Carnegie Hall

A Zimbabwean-centered hip-hop project from Tendai “Baba” Maraire, Chimurenga Renaissance was formed in 2012 when Maraire teamed with Hussein Kalonji, the rapper formerly known as H-Bomb. That same year, the group introduced their mix of electronic (synths and samples) and organic (ngoma drums and mbira thumb pianos) on Pungwe, a mixtape where artists like Bob Marley and Spice 1 were mixed with African artists like Thomas Mapfumo and Youssou NDOUR. In 2014, the project made its official debut on the Brick Lane label with riZe vadZimu riZe.

Hailed as one of the most vital standard-bearers of modern African music, Fatoumata Diawara takes her artistry to fresh and thrilling heights on her new Grammy-nominated album Fenfo. Boldly experimental yet respectful of her roots, it’s a record that defines her as the voice of young African womanhood—proud of her heritage, but with a vision that looks confidently to the future and a message that is universal. Fenfo (which translates as “something to say”) dramatically fulfils that promise with a set of vivid and original new compositions that draw on Diawara’s rich experiences.

One of 11 children, Diawara grew up in the Malian capital of Bamako. Fiercely independent from a young age, she became a celebrated child actor and in 2001 starred in Dani Kouyaté’s film Sia, The Dream of the Python, based on an ancient myth about a young girl who runs away from her family. Real life followed fiction, and against the wishes of her parents, Diawara fled Bamako at the age of 19 to join the French street theater company Royale de Luxe. Touring the world with Royal de Luxe, her singing became a feature of the company’s performances. That led to her backing American jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater and Malian superstar Oumou Sangaré on tour and on record, bringing Diawara to the attention of the World Circuit label, which released her debut album in 2011.

Diawara has since recorded with Bobby Womack and Herbie Hancock, played Glastonbury and other major festivals, and toured with Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca. She also assembled a West African super-group that featured Amadou and Mariam, Oumou Sangaré, and Toumani Diabaté to record a song calling for peace in her troubled homeland, and climbed aboard Damon Albarn’s star-studded Africa Express, which culminated in her sharing a stage with Sir Paul McCartney. In addition, Diawara has continued her parallel career as an actor, including an acclaimed appearance in Timbuktu (2014), which received both BAFTA and Academy Award nominations.