There’s so much music out there that it’s hard for even the most loyal fans to stay up with their favourite artists or what’s new and hot right now. That’s why we’ve created #BumpThis – a daily series that features the one song you need to listen to, every day. Don’t say we never did anything for you.
Put your favourite music streaming app on shuffle and you might just join tastemakers around the world in the realisation that music has never been so global.
One of the bastions of this cross-pollination of sounds in the last decade has been Major Lazer, the EDM producer/DJ supergroup made up of Diplo, Walshy Fire and Jillionaire. Together, the trio soundtracked too many summers over the last decade with globe-trotting hits like “
Walshy Fire, in particular, has shown a great affinity for African sounds. The Jamaica-born producer has made music with Nigerians in the past; most notably on “Bend Down Pause” with Runtown and Wizkid.
On “Call Me”, the first single off his solo debut album “Abeng”, his reggae-pop sound is interpreted in a much glossier tone by Nigerian singer, Mr Eazi and Jamaican dancehall artist, Kranium. Eazi sets the tone for the song with a familiar trope, “Just call me, call me when you’re lonely”.
Afropop and Dancehall both love their women. Mr Eazi and Kranium remind their black queens that they deserve nothing but the best and these two are just the perfect gentlemen to provide that – all needs will be met and maximum satisfaction is guaranteed.
The result is a song that combines the best of Afrobeats, Afro-Swing, and the sparse variety of dancehall that Rihanna notoriously describes as ‘airport lounge music’.
If you ever were hung up on genres, it’s time to let them go. Today’s sound is universal.
Stream Walshy Fire, Mr Eazi & Kranium’s “Call Me” here.
