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Angélique Kidjo Explores the Afrobeat Roots of Celia Cruz

"You don't even understand how big salsa is in Africa," the Beninese star mentions in a new interview about her Celia Cruz tribute album.

There's always been a special musical conversation between West Africa and the Caribbean. This newly-released album sees two legends from opposing of the Atlantic ocean come together for a striking marriage of afrobeat and salsa.

The recently released record follows Beninese diva Angélique Kidjo as she pays tribute to one of her lifelong musical idols, Celia Cruz. The album sees Kidjo expertly stripping down, covering and reinterpreting ten songs from Celia's legendary catalog to showcase the vast array of African influences on the salsa classics.

Below we spoke with Kidjo to learn more about her new tribute record, Celia.

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You Need to Hear This Afro-Cuban Funk Jam From Cimafunk

"Me Voy" is inspired by Nigerian afropop and pilón, a traditional Afro-Cuban carnival rhythm.

Cimafunk is a forward-looking Cuban artist who's crash landed on our radar with "Me Voy."

The singer, composer and producer makes music built on a fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms with funk, blues and reggae—musical styles that he says he wishes to reunite because, as Cimafunk mentions, they all have a shared history of slavery and resistance. It's apt that his artist name refers to the Cimarrón people from Panama, enslaved Africans that escaped and lived as outlaws.

Cimafunk is now sharing his latest music video and single for "Me Voy," a jolting dose of energetic guitar riffs and Afro-Cuban percussion. As the artist and his team explain:

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