Mystro & ChocQuibTown’s debut single 
‘Maria’ ushers in a new era of globally-united African music
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LAGOS, NIGERIA — In the wake of the global movement for Black lives, there has been a resounding call for unity amongst people of African origin around the world. Mystro & ChocQuibTown’s debut single ‘Maria’ reimagines this unity in the form of an unprecedented collaboration that brings together the creative imagination of Africans and the Diaspora.

The song’s production genius and co-lyriscist, Mystro, is a multi-talented instrumentalist, singer, performer, songwriter and producer managed by Sounding Cymbals, LLC. Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria; his sojourn in the music industry began in 2004 when he began producing underground for a long list of artists. “I’m always ready to seek out new creative collaborations that bridge and advance the art form” says Mystro, who is responsible for producing numerous Nigerian hit songs alongside songs of his own. His production catalogue includes the industry’s top-charting Afrobeats musical talent: Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, Iyanya, Orezi, Ayo Jay, KCee, Harrysong, Waje’s ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘Silent Night’ covers, Iyanya’s ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Type of woman’, among others. Most recently, Mystro showcased his exceptional talent writing and producing on Tiwa Savage’s new album ‘Celia’ and was mix engineer for her appearance on the The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

The single stars ChocQuibTown, the Spanish-speaking Afro-Colombian trio and musical powerhouse that isn’t afraid to express their cultural heritage. The 2-time Latin Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated group has become one of the leading voices for Colombia’s historically marginalized and overlooked Afro-Colombian community. As one of the country’s most innovative and versatile musical groups, fusing elements of traditional Colombian genres with Hip-Hop, Salsa, Latin Jazz, and Afro-Latin rhythms, the group has fearlessly ventured into the world of afrobeats.

“The moment I heard Mystro’s tracks, I felt afrobeats in my soul,” says Goyo, the group’s lead singer, “this is a musical style that has absolutely no language barriers, from Nigerian pidgin, to English, Spanish and Yoruba, it’s all about pure vibes and culture.”

Tostao, the band’s rapping sensation, voiced that “afrobeats are a natural fit for people throughout Latin America, our music is rooted in the rhythms and sounds that our enslaved ancestors brought with them to these shores, and it’s time for Africa to know that we, the children of Africa, exist in Colombia!”

The magical collaboration between Nigeria and Colombia was incubated by the Pan-African Council, a global strategic development organisation dedicated to uniting Africa and her Diaspora. The song’s music video, produced by E.G.A.C. Films and Replay Production, is a stunning celebration of Black beauty, unity and culture around the globe. With a colorful Afro-Latin and Nigerian casting in its entirety, the artists managed to blend a vibrant confluence of iconic dance steps with a romantically playful melody. The visual delivery is sure to captivate all of its fans.

The song will be released on an EP entitled “AfriKIN Beats” with 7 tracks that speak to the zeitgeist of this Pan-African moment and it is bound to top the charts. Maria is now available worldwide on all platforms with its not-to-be-missed music video launching November 30th, 2020.

The Pan-African Council and its Colombian media chapter AfroEstilo assisted and facilitated interviews for @symeonbrown of @channel4news in the filming of this very important piece of African history in South America on #afrocolombians.

In his own words:

Filming this was emotional as a descendent of slavery. Today there are more black people of African heritage in Latin America than there is in 51/54 countries in Africa. This means if the black Latinx community repatriated to Africa they’d make the 4th most populated black African country.

Despite more enslaved Africans being taken to South America than anywhere else, the conversation on racial equality has been dominated by north American and to a lesser extent Western European voices.

This piece engages with black face, the complexities of African identity amongst Colombia’s 5M African descendants, the legacy of the slave trade and the new activists risking their lives in a country where indigenous and African activists have been readily murdered.

– Symeon Brown