Um, there's no African Bands at Live 8

The active discussion and criticism of the line ups for Live 8 could be considered its biggest success. Too white, old & boring. Easy targets right? One angle that gets my attention is the complete lack of African acts so far.

Though far from an expert, I love African funk. On a whole, global popular music is as vibrant and exciting as anything going down in the states. Check out some of the links below, listen to some tracks and if you like it spread the word. This stuff is too good to keep a secret. If you know other good sources write back with links. I LOVE new music!!

Check out here or here for the low down on Afrobeat.

Hip-hop truly is a global music these days and its existence in Africa is deep & varied. Check out some of its latest permutations here.
Stylus Magazine also did a feature on Bongo Flava, a Tanzanian style of hip-hop. Read that here.