rock NYC.
Fresh off a major European tour and not long after a performance at Lincoln Center’s Live from the Continent concert with Spoek Mathambo and Iyadede, Ghanaian son Blitz the Ambassador is dusting off the suitcases again and embarking on a North American tour. The dates will see Blitz travel through most of the American Midwest, hitting spots like alma mater Kent State in promotion of his Native Sun LP. The trip will end with Blitz’ first show in his native Ghana as part of MoCADA’s Journey Home. Watch his Midwest tour preview video above and make sure to catch him at one of the dates below!
9/14 – Kent, OH
9/15 – Detroit, MI
9/16 – Madison, WI
9/17- Chicago, IL
9/18- Milwaukee, WI
9/19 – Ames, IA
9/20 – Minneapolis, MN
9/21 – Iowa City, IA
9/22 – St. Louis, MO
9/25 – Pittsburgh, PA
9/26- Lexington, KY
10/15- Accra, GHANA
MoCADA, the Museum Of Contemporary African Diasporan Art located in Brooklyn has announced that The Journey Home, a ten day tour of Ghana’s historic arts and cultural sights is officially open for registration. The trip will take place from October 12 to October 23, 2011, and is an opportunity for museum supporters, artists and community members to spend ten days in the Ghanaian cities of Accra and Cape Coast. The itinerary looks pretty jam-packed and includes a concert with Blitz the Ambassador & Special Guests. Check out this brilliant video they put together to support the tour.
New Yorkers: this Sunday get a whole lotta’ new Africa at Lincoln Center Out of Doors (go Bill! go Bill! go Bill!) FREE with some of our personal faves Spoek Mathambo (South Africa) and DJ Boima (US/Sierra Leone) along with the ever-tastic Blitz the Ambassador (Ghana), Iyadede (Rwanda), and the Ahficionados (US).
Deets:
Live From the Continent
Sun, Aug 7 at 7:30
Damrosch Park Bandshell at Lincoln Center
Video: Blitz the Ambassador ‘The Voice of the Native Son’ Interview Pt. 2
“Hip-hop music is part of a long fabric of African music” pretty much sums up Blitz the Ambassador‘s approach to this whole rap thing. The statement is one of several gems he drops in this second interview/live show video (see the first) following Blitz and The Mighty Embassy Ensemble‘s stay at the World Music Festival in Chicago. Watch the full interview with performances of “Accra Blues” and “Best I Can” above. Clip by Jamaar J, Cam Be and Jeff Baraka.