Tanzania's Dully Sykes and Harmonize Impress in Inde

The song Inde, given to us by two young singers, Dully Sykes and Harmonize, epitomizes as much as anything else the emergence (the arrival) onto the continental stage of a swagging, super self-confident peer-group of Tanzanian millennials eager to shake things up more than a little bit, musically, and thus claim a place on the mountain-top. Indeed, they are eager to explore modes of expression quite discrepant with, and quite unexpected in, Dar-Es-Salaam's cautious cultural infrastructure, which, ironically, has produced them just as they are artistically, and seems willing to let them be. 

Together with a good number of other music videos, Inde symbolizes a brave new world for Tanzanian artistes -- who play second fiddle to no one. They are a veritable energy source: Swahili, the language in which they sing, is predominantly theirs (and as 'pure' as you want it delivered). The genre, Bongo Flava, is theirs. The threads? The sky's the limit to how they can put them all together. Fine threads, then, and fine tunes reveal both good taste and conscious grooming. 

Their fan-base, which devours all this, is large and devoted and getting larger, and always has been. It gives them strength and drive. And, whatever the explanation, they seem more successful in their talent-related entrepreneurial pursuits than their Kenyan and South African counterparts. Indeed, more so than their own country seems to be still in the eyes of many observers, given its lingering socialistic past.  

Overall, then, Inde is a winning song. The set is neat. The singers' and dancers' stage-presence is truly attractive. I see fine, attention-grabbing moves that really add flavor to the whole thing. This almost masks a consistently jarring noise in the background -- emanating, it might seem, from a tone-deaf source. But it's almost certain that this vexation is computer-generated percussion gone awry. One does frequently encounter this tendency to generate instrumental sounds in that way among musicians looking to cut stifling production costs. All that said, Inde definitely deserves a place among Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of 2016.

READ: Inde Lyrics

Oritse Femi's Awoo Ewaa

In Tomorrow, as I noted in a previous comment, Oritse Femi wonderfully blended rap with melody of a uniquely Oristeferian kind to give us a deeply felt song. He does not disappoint this time around, either. 

There is no rap in Awoo Ewaa, you will see, but there is all the passion and the melody from before. Not only from Tomorrow, but also, I think one remembers, from Igbeyawo. Awoo Ewaa is simply the most emotionally intense of all the leading African songs I've heard in all of 2016. But it is more. And all this is thanks for the most part to Oriste Femi's all-conquering and irrepressible signature voice. He, who is his own favorite artiste.

Thus, whether it is an Igbeyawo (= wedding) motif, appropriately dressed for, or (as in Awoo Ewaa) a street-theatrical (all-people) power-pushing performance with accent on the authenticity of day-to-day and mostly peri-urban life -- and chic -- Oritse Femi excels with a fervor that never abandons him and that he never does. It's awesome!

SEE ALSO: Aiye Mi

The video, directed by Avalon Okpe, runs for 3:40 minutes of unrelenting lumpen-proletarian, almost religious, animation. The street crowd is engaged in an intensely physical way, but not aurally. There is a symphony of visual things and body texts, but the voice, the clipped and soaring voice, is Oriste Femi's -- and his alone. And nothing overshadows it. Nothing.

An invisible band delivers mesmerizing and almost hypnotic sounds. The music in its totality, fusing with the street dancing, makes for a fine and moving celebration. The intensity is everyone's, and so is the joy: "All the mama and papa dem shake body". The rhythm of bodies, young and older, is lumpen (as already suggested); here where life's usual chaff is not swept under some civic carpet. And where there is no rust cover. Organized frenzy is all, in the end -- "Jakomo"!   

I conclude by echoing Oritse Femi with these words, from his lyrics:

"oya make everybody dey dance oh
awooo ewaa
everybody dey dance oh
awooo ewaa
everybody
awooo ewaa" ~ Oritse Femi

Click to watch the video


HERE: The lyrics for Awoo Ewaa

Fable of the Quilt Maker

He made quilts.
Not out of cloth.
Of a patchwork,
Of sung things and
Colored.

