Tracklisting:

Sheema-Nampenda Vs Vybz Kartel-Party Me Say Vs Beenie Man-Me & You (Nuh Care) Vs Serani-Don’t Go Away

Ice Prince-Juju Vs Drake-Find Your Love 

Jua Cali-Bidii Yangu Vs Busta Rhymes-I Love My B****

Shimpazi-Kampeni (Nanga Why) ft P Jay Vs Lalah Hathaway-If You Want To

Victoria Kimani-Ayaya (Stronga) Vs Missy Elliott-One Minute Man ft Ludacris 

Madtraxx-Kamaress Vs Rahsaan Patterson-6 AM Vs Seanizzle-Summer Fling Riddim 

Brymo-Good Morning Vs Avril Lavigne-Smile

Ofori Amponsah-Odwo Vs Rupee-Tempted To Touch

By Justin Dingwall

Your track, ‘My Name Is’ rocked Miami. What did that feel like? Did you produce the song with Miami in mind?
The feeling is indescribable, Miami was a big surprise to all of us, no one knew that it would be so big in Miami.

DJ Louie Vega ‘s wife Anané signed you to her label NuLu Records the instant she heard the song. What does that mean for your career?
This is a big move for me. Just the mere fact that they recognized and acknowledged the fabulousness of the song is amazing to me. Getting signed was a dream come true. To me, it says that I have worked hard and I am getting the recognition. This is big for the “female DJ” movement.

The video is as awesome as the track. You’ve turned the vintage lounge-singer concept on it’s head. Tell us about the creative process and the story you’re telling?
The first video I did was for a song called Pepe, the concept included two well recognized comedians David Kau and Chris Mapane, that video did so well that I had to up the game.
I needed a unique concept that would match the greatness of the song. The song is about Divas and how they take over bringing a great time, so I invited my friends who are true divas, Miss Pru, Kagiso Rakosa and Khanyi Mbau.
I wanted a different setting, something different from the normal party scene you see in most local music videos.

FUSE, your DJ Academy for girls, is growing and producing new talent like your protégé Miss Pru. What difference do women bring to the dance music scene?
There is no difference, we bring the same things that males have been bringing all these years, it’s just that now we are growing in numbers because our place is no longer just in the kitchen, but also behind the decks. We however, cannot deny the uniqueness and fabulousness of a female DJ.

Do you think your school will ever go co-ed, mentoring both men and women?
Not at all, my calling is with females.

Now is the time of the DJ. DJ’s and producers all over the world move from behind the scenes to centre-stage. What are your thoughts on this focus on DJ’s?
Back in the day people did not care who the DJ was, it was just about the party and the venue, now the crowd puller, more than anything, is the actual DJ line up, which goes to show that DJs are today’s rock stars.
This is exciting for me because it cements the fact that DJing is a proper career, if managed properly.

The world definitely loves the South African house music sound right now. What’s your strategy for cementing your name across the African continent?
Music is a universal language and that is the best way to get your name out there – to produce and release good music that is my strategy.

Your journey has been incredible. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt in going from a young woman in rural KwaZulu Natal to being one of the biggest names in South African house music and now becoming an international dance music icon?
The biggest lesson is that where there is great effort, good planning and passion, there will be results. I am not confused about the fact that every good result requires hard work and that is what I am always willing to invest.
My motto is “Work hard, love hard and laugh hard…”

As your career continues to grow, you continue to break boundaries as a woman; yet at the same time, do you feel there is a hindrance to being known as a ‘Female DJ’ rather than just a DJ?
Those days are coming to an end, I have been in the industry for eight years now and I am certain that I have proved myself enough to be recognized as one of the best DJs instead of being in the “female DJ box”.
Female DJs are making the mark and its no longer about gender, it’s about how hard you work and how well you do your job.

We’re always looking for new sounds. Who do you recommend we should be adding to our playlist? Which new artists are you excited about right now?
I am so excited about people like Black Motion, Khuli Chana and Point 5. Oh, if you haven’t heard of Dr Malinga, where have you been?

