Best afro brazilian music according to redditors

• Manu Chao, great party music, gives off a very internationalistic vibe and automatically establishes a fun and laidback atmosphere. He sings in a mix of languages; most often Spanish, French and English. His albums Clandestino and Proxima Estacion: Esperanza are classics in Europe, it's a pity he's not that well known in the States. A song he made with an earlier band is one of my absolute favorites: Mala Vida.
  
  
• Noir Desir - Le Vent Nous Portera. Awesome song, singer got landed in jail for almost a decade for hitting his wife or girlfriend which caused her death.
  
  
• Arsenal is a Belgian band that makes Brazilian themed music. If want to get a party started these guys are a sure bet. Check out A Volta and Longee.
  
  
• Buena Vista Social Club is a band made up of a bunch of old Cuban guys. They got discovered by Ry Cooder about a decade ago, who was so impressed by them that he asked them to record a record. It was such a success that a documentary film was made about them. Chan Chan is their most famous song.
  
  
• If you like blues music, check out Ali Farka Toure from Mali. He is a legend of modern African music. Check out the last album that he released before he died, Savane and the song M'Baudy from his 1984 album Green.
  
  
• Don't think make the mistake of reducing Samba and Bossa Nova to fancy elevator music! Check out Samba da Bençao by the grandmaster of samba Vinicius de Moraes and Agua de Beber by Astrud Gilberto. The first one is like a shot of instant happy thoughts, the second one does the same with sexy thoughts. If you like it, check out the compilation album Bossa Nova Brasil. There are tons of compilation albums, 75% of which is just crap. This one offers a very good selection of Bossa's best songs.
  
  
• If you're feeling openminded, check out Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan singing Qawwali, a traditional Pakistani/Indian type of music. The way he gets entranced by his singing and the level of interaction between him, his band and the crowd are very impressive to watch.
  
  
• Marco Antonio Solis - Si Tu No Te Hubieras Ido. Film connoisseurs will know this song! Strangely enough, I'm pretty sure that if this song had been written in my native language I would have brushed it off as tacky; somehow the Spanish lends it credibility.
  
  
• So intense! 81-year old Mexican Chavela Vargas singing a Spanish classic song called La Llorona.
  
  
• Quite saccharine (excuse the pun), but absolutely worth it, Zucchero's Il Volo.

I always love and recommend the Rough Guide series. I have not personally listened to the Brazil one, but I have loved all of the ones I have heard.

Start with Brazil Classics 1: Beleza Tropical (and 2 & 3). Then move on to Rolling Stone Brazil's 100 Greatest Brazilian Albums.

Older stuff yes, but they're strong cultural references, just like The Beatles/The Rolling Stones/U2/etc are for English speakers. You'll often hear these songs in films.

Woman On Top. Love this album eversomuch. Never (ever!) get tired of listening to it.