AfroBeatNights, in conjunction with The BT Group and JTon Productions, held a private listening party for Yemi Alade’s new EP “Mama Afrique”. The project is a follow up to her second studio album titled “Mama Africa,” released in 2015. The EP gives listeners an eclectic assortment of AfroBeat sounds accompanied by lyrics in four different languages: English, French, Portuguese and Swahili. 

DJ Tunez, the premier AfroBeat DJ in the United States, was responsible for bringing everything together. “Yemi’s EP is amazing. I love her energy and her ability to sing in other languages. She’s really taking African music to a new level.”

Over the last couple of years, Tunez has been the bridge between Africa and the United States, collaborating with top artists such as Burna Boy, Davido, Patoranking, Stonebwoy, Wiz Kid and now Yemi Alade. 

The event was held late Wednesday night at the legendary Sounds of Brazil (S.O.B.s) in New York to an intimate group of media representatives. Yemi’s presence captivated the room as she answered questions about what inspired her to make the EP. 

“The EP is like a follow up to Mama Africa and an Introduction to my third album, which is pretty much good to go.” 

The EP consist of 10 tracks that flow effortlessly together, culminating with the sure fire hit “Go Down,” which Tunez says is his favorite song on “Mama Afrique.”

“The beat is infectious. It has the ability to make you move and Yemi’s vocals are amazing.” said DJ Tunez.

As the night came to an end, Tunez and Yemi alluded to a possible joint project in the works however, when asked about it Tunez responded rather candidly, “That’s Top Secret. Yemi is an amazing artist and I would love to work with her.”

We didn’t get a definitive answer but it looks like a collaboration is definitely coming soon. 

Mama Afrique drops June 30th.