See more pics at Beauty is Diverse

YOU WILL LOVE: Alek Wek and Ajak Deng in Spring 2012 Kenzo Ad

Real Name: Laura Seay        Web Name: Texas in Africa

Why did you choose that particular name as your webname: I’m a Texan who studies African politics, but it also originated as a comparison between my home and the eastern Congo, where I did my dissertation field research. Both places have strong and proud regional identities, lots of resources, and politicians who don’t always use those resources for the good of the people. So it’s kindof a play on that and also on me being a Texan.

Best known for: These days, probably my Twitter feed, @texasinafrica.

Where are you from/live? I’m from Texas, but live in Atlanta, Georgia.

Places to find you online: http://texasinafrica.blogspot.com, twitter.com/texasinafrica, and I contribute occasionally at the Atlantic.com, the Christian Science Monitor’s Africa Monitor blog, The Guardian’s global development blog, and Al Jazeera English.

When and how did you enter the social media game? I started my blog in August 2005 while getting ready to conduct dissertation field research in DRC’s Kivu region. I envisioned it as a very personal way of keeping in touch with my family and friends while I was living in Goma, and never dreamed that strangers would start reading, much less that it would lead to so many opportunities to write, speak, and be part of a global conversation on development and security.

What do you mostly tend to use it for? I’m not blogging a lot these days as my job is pretty demanding, but I use social media in general to network, follow breaking news, find the best analysis of complicated situations, and to engage with people I would otherwise never get to meet. I also use social media in my courses at Morehouse College – my students do everything from tweeting about current events to making YouTube videos to explain key terms and concepts.

How has social media helped you grow your brand? Hugely – I don’t think I’d have a “brand” if it weren’t for social media. I’ve gotten so many speaking invitations, writing opportunities, and consulting jobs as a result of my social media activity.

What is your brand/message? That’s a great question and one that I haven’t really thought about before. I write and tweet about issues at the intersection of development and security in sub-Saharan Africa (mostly central and eastern Africa), with a focus on community-based responses and giving primacy to African and Diaspora voices. My message is that we in the West have to move away from the “savior” mentality when looking at Africa, and move toward empowerment and support models for people who are already doing great work, innovating, and brainstorming new ideas.

If you could have one person follow you on twitter who would it be? Why? Wow – I don’t know. Maybe US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson? I’m of the view that US policy towards Africa has been a bit of a mess since the end of the Cold War (and that’s true whether we’re talking Republican or Democratic administrations). It’s well past time to move beyond the “democracy and disease” model that’s driven US policy toward the continent for the last two decades. I would love to see our leading policy officials be more engaged in the debates we’re having on Twitter.

If you could have one person join twitter who would it be? Why?  Probably my sister, who lives in an interesting place and has all kinds of adventures. She’s a very private person, though, so I don’t think it will happen.

Who should every African be following right now? Every African should be following @TMSRuge, who is leading the charge on changing the way the Diaspora engages with the continent, with a model focused on starting sustainable businesses and empowering communities.

What is the role of social media in the “Africa” conversation?  Social media has a huge role in the Africa conversation. Before social media, the expense of travel and difficulty of getting visas made it nearly impossible to have sustained conversations with a wide variety of people – from political leaders to average citizens in Nairobi or Dakar or wherever. Today, we don’t have to speculate as to what Malians think about the coup or what is working in Malawi’s return to democracy – we can get on Twitter and find out. It’s fantastic and is shifting the way people think about Africa. The international media is finding it harder and harder to get away with only publishing stories of gloom and doom in Africa-  there’s important pushback and pressure to be more accurate now. It’s fantastic!

Who is benefiting most from the rise of Africans on social media sites? I don’t think anybody is losing from it, save perhaps authoritarian governments who can no longer cover up the fact that their people aren’t happy with their rule.  We all benefit – African voices get a bigger platform from which to speak, those of us who want to learn now have many more opportunities to do so, and NGO’s, diplomats, and donors can get a better grasp on what people actually want.  It’s a win-win.

If you could invent a social networking tool for the future, what would it be? I would love to see a social networking tool that doesn’t require high levels of bandwidth, so that these opportunities for engagement would be available to Africans who live in rural areas. Right now, social media is dominated by middle-to-upper-income city-dwellers, which is not a bad thing, but it gives us an incomplete picture and leaves out important voices whose perspectives are very different from their counterparts in the capitals.

