big in ghana

several months ago, upon hearing the boston-based, afro-diasporic band soulfege's cover of sweet mother (one of the most popular songs in 20th century African pop), i chopped up the mp3 and made a dancehall inspired remix. soulfege liked it so much they not only recorded a new version of the song, they filmed a video for it in ghana.

recently, the video began receiving airplay on MetroTV in ghana and last i heard it was voted by viewers to #4 on the video countdown--beaten only by beyonce, usher, and r. kelly! apparently, radio stations in ghana have started picking it up, just on the strength of the TV response. following suit, the video has begun airing on south africa's "studio 53" program, which is broadcast via satellite to 43 countries across africa. jamaica's own RETV is also now airing the video, which, with its dancehall rhythms, african setting, and reference to jah, is sure to be a hit in JA.

the video is a vivid, moving look at contemporary ghana, and I'm thrilled to be a part of the project. check it out: low-bandwidth version / high-bandwidth version.

to see and hear more from soulfege, including the counterpart video (for the non-remix version), check out soulfege.com. and to learn more specifically about the "sweet mother tour" check this out.