Kendrick Lamar is not just dusting his crown in “The Heart Part 5”. The customary album prelude is not so much about putting the culture on notice as it is about deconstructing the culture. Collective languages of black being fall apart, deepfake by deepfake, in the glare of Mr Lamar’s passion.
Pop culture
Arts, Culture and Sport The divine message of ‘Good News From Africa’
Abdullah Ibrahim and Johnny Dyani’s 1973 album was the realisation of a journey in music and spirituality, combining Islamic and Xhosa influences to create something unique.
Arts, Culture and Sport Video vixens and cash: how Nigerian hip hop music objectifies women
Nigerian music is gaining momentum across the world, but a study of hip hop lyrics and videos shows how the music also negatively affects women.
Arts, Culture and Sport The perils of mixing music and politics in Nigeria
When pop star D’banj signed up to help get Goodluck Jonathan elected president, fans turned on him. But a hit song turned things around.
Arts, Culture and Sport The beauty and brilliance of Baxsan, one of the most popular Somali singers of all time
Baxsan’s tumultuous six-decade journey as a singer was irrevocably tied to Somalia’s national identity and cultural history.
Arts, Culture and Sport Why has protest music dried up in Nigeria?
Young Nigerians are protesting bad governance and police brutality. Where is the music to assist them?
Arts, Culture and Sport HBO’s sci-fi horror series Lovecraft Country relives the Jim Crow era
Lovecraft Country, a must watch landmark show is a story which grapples with America’s troubled past and present, a binary opposite defined relationship of us versus them is pitted throughout the narrative, be it law enforcement vis-à-vis policing and white American supremacy in the fray. It can be read as an allegory for the Black American horror reality.
Arts, Culture and Sport Why Nigerians living abroad love to watch Nollywood movies
Viewing Nigerian movies is seen as a trip down memory lane, a virtual journey back home and group therapy for Africans in the diaspora.
Arts, Culture and Sport Dance softly and carry a big voice: understanding Joseph Shabalala
Joseph Shabalala would grow world famous for his music. But it is shaped by the spiritual aspects of his life as much as it is by the hardships of black life – and by his dreams.