Follow Laura on twitter

AfriPOP! socialite is a weekly  feature that introduces you to the internet’s socially prominent Africans and lover of Africa. Not backed by a brand or organization, these are individuals who have used the internet to connect with fellow Africans to spread and discuss fresh ideas and thoughts on all things Africa. Their words are their message, their personality is their brand — the AfriPOP! socialite.

Amina Lula is a Toronto based PR and social media manager for online shopping site eLUXE. This Somali-Yemeni beauty started off her career in the fashion business as an intern-cum-employee at Rachel Roy, who Amina describes as “an incredible mentor.”

She is also the second half of the Sokoni Worldwide duo (we featured her Sokoni partner-in-crime Saada Ahmed a few weeks ago)

On her style, Amina says:
“It’s never consistent so I don’t think I can describe it. I dress for how I feel and the occasion. I guess you could say eclectic.”

She documents her style and inspirational online finds on aminalula.tumblr.com and you can follow her on twitter

Check out her five days of style below:

Monochromatic Mondays – Believe it or not, I found this cinnamon coloured outfit inside Forever 21, the slim fit pants and crochet top. The shoes are Celine, my favourite shoe – I love a naked foot with an ankle strap. I wore this outfit without my earrings during the day. I had an event that evening – so to take my outfit from day to night – I added these oversized gold plated earrings are Kenneth Jay Lane.

Tuesday – I normally don’t wear jeans, but I love the fit and fabric of these J.Crew salmon coloured jeans. I wasn’t feeling any particular way when I decided to pair it with this silver sequin top from Zara. I just felt they looked good together. My shoes are Sam Edelman, extremely comfortable and chic. There was already so much going on up top that I decided to not wear any accessories.

Thursday- Flower power : I love prints, especially mismatching them but unfortunately I didn’t have such a top to pair with these silk floral pajama pants from Top Shop. So I opted for a solid navy lightweight Kain Label top. To make the outfit  less casual, I wore the nude leather bow J.Crew pumps.

Friday – I’m wearing all Rag & Bone here, I was obsessed with these crochet/knitted pieces when I saw them in the spring ’12 show – I didn’t know there was a skirt, so when I went for the sweater, it made sense to get the skirt – there is so much detail, exposed zipper detail in the back, it’s beautiful. Blinding neon sandals from Zara.

YOU WILL LOVE: What I Wore This Week: Kate Desmarais

“AfriPOP! What I Wore This Week” showcases the styles of the different African fashionistas worldwide. Our fashion junkie of the week will showcase what they wore going about in their daily lives; from a work day to a night out on the town! We are highlighting the fashion-forward, eclectic styles of those that look beyond brand names to focus on a personal style and aesthetic.

After a super short four-day run, Neo Muyanga’s début operetta, The Flower of Shembe, has left Cape Town audiences hungering for a fast comeback. Melding together traditional and classical forms with Afro-futurist costume design and sets, this production is a liberating future-forward fable, a 21^st century African fairy story in song.

Entering the theatre, you feel as if Star Trek has touched down in Polokwane, and the tribal space-age feeling of the production (accentuated by felt designs by Dutch artist Dianne Schepers) just gets more and more exhilarating right up until the epic climax featuring postmodern angels tussling in a swimming pool to a cathartic chorus of sublimely sung speech. Water is flung across the stage and the heroine, Addis, rises above the action with giant white wings epically spanning the mortal actions on the stage below.

A mythic maskanda operetta about faith and destiny, The Flower of Shembe is ‘elastically Pan African’ and shamelessly syncretic, drawing from urban Zulu music modes and harmonisation woven together with modern chamber orchestra accompaniment.

Born in Soweto, Muyanga studied the Italian Madrigal tradition with choral maestro, Piero Poclean, in Trieste, Italy – and continues to write, compose and play music in a hybrid style that owes no allegiance to any one culture, but enlarges musical boundaries. So it makes perfect sense that he is also the musical brains behind the Pan African Space Station – an archive of contemporary Pan African sound on the Internet (www.panafricanspacestation.org.za) and live at Tagore’s live bar in Observatory, Cape Town.

