Joeboy delivers a tragic tale of romance in his video for “Focus”

Posted on by The Native

Last week, having given us a number of hit singles and an EP over the years, Joeboy finally blessed listeners with his debut album, ‘Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic’. His previous releases already earmarked him as a lover boy with a sweet voice to match and as he continued to narrate various stories of love through the 14-track duration of his R&B and Afropop album – it was served up to be the soundtrack for this valentines season. Just in time for the Valentine’s weekend, Joeboy has now released the music video for “Focus”, one of the album’s highlights, where he sings of unrequited love and a romantic partner who isn’t straightforward about their intentions; “You no need to dey buga, you no need to dey form/ And you only need to let me know if I’m the one you want”.

“Focus” was already among the more popular tracks from the tape and it’s sure to grow even more so with the newly released accompanying video, directed by Dammy Twitch.  The video captures Joeboy singing while we watch him and a love interest as they go out together with friends. Just as the song narrates, the couple is shown having happy moments as well as unpleasant fights. In the end, Joeboy’s character’s drinking problem eventually leads to a car accident that kills him. It’s a compelling reminder for lovers to remember to exercise caution as they celebrate the Valentine season this weekend.

Watch the video for Joeboy’s “Focus” below.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/Joeboy
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You are meeting Debola at a strange time in his life. He wandered into a dream and lost his way back. Tweet at him @debola_abimbolu

ICYMI: NATIVE Exclusive: Joeboy’s Time Is Now

CKay’s sophomore EP ‘Boyfriend’ is here

Posted on by The Native

After a stellar run last year, which saw the release of an experimental sci-fi short titled ‘Alien’ and a successful string of collaborations from Davido’s “LaLa” to Amaarae’s “FANTASY”, singer and songwriter CKay has now released his sophomore EP ‘Boyfriend’ just in time for the Valentine weekend.

The 7-track release sees the artist on full lover boy mode declaring his romantic inclinations to a love interest. With features from Ghana’s Amaarae, Oxlade, KiDi, Bianco Costa and more, CKay embarks on a mission to express the full range of his feelings, unafraid to show his crush exactly how he feels.

In the Instagram post announcing the project’s arrival, the singer shared that ‘Boyfriend’ is a “literal piece of his heart,” and it’s the full intensity of his capacity to love that he shows on his new offering. The Amaarae-assisted “Show My Side” is an absolute earworm, which sees the two singers croon about sentimental longing and brazen lust. Promotional singles “Felony” and “Kiss Me Like You Miss Me” shine within the content of the project, adding to the good boy image the singer sets up for himself.

Even “Mezebu” with Oxlade and KiDi sees the singer in top form singing over glittering acoustic strings about losing a love interest. “Since you not here I’m drinking the pain away,” CKay declares on the number, soundtracking a feeling the heartbroken amongst us may know all too well. If CKay’s intention was to arm listeners with enough quotes to utilise for their Instagram captions leading into the Valentine weekend, then he’s certainly succeeded. This is exactly the heartthrob album we need.

Stream ‘Boyfriend’ below.

ICYMI: Dap the Contract breaks down ‘I’m Glad You Made It This Far’

Songs of the Day: Teni, Prettyboy D-O, Omah Lay and more

Posted on by The Native

Last year, The NATIVE created our ‘Songs of the Day’ column as an avenue to curate some of the best and biggest songs from around the continent. In the time since its creation, the column has served as a means to discover music from niche, rising acts, while also spotlighting releases from the biggest artists on the continent. As artists continue to share their music with us, this year, it’s only right that we return to pointing you towards as much great music as we can.

Though the pandemic has denied us live shows, where the magical bond between artists and fans unfolds in real-time, artists have remained committed to sharing music with fans, so we continue to honour their art and create space and visibility for them. During the week, we brought you a selection including new music from KiDi’s new collaborative single with Kuami Eugene and Patoranking, Medikal’s latest drop, Ogranya’s hopeful song, and more. To start off the Valentine weekend, we’re bringing you a new selection of music from Teni the Entertainer and Davido, Prettyboy D-O, CKay who just released his EP ‘Boyfriend’, Headie one and Burna Boy, Princess Mami and more. Enjoy.

