Best Sounds From The East June 2020
The month of June has been pretty interesting on the East side considering the several EPs and albums we have been waiting for. Dua Saleh blessed us with her EP, Capespring also delivered and he is definitely a breath of fresh air in the East African region. With highlights such as the long-awaited “Midnight Train” album by Sauti sol and many other acts, the last couple of weeks have been exciting. From Rwanda to Sudan passing by Tanzania, Kenya and more… Here are the 15 Best East African songs of June 2020.
1. “Kooni” – Mapanch Bmb
We discovered Mapanch from Tanzania this month in his new afro-fusion track. “Kooni” is a melodious slow-paced love song produced by blacq.
2. Bushali featuring Magnom – “Till I Die”
The King of kinyatrap from Rwanda dropped his “!B!HE B!” EP in which he featured the one and only Magnom from Ghana! They teamed up to deliver an energetic trap song in which they address how hard they hustle and they’ll never stop.
3. The C!rcle Featuring. Eaz Da Bully & YK – “Piggy In The Middle”
In this extract of the long-awaited project “The C!rcle Vs. The World, the 2 UK-based, Sudanese acts joined forces on an upbeat track produced by JBJBeats.
4. Capespring – “Weight”
The young Kenyan artist blessed us with a dope lo-fi track which happens to be the 4th track of his amazing EP! That is one of the best releases of June 2020.
5. Shaka Mao featuring Swagina Music – “Go Down Low”
The 2 emergent acts from Uganda collaborated to give us a mid-tempo banger!
6. Otile Brown – “Kosea”
Kosea is the 5th track of Otile Brown’s debut album aka one of Kenya’s best vocalists! The Swahili love song has been on repeat the whole month.
7. Dua Saleh – “Smut”
In mid-June, The Sudanese Indie artist, Dua Saleh, based in Minnesota dropped her “Rosetta” EP and “Smut” is one of the best tracks on it.
8. The C!rcle featuring AKA Keyz – “O.T.T”
Drown in AKA Keyz’s smooth rhymes on “O.T.T”, an extract of the C!rcle’s project.
9. Lhiroyd – “Facile”
Lhiroyd from Burundi dropped a summer banger in which he proves he never fails to deliver lively creations and catchy lyrics.
10. Caleb Awiti featuring $ambo – “Bad Shawty”
R&B sensation, Caleb Awiti, from Kenya released a brilliant piece of work in which “Bad Shawty” is featured in collaboration with $ambo.
11. Chin Bees – “Nasabenza”
Tanzania’s finest, Chin Bees, dropped his first single of the year. An upbeat track in which he reminds us how much he masters the trap genre.
12. MaMan featuring Niile & TooDope – “Workaholic”
Sudan’s finest MaMan, Niile and TooDope joined forces and gave us a “workaholic” anthem back in early June and it is safe to say we are still obsessed with the song!
13. Sauti Sol featuring Bensoul & Xenia, Nviiri The Storyteller, Okello Max, NHP
Sol Generations acts came together and blessed us with a cheerful Trap/Rhumba anthem and it was on the highly-anticipated “Midnight Train” album by Sauti Sol. That was one of the highlights of the month!
14. Moms – “Tema”
Moms from Switzerland originating from Somalia released a dynamic summer bop later this month.
15. Bey T – “Ndio”
Ndio is the 2nd single of Bey T this year and she is not here to play. In this trap song, she makes it clear that she does not have time for gossip and anything that does not have to do with her music and her work.