Africa as a continent is going through the rigors of bad governance at the moment. Women in Namibia are protesting against violence, championing the hashtag #Shutitalldown as the summary of their request to the Namibian government, Congolese citizens are clamoring for their right to life, and Nigerians among others, are protesting against police brutality. On his latest, Zambia’s Holstar teams up with Nigerian soul singer Maka on Afropolitan, a jazzy ode to the ongoing revolution taking place across major cities in Africa.
This isn’t Holstar’s first rodeo on a redemption song so when he leads with “Black youth it’s your time, rise up don’t delay to make your mind up“, the determination behind these words ring true. Holstar’s litany of heartfelt punchlines gives way to Maka’s even more emotive performance. It’s often said that humans resort to languages they’re familiar with when speaking from a place of pain so when Maka switches to Igbo, the deviation is unsurprising. As a matter of fact, it makes it more relatable.
The synergetic duo, despite their differences in culture, sound and outlook believe that Africans are embedded with the power to fight for justice and birthright which we’re already doing but with Afropolitan, which comes with a lyric video filled with collages sure to inspire revolution, they want everyone to harness the potential to rise up and fight.