Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of 2015 ~ #TheYamboSelection

I. INTRODUCTION

This is the second annual edition of #TheYamboSelection, presenting the full list of Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of 2015. The same criteria have been used this year (2015) as were used last year to select and rank the best songs out of those released or published during the year. However, the final list has grown from 25 last year to 40 in 2015. 

There is just so much really good lay music out of Africa these days that you sense you are not doing anyone justice by listing less rather than more; but there is a limit to any leeway. The listing task requires more and more meticulous attention  because of growing complexity arising from a discernible and laudable burst of creativity up and down sub-Sahara, and with easier and faster online access to artists' creations, and 'the market'. Every region seems to be catching up with the 'pioneers' and demanding attention by sheer activity and flashes of brilliance. No one can sit on their laurels.

The focus of this list is the song, not the singer, with the added requirement that only songs in video form qualify. In addition, the song must broadly fit the standard definition of popular (or pop) music

CLICK HERE For the Full Introduction and Selection Criteria
ALSO READ: Africa's Top 25 Songs of 2014



II. THE LIST AND RANKS OF AFRICA'S TOP 40 SONGS 2015
[Click on a Song's title to watch the video]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the record, the latest number of YouTube views per song is given under each of the Songs numbered 40 down to 11. The data were captured during a two-hour period (2:20 - 4:26 p.m.) on December 31, 2015. This post was published just over one hour later, at 5:35 p.m. One can use the figures as baselines for the respective songs, which can be tracked over time for a number of reasons. The Top 10 have their own respective baselines, as shown above. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

40. Baby Don't Go by Muthoni The Drummer Queen and Khuli Chana (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 3,921

39. Boss Zonke by Riky Rick (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 699,074

38. Kisses by Fifi Cooper ft AB Crazy (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 201,302

37. Love Phobic by H_ART THE BAND (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 102,643
Click here to read comment

36. Okoro by Jowana (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 9,542

35. Say You Love Me by Leriq ft. Wizkid (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 372,697
Click here to read comment

34. Amarula by Roberto (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 293,999

33. Shake Yo Bam Bam by Sauti Sol (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 721,191
Click here to read comment

32. Come Around by Staizz ft. Cheddah (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 2,080


31. Sugar Baby by Reekado Banks (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 581,760

30. Open and Close by Simi (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 60,892
Click here to read comment

29. Game by Navy Kenzo ft. Vanessa Mdee (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 592,780

28. Ihale  by Susumila (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 30,374
Click here to read comment

27. Hitsakile by Skalled ft. Ziqo and Uhuru (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 8,184
Click here to read comment

26. Ebelebe by Tee tee (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 920
Click here to read comment

25. Baby Paulina by Ketchup ft. Uhuru (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 45,741
Click here to read comment


24. Sijazoea by AT (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 191,796
Click here to read comment


23. Celebrity Girlfriend by Falz ft. Reekado Banks (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 329,410

22. Fans Mi by Davido + Meek Mill (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post:  4,387,596

21. Make Am by Patoranking (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 28,391
Click here to read comment

20. Laye by Kiss Daniel (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 2,809,191

19. Don't Stop by Olamide (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 260,863

18. Bestie by D'Prince x Don Jazzy x Baby Fresh (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 250,361
Click here to read comment

17. Take it Slow by Zikki ft. Jaguar (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 146,973
Click here to read comment


16. She Need Am by Cheezy Chi (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 1,269


15. Soweto Baby by DJ Maphorisa ft. Wizkid (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 217,054

14. Sexy Rosey By Mr. Flavour ft. P-Square (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 3,245,677

13. Igbeyawo by OritseFemi (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 213,718
Click here to read comment

12. Soke by Burnaboy (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 1,043,602
Click here to read comment

11. Enemy Solo by Awilo Longomba ft. P-Square (2015):
YouTube views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 2,097,063

10. So Good by Eddy Kenzo (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

9. Melo Melo by Olamide (2015):

Click here to read comment on this song

8. Kaunyaka by Chege + Mh Temba ft. Dj Maphorisa (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

7. Chekecha Cheketua by Alikiba (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

6. Muita Areia by C4 Pedro ft. Big Nelo + Kaysha (Video ft. Rlynda) (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

5. Never Ever by Vanessa Mdee (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

4. Fakosi by Sun X ft. Timaya (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song


3. Reggae Blues by Harrysong ft. Olamide + Iyanya + Kcee + Orezi 015)
Click here to read comment on this song

2. Nana by Diamond Platnumz ft. Mr. Flavour (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song
READ: Diamond Platnumz's bioinfo

1. King Kong Remix by Vector, Phyno, Reminisce, Classiq and Uzi (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

#TheYamboSelection 2015: Introduction and Selection Criteria

This is the second annual edition of #TheYamboSelection, presenting the full list of Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of the Year, 2015. The same criteria have been used this year (January to December 2015) as were used last year to select and rank the best songs out of those released or published during the year. However, the final list has grown from 25 last year to 40 in 2015. 

There is just so much really good lay music out of Africa these days that you sense you are not doing anyone justice by listing less rather than more; but there is a limit to any leeway. The listing task requires more and more meticulous attention  because of growing complexity arising from a discernible and laudable burst of creativity up and down sub-Sahara, and with easier and faster online access to artists' creations, and 'the market'. Every region seems to be catching up with the 'pioneers' and demanding attention by sheer activity and flashes of brilliance. No one can sit on their laurels.

The focus of this list is the song, not the singer, with the added requirement that only songs in video form qualify. In addition, the song must broadly fit the standard definition of popular (or pop) music; that is, music in any of these distinct genres, or any combination of them: Benga, Blues, Bongo Flava, Hip Hop, Kwaito, RnB, Rap, Reggae, Rock or Soul. We are not dealing here with gospel, classical  or traditional music; although borderline cases or creative partial 'fusions' with them will always be considered.

Commentary is embedded in the list below on each of the Top 10 Songs, and only these. Where possible, you will find selected links to additional comments or information about individual songs, even over and above the ten. Other reviews, not necessarily restricted to songs on this year's Top 10 or Top 40, will be published on the blog or elsewhere as and when appropriate. Indeed, some titles on the present list were already previously reviewed, and you will find links to a selection of them. 

Finally, as we start browsing and clicking, let's remember that Top 10 is hallowed space. Only the best songs should populate it, in proper order, regardless of country or sex or language or ethnic identity or religion, or race; and here they do. In 'best songs' we include only those songs in which the singers have made patently creative use of those elements that characterize all music (of which pop is an integral part) in order to give them (the songs) superior appeal to the average or accomplished ear. These elements are: Tone, melody, harmony, beat, rhythm, pitch, audibility, tempo, and the visual impact. 

