INTRODUCTION
This is the ninth year-by-year edition of #TheYamboSelection. It presents in batches what in the end constitutes the full list of Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of 2018. The same criteria have been used this year (January to December 2018) as were used last year to select and rank the best pop songs released or published during the year. The first top list, published in 2014, had 25 titles. The annual top lists have become longer since, to the maximum target of 40 in any segment -- which was in fact first reached a year later, in 2015.
Between 2016 and 2017, the annual top list followed a two-pronged approach: (a) tracing back, year-by-year, to 2010 -- and settling for whatever maximum numbers that could be had in any of the less accessible years; and, (b) curating new songs released in the consecutive years of 2016 and 2017. The retrospective task was finished in in 2017, and we're now up-to-date -- with multiple annual rankings from 2010 all the way to 2017. The focus in early 2019, then, is in a more straightforward way ranking the songs published in 2018.
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. For the same reason, smaller "horizontal" pillars are also released. Thus, for example, there is (a) an overall Top 40 list for "all" Africa, (b) a Top 40 lists for all artistes within East Africa, (c) a Top 40 list for female artistes drawn from across Africa, (d) a Top 40 list for female artistes within East Africa, (e) a Top 40 list for all-Africa's happiest songs, and (f) a Top 40 list for the happiest songs within East Africa. As already explained, all these Top 40 lists are further segmented into Top 5, Top 10, Top 20 and Top 25.
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 and stay ahead of the rest anymore.
The focus of this series of lists remains steadfastly 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, Denge, 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.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 in today's terms, it is traditional in orientation, and thus locked in, and into, a past. Over time, it is important to realize, day-to-day begins inexorably to provide breaks with what observers and chroniclers end up calling the past. This is distinctly the case in multicultural environments, or the 'melting pots' of deep-urban localities.
As a minimum, links to and/or commentary on each of the Top 10 Songs on any list are provided. Given that final decisions concerning the complete list of 40 songs and their relative rankings are made very late in December or early January, detailed commentary on each of the other 30 titles cannot be assured prior to the release of the list, which must occur very early in the new year. This year we're rather late. Where possible, you will find selected links to additional comments or information about individual songs, even over and above the very top ten. Any subsequent reviews of songs outside of this year's Top 10 will be published on the blog or elsewhere as and when done. Indeed, several of such songs were already reviewed in the normal course of tracking the goings-on of 2018 -- prior to inclusion (and determination of relative positions) in the Top 40. Links to them are or will be given at appropriate points on the various lists.
As we start browsing and clicking, let's remember that only the best songs should populate a "Top" list, 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 uses 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 (in all manner of creative permutations and combinations): Tone, melody, harmony, beat, rhythm, pitch, tenor, 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.
As already pointed out, #TheYamboSelection rates only music video clips. 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' (and brand) while the song is sung. Today's pop scene, it seems obvious, is inescapably audio-visual. Sound quality matters, exceedingly; and so does the combo quality of the visual dimension. And let's not forget that the production of a video clip is a cooperative venture between the artiste(s) and the video director/producer. The latter does deserve credit too when things turn out really good.
Success demands that the audio-visual challenge be simultaneously attacked from two perspectives: (a) from the performance perspective, the artiste's (and entourage's) obligation is to produce in different measures the vocals, the lyrics and the dance or 'stage' magic (the charged 'body texts') that together signify, accentuate or enhance the conjoined personae in the eyes and ears of the fans; and, (b) from the recording perspective, both the sounds 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 clip 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. Unlike the typical movie, what's seen in the leading music clips these days comes from too many angles to record simultaneously with the vocals. Just take a look at Davido's Super Woman, or Midnight Drum by A Pass and crew.
The naming of more than one hit inevitably prompts the question as to which hit comes first, and which next...and which '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 (5, 10, 20, 25 or 40) hits -- limited to Sub-Sahara as previously 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 clips.
Finally: Year 2018 has witnessed a burst of super-inspired creativity and really great songs across much of the African continent, as is abundantly demonstrated by the year's top 40 pop songs, which will soon be released. To the 5 we've already seen atop the glorious heap of 40, we now add another five outstanding pieces by irrepressible artistes to present 2018's Top 10. In the end, it is the readers and viewers who will have to decide if the pecking order offered below matches their own impressions -- or vice-versa. Or reveals to them something new about [how to view] the African condition -- or Africa Rising.
