This Incredible Burkina Faso Album Is Nominated For Two Grammy Awards
Bobo Yéyé: Belle Époque in Upper Volta, an album of vintage Burkinabe classics is up for a Grammy.
The nominees for the 60th Annual Grammy Awards were announced today.
Despite the Grammys still having no love for afrobeats, there's one gem of an album that got two nominations for 2018: Bobo Yéyé: Belle Époque in Upper Volta.
Bobo Yéyé is a compilation that rounds up several spell-binding tracks from 1970s Burkina Faso.
Before Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso was The Republic of Upper Volta. During a period of cultural revolution in the '60s and '70s, the nation witnessed an explosion of new bands and sounds across its large cities.
Centered around the cultural capital of Bobo-Dioulasso, the compilation rounds up several rare and spell-binding tracks from the notable names of the era like Volta Jazz, Dafra Star, Echo Del Africa, and Les Imbattables Léopards.
Bobo Yéyé: Belle Époque in Upper Volta, which was released as a 3-disc, 37-song box set, is nominated at the 2018 Grammys for Best Historical Album and Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package.
We premiered Volta Jazz's "Wêrê Wêrê Magne," which plays like a marriage between Burkina Faso and Cuba, earlier this year, listen to it above.
Other notable Grammy nomees are Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Tinariwen in the (still questionable) World Music category.
Let's hope the Grammys get it together and recognize Wizkid, Davido, Sarkodie, Tiwa and all soon.
Until then, we'll be rooting for this Burkinabé gem.
Check out 9 Vintage African Records You Need In Your Life.
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