Pop music is 'popular' in the sense that it resonates with large publics, in their present (or day-to-day, or contemporary) circumstances. If not pop, it is traditional in orientation, and thus locked in, and into, the past. Over time, it is important to realize, day-to-day begins inexorably to provide a break with what we may call the past. This is distinctly the case in multicultural environments, or the 'melting pots' of  deep-urban localities.

As already pointed out, Yambo Selection rates only music videos. The point here is that an artist who does not release the video version of a song is simply not ready for big time with that song. Fans nowadays want to see what's going on with the artiste and his or her 'band' while the song is sung. Today's pop scene, it seems obvious, is inescapably audio-visual. Sound quality matters exceedingly, and so does the quality of the visual dimension. And let's not forget that the production of a video is a cooperative venture between the artiste(s) and the video director/producer. The latter do deserve credit too when things go really right.

Success demands that the audio-visual challenge be simultaneously attacked from two perspectives: (a) From the performance perspective, the artiste's obligation is to produce the vocals, the lyrics and the dance or 'stage' routines (the 'body language') that together signify, accentuate or enhance his or her persona in the eyes and ears of the fans. (b) From the recording perspective, both the sounds (in all their permutations and combinations) and the visuals are technically the responsibility of the cinematographer and/or the video director/producer.

The artiste must therefore choose very carefully, and it costs a tidy sum to commit the people who can produce a video of high technical and artistic quality. Indeed, as directors such as Clarence Peters, Justin Campos, MattMax, C.A.R.D.O.S.O and Moe Musa know -- and as those who know their work do too -- the task of directing/producing a winning music video is not merely a technical challenge but a demanding creative-artistic one as well. This does of course rope in the actors, the artistes, as everything visual converges on the set. Certainly, the dancing and other forms of acting must be well choreographed for the camera and synchronized with the song, even if the sound of a particular single or track comes to the set pre-recorded.

The naming of more than one hit inevitably prompts the question as to which hit comes first, and which next or last. Sometimes, all too often perhaps, there are ties which must be broken and songs which must thus, regrettably, be excluded. The more valued the list, the greater the regret all around.

In selecting and ranking Africa's Top 40 hits -- limited to Sub-Sahara as already indicated -- the following six criteria (each on a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being the highest score) have served as a guide (and thus an otherwise altogether qualitative proposition is tempered with a known procedure):

1. The creative appeal and musicality of the voice asset.
2. The choice and mastery of the musical instruments in play.
3. The poetic form and content of the lyrics.
4. The artistic and aesthetic depth of the video component.
5. The synchronic or choreographic quality of the audio-visual product, in terms of: harmony, tone, melody, rhythm, beat and color (dis)play.
6. Based on the foregoing, how the entire single/track, from beginning to end, impresses me -- or makes me feel about my encounter with it. This criterion also serves as a qualitative tie-breaker; that is, a virtual 'casting vote' whenever any other criteria yield a quantitative tie.

In addition to the six criteria, the maximum number of listed titles under which an artist may be indicated as the lead singer in a given year is firmly restricted to three; but there is no limit to the number of times an artist may feature or make cameo appearances in listed songs or videos.

GO TO: List of Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs Of The Year, 2015


Updated: January 19, 2016

MUSIC: Unforgettable 'Kaunyaka' by Chege + Mh Temba ft. DJ Maphorisa

For the record, Chege, the lead singer, is a Tanzanian; not a Kenyan as many Kenyans who see the name for the first time might, in all 'fairness', suppose. Let me make another supposition: There are more Kenyans, from the wider Mt. Kenya region, called Chege (or Cege) than Tanzanians any day. But the singer we're looking at here isn't for this reason 'probably' Kenyan, but Tanzanian [Chege Chigunda is his full stage-name, but wait till you see his real name]. Mh Temba is also a Tanzanian. DJ Maphorisa, on the other hand, is a South African who, at the publication of this song, was still a member of the Uhuru music group. 

Click to watch the video

Kaunyaka is sung mostly in Swahili, which the average Tanzanian speaks (sings, even) with more finesse than the Kenyan, as we Kenyans are the first to acknowledge. We, who are more torn than they "between" English, (Ki)Swahili and whatever ethnic language we variously "belong to". 

Click Here For The: Kaunyaka Lyrics

DJ Maphorisa's presence adds distinct flavor to the lyrics and the tempo of the dance, not to speak of the vocal energy. But Chege's voice is the dominant voice, and it clearly gives this wonderful song its 'lean-forward' character, its twen-zetu (let's go gal) appeal. The picture quality is HD, the acoustics are superb, the girls are pretty as a picture, and the sun's super shiny.

Kaunyaka has a rousing dance-hall beat, but would do just as well inside a supermarket, shopping mall or fast-food joint. It is, indeed, a sun-wrapped offering, by these scarcely appreciated but undeterred performers, to all of us.

NOTE: Kaunyaka was published on February 18th, 2015, and had 387,243 YouTube views at 5:30 p.m. on December 29, 2015 (GMT+3).  

Alikiba's 'Chekecha Cheketua' is Great Music, But Why is He Still Underrated Across Africa?

Why is Alikiba so underrated, by seemingly everyone, when his singing is so good? He simply "don't get no respect". Let's hope that this ranking, fully justified by the musical quality of Chekecha Cheketua, will help. Let us hope, too, that the kind of exposure he has recently gained in Coke Studio Africa, and on Kenya's NTV, will begin to turn the tide and expand his fan base. He is in fact in Kenya right now for new year festivities in Machakos County. I'm sure he'll be doing the rounds in Nairobi.

I am not so sure, though, that the format adopted in Coke Studio really enhances the stature, or self-image, of artistes already at or near the top of their game. Instead, it seems to level both, and the artiste's differentiating edge, downwards -- toward the LCD. Perhaps the attendance fee that they receive is too attractive for critical thinking, or simply saying no. 

Another thing: the stage format does not avail the versatility that shooting on location does, and so it remains constricted and constricting training 'ground'. Nor do the organizers of Coke Studio appear to understand that providing for large live-audiences (costly as this may be) is crucial to having the performers really fired up and tightening the loose ends. No artiste has excelled in any of the video-clips (including the vaunted "mash ups") that I have looked at; but enough of that.

Chekecha Cheketua, directed by Meji Alabi, was shot on location in South Africa, as is evident in the video scenes themselves. It is a really good song, as the video availed below shows. Melodious guitar tunes thread through its entire spread, taking the listener's attention away from all potential distractions, and so focusing one's sentiments to the merriment at hand. 

