Coupe Decale: A Friday Failure

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Coupe Decale, Dj Caloudji, Nectar Lounge

Earlier this week I had mentioned that Caloudji, a prominent Ivorian artist in the Coupe Decale genre would be performing at Nectar Lounge in Silver Spring this Friday.  After generously lubricating myself at home with a potent mix of Four Loko and Rum (the effects of which I still feel as I write this), I took the 30 minute walk from my house to Nectar Lounge.

Unfortunately, when I arrive I was informed that the cover charge was $20, an amount I was not willing to pay (despite my interest in supporting the establishment).

For those that made it, I hope they had a blast with a $20 well spent.

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Caloudji, Prominent Ivorian Coupe Decale DJ in DC This Friday at Nectar Lounge

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African music in DC, Afrobeats, Coupe Decale, Dj Caloudji, hiplife, Ivory Coast, Nectar Lounge

I love west African music, but my tastes are mostly confined to the Anglophone countries (see my posts on Nigerian and Ghanaian shows here in DC).

Accordingly, I’m very excited to expand my horizons this Friday and get a taste of Coupe Decale, the Ivory Coast’s answer to Ghanaian Hiplife and Nigerian Afrobeats.  Nectar Lounge is billing Dj Caloudji as ‘one of the creators of modern couper decaler.’  I have no idea if he’s that instrumental to the genre, but you can listen to his album ‘Sentiment Moko’ for free on Spotify and catch the video for the album’s title track on YouTube.

Nectar Lounge is in Silver Spring on Georgia Avenue, just past the DC line.

Bebe Kandia Kouyate of Guinea at Nectar Lounge in Silver Spring Tonight

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African Lounge in DMV, Bebe Kandia Kouyate, Guinea, Nectar Lounge

I have no idea who BB Kandia Kouyate of Guinea is, but she appears to be the daughter of a well-known Guinean singer who died young.  In any event, BB Kandia Kouyate is quite popular in her own right, at least based on YouTube views, and Nectar Lounge, just north of the DC line in Silver Spring is billing a performance by her tonight.

I’ve visited Nectar Lounge a few times before and found the crowd and music to be predominantly Anglophone, so it would be interesting to see what sort of crowd turns out for this performance.

Local Guineans Fundraise for Education in Guinea via Basketball Tournament

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Baltimore, basketball, Bossa Bistro and Lounge, Gallice Jr, Guinea, Nectar Lounge, PromoGuinee, sports in development

Sports in development is an emerging though often overlooked field.  Speaking on a personal basis, my involvement in track was critical to my development as a youth.

Accordingly, I was interested to learn of the Baltimore based organization, PromoGuinee, which just hosted (November 29-30) a benefit basketball tournament for its work supporting the education of seconary school youth in Guinea – Conakry.  You can watch the promo video for the tournament here and learn more about the work of PromoGuinee here.

I know nothing about African sports leagues in the DMV, but this is something I hope to explore further.  It must have been a very fun weekend as there was an after party for the event at Nectar Lounge in Silver Spring on Saturday and another party the day before (with some of the better promotional artwork I’ve seen) in Adams Morgan:

Togolese and Ghanaian Pop Musicians in DC/MD Clubs this Weekend

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African Student Associations, Ghana, Howard Homecoming, Nectar Lounge, Sarkodie, Togo, Toofan, Vita Lounge

Howard University’s Homecoming is this weekend.  There appears to be an enormous range of festivities associated with the event, and befitting an institution of its stature, with one of the oldest African studies programs in the US, several events billed as affiliated with the Homecoming feature African performers.

The ‘official’ after party of the Howard University Homecoming Yard Fest is billed as taking place at Vita Lounge, this Friday, October 25th, near the DC Convention Center.  It features one of the best known acts to come out of Ghana, Sarkodie, and is brought to us by the Howard and University of Maryland African Student Associations (the Maryland Association really seems to like their African music, I remember they sponsored a recent Iyanya show).  However, the incorrect spelling of the performer on the poster above doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.

The same day, just across the DC outer limits in MD, Nectar Lounge brings us a performance by TooFan, a Togolese group, and the Lounge’s Facebook page is also referencing Howard’s Homecoming.  I don’t know TooFan from Fan Ice (a delicious snack found in Togo), but judging by this song, they’re a lot of fun.

Nigeria Independence Day Oberved in DC Clubs

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Capitale Lounge, Lux Lounge, Nectar Lounge, Nigeria independence in DC, Taste Lounge, Timaya in DC, Wale

Nigeria celebrates 53 years of independence on October 1 and various venues in DC are also rejoicing in solidarity (or in order to make an easy buck). Yesterday, Taste Lounge in NE and Nectar Lounge in DC (which are venues that traditionally appeal to those with Afrobeats tastes) marketed their nights as Nigerian independence day celebrations.  I was at Nectar Lounge, where the crowd was relatively small.

Tonight, the Nigerian celebrations have moved to some more traditional downtown venues.  A ‘Lagos Party‘ will be held at Capitale Lounge on K Street and the Nigerian – American DC-based rapper Wale is celebrating his birthday and Nigeria’s at Lux Lounge in Penn Quarter.

And as far as I know, the Nigerian superstar Timaya is still slated to perform in DC on October 4.