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Ami Faku's 'Ubuhle Bakho' Certified Platinum

Ami Faku continues to reach new heights with her debut album 'Imali'.

Ami Faku recently rocked social media with news that "Ubuhle Bakho" has reached platinum status. The star tweeted a glowing image of herself with the framed platinum disc and a caption thanking her followers. "Ubuhle Bakho" is originally dedicated to good men, a positive message in a time when gender-based violence is on the rise during the lockdown. The single raked over one million views on Youtube and also saw a popular jazz remake. This is another milestone in a string of accolades for Imali after it bagged three SAMAs earlier in the year.


Watch: Ami Faku Evokes Visceral Emotions in New Music Video for 'Imali'

The latest news comes on the heels of the recent release of the visceral "Imali" music video featuring Blaq Diamond. Faku's defiant stance visually captures the hardships faced by everyday people in South Africa, particularly by Black people, as the economic landscape favours rich white South Africans.

Faku has made, and continues to make, strong social commentary on the barriers to breaking out in the music industry and so the platinum status of "Ubuhle Bakho" is a welcomed celebration. Living while Black and catching a break is a theme she continuously revisits in her songs, and which also explains her own down to earth demeanour.

Taking to Twitter, she thanked her 70 000 followers and received sweeping emotional responses as a result.

The gold-certified songstress has undeniably gone from success to success since Imali was released. She has dominated international streaming charts and scored the top spot on Deezer as the most streamed South African woman artist. Her upcoming music video with Amanda Black for "Khumbula" is reportedly set to be released at the end of this week.

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Image via Getty

Egypt Expels Dutch Archeologists For "Afrocentric" Exhibit

The North African nation is unimpressed with the group's desire to "falsify history" by exploring the country's influence on Black musicians.

Authorities have banned a team of Dutch archeologists from continuing their excavation activities in the country's abundant Saqqara Necropolis.

On Monday, Holland's National Museum of Antiquities received an email from the head of foreign missions of the Egyptian Antiquities Service stating that the museum's "Kemet: Egypt in Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul & Funk" exhibition is "falsifying history" with it's "Afrocentric" approach. Their punishment? The team, who has been working in Egypt's historical tombs since 1975, will no longer be granted access to the historical burial site.

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Image: YouTube screenshot

Watch: Black Sherif Praises Gob3, FC Barcelona, and More

The Ghanaian superstar recently stopped by our OkayAfrica offices to give us a closer look into what keeps him going.

What a joy it is to find out that Ghana's hottest export at the moment, Black Sherif, is a great guy, too. The "Kwaku the Traveller" songster recently stopped by the OkayAfrica offices to share his desire to travel to beautiful Namibia, the heartbreaking relationship he has with football, as well as a look into how he creates a successful hook.

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Black Sherif, Africa’s Young Bright Black Star

We trail the Ghanaian superstar as he plays his first sold-out show in New York City.

“I leave my art to breathe. I don't apply no pressure,” Black Sherif shares one of his many philosophical principles with me in the OkayAfrica offices. The 21-year-old Ghanaian newcomer has only been professionally releasing music since 2019 but he has already become the youngest singer to win Artist of the Year at the 2023 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards.

He reacts to the news with a boyishly shy grin: “It’s mad.”

Last October, his breakthrough album The Villian I Never Was cemented him as a rising talent to watch. The sonic palette of his debut showcased an eclectic fusion of drill, Afrobeats, reggae, and hip-hop. Critical acclaim abounded, as well as collaborations with the likes of Popcaan and Burna Boy.

For as long as the West has smeared Africa with allegations of archaic laws and culture, Black Sherif has become the young bright Black star of what has been derogatorily referred to as the “dark continent.”

Uniting the Diaspora

Three nights earlier I had the opportunity to witness his electrifying stage presence firsthand. Palladium Times Square, New York City — stop number one of Black Sherif’s headlining tour and a long way from Konongo. Usually, concerts will open with a lesser-known artist from the same label, this one had about 20 acts.

From Nigeria and Ghana to Liberia and New York City, the diaspora united on and off stage. No one quite knew when the main act would arrive but the audience was too pleasantly tipsy to notice how much time had passed. At one point it seemed like the hosts were plucking attendees from the audience to perform — a real communal affair. Still, the crowd became restless waiting for Blacko, whose name they cheered in between pulls of smuggled cigarettes and blunts. When he burst on stage with a raucous performance of “Kwaku the Traveller,” the security guards were too enraptured to catch those health code violations.

Even without the pyrotechnics, Black Sherif commanded the stage with the combined energy of the 20 preceding artists.

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The remains left by “Homo Naledi” informs us of their use of burial grounds, tribal paintings, and more.