Fresh Voices in Hip-hop: SMOD

Mali folk hip-hop trio SMOD craft soothing, effervescent rap music that is as simple and straight-forward as the meaning behind their seemingly cryptic band name. (The meaning: It's the initials of each of SMOD's original members, Sam, Mouzy [who recently left the group to move to France and go solo], Ousco, and Donsky.)

Front-man Sam (the nice boy in glasses with the guitar) is son of blind husband and wife duo/Malian music ambassadors Amadou and Mariam. Ousco and Donsky share vocal duties and help with lyrics and songwriting. The group's third and latest album, SMOD (told you they were straight-forward) was produced by world music svengali Manu Chao, whose fingerprints are immediately evident.

In the video for "Ca Chante," distinctly African colors and joyfully animated patterns evoke the intro to a children's TV show. Also depicted is tea drinking, moped riding, and children dancing, all in the glorious, glorious West African sunshine. Not only do they sing together like angels, the tone and image they convey through their French and native Bambara lyrics suggest that SMOD are nicer than a busload of Canadian crossing guards. (In the U.K. we call crossing guards “lollipop ladies,” a phrase which would've made the previous sentence infinitely better.) It's like writing an arrogant, materialist rap song has never occurred to these fresh and friendly voices, which is reason enough to rejoice.

Don't believe that this song is two parts joie de vivre and one part sunrays distilled into musical form? Look no further than the (ever-reliable and always-even-handed) YouTube comment board for corroboration. jeffersonairplane88 proclaims “this is incredible, my soul smiles every time I hear it.” and gets 17 thumbs up for doing so. EstaPolyesta writes “All my cells are singing with joy.”  moskalus weighs in with “FESTIVAL IN THE STREETS !” Yes moskalus! Let us have a festival in the streets and celebrate all that is good and beautiful and true while SMOD play us their marvelously life-affirming sounds.

Donsky's dance between 1:58 to 1:59 is how I want to dance whenever I hear “Ca Chante.” Or whenever I am happy. I must master this dance.

Listen to more SMOD here.