Best African Music from 2009

2009 - through African Music and Culture

Happy New Year from Ghana Hype and Kayobi

Happy New Year people - Decisions Determine Destiny - I hope we make the RIGHT moves and decisions in 2010




New Beginings YALLLLLL

The FUTURE of UK streetwear and art

This past weekend was one cool one and this was mainly because the ''OFF THE RAILS FASHION EVENT'' was literally off the hook.
Wih sick artists and designers, free drinks , nice food and ridiculously talented people that were down to earth and humble. I left the event with one thing in mind - INSPIRATION - The FUTURE IS OF THE RAILS.
This is a list of some of the Designers - who were all cool with their time and ideas - BIG UPS to -

http://WWW.OFFTHERAILSUK.COM
http://WWW.TWITTER.COM/OFFTHERAILSLIVED-visions Clothing

Oddkingdom
Alice Boutique
Originique
True Sterling


Check out their sites and support the movement - i coped a sick shirt from pins - classice poster from ODDKINGDOM and got some freebies from True Sterling whose attention to details and desigs are MAD

www.D-visions.co.uk
www.THENEWBLACK.EU
www.twitter.com/TheNewBlackProjectLive
www.alices-boutique.com
www.oddkingdom.com
www.pinspired.com

More pictures

M3NSA ADJUMA (WORK!! HUSTLE!) VIDEO

This video is an ODE to the real movers of AFRICA - check it out

Adidas apologizes for misrepresenting KENTE, GHANA and AFRICA

This is a follow up from my previous posts about Adidas stealing from Africa :Click here to read how adidas stole fron Ghana
It pays to speak up - people of africa please patent, copy right and protect your heritage.

Dear Mr Kwabena,

Thank you for contacting adidas regarding the Jeremy Scott, Originals by Originals shoe Nizza 2 Hi; and for correcting us on the incorrectly referenced Kente cloth. We regrettably made an error in the copywriting process when describing this shoe. I can assure you that this was not meant to be disrespectful in any way, but a simple human error when creating copy which would be used to describe the shoe.

We have begun to correct this where we can - ie adidas.com/originals, Press Materials etc.

We have also contacted all of the communications and PR managers in our local markets to advise them of the change and act accordingly. Any future stories from adidas should correctly reference the Kente cloth which inspired the design.

We're very proud to work with external design partner Jeremy Scott and also to be able to reference and be inspired by materials, designs and styles from around the world and we're also reverential in crediting the origin of the design correctly.

In this instance, Jeremy Scott sent us the design with the correct name, but in our process of writing the description a typo was made. We have now tried to correct this mistake.

Thank you again for calling this to our attention.

Kind regards,

Tom Ramsden
Senior Communications Manager - adidas Originals

Unlike Adidas Puma acknowledges Africa and Ghana's Kente as inspiration

Adidas Please watch and learn - PUMA shoes you how its done even though their design is not as obvious they still had the decency of letting the world know who's intellectual property was the inspiration for their shoe. You guys simply copied and pasted and still decided to re write African culture and History.

Puma goes wild by way of Africa with this Pack of Clydes that takes you on venture through the Serengeti. Available in black or jungle green, each shoe features a woven geometric strip along the eyelets inspired by traditional Ghanaian Kente silk fabrics. The scuffed mid and outsole gives a rugged wild look.

PLEASE REFER TO MY LAST TWO POST ON ADIDAS - THANKS

How Adidas Stole from AFRICA - First response

PLEASE REFER TO PREVIOUS POST - HOW ADIDAS STOLE FROM AFRICA

HI guys thanks for the support in spreading this message i sent the letter to many offices of adidas including their head of intellectual property - This is the first automated reply :( - Allot of people have called for a petition. I am giving adidas a few
more days to get their act together if we dont get a satisfactory reply we will petition and will take them on through all avenues.
Thanks and keep spreading it on twitter, facebook etc PEACE

Customer Ref No: 665396

Dear Kwabena

Thank you for your recent enquiry.

Your email has been forwarded onto the relevant department and
we will contact you again shortly.

In the meantime, we would like to take this opportunity to
thank you for contacting adidas and for your interest in the
brand.

Yours sincerely

Lauren Cruse
Customer Care Manager
For and on behalf of adidas (UK) Limited


For career opportunities within the adidas Group please go to:
www.adidas-group.com/careers

Your Personal information may be used to invite you to provide
valuable feedback on your Customer Care experience and to inform you
about any future developments in adidas. If you would prefer not to
receive further information, please e-mail customercareuk@adidas.com
with a Subject title of 'Remove'.