Alikiba's own voice is a fine-tuned musical instrument in itself, which he uses to captivating effect. Fine lyrics please the ear unceasingly, even if one does not understand a word of Swahili -- but I do. The dance elements are sensuous, and the dancers themselves are in unflagging high spirits from beginning to end. The costumes are colorfully and creatively selected for the various roles, and provide their own community of visual ebbs and flows. The Director's controlling hand appears effortless, but clearly controls with a knowing eye and ear. And there is, thus, a near-perfect harmony of strings, percussion, voice, light, colors, movement, dance and shifting micro-locations.


NOTE: This song was published on June 29, 2015. It recorded 2,071,728 YouTube views on December 29th, 2015, at 9:55 p.m. (GMT + 3).

Here, be your own witness to this song's superior quality:

Africa's Top 10 Pop Songs of 2015 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION:

This is an excerpt of the second annual edition of Yambo Selection, presenting only Africa's Top 10 Pop Songs of The Year, 2015. The excerpt includes some commentary on each of the Top 10 Songs, or links to related comments and information. 

Other reviews, not necessarily restricted to songs on this year's Top 5, Top 10, Top 20, Top 25 or Top 40, will continue to be published on the blog or elsewhere as and when appropriate. Indeed, some titles on this list were already previously reviewed. 

Finally, as we start looking at, and using, the list, let us remember that Top 10 is hallowed space. Only the best songs should populate that space, in proper order, regardless of country or sex or language or ethnic identity or religion, or race; and here they do.


HERE IS THE LIST OF AFRICA'S TOP 10 POP SONGS OF 2015
[Click on a Song's title to watch the video]

10. So Good by Eddy Kenzo (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

9. Melo Melo by Olamide (2015):

Click here to read comment on this song

8. Kaunyaka by Chege + Mh Temba ft. Dj Maphorisa (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

7. Chekecha Cheketua by Alikiba (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

6. Muita Areia by C4 Pedro ft. Big Nelo + Kaysha (Video ft. Rlynda) (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

5. Never Ever by Vanessa Mdee (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

4. Fakosi by Sun X ft. Timaya (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

3. Reggae Blues by Harrysong ft. Olamide + Iyanya + Kcee + Orezi 015)
Click here to read comment on this song

2. Nana by Diamond Platnumz ft. Mr. Flavour (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song
READ: Diamond Platnumz's bioinfo

1. King Kong Remix by Vector, Phyno, Reminisce, Classiq and Uzi (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
READ: Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of the Year, 2015
READ: Introduction and Criteria Used to Select and Rank the TOP 40 Songs

Fakosi by Sun X and Timaya Ranks 4th in Africa's Top 40 Songs of 2015 ~ #TheYamboSelection

The beat in the Fakosi video, plus the dance that goes with it, projects tremendous youthful energy; and, beyond the sweat that must surely pour, even self-generated electricity. Fakosi, even as pure audio, is great music, and is likely to spark off spontaneous and animated dance at any party; or where ever people are predisposed to let it, let it all hang out. It is, so to speak, a dance-starter.

Fakosi is infectious -- that's what it is. The video even packs in some serious humor. The lyrics are an exercise in fine, sung poetry. The melody is sensuous and, and, and...sexy. And the beat, as already suggested, is superb.

I'm mighty proud of Sun X and Timaya for what they have accomplished here. Timaya, who's been around and who's cultivated fine artistic gifts. Sun X, for whom the future is just beginning. The two are truly a winning team.

NOTE: Fakosi was published on November 10, 2015. It had gained 8,366 YouTube views by 3:50 p.m. on December 26, 2015. It will gain many more, and much more.


Click here to watch the video

Harrysong's 'Reggae Blues' Ranks Third in Africa's Top 40 Songs of 2015 ~ #TheYamboSelection

Harrysong has a reputation for releasing catchy, catchy tunes, and he doesn't disappoint here. Reggae Blues, his latest song, is an oxymoron, and a playful one at that, which adds spice to a song whose name it is; and intrigues those yet to hear it. The presence of five Master Artists in this music video is a brave statement of purpose, which is ultimately well-justified by a very high quality of vocal and instrumental delivery, as well as the high spirits that they thereby infuse into the video and the club atmosphere. Both of these are surely noticed and appreciated by all who have the chance to watch and the time to contemplate, and so savor, Reggae Blues.

READ: (1) Olamide Baddoo's bioinfo, (2) Harrysong's bioinfo, (3) Kcee's bioinfo, (4) Orezi's bio info, (5) Iyanya's bioinfo.

The video's dance-acts are easy-going and self-assured, performed by known impresarios, here blended by team spirit into one but many-sided and swinging and swaying and vibrant thing -- a tour d'force kind of thing inside the virtual live-entertainment spot.

Everyone's just having a good time in the kanightclub, and not minding all that raw slang -- whose meaning everyone knows anyway (which is what I gathered from a recent Harry Song interview with that lovely hostess on HipTV). Not at all. Thought I heard: "Idhi i pop champagne", but I'm sure that's not what Harry said.

The song's tune is very easy to follow, and easy to appropriate -- with body and soul. But its simplicity is deceptive. The thinking behind its use is accomplished thinking and, given the effect it has on one, admirable. One beat, and the one tune, subtly run and loop through the whole song, which is just four seconds short of five minutes long. The sum total of all this creative endeavor is a song, Five Star Music, that will be liked by almost all who hear it, and who watch the video -- or feel moved by it to dance.

Reggae is a word that sounds very familiar in my household. So, let me conclude by saying: "Hi Rege, they're singing your song!"

NOTE: Reggae Blues was published on August 7, 2015. It was directed by Adasa Cookey of Squareball Media. It had a total of 1,600,346 YouTube views as at 3:45 p.m. on December 26, 2015.


Click here to watch the Reggae Blues video

MUSIC: 'Never Ever' is Sublime Singing by Vanessa Mdee, Africa's Leading Diva

Vanessa Mdee is, right now and without a doubt, the leading Diva in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (where Skalled is someone to really watch). It hasn't always been the case, but it is now. There have been better known singers in her country, Tanzania, but she is The One now. Her stiffest competition in the Diva world should come from Nigeria, but this year her song, Never Ever, has outshone everyone's. Yemi Alade and Tiwa Savage have slipped some. Seyi Shay is still trying and obviously finding her form. D'ija is really rising, but not there at the top quite yet. But Vanessa Mdee fully deserves this year's continental Diva Crown -- and more.

