Africa's Top 5 Happiest Songs of 2014 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

Happiness is a state of mind, a feeling - with feelers to the 'outside'. Outside becomes what things we allow it to become, and what things we have no control over and so impose themselves.

Happiness and Love? They are twins. Twins, which, sometimes, alas, we find in mortal combat.

Good Music:
 In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Duke Orsino utters these immortal words: "If music be the food of life, play on; / Give me excess of it ..." I just want to endorse that here. Good music is at once a convergence of happiness - happy feelings - and its source. 

Happy songs make people happy, happy people arguably happier, and less sad sad people - and even, perhaps, happy; if they're not too deep into their own sadness. They breed happiness through the joyfulness of the words in the song and the soulfulness of the song in the words, the melody in the tunes, the liveliness of the body-language and suppleness of the assembled 'bodies', the harmony of the charged instruments, the pulsating visuals of the video, and the warmth of the stage upon which everything, and everything else, is set.

There is magic in the happy song, then. The song that makes people happy has magical power over 'em. So, oh my goodness, does the song that makes people truly sad.

There are times, if I may digress, that I have thought (sensed would be too strong a word) that truly throbbing drumbeat among the prayerful carries within it the voice of God in its surreal, surround beat, as it's heard among the gathered, and as it cascades across the land - and even among the landless and the faithless.

So good music, howsoever it is delivered, has the powers -- howsoever we c these powers. But, I ask: Why is it that music videos that elicit the most happiness seem generally to have a street motif?

READ: World Happiness Report 2015
READ: "The Happiness Contagion" December 9, 2008


HERE, THEN, IS THE TOP 5 RANKING OF THE 2014 SELECTION
[Click on a Song's title to watch the video]


5. Double Wahala Part 2 by Oristefemi ft. D'banj (2014):

4. Skelemba by Olamide ft. Don Jazzy (2014):

3. Ole Themba by Linah (2014):

2. Tchelete by Davido ft. Mafikizolo x Uhuru x Eslido (2014):

1. Dorobucci by Mavin Don Jazzy, Reekado Banks, Dr. Sid, Korede Bello, Tiwa Savage ... (2014):


SELECTION/INCLUSION CRITERIA

To qualify for inclusion in this list, a song was required to meet the following criteria:
1. Released as music video in 2014. Broadly in any of these genres: Pop, RnB, Hip-Hop, Reggae
2 Available via YouTube or Otherwise available online
3. Predominantly sung by an artiste or artistes from Africa, PARTICULARLY Sub-Saharan Africa
4. Regularly played on one or more of Africa's leading music channels: Afro Pop and HipTV Music, in particular (they pay sustained attention to their African audience); Sound City, MTV Base and Trace Urban (all three of whose fare is significantly more diffuse).
5. Have a discernible "happiness" (or sunny) content/slant in terms of the following mix of considerations: beat, language (verbal or body), lyrics, melody, visuals (dance routines, 'stage sets' and video quality), voice (and audio quality) and use of vocal and technical instruments
6. Broad sensitivity to sub-regional tastes and artists' bases of operation (East, West, Central or Southern)
7. Gender: Minimum of 1/3 Rule, if short-listed songs make this possible.

Africa's Top 10 Happiest Songs of 2014 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

Happiness is a state of mind, a feeling - with feelers to the 'outside'. Outside becomes what things we allow it to become, and what things we have no control over and so impose themselves.

Happiness and Love? They are twins. Twins, which, sometimes, alas, we find in mortal combat.

Good Music: 
In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Duke Orsino utters these immortal words: "If music be the food of life, play on; / Give me excess of it ..." I just want to endorse that here. Good music is at once a convergence of happiness - happy feelings - and its source. 

Happy songs make people happy, happy people arguably happier, and less sad sad people - and even, perhaps, happy; if they're not too deep into their own sadness. They breed happiness through the joyfulness of the words in the song and the soulfulness of the song in the words, the melody in the tunes, the liveliness of the body-language and suppleness of the assembled 'bodies', the harmony of the charged instruments, the pulsating visuals of the video, and the warmth of the stage upon which everything, and everything else, is set.

There is magic in the happy song, then. The song that makes people happy has magical power over 'em. So, oh my goodness, does the song that makes people truly sad.

There are times, if I may digress, that I have thought (sensed would be too strong a word) that truly throbbing drumbeat among the prayerful carries within it the voice of God in its surreal, surround beat, as it's heard among the gathered, and as it cascades across the land - and even among the landless and the faithless.

