"O Desafinado" Experimental Mixtape is out!

Imagine 2 worlds, 2 diametrically opposed passions, brought together in one artistic work. The fusion of Rap, from that well-known urban culture known as Hip-Hop, and a journey through

the wide open spaces of the raw continent of Africa.

“O Desafinado” is a project like few others, in which Rissa Boo paints throughout his journey the landscapes he crosses, the unusual places he visits, and describes in rhythm and poetry (R.A.P.) situations noted while on the road. A musical testimony in 3 languages, English, French and Portuguese, on a variety of subjects, sometimes festive, sometimes profound, philosophical, political or simply casual. In terms of musical production, we're going back to the basics of beatmaking, with a clear challenge: One country = one country sample = one country theme.

Respecting each musical genre and each border drawn, Rissa Boo, also a digger and world music enthusiast, listens, collects, writes down in his travel notebook or buys whenever possible, records that attract his curiosity to better exploit them later on.

There are also themes that extend to the continent itself, with the aim of delivering a more general message to all the nations and tribes of Africa.

From well-known samples to more obscure things, Rissa Boo works closely with multi- instrumentalist Alexis Bruggeman to deliver tailor-made instrumentals.

Rissa Boo's influences range from rap like the Beastie Boys, NTM, MF Doom and Madlib to the

world music that enriches her musical culture every day. At the same time, this mixtape also contains many literary, historical and political references, creating a 360° project that is also (Also!) accompanied by travel photographs. 360°, we are telling you!

TRACKLISTING :

1/ Pablo's Intro

Pablo Martins, aka “El Gringo Loco”, your Hispanic host, invites you into this new auditory experience and introduces you to Rissa Boo’s Mixtape. Let his voice carry you through the journey.

2/ Et Je M'En Vais 4 (FR + EN) (Africa)

Before setting off on a roadtrip, we imagine all kinds of things. Places you've heard about or seen in photos or reports. We get motivated, we pack our bag. Excitement builds every day before the D-Day. We leave this Western society that saturates our minds. We're off!

Here, Rissa Boo evokes in an ironic, offhand tone his reasons for setting off on an indefinite journey to another continent. “Et Je m'en Vais” is a track packed with positive energy, perfect for taking by plane, car, train, whatever you like. On the Road again and again!

3/ Inna Medina (Morocco / FR)

First country, Morocco and, more broadly, the medinas of the Maghreb World. A light and crazy text that loses us in these veritable labyrinths and souks of varied colors and sounds.

The sample comes from an obscure vinyl of music fusing Jazz and Gnawa, the national music of

Morocco.

4/ Papyrus and Sheesha (Egypt)

A more mystical track, with a deep, poetic sample by Egyptian singer Nagat. An Egypt described day and night, between pyramids and pharaohs. Rissa Boo puts down his pen here and there, on a night train or on a sweltering afternoon in Abu Simbel, sharing his impressions of this country whose thousand-year-old history is undoubtedly the most intriguing in the world.

5/ Skit - It's Libya 2011

Illustrative interlude. You're sitting in a bar, people are talking, cars are moving around outside, and at the back of the room, the local station is broadcasting a political speech. We're here during the Arab Spring of 2011. Gaddafi is speaking. This interlude quickly reminds us that any trip, no matter how beautiful, can be compromised by a political event. Let's keep an eye on the news.

6/ Ask Lucy (Ethiopia)

In this chapter, Rissa Boo lands in Ethiopia, but has no idea what to do or where to go...

Better to ask Lucy, the first human on Earth and a native of this part of the world, for few travel tips. He discovers a country so rich in history and identity that it has its own year and its own timetable. Addis Ababa and its ever-chilling jazz, Lalibela and its unique churches, moments of disconcerting simplicity and cultural references that have become global. The pleasure of rapping to Ethio Jazz while trampling a legendary land, Abyssinia.

7/ Hakuna Matata (Kenya)

A danceable club track straight from the savannah, with a sample by Nairobi Matata Jazz.

Come tripping in a Safari Van and go pet the lions! (with some precautions!) We're in the middle of nowhere, here the sky is a brilliant blue, nature resplendent. Not a cloud in sight. No problem, my man. Hakuna Matata!

8/ Jambo World (Tanzania/Zanzibar)

Instrumental theme based on an obscure sample unearthed by Rissa Boo. The pleasure of varying tracks and playing with sound textures from this Tanzanian band. A dance/club track to listen to on a beach in Zanzibar or as soon as you wake up on the roof of Africa, Kilimanjaro. Hello World! Jambo World!

9/ African Rhythms (General Africa)

1975, African-American band Oneness of Juju release this powerful track.