A SELECTION OF RELEVANT TEXTS
1. Gillet, Charles, "African Popular Music". Encyclopedia Brittannica
2. Trace TV, Trace TV Video Selection Criteria
3. Vanguard Nigeria (December 13, 2017) "MTV Base unveils Panel to Select Hottest Nigerian Song of 2017" [Click any song's title below to watch the video clip]
10. Oliel by Octopizzo (2018):
Even with his signature shape-shifting art, who'd have imagined, just a year ago, Kenya's Octopizzo presenting, to an incredulous public, Oliel! He's become, truly, a trail-blazer -- despite his penchant for bluster, not quite unlike Muhammad Ali on a less-agitated day. In Oliel, a worthy addition to anyone's playlist, there's clearly a Hispanic tinge to the attention-grabbing string-play. Which adds melody and charm to the muted rap, and most likely to Octopizzo's accumulation fans -- and chums, too. Oliel is, so to speak, mach (= fire) itself.
9. Bam Bam by Timaya ft. Olamide (2018):
What a tantalizing and melodious song! What a sustained stream of uplifting sounds! Timaya and always-resourceful Olamide pull off an amazing aural 'stunt'. Another 10 seconds and we'd most definitely have heard enigmatic Phyno holler something, with a Southern-African accent! He seems itching to do so, but it doesn't happen. A truly inspired 'stage-set'. Great directing.
8. Katika by Diamond Platnumz ft. Navy Kenzo (2018):
In Nairobi's Eastlands [Eastlando] of old, which some still remember, Katika was a verb (almost an adverb) reserved for unabashed, sexy dance-floor moves by certain female folks -- there in the social halls. More generally, it referred to walking the "sexy walk" -- even unintentionally. One suspects that Katika, the Tanzanian song we have here, references that apparently evergreen and energetic jargon. There's plenty of Katika in the present clip, for sure. And the word keeps turning up from every aural angle, and with every beat and pause and line of rap.
But there's more. When it's her turn, as was inevitable, Aika (the female half of Navy Kenzo) bamboozles even seasoned Swahili speakers with her staccato, stream-of-consciousness rendition of seemingly incomprehensible lines: "Maumivu naugulia/Mwiba ukizama nahisi mateso/Utamu nang'ang'ania/Ndizi kwa nyama napata mchecheto/Nakuna nazi kwa mkongojo/Naunga mchuzi wa Sotojo/Uno la Rosti Rojolojo/Mikunjo fulani Wabogojo/..." She leaves them with a stammering sensation, trying to keep up -- even as Nahreel and Diamond Platnumz separately flirt! This is Aika as we've never seen her.
Katika treats the audience to a great and throbbing beat, as well, fused with a rich Samba melody. Supple dancing bodies fill the to-and-fro view, and sprinkle it with innuendo. A Latino frame of mind has become the scene, thusly, and won't let go.
Click here for the Katika lyrics
7. Ebeano by Mr. P (2018):
Ebeano is a fun song to listen to. It's hip. It's more than hop, as well. Still, there's so much more fun watching the crisp moves coming from all directions in this hi-tempo clip. At the heart of it all is, of course, Mr. P himself. He of PSquare fame. Yes, we know his pedigree. But it doesn't really follow that little Cameron, his already stylish son, should display such refined, choreography-friendly, dancing skills as we come upon here. Yet we do. Lots of credit to Mr. P's entire dance company, in the end.
6. Midnight Drum by A Pass x Rouge x Fik Fameica ft. DJ Maphorisa (2018):
Here comes South Africa's DJ Maphorisa, the virtual ever-presence of Africa's pop artistry. Again! What an iconic scene to show up in and nudge, with that fine cast of Ugandan stars! Blending elements of VR, AI and urban counter-culture with a futuristic frame of mind, Midnight Drum is perhaps the biggest surprise of 2018, spearheaded by the mysterious, hot-metal rider -- red-hot Rouge herself. This is sheer inventiveness. A commingling of images and tunes that underscore just one thing: self-belief. Perhaps two: that the future's no future without us, as you see us here!
5. Assurance by Davido (2018):
Assurance has a truly dramatic tenor. And, through Davido, it emits an unmistakably pleading tone -- made doubly so (trebly so, even) both by Davido's apparent proclamations and by the mix of silence and happiness palpably emanating from Chioma, every time we see her in the clip. The very same Chioma who everyone knows and acknowledges, or should (for their own good!), as his much (his publicly) touted lover. And yet it is not he who seeks assurance but gives it, despite appearances. It is Chioma. But she's content to speak -- to sing, to push -- through his own incomparable voice! And he offers it volubly, for everyone there -- and all here -- to hear. What a girl! What a moment of fantasy that everyone, perhaps, hopes is truly true this sunny day and will last!
