March was a good month for Afropop videos. We have 12 new ones, starting with three that fearlessly call out the sorry state humans have brought the world to in 2025. Protest is in the air! But there are some peaceful, sweet spots here too from Haiti to Morocco.
Check out the full Afropop Top Videos playlist for all our recent selections. And remember, if you have suggestions of videos our fans would love, send them to info@afropop.org with the subject line “Top Videos 2025.” Enjoy!
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley: “Wake Up Afrika”
Tough talk from Gyedu-Blay Ambolley. Steeped in highlife and jazz, a pioneer of Afro-funk, this Ghanaian veteran bandleader is sounding the alarm about African failures, without fear or favor. The groove is cool and slinky, but the message will peel the paint off the walls. A must!
Kin Gongolo Kiniata: “Toko Lemba te”
To say the least, Kin Gongolo Kiniata does not follow the rules of Congolese music, even as they embody so much about their troubled country. To start with, they don’t play any variety “rumba,” but rather fierce, rocking, urban grooves. They also perform with instruments they have made themselves, which have to be seen to be believed. But most strikingly in this video, they do not avoid commenting on Congolese politics. This anti-war, anti-corruption song with subtitles tells us, among other things: “It’s so bad,” “We won’t give up,” and “What do you gain by killing your brother?” What’s more, they name names: Mobutu, Kabila, Tshisekedi… something unthinkable for mainstream Congolese acts. With manic beats, buzzing sonority and tough talk, these guys bravely seize the moment and rightly demand our attention.
The Congos: “Warning (feat. Lidiop)”
Roots reggae icons The Congos are still in the game! And they are here with a message: “Warning. Babylon falling…” This is a “Shame, shame, shame.”In the video old and young faces speak from out of darkness, adding gravitas to the message. The guys are looking worn and grizzled, but wise, and their groove is as deep as it was when they first hit the scene in the 1970s.
Paul Beaubrun ft. Naïka: “Fèy”
Paul Beaubrun carries the torch for Haitian racine music as a son of Boukman Eksperyans founders Lolo andMimerose Beaubrun. Paul currently performs with Boukman and leads his own New York-based band, which puts a hard rock edge on the sound. Here we see another side of him, a gentle acoustic ballad beautifully harmonized by Naïka, filmed simply with the two sitting under a tree, intercut with scenes from a vodun ritual featuring women in all white garb. The man has range!
Dicko Fils: “Laban”
This trad-pop trailblazer from Burkina Faso spends a lot of time in Montreal, where we met him at the Nuits D’Afrique festival in 2023. The track for this video comes from his new album, La Route. The video appears to be shot in his home studio in Burkina, with black-and-white inter-cuts of workers digging, then filling in a huge sand pit. Hmmm. But the music is the key, Afro-reggae showcasing Fils’s mellifluously keening vocal, if not his renowned kamele ngoni chops.
El Leon Pardo: “Viaje Sideral”
This video presents the title track from an intriguing new album from Colombian trumpeter, flautist and composer El Leon Pardo. The song is another moody entry in this month’s set of videos. The visuals are a mashup of archival images, landscapes, the artist performing by candlelight in what appears to be a cave, all woven together with psychedelic effects.
Aïta Mon Amour: “L’Hedawiyet”
Aïta Mon Amour is a duo updating traditional Moroccan music, aïta being a traditional sound described as “rural blues.” Aïta is sung by women known as Chikhates and dates back to the 12th century. This video celebrates freedom and sisterhood in a story inspired by the legendary rebel singer Kharboucha. The music, clearly North African, works a moody, loping groove up to punk rock intensity. Widad Mjama’s searing, at times sneering, vocal seals the deal.
Yasmine Hamdan: Shmaali
Lebanese-born singer/songwriter Yasmine Hamdan became a sensation in the Middle East as part of the experimental pop band Soap Kills back in the late ’90s. She has since blossomed as an innovative artist in her own right. This darkly alluring track is set to archival scenes of traditional life and dabke dancing, presumably from a happier past in Lebanon.
Jacco Müller & Victor Ghannam: “Alhambra by Night”
The massive, ornately decorated Alhambra in Granada dates back to the glory days of Andalusia in medieval Spain. Its romance is irresistible to many, certainly to this guitar and oud duo, accompanied here by doumbek hand drum. Soaring music with filigree flavors of flamenco and North African music drive this visually rich celebration of what some would call the most beautiful building in Europe.
Lo’Jo: “Viens” Remix by Souleance
Some will recall that this French band was the driving force behind the early, legendary editions of the Festival in the Desert in Mali. So it’s no surprise that this remix video of a song from their current album, Feuilles Fauves, consists entirely of street scenes of Bamako shot from a moving car (been there!) through a fisheye lens. The version has a reggaeton beat and lots of ambient electronics with Denis Péan’s half-spoken gravely growl set off by the group’s signature female chorus. By the way, those interested in the fascinating history Mali’s Festival in the Desert will enjoy this video.
Lagos in Paris: “Afro G Western”
Lagos in Paris is an experimental, electronic trio, and a fine example of how cutting-edge, Afrofuturistic music can also incorporate roots sounds, in this case the tonalities and vibe of guitar-driven Sahelean desert blues. It looks like we see both Lagos and Paris in this visually rich video, much of it shot in the deep orange of sunset.
Salin: “Rammana”
Afropop’s Ron Deutsch recently interviewed this fascinating artist, Salin Cheewapansri, with the tagline “from Bangkok to Africa.” A percussionist whose background includes grunge rock, jazz, Haitian, Thai and African music, Salin is truly one of a kind. This video honors her Thai roots with musicians and dancers in traditional costume, but the groovy flow of the music clearly reveals her worldly, Afro-tinged musicality.