How Adidas Stole from AFRICA

If Adidas wants to borrow inspiration from AFRICA then they should pay up or Give Credit Where due - This is my letter to adidas with regards to the misspelling of the word 'KENTE' and lack of ascribing the origin of the cloth use in their African Inspired 'KENTA" Nizza 2 Hi sneakers


Hi i noted that for a while now Adidas has been doing the materials of the world special edition shoes and clothing. I think this is lovely and commend adidas for this.
As an African Designer I was also extremely excited by the release of Jeremey Scotts Africa Themed apparel. I was excited when i saw the African Inspired Nizza 2 Hi sneakers however i was saddened by the wrong description of the material used. The Adidas description stated that it was a unique 'kenta' cloth. Unfortunately Adidas has got it all wrong the cloth used on the shoe in question is actually the 'kente' cloth and not the 'kenta' cloth as has been published in all materials pertaining to the shoes.

This lack of respect for the name and history of Ghana's national cloth shows how little research and consideration was taking in fashioning or mimicking this shoe as an authentic African product.

Kente is the trendiest and most renowned cloth in Ghana and possibly in all of Africa. The strip-woven cloth made by the Akan people of Ghana and the Ewe people of Ghana and Togo, is the best known of all African textiles. Its fame has spread globally where it is now one of the most admired of all fabrics in many parts of the world.

Africa as it is a misunderstood, over exploited and misrepresented continent - If conglomerates like adidas wish to take inspiration from African art and textiles for their products the least you could do was provide an accurate historical description of the 'borrowed' design.

The country of origin of the kente design was not published.
Kente has been woven for centuries on looms by skilled artisans in Ghana and Togo - these designs are the daily bread of these Africans and the intellectual property of these artists and Nations as a whole.

I am certain Adidas will not be happy if a small shoe and clothing factory in Ghana decided to utilise the Trefoil logo and the 3 - Stripes mark on their make shift line.

So why is it that the culture and intellectual property of whole nations can be misrepresented by such a big company without and regard for the originators of the design.

I would appreciate it if the name of the shoe could be corrected and the design origins of the material could be rightfully ascribed to its originators. I am sure this is either a typographical mistake or just a slight oversight as a company with such a rich history will not intentionally misrepresent the whole continent of AFRICA.
thanks for your attention
P.S No AFricans were plagiarized in the making of this letter.
Kwabena Boateng


Please spread the word and post this on your blogs, diggs, twitter facebook etc
If africans dont speak out on injustices on or image and brand wewill wake up one day and the copy right of the word AFRICA
will be owned by a multi national in the WEST.

The Mystery of FUFU

This is an excellent mini audio documentary on FUFU from the perspective of a westernerhttp://savvytraveler.publicradio.org/show/features/2002/20020531/rafiles/20020531feature3.ram
Plese click here to listen
Enjoy

I am now taking Pre Orders for the Make FUFU not war ladies T- Shirt - please email me your size if you want one - boateng.kwabena@gmail.com

Shirts can be shipped to UK
EUROPE, AMERICA and CANADA

Thanks
Click here for a peak and or size guide

Click here

Catch Kayobi at UCL on the 30 Oct

As part of our celebration of Black History month, The UCL ACS will hold a 1 day exhibition.

Kayobi will be there - Come and vibe with us. I will have some shirts, bags, ipod covers and art on sale. If you have a specific shirt you want then please email me the details and i will print it just for this event. If you have a particular design you want on a canvas please send me details.

It will me nice to meet you guys so dont loose out on fashion food art and history - from UK's finest artists and disigners.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142695543573

Black History Month Exhibition
Name: Soul Source
Venue: UCL North and South cloisters
Date: Friday 30th of October

P.s we are taking pre orders for make fufu not war tshirts for ladies and hoodies for men. This will be our las batch for the year so please email me your sizes. boateng.kwabena@gmail.com
Thanks

Don't Waste Your Life

I am at the point in my life where i need to take a stand for Christ and get rid of the sins that are holding me back and the false idols i have occupied my life with - it is a struggle but he is good and will not give me a load i can not bear - i dont want to gain the world and waste my life - pray for me and i will pray for you on this road - SEEK ETERNITY

