But trust me, no one in Zambia is listening to that stuff anymore.

By this point my conception of “Sub-Saharan” music is all the Nigerian pop hits I’ve had blasted into my brain 1000 times, not anything like Youssou N’Dour.

Contemporary African music that I’ve heard locally and genuinely enjoyed:
- Niger has lots of crazy stuff, much wilder than Tinariwen. You’ll hear 30 minute guitar solos at random weddings in Niamey and the dirtiest lo-fi rap blasting out of cabs
- Amapiano plays everywhere in southern Africa and it’s much more my style than the Nigerian stuff
- There’s still a decent Ethio-Jazz scene in Addis, although it definitely caters to expats and more cosmopolitan/hipster Ethiopians
- Famo is pretty cool and hits really good when you’re in the highlands. It’s the appropriate soundtrack for a country that’s basically a combination of a Miyazaki film and The Wire