Introduction and Selection Criteria for East Africa's Top 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 (where we can't go from 20 straight to 40, for one reason or another). 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 25 Pop Songs of 2017 ~ #TYS
[Note: Lists for earlier years will appear at the bottom of this page]
Click on a Song's Title to Watch the Video
[It is worthwhile to note that 15 out of Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs in 2017 were from East Africa. Out of these, 8 were from Tanzania, 6 from Kenya (including a collabo between a Kenya's Khaligraph Jones and Rwanda's Bruce Melodie), 1 from Uganda, and 1 from Rwanda (involving that collabo between KJ and BM). Those 15 are in the first 15 slots in the Top 40 list below]
25. Byonkola by Ykee Benda (2017):
"What a mysterious song!" may be your first reaction when you hear the music without watching the video. It was mine when I first heard the tunes coming out of a piece which turned out to be Byonkola. I let my imagination fly READ MORE
24. Do Me Good by ExQ ft. Lulu Diva (2017):
Do Me Good is a boisterous coming together of yin and yang. It's an imaginary, rough-edged expression of sub-Saharan attraction. The two singers, from Zimbabwe and Tanzania, give it their all. The optics are crisp, with just about one frill. And we have a great tune, in which to wrap up the whole do.
23. Mfata by Charly na Nina (2017):It's clearly
In Mfata, the Charly na (= and) Nina duo sings a very cheerful and quick-paced song in perfect harmony of voice, and dances in wonderful synchronicity with the sounds which the band delivers so effortlessly and with such in READ MORE
22. Babiee by Avril ft. A Pass (2017):
Babiee showcases the fine talents of two classy artistes from East Africa -- she from Kenya and he from Uganda. They deliver the lyrics -- about lingering doubts in a boy-girl relationship -- and the totality of this refresh READ MORE
21. Weekend by Sheebah ft. Runtown (2017):
Weekend, sung by Sheebah and Runtown, is a superb collaboration by two musical pillars in Uganda and Nigeria. The video invokes images of weekend dos-and-dos that are clearly the stuff of daydreams, and 'endmont READ MORE
20. Kidege by Bandanah ft. Spizzo x Naiboi (2017):
Kidege ( = Little Bird) starts off with some 20 seconds lost to an unnecessary radio-call. Bandanah, "cool as a cucumber", rescues it all with his uniquely modulated voice. It stands out in this interesting song with a captivating aural READ MORE
19. Throne by Navio ft. King Kaka (2017):
Shot in large part before a live audience, Throne is all energy and gusto. An awesome tune streams all through the song. And a superb beat knocks out everyone. The stage is electrified, and so is the heaving mass READ MORE
18. Wembe by Otile Brown ft. Timmy Tdat (2017):
Wembe (= razor), the video, is a montage of playfulness and suggestive images that belie an accomplished 'stage' performance by two Kenyan artistes only READ MORE
17. Umeniwahi by Kristoff (Mluhya wa Busia) (2017):
Umeniwahi (= you got me), is a tuneful song depicting a youthful pair in a great holiday mood. The sands we see are surely not in Kisumu or Busia 'city', but no matter. Kristoff is a "trupillar" of Kenya's pop scene. Expect more from him.
16. Tonight by Band Beca ft. Petra (2017):
In Tonight, which gives us nearly 5 minutes of silky funk, the youthful and self-assured Kenyans, Band Beca, sing like seasoned artistes, with seductive pauses and poses. It's hypnotizing, non-stop verve. They rap, too. It's exquisite rap, Joe! Deep-breath rapping. You want to listen READ MORE
15. Kirisense by Khaligraph Jones ft. Bruce Melodie (2017):
Kenya's Khaligraph Jones and Rwanda's Bruce Melodie are 'caged dudes' in a fraternal and boisterous duel (nay, duet), in this Coke Studio rendition of Kirisense. Papa Jones is here at his most intense, delivering a form of rapid-fire rap which is, already, the stuff of READ MORE
14. Enjala by Sheebah ft. Cathy Patra x Rozmerie Atim x Vee Vicey (2017):
Enjala, one understands, means hunger; and it may mean nails or talons. As a song, Enjala will mean whatever suits Sheebah's fancy. How it's sung and accompanied and danced is a fine example of the pure naughtiness and dare-devilry which set (Queen) Sheebah READ MORE
13. China Love by Victoria Kimani ft. R. City (2017):
China Love is fine chinaware, so to speak, tastefully punctuated at eight cleverly timed points by a majestic command: GO! Still, the Great Question prompted by the song's title, before things clarify (some?), is: Is all this a "From China with Love" gig, or a READ MORE
12. No Spine by Gabu (2017):
No Spine is a fine piece of music by rappin' Gabu and co (all Kenyans). He delivers his lines with the cerebral poise of a seasoned poet, or troubadour. He strings his words and allusions, and all that Nairobi slang, with fine care. And READ MORE
11. Love Again by C4Pedro ft. Sauti Sol (2017):
Love Again is a collaborative effort by two of Africa's top pop talents today: Angola's C4Pedro (remember him in spectacular Spetxa One? and Kenya's Sauti Sol (remember them in iconic Sura Yako?). Not surprisingly, Love Again is a READ MORE
10. Fresh (Remix) by Fid Q ft. Diamond Platnumz x Rayvanny (2017):
A strumming guitar sets off this creatively imagined video. It anchors the beat all through this jamming affair by three Tanzanian stars. The beat in turn strings together a sequence -- nay, a veritable montage -- of sights, sounds and quintessential rap to deliver a musical feast.