Teni – “For You” featuring Davido

Teni is gearing up for her long-awaited debut album ‘Wondaland‘ which is slated for release in March. Ahead of the upcoming drop, she has shared the project’s lead singles “Jo”, which was released last year, and now “For You”, a romantic number featuring Davido, which came out today. The new single, produced by Pheelz, is a percussive, mid-tempo number that finds the singer providing gooey, vulnerable lyrics to a love interest. “All my ego na for you/all my rabba for you,” she sings over the hook, before being joined by Davido whose presence brings the track to life.

In the Dammy Twitch-directed video, Teni can be seen in a correction facility for women, singing and reminiscing on her lover whose thoughts keep her going while she’s behind bars. We find out that Davido is her love interest as he visits her in jail and shares his romantic intentions for when she’s free from prison. Both Teni and Davido manage to jailbreak but months down the line, we see Teni arraigned a second time, choosing love and loyalty over ratting out her lover. See, love does conquer all.

Headie One – “Siberia” featuring Burna Boy

This is not a drill – Rap Burna is back in full swing and we have Headie One to thank for that. The UK rapper’s latest single “Siberia”, which appears on the deluxe edition of Headie One’s debut album ‘Edna’, features the Afropop giant, and the title certainly matches the hard bars that both emcees trade on the song.

Burna Boy joins on the song’s second verse as he raps, “I’m just a crazy Nigerian/I make you sick like malaria/I do not fuck with no niggas,” sending a message that he doesn’t want the drama from the opps. Burna also ends the song by singing, “Don’t pull up in here acting goofy, you could get shot like a movie,” showing he’s still able to switch up flows effortlessly. “Siberia” arrives with a music video directed by KC Locke.

Prettyboy D-O – “Police n Teef”

Prettyboy D-O takes up an interesting space in the music scene in these parts. His slick-winded rap style and his penchant for vocal trickery has consistently ensured that the rapper operates in a lane of his own making – and he certainly revels in this. His latest single “Police n Teef” is an anti-love anthem that would undoubtedly give Shaggy’s 2000 hit “It Wasn’t Me” a run for its money. Produced by Higo, D-O’s latest single is the perfect fuckboy anthem that offsets all the gooey, vulnerable talk this Valentine’s weekend.

“Say your boyfriend do me like police and thief/when olopa still dey do me like police and thief,” he raps on the song’s hook, addressing the battering he faces at the hands of people holding him accountable for the infidelity of their partners. The rapper sends a lighthearted message that he’s unbothered by all the heat he’s getting, and in fact, he welcomes it: “Pretty fear you, I no be that guy”.

Sekisupervillian – “Faithful”

While we await the imminent release of his sophomore album ‘TECHDRILL’, Seki Supervillain is keeping fans and listeners entertained. His latest single “Faithful” was released this week and in usual Seki fashion, it’s bouncy and upbeat enough to get you on your feet and nodding to the vibrant production, courtesy of Big Sizer, Shwoff and one of 2020’s most exciting rising beatsmith’s in these parts, Tochi Bedford. “My brother down, he was down so bad/but look at us now we living so fuego,” Seki raps on the track, which sets out to highlight how he and his friends have held it down and stayed loyal despite what the opps say. The accompanying music video, put together by Egyptian director, Abanoub Ramsis, shows Seki on his home turf, surrounded by his people. If this doesn’t get you excited for ‘TECHDRILL’ then perhaps you should revisit this post.

 

Ajebo Hustlers featuring Omah Lay – “Pronto”

After rounding the previous year with the remix to their hit single “Barawo” which featured Davido, the music duo Ajebo Hustlers are back with a new single titled “Pronto”, featuring Omah Lay. The new single is a romantic number that sees the pair expressing their desires. Over the song’s upbeat production, Piego sings “She give me pronto/what I really want is your love,” on the song’s hook, before being joined by Omah Lay on the second verse. Omah Lay certainly makes the song memorable, equally expressing his sexual desires to a love interest. “Panel beat am/when she need am,” he sings, using euphemisms to make his intentions known to his woman.