They were things to behold.
Stitched together with his own stitching
Hands.
As fine as Gabriel, 
Resplendent, 
Would have us have.

And share among his folks.
Saying this is it O.

He gave them out, one by one,
To whosoever he found.
And who could take them.
And who knew
What things they were made of.

And only if they could find him, too.

Mokili

What a mokili?
What kind of country,
What kind of people
Gave us such felt songs,
Played these marvels?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here, the song Mokili ya Nzambe:

READ: Dr. Nico Kassanda's Enduring Classic

Iconic Mokili Mobimba

For all intents and purposes, Mokili Mobimba was played in and for the generation before the video, at the floodgates of Africa's independence decade in the very early Sixties. The video was still more that fifteen years from becoming the meme it became. 

Music video wasn't a thing, then, when Joseph Kabassele and Rochereau (Tabu Ley) sang this song and Nico Kassanda played the guitar and other players played. We knew the song before we knew the singers, and it didn't matter much that we didn't. Only that we loved the vibes and that they seeped, without our knowing, into our subconscious and our souls, there in Nairobi's Eastlands. 

And then one forgot who the musicians had been and what the song's title ever was. It was a kind of forgetfulness that made the forgetting immaterial. But something did linger.

Decades later, long after the identities of the singers and the players (but not the 'play') were swept out of mind and into oblivion by the many 'growing-up' things that occupied boomer minds and wouldn't let go, I found myself, at infrequent and particularly nostalgic moments, humming distorted snippets of Mokili Mobimba. This wonderful tune buried so deep in my memory but whose prosaic particulars stubbornly resisted recapture.

Today (on this day!) the prodigal song returned, in a manner of speaking. It returned because I bumped into it during a frenzied google-search which was unplanned and so started out of the blue. It returned because I came upon it. And, I wanted to say as I finish, I won't let it go no more. But how does one chain a force greater than one?


Here, the audio:

Firefly: Haiku

Sunset never rests.
One morning there'll be sorrow.
Utter. Ill-described.

MUSIC: Fun with Mi Casa and Eddy Kenzo in Movie Star

Movie Star is a very cheerful and humorous music video. I guess the two, good cheer and humor, will usually go hand-in-hand. Here they do, to a hilarious degree. And the fun is had by all: the movie star herself; and each of the four musician types, all seemingly veterans of a secret vaudeville, tripping themselves and over each other to woo her -- with flowers, gifts, ice cream (lots of it) and jogoo (rooster) strutting. And she leading them on, and on, kind of.

But all that vanilla ice cream, with extravagant streaks of chocolate and strawberry cream, they're offering will surely bloat her to double her gorgeous size and waistline in no time. If she'll let their zeal get into her belly, that is. I'm not talking about kupata ball either. 

Yet you sense that she knows all the risks. Look at the corner of her eyes. In any case, the way to a lady's heart is not -- is never -- through her stomach; even if romance seems more and more pegged on finance these days. She's cheerful all the way. And how she carries herself through this ring of testosterone rings of good upbringing -- in real life -- I dare say. Art mirroring life? 

Upbeat tunes flavor this fun story-line (so where is Mr. Flavour?). And our movie star flirts in that sunny, melody-filled air: on the street, at the salon, in the cinema hall (popcorn in all hands). She flirts through all the boyish pranks. No one seems to tire of anyone. Ain't that a thing! 

One thing is certain: the movie of which she is the star is the very same music video we see them all in. Yet she's the subliminal Sza Sza, and her presumptive reincarnation at this 21st Century Zaza's Studio. 

Kudos to South Africa's Mi Casa group and Uganda's Eddy Kenzo for this wonderful summer (and fall and winter and spring) do.