So good music, howsoever it is delivered, has the powers -- howsoever we c these powers. But, I ask: Why is it that music videos that elicit the most happiness seem generally to have a street motif?

READ: World Happiness Report 2015
ALSO READ: "The Happiness Contagion", December 9, 2008


HERE, THEN, IS THE TOP 10 RANKING OF THE HAPPIEST SONGS OF 2014 
[Click on a Song's title to watch the video clip]

10. Oshe by Praiz and Awilo Longomba (2014):

9. Awelewa Most Beautiful by Gabriel Afolayan (2014):

8. Chop Am by Reekado Banks (2014):

7. Taste The Money by P-Square (2014):

6. Fiko Fiko Fion by Claudia Bakisa ft. Koffi Olomide (2014):

5. Double Wahala Part 2 by Oristefemi ft. D'banj (2014):

4. Skelemba by Olamide ft. Don Jazzy (2014):

3. Ole Themba by Linah (2014):

2. Tchelete by Davido ft. Mafikizolo x Uhuru x Eslido (2014):

1. Dorobucci by Mavin Don Jazzy, Reekado Banks, Dr. Sid, Korede Bello, Tiwa Savage ... (2014):


SELECTION/INCLUSION CRITERIA

To qualify for inclusion in this list, a song was required to meet the following criteria:
1. Released as music video in 2014. Broadly in any of these genres: Pop, RnB, Hip-Hop, Reggae
2 Available via YouTube or Otherwise available online
3. Predominantly sung by an artiste or artistes from Africa, PARTICULARLY Sub-Saharan Africa
4. Regularly played on one or more of Africa's leading music channels: Afro Pop and HipTV Music, in particular (they pay sustained attention to their African audience); Sound City, MTV Base and Trace Urban (all three of whose fare is significantly more diffuse).
5. Have a discernible "happiness" (or sunny) content/slant in terms of the following mix of considerations: beat, language (verbal or body), lyrics, melody, visuals (dance routines, 'stage sets' and video quality), voice (and audio quality) and use of vocal and technical instruments
6. Broad sensitivity to sub-regional tastes and artists' bases of operation (East, West, Central or Southern)

7. Gender: Minimum of 1/3 Rule, if short-listed songs make this possible.

Africa's Top 15 Pop Songs of 2011 ~ #TheYamboSelection

You will recall that the first list of Africa's Top Pop Songs in #TheYamboSelection series covered only calendar year 2014. The second list covered 2015. However, while working on the various 2016 lists, interest in covering a few earlier years continued to grow. That interest has now resulted in the 2011 list of Africa's Top 15 Pop Songs, which appears below. 


The procedure for generating the 2011 list derives from the same one used for the period 2014-2016. Click here for all the essential details. 

LIST OF AFRICA'S TOP 15 POP SONGS OF 2011 ~ #TYS

[To view a video clip, you may have to Right Click a Song's title below and then choose the "Open tab in new window" option]

15. Ara (Wonders) by Brymo (2011):

14. Jankoliko by Chidinma (2011):

13. Coupe Bibamba by Awilo Longomba (2011):

12. Cache Cache by Awilo Longomba ft. Unnamed Female Vocalists (2011):
Click here to read a review of the song

11. Porte Monnaie by Ferre Gola ft. Gout (2011):

10. Faux Dossier by Awilo Longomba (2011?):
   [The 2011 edition of the YouTube video is no longer available]

9. Oleku by Ice Prince ft. Bymo (2011):

8. Washington by Koffi Olomide (2011):

7. What You Like by Longombas (2011):

6. Mukulu by Skales (2011):

5. Pollination by Radio and Weasel ft. Obsessions (2011):

4. Love Me 3x by Tiwa Savage (2011):

3. Medecin de Nuit by Koffi Olomide (2011):

2. Party Don't Stop by Camp Mulla ft. Collo (2011):

1. Nwa Baby (Ashawo Remix) by Flavour (2011):

Africa's Top 20 Pop Songs of 2011 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

You will recall that the first list of Africa's Top Pop Songs in #TheYamboSelection series covered only calendar year 2014. The second list covered 2015. However, while working on the various 2016 lists, interest in covering a few earlier years continued to grow. That interest has now resulted in the 2011 list of Africa's Top 20 Pop Songs, which appears below. 