Stefflon Don – “Can’t Let You Go Remix” featuring Tiwa Savage and Rema

Stefflon Don is tapping into her Afropop bag. For her latest single, she enlists Nigerian singers Tiwa Savage and Rema for the remix of her single, “Can’t Let You Go” to hone the song’s reach and drive its message further. The romantic number sees all three artists expressing their romantic intentions to remain in a committed relationship. Rema begins the song with a pop culture reference that many listeners will remember, singing, “You so icy girl I’m a glacier boy/Girl you know say me I no fit play heart like a toy,” utilising Quavo and Saweetie’s DMs to show how devoted he is to his love interest. This is definitely a song you want to play as the Valentine weekend begins.

Niniola – “Promise”

When we last caught up with Niniola, after the release of her sophomore EP ‘Colours & Sounds’ last year, the singer revealed that she’s constantly finding the balance between the different sonic ranges that she has become known for, Afro-house and R&B. For her first official single of the year, the singer is giving her R&B audience much-needed material just in time for the season of love.

On “Promise”, Niniola confronts a lover who has just betrayed her trust. “You taste sour in my mouth, in my veins/Knew you were lying to my face,” she sings on the song’s first verse, trying to make sense of how her partner has broken promises made to her. She sings with a resigned tone, as she mulls over her disappointment while showing off her amazing vocals and her knack for singing over any beat.

Psycho YP, Tomi Agape, DJT1Z  – “Maria” featuring Jaylon

Psycho YP, Tomi Agape and DJTiz have teamed up for a new romantic single titled “Maria” which deserves a place on your Valentine’s weekend playlist. Over the groovy, bouncy production with delicate strings and hi-hats, Pscyho YP begins the number, taking the song’s first verse. “I could be your Bruce Lee, fucking up your night,” raps Psycho YP expressing his love for a romantic partner. He’s joined by Tomi Agape on the song’s second verse who adds a layer of intrigue to the song, singing, “Baby some people say I’m crazy/I don’t even know where this is going to go but I’m down to roll,” as she wholly embraces her feelings for her love interest. Here we go again, another situationship…

Loti – “90’s Hopeless Romantic” featuring Yinka Oshodi

For his first official offering of the year, Fresh Meat alum Loti is back with a new EP titled ‘Violent Times’ which is an anti-love project featuring only women including Yinka Oshodi, Kasheefah, and Rey Blaque. The project’s standout “90’s Hopeless Romantic” is an affectionate number that explores both artist’s definition of love as millennials and Gen Z. “We were a couple of kids who were babies in the ’90s/Our parents were a couple but it never felt like a family,” he sings, explaining how he plans to do better with his own relationships, despite not having a good example of loving in his formative years. Yinka Oshodi’s buttery-smooth vocals make the song a moment, encapsulating everything modern romance has to offer.

Cruise Gang & Marv OTM – “Alexis Texas” ft. SGaWD

Songs about flexing and getting your shit popping are integral to the Hip-Hop/Rap fabric. For his latest offering, Apec Village rapper and sound engineer Marv OTM delivers a two-pack single titled ‘Cruise Control’ which features the standout SGaWD-assisted single “Alexis Texas”. Both rappers trade bars, with Marv OTM starting off the song with a memorable verse resulting in a hook that ends, “Call that bitch Alexis, ass like she from Texas,” proudly boasting of a woman’s assets. Strutting in with palpable confidence, SGaWD joins the rapper on the song’s second verse, rapping, “Seddy famous now so my famous keep my guns/Disrespect me you should leave a will out for your son.” Her bars are disrespectful and sensual, striking a fine balance between Marv OTM’s speedy delivery.

Princess Mami – “I Got It” featuring Psycho YP

Fresh Meat Alum, Princess Mami is starting the year off with a bang as she shares a new single titled “I Got It”, featuring fellow Abuja rapper, Psycho YP. The braggadocious single sees the rapper trading off boasts and kiss-offs with ease. “Call me a 10, I got it/Baguettes on my neck, I got it,” she raps over the song’s infectious beat, as she proudly boasts about her enviable flow. Packing an onslaught of wordplay in the song’s three minute run-time alongside Psycho YP, Princess Mami more than proves all she’s brings to the table this year.

