Trouble Fête

A collaboration between Belgian/African rapper Badi and producer Boddhi Satva, this politically charged record is for the disenchanted optimist. Composed predominantly in French, the album offers an uncensored account of today’s social injustices, delivered in an appealingly tongue-in- cheek manner. Trouble Fête (Killjoy) doesn’t shy away from the grittier narratives, speaking out about the migrant crisis and adding a voice to the Black Lives Matter movement.

But, despite the album’s title, it’s not all doom and gloom: ‘Qui Es Tu?’ navigates diversity at a cultural crossroads between Congolese heritage and Belgian homeland; ‘Kitendi’ is an ode to pan-African style and elegance while, continuing on the fashion thread, ‘Virgil Abloh’ is a tribute to Louis Vuitton’s influential fashion director, highlighting African creativity operating in the world of haute-culture and beyond. Mirroring its celebration of multiculturalism in the music too, producer Boddhi Satva blends traditional Afro-centric sounds with electronic production, bringing a dynamism to the music that is hard to ignore. Between Afro-house, trap, and Kinshasa beats, the satirical lyrics may be best appreciated by Francophone audiences, but the rhythms on this album are not lost in translation.