News Brief

Antoinette Isama

Nov. 27, 2018 10:03AM EST

The First Official Trailer for 'Knock Out Blessing' Is Here

The highly anticipated follow-up from Nigerian director Dare Olaitan premieres December 28.

Nigerian director Dare Olaitan has dropped the first official trailer following the teaser he sharedin October for his new project, Knock Out Blessing.

The visionary remains consistent bringing us comedy/suspense thriller in the Ojukokorofollow-up, telling the story of three girls embarking on an adventure to survive, which leads them into the criminal sector of Nigeria's political underworld.

official poster of our second movie. knock out blessing. in cinemas nationwide on december 28th. https://t.co/IPhEvq5UsY
— dare olaitan 🎥 (@dare olaitan 🎥) 1543230089.0

Olaitan shares the summary of the film on Twitter, detailing:

A nation in need of truth. A good girl with a violent gift. Bad girls with (good?) intentions. A dark hat politician with a terrible secret. Opportunistic criminals biting more than they can chew. A ruthless assassin on a mission.

In the midst of this perceived intensity, one still manages to let out a laugh or two while watching the trailer.

Check it out below.

Knock Out Blessing Trailer December 28th.youtu.be

Knock Out Blessing stars Ade Laoye, Meg Otanwa, Linda Ejiofor, Demola Adedoyin, Bucci Franklin, Tope Tedela, Gbenga Titiloye, Tony Akposheri, Udoka Oyeka, Charles Etubeibi, Sammie Eddie, Paul Utomi, Iyke Micheal, Mary Kowo, Sandra Eze, and KC Ejelonu.

The film is due to premiere in Nigerian cinemas on December 28, 2018.

Sports

(Photo by Youssef Loulidi/Fantasista/Getty Images)

Morocco Advance to the Round Of 16 in the World Cup

Morocco join Senegal as the second African country make the knockout stages at Qatar 2022.

Morocco have officially joined the string of African countries who have been excelling at the FIFA World Cup.

By beating Canada, 2-1, the North African country finish at the top of their Group F, besting strong footballing countries like Belgium and Croatia, and advancing to the last 16 teams in the World Cup.

During the game against Canada, the Moroccan side strategically capitalized on its opponents' mistakes, especially those from Canadian defender Steven Vitória and goalkeeper Milan Borjan. At the height of the game, Vitória attempted to pass the ball back to Borjan at the same time that Youssef En-Nesyri was giving chase. Borjan left his net to play the ball but En-Nesyri’s seamlessness with the ball overpowered him and gave Hakim Ziyech the leeway to easily score a goal from a distance.

By half-time against Canada, Morocco was already in the lead, with strong indications pointing to the possibility that they would push through the knockout round. The win came with an eruption of celebration from fans who witnessed the team win at Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar.

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News Brief

(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Roc Nation)

Burna Boy Tops 2022 African Streams on Both Spotify & Apple Music

The Nigerian star dominated African streaming lists across both platforms.

On Wednesday, November 30th, Spotify announced its 2022 Wrapped campaign and personalized user experience. In line with that, the music streaming powerhouse also revealed the top songs, albums, and podcasts that dominated the playlists of its 456M listeners around the world.

With the rise of Afrobeats and Amapiano this year, also came the domination of some of Africa’s leading artists and based on the numbers that Spotify put out, Burna Boy was leading the pack. The African Giant dominated the list as The Top African Artist Streamed Globally, Top African Artist on Spotify, and Top Songs Streamed Across Africa ("Last Last").

Spotify's Top Breakout Artist in Africa this year was Asake and the Top African Songs Streamed Globally was the ever-present "Love Nwatiti" by Ckay.

Apple Music also released a list of the top songs and albums for 2022, and again, Burna Boy topped the list. The release of his sixth studio album Love, Damini generated massive critical acclaim and the leading single “Last Last” quickly a global anthem.

According to Apple’s analytics, the album was the most streamed on Apple Music Nigeria, Apple Music Ghana and Apple Music Kenya in 2022. It is also the third most streamed album on Apple Music South Africa in 2022.

According to Phiona Okumu, Head of Music, Spotify Africa, the Spotify Wrapped campaign is also an opportunity for African artists to continue to thrive both home and abroad.

“As always, we also have our Wrapped creator experience for podcasters and artists. With access to their own individualized Wrapped microsite experience, creators can dive into all the ways in which their fans listened this year. We are so excited to continue to support the growth of these artists globally and at home,” said Okumu.

The “Ye” singer has continued to push boundaries and like many of his successful peers in the African music scene, have shown the world that African music, art and talent can push global boundaries and make the world listen.

Following numerous sold out tours, including an eye-popping headliner show at New York’s Madison Square Garden, it is not difficult to see why the afrobeats heavyweight continues to thrive and put Africa as a whole on the map.

Graphic provided by Spotify.

Music

M.anifest Returns With Innovative New Project 'THE E.P.ILOGUE’

The Ghanaian rapper's new six-track EP features Anik Khan, M.I Abaga, WavyPae, Alee, and writer Nayyirah Waheed.

Following the release of his critically-acclaimed Madina To The Universe album, award-winning Ghanaian rap artist M.anifestis sharing innovative new project titled The E.P.ilogue,, a project that was put together throughout the year while M.anifest was touring Europe and the United States.

The six-track project includes star-studded collaborations from world-renowned artists from the U.S to Ghana and Lagos. Some of the names included in the credits are Anik Khan, M.I Abaga, WavyPae, Alee, and writer Nayyirah Waheed.

While describing the project, poet Waheed hints on the idea that above everything else, M.anifest is a fearless creator:

“From creating a new form to introducing new sound — it is new forms of Universes he continues to explore on MTTU + The E.P.ilogue. Here, M.anifest is inventing creations. He is touching everywhere from Madina to the universe and beyond,” states Waheed. “He is unafraid of the After — and taking us straight into the end of a universe + what comes After. M.anifest is a new astronaut.The E.P.ilogue is a new astronaut. It's time for new astronauts.”

The E.P.ilogue is an extension of the album he released last year titled Madina In The Universe, a project that boasted of the rapper’s sharp lyricism and unique flow.

Born in Accra, Ghana, M.anifest has reached great lengths and expanded the scope of his work beyond African audiences. With African music becoming a global force, and the world of streaming becoming a medium for that to happen, M.anifest has collaborated with global music legends like The Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Flea, Erykah Badu, Kojey Radical and Burna Boy, to name a few. His new project The E.P.ilogue is his sixth compilation and presents him as a creator who is relentless as an innovator and is unafraid to deviate from the status quo. The Ghanaian MC is no stranger to gracing the stage outside of Africa, his recent shows had him performing at packed out shows in London, New York, Oakland and Berlin.

Listen to The E.P.ilogue below.

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