The Archive · Sounds of the Continent
The
Musicians
168 artists · rhythms across the continent
Before the record, there was the drum. Before the stage, there was the village square. African music carries history in its rhythms — griots preserving genealogies in melody, mbira speaking to ancestors, horns announcing the passage of kings. The musicians here are heirs to that unbroken tradition.
Browse by name below. Each profile carries their country, genre, and — where recorded — a visual record and further listening. The archive grows with every contribution.
Abdullah Ibrahim (formerly Dollar Brand)
African Jazz, South African Music
South Africa
▶ Video available
Agustín Fernández
Opera, Symphonic, African Influences
Global
▶ Video available
Ali Farka Touré
Malian Music, Blues, World Music
Mali
▶ Video available
Allen Kwabena Frimpong
Ghanaian Music, Western Classical
Ghana
▶ Video available
Alostmen
Kologo Music, Global Influences
Ghana
▶ Video available
Alpha Blondy
Reggae, West African Influences
Ivory Coast
▶ Video available
Alsarah & the Nubatones
East-African Retro-Pop
Sudan/US
▶ Video available
Alsarah & The Nubatones
East-African Retro-Pop
Sudan/US
▶ Video available
Amadou & Mariam
Malian Music, Rock, Global Influenc…
Mali
▶ Video available
Amira Kheir
Sudanese Music, Jazz, Soul, East Af…
Sudan/Italy
▶ Video available
Amu Ngubane
Zulu Choral Music, Classical Influe…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Angelique Kidjo
World Music, R&B, Jazz, Global Fusi…
Benin
▶ Video available
Angélique Kidjo
World Music, Activist
Benin
▶ Video available
Angelit (formerly Angelin Tytöt)
Sami traditional music
Finland
▶ Video available
Asa
Pop, Jazz, Indie
Nigeria/France
▶ Video available
Asha Bhosle
Indian Music, World Music
India
▶ Video available
Aurelio Martinez
Garifuna Music
Honduras
▶ Video available
Baaba Maal
Pulaar Music, Reggae, Pop, World Mu…
Senegal
▶ Video available
Babatunde Olatunji
African Drumming, Educator
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Ballaké Sissoko
Kora, Classical Collaborations
Mali
▶ Video available
BCUC (Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness)
Traditional African Music, Funk, Hi…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Becca
Highlife, R&B, Afro-pop
Ghana
▶ Video available
Blick Bassy
Bossa Nova, Folk, Jazz, Cameroonian…
Cameroon
▶ Video available
Blitz the Ambassador
Hip Hop, Afrobeat, Highlife
Ghana/US
▶ Video available
Bombino
Tuareg Music, Rock, Blues
Niger (Tuareg)
▶ Video available
Bongani Ndodana-Breen
Global Performances, Human Rights T…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Burna Boy
Afrobeat, Dancehall, Reggae, Road R…
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Busi Mhlongo
Zulu Music, Jazz, Funk, Rock, Reggae
South Africa
▶ Video available
Cesária Évora
Morna
Cape Verde
▶ Video available
Charles Odamtten Easmon
Opera, African Storytelling, Wester…
Ghana
▶ Video available
Charlotte Manye Maxeke
South African Choral Traditions
South Africa
▶ Video available
Cheikh Lô
Mbalax, Reggae, Funk
Senegal
▶ Video available
Chimango Chilomoni
Malawian Music, Classical Influences
Malawi
▶ Video available
Davido
Afrobeats, Traditional & Global Inf…
Nigeria/US
▶ Video available
Dizu Plaatjies
Traditional African Music, Modern F…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Djénéba & Fousco
Malian Music
Mali
▶ Video available
Dobet Gnahoré
African Folk, Afropop, Reggae
Ivory Coast
▶ Video available
Dorothy Masuka
Jazz, African Influences
Zimbabwe-South Africa
▶ Video available
Ebo Taylor
Highlife, Afrobeat
Ghana
▶ Video available
Eddy Kenzo
East African Rhythms, Afrobeat, Dan…
Uganda
▶ Video available
Élage Diouf
Pop, World, Blues, Folk, Asiko
Senegal/Canada
▶ Video available
Emmanuel Jal
Hip-Hop, Afrobeat, Sudanese Music
South Sudan/Canada
▶ Video available
Ephraim Amu
Ghanaian Music, Traditional Influen…
Ghana
▶ Video available
Eric Wainaina
Kenyan Music, Pop, Classical
Kenya
▶ Video available
Ethel Smyth
Classical Music, African Influences
UK
▶ Video available
Fally Ipupa
Rumba, Hip Hop, Soul, Congolese Tra…
Congo
▶ Video available
Fatima Al Qadiri
Electronic Music (Parallel Narrativ…
Kuwait
▶ Video available
Fatoumata Diawara
Wassoulou Traditions, Global Influe…
Mali
▶ Video available
Fatou Seidi Ghali & Alamnou Akrouni (Les Filles de Illighadad)
Tuareg Music
Niger
▶ Video available
Femi Kuti
Afrobeat, Jazz, Funk, Traditional I…
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Foday Musa Suso
Kora, Mandinka Music, Collaborations
Gambia
▶ Video available
Francis Bebey
Traditional African Music, Classica…
Cameroon
▶ Video available
Fred Onovwerosuoke
African Classical Music, Folk Song …
Nigeria/USA
▶ Video available
Geoffrey Oryema
World Music, Acholi Influences
Uganda
▶ Video available
George Dor
Ghanaian Music, Ethnomusicology
Ghana
▶ Video available
Godwin Sadoh
Nigerian Folk Music, Liturgical Mus…
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Gyimah Labi
Art Music in Ghana, Traditional Ele…
Ghana
▶ Video available
Habib Koité
Malian Musical Traditions
Mali
▶ Video available
Halim El-Dabh
Electronic Music, Western & Non-Wes…
Egypt/USA
▶ Video available
Hilda Paredes
Classical Music, African Influences
Mexico
▶ Video available
Hope Masike
Shona Music, Contemporary Fusion
Zimbabwe
▶ Video available
Hugh Masekela
Jazz, Afrobeat, South African Jazz
South Africa
▶ Video available
Ibeyi
Yoruba Influences, French, Afro-Cu…
France/Cuba
▶ Video available
Ibrahim Abdullah
South African Music, Jazz, Classical
South Africa
▶ Video available
Isak Roux
Classical Music, South African Infl…
South Africa
▶ Video available
James Stephen Mzilikazi Khumalo
Choral, Zulu Traditions, Classical …
South Africa
▶ Video available
Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph
African Musical Languages, Classica…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Jellaladin Takesh
African Diaspora, Classical Composi…
Global
▶ Video available
Joe Arroyo
Salsa, Tropical Music
Colombia
▶ Video available
Joseph Shabalala
Isicathamiya, World Music
South Africa
▶ Video available
Joshua Uzoigwe
Nigerian Art Music, Ethnomusicology…
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Juliana Kanyomozi
East African Pop, Traditional Influ…
Uganda
▶ Video available
Julius Eastman
Minimalism, Postminimalism, Identit…
United States
▶ Video available
Justinian Tamusuza
Ugandan Music, Classical
Uganda
▶ Video available
Kae Sun
Folk, Soul, Hip-Hop, African Influe…
Ghana/Canada
▶ Video available
Kevin Volans
Classical Music, African Influences
South Africa
▶ Video available
Keziah Jones
Blufunk (Blues/Funk Fusion)
Nigeria
▶ Video available
King Kester Emeneya
Soukous
Congo
▶ Video available
King Sunny Adé
Worldbeat, Juju Music
Nigeria
▶ Video available
K’Naan
Hip-Hop, Somali Music, World Music,…
Somalia/Canada
▶ Video available
Koffi Olomide
Soukous
Congo
▶ Video available
Kojo Samuels
Ghanaian Music, Contemporary Classi…
Ghana
▶ Video available
Kokoko!