The procedure for generating the 2011 list derives from the same one used for the period 2014-2016. Click here for all the essential details.
LIST OF AFRICA'S TOP 20 POP SONGS OF 2011 ~ #TYS

[To view a video clip, you may have to Right Click a Song's title below and then choose the "Open tab in new window" option]

20. Addicted by Camp Mulla (2011):

19. Molowo Noni by Samklef ft. Wizkid x D'Prince x Ice Prince (2011):

18. Superstar by Ice Prince (2011):

17. Hula Hoop by Stella Mwangi ft. Mohombi (2011):

16. Crazy by Shaa (2011):

15. Ara (Wonders) by Brymo (2011):

14. Jankoliko by Chidinma (2011):

13. Coupe Bibamba by Awilo Longomba (2011):

12. Cache Cache by Awilo Longomba ft. Unnamed Female Vocalists (2011):
Click here to read a review of the song

11. Porte Monnaie by Ferre Gola ft. Gout (2011):

10. Faux Dossier by Awilo Longomba
[The 2011 version of the Youtube video is now unavailable]

9. Oleku by Ice Prince ft. Bymo (2011):

8. Washington by Koffi Olomide (2011):

7. What You Like by Longombas (2011):

6. Mukulu by Skales (2011):

5. Pollination by Radio and Weasel ft. Obsessions (2011):

4. Love Me 3x by Tiwa Savage (2011):

3. Medecin de Nuit by Koffi Olomide (2011):

2. Party Don't Stop by Camp Mulla ft. Collo (2011):

1. Nwa Baby (Ashawo Remix) by Flavour (2011):

Africa's Top 15 Pop Songs of 2010 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

You will recall that the first list of Africa's Top Pop Songs in #TheYamboSelection series covered only calendar year 2014. The second list covered 2015. However, while working on the various 2016 lists, interest in covering a few earlier years continued to grow. That interest has now resulted in this 2010 list of Africa's Top 15 Pop Songs, which appears below. This is it. There will not be a 2009 list, tempting as that year is.

The procedure for generating the 2010 list derives from the same one used for the period 2014-2016. Click here for all the essential details.

LIST OF AFRICA'S TOP 15 POP SONGS OF 2010 ~ #TYS
[To watch the video clip of a Song, you may have to Right Click the Song's Song's title and then choose the "Open link in new window" option]


15. Kamasutra by Ferre Gola (2010):

14. Holla at Your Boy by Wizkid (2010):

13. Djarabi by Barbara Kanam (2010):

12. Say Ho by Yola Semedo (2010):

11. Give It to Me by D'Prince ft. D'Banj (2010):

10. Logique by Koffi Olomide (2010):

9. Queen by Longombas (2010):

8. Fall In Love by D'Banj (ft. Genevieve) (2010):

7. Ko Ma Roll by Mo' Cheddah (2010):

6. Robot by Koffi Olomide (2010):

5. Moto Moto by French Boy ft. Ray C (2010):

4. Mr. Endowment by D'Banj (2010):

3. Chokoza by Marya ft. Avril (2010):

2. Congo by Koffi Olomide ft. Cindy Le Coeur (2010):

1. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira ft. Unnamed Female Vocalist (2010):

Click here to read a review of this iconic Waka Waka song
Click here for BB Dj's rendition of Waka Waka (2009)

Africa's Top 20 Pop Songs of 2010 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

You will recall that the first list of Africa's Top Pop Songs in #TheYamboSelection series covered only calendar year 2014. The second list covered 2015. However, while working on the various 2016 lists, interest in covering a few earlier years continued to grow. That interest has now resulted in this 2010 list of Africa's Top 20 Pop Songs, which appears below.  This is it. There will not be a 2009 list, tempting as that year is.

The procedure for generating the 2010 list derives from the same one used for the period 2014-2016. Click here for all the essential details.

LIST OF AFRICA'S TOP 20 POP SONGS OF 2010 ~ #TYS
[To watch the video clip of a Song, you may have to Right Click the Song's Song's title and then choose the "Open link in new window" option]


