R&B is the classic music genre that originated in the mid-twentieth century. Developed by black Americans, it was informally dubbed “Black American music”. As close as it was to home, it took a minute for the R&B wave to get fully incorporated and seen as a form of African music as well. Be that as it may, in the past decade, African R&B artists have consistently refined their sounds to infuse them with R&B, just the way the world knows and loves it. Today at Soot Africa, we’re going to be going through a list of some African R&B artists you should have on your playlist.
Cina Soul
At the top of our list, we have R&B Ghanian singer/songwriter born and raised in Accra. Even without any formal education in music, she tried her hand at the Vodafone Ghana Music Icons in 2014 and came out as one of the finalists. Her inspiration leans heavily towards iconic like Anita Baker, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin. That, combined with her powerful voice and soulful lyrics solidifies her music as music for the soul. (I would go ahead and say no wonder her name is Soul, but you probably won’t laugh at that.)
Her debut EP “Metanoia” took her career up a notch, with famous singles like “Awo” and “Julor” that stayed on the charts for a hot minute. More recently, She was featured on Sarkodie’s new album JAMZ in a song you should have as a constant on your playlist. The Ghanian rapper praised her singing prowess and referred to her as “…One of the best voices to come out of Ghana at the moment.” You can read more about that here. But meanwhile, let’s take a look at an R&B favorite of mine from Cina Soul & Camidoh… “Waiting”
Langa Mavuso
We’re going on with a good one. Langa is a South African singer and songwriter born in 1994, in Johannesburg. His debut EP, Liminal Sketches particularly gained him an audience and a loyal fan base filled with believers in his good music. Langa’s music consists of soulful and honest lyrics, not unlike typical R&B songs. For me, all it took was one listen to the 2020 album, LANGA, and I was won over. Even if you’re not a believer of R&B, Langa delivers his music with a rich and steady voice that will keep you going back for replays. Don’t believe me? Check out this song by Langa Mavuso, “Pretend” ft. Aimee George.
Marieme, The Blue Haired R&B Singer
Marieme is a Senegalese-American R&B singer, with an emotionally compelling backstory, and a voice made of dreams. She basically tells the story of her life through her music. A war breakout in Senegal forced her and her family to split up and flee, leaving everything she knew and loved behind. What’s more? There’s also her iconic blue signature hair and beautiful melanin, you can’t miss her in a crowd.
Evidently, Marieme’s sound is heavily influenced by icons like Mariah Carey, to whom she would often listen and cry. It is true that nothing makes you express your pain like good music. Marieme eventually learned how to speak proper English by listening to music. Her first break was in 2017 when she got a record deal just two weeks after moving to LA. Most people would describe this as sheer luck, but if you listen to Marieme’s music you’d feel the emotion in the mere timbre of her voice. And as with good music, authenticity never goes unnoticed. Take a look at a personal favorite of mine, “Love Now”.
Trevor Dongo
Born in Zimbabwe in 1986, Trevor started writing music at a very young age. His was a steady rise to fame. He has gone from singing at college concerts to sharing stages with stars like Davido and Diamond Platnumz at international events. Trevor’s debut album, “Ndozovita Sei”, was a hit for R&B lovers. That was also in addition to many singles that stayed at the top of music charts for months. With multiple Zimbabwe music award nominations, he went home as the best R&B artist in 2015.
Basically, Trevor adds his own Zimbabwean influence to the typical R&B sound to make music that makes you want to fall in love. Diehard Trevor Dongo fans often joke about how his music would definitely make it to their wedding playlists. Are you as curious as I was to hear just how “Zimbabwean R&B music” sounds? Take a look at “Chishamiso”, a single released in 2021, made for lovers and R&B enthusiasts all around the world.
Banky W
Also known as Olubankole Wellington, Banky W is a Nigerian singer born in 1981. He started the E.M.E record label in 2002, and subsequently signed stars like Niyola, Wizkid, and others until its dissolution in 2017. Ladies who fangirl over Bank W describe him as a typical lover boy and his R&B music depicts just that.
In February 2013, he released his album R&BW, giving lovers all over Africa music to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Off this album, a song that was an international hit is “Yes/No”, a song that depicts your typical high school love story. After all, what’s a good R&B song without a cute storyline? Listen to one of my personal favorites “Strong Ting”, which won him the best R&B single of the year at the 2010 Hip Hop World Awards.
This list could be so much longer because R&B will always be the timeless and ever-green music genre that the world could never tire of. Even with African infusions, there’s no doubt African R&B artists have refined their sound to make music we’ll love the African way.
