TranscendNoise

10. Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – Topical Dancer Rarely do dance music centered albums come along with such political urgency. Topical Dancer follows in the line of Arular and Kala , the first two M.I.A outings that were aural and political lighter fuel. Charlotte Adigery and Bolis Pupul magically switch from tongue in cheek moments in “Esperanto” to sarcasm in “Blenda”. Lyrics like “Siri, can you tell me where I belong” or “You’re the Columbus to my America” on “Thank You” not only make you chuckle, they encapsulate the strange awareness of a POC living in a dominantly white culture. Topical Dancer handles these moments of alienation with comedy, but never uses laughter as a cheap thrill. Tracks like “Reappropiate” and “Ich Mwen” grapple with the intersections of race and sexuality in an honest manner. “Ich Mwen” prominently features Charlotte’s mother, the singer Christiane Adigery in a heart to heart of mother and child, touching upon self-care, motherhood, and the stra...

50. OG Keemo – Geist | Whole Discography OG Keemo´s debut album Geist was released towards the end of 2019 and passed over by my usual reluctance to give German rappers a real chance. Trickling word of mouth made me listen in. Keemo´s music, carried by his partner producer Funkvater Frank makes Geist and all of his previous mixtapes and EPs a must listen, a lesson in the energy and vigor a German rap story can carry without catering to current tendencies of trap-crooning or misshapen attempts of making dancehall. If anything, OG Keemo is the only German rapper you need to know in 2020! Simply for his banging delivery of tales surrounding poverty and racism which revel in depression without diving into sadness. The agency of Keemo in capturing his past, his bravado in taking a stand in today´s gangster rap, are flawless over the Funkvater Frank´s varied production. While other German contemporaries might appeal to easier sentiments or remain functional as hit-makers, everyone with the G...