Click to Watch the Never Ever Video

She has worked very hard to reach where she is now, and the work she's done validates her fame. This year alone she (VM) has been involved in the publication of at least five music videos that I know of: (1) Hawajui (VM) -- an earlier version came out in 2014, (2) Siri (Barnaba ft. VM), (2) Nobody But Me (VM ft. K.O.), (4) Game (Navy Kenzo ft. VM), (5) Never Ever (VM). In doing so, VM has more than succeeded in carrying her fair share of the load called for in what I have previously alluded to as the 50/4 Rule (or the Rule of 200). More on this rule on another occasion.

READ: Vanessa Mdee's Bioinfo

Never Ever is Vanessa Mdee's latest release, and it is the song that places her fifth overall in Africa's pantheon of Top 40 Pop Artist of 2015. She is the only female in that Top 5. It is a well-deserved ranking, as the video below amply demonstrates.

Never Ever, directed by Justin Campos, is a sophisticated music video that's polished in all the ways that matter, and every thinkable way as well. What matters the most is the music, of course, and here Vanessa excels with her silky voice and charming lines. Her band, it seems to me, does her proud -- happily. The visuals matter too, and here Justin Campos offers the eyes a feast of colors and angles and designs which lustily blend diverse materials -- soft, hard and liquid -- into one flowing series of scenes, all revolving around Vanessa's feline mien, with which she in turn goes with the flow. Sound and picture quality are superb. The entire 'set' is polished, in the broadest sense -- and a delight.

NOTE: Never Ever was published on October 11, 2015. It had gained 405,780 YouTube views by December 28th, 2015 at 12:50 a.m. (GMT+3).

Africa's Top 5 Pop Songs of 2015 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION:

This is an excerpt of the second annual edition of Yambo Selection, presenting only Africa's Top 5 Pop Songs of  2015. 

It includes links to commentary on each of the Top 5 Songs, or links to related comments and information. 

Other reviews, not necessarily restricted to songs on this year's Top 5, Top 10, Top 20, Top 25 or Top 40, will continue to be published on the blog or elsewhere as and when appropriate. Indeed, some titles on the larger Top 40 List were already previously reviewed. 

Finally, as we start looking at, and using, the list, let us remember that Top 10 is hallowed space. Only the best songs should populate that space, in proper order, regardless of country or sex or language or ethnic identity or religion, or race; and here they do:

HERE IS THE LIST OF AFRICA'S TOP 5 POP SONGS OF 2015
[Click on a Song's title to watch the video]

5. Never Ever by Vanessa Mdee (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

4. Fakosi by Sun X ft. Timaya (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

3. Reggae Blues by Harrysong ft. Olamide + Iyanya + Kcee + Orezi 015)
Click here to read comment on this song

2. Nana by Diamond Platnumz ft. Mr. Flavour (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song
READ: Diamond Platnumz's bioinfo

1. King Kong Remix by Vector, Phyno, Reminisce, Classiq and Uzi (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song


READ: Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of the Year, 2015
READ: Introduction and Criteria Used to Select and Rank the TOP 40 Songs

#TheYamboSelection: King Kong Remix Tops The List of Africa's Top 40 Hit Songs of 2015

King Kong is Africa's best pop video of 2015. This is probably no surprise to connoisseurs of African pop music, as there have been certain indications of it over the last five months or so. Lots of credit go to the five high-profile Nigerian artistes (Vector, Phyno, Reminisce, Classiq and Uzi) and their enigmatic Director, Matt Max. Shot in Lagos, the video is a brave and adventurous proposition, with a profuse montage of high-voltage images and memes. It's avant-garde in a wonderfully creative, world-beating way. The fusion of audio and visual dimensions of this song takes it beyond compartmentalization into any simplistically defined genre, rap, hip hop or otherwise.

READ HERE: My more detailed appreciation of King Kong
READ: Nairaland Forum: Opinion ~ King Kong Remix is the Best Nigerian Rap Song
ALSO READ: Adesola Ade-Unuigbe "5 Rappers, 1 Remix..."

Note: King Kong was published on July 10, 2015. It had 255,920 YouTube views at 3:45 p.m. on December 26, 2015.

The full list of Africa's Top 40 Hits of 2015 will be released in the next few days.

AfroPOP: Diamond and Mr. Flavour Sing Their Hearts Out in Nana

Diamond Platnumz and Mr. Flavour, the two artistes behind Nana, are among the very few everyone seems to place at the summit of Africa's musical mountain. The accolade validates the great and sustained -- and smart -- effort that they continue to put into their creative work. They are versatile, and they are inspired.

 Nana is a lovely song to listen to. The video -- with obviously well-practiced and finely choreographed dance-routines fused with a heart-warming story-line -- is great fun to watch, over and over. Several superstars make cameo appearances in the video. Those mentioned by this source are: Iyanya, Bracket, Sean Tizzle, Praiz, A.K.A. But the first two that I see, and who are not mentioned, are Vanessa Mdee (perhaps her shades conceal her) and, I believe, Donald. One other person remains anonymous, I think (but someone correct me, svp).

The Nana video was shot in Cape Town, South Africa. The finished work was published on May 29, 2015. That's 2015. By July 6th, 2015, Nana had gained a total of 2.24 million YouTube views. This number rose to 7,978,094 views in the early afternoon of Boxing Day 2015.

Fakosi by SunX ft Timaya, is a Moveable Feast

The beat in this Fakosi video, plus the dance that goes with it, projects tremendous youthful energy; and, beyond the sweat that must surely pour, even self-generated electricity. Fakosi, even as pure audio, is great music, and is likely to spark off spontaneous and animated dance at any party; or where ever people are predisposed to let it, let it all hang out. It is, so to speak, a dance-starter.

Fakosi is infectious -- that's what it is. The video even packs in some serious humor. The lyrics are an exercise in fine, sung poetry. The melody is sensuous and, and, and...sexy. And the beat, as already suggested, is superb.

I'm mighty proud of Sun X and Timaya for what they have accomplished here. Timaya, who's been around and who's cultivated fine artistic gifts. Sun X, for whom the future is just beginning. The two are truly a winning team.

A Note: Fakosi was published on November 10, 2015. It had gained 8,366 YouTube views by 3:50 p.m. on December 26, 2015. It will gain many more, and much more.


Click here to watch the video

MUSIC (Kenya): Kaligraph Jones Proudly Presents Yego, the Rap Tribute

Found (in October): Kaligraph's latest song, titled Yego, which he dropped in September 2015. In case you didn't know already, Yego the music video is sung in tribute to Kenya's Julius Yego, that javelin gold medallist at the IAAF World Athletics Championship competition in Beijing, August 2015. Yego is better known worldwide as The YouTube Man.

