Spoek Mathambo

South African artist Spoek Mathambo performs in 2011.

Want to find the best Afropop? It’s on Soundcloud — not an album

Music

It was a great year for African pop music and its growing crossover influence, but some of the most important and interesting releases of the year weren’t on albums. They were part of the online mixes that are now a vital part of discovering and enjoying new music.

Tell us about your experience accessing The World

We want to hear your feedback so we can keep improving our website, theworld.org. Please fill out this quick survey and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be anonymous). Thanks for your time!

We respect your time, attention and privacy

This is a news website, not a click casino. We do NOT employ deceptive behaviors, display annoying ads or use third party cookies and trackers to monetize your visit or help advertisers track you across the internet.

Simply, we ask that you would consider a donation to support the journalism we produce every weekday. Thank you.