Expectations for the production were high considering his track record as one of South Africa’s most innovative and impassioned composers. He co-founded the legendary guitar duo, BLK Sonshine (with Malawian-born Mosauko Chipembere) blending hiphop, jazz and folk into soulful African tunes that expand musical culture. Whose knees didn’t collapse on first hearing Muyanga’s tender rendition of ‘When we Make Love’ – one of the most romantic ballads ever to span the diaspora?

‘Simply put, The Flower of Shembe is a fictional reimagining of what trials and tribulations might befall a messiah coming to terms with a most onerous destiny,’ explains Muyanga in the programme notes. ‘The narrative of the Messiah is one of hope for all the world. We celebrate and share it through stories like those about Mithra (the Persian deity), Jesus (of Nazareth), Saint Yared (in Ethiopia) and Isaiah Shembe (of Zululand).’

But Muyanga’s pop messiah is far from any one of these culturally ordained versions. For starters, she’s a girl. A dreamlike fantasy figure, Addis, is a beautiful young black woman who is forced to hide her gender and pose as a boy to conform to her militaristic father’s patriarchal expectations. Her shapeshifting androgyny is spectacularly brought to life by Fleur du Cap award-winning actress, dancer and puppeteer Chuma Sopotela. Meanwhile, Luvuyo Mabutho captures the power-hungry energy of her tyrannical father, Ledimo (the crazy, ke lehlanya), conjuring aspects of suspended ANC youth league president Julius Malema and Zairean despot Mobuto Sese Seko.

It’s Addis’s liberation from this gendered lie that fuels the drama of the production and its beautiful radicalism, considering the context of gender conservatism and the frequency of hate crimes being waged against women and LGBT communities in Africa. If you follow the cues and read between the lines, the operetta’s joyous subtext is an affirmation of the fact that true national, or even spiritual, liberation might never be possible without equal and accompanying gender liberation.

When I catch Muyanga for a few breathless minutes after a wave of thunderous applause has filled the Artscape auditorium, he tells me that the operetta has been a year in the making and that the libretto came to him in his dreams. ‘Whoever would have guessed I’d end up making an operetta about a black Jesus with breasts?’ he laughs mischievously. He confirms that, although no dates have yet been fixed, the company is planning to tour the production over the next two years, most likely starting with a run in Johannesburg later this year.

‘I hit on the idea of composing an operetta along these lines because the name “Shembe” also belongs to the family of my mother – children of the clan Ntungwa, of the praise name Ntlanzi (the fish),’ says Muyanga. ‘I remember jokingly asking my mother one day, “so does this mean we are directly related to God?” She, ever the pragmatist, burst out laughing at the mere thought.’

You only have to read the programme notes to see why this production oozes with such superlative talent. From the narrator, Kabi Thulo, ‘a Southern Sotho traditional healer (sangoma), theatre-practitioner, scholar and deep house DJ’, to the director, dancer and choreographer Ina Wichterich-Mogane, who has performed with the world-famous Pina Bausch Dance Theatre, this is one seriously knock-out cast of self-made performers, who careers follow no set path. It’s Muyanga’s genius to have pulled them all together under the auspices of Young Blood – the award-winning company that has staged Flower of Shembe, a visionary production that is likely to see many more standing ovations as the it continues to bloom over the next few seasons.

Underground and going places MC Choc headlined the event in downtown Johannesburg. On the decks were the lovely DJ Soulo Starr and DJ Party Time. You might know Party Time as one of half of the Dirty Paraffin duo.

Download DJ Party Time’s exclusive Throwdown by AfriPOP! mix.

Images by Jamal Nxedlana and Lynsey Chutel

Brenda Fassie: “Mama”
South African singer Brenda Fassie (RIP) offers a sweet tribute to mothers

Prince Nico: “Sweet Mother”
One of the most celebrated (and remade) songs out of Nigeria, “Sweet Mother” celebrates the strength and courage of mothers

Khadja Nin: “Mama”
Burundian singer Khadja Nin sings the praises of mothers in this classic

Asa: “So Beautiful”
“Everyday I pray for you, Queen of my life, You’re so beautiful mama,” sings British-Nigerian singer Asa

Deep Level: “Thula Mama”
South African hip hop group Deep Level pay tribute to their mother’s in this modern twist on a South African classic

Mimmo: “Muciari”
They may not have always gotten along, but Kenyan singer Mimmo knows her mother’s love s eternal

An award-winning Nigerian journalist (Arts and Culture Prize in the 2009 CNN Multichoice African Journalism Awards), Ogunlesi’s writing has appeared in The Independent, CNN.com, Economist.com, Publishing Perspectives and guardian.co.uk. His fiction and poetry have been published in The London Magazine, Wasafiri, Farafina, PEN Anthology of New Nigerian Writing, Stanford’s Black Arts Quarterly and World Literature Today.