20. Mkono Mmoja by Temba + Chegge ft. Wahu (2010):

19. Moza Girl by Dama do Bling (2010):

18. Lagos Party by Banky W (2010):

17. Champion Remix by General Pype ft Dagrin x Vector x Naeto C x Sasha x GT (2010):

16. Genge Love by Nonini ft. Lady Bee (2010):

15. Kamasutra by Ferre Gola (2010):

14. Holla at Your Boy by Wizkid (2010):

13. Djarabi by Barbara Kanam (2010):

12. Say Ho by Yola Semedo (2010):

11. Give It to Me by D'Prince ft. D'Banj (2010):

10. Logique by Koffi Olomide (2010):

9. Queen by Longombas (2010):

8. Fall In Love by D'Banj (ft. Genevieve) (2010):

7. Ko Ma Roll by Mo' Cheddah (2010):

6. Robot by Koffi Olomide (2010):

5. Moto Moto by French Boy ft. Ray C (2010):

4. Mr. Endowment by D'Banj (2010):

3. Chokoza by Marya ft. Avril (2010):

2. Congo by Koffi Olomide ft. Cindy Le Coeur (2010):

1. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira ft. Unnamed Female Vocalist (2010):

Click here to read a review of this iconic Waka Waka song
Click here for BB Dj's rendition of Waka Waka (2009)

East Africa's Top 15 Pop Songs of 2014 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

If one were to ask me, as I have already asked myself, to name East Africa's best/top 25 (or 10 or 5) pop songs released or published in 2014, here below would be, and is, my Top 15 selection. All my selections have a decidedly audio-visual focus, and so only rate music videos.

Of course, the naming of more than one 'like' inevitably prompts the question as to which 'like' comes first, and which next or last. In selecting and ranking my top African or East African  'likes' -- I limit myself to Sub-Saharan Africa -- I have been broadly guided by the following six criteria (each on a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being the highest score):
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 quality of the audio-visual product, in terms of: harmony, tone, melody, rhythm, beat and color display.
6. Based on the foregoing, how the entire single, 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.

RANKING THE TOP 15 SELECTION:
[To watch the video, you may have to Right Click a Song's title and choose the "Open link in a new window" option]


15. Kanyaboya by Messen Selecta (2014):

14. Butterfly by Nameless (2014):

13. Bum Bum by Diamond Platnumz ft. Iyanya (2014):

12. Show by Victoria Kimani (2014):

11. Coco Baby by Waje ft. Diamond Platnumz (2014):

10. Koolio by Stella Mwangi (2014):

9. Nimempata by Pam Daffa ft. Mesen Selecta (2014):
    [The YouTube account of the 2014 version of the song was closed]

8. Chapa Nyingine by Chege ft. Gift (2014):

7. Kookoo by Elani (2014):

6. Njoo by Shaa ft. Redsan (2014):

5. Mdogo Mdogo by Diamond Platnumz (2014):

4. Mfalme by MwanaFA ft. G. Nako Warawa (2014):
Epic ~ MY

3. Prokoto by Victoria Kimani ft. Ommy Dimploz x Diamond Platnumz (2014):

2. Sura Yako by Sauti Sol (2014):

1. Ole Themba by Linah (2014):

East Africa's Top 20 Pop Songs of 2014 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

If one were to ask me, as I have already asked myself, to name East Africa's best/top 25 (or 10 or 5) pop songs released or published in 2014, here below would be, and is, my Top 20 selection. All my selections have a decidedly audio-visual focus, and so only rate music videos.

Of course, the naming of more than one 'like' inevitably prompts the question as to which 'like' comes first, and which next or last. In selecting and ranking my top African or East African  'likes' -- I limit myself to Sub-Saharan Africa -- I have been broadly guided by the following six criteria (each on a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being the highest score):
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 quality of the audio-visual product, in terms of: harmony, tone, melody, rhythm, beat and color display.
6. Based on the foregoing, how the entire single, 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.

RANKING THE TOP 20 SELECTION:
[To watch the video, you may have to Right Click a Song's title and choose the "Open link in a new window" option]


20. Barua ya Dunia by Elani (2014):

19. Sugua Gaga by Shaa (2014):

18. Chuna Buzi by Shilole (2014):

17. Mfalme wa Mapenzi by Sanaipei [Sana] (2014):

16. Go Down Low by Palasso ft. Sheebah (2014):

15. Kanyaboya by Messen Selecta (2014):

14. Butterfly by Nameless (2014):

13. Bum Bum by Diamond Platnumz ft. Iyanya (2014):

12. Show by Victoria Kimani (2014):

11. Coco Baby by Waje ft. Diamond Platnumz (2014):

10. Koolio by Stella Mwangi (2014):

9. Nimempata by Pam Daffa ft. Mesen Selecta (2014):
    [The YouTube account of the 2014 version of the song was closed]

8. Chapa Nyingine by Chege ft. Gift (2014):

7. Kookoo by Elani (2014):

6. Njoo by Shaa ft. Redsan (2014):

5. Mdogo Mdogo by Diamond Platnumz (2014):

4. Mfalme by MwanaFA ft. G. Nako Warawa (2014):
Epic ~ MY

3. Prokoto by Victoria Kimani ft. Ommy Dimploz x Diamond Platnumz (2014):

2. Sura Yako by Sauti Sol (2014):

1. Ole Themba by Linah (2014):

East Africa's Top 25 Happiest Songs of 2014 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

