Tag Archives: Music

Frankfurt, Germany | AFP | One of the world’s most restrictive countries on access to music videos opened up on Tuesday as YouTube announced a deal with musicians’ body GEMA to pay when people stream music in Germany. YouTube users in the country had for years been confronted with a …

Local Africa beat is major attraction in music industry Demand for homegrown contemporary music is sweeping Africa and driving a creative boom in an industry otherwise battered by falling CD sales and rampant piracy. A recent study of the entertainment sector by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) accountants showed rapid earnings growth in …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP |  US rapper Coolio was given community service on Wednesday after admitting carrying a handgun in a backpack at Los Angeles International Airport. The weapon was discovered in the bag as a member of the 53-year-old’s entourage went through a security screening checkpoint on …

New York, United States | AFP |  Drake, the rapper who has dominated the charts with his latest album, celebrated his 30th birthday Monday by announcing a new release that includes a song dissing a critic. The Toronto rapper said he would release “More Life” in December and described it …

Ugandans edged out as Nigeria’s Wizkid, SA’s Semenya take top MTV awards Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Nigerian afro-pop star Wizkid and South Africa’s Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya won top prizes at the 2016 MTV Africa Music Awards in Johannesburg on Saturday. Wizkid was named artist of the …

Myko Ouma self-effacingly dismisses it when I tell him he is considered by many people to be one of the best guitarists in the country. “About best guitarist, I don’t know,” he says. In reality, he is a renowned jazz and contemporary world music artiste who plays more than ten …

New York, United States | AFP |  Rap chart-topper Drake on Monday earned a record 13 nominations for the American Music Awards, topping the mark set by late king of pop Michael Jackson. The Toronto rapper, whose “Views” has been the top-selling album released this year in the United States, …

Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Michael O’HAGAN A Ugandan policeman has turned to rap and breakdancing to win over a sceptical public in a popular music video extolling the virtues of the police service. Inspector Samuel Ojobira, known as “O.J”, is making waves with his hit song “Physically Fit”, although some …

Paris, France | AFP |  US reality television star Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint at a Paris hotel by assailants disguised as police who made off with millions, mainly in jewellery, French authorities and her representative said Monday. Paris police said the loss amounted to “several million euros, mostly …

Wellington, New Zealand | AFP |  New Zealand researchers said Monday they have restored the first recording of computer-generated music, created in 1951 on a gigantic contraption built by British genius Alan Turing. The aural artefact, which paved the way for everything from synthesizers to modern electronica, opens with a …