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Chicago rapper Jovan Landry gives her production skills a well-deserved spotlight on World Vibe

Jovan Landry calls herself “One-Third Emcee” to emphasize her creative pursuits away from the mike—according to an interview she gave to Chicago Crowd Surfer in March 2019, she splits the other two-thirds of her energy between photography and filmmaking. And Landry’s talents don’t end there. She spearheaded a 2019 collaborative album called Synergy, which brought […]

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Barcelona’s Alma Afrobeat Ensemble keep the spirit of Afrobeat going strong

For the fourth year in a row, Barcelona-based guitarist Aaron Feder brings his Alma Afrobeat Ensemble on a U.S. tour. The group, which Feder founded in Champaign-Urbana in 2003, consists of members from several nations, and as is customary when they travel in the States, they’re joined by their American touring musicians—Matthew Engel on keys […]

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Nigerian juju and Afrobeat veteran Kaleta brings the groove with Super Yamba Band

Leon “Kaleta” Ligan-Majek came into his talents in the early 80s—at exactly the right time to bridge two disparate genres of Nigerian music. Kaleta’s family relocated to Lagos from his native Benin during his adolescence, and after playing guitar and singing in church he began performing professionally throughout Nigeria. While he was still a young […]