Click here the lyrics of Davido's Assurance
4. Something for Something by D'Banj ft. Cassper Nyovest (2018):
Here's the story-line for this truly upbeat script: Nigeria's D'Banj and South Africa's Cassper Nyovest -- two of Africa's baddest -- arrive together at a party in dramatic fashion, with swag and great self-assurance. All they want is something -- for something they know they've got. They even walk backwards part of the way, up a wide staircase, to find it. And they bully their way across an open dance floor, and soon take over everything in and out of sight -- in clinical fashion. [Here's where/when most of the interesting stuff begins to happen, truly]. In no time, everyone is on their side and dancing their hearts out, with no prompts. Den dey, conquerors, leave -- as fully loaded as they had arrived. Uneasy calm returns.
What a day for bonding. And for strutting stuff honed separately in earlier songs such as Mr. Endowed and Double Wahalla Part 2, Tito Mboweni and Ngud'!
[Find here the lyrics for Something for Something]
3. Wet by Vanessa Mdee ft. G Nako (2018):
The wet and sweat memes about which Vanessa Mdee and G. Nako (both from Tanzania) sing with such high spirits and so much naughtiness are deftly inter-weaved with tropical (rain-forest) images and fine feline moves to deliver a superbly up, up, upbeat audio and visual ambience. Everyone's plainly having a good time.
Wet/Sweat, sung mainly in Swahili and spiced with English phrases and lines (and vice versa), has a sizzling Bongo fLava flow, too. On all counts, the accompanying video clip delivers a hi-energy and superbly entertaining performance, with non-stop cabaret-style verve -- all under the watchful eyes of Director Justin Campos. Wet has certainly earned the third spot in the 2018 rankings [Text mostly extracted from an earlier comment, which click here to see]
2. Rosalina Remix by BM ft. Awilo Longomba (2018):
Awilo Longomba may not be, any longer, the firebrand of song (and dance) that he once was. And not any younger. But see what he and BM and troupe have just gone and done to claim position 2 in #AfroPop 2018!
Time has slowed him some, but Rosalina Remix is a summation of, a fitting tribute to, all that he represents -- the half-remembered dance moves, the (now more carefully controlled) crowing, the refined turns-upon-a-pinpoint. The sunny, sunny and electrifying mien! Remember Karolina? Remember Coupe Bibamba? Remember Cache Cache? Remember them all -- and the other hits?
The suave and super-coordinated dance-steps that we see and savor here evoke fond memories, for sure -- and remind us of 'nearly-forgot' excitements and things. And even an excitement of things -- and moments.
Regard the oh so colourful and mandatory dress-code! True summer fare, as only the tropics can give anchor to -- in a rapidly changing and increasingly wide-eyed world. The dancing bodies fill the small screen with verve and restrained cheer -- ebbing and flowing into and out of sight. And promising a return at once rhythmic and throbbing and seductive.
1. Jibebe by Diamond Platnumz x Mbosso x Lava Lava x Wcf Wasafi (2018):
A mentor's magical intonation -- Jibebe (carry yourself) -- fills all the air, from start to finish, in this year's (2018's) greatest pop song out of Africa. The word's not "carry your own cross", but your own self. "Jibebe, bebe."
From the song's very first syllables, you know you've stumbled upon an other-worldly "echo" system. This finely woven tapestry of sound and motion -- of song and dance -- plays by its own inspired rules. These it reveals in sudden turns of phrase, as the narrative constantly surges forth. The montage of voice and body texts is thus, in its stretch and layering, unprecedented. And all-conquering. It's all so very cosy as well.
As one may discern from its confounding lyrics, all in presumed Swahili, Jibebe is also a 'dog-whistle' pointer, a musical ode of sorts, to the untapped power of gibberish -- gibberish as a lyrical form. It's not that we're witness to this creative device for the first time here. Kruzz's Bad, though far less dramatic and not as consequential, might be labeled a 'deliberate' and fitting precursor -- from the flatterer's angle. But Jibebe takes us to a wholesomely new level -- to moments where meanings don't seem to matter, and only how one feels does.