Electronic, Congolese Rhythms, Recy…
Democratic Republic of Congo
▶ Video available
Kwabena Nketia
Ethnomusicology, Composition, Afric…
Ghana
▶ Video available
Lady Jaydee
R&B, Zouk, Afro-Pop
Tanzania
▶ Video available
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Isicathamiya, Mbube
South Africa
▶ Video available
Les Nubians
Neo-Soul, Hip-Hop, African Music
France
▶ Video available
Lira
Soul, Jazz, African Rhythms
South Africa
▶ Video available
Lungiswa Plaatjies
Xhosa Music, Contemporary African A…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Lura
Cape Verdean Music, Contemporary In…
Portugal (Cape Verdean Heritage)
▶ Video available
Mafikizolo
Afro-Pop, Kwaito, House, Traditiona…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Magic System
Zouglou, Reggae, R&B
Ivory Coast
▶ Video available
M.anifest
Hip-Hop, Traditional African Influe…
Ghana
▶ Video available
Manu Dibango
Jazz, Funk, Cameroonian Traditions
Cameroon
▶ Video available
Manuel Obregón
Latin American Music, African Influ…
Costa Rica
▶ Video available
Margaret Singana
Traditional African Music
South Africa
▶ Video available
Mayra Andrade
Cape Verdean Music, Global Influenc…
Cape Verde
▶ Video available
Mdou Moctar
Psychedelic Rock, Tuareg Music
Niger
▶ Video available
Miriam Makeba
Various South African Styles
South Africa
▶ Video available
Mohamed Abdo
Arab Musical Traditions, Pan-Arabic…
Saudi Arabia
▶ Video available
Mokoomba
Tonga & Luvale rhythms, Funk, Ska, …
Zimbabwe
▶ Video available
Moonchild Sanelly
Future Ghetto Punk, Electronic, Kwa…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Muthoni Drummer Queen
Hip Hop, Reggae, Kenyan Influences
Kenya
▶ Video available
Mzilikazi Khumalo
Choral Music, South African Traditi…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Nadia Nakai
Hip-Hop, African Influences
South Africa
▶ Video available
Nakhane
Indie Rock, Pop, African Influences
South Africa
▶ Video available
Ndikho Xaba
African Music, Jazz, Avant-Garde
South Africa
▶ Video available
Nnamdi Azikiwe
Nigerian Art Music
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Nneka
Hip hop, Reggae, Afrobeats, Activism
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Nothembi Mkhwebane
Ndebele Traditional, African Art Mu…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Oliver Mtukudzi
Tuku Music, Shona, Mbaqanga, Afro-J…
Zimbabwe
▶ Video available
Oum
Soul, Jazz, Traditional Moroccan Mu…
Morocco
▶ Video available
Oumou Sangaré
Wassoulou Music, Activist
Mali
▶ Video available
Papa Wemba
Soukous
Congo
▶ Video available
Pat Matshikiza
South African Jazz, Traditional Inf…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Pauline Oliveros
Experimental Music, Deep Listening
United States
▶ Video available
Percy Mabandu
Jazz Critic
South Africa
▶ Video available
Peter Louis van Dijk
Choral, Orchestral, Traditional Inf…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Petite Noir
Noirwave, Post-Punk, Electronic, Af…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Philip Gbeho
Ghana
▶ Video available
Pongo
Kuduro, Electronic, Angolan Rhythms
Angola
▶ Video available
Rachid Taha
Raï, Rock, Techno
Algeria
▶ Video available
Rajery
Valiha, Malagasy Music, World Music
Madagascar
▶ Video available
Richard Bona
Jazz, Funk, Afrobeat, Cameroonian T…
Cameroon
▶ Video available
Robert Mawuena Kwami