Samo Ones x Thnkn Aloud – “Show Colour”

As Afropop continues as a mainstay in global music consumption, the sounds of old, that laid the foundations for this globally appealing genre, are now being revisited with nostalgic reverence, honoured for their influence. The Cavemen. are reviving Highlife music here at home, and on their latest single, British-Nigerian duo, Samo Ones x Thnkn Aloud pay homage to the legendary K1, sampling his 1995 “Show Colour”.

“Show Colour Re” opens with the familiar Fuji record, before producer Ransom beats leads us into the more current soundscape of mid-tempo Afroswing, as it has been dubbed in the UK. Over the smooth beat, Samo Ones x Thnkn Aloud fuse their rapping and Afropop-inspired crooning into charming encouragement to their muses to bear all and show their true colours. Reassuring the ladies that they are the ones to b vulnerable with, “Show Colour Re” is a smooth record that will help to reassure your fronting partners that you are the one for them, this Valentine’s Day.

Featured image credits: Instagram

ICYMI: VanJess’ sophomore EP ‘Homegrown’ is R&B perfection

Essentials: Vanjess’ sophomore EP ‘Homegrown’ is R&B perfection

Posted on by The Native

Nigerian-American sister duo, VanJess are currently enjoying their star moment. It is a moment the pair have been inching towards for nearly a decade; the release of their sophomore EP ‘Homegrown’, which has been widely received with good reviews so far.

VanJess made their name with a number of viral covers and mashups on YouTube, before cementing themselves as established artists with their debut release, ‘Silk Canvas’, in 2018. Since then, the duo grown their base of listeners by skillfully delivering contemporary R&B that takes fans back to the ’90s. With their sophomore EP ‘Homegrown’ the sisters make a move to continue delivering genre-mashing music rooted in R&B/Soul while paying homage to their Nigerian and American backgrounds.

 

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On ‘Homegrown’, VanJess make a compelling case to be considered as R&B veterans in their own right; their rise over the years has been a slow burn, but with their sophomore EP, their emotionally matured, layered sound shows the sisters performing on their best form. VanJess are far removed from the young sisters who sang covers to their growing YouTube audience in their early days – you can hear it in their sonic production, you can feel it through their lyrics.

In a recent interview with Uproxx, Ivana (the Van in VanJess) shared the comforting feeling that encompassed her during the creation of ‘Homegrown‘, saying, “everything has been connecting so much. [W]hen you’re aligned you start to feel that way, because everything is just moving along, you’re not really forcing it, it’s just all going.” It is this unadulterated flow of emotions and energy that listeners get front row seats to on the new project. The opener “Come Over” is a groovy, percussive anthem that sees the sisters addressing their love interests, expressing their intentions for a late-night rendezvous. “Don’t need to waste my time, I want to come over,” they sing beautifully over the song’s chorus, wasting no moment to state their romantic desires. There is beauty in capturing the ordinary moments in new relationships, and VanJess are quick to flaunt their capability, and vulnerability, when it comes to forgoing the full range of emotions.

The music on ‘Homegrown’ is built on the millennial and Gen Z romantic experiences that will surely resonate with a new generation of R&B lovers looking to have a taste of old school but still very much grounded in the present. Standout single “Caught Up” featuring Phony Ppl will be somewhat familiar to many twenty-somethings, the all-consuming feeling that a life without your crush wouldn’t be one worth living. ‘Cause I’m caught and drowning, and your loves the only rescue,’ the sisters sing on the song’s hook, pleading with a love interest to throw them a lifeline. “Boo Thang” is just as romantic, its lyrics tracking how we fall in love over time. Many might know it as “a situationship”, but VanJess’ beautiful vocals will make any listener pine for similar non-committal love.

The slow-tempo track “Slow Down” which samples the Lafayette Afro Rock Band’s “Darkest Lightfelt” is a throwback to the late ’90s, with its infectious production. Even during moments or monotony, VanJess’ presence is enough to bring a track to life. “Come Over Again” is the sister’s remix of the project’s opener; after a quick shift in gears, they deliver a slow-tempo rendition of the original track that will surely soundtrack any listener’s late-night bad decisions. It is R&B perfection: what’s not to love?

