Jul 28, 20222 min read

Scro Que Cuia's MAE JOANA Album is a Celebration and Evolution of Kuduro

Kuduro is the beat that keeps Angola moving. And MAE JOANA Scro Que Cuia's newest album is designed to do just that. 9 tracks, 7 produced by DJ Vado Poster and 2 by Teo No beat delivers hard hitting danceable songs that prove Kuduro is far from dead.

The album is named after Scro Que Cuia's late mother, who passed in January 2022. DJ Vado Poster who produced many of the songs, showed his mastery at creating unique beats. And with each banging beat, Scro delivers rhymes, animation and energy. What stands out for us is that Vado delivers the bpm, and energy of Kuduro but with non traditional Kuduro batidas. (Beats) The album for us is a representation of the evolution of Kuduro. Kuduro doesn’t stay stagnant, it molds and shapes itself with the times.

Lately, we have noticed a resurgence of Kuduro music and dance in Angola. The hashtag "Tudo Pelo Kuduro" which translates to "all for Kuduro" has been trending not only on musician's post, but on social media posts of various dancers. Internationally, there seems to be much confusion between what is Kuduro music vs Afro house Angola music. This confusion often extends to the dance as well; what is Kuduro dance vs what is Afrohouse dance? For many, the two genres (Kuduro and Afro House) music and dance are interchangeable. Regardless of where you stand on the topic, Kuduro remains a major force and influence in Angolan urban culture. Scro's new album proves that Kuduro is still evolving, and Angola's biggest artists, still believe in the genre.

For those who are new to the genre and or do not speak Portuguese, do not worry. The beats on the album are hypnotic and the rhymes flow like water. Remember music is a language all to itself, so do not let your lack of understand of Portuguese prevent you from enjoying this magic.

Here are our favorite tracks in order of preference from the album

1. A Luta Continua