About the song: It's a very tastefully done rap music. Surprisingly good, in fact; given that I have a general issue with (raw) rap -- and with a general preoccupation among African artistes with the rap genre. Yego is as much a tribute to Yego the athlete as to all those young people who performed with so much zeal and self-belief all through the video. Accent was clearly on style and originality in both wordcraft and dance poses. The message was like: You can do it, true. But just c us do it better here. I cheer them.

WATCH: Short Video of Yego's IAAF Gold Medal Javelin Throw in Beijing, August 26,  2015:

MUSIC (Angolano): Muita Areia by C4 Pedro ft. Big Nelo + Kaysha (Video ft. Rlynda)

Have a Merry Christmas, y'all, with this sophisticated music video, titled Muita Areia, from Angola. Let the sounds, the beats -- the rhythm -- and the visuals speak for themselves.

SNEAK PEEK: Muita Areia is definitely at the upper end of my TOP 40 African Hits of 2015. Coming soon.

P.S: Muita Areia was published on September 10, 2015, and already has 2,416,386 views. So the Big Q isn't where C4 Pedro and his gang have been all this while. It's: Where have u (where have we) been, musically speaking?

MUSIC (Swahili): AT Sings Sijazoea in a Lovely Setting

AT's Sijazoea is a lovely Swahili song, from Zanzibar, sung in a rich cultural setting that's second to none. It's an amazing production in the broad genre of Taarab. Connoisseurs, spearheaded by AT himself, would argue, however, that Sijazoea properly belongs in the Mduara class of music.

READ (in Swahili): AT: Sijaona Wakushindana Naye Katika Mduara

If that is so, then, I think that, at the very least, Mduara is an advanced sub-set of Taarab. But whatever the case, Sijazoea is for me simply one of the best popular African hits of 2015.

Here, y'all, the Sijazoea video. 


And do have a lovely holiday season too, which is upon us:

Ketchup's Baby Paulina (ft. Uhuru)

In Baby Paulina, Nigeria's enigmatic Ketchup looks and sounds and moves, decidedly, like Awilo Longomba, who is his musical father. Indubitably. The same agility, the same joie de vivre, is all we see. But there's a kind of hyper-schizophrenic wariness and unease in the son that the father is not burdened by, as I remember. A Bond-like concern with ever-present existential dangers from sworn but unknown enemies afflicts the son. Or is it (it is) all an act, to remember?

Ketchup's alter ego simply can't have any other relationship, but with Baby Paulina -- whom he can't quite have! He's on a permanent quest, for her. That's the root of his recurring anguish, despite the availability of tempting alternatives. Anguish morphs into these bursts of primeval despair we hear in the chorus:

"Baby Paulina dey do like sey 
She no give me her numba eh!
And Baby Paulina dey do like sey 
She no dey feelin de lamba eh!..."

[Y sez: Fyn poetry dat!]

Yet Ketchup is steadfast, and this makes for a sensitive and wonderful song. Though it is the case that all novelty in due course fades, I think you'll never forget the first impressions that form in your mind with this captivating song by a man anguished by the love he has for his elusive babe. Images, sounds, voices, passions -- and the crazy story-line -- all blend into a brief moment of a highly-charged spectacle.

Uhuru, a South African group, features strongly in Baby Paulina, as they have done in an unusually large number of pretty good songs by various artistes across Africa. They are a true credit to the finished song, with a shoulder to lean on always at the ready for their restless buddy. Their signature hollering, which here tempers Ketchup's despair, adds a rich flavor to the offering. Their presence represents balance, and the promise of a good ending, even if only after we, the audience, are long out of the picture.

What lets the production down is the unnecessary and careless copycat instrumentation that's so noticeable in the first 25 seconds of the song. But all is soon forgotten as the feeling frenzy sets in and overcomes everything that there is there to overcome. And the ending is a truly spirited and even agitated affair, and itself culminates in a veritable montage of unfettered voice and body language and percussion and trumpeting and (did I hear?) sax. All as one. And all in the name of the one Baby Paulina that there is in the whole universe.

NOTE: Baby Paulina was published on December 4th, 2015. It has garnered 40,397 views to-date, as I publish this commentary.

MUSIC (9ja): Simi's "Open and Close" is Like a Bolt From the Deep Country

Simi's voice in Open and Close gives the impression of someone totally new, a stranger, suddenly thrust onto an unfamiliar, camera-lit stage with a private crowd-sourced crowd of a kind; and then asked to sing-dance by someone who obviously doesn't know what dance means where she comes from. In fact, she brings herself there; no protocol observed but her master's voice; and deliberately adopts this persona which even her Ikoyi wouldn't recognize, not to even imagine her mother (who taught her everything she knows, except those fancy karate moves you spy in a flash). But she, the real Simi, is an accomplished singer, though her flight toward stardom has been mostly under the radar, if you ask me. But don't ask Adenkule -- he who sang Orente, and knows too much.

Among the surprisingly good songs she's previously sung (surprising for someone, like me, just getting to know, OMG, that she even exists) are:
1) I Do [Released in 2011; 41,266 views to-date]
2) Don't Judge Me, sung with Bibanke [2013; 26,908 views]
3) E No Go Funny [2014; 27,732 views]
4) Tiff [2014; 177,209 views]
5) Jamb Question [June 2015; 435,147 views]

Open and Close, Simi's latest video, was published only a few weeks ago, on 17th November. It already has 54,480 views, and counting. It has a charming story-line, if I get it right from all that pidgin. It's an act in more ways that one or two. Thus: a 'Mboch' catches a matatu (don't ask me how both got to Lagos from Nairobi) and off she goes to buy tea for her Ikoyi, her Island -- that's her employer. She, in her Blue Lagoon sort of hair, had to borrow everything she has to wear, from shoulder to toe, in order to execute this errand. She simply won't go in her maid's uniform. The others in the combi join her in this incredible mission.

Soon they chance upon a VIP party -- a bourgeois affair -- over-supplied with fine drinks and assorted bites; and entertained with cool melodies selected by an accomplished piano player. Remember this is Ikoyi. They proceed to do all the disdainful mboch things -- taste this and that; sip this, throw that back into the tray; go here, go there. Only that, this time, it's all in the presence of their masters' types.