His hilarious twitter timeline comments on African affairs and gives us a glimpse into the inner workings mind of his mind in real time. Spend a little time with out this week’s socialite, Tolu Ogunlesi.

Real Name:   Tolu Ogunlesi

Web Name: Tolu Ogunlesi (But I get called a “Twitter Thug” every now and then)

Best known for: Tweeting; Flooding OPT (Other Peoples Timelines); Befriending The Kola Boof

Where are you from/live?

I live in Lagos, I am from Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ibadan, Lagos, Norwich and fantasyland (not necessarily in that order)

Places to find you online: Twitter. Six months ago, Facebook would have counted, but I’ve now more or less abandoned it. Then there’s my wordpress blog.

When and how did you enter the social media game?
I was on Hi5 years ago, but I can’t even remember what that was like. (Who does?) My first experience of social media actually came via blogging. I used to be a prolific blogger, from around 2005/6. Blogville was last decade’s Twitter. Then Facebook came along, and I took to it passionately. It was life-transforming, really. And then Twitter came along, and I got hooked.

What do you mostly tend to use it for?
I tweet lots of my thoughts / musings. It’s somewhat like connecting the mind to a screen, whilst you carry on living your life. I also retweet and favorite lots of stuff I find funny or interesting. And then of course I meet people – all sorts of ‘em. Finally, it’s very good for staying connected to what’s happening around the world – the latest scandals and news stories and debates – and distractions (what would social media be without distractions?)

How has social media helped you grow your brand?

I don’t consciously think of myself as having a brand, but I guess the truth is that in the 21st century, we are all brands (maybe that’s what Andy Warhol was trying to say all those years ago). Social media’s great for sharing my articles and rants and opinions. Then there is that awkward moment when we all realise that social media can help us make people think of us in certain ways…

What is your brand/message?
I actually haven’t ever sat down to think about this. I think we should ask the people that follow me and interact with me – their answer, and not mine, should be the valid one. If I were to consider my behaviour online, I’d reckon that whatever my brand message is (and I don’t know if I put out a unified message), humour would be a key ingredient. If I were to put up a tagline, it’d very likely be: “You Only Live ONCE. But As For LOL…”

If you could have one person follow you on twitter who would it be? 
Piers Morgan. I’m not sure why – maybe because he’s got a winning-combo: stinging wit + occasional ridiculousness + controversial bent + a global platform (his CNN show).

If you could have one person join twitter who would it be? 
My grandmother. She’d instantly become Nigeria’s oldest tweeter, I think. Plus I think we need more ‘senior citizens’ on Twitter. Twitter as it is is too young; too many people who can’t imagine a world where there was no IM. We need people to tell us, from firsthand experience, what life was like when Liverpool, for most people, was two eternal weeks away from Lagos…

Who should every African be following right now? Include why if you’d like

Does Bono count? How else could we say ‘Thank You’?

What is the role of social media in the “Africa” conversation?
Connecting Africans – Sometimes it is easier and quicker to go from Lagos to London, than from Lagos to Lome (for the benefit of the Americans reading this, Lome is in Togo, Togo is in West Africa, West Africa is in, guessed right, Africa!). The story of Africa is one of barriers and borders – absent highways, absent flight paths, stupid visa restrictions, etc. You must have heard of the recent diplomatic row between Nigeria and South Africa, with both countries embarking on a ridiculous deportation spree. With that in mind, I consider social media, and its endless potential for connecting people, one of the best things to happen to Africa. In the past, light arms, refugees and epidemics were the stuff that crossed borders unchallenged. Today, information and knowledge are flowing across, through the web. It is now actually impossible to stay ignorant of what is happening in Cairo – well, depending on who you follow, actually.

