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Apple Music’s New African Playlists fail to include Gengetone


Apple Music recently released eight new playlists as part of their African collection, showcasing the diverse range of music across Sub-Saharan Africa.

In a statement, the American audio and video streaming platform said the new playlists add to their extensive collection as part of Apple Music Africa’s vision to represent all regions, genres, and scenes across Sub-Saharan Africa.

However, to the dismay of Kenyan music lovers, the popular sound of Gengetone was not included, leaving many wondering why.

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The genre emerged in 2019 and has since become popular, competing with other African genres such as bongo flava and Nigerian Afro Beats.

Despite this, none of the Kenyan sounds was factored into the new playlists, which include Hits Afrique, Afro Folk, Bongo Flava, Africa’Jazznation, Afro-Fusion, Rap Ivoire, Afrikaans in Spatial Audio, and Afro beats in Spatial Audio.

Hits Afrique brings together the biggest tracks from across Francophone Africa, while Afro-Folk combines elements of African storytelling with neo-soul and alternative sounds.

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Bongo Flava showcases tracks that fuse Western modes of R&B and hip-hop, dancehall, Afrobeats, traditional Taarab, and Dansi sounds. At the same time, the new Rap Ivoire playlist highlights Côte d’Ivoire’s burgeoning hip-hop scene and reflects the new realities of urban life.

Afro-Fusion combines the sonic traditions of styles like Soukous and Ndombolo with R&B, pop, jazz, and hip-hop.

By the same token, Africa Jazznation houses a cross-section of contemporary African Jazz alongside notable collaborations that transcend the continent’s borders.

While each playlist represents different regions, genres, and scenes across Africa, the lack of representation of Gengetone disappoints fans.

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