But then someone has the misfortune of asking Simi's avatar for a dance. Proletarian hell breaks loose, all of a sudden. All she knows, which the one who asked doesn't (or chooses to forget) is break dance and belly dance and everything else that's unbecoming, in the circumstances. Instead of playing the piano, temporarily vacated by the maestro, one of her own sits heavily on it, shifting her weight this way and that, and making sounds that those in the guest list do not associate with, anymore. The ghetto dance gets hotter and hotter, and there's so much static and electricity that even the dull brighten up. Soon, everyone joins in -- I think they suddenly remember their pasts -- and fun is had by all. And all's well.

Two things really stand out in this song, besides the story-line: Simi's one-of-a-kind voice and the wonderful chorus which accompanies her singing. The intriguing thing is that it isn't quite the voice you hear in any of the five songs I've listed above!

Here's the video, jienjoy:

PS (May 23, 2016): Here's Simi's brief take on 'Open and Close'

TAARAB MUSIC: Le Grand Utalii Band's Riziki Haina Mwenyewe

Taarab is African music unique to the East African coasts of Tanzania and Kenya, and to the nearby islands -- particularly Zanzibar and Pemba, and even Lamu.

I just wanted to share with you this LeGUB production titled (in Swahili) Riziki Haina Mwenyewe -- roughly translated, I think with a naughty wink or tongue in cheek -- or tongue jutting right out of the corner of the sayer's mouth -- as "Livelihood Has No Owner".

Riziki Haina Mwenyewe is an extended fare (all of 9:45 minutes), published on April 9, 2015, and with 2,408 views so far. It's served by wholesomely endowed divas in colorful costumes that freely and gracefully billow in wind, and whom few have ever heard of. Till now, I suppose. The loss has surely been theirs -- those who have never heard it. Till now. But no more.

The band, too, you will notice, gives the song an abundance of soul. The sum effect of everyone's effort is a wholly enriching experience.

MUSIC VIDEO (Mozambique): Skalled's Favorite Song

Skalled is even hotter in My Favorite Song, which was published earlier than Hitsakile, on March 5, 2015. The frenzy in this song is not diminished at all by the fact that it runs for just (for all of) 2:49 (precious) minutes, which is a little more than one minute shorter than the typical single, by my reckoning.

Skalled is both teasing and naughty here, and full of zest. Her act is high-grade. She's just so super talented, and so bubbly and so self-confident. A true African Diva, if you ask me. But, with only 7,182 views so far, she's obviously not getting the attention she deserves from mostly parochial audiences whose tastes continue to be reinforced by equally parochial TV channels in Sub-Sahara.

Seeing her act (seeing her art) is believing it:

MUSIC (Mozambique): Skalled's Fabulous HITSAKILE

Here's a not-so-easy-to-come-by 'find', as far as the African pop music scene goes. Skalled is Mozambican -- a country that's off the beaten path, so to speak -- which just goes to show that talent is sprouting all over the continent, even as most of us remain firmly 'local' (and ironically 'foreign' as well) -- in our musical tastes.

HITSAKILE (which features Zico and Uhuru) is a super hit, is what I'm saying. Skalled's is a captivating, endearing voice. I think I see that it'll endure. She'll be around 'sum'. The dancing, by all who dance here, is a treat to the discerning eye. All that sure-footed, quick-foot maneuvering!

The video was released only on November 20, 2015. It has 5,500 views so far.


Click to watch the video

An Afternoon Slam: Haiku

Cold wind, swooping, fronts,
In the time of El Niño,
The fabled rainshow'r.

Princess Charming: Haiku

All's her's that she spies.
All that catchy hair, is too.
She swallows her words.

Tuliza Nyavu Remix by Susumila, Kaa La Moto, Vivonce and King Kaka (Music, Kenya)

Talking Music: Everywhere I turn these days, it seems, I bump into one Kenyan talent after another. It's like they're all coming out of hiding -- saying enuf, so to speak, to all the hiding they've been getting from all 'und' sundry. Out of the woodwork. A new song in hand, y'all. Yes, to prove a point -- seems like.

What a handful, my friends, this end of year!

So here's a one in the hand: Tuliza Nyavu Remix (released in October 2015, with 8,544 views to-date). It's rap (+) music by four super "plaiahs": Two new (2 me, if u like) and two 'old hands' (something like that, pardonne-moi): Kaa La Moto and Vivonce (both new), King Kaka and Sulumila (old, already!).

Yes, this is rap, but not, with Vivonce, as undiluted a fare as one all too often fears one will have to endure these days. Four (+) minutes (and even if only 4) are a lifetime now, in these harried lifestyles we're doomed into -- domed in.

Vivonce is the undisputed heart and soul of this party. Bubbly, effervescent, game-changing Vivonce! She cuts up the rap into lovely portions, and throws into this mostly male mantra of a thing a lustful and vivacious voce. With a calm and collected hand! Huyu dame hatishiki!

The instrumentation is workmanlike, and does the job. Doesn't let anyone down, at all. The video is very thoughtfully done, though the images of Nairobi city seen here have some kind of apocalyptic ring. Still, all around goodness,

Take a listen:

MUSIC: Wangu by Donald and Diamond Platnumz

Wangu, released in July 2015, is super cool music by two of Africa's leading artistes, Donald and Diamond Platnumz. The two are like brothers. Like twins almost.

Really nice to hear, and to watch, this song. The beat's evergreen. The dance moves are a delight. This tastefully produced piece is surely going to be everyone's favorite. A classic in the making, then.

The bar goes higher and higher.

Wangu's mine!

MUSIC: Yvonne Darcq's Fire

Yvonne Darcq (YDQ) urges all of us who care to listen: "Don't start a fire, huwezi zima!" [Don't start a fire you can't (huwezi) put out (zima)]. Mmmm. That's zima, not Zuma, OK?

Fire is a surprisingly 'high-definition' song, visually and aurally. 'Dropped' only on December 3, 2015 -- just under two weeks ago -- it has 1,914 views so far. I think this number will rise steadily as more and more folks tune it.

A confession: I didn't think much of YDQ in Ooh Lala Oui Oui, a song she released earlier this year with the talented and hard-working Diva, Victoria Kimani. But Fire, something of a controlled blast, is a pleasant discovery, from the very start. It forces a reassessment of the earlier song by the likes of me. Bravo!

YDQ thus joins the Legion from the East which seems poised to stealthily offer a refreshing alternative to the Nigerian juggernaut, while South African artistes seemingly continue, in the main, to grope in the dark for a winning genre.

A strong eastern counter-force to the Nigerian wave can only enrich African music overall, don't you think. It may, indeed, prompt the Nigerians to reach even higher than then so far have.

I think I see early signs that we're about to reach a musical critical mass -- to witness a burst of awesome creativity in all directions -- here in Africa. Waiting with bated breath.

