Soot Africa’s Weekly Picks

Hello Soot Africans! Long time no weekly picks, but the good news is, we’re back. For the past week, African artists have done nothing but give us fire release after fire release. L.A.X, Sarkodie, Bob Marley, Uncle Waffles, Pheelz… the list could go on. However, we had to settle on just five top new songs. Stick around for a brand new edition of Soot Africa’s weekly picks. 

Freaky & Naughty – Sarkodie

After the Ghanaian superstar released JAMZ earlier this year, we hadn’t heard much from him, until now. Turns out the brief hiatus was necessary as his latest single Freaky & Naughty makes it to Soot Africa’s weekly picks. 

This song starts by teasing for a few seconds before the beat drops, and when it does, it pulls you in no time. I think Sarkodie recorded this for the girls who will be spending their summer on a yacht (if you know what I mean).

Echoes – Uncle Waffles ft. Manana & Lusanda

Uncle Waffles has been making headlines in the African music space recently and for good reason. The South African DJ has done nothing but deliver great performances since she hit the scene. Perhaps, to let the world know she’s here to stay. The next song on Soot Africa’s weekly picks certainly solidifies this. 

As a pre-release from her just released E.P Solace, Echoes features Manana and Lusanda. Manana, the Grammy-award-winning songwriter and Lusanda, the famous South African spiritual band certainly make Echoes worth listening to. In the spirit of trying not to say too much without ruining the song, I suggest you waste no time in listening to it. Let’s just say, the R&B and Amapiano fans will have something quite interesting to listen to. 

Them Belly Full (But We Hungry) – Bob Marley ft Rema & Skip Marley

In another masterfully recorded piece of work, Bob Marley and The Wailers have given Reggae fans something fresh to bop to. This next song on Soot Africa’s weekly picks is Them Belly Full, from the recently released album, Africa Unite. Even as a remake of Bob Marley’s biggest hits, the album certainly sounds as fresh as ever. 

From the title of this song, you can already guess that Bob Marley addresses lots of societal injustices, as he usually does. “Them belly full, but we hungry. A hungry mob is an angry mob.” No lies were told. Rema and Skip Marley certainly added a fresh twist to the original and I loved it.

Jamming – Bob Marley ft Ayra Starr

What can I say? Bob Marley is still that artist. From Africa Unite, a second song has made it to Soot Africa’s weekly picks. On Jamming, he features Ayra Starr and dare I say it’s one of the best features on the album. 

Ayra Starr brings a whole new perspective to this classic song and now it sounds brand new. If you liked the original, I promise you’ll love this even more. As a matter of fact, Ayra Starr seamlessly uses her vocals to literally breathe life into this hit song and I enjoyed every bit of it. 

Lockdown – L.A.X (A Colors Show)

Recorded for A Colors Show, the next and final song on Soot Africa’s weekly picks is Lockdown from one of Afrobeats’ favourites, L.A.X. At any rate, this song embodies prominent Afrobeats features; steady, soft drums and verses that are delivered with a slight punch. If you listen well enough, you’ll hear saxophones in the heart of the song, which flows all too well.

Sadly, that brings us to a close on Soot Africa’s weekly picks. I hope you enjoy listening to these songs as much as I did. Don’t forget to comment and let us know what your favourite pick was. Until next time!