HERE: The Movie Star Lyrics
READ: Chime Ndubuisi's "Mi Casa ft. Eddy Kenzo - Movie Star Lyrics"

READ: "Conversation ~ J'Something of Micasa"

Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of 2016 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

This is the third annual edition of #TYS ~ #TheYamboSelection, presenting in batches what in the end constitutes the full list of Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of 2016. The same criteria have been used this year (January to December 2016) as were used last year to select and rank the best pop songs out of those released or published during the year. The final list had 25 titles in 2014, but grew to 40 in 2015 and remains 40 in 2016. 

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, Genge, Hip Hop, Kwaito, RnB, Rap, Reggae, Rock, Soukous or Soul. We are not dealing here with gospel, classical or traditional music as usually understood; although borderline cases or creative partial 'fusions' with them will always be considered.

As a minimum, links are provided to commentary on each of the Top 10 Songs. Given that final decisions concerning the complete list of 40 songs and their relative rankings are made very late in December, detailed commentary on each of the other 30 titles could not be assured prior to the release of the list, which must occur very early in the new year. Where possible, you will find selected links to additional comments or information about individual songs, even over and above the ten. Any subsequent reviews of songs outside of this year's Top 10 will be published on the blog or elsewhere as and when possible. Indeed, several of such songs were already reviewed in the normal course of tracking the goings-on of 2016 -- prior to inclusion (and determination of relative positions) in the Top 40. Links to them are already given at appropriate points on the list. 

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. You may also distill these elements into VSO -- that is Voice, (instrumental) Sound and Optics -- or, more traditionally and broadly, audio-visual. 

Pop music is 'popular' in the sense that it resonates with large publics, in their present (or day-to-day, or contemporary) circumstances. If it is 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, The 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 text') that together signify, accentuate or enhance his or her persona in the eyes and ears of the fans; and, (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 and 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 between songs.

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.

Note: This document is a substantial update of the version published in 2015

PS: You May Also Wish To Know About Trace TV Video Selection Criteria

LIST OF AFRICA'S TOP 40 POP SONGS OF 2016 ~ #TYS

[Click on a Song's title to watch the video]

40. Sente by Be Be Cool (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

39. So Good by J. Martins (2016):

38. #YaMungu by Alpha (2016):

37. Yours by Stanley Enow ft. Ice Prince (2016):

36. Now You Know by Nyashinski (2016):

Click here to read comment

35. Plenty Plenty by Radio and Weasel (2016):

34. Akara Oyibo by Niniola (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

33. Benefactor by Akothee (2016):


READ: Related commentary on Akothee's art 1

READ: Related commentary on Akothee's art 2

32. Farmer Remix by Ykee Benda ft. Sheebah (2016):

31. Muziki by Darassa ft. Ben Pol (2016):

30. Ngud' by Kwesta ft. Cassper Nyovest (2016):

29. Kucheza by Mafikizolo (2016):

28. Estragar by C4 Perdo ft. AGIR (2016):

READ: Related commentary on C4 Pedro's art 1

READ: Related commentary on C4 Pedro's art 2

27. Biko by Lola Rae ft. Davido (2016):

26. Pana by Tekno (2016):

25. Fallen in Love by Chidinma (2016):



24. Awoo Ewaa by Oritse Femi (2016):

Update: Click here to read a review of the song

23. Temper by Skales 2016):

22. Feel Good by Navy Kenzo ft. Wildad (2016):

21. Mariana by A Pass (2016):


20. Micasa Sucasa by Kaligraph Jones ft. Cashy (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

19. Cash Madame by Vanessa Mdee (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

18. Say My Name by Shilole ft. Barnaba (2016):

Click here for a review of the song

17. Mayibabo by Kwesta ft. DJ Maphorisa x DJ Buckz x OkMalumKoolKat (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

