The description “world music” is a lazy catchall for sounds and musical artistes who defy categorisation and who produce sounds that are innovative and unconventional in global popular culture. Yet, this category captures many of the artistes on the African continent making some of the most creative musical choices.

Whether fusing northern Ugandan spoken word culture with rap and hip-hop like the Bila Wa movement, or inventing a genre called “gospel porn rap” like Ghana’s FOKN bois, African artistes around the continent are making music in exciting ways.

Some of these artistes and styles are popular and they have received global recognition. Others are still burgeoning and have small followings in underground circles. Nevertheless, all of them have one thing in common - through their lyrics, their sounds, or their personas, they all earn the label “unconventional.”

Ghana: FOKN bois

Hailing from Ghana and with bold personalities that shine through their music, FOKN bois are unafraid to scandalise while they thoroughly entertain. The group is made up of a playful duo named M3ensa and Wanlov the Kubolor. They term the genre of music they produce “gospel porn rap” and no topic is too sacred for them to make fun of in their lyrics. Their songs include “Thank God, We Are, Not a Nigerians,” “Want to Be White,” and “Strong Homosexual Guys.”

Their lyrics satirise, provoke, offend, and amuse, which is probably why, although they do not receive too much airtime on radios, they are extremely popular on the internet and appreciated around the continent.

They pride themselves on having produced the first pidgin musical “Coz Ov Moni,” a film that premiered at film festivals around the world. The two continue to make songs and daring musical productions, guaranteed to be original whether one likes their jokes or not.