Final African Music Exam

Esi Nana

Esi Nana, E.T. Mensah, Highlife, Ghana

• Mensah is singing about a woman who has taken money away from him

Nsu Beto

Song title: Nsu Beto Musician/Band:Uhuru Dance Band Style: 2nd Gen Highlife Country: Ghana

Comments:

• Call and response techniques between the main singer and the rest of the ensemble

• There are western instruments (eg. the trumpet) blended with traditional African rhythms / timeline

• The lead singer of the album this song comes from “The Sounds of Africa” remains unknown

Ebi Te Yie

Song title: Ebi Te Yie Musician/Band: Nana Ampadu Style: guitar band Highlife Country: Ghana

Comments:

• Ampadu’s Ebi Te Yie is a politically charged song where he criticizes wealth disparities and the Ghanaian government in the 1960s. The song was banned on the radio for a while, and Ampadu was in trouble with authorities because of the song
  

Feso Jaiye

Song title: Feso Jaiye Musician/Band: I.K. Dairo Style: Juju  Country: Nigeria 

Comments:

• The song starts with accordion playing, and I.K. Dairo was one of the first high profile musicians to include accordions in his music, along with other instruments typical in Juju music 

• Dairo sings about the need to enjoy life but not moderation / showing restraint and living wisely 

Maajo

Song title: Maajo Musician/Band: King Sunny Ade Style: Juju Country: Nigeria

Comments:

• Maajo includes the use of a steel pedal guitar, an instrument that Sunny Ade is credited with introducing into Juju music

• The name of the song “Maajo” translate into “Let’s Dance” in English, and based on the complex rhythms in the song it’s clearly meant to invite listeners to dance 

Sisi Ba Millionaire

Song title: Sisi Ba Millionaire Musician/Band: Ebenezer Obey Style: Juju Country: Nigeria

Comments:

• In this song, Obey is singing about a woman who leaves her husband for a millionaire, but eventually the women gets dumped too

Zombie

Song title: Zombie Musician/Band: Fela Kuti Style: Afrobeat Country: Nigeria 

Comments:

• “Zombie” is a critique of the Nigerian military who Kuti despised. He describes them as zombies who do as they say, and don’t think for themselves. The military responded harshly, storming his home and brutalizing everyone inside

Untitled (EL)

Song title: Untitled Musician/Band: Eboa Lottin Style: Makossa Country: Cameroon

Comments:

 Soul Makossa

Song title: Soul Makossa Musician/Band: Manu Dibango Style: Makossa Country: Cameroon

Comments:

• Most popular Makossa song, blends Makossa elements with Funk and jazz, the upbeat rhythms is indicative of its danceability/the purpose is to make people dance

Sweet Mother

Song title: Sweet Mother Musician/Band: Nico Mbarga Style: Rockafil Jazz Country: Cameroon

Comments:

• A song about Mbarga’s mother. It was an instant hit b/c it appealed to a very universal topic: mothers who provide/care for their children. It helped that he sung in pidgin english so all english speaking african countries understood. contemporized everything going on in africa 

Untitled (F)

Song title: Untitled Musician/Band: Franco Style: Rumba Country: Congo

Comments:

Sorozo

 Song title: Sorozo Musician/Band: Tabu Ley Style: Rumba/soukous Country: Congo

Comments:

• Important to development to contemporary music, and worked with Franco

• Encouraged young girls to do music / be headliners (colonialism that pushed women to the margins) 

• Style: rumba/soukous – latter is characterized by faster drum rhythms, came out of rumba(rumba is slower)

• Example song-the timeline changes and gets quicker, the purpose being so people can dance

Isambe

Song title: Isambe Musician/Band: Kanda Bongo Man Style: Soukous Country: Congo

Comments:

• Putting this song next to sweet mother, hard to tell the difference

• fast tempo style

Untitled (TM)

Song title: Untitled Musician/Band: Thomas Mapfumo Style:Rumbira  Country: Zimbabwe

Comments:

• Mbira replicated on a guitar, in this piece on an electric guitar

Agolo

Song title: Agolo  Musician/Band: Angelique Kidjo Country: Benin

Comments:

N’dobine

Song title: N’dobine Musician/Band: Yousour N’Dor Style: Mbalax Country: SENEGAL

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Hapo Zamani

Song title: Hapo Zamani  Musician/Band: Miriam Makeba Style: Kwela Country: South Africa

Comments:

The click Song

Song title: The click Song Musician/Band: Miriam Makeba Country: South Africa

Comments:

Vis Vis

Song title: Vis Vis Musician/Band: Meiway Style: Zobla Zoo Country: Ivory Coast

Comments: