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Kora Awards Report: 2004
Catching up with awards news in African music, contributor Lydia Martin sent us this report on the 2004 Kora Awards in South Africa.
This is the 9th year that Africa, its diaspora and anyone serious about African music have been audience to the Kora Awards. The 2004 awards ceremony took place in South Africa in early December and is a glamorous gathering of musicians, industry-people, promoters and all those involved in the continental music industry. The awards ceremony is broadcast via satellite to over 70 countries, apart from sports events, it stands alone for broadcasting live in Africa, Europe, Asia, the USA and Canada. The idea behind the awards is to promote African music internationally and to unite the continent through music and the arts to promote a positive image to the rest of the world. It is a massive undertaking to award artists from all over the continent 'Best African Group' or 'Most Promising African Female' but the system somehow manages to cover all the music genres and corners of the continent, with over 20 awards for Best Male/ Female Gospel Artist; Best Traditional African Group; Best male/ female artist from Central Africa etc..
This year the winner of the Best African group was awarded jointly to JJC & 419 Squad (Nigeria/ UK) & Malaika (South Africa). It turns out JJC & 419 Squad are London-dwellers and class themselves as Afropeans - Africans based in the European Diaspora. The group JJC & 419 Squad have been busy performing in Nigeria and London for some time and at some of the top spots - New Africa Shrine in Lagos, WOMAD 2003 and 2004 and The Shrine at Cargo in the UK, as well as in America and France. Their tracks have been featured in UK film and TV dramas including Stephen Frears' Oscar-nominated film Dirty Pretty Things and Channel 4 prime-time TV drama Stealing Lives. The group also has huge airplay on Nigerian TV and radio, as well as on international releases like Charlie Gillett's World 2004 compilation (Wrasse Records); the Union Square Music's Afrobeat Sessions compilation and the label's Global Hip Hop compilation.
JJC - the front man of the group - is also one of the on-line hosts of BBC's Africa On Your Street On Your Street, a website focusing on African music coming out of the UK. He is also a successful record producer in his own right - Backbone Music is his baby - and has worked with the hot names in the British R&B scene, including Jamelia, Lemar, and Liberty X and is getting some new Nigerian- British groups some airplay too, such as D-banj and Kween.
Apart from this impressive CV - the sound JJC & 419 Squad are producing is good listening because it comes from a whole mix of influences and roots. Their recent album Atide! shows there's no self-consciousness here for living in the UK as African musicians - no towing the line or doing what has been done before. Its good simple dance music with hip hop, R&B, soca, salsa, garage, mixed with African flavours and good production. "Malemisita" stands out as a really catchy number with some salsa, some highlife and some hip hop all mixed up into a groovy little blend. "Demu Gani" features the haunting voice of TID - a big Tanzanian R&B artist - and JJC singing and rapping in KiSwahili, Yoruba and English with simple dance beats to tap your feet to.
We should keep an eye out for JJC & 419 Squad. Although JJC seems to be everywhere if you need help finding him, check the JJC website. Atide! is released by Backbone Music and is available in the UK and Europe at Sterns Music and in the US via Amazon.com.
Other winners at the Kora 2004 Awards were:
* Best African Group Award: JJC & 419 Squad (Nigeria/ UK) & Malaika (South Africa)
* Best Southern Africa Male Artist: Kabelo Mabalane (South Africa)
* Best Southern Africa Female Artist: Thandiswa Mazwai (South Africa)
* Best male artist from West Africa: Kunle (Nigeria)
* Best female artist from West Africa: Kamaldine (Guinea)
* Best male artist from East Africa: Big Pin (Kenya)
* Best female artist from East Africa: Tsedenia Gebremarkos (Ethiopia) & Achien'g Abura (Kenya)
* Best male artist from Central Africa: Felix Wazekwa (Democratic Republic of Congo) & Werra-son (Democratic Republic of Congo)
* Best African male diaspora (US): Usher (US)
* Best artist Europe-Caribbean diaspora: Kaysha (France)
* Best Female Gospel Artist: Deborah Fraser (South Africa)
* Best gospel male artist: DNG (Kenya)
* Best gospel group: Schekina (Ivory Coast)
* Most promising African male artist: Madson Junior Gnou-Sou (Burkina Faso)
* Most Promising African Female: Swazi (South Africa)
* Best Traditional African Group: Mahube (South Africa)
* Best traditional African artist: King Mensah Aya (Togo)
* Best Video: Zola for 'Don't Cry' (South Africa) & Reggie Rockstone for 'Ah' (Ghana)
* Best Arrangement: Wanda Baloyi (South Africa)
For more info, visit the Kora Awards website. For more on Lydia Martin, visit lydiamartin.net.
Contributed by: Lydia MartinFirst published: www.afropop.org
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