Amaarae is Sexy, and so is Her Music

🧘‍♀️ Zen Note

Music has transcended its traditional boundaries, resonating deeply within our lives, influencing our choices, and moulding our identities. As Afro Gen Zs, we have witnessed its transformative power in elevating our experiences and amplifying our voices.

Amaarae gets it, and her new Fountain Baby album proves it. It weaves a mesmerising tale of a woman with grand aspirations, yet acutely aware of the challenges that accompany ambition. With killer beats, lyrics that hit home, and melodies that take us to another dimension, Fountain Baby captures our emotions, dreams, and the realness of life. Amaarae knows how to make us feel it.

- Edisana Stephen, Newsletter Editor

🥳 Z Brand Spotlight

RUMMAGE STUDIO, founded by Mohamed Awale, specialises in crafting backpacks, bags, and accessories using upcycled materials and African fabrics procured from local sources. Based in Kenya, Gikomba, the prominent open-air flea market in East Africa, inspires the creative journey of the brand.

Emphasising its commitment to sustainability, the brand employs a meticulous sorting process to determine the appropriate placement of each material. While denim and corduroy are their top preference, Rummage Studio, formerly Suave Kenya consistently explores diverse fabrics. From luxurious silk shirts to supple leather jackets, the brand enduringly deconstructs and reinvents pre-owned fashion pieces.

🌈 30 Tales of Pride [Week II]

🔥 Hot Topics

• Nigerian chef Hilda Baci’s cook-a-thon has been officially recognised by Guinness World Records. (via BBC)

• Sengal’s internet shutdown shows democracy in jeopardy. (via The Conversation)

• Small Sudanese startups are offering support to citizens amid the war. (via Rest of World)

• Kenyan court freezes 45 Flutterwave accounts in a lawsuit. (via Sahara Reporters)

• South Africans are using a power outage notification app to sell weed and find odd jobs. (via Rest of World)

• YouTube simplifies eligibility for new creators to earn through its partner program (via Tech Crunch)

• Gen Zs love for podcasts is strong, especially among young Zoomers. (via PC Mag)

• How to decode Gen Z’s evolving relationship with beauty. (via Business of Fashion)

• Gen Z shoppers prioritise influencer recommendations and sustainability. (via AdAge)

• What ‘beige flags’ mean as they continue to shape the Gen Z dating scene. (via Indian Express)

💡 Z-Lang

ICKS - refers to traits or habits that one considers a turn-off. Alternatively, the phrase ‘gives me the ick’ can be used to convey the same message.

😮‍💨 Weekenda

• 🎧 Fountain Baby, an album by Amaarae

Amaarae proves confidence in her genre-defying sound with this rubric of her own.

•  🎬 Black Mirror S6, a Netflix series

This latest season promises to recall familiar tropes but with unexpected swings and a new haul of the diverse cast.

• 🎤 Space Sizzurp Crusade, an event at The Woods, Accra

A summer party that’s out of this world.

• 🖼️ Nightshade, an exhibition by Sanell Aggenbach at WHATIFTHEWORLD Gallery, Cape Town

This exhibition generously turns the vacuum of darkness into a host of ghostly colour characters.

• 📖 Banyan Moon, a book by Thao Thai

Travel decades and continents, from 1960s Vietnam to the Coast of Florida in this sweeping family saga on motherhood, family and survival.

• 📖 Happy Place, a book by Emily Henry

This friends-to-lovers-to-fake-relationship novel is the perfect beach read.

The Kengaroo is a weekly newsletter that curates the latest on Gen Z culture in Africa and around the world. Subscribe to be among the first to get the next issue when it’s up.