First Listen: Spoek Mathambo, 'Mzansi Beat Code'

is Spoek Mathambo's fifth solo album, the latest salvo of a decade-plus-long career during which the rapper/producer has established himself as one of South Africa's primary contributors to the global dance-music zeitgeist. It is also a far-flung, sociopolitical unification statement that, in one form or another, isn't new to Spoek. But unlike prior attempts, doesn't simply consider and curate the diverse sounds of South Africa's nine provinces; it is a fully formed point