VanJess ‘Homegrown’ is a classy, slinky R&B affair worth taking time to listen to – you’d be hard-pressed for anything that sounds this soothing these days. ‘Homegrown’ plays like catching feelings on a breezy summer day. With Valentine’s just around the corner, we can’t seem to get enough of the duo’s thoughtful, distinctly layered melodies.

Stream ‘Homegrown’ below.

Featured image credits/Instagram:VanJess 

ICYMI: TRACK BY TRACK: DAP THE CONTRACT BREAKS DOWN ‘I’M GLAD YOU MADE IT THIS FAR’

Meet the Ghanaian-American surgeon who defeated Gorilla Glue

Posted on by The Native

The meme calendars are in for February, and it seems the vote is unanimous: Tessica Brown,  you’re a winner baby!

You might know her better as Gorilla Glue Girl. After releasing a TikTok in which she cried to the public for help, explaining that she had accidentally used a permanent polyurethane adhesive – Gorilla Glue – on her hair (presumably mistaking it for a product in the line of Gorilla Snot hair gel) Tessica Brown spread like wildfire across the cruel cyberspaces of the internet. In what seems like a brilliant Gorilla Glue ad – but a tragic event for Brown – Tessica’s hair remained perfectly laid for weeks, despite several washes, acetone treatments and a trip to the emergency room. Threatening to sue Gorilla Glue because, “the label on the product she used says do not use on eyes, skin or clothing… with no mention of hair, which Tessica feels is misleading,” her law suit states, and already fed up with the public who have reduced her to ‘Gorilla Glue Girl’, Tessica Brown is finally free of this unimaginable nightmare, and it’s all thanks to Ghanaian-American surgeon, Dr Michael Obeng.

Feeling nothing but “compassion and sympathy” when he came across the news, Dr Obeng, who has a background in chemistry, offered his expert help, performing a $12,000+ procedure on Tessica to remove her month-old ponytail for free. Researching the components of the glue in order to figure out how to break it down, Dr Obeng was sponsored with medical grade adhesive remover, and added a combination of olive oil and aloe vera, as well as acetone to create his own special Gorilla Glue antidote. After a test run, using a dummy skull as a wig head and some human hair, Obeng operated on Tessica Brown, saving a sizeable chunk of her hair, and celebrating the fact that Brown didn’t endure significant damage to her scalp.

It is safe to say Dr Obeng is a hero. Looking at his fifteen year career, you will see that he has always been. Now the director of MiKO Surgery Centre and MiKO Plastic Surgery, practicing in the affluent Beverly Hills, Dr Michael Obeng was once a 20-year-old Ghanaian immigrant with only $200 dollars and a singular wish in mind: to help people like him. Racial discrimination in healthcare is an ongoing injustice that has, for so long, been advocated against in America, unfortunately to little avail.

In 2020, research found that “medical professionals were 10% less likely to admit Black patients to the hospital than white patients,” Medical News Today reported. Sharing other data – for example that, in 2014, only 60% of Black and Latinx people over 64 were vaccinated compared to 70% of white and Asian people in the same age range, or that, a study conducted in 2019 found Black people between the ages of 51 and 55 to be 28% more likely than white people of the same age to already have a chronic illness – Medical News Today‘s article on racism in healthcare highlights the historic nature of this discrimination and the continued harm it continues to do to the black community in America. Especially last year, when the coronavirus was reportedly killing far more black and brown community members than white people, the need for Black doctors, dedicated to helping black patients – like Dr Obeng, who so swiftly offered his support to Tessica Brown – becomes even more clear.