But we do need about 50 or so actively creative sorts from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda to have the effect I have in mind. That is, fifty or so artistes each releasing 3 or 4 singles each year.

Click Here: A very useful bio of Yvonne Darq by Bottomline Kenya

ART: Regarding George Bellows' Cliff Dwellers

Here's contemplating George Bellows' Cliff Dwellers of NYC's Lower East Side: A steeper, more sheer and more austere cliff-side dwelling is hard to come by. This is totally unlike the Bonde Cliff I know. And yet there's an unmistakable poesy in this sweeping visual menagerie, a sunny ambience of a kind. Some sort of pent-up communal energy all over the air, and all the place. Tell-tale pixels of premature decay amid all that optimistic acceptance of things; of things as they appear to be right now. Of an invisible time-piece which routes and re-routes every desire, 'watches' all movement. Not visible, though, is any amount of sticky raw earth. Nor the hand of the glass-maker. Nor Batman's cape.

ARCHIVE: Peter Benson's Account of Yambo v. Neogy in his Book ~ "Black Orpheus, Transition and Modern Cultural Awakening"

"The attacks on Neogy and his new Accra Transition seem to have come from several sources -- some new, some left over from the old Transition..." ~ Benson.

READ MORE HERE

Take it Slow by Zikki ft. Jaguar: MUSIC

Zikki and Jaguar outperform in their new 'drop': Take it Slow. This particular M/V rendition came out on November 20, 2015, and already has 55,546 views.

Take it Slow is a tuneful song, sung at a super-high level of vocal refinement by Zikki. Nor does Jaguar disappoint here. He's in full control of his singular talent. I personally don't remember him at all at this rarefied level of performance.

The band elevates -- in every which (and sort of) way!

Mellow's the singing, yes. Cool passion is the mode here. My goodness, the lyrics, mostly in Swahili, are pure poesy. Pure lyricism! What a choice of words and phrases! What a vocal ensemble, what instrumental harmony, with which to move it all, all of it, forth! A seamless flow of musicality without a tinge of self-doubt, then. Indeed, a fullness of self-belief.

I spy no second-fiddling here. Not to the non-stop scores of Nigerian performers who continue to dominate sub-Saharan airwaves with grit and number and verve; nor to those inspired Tanzanians we've come to greatly admire. I think Zikki and Jaguar know that they have come a long, long way. And I think they know that this is the way, that this is how one arrives at the pinnacle: Blazing, tearing (nicely), away without a ruffle. With blinkers -- as someone (thinking about the lessons to all of us from race horses) has suggested -- and not side-winding, or looking back.

And the girls (from nouveau Runda, one supposes), the girls, do dance; a fine sort of dancing. None too self-consciously; and none too weighed down with the track records of others, or past narratives they're really not in tune with. Choreographed in a spartan sort of way, which works. And so it's not just the looks that drive them here, or will endear them (wherever) there. Where ever this vessel may take 'em.

Contrary to rumours then, the route from Dandora to Runda is paved with desire, methinks. The guy from the slums of Dandora just has to Take it Slow. That's "pole poooleee"

Here's to pure goodness, from start to end: the vibes, the vocals, the visuals!

So very proudly Kenyan!


Click here to watch the video

Micro Fiction: Encounter With a One Who Dident Sey Notin or Who She Was Eben, An Wey She Come From, or Goin

Thote u came from de nort as de sun sails in de big sky.

No, I dident no dat. Dident no dat wey de sun set depen on u, an u alone; an not de one nex to u, eben. Dat de East is jus as well 4 de big sun of...

An nort jus as gud as sout.

B'cause what is direction anyways in de bast notinness. De bast bastness, all oba de pig -- de big -- sky in which u can pain as many horizons as u wan. As many rainbows. So many dreams of to do tins. An gib it 2 a gal who b'lieve in u, in me.

Dough I neba seen mo dan 2 rainbows at a Time. No neba. I am sayin. An my dreams are tru, wid tru truness.

I been to a place, let me tell u, wey de East dat I knew was West. I tell u. An de sun still set wid no difficult. De confucius was in ma own min. Is what I re memba eben up to now. An will not 4get. No neba.

Ebrytin ebryone sees is flotsam. An sumhow inside an endless parallax of sorts -- sort of. Sumhow.

You said you come from...wey?

Wha did u say your name was, is? Eh!

Whoa! Wey u go, now!

O dere!

Industrial Revolutions in World History, I ~ Lecture Notes, CSO 405

Mauri Yambo

I.                Introduction

Scholars and other commentators engaged in conversations about pivotal industrial change, or about crucial turning-points in the technologies of production, know how easy and tempting it has been to use the euphemistic phrase, or the meme, The Industrial Revolution. It is as though there was always the one ‘moment’, at the one ‘place’, when a special event, The Industrial Revolution, took place – detailed knowledge of which sets apart those truly educated in ‘these matters’, from those who are not quite so (see, for example, Deane, 1979).

The concept of an industrial revolution is the offshoot, so to speak, of the broader notion of scientific revolution – itself inspired by Marx’s conception of class-driven political/social revolution. As early as 1962,  Kuhn (2012) had conceived of a scientific revolution as the culmination of a six-stage process representing the displacement – or ‘overthrow’, to use a Marxist term – of a previously dominant scientific paradigm[1] by a new one (see also Hacking, 2012: vii-xxxvii)[2].

 .
CLICK HERE: Read the Full Text

BLAST MUSIC: PSY Got It All From His Daddy, And Not Just the Genes

So PSY got it all from his DADDY, and not just the genes! Perhaps yes. Perhaps no. His mama surely had something to do with it, too -- as subsequent studies will likely affirm.

But the (probably) big and -- we didn't see it coming -- daddy-of-em-all story right now is what a recent study suggests: that daddies may be passing on to their hapless children's biology not just their genetic make-up but also their existential experiences (their not-necessarily-intentional 'post-natal' biological adaptations to ontological stresses and strains, if you like) -- fears, joys, (food, drink and other) habits. These are offspring whose right to imitate their all-powerful dads (and all-loving moms), on their own terms, is thus much reduced.

The researchers are clearly onto something here, though. PSY seems eager to concur, here in this insanely funny and wonderfully choreographed M/V of his. The dance routines, with surprising twists and turns, are superbly naughty and hilarious. Ageing daddies, with those cat-like, "Gang Nam Style" moves, and perhaps accelerated hair-loss, are portrayed in eighth-life-like light.

WAIT, Before You Watch the Video Below (Which Has 26m+ Viewers So Far), Read this Interesting Article: On "...the link between a father's experiences and his offspring's biology"

ART: Look, Savannah, Zebra!

