African Music

The singer, songwriter and producer Michael Makembe has compiled an audio library with almost 1,000 recordings of people singing, clapping and playing traditional instruments In a studio in Kigali, Rwanda, Michael Makembe sits down…

Emmanuel Jal doesn’t know how old he is. He tells people he’s 38. “I don’t know exactly when I was born, just because I was born when my country was at war,” says the chart-topping hip-hop musician, who is from South…

One of Africa's most celebrated singers, Tshala Muana, who died last week aged 64, was equally known for her soulful voice and raunchy dancing which led to riots and calls for her to be banned. Such calls always failed in the face of…

I was 12 when my dad was told he had HIV, he was shocked and went into self-destruct mode. He would drink, have fun with friends and try to do everything to excess. Eventually, he sobered up. I think he thought about his young children…

Sauti Sol are one of Africa's most successful bands. The Kenyan outfit have been together for 15 years, which is quite a feat in the modern music scene. Their hits include Suzanna, Melanin and My Everything on which they collaborated…

South African DJ Black Coffee has always decried the pigeon-holing of African music on to the side-stage as opposed to what he called the "main stage" of music events and festivals. Now, the musician, whose real name is Nkosinathi…