9. Kababaye by Chin Bees (2017):
Chin Bees are an upstart group with all the self-assurance needed to get their voice heard on this increasingly star-studded continent of ours. Kababaye demonstrates that their art runs deep. It is only slightly less boisterous than Pepeta, but just as inspired -- and READ MORE
Tons of verve here! So much oomph! Kelele za Chura (Swahili phrase for frogs' croaking cacophony) is about the rock of love that ignores all prying eyes and treats all rumor as futile. Chege and the sultry lady, Nandy -- both Tanzanian -- give us O what a sunny READ MORE
7. Here We Go by Gabu ft. Kristoff x Prezzo (2017):
Here We Go is not a coming-out gig for a newly-discovered group of entertainers. It is a declaration of dominance by a known "force". Gabu, Kristoff (Yule Mluhya) and Prezzo are accomplished Kenyan rappers. But this song takes READ MORE
6. Makulusa by Rayvanny ft. Maphorisa x DJ Buckz (2017):
Let not Makulusa's briefly nonchalant start deceive you. Published just six days to last Christmas, it is the product of astute design. What with DJ Maphorisa and DJ Buckz on hand, this 'package' incorporates signature dance-routines from South Africa. But Tanzania's Rayvanny fits right in. He even belts a few lines in English. As what we see in this songs suggests, the musical scene is certainly in a state of ferment, all across sub-Sahara. There will be more ferments in the years ahead.
5. Kiba_100 by Rostam ft. Maua Sama (2017):
Gifted with such a precious voice as she has, Maua Sama (Summer Flower, if you want) is at the top of her game in this finely weaved song -- a song with what a drab title! We've seen her with 'Vee Money' in that blast of a song, Bounce, and know that more good stuff is to come. In Bounce, they were 'tussling' and baring their cute nails over a guy. Here, in Kiba_100, two guys swoon over her, in a futile attempt. Listen keenly, she'll make your day. She makes days.
4. Pepeta by Chin Bees (2017):
Released in March 2017, and directed by Rahul Kumar Singh, Pepeta launches with what a dramatic beat! Chin Bees sustain it to the end, in this 3:00-minute spectacle. These youthful Tanzanian artistes, suddenly sprung upon the continental stage literally by storm, are a Tsunami dressed up in full hip-hop regalia. They are here plainly to assert their unbridled artistic presence. Is all. They might as well be from LA, if that's a useful allusion in any way. They have a "foreign accent" -- but what's "foreign" to world-beating post- READ MORE
3. 911 by Krizbeatz ft. Yemi Alade x Harmonize (2017):
As the video shows, the whole crew caught up in this 911 situation has contributed massively to its obvious and growing success. Everybody in it goes with the tastefully choreographed flow, and understated humour. Still, special mention must go to three individuals: Krizbeatz, Harmonize and Yemi Alade. One takes it that Krizbeatz it is who made the do at all possible. Never a mean feat. And so And so he must feel fully validated by the accolades that are flowing in. Yemi Alade is the most widely known of the three, and the heart of this...READ MORE
2. Inspire by Nameless (2017):
Inspire has a truly inspiring tone and an amazingly sunny tune. Nameless, whom we will call Adam, has gone (to the Maasai Mara) and done it, all within sight of the great and imposing Kilimanjaro. This is without question his greatest song -- ever. And it just goes to show that great and greater potential and talent may lie untapped and perhaps unsuspected even in those who have already scaled heights. Nameless has obviously worked very hard to let us have Inspire, on a platter READ MORE
1. Bounce by Vanessa Mdee ft. Maua Sama x Tommy Flavour (2017):
Bounce features two Tanzanian Divas with smooth-as-silk voices, and a style and charm to match the whole do: Vanessa Mdee and Maua Sama. It might as well be summer in this suggestive video. Wait, it's always summer in coastal TZ! The third artiste, Tommy Flavour, lives up to his surname, looks like, with these gals, in a no-holds-barred but gentle and consensual threesome. He's the 'boy-toy'. He's the ball of string the cats 'fight' over in this giddily furnished and leisurely hideout -- this burudani. READ MORE
