Malakey

Trying to stand out in a country with such a rich musical heritage as Mali can be tough, especially when your family isn’t fully behind your ambitions. But Malakey has carved out a place with his unusual genre-busting sound – a blend of traditional rhythms, RnB, jazz, urban music and rap. Big hits include Baby Myra, Bossoumani, Fana Ba and Yako, which reached over 11 million views on YouTube. And he’s collaborated with one of the greats of Malian music – the kora player Sidiki Diabaté – as well as popular, hard-hitting rapper Weei Soldat.

Malakey tells This is Africa how he was almost about to give up on music when he got his lucky break when he performed his first concert. He recalls how he only found out his grandmother was also a singer after four years of trying to break in. That’s given his music more of a meaning. He’s now on a mission to keep his Bambara musical roots alive - but in a way that is urban and more enjoyable for modern audiences.

Plus DJ Edu the Afroboss spins his latest mix of new music coming out of Africa.