Just so we’re all on the same arc, the entries on this list are based less on the perceived quality of the music or its popularity and more on the strategy employed to put out the projects, more so in their initial stages. Let’s head in:
1. “The Rediscovered Collection” by Angell Mutoni
This entry is mostly based on baked-in traits within the album. The concept was simple. Innovative Rwandan rapper Angell Mutoni realized that large swaths of her fans had never heard some of her old material. To be fair, some of it had been out at a time before Spotify had rolled out officially in the 250. Anyways, Angell opted to retrospectively curate some old bangers into an album-length project of what had been. And she tailored a well received campaign on her socials to ease new followers in. We loved this entry because it was more than a typical compilation or best hits, but rather a targeted reintroduction ripe for attention.
2. “Nile’s Jewel” by Vini Mercy
The 7-track EP drop stood out due to being accompanied by a rousing pop-up art exhibition, in collaboration with Vodo Arts. It set a cool template that should be a model beyond the typical tease-announce-release-listening party playbook. Our team back here have already begun noticing other folks in the process of considering the complementarity of alternate art forms in their release slate. Hopefully those acts will add their twist to it. Kudos to sis!
3. “MAPOLOMOKO!” by Tabu Osusa & Fiston Lusambo
Crafted to embody the traditional music of marginalized pastoral communities in the 254, the album’s rollout involved a push from Arts Council of England which enabled the artists to put up some media tours in multi-continental publicity tours, and to exhibit African trad forms of art as reinterpreted with a global outlook.
4. “Out With The Old” by Njerae
In May, earlier this year, Njerae upped anticipation in the then soon-dropping 5-piece project by uploading homely warm interactions & nostalgic footage about the inspiration behind it on her socials. She framed it in a personal sense, wrapping it all together in an exclusive preview event & a typical listening party thereafter. We’re sure glad she now has a formidable publicity machine behind her to frame her art in even more imaginative ways on her upcoming material.
5. “Olympean” by mwami
We had fun following up this particular rollout. Dude did a bit of everything to push the joint. From creating conceptual short films & showcasing them in multi-city screenings, to nifty themed merch, he reframed the release (both pre & post) into an experience; completed with chronicling essays & suavely crafted commentary. We trust this is only a bit of what he can do. Up the artsy, good sir, with whatever you’re cheffing up for cooler joints to come!
6. “Mabel Train To The Sky” by Manzi Fleur
Manzi loosed his mind in a host of directions; first with the bold concept album itself, and then by stretching the limits of how he’d go about its promo. He built anticipation on his socials with a teaser clip narrated by none other than mwami who, as laid out in this very piece, is no stranger to layering music-driven concepts with artful visuals & at times literary flair. Manzi carried the same visual motif into pre & post release visualizers, which would later make the album’s listening experience quite full, in the sense that it all gelled delightfully with the overarching concepts. Thick sauce!
7. “Heartbreak Radio” by thedicekid
We included this EP, simply ’cause of bro’s post-release media drive. Clearly he has a good team around him. From extensive features in online pubs, to an effective legacy media tour & his personal push via his socials. Also, though a bit off point for this writeup, the joint housed some mad bops, so there’s that too!
8. “EA Open” by Agent Mgumbe, Tai Dai & mwami
Lukorito’s alternate self did us all a solid by cooking up the trio effort. All three suspects are not new to working up a buzz, so a joint effort was always bound to draw some good attention. This is one of those examples where the biggest part of the strategy is the roster itself, a coalescing of fans from distanced contexts. We have more to say in retrospect about the joint, but for now we stick to hoping it’s not a one-off.