Choral Music, Ghanaian Traditions
Ghana
▶ Video available
Rokia Traoré
Malian Music, Western Influences
Mali
▶ Video available
Salif Keita
Afro-Pop, Traditional Malian Music,…
Mali
▶ Video available
Sally Nyolo
Beti Traditions, World Music
Cameroon
▶ Video available
Sampa the Great
Hip-Hop, Neo-Soul, African Influenc…
Zambia/Australia
▶ Video available
Samuel Akpabot
Nigerian Art Music, Ethnomusicology
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Sarathy Korwar
Jazz, Indian Classical Music, Elect…
US/India
▶ Video available
Sarkodie
Afrobeats, Hip-Hop, Ghanaian Influe…
Ghana
▶ Video available
Sauti Sol
Afro-Pop, Kenyan Influences
Kenya
▶ Video available
Seun Kuti
Afrobeat, Jazz, Funk
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
Afrobeat, Activism
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Shabaka Hutchings
Jazz, Caribbean & African influences
UK/Barbados
▶ Video available
Sibusile Xaba
Zulu & Nguni Music, Avant-Garde, Ja…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Sibusiso Njeza
Opera, Classical, African Traditions
South Africa
▶ Video available
Sibusiso Victor Masondo
Jazz, Afro-Pop
South Africa
▶ Video available
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
Reggae, West African Influences
Sierra Leone
▶ Video available
Simphiwe Dana
Jazz, Afro-Soul, Rap, Traditional M…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Somi
Jazz, African Folk
USA (Rwandan/Ugandan Descent)
▶ Video available
Sona Jobarteh
Kora Music, West African Griot Trad…
Gambia/UK
▶ Video available
Songhoy Blues
Songhai Music, Blues, Rock, R&B
Mali
▶ Video available
Spoek Mathambo
Electronic, Hip-Hop, South African …
South Africa
▶ Video available
Steve Reich
Minimalist Music, African Influences
United States
▶ Video available
Tamikrest
Tuareg Music, Rock, Global Influenc…
Mali (Tuareg)
▶ Video available
The Very Best
Malawian Pop, Electronic
Malawi/UK
▶ Video available
Thomas Mapfumo
Chimurenga Music
Zimbabwe
▶ Video available
Tiken Jah Fakoly
Reggae, Activism
Ivory Coast
▶ Video available
Tinarawen
Desert Blues
Mali (Sahara Desert)
▶ Video available
Tiwa Savage
Afrobeats, R&B, Soul, Pop
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Tony Allen
Afrobeat
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Toumani Diabaté
Kora Music
Mali
▶ Video available
Toumani Diabaté & Sidiki Diabaté
Kora Music
Mali
▶ Video available
Tumi Molekane
Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul, African Rhythms
South Africa
▶ Video available
Tunde Jegede
Classical Music, African Traditiona…
UK/Nigeria
▶ Video available
Vieux Farka Touré
Malian Music, Rock, Reggae
Mali
▶ Video available
Vusi Mahlasela
Folk, World Music, Blues, Soul, Ant…
South Africa
▶ Video available
Wally Badarou
Synth, Reggae, Global Pop
Benin
▶ Video available
Wally Serote
South African Music, Poetry
South Africa
▶ Video available
Wizkid
Afrobeats
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Yemi Alade
Afropop
Nigeria
▶ Video available
Youssou N’Dour
Mbalax, World Music
Senegal
▶ Video available
Youssoupha
Hip Hop, African Influences, Diaspo…
France (Congolese Heritage)
▶ Video available
Yusef Lateef
Jazz, Eastern Music, African influe…
United States
▶ Video available
Yvonne Chaka Chaka
South African Pop, Activist
South Africa
▶ Video available
Zap Mama
African Music, Jazz, Cross-cultural…
Belgium
▶ Video available