''Afrikan Sauce'' is the fourth studio album by Kenyan band

Sauti Sol Sauti Sol is a Kenyan band formed in Nairobi, Kenya, by vocalists Bien-Aimé Baraza, Willis Chimano and Savara Mudigi in 2005. Initially an a cappella group, guitarist Polycarp Otieno joined before they named themselves Sauti Sol. Sauti Sol ...

, released on their eponymous record label Sauti Sol Entertainment. Primarily an

Afropop African popular music (also styled Afropop, Afro-pop or Afro pop), like African traditional music, is vast and varied. Most contemporary genres of African popular music build on cross-pollination with western popular music. Many genres of po ...

and R&B record, ''Afrikan Sauce'' marked a departure from the traditional acoustic sound of their previous albums. It features

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...

s from

Patoranking Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie (born 27 May, 1990), better known by his stage name Patoranking, is a Nigerian reggae-dancehall singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Ijegun-Egba Satellite Town, Patoranking hails from Onicha, Ebonyi State. He starte ...

Tiwa Savage Tiwa Savage (born 5 February 1980) is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and performing artist. Born in Isale Eko, she relocated to London at the age of 11 for her secondary education. Five years later, she began her music career doing backup voc ...

Burna Boy Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album, '' L.I ...

Vanessa Mdee Vanessa Hau Mdee (born 7 June 1988), is a Tanzanian singer, rapper, television personality and radio host. Mdee is popularly known for being the first ever Tanzanian MTV VJ. She later rose to prominence as a radio and TV host, hosting ''Epic Bong ...

Yemi Alade Yemi Eberechi Alade (born 13 March 1989), is a Nigerian Afropop singer, songwriter, actress and activist. She won the ''Peak Talent Show'' in 2009 after which she signed to Effyzzie Music Group, and had a hit with her single "Johnny" in 2014. S ...

Khaligraph Jones Brian Ouko Omollo, (born 12 June 1926) popularly known by his stage name Khaligraph Jones and often referred to as Papa Jones, was a Kenyan rapper known for his hit singles "Mazishi" and "Yego". He released his debut full-length studio album ''Te ...

Nyashinski Nyamari Ongegu (born April 8, 1981) known professionally as Nyashinski is a Kenyan rapper and songwriter. He is a co-founding member of a hip hop trio Kleptomaniax. Biography Nyashinski who was born as Nyamari Ogengu on April 8, 1981 in Kisii, Ke ...

Bebe Cool Bebe Cool (real name Moses Ssali; born 1 September 1977) is an African reggae and ragga musician from Uganda. He started his career around 1997 in Nairobi, Kenya, but moved back to his native country a few years later. Bebe Cool was one of the ...

Mi Casa Mi Casa is a house trio based in Johannesburg, South Africa and consisting of three members, Dr. Duda (producer and pianist), J'Something (vocalist and guitarist), and Mo-T (trumpeter). The band was formed in early 2011 in Johannesburg when a ...

, Toofan,

Jah Prayzah Mukudzeyi Mukombe (born 4 July 1987), better known as Jah Prayzah, is a Zimbabwean contemporary musician and lead member of the band ''Third Generation''. He is popularly referred to by fans and media as "Musoja", the Shona word for "soldier", a ...

and

C4 Pedro Pedro Henriques Lisboa Santos (born 7 July 1983), better known by his stage name C4 Pedro, is an Angolan kizomba musician. Biography Son of the singer Lisboa Santos, C4 Pedro was born in Luanda on 7 July 1983, but grew up in Belgium, where he r ...

. The album comprises thirteen tracks and was supported by the previously released singles "Melanin", "Girl Next Door", "Afrikan Star", "Short N Sweet" and "Tujiangalie". ''Afikan Sauce'' received positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, who characterized it as a "game changer" and commended it for having "substantial replay value". The album won Album of the Year in Africa at the 2019

All Africa Music Awards All Africa Music Awards (also referred to as AFRIMA) is an annual awards event. The awards event was established by the International Committee AFRIMA, in collaboration with the African Union (AU) to reward and celebrate musical works, talents ...

Background

Sauti Sol described the album as an "art and cultural exchange" project and said it would be released towards the end of 2017. They also announced plans to release a new track with a different African artist every month. However, this plan did not completely materialize due to financial constraints. The album features

s from

, Toofan,

and

Composition

Primarily an

and R&B record, ''Afrikan Sauce'' marked a departure from the traditional acoustic sound of the band's previous albums. In the mid-tempo track "Melanin", Sauti Sol and Patoranking celebrate women of color and declare love for a woman who broke their hearts. "Short N Sweet" is composed of

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

kicks, percussion, bass guitar and electric guitar licks. "Love Again" has elements of

Kuduro Kuduro (or kuduru) is a type of music and dance from Angola. It is characterized as uptempo, energetic, and danceable. Kuduro was developed in Luanda, Angola in the late 1980s. Producers sampled traditional carnival music like soca and zouk bé ...

and is reminiscent of "Say Yeah", a song from the band's third studio album ''

Live and Die in Afrika ''Live and Die in Afrika'' is the third studio album by Kenyan afro-pop band Sauti Sol Sauti Sol is a Kenyan band formed in Nairobi, Kenya, by vocalists Bien-Aimé Baraza, Willis Chimano and Savara Mudigi in 2005. Initially an a cappella ...

'' (2015). In the politically-charged track "Tujiangalie", Sauti Sol denounces Kenya's current state. The Maleek Berry-produced track "Girl Next Door" contains Swahili lyrics and has a slow-paced reggae feel. In the mellow ballad "Afrikan Star", Sauti Sol and Burna Boy trade emotive verses back and forth.

