Africa's Top 5 Pop Songs of 2017 ~ #TheYamboSelection

Introduction and Selection Criteria for Africa's Top 5 Songs of 2017

After the belated publication of Africa's Top Songs for each of the years running from 2010 to 2013, the 2017 list now represents the eighth annual ranking in #TheYamboSelection series. The same criteria have been used this year (January to December 2017) as were used last year to select and rank the best pop songs out of those released or published during the year. The longest list of top songs had 25 titles in 2014, but this number has been set at 40 since 2015. 

Before the entirety of the Top 40 list is released, smaller "vertical" segments are released as follows: Top 5, Top 10, Top 20 and Top 25. This is intended to facilitate subsequent online search by individuals who may be interested only in specific segments...READ MORE 

List of Africa's Top 5 Pop Songs of 2017 ~ #TYS

5. Esopi Yo by Awilo Longomba ft. Tiwa Savage (2017):

As a performer, Awilo Longomba hardly ever disappoints those who have become attached to his musical persona. Not in his vocal delivery. Not in his body texts. Not in his energy output. And not in the totality of his performance. In Esopi Yo, he delivers an exquisite act on a finely crafted set. The singing is mellow, the music superbly pitched. The ambience, inside a veritable 'chateau' somewhere in McCain's Arizona, is pure sapeurisme. The ebb and flow of body texts is haute art in motion.  READ MORE

4. Leg Over by Mr. Eazi (2017):

Leg Over is a great piece of music, with vocal and instrumental cords finely weaved and even more tastefully pitched. The two (voice and sound), heard so seamlessly as one, deliver a delightful audio experience. With his distinctive and powerful voice, Nigeria's Mr. Eazi is one of Africa's leading pop stars. His voice is a veritable 'tool' for cultural innovation. While the dancers whom we see in Leg Over give just as fine a show (and even look happy doing so), in harmony with the voice and the sounds, the video's overall mood rings... READ MORE

3. Yeba by Kiss Daniel (2017):
In Lingala language, the word Yeba means to know, or to become acquainted with. The music which those of my generation grew up with (and were nourished by) in Nairobi, and other parts of Kenya and the larger East Africa, was mostly Congolese, rendered in Lingala -- with a sprinkling of French and even 'broken' Swahili (nuggets of the latter which it was fun to rummage for). All too often, in the course of the lyrics, one would hear the intriguing word... READ MORE 

2. Man's Not Hot  by Big Shaq (2017):

Big Shaq ain't Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal) by any stretch. But, by some accounts, Shaq suspects that Big Shaq is belittling him; insinuating that Shaq ain't 'hot' (that is, "cool") or big enough (that is, big) any more. What's more, he's scheming rather loudly to take Shaq's inalienable name -- even if the 'alien' is the newly-arrived Big Shaq himself. Meanwhile, Big Shaq markets his brand as not hot at all -- as never hot, in fact; but rather, by some kind of super-providential twist(er), Shaq's ordained successor -- nay, 're-placer'. He's never... READ MORE


1. Africa Unite by Nsoki ft. DJ Maphorisa and DJ Paulo Alves(2017):
Seven years after Waka Waka (This Time for Africa), that iconic song sung and danced by Shakira and her South African companions at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, comes a worthy successor -- Africa Unite. The new song is sung by the equally fine and animated Nsoki, from Lusophone Angola. It is danced by her superbly choreographed dance-troupe. They are all so wonderfully 'backstopped' by the ever-resourceful DJ Maphorisa, and DJ Paulo Alves. The stage is a feline high-voltage affair from beginning to end. The singing makes the aural READ MORE


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LINKS TO LISTS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS

1, Yambo Selection, Africa's Top 5 Pop Videos of 2015