But 2009 Akon has been putting kind of a hurting on my vision. I would even put him alongside MIA and Sean Paul in the top three ranking of artists I was amped about from jump and told everybody they would be huge and then was actually vindicated. Those who read The FADER know we fucks with Akon and those who know me personally know I rate him highly. The last one is of course Boima’s own superdecale refix of Akon’s “Right Now,” giving it the same crushing treatment he has given Elephant Man and Usher on remixes I’ve reviewed here. Oh, and all these tracks except the last one are available somewhere online. Big up DJ Rajah of Soulcocina for putting me on to Dominican gaga which helped inspire this mix, and many of my other creations. They're songs that are fast, and yet are rooted in tradition. This mix hits as many countries as I could in a short time, on both sides of the Atlantic African Diaspora. It also represents what I think is going to go down with Geko Jones of Dutty Artz fam (Big Up!), because the theme of the night is Champeteando, which is a verb I'm inventing (ok I didn’t invent it but I’m using it) to signify the African influence of music in the Americas. This music is all rooted in parents, ancestors, traditions, and updated with urban stylings. The music ties into the two parties 'cause Descendants United is based around the idea that people here in Oakland are coming together from so many different places to make this a Bay and more specifically unique Oakland culture.Descendants Reunion is what we called my African family's reunions, and those parties were my DJ education. It was also partly inspired by the fact that my Highlife party will be hosting Geko Jones on Saturday May 30th at Little Baobab in San Francisco. I called the mix Descendants United, which is the name of a weekly party me and some folks are starting in Oakland at the end of May (Thursday the 28th). Meanwhile, this dude single-handedly introduces 1, 2, 3…4 new genres to this column (gaga, punta, mbalax and marrabenta, and that’s not even counting Sierra Leonan bubu, which he schooled me on a few weeks ago) all in a quick-mix style that I will forever associate with the Bay, where every other person you meet is some ridiculous battle DJ and the whole party is on fast-forward because last call is at 1:30 but people still don’t come out until midnight. A decale producer like Bablee doesn’t even need to change drum presets to fill up 19 minutes and 45 seconds. Akon, “Right Now (Na Na Na)” Chief Boima Remix ( Sierra Leone, Senegal, Jersey, Oakland, Milwaukee, Atlanta mbalax decale)ĭownload: Chief Boima “Descendants United” BlendĪpparently Boima took my guideline of 15-20 minutes as some kind of challenge to run true as many continents and cultures as humanly possible in 19:45. Eedris Abdulkareem, “2 Legs Up” ( Nigeria rap)ġ7. DJ Click, “Bloque Brandy” ( Ivory Coast coupe decale)ġ6. Dj Terrivel, “Danca So” ( Angola tarraxa kuBass)ġ5. Didacia, “Misseru” ( Mozambique marrabenta)ġ3. Zion I, “Geek to the Beat” ( Bay Area rap)ġ2. Joe y Kello, “Mambo Gaga-Gaga” ( Dominican Republic gaga)ġ1. Sierra Leone's Refugee Allstars, “Ya N'Digba” ( Sierra Leone )ġ0. Silver Star, “Va Canon” ( Honduras punta)ĩ. DJ Black, “Los Locos Somos Mas” ( Panama. Ghislain Poirier, “Karnival” ( Montreal.electro-soca?)ħ. This was from a mixtape by selectas Boca Chica y El Presidente)Ħ. Boca Chica is a city with a popular beach and DJs sell mixtapes on the beach. Boca Chica y El Presidente, Boca3 ( Unknown name and artist, from Boca Chica in Dominican Republic. Janka Nabay, “Ah Gboleah” ( Sierra Leone bubu)ĥ. Chi Boogie, “Move Back” ( Chicago juke)Ĥ. Abdul Tee-Jay, “Ka-Bubu No.1” ( Sierra Leonean bubu music)ģ. This is the week it all came together and I won’t comment much since the Chief can put things in better context himself (his notes are in italics next to each track), but I will say this: I have had in the back of my mind for years the idea of making a “Black Atlantic” mixtape, connecting dots between the various threads of the African diaspora described in the Paul Gilroy book of the same name and now I can’t because this mix is basically it.ġ.Black Nature, vocal intro ( homie of mine that's in the Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars)Ģ. For a while now I have been bugging left coast DJ Chief Boima to put together a mix of all the afro-stuff he has been educating me about via email correspondence ever since he cold-called the inbox with a message headed “African remixes from San Francisco” back around the time of the Africa issue.