Happiness is a state of mind, a feeling - with feelers to the 'outside'. Outside becomes what things we allow it to become, and what things we have no control over and so impose themselves. Happiness and Love? They are twins. Twins, which, sometimes, alas, we find in mortal combat.

Good music: In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Duke Orsino utters these immortal words:  "If music be the food of life, play on; / Give
me excess of it ..." Good music is at once a convergence of happiness - happy feelings - and its source. Happy songs make people happy, happy people arguably happier, and less sad sad people - and even, perhaps, happy; if they're not too deep into their own sadness. They breed happiness through the joyfulness of the words in the song and the soulfulness of the song in the words, the melody in the tunes, the liveliness of the body-language and suppleness of the assembled 'bodies', the harmony of the charged instruments, the pulsating visuals of the video, and the warmth of the stage upon which everything, and everything else, is set.

There is magic in the happy song, then. The song that makes people happy has magical power over 'em. So, oh my goodness, does the song that makes people truly sad. There are times, if I may digress, that I have thought (sensed would be too strong a word) that truly throbbing drumbeat among the prayerful carries within it the voice of God in its surreal, surround beat, as it's heard among the gathered, and as it cascades across the land - and even among the landless and the faithless.

So good music, howsoever it is delivered, has the powers -- howsoever we c these powers. But, I ask: Why is it that music videos that elicit the most happiness seem generally to have a street motif?

MEASURING HAPPINESS

Can happiness be measured? That's a question for another day.

BUT READ THIS IN THE MEANTIME: World Happiness Report 2015

DO ALSO READ: "The Happiness Contagion" that I posted on December 9, 2008


HERE, THEN, ARE EAST AFRICA'S TOP 25 HAPPIEST SONGS OF 2014
[Click on a Song's title to watch the video]
[For the selection criteria used in creating this list, go to the bottom of this post]

25. Baramushaka by Knowless (2014)

24. Barua Ya Dunia by Elani (2014):

23. Sugua Gaga by Shaa (2014):

22. Chuna Buzi by Shilole (2014):

21. Mfalme wa Mapenzi by Sanaipei [Sana] (2014):

20. Go Down Low by Palasso ft. Sheebah (2014):

19. Kanyaboya by Messen Selecta (2014):

18. Butterfly by Nameless (2014):

17. Bum Bum by Diamond Platnumz ft. Iyanya (2014):

16. Show by Victoria Kimani (2014):

15. Coco Baby by Waje ft. Diamond Platnumz (2014):

14. Koolio by Stella Mwangi (2014):

13. Nimempata by Pam Daffa ft. Mesen Selecta (2014):
[Video now unavailable]

12. Chapa Nyingine by Chege ft. Gift (2014):

11. Njoo by Shaa ft. Redsan (2014):

10. Mdogo Mdogo by Diamond Platnumz (2014):

9. Mfalme by MwanaFA ft. G. Nako Warawa (2014):
Epic ~ MY

8. Nikikutazama by H_ART THE BAND (2014):

7. Dabby Gololi by Emma Jalamo (2014):
The 2016 edition is much longer and more detailed

6. Wale Wale by Jose Chameleone (2014):

5. KooKoo by Elani (2014):

4. Prokoto by Victoria Kimani ft. Ommy Dimploz x Diamond Platnumz (2014):

3. Sura Yako by Sauti Sol (2014):

2. Be Happy By Eddy Kenzo (2014):

1. Ole Themba by Linah (2014):

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++

SELECTION/INCLUSION CRITERIA

To Qualify for inclusion in this list, a song Was required to meet The Following criteria:
1. Released as music video in 2014. Broadly in any of these genres: Pop, RnB, Hip-Hop, Reggae
2 Available via YouTube or Otherwise available online
3. Predominantly sung by an artiste or artistes from Africa, PARTICULARLY Sub-Saharan Africa
4. Regularly played on one or more of Africa's leading music channels: Afro Pop and HipTV Music, in particular (they pay sustained attention to their African audience); Sound City, MTV Base and Trace Urban (all three of whose fare is significantly more diffuse).
5. Have a discernible "happiness" (or sunny) content/slant in terms of the following mix of considerations: beat, language (verbal or body), lyrics, melody, visuals (dance routines, 'stage sets' and video quality), voice (and audio quality) and use of vocal and technical instruments
6. Broad sensitivity to sub-regional tastes and artists' bases of operation (East, West, Central or Southern)
7. Gender: Minimum of 1/3 Rule, if short-listed songs make this possible.