CLICK : Andy Warhol's Grevy's Zebra 

No, not Zebla, Z E B R A

MUSIC: Vera Sidika Steals the Show in "Bestie" by D'Prince, Don Jazzy and Baby Fresh

Bestie is a superb song, published on November 16, 2015. It already has, as of now, 155,256 views.

For East Africans, and particularly Kenyans, its stand-out feature is that voluptuous girl with the unforgettable derriere. She happen's to be Kenya's go-getting socialite -- Vera Sidika -- who's going places. That's who.

No one loves 'er like every which one does, dere. Especially elsewhere.

"She got a special kind of beauty" ~ croons Don Jazzy

Enough said about her, already, for her stats speak for themselves -- and tell all that needs to be known by Nigerian superstars and else, if no one else.

One more thing, and bye: Vera, singing wid 'er body aaaand uttering not a word wid 'er mout, steals the show in this finely fused song, Bestie. You watch! You listen!

BUT THERE'S ALWAYS MORE: About Vera Sidika

AND ALWAYS MORE OF HER: As Here

Over the Moon ~ Donald's Otherworldly Tune

What a song! Lovely lyrics.

Donald's over-the-moon love song resonates in such a heart-warming way with all -- all those who r, and who feel, young er at heart. Truly feel. It's a smooth waft from the near past; a croon from the near-orbit of life. A mesmerizing hello to all who are wont to fly -- to wherever. Whenever. A lovely jade.

Everyone's been in love, and still perhaps (hopefully, wonderfully) is, just as Donald invites us to remember; and to savor the feeling and the remembering of. No one's a has-been in any of this, for sure; tho the object of desire and of love may morph, even as the heart itself morphs. For there's always a dance to dance for everyone. A song to sing. And this one, this song, will never go cold, tho it be a 2012 drop even as we speak. And with 720,917 YouTube views this very moment, you bet it'll be a lovely companion to all daydreamers and all who do remember and truly know what it is to be in love -- and how stupid it is to be embarrassed by it.

It's gud. I tell U.










.

HERE: Lyrics of Donald Moatshe's "Over The Moon"

Is/Was Star KIC 8462852 an Alien Megastructure?

I suppose Sarah Kaplan's account sums up the awe and the questions with which we humans have always encountered a truly new phenomenon at a distance. But Star KIC 8462852 got me really thinking: Is it truly an alien megastructure? Are we in the cusp of another Galileo moment? This is it, is it? Is our view of ourselves and the universe and creation just about to change forever?

KIC 8462852 is some 1,814 light years away, though. Thus, we're told, the images we're reading about are 1,400+ years old, as light travels! But that's recent, compared to the Egyptian Pryamids at Giza, or even Stonehenge.

So who knows what an "odd display" of the 6th century A.D. might look like in a light display of right now? (Pity, we on earth would have to wait until the 35th century A.D. to know) [Click here for a Sixth Century Timeline on Earth . Pity, we have no feasible prognosis for the 35th century A.D.]

READ MORE: Sarah Kaplan (October 2015) "The star that has serious scientists talking about an alien megastructure

SETI: "...this material is not simply a planet.. [so may what we're seeing be] "a phalanx of orbiting solar panels (a so-called Dyson swarm) that block light from the star"? 

READ: Galileo Galilei Timeline

MUSIC (Classic): M'Pongo Love's "Ndaya"

When did anyone on social media last, or ever, hear M'Pongo Love sing, folks? To all those who've never heard her unforgettable voice, here's a hint of what used to go down -- suavely, all so often -- in a bygone time. With a little swag, perhaps.  A golden time before (today's) time. A form of life, before life.

It's not just the vocals that are lovely. As always with Congolese music, it's the blend and the flourish of instrumentation, too. The saxophone and the guitar, in particular.

Here, in Ndaya (somewhat) reloaded, M'Pongo Love sings earnestly, with an innocent's voice, She sings in passionate, undaunted tones of her one love; and of the victory (sure to come), against all public and private odds, of her all-consuming marriage. I hear more yearning, than certain Love. It all sounds (certainly now) a little like optimistic personal testimony, but she is, was (always will be), a socially-constructed diva; a songstress widely admired -- and loved for being loved. Loved, even, for being Love itself/herself. The greater the admiration of her found, perhaps, the farther away one was from Kinshasa, or Kisangani, or wherever else in the Congo she might happen (or be supposed) to be, moment by musical moment. That's how the magical, magnetic, pull of her sort works -- and worked with so much effect in those days of her popular reign, in the era of the radio.

The cities farthest away from her mystified abode -- African cities outside of the Congo (where Lingala, music's language itself,  reigned with a blend of near absolutism and dazing, dazzling 'benevolence') -- were the places she had her most ardent admirers, I suppose. And the most intense of these were perhaps the anti-clockwork cities of Nairobi and Dar-Es-Salaam, to the east. All the guys I know that knew 'er voice loved 'er. But she didn't reign alone, being a member of a royal 'clan' of artistes who found themselves, somewhere there beyond a zillion trees of the great rain-forest, inescapably at the heart of something; of a genre. The very heart of what Conrad mistakenly called Darkness.

Ndaya is a lovely proclamation of everlasting love. Deeply felt love. Love felt despite, and even because of, a vexing tide of doubt and gossip and malevolence. A love -- enigmatic, precarious love -- dependent so entirely on The (very) One loved! We can toast to that -- mystery.

PS: YouTube has considerable chatter about this song. Read it and be informed. YouTube views of this song currently stand at 131,830.

PPS: Here, as a 'bonus' offering, is Kapwepwe, another great song by M'Pongo Love:

Validity ~ A Key Standard of Scientific Research

Validity ~ A Key Standard of scientific Research

By Prof. Mauri Yambo

(1996; updates: 2004, 2006, 2015)

INTRODUCTION

Nine key standards, or principles, of scientific research can be gleaned from texts on research method. As I see them, they are:

1. Universality

2. Replicability

3. Control
4. Measurability
5. Validity
6. Reliability (Pending)

7. Objectivity (Pending)

8. Ethics 

9. Representativeness.

I say something about each of the nine standards in separate posts, as shown in the links above. What I want to briefly talk about here is the validity standard. 

Validity means the applicability, genuineness, appropriateness or truthfulness of the methods, instruments, tools, measures (or indicators), or arguments used in the quest for knowledge, or search for answers to vexing questions – and therefore of the conclusions arrived at.  

CLICK HERE To Access the Full Text of "Validity ~ A Key Standard of Scientific Research"


























[CSO 302, CSO 501]