Maleda - EP

Kassmasse seemingly came out of nowhere in 2021, and within a few months became a major star on Ethiopia’s music scene with his mix of woozy hip hop, Ethio jazz, and traditional ethiopian styles like ambassel and tizita. He describes his style as “Antsar” (“perspective” in Amharic), because of the importance it places on incorporating different elements from what surrounds us, whether current or informed by the past. But while it might be a bit of a stretch to call this a whole new genre, Kassmasse does have a striking ability to balance vintage Ethiopian sounds with a fresh production and his own relaxed style. The importance of Ethiopian culture runs through the EP, and this theme is immediately laid bare on Maleda opening “Andegna(Intro),” which acts like a sort of manifesto, and stays coherent in Kassmasse’s beautifully shot videos.