Ne Ka Mali!!

Amkoullel's Mali is a little different to the West African country of koras and calabashes, Toumanis and Djelimadys, percussion ensembles, Touareg blues outfits and electric guitar dance bands. Amkoullel's Mali is a country that's leftfield and cutting edge, that graffitis, designs, goes clubbing and raps in both French and the chewy, euphonic Bambara. It's a place where political discussions and awareness of social issues – about education, responsibility and African unity – are commonplace. Where people get addicted to TV variety shows (Amkoullel is the host of the much-viewed, Pop Idol-style TV show Casa Sanga), just as they do everywhere.

Ne Ka Mali!! (My Mali) was released in Africa to raves last year. He's also huge in France. Now it's our turn to see what the fuss is about. The much-garlanded hip-hopper – a sort of Malian K'Naan – founded Mali's first ever hip-hop school and impresses with a sound that mixes traditional instrumentation with jazz and rock. While previous limited-release albums such as 2002's Infaculté (which railed against ignorance) and 2003's Surafin (which railed against corruption) turned heads, it was 2007's Waati Sera! (It's Time) that put him up there with rap's big guns. The fact that Positive Black Soul founder Didier Awadi guests on this new disc, as do sweet-voiced French spoken word artists Rim and Candie and heavyweight Malian rapper Tata Pound, underlines Amkoullel's cachet. Big and impassioned of voice, with a theatrical delivery and a flow dynamic enough to mesmerise even non-Francophone listeners, Amkoullel shows us a Mali that needs to be shown.