In 2025, Rissa Boo appropriates it and lays down 2 verses in this ebullient remix.

A state of Trans is guaranteed when the African rhythms resonate.

Fire up the brass and the spears. Six-Step / Rocksteady and other warrior dances at the program.

10/ Skit - Night Travel Thoughts

When you're traveling, there are some thoughts that go right over your head. Other thoughts, rather curious at first glance, invite us to place ourselves in the shoes of others, demonstrating empathy in the process. Pablo invites you to philosophize about these nocturnal thoughts here.

11/ Oí Bandido (Mozambique)

Here, the rapper chooses a sample by Angolan singer Bonga to interpret a discussion between an 8- year-old child and himself. Wandering on this small island off the coast of Mozambique, they discuss and exchange views on everything and nothing: the weather, the region, the landscapes, the world, history, life.

Rissa is astonished by the culture of an 8-year-old child, studying on an island left to its own devices, and shares the pleasure of this relationship and short friendship in a track rapped in Portuguese, the language that links these 2 destinies.

12/ Momento em Moz

Illustration sound of a moment captured on the beautiful island of Mozambique.

13/ Watching the South (South Africa / Swaziland / Lesotho)

When you set out to cross Africa from north to south, there's one obsession that stands above the

rest for most of the journey: the South. Here, across South Africa and the 2 countries/kingdoms it encompasses, namely Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Lesotho, Rissa Boo raps over a sample by jazzman Abdallah Ibrahim about his journey along the Garden Road and the Drakensberg mountains. A long journey that finally ends with the Cape of Good Hope and a view of the oceans raging against the tip of the continent's mainland. In the distance on the horizon, there's nothing but blue sky and choppy water. Beyond that horizon? Antarctica, thousands of miles away.

We can't go any further. We admire. We chill. And we watch the south.

Then... up again?

14/ O Desafinado (PT)

An egotrip, a presentation, a Rissa Boo who likes to define himself more by his “adventurous”,

unattached lifestyle than by a demonstration of material wealth. Rather humorous and danceable, O Desafinado, which translates as “Out of tune” like an out-of- tune guitar, refers to a lifestyle, way of thinking or philosophy that contradicts what commercial society aims to impose on us.

15/ Skit Backpacker - Sweet Mama Postcard

Don't forget to let your Mum know how you're doing!

16/ Perfect Nature Combo (Namibia-Botswana)

An ode to nature. The first verse plunges us into the Namibian desert known as Sossuvlei. This deadly scenery, this heat, this ochre color, this cruel landscape that is nonetheless of unspeakable beauty. 

Then he transports us to the heart of the Okavango Delta, in Botswana, for an extreme antipode:

water as far as the eye can see, greenery, life radiating all around and peaceful silence. The perfect combo.

17/ Straight Outta Vic Falls (Zimbabwe/Zambia)

“Dr Livingston I presume? A famous phrase uttered by journalist Henry Morton Stanley when he

found the Scottish pastor who had been missing for 5 years in East Africa. Before that, Dr. Livingston discovered the Zambezi Falls in 1855, which he named Victoria Falls (From Queen Victoria). Time stands still on this track, and Rissa Boo focuses on the precise moment when he finds himself in front of this waterfall straddling ZIMbabwe and ZAMbia, feeling the power of its rushing waters, the breeze that hits him and the multitude of drops of water that splash onto his face, his hands, his body, his soul. Like the completion of a journey. A well-filled checklist.

18/ Cape to Cairo (Africa - EN | FR | PT)

“Cape to Cairo” was originally a short phrase coined by British colonialist Cecil Rhodes, whose

ambitious project was to occupy the entire African continent from Cape Town to Cairo in one

continuous line. That's why this expression is so common in Africa, as are the names of restaurants and shops. Here, Rissa Boo takes up the term, this time emphasizing the importance of uniting the various African states and tribes against a common enemy shared by the peoples of the world: Capitalism. Performed in English, French and Portuguese, this powerful track features a powerful sample by the great Fela Kuti, and aims to unite and fight, both for the continent itself and for the rest of humanity.

19/ Rissa In Africa (Africa)

A big sample of Hi-life music from Ghana. A heavy Boom Bap. And Rissa Boo gives us feedback on the whole adventure. What do you do when you've lived it all? Keep it to yourself or share it with the world? A declaration of love to Africa, to the AfricaS, however different they may be.

20/ Outro

Pablo Martins closes this mixtape with this final speech, inviting the listener to pack his bags, let go of this monotonous life and join Rissa Boo, or even follow his own path!

Finally, another opening to more journeys, more sounds, more colors, more vibrations.

More life. Simple as that !