16. Salome by Diamond Platnumz ft. Rayvanny (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

15.  Nkwatako by Shebbah Karungi (2016):

Update: Click here to read a review of the song 

14. Jukwese by Humblesmith and Mr. Flavour (2016):

13. Inde by Dully Sykes ft. Harmonize (2016):

12. Movie Star by Mi Casa ft. Eddy Kenzo (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

11. I Love Lagos by Olamide (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

10. Mugacherere by Qboy ft. Rayvanny x Shetta (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

9. Elengi by Innoss'B ft. Koffi Olomide (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

8. One Time by Lola Rae (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

7. Jinja by Fuse ODG (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

6. All the Way by Victoria Kimani ft. Khuli Chana (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

5. Tere Tere by Toofan (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

4. Kokoro by Rich Mavoko ft. Diamond Platnumz (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song



3. Upon Me by Kiss Daniel ft. Sugar Boy (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

2. Do Like That by Korede Bello (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

1. Dance for Me by Eugy ft. Mr. Eazi (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

A different video clips is also available via the link below:

Video Clip 2: Click here for video 2 of Dance for Me

READ/WATCH: Africa's Top 5 Pop Videos of 2015

Africa's Top 20 Pop Songs of 2016 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

This is the third annual edition of #TYS ~ #TheYamboSelection, presenting in batches what in the end constitutes the full list of Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of 2016. The same criteria have been used this year (January to December 2016) as were used last year to select and rank the best pop songs out of those released or published during the year. The final list had 25 titles in 2014, but grew to 40 in 2015 and remains 40 in 2016. 

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, Genge, Hip Hop, Kwaito, RnB, Rap, Reggae, Rock, Soukous or Soul. We are not dealing here with gospel, classical or traditional music as usually understood; although borderline cases or creative partial 'fusions' with them will always be considered.

As a minimum, links are provided to commentary on each of the Top 10 Songs. Given that final decisions concerning the complete list of 40 songs and their relative rankings are made very late in December, detailed commentary on each of the other 30 titles could not be assured prior to the release of the list, which must occur very early in the new year. Where possible, you will find selected links to additional comments or information about individual songs, even over and above the ten. Any subsequent reviews of songs outside of this year's Top 10 will be published on the blog or elsewhere as and when possible. Indeed, several of such songs were already reviewed in the normal course of tracking the goings-on of 2016 -- prior to inclusion (and determination of relative positions) in the Top 40. Links to them are already given at appropriate points on the list. 

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. You may also distill these elements into VSO -- that is Voice, (instrumental) Sound and Optics -- or, more traditionally and broadly, audio-visual. 

Pop music is 'popular' in the sense that it resonates with large publics, in their present (or day-to-day, or contemporary) circumstances. If it is 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, The 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 text') that together signify, accentuate or enhance his or her persona in the eyes and ears of the fans; and, (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 and 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 between songs.

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.

Note: This document is a substantial update of the version published in 2015

PS: You May Also Wish To Know About Trace TV Video Selection Criteria

LIST OF AFRICA'S TOP 20 POP SONGS OF 2016 ~ #TYS

[Note: Click on a Song's title to watch the video]


20. Micasa Sucasa by Kaligraph Jones ft. Cashy (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

19. Cash Madame by Vanessa Mdee (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

18. Say My Name by Shilole ft. Barnaba (2016):

Click here for a review of the song

17. Mayibabo by Kwesta ft. DJ Maphorisa x DJ Buckz x OkMalumKoolKat (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