Who is benefiting most from the rise of Africans on social media sites?
Advertisers, and the sites that serve them, I think. Social media is designed to create, attract and/or dispense valuable ‘traffic’. With the power of ‘likes’ and RT and ‘check this out!’ etc, stuff can go viral in minutes. There is vastly increased life expectancy for links in the age of social media. The page-views party may soon be the biggest party in town!

If you could invent a social networking tool for the future, what would it be?
A platform that you couldn’t simply sign up for just because you felt like. Twitter and Facebook are too egalitarian – all you need to sign up is internet access and an email account. If I could invent a social networking tool it’d be like a VVIP club – but the decision on whom to admit would NOT involve human effort. There’d be an algorithm that scoured the entire World Wide Web for people’s e-footprints and ‘webehaviour’, rated and classified them, and then issued invitations to those it adjudged worthy to belong to my exclusive social network. No one, not even me the creator, would know the criteria for enlistment; the algorithm would be an inscrutable tyrant of sorts. And of course it’d be a closed network, like Blackberry Messenger; totally inaccessible to non-members, and out of bounds to Google searches.
The appropriate name for my social network would be VVd (pronounced Vivid) – VV from ‘VVIP’. To be ‘VVd’ would therefore be to become a recipient of that rarest of invitations from VVd inviting you to join “the world’s most exclusive social network.”

Follow Tolu on twitter

AfriPOP! socialite is a weekly  feature that introduces you to the internet’s socially prominent Africans and lovers of Africa. Not backed by a brand or organization, these are individuals who have used the internet to connect with fellow Africans to spread and discuss fresh ideas and thoughts on all things Africa. Their words are their message, their personality is their brand — the AfriPOP! socialite.

She describes her style as such:
“If I had to sum up my style I would probably say it’s preppy with personality. I like to dress according to how I feel when I wake up in the morning – so no planning outfits the day before! Looking back at my style diary, I guess a recurring theme would be the statement piece. I like to wear at least one piece a day that I find interesting and expresses my mood and then pair down the rest of the outfit with basics. Also, I’m a sucker for color coordination.”

Check out her five days of style below:

Photos by Thina Zibi

Monday: “I’m wearing a snakeskin print sheer mullet top (short in the front, long in the back) and fringed two-tone brogues from local retailer Mr Price. Any South African will tell you that Mr Price (or Mr P. as it’s affectionately referred to) is the place to go for seasonal, on-trend pieces that don’t break the bank. I picked up this vintage jacket at Cape Town’s You Me and Everyone We Know market, a great place to find unique one-of-a-kind pieces and black pants from GAP (a wardrobe staple).”

Tuesday: “One of my favorite t-shirts, this floral beauty was gifted to me by a friend (that’s what friends are for right?) and now I wear it at least once a week. Today I paired it with powder blue pants (also GAP), Country Road high-heel loafers and vintage bag, belt and necklace.”

Wednesday: “YAY for raincoats! This neon pink anorak from local boutique Journey, was a total impulse buy but I just couldn’t resist. And I’m so glad I didn’t because it brings me so much joy and brightens up even the grey-ist of days.”

Thursday: “Stripes and florals are one of my favourite pairs. I live the way they balance each other out.    I found the varsity jacket in the boys section at Mr Price (always look in the boys section!) and I found the gold converse in my sister’s cupboard (sorry Sarah!). The bag belonged to my grandmother and I recently rediscovered my “KATE” bracelet that my mom made for me when I was little. The full bracelet reads “Kate’s Crazy”. She obviously figured it out before everyone else did.”

Friday: “Ok so I know I said statement piece, but in this outfit it’s more like pieces. When I think about the individual items in this outfit it makes me want to sing “these are a few of my favorite things”. I picked up this amazing piece of costume jewellery at local vintage boutique, The Cat’s Meow. I love how the jewels mimic the jewels on my shirt, also vintage. And then of course, my color coordinating kicked in and I continued my ice-cream dream with mint shoes and pink glitter socks.”

YOU WILL LOVE: What I Wore This Week: Rosemary Kokuhilwa

“AfriPOP! What I Wore This Week” showcases the styles of the different African fashionistas worldwide. Our fashion junkie of the week will showcase what they wore going about in their daily lives; from a work day to a night out on the town! We are highlighting the fashion-forward, eclectic styles of those that look beyond brand names to focus on a personal style and aesthetic.