Stories about Music from February, 2011
Jamaica: Banton Wins “Best Reggae Album”
YardFlex.com “sends hearty congratulations to Mark ‘Buju Banton’ Myrie” on his Grammy win last night.
Turkmenistan: Fake concert as a sign of longing for more freedom
A fake Hip Hop concert announcement on the Internet reveals something about the character of Turkmenistan’s young generation, and the complexity of hope, fantasy, and reality, reports neweurasia’s Annasoltan.
Indonesia: Java Jazz Festival
The Java Jazz Festival in Indonesia will take place next month. It will be one of the largest jazz festivals in the world.
Africa: African musicians on Twitter
Read the eleventh installment of African musicians on Twitter from the leading African music blog, Museke.
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Of Beauty & Bottoms
Stunner is incredulous over the skin bleaching phenomenon, saying: “Black is beautiful”, while Lisa Allen-Agostini “can testify that it is not easy for a black woman to be without a big bottom…the cult of the bamsee is strong.”
Tanzania: Sauti Za Busara Live Twitterstream
Follow live Twitterstream from Sauti Za Busara music festival in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Nigeria: D'banj performs with Snoop Dogg
A video of Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo (popularly known as D’banj Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009 in collaboration with American rapper Snoop Dogg.
The Balkans: Turbo-folk and Rock Mashups
Mashup clips by YouTube user apostolski, which combine video footage of Coldplay, U2 and Queen with Serbian turbo-folk songs are poised to become the next big viral hit among Balkan social media users and bloggers [MKD]. Some have already “spilled over” into traditional media like TV call-in show Jadi burek...
Cuba: Entertainer Dies At 96
“She was an absolute delight, a class act, and she will be missed by many”: Along the Malecon is saddened by the passing of “a legendary Cuban singer and actress.”
Trinidad & Tobago: R.I.P., Mighty Striker
Trinidad & Tobago bloggers acknowledge the passing of calypsonian The Mighty Striker.
Jamaica: Bob, Our Hero
As Jamaica considers making Bob Marley a national hero, Repeating Islands comments: “And I had always (wrongly) assumed that Bob Marley was already a national hero. I do hope that he will soon receive this honor.”
Jamaica: Lessons from Marley
“One of the most striking aspects of Marley’s songwriting is his authenticity”: Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp wonders if bloggers can learn a few lessons from the late reggae great.
Russia: Vkontakte Social Network as a Unique Video Clip Environment
“Kid-hop,” a genre of lo-fi hip-hop videos shot by teenagers from the Russian regions, has become a unique phenomena that blossomed in Vkontakte social network, Alexander Gorbachov writes [RUS] supporting his argument with several dozens of music videos.
Egypt: Tahrir Square's Mini Utopia
There is another side to the ongoing revolution in Egypt, which is the daily life of those people sitting in on Tahrir Square. For the past 12 days, they have remained on the square, eating, drinking, chanting, cheering - simply living there day and night. Life here has its own rhythm now, and the spirit on diplay is of a mini Utopia.
Egypt: Dreaming of a Better Tomorrow
As demonstrations in Egypt enter their twelfth day, some are becoming discouraged, but still others have kept high hopes for a positive outcome. In this post, we share Egyptian dreams.
Egypt: Rapping the Revolution
Mideast Tunes brings us a group of Egyptian rappers which under the name Arabian Knightz wish to spread their perspective on the recent events shaking their country.
Brazil: Tribute to musician Chico Science
Pierre Lucena from the blog Acerto de Contas, pays tribute [pt] to Chico Science, deceased 14 years ago. He was the founder of one of the most influential musical movements in Brazil – Mangue Beat – a blended rock and punk style with traditional beats from the northeast.
Puerto Rico: Let's Talk About Movies
In the music blog Puerto Rico Indie [es]. @sire_damiano and @redod offer a look at the creative force of the director and video artist Michel Gondry.
Dominican Republic: Remembering Luis Días
Puerto Rican blogger and music scholar Raquel Z. Rivera reflects on her admiration [es] for the recently deceased Dominican musician and artist Luis Días.
Trinidad & Tobago: Where's the Culture?
“Carnival is slowly becoming nothing but a two day drunken orgy to music where a celebration of a people used to be”: Plain Talk is underwhelmed by this year's Carnival soca offerings.
Tanzania: A white musician releases Swahili album
An interview of Mzungu Kichaa (Swahili for a crazy white man) who has released a music album in Tanzania in Swahili.