Ghana wins U20 World Cup in shootout

Ghana wins U20 World Cup in shootout
(AP) – 1 hour ago
CAIRO — Ghana became the first African team to win the Under-20 World Cup, defeating Brazil in a penalty-kick shootout.
Friday's game finished 0-0 after regulation and extra time. Ghana's Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu scored the winning penalty kick to make it 4-3 after Brazil's Maicon missed a chance to win it at 3-2.
Ghana's Daniel Addo was ejected in the 37th minute for a late tackle on Alex Teixeira. Brazil wasted several chances and struggled to crack Ghana's tenacious defense.
In the third-place game, Hungary beat Costa Rica in a shootout in which goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi saved straight three penalty kicks. The score was 1-1 entering the shootout.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
CAIRO (AP) — Hungary has won the third-place game at the Under-20 World Cup, beating Costa Rica in a shootout in which goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi saved straight three penalty kicks.
Friday's game ended 1-1, with Costa Rica's Marcos Urena scoring in the 81st minute and Hungary's Vladimir Koman in the 90th.
In the shootout, Hungary's goalie saved consecutive penalty kicks by Cristian Gamboa, Esteban Luna and Carlos Hernandez. Roland Varga made the winning kick for Hungary.
Gulacsi, a reserve goalie for Liverpool, also saved three penalty kicks in a shootout against the Czech Republic to help Hungary reach the quarterfinals.
Ghana plays Brazil in the final Friday.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Kayobi at University of Hertfordshire ACS launch

Had a wonderful time at the launch of the ACS at University of Hertfordshire - Good Blessings to all the young Black peeps I met May your dreams come true. Check ou the pics and let me know what you think.
Check it out
and join the Family on facebook - Kayobi Clothing

Kayobi T shirt gets featured on Wahala the #1 AFRICAN ARTS and CULTRAL Video SHOW

Kayobi Weapons of Mass Destruction(mosquitoes)T-shirt as worn by Dj Eric Soul on Wahala the #1AFRICAN video SHOW




About this EPISODE:
London’s Camden Town is a sea of entertainment, overflowing with colorful markets, shops, restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, theatres and cinemas. At its centre, the Proud Gallery, located in the 200-year-old Grad II Listed Horse Hospital in the ever popular Camden Stables Market.

This is our destination for this week, people!! PROUD Gallery is a truly unique venue, photographic gallery by day; the venue is transformed into a live music venue by night. This is where the whole London Afro scene chose to gathered on a summery Monday evening for a special multi-disciplinary event, celebrating the legacy of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

The night, dubbed FELA’s BOYS, showcased dance with Bode Lawal, music from the London Afrobeat Collective, Wale Ojo, Richards Olutunde, SES, Inemo and Wahala’s host, DJ Eric Soul
Join the Family



You can buy the same t shirt here
http://kayobi.bigcartel.com/

WAHALA video magazine - ft Keziah Jones

New Wahala video ZINE - watch out for Kayobi clothing feature soon.

Kwame Nkrumah is 100 today - and still speaks - listen to him

Pictures of Nkrumah and ALI and Louis Armstrong

Kwame Nkrumah one of the founding fathers of Ghana's independence and the liberation of Africa from colonialism would have been a hundred years today. To commemorate the occasion I decided against writing about how great this man was, the good he did or the mistakes he made.


I decide to let the words come out of his own mouth.
I have added a link to a speech Kwame Nrumah made to African Freedom fighters in Accra during the pre independence period.
Download Kwame Nkrumah Speech here:
Part 1
http://www.sendspace.com/file/y0a7r4
Part 2
http://www.sendspace.com/file/3t983h

The truth is that the words spoken on that faithful day are still more than apt today with regards to africans in Africa and Africans, Africa -Americans, Black 'British' and Caribbean people who still live with varying forms of imperialism today in different masks - POVERTY, LAZINESS, MEDIA SUBJUGATION,DIVIDE AND RULE,AFRICA vrs CARIBBEAN,BLACK VRS MIXED RACE,GUN CRIME, SO CALLED BLACK ON BLACK VIOLENCE, HIP HOP CULTURE(GANGSTERISM) the list goes on.

I hope you enjoy his speech and take something form it if all African/ Black leaders around the world had the foresight of Kwame Nkrumah then maybe we still will no be relying on him a many years on for INSPIRATION.

PEACE

Cadbury Dairy Milk and Ghanaian Hiplife artist TINNY release track - ZINGOLO

This pic was taken at the wapi even in Ghana when Tinny came to the kayobi clothing table to check out our stuff - checkout the video - PEACE

Cadbury Dairy Milk and Ghanaian Hiplife artist TINNY release track and video Zingolo to launch their fair trade chocolate from Ghana :)

Here is the 60 sec ad

Why Naija (Nigeria) must GO (forward)

Ghana protests bashing by Nigerian officials

Below is a letter from the Ghana High Commission in Nigeria to a Nigerian newspaper, appealing to Nigerian government officials to refrain from spreading falsehood about Ghana.

