Seun Kuti has shared his latest release after a great year of international touring and the recent ‘Live at Cult Studios’ EP.
A collaboration with Black Thought, the three-track titled ‘African Dreams’ is a re-imagining of Kuti’s Grammy-nominated album ‘Black Times’ that molds a handpicked selection of the album’s tracks to form a hybrid of Afrobeat and hip-hop. hop. .
The pair share a synergy found on Common’s single ‘When We Move’, which seeps into ‘African Dreams’ as the title and lead track fire up the bass that sets the stage for Black Thought’s powerful lyricism. .
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Following up on the upright title track, ‘Badman Lighter’ is bursting with rhythm with electric piano and trumpets layered over a swinging Afro-Bear bassline, before the final cut ‘Ku Ku Kee Mee’ opens with a searing verse from Black Thought, that embodies the project through the opening. line ‘We are the wildest dreams of our ancestors’ before pivoting between exploring past hardships and future hopes of liberation.
“Black Thought transmits a message that connects us with the future, understanding that present and knowing that past”, says Kuti in the MC’s presentation. “Every time he speaks, it shows this connection and it means that he is a great artist, able to help people get to the right point in history. This is what makes Black Thought great.”
“This EP is something new. I don’t think anything like this has been done before,” she continues. “A lot of people used to remix songs, hip hop songs, but I think this EP is the start of a new wave: Afrobeat and hip hop, a new beginning of a musical relationship.”
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‘Seun Kuti and Black Thought – African Dreams EP’ is out now. Check it here.
Niamh Ingram is Mixmag’s weekend editor, follow her on Twitter
