TITLE: Mali Kady
LABEL: Sahelsounds
Sahelsounds is the record label run by “guerrilla ethno-musicologist” Christopher Kirkley; his objective is to release unrepresented music from Mali, Niger and Mauritania onto the world stage. Hip hop is extremely popular in West Africa, as it is throughout the world; however, West African hip hop has barely registered in the first world, so it’s right in Sahelsound’s wheelhouse. This new album introduces us to Luka Guindo, a rapper and producer from Bamako with a broad set of interests: you’ll hear a little bit of everything from boom-bap and electro circa Afrika Bambaataa to Ivoirian coupe decale and South African Shangaan electro in Luka’s mixes. The grand Malian musical tradition is an important input as well – Luka makes frequent use of his balafon and ngoni plug-ins. There’s a wide variety of guest MCs here, each one spitting rhymes at warp speed, each one Autotuned into a comic blur. Compared to current American hip hop, which is monotonic in the extreme, Luka’s stuff is a melody riot filled with catchy riffs and phrases. Very interesting, very enjoyable.
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