Mabiisi is a new project from Art Melody, an established rapper from Burkina Faso, and Stevo Atambire, a revered musician from Ghana who plays the kologo, a West African stringed instrument. They both live in their respective country’s capital—Melody in Ouagadougou and Atambire in Accra—and their music together fuses folk tradition with contemporary styles. Taken from their self-titled debut album, “Awine” sets Melody’s raspy flow against Atambire’s sweet kologo playing and the result sounds—and looks (peep the video above)—like a celebration of spring time.
“‘Awine’ is a praise song, a call for all to be grateful to God,” Stevo Atambire told The FADER over email. Art Melody expands on the theme: “The term God doesn’t necessarily refer to a religious deity,” he explains. “‘Awine’ is an answer to all the differences we see in the world today: religious, ethnic, social. We all come from the same place, we all live in the same place, and we’re all going to the same place. This is the divine unity among human beings, and this is what we should be thankful for.”
Akwaaba Music will release Mabiisi’s self-titled debut album this April.
Mabiisi (Stevo Atambire and Art Melody) / Photo by Benjamin Lebrave