In association with World Music Institute
King Sunny Adé
King Sunny Adé, a beloved Nigerian musician, is undisputedly the most popular artist in Nigeria and highly acclaimed as a world artist – appealing to music lovers across Africa and around the world. He has been performing to sold-out audiences around the world for more than 35 years. King Sunny Ade and his full band (with dancers) will tour over 30 cities across the U.S. and Canada – with the expectation of sold-out shows in every city. The artist has not toured North America since 2009, so his fans are eagerly awaiting his return.
Orlando Julius and The Afro Soundz
All-time legend of Nigerian music, Orlando Julius, plays classic Afrobeat with a psychedelic twist, heading into new and exciting directions. Few artists have been more crucial to the invention, development, and popularization of Afro-pop than Orlando Julius. Starting in the ’60s, Julius was fusing traditional African sounds and rhythms with those of American pop, soul, and R&B. Aside from performing and recording in his native Nigeria, he spent many years in the United States working on collaborations with Lamont Dozier, the Crusaders, and Hugh Masekela. His 1966 effort, Super Afro Soul, made him a national celebrity in Nigeria and even went so far as to influence music in the United States. The record’s dramatic, highly melodic incorporation of soul, pop, and funk was very much ahead of its time, and some say that Super Afro Soul helped shape the funk movement that swept over the United States in subsequent years.
There are few nightclub DJs that have accomplished as much as Rich Medina. From his humble beginnings at Philadelphia to his as a worldwide phenomenon, Rich Medina has taken crowds on every continent on a sonic journey through hip-hop, house, afrobeat, funk and soul, unearthing one musical gem after another and adhering to a singular, uplifting creed: Love Afro Life. Also renowned as an educator, music producer, spoken word artist, journalist and professional athlete, he is a true renaissance man.