Check out this great set by Maryland-based Malian griot Cheick Hamala Diabaté, who stopped by NPR’s Tiny Desk last week.

Check out these vocal acrobatics by Malian rapper Iba One.

Then notice his proper use of the Bambara alphabet (lyrics here.) He’s one of the few musicians who gets it right! In my experience, most Malian artists who bother to write down Bambara lyrics do it phonetically, using old-fashioned French-style spelling. I’m looking at you Habib Koité and Fatoumata Diawara…

I love this music video from Malian rapper Master Soumi and singer Asta Kida. The clip, titled “Dokotoro musso” is a tribute to the women doctors and midwives of Mali.

In the last few weeks, as major media outlets scrambled to explain to readers why they should care about Mali, many took note of the country’s magnificent musical heritage. There have been expertly-curated online listening tours, a few top 10 lists, conjecture about where Mali’s Tuareg musicians’ loyalties lie, and consternation over the future of Mali’s music festivals. In January, a who’s-who of Malian musical stars came together to record “Mali ko.” But was it “voices united for peace,” or a call to rise up and violently repel northern aggressors?

I’ve been an avid collector, listener, and concertgoer of Malian music for over a decade. For what it’s worth, here is my favorite Malian music clip on the web, a fireside session with the griots of Kela, from the collection of Tout Pouissant Africa.