French Cameroonian artist James BKS teams up with Allan Kingdom and the legendary Manu Dibango on his newest single "Kwele."
The single comes right after he signed to British actor Idris Elba’s newly launched record label 7Wallace. The title of the song refers to the Kwele, an ethnic group from Gabon, Republic of Congo and Cameroon famed for their ceremonial masks, which are revered as art objects. Musically "Kwele" is a genre-bending piece of art built on Afro-influenced polyrhythmic sounds mixed with pop and hip-hop. On the flip side, Manu Dibango (who is James biological father ) brings his unique vibe with his complex afro instrumentation to the track while Allan Kingdom comes through with a melodic verse to match.
The visual is pretty vivid and showcases the organic, aesthetic of the Kwele tribe in a very cinematic manner. It kicks off with the discovery of a Kwele mask which serves as the basis for the narrative, shot on location in Libreville, Gabon. The viewer is taken deep into the mix of things as the visual captures each aspect of the tribe from the attire, dance choreography and most importantly the overall organic energy of the song. "Kwele" is available to stream and buy now here.
