Phillbill

Available for 44 days

Phillbill from Cameroon is a talented producer and artist who is succeeding despite the odds. He comes from Buea, in Cameroon’s south-west region; it's part of the anglophone territory which has experienced awful violence since 2017, following a separatist uprising. Phillbill has had to relocate to Douala and, as he tells DJ Edu, navigate the complex social landscape of his country. His songs are sung in a mixture of French and pidgin English, and he also draws on the numerous African languages of Cameroon as well as the musical traditions of various ethnic groups including the Doula, Beti and Bamileke peoples. Phillbill has produced songs for a long list of other artists, including Kocee, Daphne and Blanche Bailly from Cameroon, and Roseline Layo from Ivory Coast. He produced Paris Fever, a collaboration between Senegal’s Wally Seck and Chris Brown from the US, and he’s had hits with his former band Ridimz. But now he’s focusing on his own music and his passion for promoting the rich culture of Cameroon, making music which celebrates the positive and brings divided people together as well as bringing them solace. He calls his sound Afro-moderne, and he’s also coined a new term – Bikossa - because he blends Makossa, Bikutsi and other Cameroonian popular musical forms with urban genres like afrobeats, hip hop and afro house. He’s already a big star at home, but he’s determined to bring his music to a global audience. DJ Edu's 10in10 Tracklisting: Lolendo - Yuma Yeyo & Héritier Wata (Democratic Republic of Congo) Uhakika (Remix) - Ibraah ft Zuchu (Tanzania) Feel Am - Magixx (Nigeria) Lisboa - Nelson Freitas ft Agatchu (Cabo Verde) Iholele - Drama T (Burundi) What Do I Know - Joshua Baraka (Uganda) You Know (Ah Ah Aah) - One Blood Namibia (Namibia) No Games - Drizilik & Isat (Sierra Leone) SORRY MOYO WANGU - ExQ (Zimbabwe) Popopo - Pheno Ambro (Togo) Presented by DJ Edu Produced by Catherine Fellows