"It's now cool to be African. It didn't used to be. But with the last World Cup, and people like Akon, K'Naan, Idris Elba and even Obama, it's cool to be dark as night or light as snow and speak multiple languages. It's even cool to speak with an accent. It's cool to laugh about the stereotypes and to feel we're no longer in 2nd place. I must say it feels damn good to give people that feeling!"
R to L: DJ Fully Focus, Jesse Poche & Dare, aka Mr Dejavu
I'm shooting the breeze with DJ Fully Focus, and the feeling he's referring to is what you get from providing the jamz for 600 - 700 Africans, Caribbeans and Americans of every shade who want to shake their collective thang to urban African sounds in Atlanta on a Saturday night. Africans, Caribbeans and Americans of all shades dancing together to urban African jamz! And not just as a one-off. The times they are a-changing.
And they have been for a while now, but it's only in the last couple of years that it's become clear just how much. 15 years ago, 10 even, if you lived in the States or the UK and spoke with a noticeably "African" accent, you'd feel self-conscious. You'd be made to feel like you didn't belong at the table, so to speak. Consequently many of us just adopted a British or American accent, only dropping the act in private (some ventured so far the method-acting route they never came out of character). I'm talking here about those of us who weren't born and brought up in the UK or the US, and so didn't start out with a British or American accent.
No anymore. Africans now want you to know they're African, and are more likely to feel pity than take offense if your idea of Africa is stuck in the 80s. But most of all, any African you meet will feel deeply pained on your behalf if they find that you're yet to become acquainted with what we talk about when we talk today about urban African music. And if you're in Atlanta they will most probably drag you to the Cream Ultra Lounge to experience what you've been missing.
Cream Ultra Lounge is home base for the trio of DJ Fully Focus (Kenya), DJ E-Cool (Nigeria) and DJ Dyme (Kenya). Two Kenyan DJs and a Nigerian DJ taking turns to keep a mixed crowd moving to African jamz. Plus Osei "The Dark Secret" (Ghana) as host. An indication of another welcome shift that hasn't been much commented on, if at all. 
It used that Kenyans in the diaspora partied and hung out with Kenyans, the Nigerians with Nigerians, etc. (Kinda like the way British expats can sometimes be found hanging out almost exclusively with other Brits.) There was nothing cultural tying all the groups together, and with nothing in common besides being African there was no reason to mingle. But then urban African music suddenly started smokin'. A hot track is a hot track, and the internet helped the new generation of artists to build their fan base simultaneously across Africa and the diaspora. If D'banj or Akon or Fally Ipupa or Black Coffee has a hit, everyone hears it and gets to see the video round about the same time. Even people who tune into national African radio streams will often be treated to urban sounds from all over Africa (at least if they're tuning into the better stations). 
DJ Fully Focus and his partner at TakeOver DJs Jesse Poche (Kenya) noticed those walls coming down back in 2007, and spotted an opportunity to help get rid of the walls altogether. Prior to 2007 they'd done Kenya-only parties all over the States, every week a different city. They sat down with long time friend Dare, aka Mr Dejavu, a Nigerian who, at the time was doing Nigeria-only parties. Turned out they shared a vision, and so began the project of unifying Africans under one roof every week. It looked like the wheels were gonna come off when the club owner of their chosen venue tried to impose his vision, but then the recently-opened Cream Ultra Lounge opportunity came up, and within 7 months they'd turned it into the nation's #1 international party, one whose regulars are no more surprised when a celebrities like D'Banj or 2Face drop by than they are when NBA players, NFL players or people like Doug E Fresh, Mya or Ludacris pay a visit. (Ludacris liked the vibe so much he became a regular, and celebrated his last birthday there a few weeks ago).
Who's that boy?
No one, not even the most Africa-obsessed DJ, listens exclusively to African jamz. And since the idea was not only to promote mingling between Africans (turn up on any Saturday and the Africans who make up 60% of the crowd will most likely include Ghanaians, Sierra Leoneans, Tanzanians, Kenyans, Ivorians, Cameroonians, Zambians, Zimbabweans, Guineans, Nigerians and Liberians) but also to give Americans (black and white), Latinos, and Caribbeans a taste of urban Africa, the playlist is broad, with 15 - 20-min sets of different styles of music; if you're not yet into a particular style, you'll hear another before long. So you can expect to hear Afro-beat, Coupé-Décalé, Genge, Ndombolo, Naija (of course), Kwaito, Hiplife, as well as Reggae (and Dancehall), Hip Hop/R&B (today’s hits, 80s & 90s), Latin, Soca, Pop/Dance, Rock and even an occasional Kenny Rogers! I'm still not sure what it is with us Africans and Kenny Rogers, but that dude has got our number.
So, if you're a TIA fan in Atlanta, now you know where to be on a Saturday night. And if you're ready for a 4-day marathon, don't miss the Nov. 23rd - 27th African Thanxgiving Experience.
Shout out to all our peeps in the diaspora who no longer feel the need to silently apologize for being African, who now take pride in it, and are actively introducing Europeans and Americans to our music and culture. Don't stop mingling, my people! 
Big shout out to the DJs bringing the African Ciity experience to Atlanta every Saturday. These nights are like a vacation from the weekly grind. Actually, it was for this reason that DJ Fully Focus recently started dropping his weekly mid-week mixes, something to keep people in the mood until the following Saturday.
And a collective shout out to you all. It's cool to be African, and we made it so together. Keep making it so.
One love.
@FULLYFOCUS MIDWEEK MOTIVATION WK 1 by djfullyfocus
THE AFRICAN CiiTY CAST
DJ Fully Focus (TakeOverDJs partner and event organiser; "MUSEKE" DJ Of The Year Nominee - 2011)
DJ E-Cool ("NEA" DJ Of The Year Nominee - 2011)
DJ Dyme ("ATL Hottest Ent Awards" Mixtape DJ Of The Yr Nominee - 2011)
Mr. Dejavu (NWA Promoter Of The Year) (Nigeria)
Jesse Poche (Event organiser and TakeOverDJs partner)
Osei "The Dark Secret" V-103 (Host; Ghana)
