Review by Maja Rios
Review of Afro-Futurism CD, Michael Wimberly Producer, drummer, percussionist, Michael Wimberly from Cleveland, Ohio, makes a “cross-genre” CD that mixes R&B, Funk, African, spoken word, and HipHop. Featured on CD is Gambian griot and kora player/ singer, Foday Musa Suso, who lived for many years in Chicago, and now resides in Atlanta. Suso is featured on many of the 13 tracks, doing traditional West African songs on the beautiful African harp, the kora. The CD is a kind if ” Afro- Stew” of styles.
However, I don’t feel ” Afro-Futurism, as conceived by jazz pioneer, Sun- Ra, in the 1950s, is represented at all. Nowhere is there any jazz on the album. It does however fit the dictionary definition of Afro-Futurism, which is ” a cultural movement that uses science fiction and history of African diaspora to invoke a vision of technical advancement and hopeful future where Black people thrive”. To that end, griot, Suso, does not disappoint. Also in CD are a few tracks that include, English vocalist, Joss Stone, and African vocalist, Missa Saran Dioubate.. A spoken word song called Mack Daddy’s Woman, features, guitar, and spoken word. Song Afro-Futurism is mostly a Rap song.
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