East Africa's Top 15 Happiest Songs of 2014 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

Happiness is a state of mind, a feeling - with feelers to the 'outside'. Outside becomes what things we allow it to become, and what things we have no control over and so impose themselves. Happiness and Love? They are twins. Twins, which, sometimes, alas, we find in mortal combat.

Good music: In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Duke Orsino utters these immortal words:  "If music be the food of life, play on; / Give
me excess of it ..." Good music is at once a convergence of happiness - happy feelings - and its source. Happy songs make people happy, happy people arguably happier, and less sad sad people - and even, perhaps, happy; if they're not too deep into their own sadness. They breed happiness through the joyfulness of the words in the song and the soulfulness of the song in the words, the melody in the tunes, the liveliness of the body-language and suppleness of the assembled 'bodies', the harmony of the charged instruments, the pulsating visuals of the video, and the warmth of the stage upon which everything, and everything else, is set.

There is magic in the happy song, then. The song that makes people happy has magical power over 'em. So, oh my goodness, does the song that makes people truly sad.

There are times, if I may digress, that I have thought (sensed would be too strong a word) that truly throbbing drumbeat among the prayerful carries within it the voice of God in its surreal, surround beat, as it's heard among the gathered, and as it cascades across the land - and even among the landless and the faithless.
So good music, howsoever it is delivered, has the powers -- howsoever we c these powers. But, I ask: Why is it that music videos that elicit the most happiness seem generally to have a street motif?

MEASURING HAPPINESS

Can happiness be measured? That's a question for another day.

BUT READ THIS IN THE MEANTIME: World Happiness Report 2015

DO ALSO READ: "The Happiness Contagion" that I posted on December 9, 2008


HERE, THEN, ARE EAST AFRICA'S TOP 15 HAPPIEST SONGS OF 2014
[Click on a Song's title to watch the video]
[For the selection criteria used in creating this list, go to the bottom of this post]

15. Coco Baby by Waje ft. Diamond Platnumz (2014):

14. Koolio by Stella Mwangi (2014):

13. Nimempata by Pam Daffa ft. Mesen Selecta (2014):
[Video now unavailable]

12. Chapa Nyingine by Chege ft. Gift (2014):

11. Njoo by Shaa ft. Redsan (2014):

10. Mdogo Mdogo by Diamond Platnumz (2014):

9. Mfalme by MwanaFA ft. G. Nako Warawa (2014):
Epic ~ MY

8. Nikikutazama by H_ART THE BAND (2014):

7. Dabby Gololi by Emma Jalamo (2014):
The 2016 edition is much longer and more detailed

6. Wale Wale by Jose Chameleone (2014):

5. KooKoo by Elani (2014):

4. Prokoto by Victoria Kimani ft. Ommy Dimploz x Diamond Platnumz (2014):

3. Sura Yako by Sauti Sol (2014):

2. Be Happy By Eddy Kenzo (2014):

1. Ole Themba by Linah (2014):

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++

SELECTION/INCLUSION CRITERIA

To Qualify for inclusion in this list, a song Was required to meet The Following criteria:
1. Released as music video in 2014. Broadly in any of these genres: Pop, RnB, Hip-Hop, Reggae
2 Available via YouTube or Otherwise available online
3. Predominantly sung by an artiste or artistes from Africa, PARTICULARLY Sub-Saharan Africa
4. Regularly played on one or more of Africa's leading music channels: Afro Pop and HipTV Music, in particular (they pay sustained attention to their African audience); Sound City, MTV Base and Trace Urban (all three of whose fare is significantly more diffuse).
5. Have a discernible "happiness" (or sunny) content/slant in terms of the following mix of considerations: beat, language (verbal or body), lyrics, melody, visuals (dance routines, 'stage sets' and video quality), voice (and audio quality) and use of vocal and technical instruments
6. Broad sensitivity to sub-regional tastes and artists' bases of operation (East, West, Central or Southern)
7. Gender: Minimum of 1/3 Rule, if short-listed songs make this possible.