SIR: I am compelled to write to express serious concern about a couple of statements by some top Nigerian officials about Ghana in recent weeks. Last month, Defence Minister Godwin Abbe was quoted as saying, "the volume of water generated in Ghana is not enough to flush toilets in Lagos State, the number of teachers you have to pay salaries in the whole of Ghana is not more than Western Nigeria so that is that. And the whole of Ghanaian Armed Forces, if you choose to know, is not more than just two brigades of the Nigerian Armed Forces, period."

Only last weekend, Education Minister Sam Egwu was on national radio talking about the ongoing ASUU strike, and he made the most ridiculous assertion that all the university lecturers in Ghana will not be adequate for a single university in Nigeria! This is a blatant falsehood. Anyone who had been to the University of Ghana Legon (with a student population of more than 40,000), can testify to the fact that probably no university in Nigeria has more space and facilities than Legon. And there are at least five more public universities in Ghana. There are also a dozen privately-owned universities in Ghana, offering quality education to Ghanaians and foreigners alike, including a growing number of Nigerians.

And in the case of the defence minister, we do not know where he got his information from regarding the current strength of the Ghana armed forces. Needless to say that the Ghanaian military is one of the best trained on the continent and had performed exceptionally well in various international assignments. The entire first generation of Nigerian military officers, including Generals Olusegun Obasanjo, Hassan Katsina and Adebayo were all trained in Ghana. Ghanaian army generals have commanded UN troops in Lebanon, Liberia, Rwanda, Darfur, etc over the years.

Information Minister Dora Akunyili also told a local television network at the end of August that the whole of Ghana is not even up to the size of Lagos! Even a child in kindergarten knows that to be untrue. Government officials, unlike private citizens, traditionally tend to be circumspect about what they say about other countries. Ghana is smaller than Nigeria, and I reckon everyone knows that as a fact. And it is certainly not the only country in the world that is smaller than Nigeria. Or is it? Or have Nigerian government officials only suddenly realised how 'small' Ghana is?

Our concern really is that such reckless and unguarded comments could have grave implications for bilateral relations and derail efforts by leaders of the two countries to forge strong bilateral ties. We think President Umaru Yar'Adua should call his ministers to order. The Ghana bashing must stop! Ghana is a well-respected member of the international community, and deserves respect from Nigerians, particularly top government officials.

Nana Yaw Aboagye, Ghana High Commission, Abuja, FCT Tools


Source: GHP


MY RESPONSE


Regarding Ghana - the world cup, oil, good natured manner of Ghanaians, kofi annan - he list goes on has given Ghana a good enough name yes in the uk some ignorant people confuse it with guyana but when they realize it is Ghana - there is no negative stigma attached to it.

On the contrary it is Nigerian that has a behemoth task of cleaning up its name and image - yes its big country - yes it has many resources but what has it done with all of this. No electricity, poor universities, poor airline safety - oppressive military "dem mama dem papa - Timaya', Biafra , nija delta etc Dodgy elections - the list goes one.

As much as I would love a better PR for Nigeria it seems some people in government of Nigeria and some Nigerians at home and abroad need to wake up and actually start dealing with the mess of a country before they complain and belittle other countries such as Ghana.

In 2009 Nigerian ministers are more concerned with tarnishing the image of smaller better functioning nations when the biggest block buster of summer 2009 - District 9 - totally tarnishes and already battered image of Nigeria. This portrayal of Nigerians and infect black people or Africans is sad but it takes behavior like this form Nigeria's to purport and continue this negative image of Nigeria. Nigerians and their government have the biggest branding and PR job to do in the World and it starts with being honest with their problems.

Yes everything about Nigeria is big and yes Nigerians are the proudest people on earth, but what do they have to show for all this pride and opulence.

Constant references of Ghana must go and the meager size or populations of other countries will not solve the huge infrastructural and societal problems nigeria has.

Ghana has gone and is moving on Nigeria pleas wake up and do something with yourself.
p.s I have no beef against honest sensible nigerians in fact I have nigerian family but Nigerians need to stop putting down others to prop up an ego that has no foundation.

INSPIRATION FOR YOUR HUSTLE

This goes out to everyone on their honest grind - With GOD you will get where you want to be

Kayobi Clothing @ Nottinghill Carnival 2009 pt2 - Ghana Float /Migraine skank

The Ghana Float at Carnival 2009 was Live