16. Salome by Diamond Platnumz ft. Rayvanny (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

15.  Nkwatako by Shebbah Karungi (2016):

Update: Click here to read a review of the song 

14. Jukwese by Humblesmith and Mr. Flavour (2016):

13. Inde by Dully Sykes ft. Harmonize (2016):

12. Movie Star by Mi Casa ft. Eddy Kenzo (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

11. I Love Lagos by Olamide (2016):

Click here to read a review of the song

10. Mugacherere by Qboy ft. Rayvanny x Shetta (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

9. Elengi by Innoss'B ft. Koffi Olomide (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

8. One Time by Lola Rae (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

7. Jinja by Fuse ODG (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

6. All the Way by Victoria Kimani ft. Khuli Chana (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

5. Tere Tere by Toofan (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

4. Kokoro by Rich Mavoko ft. Diamond Platnumz (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song



3. Upon Me by Kiss Daniel ft. Sugar Boy (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

2. Do Like That by Korede Bello (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

1. Dance for Me by Eugy ft. Mr. Eazi (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

A different video clips is also available via the link below:

Video Clip 2: Click here for video 2 of Dance for Me

READ/WATCH: Africa's Top 5 Pop Videos of 2015

Africa's Top 10 Pop Songs of 2016 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

This is the third annual edition of #TYS ~ #TheYamboSelection, presenting in batches what in the end constitutes the full list of Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of 2016. The same criteria have been used this year (January to December 2016) as were used last year to select and rank the best pop songs out of those released or published during the year. The final list had 25 titles in 2014, but grew to 40 in 2015 and remains 40 in 2016. 

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, Genge, Hip Hop, Kwaito, RnB, Rap, Reggae, Rock, Soukous or Soul. We are not dealing here with gospel, classical or traditional music as usually understood; although borderline cases or creative partial 'fusions' with them will always be considered.

As a minimum, links are provided to commentary on each of the Top 10 Songs. Given that final decisions concerning the complete list of 40 songs and their relative rankings are made very late in December, detailed commentary on each of the other 30 titles could not be assured prior to the release of the list, which must occur very early in the new year. Where possible, you will find selected links to additional comments or information about individual songs, even over and above the ten. Any subsequent reviews of songs outside of this year's Top 10 will be published on the blog or elsewhere as and when possible. Indeed, several of such songs were already reviewed in the normal course of tracking the goings-on of 2016 -- prior to inclusion (and determination of relative positions) in the Top 40. Links to them are already given at appropriate points on the list. 

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. You may also distill these elements into VSO -- that is Voice, (instrumental) Sound and Optics -- or, more traditionally and broadly, audio-visual. 

Pop music is 'popular' in the sense that it resonates with large publics, in their present (or day-to-day, or contemporary) circumstances. If it is 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, The 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 text') that together signify, accentuate or enhance his or her persona in the eyes and ears of the fans; and, (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 and 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 between songs.

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.

Note: This document is a substantial update of the version published in 2015

PS: You May Also Wish To Know About Trace TV Video Selection Criteria

LIST OF AFRICA'S TOP 10 POP SONGS OF 2016 ~ #TYS

[Note: Click on a Song's title to watch the video]

10. Mugacherere by Qboy ft. Rayvanny x Shetta (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

9. Elengi by Innoss'B ft. Koffi Olomide (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

8. One Time by Lola Rae (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

7. Jinja by Fuse ODG (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

6. All the Way by Victoria Kimani ft. Khuli Chana (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

5. Tere Tere by Toofan (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

4. Kokoro by Rich Mavoko ft. Diamond Platnumz (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song



3. Upon Me by Kiss Daniel ft. Sugar Boy (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

2. Do Like That by Korede Bello (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

1. Dance for Me by Eugy ft. Mr. Eazi (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

A different video clips is also available via the link below:

Video Clip 2: Click here for video 2 of Dance for Me

READ/WATCH: Africa's Top 5 Pop Videos of 2015

Africa's Top 5 Pop Songs of 2016 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION 

This is the third annual edition of #TYS ~ #TheYamboSelection, presenting in batches what in the end constitutes the full list of Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of 2016. The same criteria have been used this year (January to December 2016) as were used last year to select and rank the best pop songs out of those released or published during the year. The final list had 25 titles in 2014, but grew to 40 in 2015 and remains 40 in 2016. 

