Youssou N'Dour July 30, 2008

A longtime superstar in his native Senegal, Youssou N'Dour combines African musical traditions with Afro-Cuban and Western influences to create an enthralling world-pop fusion. Throughout an astonishing internationl career that has lasted over 30 years, N'Dour's roots in Senegalese dance music and singing remain the hallmark of his artistic personality. His songs are politically conscious, tackling social themes like economic migration, issues of African identity, and apartheid. "African rock's great global star," says The New York Times, "has found the most graceful and purposeful balance between the local and the international."