Top 15 Pop Songs By or Featuring African Divas in 2013 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

You will recall that the first list of Africa's Top Pop Songs in #TheYamboSelection series covered calendar year 2014. The second list covered 2015. However, while working on the various 2016 lists, interest in covering a few earlier years continued to grow. This interest has now resulted in the list below of Top 15 pop songs by/featuring African Divas in 2013. 

The procedure for generating the Top 15 list for year 2013 derives from the one initially used for the most recent period: 2014-2016. Click here for all the essential details. 

LIST OF TOP 15 POP SONGS BY/FEATURING AFRICAN DIVAS IN 2013 ~ #TYS
[Click on a Song's title to watch the video]

15. What's Poppin Tonight by RayRay (2013):

14. Dumbala by Jay A ft. Sage (2013):

13. Without My Heart by Tiwa Savage (2013):

11 (b). Bamboo by Yemi Alade (2013):

11 (a). Cadence Mudanda by Mbilia Bel (2013):

10. So Alive by Sage ft. Octopizzo (2013):

9. Usinibwage by Aika ft. Nahreel (2013):

8. Mobimba by P Unit ft Alicious (2013):

7. Zamu Yangu by Shaa (2013):

6. Watch My Ting Go by Lola Rae (2013):

5. Emi Ni Baller by Chidinma ft. Tha Suspect x IllBliss (2013):

4. My Dream by Vivian ft. Jaguar (2013):

3. Khona by Mafikizolo ft. Uhuru (2013):

2. Posa ya Bolingo by Alicios (2013):

1. Lava Lava by Shaa (2013):

Top 20 Pop Songs By or Featuring African Divas in 2013 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

You will recall that the first list of Africa's Top Pop Songs in #TheYamboSelection series covered calendar year 2014. The second list covered 2015. However, while working on the various 2016 lists, interest in covering a few earlier years continued to grow. This interest has now resulted in the list below of Top 20 pop songs by/featuring African Divas in 2013. 

The procedure for generating the Top 20 list for year 2013 derives from the one initially used for the most recent period: 2014-2016. Click here for all the essential details. 

LIST OF TOP 20 POP SONGS BY/FEATURING AFRICAN DIVAS IN 2013 ~ #TYS
[Click on a Song's title to watch the video]


20. Rusha Mkono by Libby (2013):

19. Geti Kali by Sana ft. Jua Cali (2013):

18. Without You by RayRay ft. James (Gogosimo) (2013) ~ (video no longer available):

17. Rejoice by Knowless ft. Ray Blaze (2013):

16. Eminado by Tiwa Savage ft. Don Jazzy (2013):

15. What's Poppin Tonight by RayRay (2013):

14. Dumbala by Jay A ft. Sage (2013):

13. Without My Heart by Tiwa Savage (2013):

11 (b). Bamboo by Yemi Alade (2013):

11 (a). Cadence Mudanda by Mbilia Bel (2013):

10. So Alive by Sage ft. Octopizzo (2013):

9. Usinibwage by Aika ft. Nahreel (2013):

8. Mobimba by P Unit ft Alicious (2013):

7. Zamu Yangu by Shaa (2013):

6. Watch My Ting Go by Lola Rae (2013):

5. Emi Ni Baller by Chidinma ft. Tha Suspect x IllBliss (2013):

4. My Dream by Vivian ft. Jaguar (2013):

3. Khona by Mafikizolo ft. Uhuru (2013):

2. Posa ya Bolingo by Alicios (2013):

1. Lava Lava by Shaa (2013):

Africa's Top 20 Happiest Songs of 2013 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

The first list of Africa's Top Pop Songs in #TheYamboSelection series covered calendar year 2014. The second list covered 2015. However, while working on the various 2016 lists, interest in covering a few earlier years continued to grow. This interest has now resulted in the list given below of Africa's Top 20 Happiest Songs of 2013. 

The procedure for identifying the Top 20 songs derives from the broader one used for the period 2014-2016. Click here for all the essential details. 