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, Genge, Hip Hop, Kwaito, RnB, Rap, Reggae, Rock, Soukous or Soul. We are not dealing here with gospel, classical or traditional music as usually understood; although borderline cases or creative partial 'fusions' with them will always be considered.

As a minimum, links are provided to commentary on each of the Top 10 Songs. Given that final decisions concerning the complete list of 40 songs and their relative rankings are made very late in December, detailed commentary on each of the other 30 titles could not be assured prior to the release of the list, which must occur very early in the new year. Where possible, you will find selected links to additional comments or information about individual songs, even over and above the ten. Any subsequent reviews of songs outside of this year's Top 10 will be published on the blog or elsewhere as and when possible. Indeed, several of such songs were already reviewed in the normal course of tracking the goings-on of 2016 -- prior to inclusion (and determination of relative positions) in the Top 40. Links to them are already given at appropriate points on the list. 

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. You may also distill these elements into VSO -- that is Voice, (instrumental) Sound and Optics -- or, more traditionally and broadly, audio-visual. 

Pop music is 'popular' in the sense that it resonates with large publics, in their present (or day-to-day, or contemporary) circumstances. If it is 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, The 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 text') that together signify, accentuate or enhance his or her persona in the eyes and ears of the fans; and, (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 and 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 between songs.

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.

Note: This document is a substantial update of the version published in 2015

PS: You May Also Wish To Know About Trace TV Video Selection Criteria

Here is the List of Africa's Top 5 Pop Songs of 2016

[Note: Click on a Song's title to watch the video]

5. Tere Tere by Toofan (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

4. Kokoro by Rich Mavoko ft. Diamond Platnumz (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song



3. Upon Me by Kiss Daniel ft. Sugar Boy (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

2. Do Like That by Korede Bello (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

1. Dance for Me by Eugy ft. Mr. Eazi (2016):

Click here to read a review of this song

A different video clips is also available via the link below:

Video Clip 2: Click here for video 2 of Dance for Me

READ/WATCH: Africa's Top 5 Pop Videos of 2015

Introduction and Selection Criteria for Africa's Pop Hits of 2016 ~ The Yambo Selection

This is the third annual edition of #TYS ~ #TheYamboSelection, presenting in batches what in the end constitutes the full list of Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of 2016. The same criteria have been used this year (January to December 2016) as were used last year to select and rank the best pop songs out of those released or published during the year. The final list had 25 titles in 2014, but grew to 40 in 2015 and remains 40 in 2016. 

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, Genge, Hip Hop, Kwaito, RnB, Rap, Reggae, Rock, Soukous or Soul. We are not dealing here with gospel, classical or traditional music as usually understood; although borderline cases or creative partial 'fusions' with them will always be considered.

As a minimum, links are provided to commentary on each of the Top 10 Songs. Given that final decisions concerning the complete list of 40 songs and their relative rankings are made very late in December, detailed commentary on each of the other 30 titles could not be assured prior to the release of the list, which must occur very early in the new year. Where possible, you will find selected links to additional comments or information about individual songs, even over and above the ten. Any subsequent reviews of songs outside of this year's Top 10 will be published on the blog or elsewhere as and when possible. Indeed, several of such songs were already reviewed in the normal course of tracking the goings-on of 2016 -- prior to inclusion (and determination of relative positions) in the Top 40. Links to them are already given at appropriate points on the list. 

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. You may also distill these elements into VSO -- that is Voice, (instrumental) Sound and Optics -- or, more traditionally and broadly, audio-visual. 

Pop music is 'popular' in the sense that it resonates with large publics, in their present (or day-to-day, or contemporary) circumstances. If it is 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, The 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 text') that together signify, accentuate or enhance his or her persona in the eyes and ears of the fans; and, (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 and 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 between songs.

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.

Note: This document is a substantial update of the version published in 2015

PS: You May Also Wish To Know About Trace TV Video Selection Criteria