Pan-African collaborations have become a regular, integral fixture in modern Afropop. It’s a trend that has multiplied exponentially over the last few decades, making a drastic shift from the occasional occurrences they once were. On the recent debut album by Ghanaian entertainment power player Smallgod, ‘Building Bridges’, he pulls in a cast of about two dozen artists from a handful of countries on the continent and in the diaspora. Playing the role of a connector and curator, the album is a colourful rendition of Afropop’s groovy, experimental, and eclectic terrain.

 

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One of its standout cuts is “Let Dem Kno,” which pairs Nigerian superstar Tiwa Savage and Ghanaian star Kwesi Arthur over a club-ready groove. Produced by perennial hit-maker Young Jonn, the song finds both vocalists in self-assured, especially Tiwa Savage as she takes control with two unapologetic verses and a sassy hook. In the last few years especially, the Nigerian singer has shown a willingness to revel in her successes as one of the most visible artists on the continent, and she continues to exhibit well-earned self-confidence here. Kwesi Arthur follows suit with a melodic verse sandwiched between Tiwa’s verses, name-checking a part of Nigeria’s capital city as an indicator of the reception to his music beyond his immediate surroundings.

Today, Smallgod and his collaborators are sharing the new Six-directed music video for “Let Dem Kno,” a ravers’ delight that matches the song’s catchy tenor and the carefree braggadocio of its singer. Taking place in a cramped nightclub, Tiwa Savage and Kwesi Arthur can be seen performing their set and generally living it up, remaining in full control of their environment as the biggest star attractions amidst all of the waist whining and body grinding going on around them. It ties into the loose concept of ‘Building Bridges’, an album by Smallgod and friends featuring varying sounds but with a central purpose of bringing the pervasive fun of mainstream Afropop to listeners across the continent and beyond.

Watch the video for “Let Dem Know” here.

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