Earlier this year, Liberian-Italian MC, dancer, and beatmaker Karima premiered the thumping "Bantu Juke." Now, the musician is sharing her first mixtape in the style of 'bantu juke,' a self-coined genre that mixes Chicago juke with elements of techno, hip-hop, house, UK bass and her Liberian roots. The nearly thirty-minute-long, self-written & produced Revolution in Progress mixtape blazes through drum zaps and jittery electronics as Karima fiercely reflects on the meaning of revolution.
The mix stars off with a chopped sample of Common's Kanye West and The Last Poets-featuring "The Corner," with Karima spitting verbal bullets over electronic spools and reggae-inflected effects. Revolution in Progress then runs through a number of original productions and a juke remix of Atlanta R&B group Xscape's "Feels So Good," creating a danceable call to action. Speaking to Okayafrica about her mixtape,Karima writes:
"Revolution in Progress mixtape talks about the revolution that I'm living in a different way to think and to be. It's the full picture of how I'm feeling. My history is not only about the past, but also about the present: who I am today and what is my true purpose in life. This revolution is the vision of a new world free from any form of social and political oppression. As Amiri Baraka said 'Only Revolution Will Set Us Free'"
Listen to Karima's Revolution in Progressmixtape below. The tracks "Bad Gal Juke" and "Bantu Juke Fever" will be available in 10" vinyl format on June 29 via Dutch label Anus Records.
Revolution in Progress Tracklist:
01. Power to the people*
02. Bantu Juke
03. 32 bars
04. Badgal Juke (forthcoming ANUS Records)
05. Shut Up
06. Evolution
07. Xscape - Feels so good ( Karima juke remix)
08. Bantu Juke Fever (version)
09. Bantu Juke Fever (forthcoming ANUS Records )
Outro "Amiri Baraka" poet and novelist
*Samples taken from Common feat. The Last Poets "The Corner"