The Cedar Cultural Center will host a night celebrating music from across the African diaspora as AFROMATIC, a live music event highlighting Afro-inspired artists.
The event presented by SAFEHUAS UNIVERSAL, will take place on Apr. 11. It will feature performances by Brandyn Lee Tulloch, the lead singer and songwriter of the collective Poetic Roots, and Osa Deraé, a Nigerian American afrobeats and highlife artist. Other performers on the list include Le Ru, a Kenyan-born singer, songwriter, and creative director, and other artists, bringing together a mix of afrobeat, reggae, soul, and hip-hop in one space.
According to organizers, AFROMATIC is a curated live music experience designed to showcase the rhythms of African beats with contemporary genres while highlighting artists connected to the African diaspora.
Kwame Suavé founded SAFEHUAS UNIVERSAL, a label management company for artists and creators working with artists to create a platform to perform and showcase themselves.
“I actually started as an artist myself,” he said. “When I was younger, it was really hard to find places where we can find people like us, and a platform to perform and showcase ourselves as an artist.”
Tulloch of Poetic Roots said the event will be meaningful because it will be his first time performing at the Cedar Cultural Center, a venue known for celebrating global music traditions.
“AFROMATIC, is a mix of live music with different performers, and a DJ,” Tulloch said. “I am most excited for the fact that it’s at the Cedar. I’ve yet to play at the Cedar and with the Cedar being the cultural center, it’s a very cool opportunity to celebrate the diaspora.”
Tulloch said Poetic Roots draws inspiration from reggae as well as funk and soul music from the 1970s and 1980s.
“Obviously, [it’s] heavily inspired by reggae, but also the Black American music, like the funkier, groovier soul sound,” he said.
Deraé, whose music blends afrobeats and highlife, describes his sound as an energetic celebration of culture that brings audiences together through blending “soulful beats” with vibrant African rhythms and movement. Known for his interactive performances, he said his focus was creating an atmosphere where audiences felt comfortable letting loose and enjoying the moment.
“My main thing when I perform is to remind people that it’s time to enjoy,” Deraé said. “It’s time to dance.”
He said music has the ability to bring people together across cultures and backgrounds.
“Music connects everybody on a very deep level,” he said. “I’ve had people come to me and say, ‘You make me want to dig deeper into my culture.’”
And Le Ru, who describes herself as the East African Princess, said her music reflects her Kenyan heritage and her journey as a creative living in the United States.
“I didn’t want to lose my heritage,” she said. “I didn’t want to lose my culture. I wanted the world to know that I’m Kenyan and a proud East African.”
Le Ru said she was excited to share new music with audiences and connect with the Twin Cities community.
AFROMATIC will be on Apr. 11 at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, doors open at 7 p.m., with the show beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at the venue’s website.
Author
About Lizzy Nyoike - Mshale Contributing Reporter
Lizzy Nyoike is a Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication student.
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