Lost Notes: 1980 - Ep. 5: Hugh Masekela & Mir...

Most know Minnie Riperton because of one part in one song. “Lovin’ You” was Riperton’s biggest hit, and she doesn’t sing that magic, piercing note until around the 3-minute mark. Cancer took Riperton away tragically in 1979, and the next year producers got to work on a posthumous ...  Show more

In 1980, anti-disco sentiment was at a high and Grace Jones was coming off a trilogy of disco albums. If she stayed stagnant, it felt like her career could be swept away. And so out of disco’s death rattle – driven by the discomfort of white male tastemakers – Grace Jones rose, r ...  Show more

The story of the great South African singer who spent 30 years in exile. She was invited to the United States in 1959 and became an overnight star, but was blocked from returning home by the South African apartheid regime. Known as Mama Africa by her millions of fans, she had a r ...  Show more

The story of Hugh Masekela’s life is intertwined with the history of South Africa itself. Born into a relatively privileged family in a mining town east of Johannesburg, Masekela was aware from an early age of the separatist and exploitative legacy of colonialism. As he grew up a ...  Show more

South African artists BŪJIN, Desire Marea, Lynn Daphne Rudolph and Jackie Queens discuss why the collective experience of creating is better, their biggest failures, and getting into trouble. Cape Town-based artist BŪJIN makes music that blends East African techno with funk, bass ...  Show more

Music from the rising stars of Africa, including wordsmiths M.Anifest from Ghana and Tumi from South Africa, whose conscious rap uses lyrics to challenge and delight. Also featuring Aziza Brahim from western Sahara, Songhai Blues from Mali, Lala Njava from Madagascar, Nigerian po ...  Show more