LIST OF AFRICA'S TOP 20 HAPPIEST SONGS OF 2013 ~ #TYS
[Click on a Song's title to watch the video]


20. We do Work by Navy Kenzo ft. A Pass (2013):

19. Cheza Kizembe by Navy Kenzo (2013):                                                     

18. Take You Home by Radio and Weasel (2013):

17. Kipepeo by Jaguar (2013):

16. So Alive by Sage ft. Octopizzo (2013):

15. Usinibwage by Aika ft. Nahreel (2013):

14. Mobimba by P Unit ft Alicious (2013):

13. Zamu Yangu by Shaa (2013):

12. Watch My Ting Go by Lola Rae (2013):

11. Mtoto Mzuri by Nonini (2013):

10. My Dream by Vivian ft. Jaguar (2013):

9. Sholee by Sean Tizzle (2013):

8. Magnetic by Radio + Weasel (2013):

7. Jika by Mi Casa (2013):

6. Khona by Mafikizolo ft. Uhuru (2013):

5. Gobe by Davido (2013):

4. Lava Lava by Shaa (2013):

3. Mama Eh by Sean Tizzle (2013):

2. Touchin Body ft. J. Martins ft DJ Arafat (2013):

1. One of a Kind by Davido (2013):

Africa's Top 15 Happiest Songs of 2013 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

The first list of Africa's Top Pop Songs in #TheYamboSelection series covered calendar year 2014. The second list covered 2015. However, while working on the various 2016 lists, interest in covering a few earlier years continued to grow. This interest has now resulted in this list given below of Africa's Top 15 Happiest Songs of 2013. 

The procedure for identifying the Top 25 songs derives from the broader one used for the period 2014-2016. Click here for all the essential details. 

LIST OF AFRICA'S TOP 15 HAPPIEST SONGS OF 2013 ~ #TYS
[Click on a Song's title to watch the video]

15. Usinibwage by Aika ft. Nahreel (2013):

14. Mobimba by P Unit ft Alicious (2013):

13. Zamu Yangu by Shaa (2013):

12. Watch My Ting Go by Lola Rae (2013):

11. Mtoto Mzuri by Nonini (2013):

10. My Dream by Vivian ft. Jaguar (2013):

9. Sholee by Sean Tizzle (2013):

8. Magnetic by Radio + Weasel (2013):

7. Jika by Mi Casa (2013):

6. Khona by Mafikizolo ft. Uhuru (2013):

5. Gobe by Davido (2013):

4. Lava Lava by Shaa (2013):

3. Mama Eh by Sean Tizzle (2013):

2. Touchin Body ft. J. Martins ft DJ Arafat (2013):

1. One of a Kind by Davido (2013):

East Africa's Top 15 Pop Songs of 2012 ~ #TheYamboSelection

INTRODUCTION

You will recall that the first list of Africa's Top Pop Songs in #TheYamboSelection series covered calendar year 2014. The second list covered 2015. However, while working on the various 2016 lists, interest in covering a few earlier years continued to grow. This interest has now resulted in this 2012 list of East Africa's Top 15 Pop Songs.

The procedure for generating the Top 15 Pop Songs of 2012 derives from the one used for the period 2014-2016. The same criteria have been used this year (January to December 2012) as were used in the very first sets of lists published in 2014 (25 titles), 2015 (40 titles) and 2016 (40 titles).

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.

Given that final decisions concerning a year's complete set of lists of songs and their relative rankings are made very late in December, commentary on any specific titles included on a list will ordinarily appear after their release, which must occur very early in the new year. Where possible, you will find selected links to additional comments or information about individual songs. And where it so happens that certain titles appearing on a list had already been reviewed on this blog in the course of tracking the goings-on in the AfroPop world, links to those reviews will of course be provided under the respective titles. 

Finally, as we start browsing and clicking, let's remember that Top 15 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, #TheYamboSelection 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 songs -- 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.

ALSO READ: Trace TV Video Selection Criteria 

LIST OF EAST AFRICA'S TOP 15 POP SONGS OF 2012 ~ #TYS

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

15. Stella Stella Stella by Stella Mwangi (2012):

14. Kitu Kimoja by Avril (2012):

13. Kesho by Diamond Platnumz (2012):

12. Money Lover by Sauti Sol (2012):

11. Kata by Navio (2012):

10. Matapeli by Jaguar (2012):

9. Can't Let You Go by Radio and Weasel (2012):

8. Viuno Tucheze by Shilole ft. Kitokololo x Rich Mavoko (2012):

7. Feel No Pain by Camp Mulla (2012):

6. Nishike by Sauti Sol (2012):

5. Siri Ya Penzi by Shaa (2012):

4. I Wanna Get Paid by Pah One ft. Shrekeezy (2012):

3. Mpita Njia by Alicios ft. Juliana (2012):

2. Shut It Down by Stella Mwangi (2012):

1. Fantastic by Radio ft. Weasel (2012):