Singles

The

-assisted track "Melanin" was released on November 21, 2017, as the album's lead single. Damilola Animashaun of Konbini Channels praised the band's vocals and Patoranking's

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

sound. Sauti Sol was nominated for African Artiste of the Year at

The Headies 2019 The Headies 2019 was the 13th edition of The Headies The Headies (originally called the Hip Hop World Awards) is a music awards show established in 2006 by the ''Hip Hop World Magazine'' of Nigeria to recognize outstanding achievements in the ...

for "Melanin". The accompanying music video for "Melanin" was shot and directed in Lagos by

Clarence Peters Clarence Abiodun Peters (born 27 July 1978) is a Nigerian music video director, filmmaker and cinematographer. He is the founder and CEO of Capital Dream Pictures, a production company that specialises in the realms of the performing arts, fil ...

, and features numerous shots of dark skin women along with dance and performance scenes. Ezekiel Mutua, CEO of the

Kenya Film Classification Board The Kenya Film Classification Board (abbreviated as KFCB) is a state corporation that operates under the Government of Kenya whose mandate is to "regulate the creation, broadcasting, possession, distribution and exhibition of films by rating them ...

(KFCB), criticized the video and called it "absolute pornography". Mutua threatened to seek a court injunction to ban the song from airing, and said Sauti Sol released the video without following Kenya's content production and distribution regulation laws. KFCB told Sauti Sol to submit the video for examination and classification for age suitability; the board also warned media stations not to air the song during

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

periods. The album's second single, "Girl Next Door", was released on January 10, 2018. It features guest vocals by Nigerian singer

and was produced by

Maleek Berry Maleek Shoyebi (born 11 August 1987), professionally known as Maleek Berry, is a British-Nigerian record producer and recording artist. After his break into the spotlight in 2012, Maleek Berry was nominated as "Music Producer of the Year" at the ...

. The Unlimited LA-directed visuals for "Girl Next Door" feature laid-back individual shots of Sauti Sol and Savage. The

-assisted track "Afrikan Star" was released on February 14, 2018, as the album's third single. The song's music video was directed by Mex Films and shot in an old mansion filled with colorful furniture and a large book collection. The nostalgic track "Rewind" was released on March 27, 2018, as the album's fourth single. It features a rap verse by Kenyan rapper Khaligraph Jones and was produced by Sauti Sol. The song is a fusion of hip hop and

Afrobeats Afrobeats (not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing), or Afro-pop or Afro-fusion (or Afropop or Afrofusion), is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and ...

. The visuals for "Rewind" were directed by Sesan and contain old images and videos of the band. The

-assisted track "Short N Sweet" was released on May 17, 2018, as the album's fifth single. The song was produced by Sauti Sol and mastered by Sarthak. Camille Storm of

OkayAfrica OkayAfrica (stylized as okayafrica) is a digital media platform dedicated to African culture, music and politics. Founded in 2011 by Vanessa Wruble and Ginny Suss as a sister site to The Roots frontman Questlove's Okayplayer, the site has become ...

said the track is "evocative of the early Sauti Sol days, with a strong acoustic instrumentation and acapella-driven background vocals". The accompanying music video for "Short N Sweet" was directed by Nate Thomas. "Short N Sweet" was nominated for Song of the Year and Video of the Year at the 2019

Soundcity MVP Awards Festival The Soundcity MVP Awards Festival ("TheMVPs" or "MVP") is an event presented by Soundcity TV which awards plaques to musicians and performers across Africa. Since 2007, the winners are chosen by the viewers and fans by visiting #TheMVPs' website a ...

. The politically charged track "Tujiangalie" ( Swahili: "Self-reflection") was released on August 22, 2018, as the album's sixth single. The song was recorded in collaboration with Nyashinski and addresses several societal issues, including

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

, mounting debt,

economic inequality There are wide varieties of economic inequality, most notably income inequality measured using the distribution of income (the amount of money people are paid) and wealth inequality measured using the distribution of wealth (the amount of we ...

, a crisis of leadership, and the troubling connection between the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and the

political class Political class, or political elite is a concept in comparative political science, originally developed by Italian political theorist Gaetano Mosca (1858–1941). It refers to the relatively small group of activists that is highly aware and active ...

. In a review for the website Paukwa, Ngoma Zetu said "Tujiangalie" "tells the truth in a raw way, but with fine tunes of the singers, listeners can only want to reflect on themselves".

Other songs

Sauti Sol's collaborative single with Nigerian singer

, titled "Africa", was released on July 5, 2016. It was produced by BeatsByEmzo and first appeared on Alade's second studio album '' Mama Africa'' (2016). The music video for "Africa" was directed by Ovie Etseyatse and features clips of different streets and iconic towers in African cities, as well as pictures of renowned leaders fighting for independence.

Critical reception

''Afrikan Sauce'' received positive reviews from

. Beverly Wakiaga of ''Tangaza'' magazine said the album has substantial replay value, but ended the review saying it is "missing something that gives it that oomph and makes you take notice of the band". Toye Sokunbi of ''

The Native ''The Native'' (stylized in all caps) is a Nigerian-based music magazine publishing in Lagos. Founded in 2016, ''The Native'' focuses primarily on music, style, and art, championing the sounds and culture of tomorrow: today. History ''The NA ...

'' magazine called ''Afrikan Sauce'' a "game changer" and said it is a "template for Afropop that actually works to the advantage of the creators". Reviewing for ''

The Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' newspaper, journalist Davies Ndolo awarded the album 3 stars out of 5, saying it "depicts and incorporates the diversity and aesthetic that is Africa." ''Afrikan Sauce'' won Album of the Year in Africa at the 2019

Tracklisting

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2019 albums Sauti Sol albums Albums produced by Sauti Sol Albums produced by Maleek Berry Swahili-language albums Albums produced by Kaysha