Studying at Chemistry Midwestern University, before joining the University of Texas Medical School and finally earning a fellowship to Harvard Medical School, Dr Michael Obeng has had a very lucrative career so far. Dr Obeng is not only a much-loved plastic surgeon to LA’s high society, in the cosmetic medicine field, he is also renowned as one of the world’s foremost reconstructive surgeons – one of only a handful of surgeons capable of reattaching a limb. But most remarkable of all is that throughout his prolific career, Dr Obeng has continued to abide by his long-time mission to help black people all over the world. Though he must be busy with his job as Director of MiKO, or before that, his role as Chief of Plastic Surgery at St. Elizabeth Health Center (where he actually started their plastic surgery program), or being named one of America’s Top Plastic Surgeons in 2011 and 2014, Dr Obeng still kept ahold of his dream to help people like himself, founding the non-profit R.E.S.T.O.R.E in order to achieve this goal.

Providing reconstructive surgery, medical services and professional advice to African patients with disfiguring deformities, sustained during accidents, through disease or from birth, R.E.S.T.O.R.E has already performed nearly a thousand surgeries on patients in need, for free. As a result of his continued philanthropy, Dr Obeng has been awarded the NAACP Humanitarian Award in 2013, the GUBA Humanitarian Spirit Award in 2017 and named among the 2020 Ebony Power 100 list. Accolades he thoroughly deserves, Dr Michael Obeng is not only the hero who defeated Gorilla Glue, but a hero to us all.

Learn more about R.E.S.T.O.R.E here, donate, and get involved.

 

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Featured Image Credits: Instagram/Dr Michael Obeng

ICYMI: #ENDSARS: LAGOSIANS TO PROTEST RE-OPENING OF LEKKI TOLL GATE OPERATIONS

Nigerian animation is winning this year

Posted on by The Native

With only two months into the new year, things are shaping up to be a good year for Nigerian cinema, with news of partnerships and collaborations with multimedia behemoths Netflix and Sony TV already in the works. But growing alongside the need for new Nigerian-based stories on our television screens, is the need for children and adult animation told from distinctly African lenses.

Earlier this year, Nissi Ogulu’s 3-D animation movie ‘The Satchel’ was released for streaming on Youtube, the film adapted the Yoruba mythology, depicting Yoruba deities, Obatala and Oduduwa, (sons of Olodumare, the supreme being), as they battle for the power to create the earth with the all-powerful Satchel. Ogulu’s aim is to share authentic African stories and promote our magnificent culture; it seems she is in good company as we’re now getting more animated stories about Nigerians – from Nigerians – which are set to roll out later this year.

Announced yesterday, HBO Max has ordered a number of new adult animated series which are currently in development. One of said series’ will be Obi, an animated project co-created by Obi Arisukwu and Arthur Harris (The Last OG). The new series is said to be about a 30-year-old Nigerian man chasing his dream to become an artist while navigating adulthood with his friends. It will be produced by Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society, Michael Schreiber for Studio71, and David Devries, and is an original adaptation of co-creator, Obi Arisukwu’s popular Instagram comic strip.

Also announced this week is exciting news that Dark Horse, the publisher behind series such as Hellboy and The Umbrella Academy, has acquired the rights to publish Roy Okupe’s YouNeek Studios’ library, as well as to publish new tales in the future, in an unprecedented deal. According to the Washington Report, Dark House is set to publish the filmmaker’s ten-comic African superhero universe into an animation about Africa’s folklore and mythological powers.

This is notably the first time Dark Horse Comics has ever distributed an entire library of African superheroes – and it’s also the first time the publisher has added a non-franchise Black character to its library since the Eisner and Hugo Award-winning LaGuardia series by Nnedi Okorafor back in 2018. According to reports, Okupe is also said to retain 100 percent intellectual property rights over his characters and have creative control over his titles. Dark Horse is set to roll out the first four titles of Okupe’s original graphic novels, Iyanu- Child of Wonder, E.X.O., The Legend of Wale Williams, and Malika, on Sept. 7, Sept. 21, and Oct 19, respectively.

 

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Featured image credits: Twitter/ObiAris, Roy Okupe

ICYMI: The Cavemen are starting a renaissance in pan-African music

Songs of the Day: New Music from KiDi, Patoranking, Busta 929 & more

Posted on by The Native

Music has been the driving force keeping us connected for the past ten months where we have been cut off from live experiences. As a result, last year, The NATIVE created our ‘Songs of the Day’ column as an avenue to curate some of the best and biggest songs from around the continent. In the time since its creation, the column has served as a means to discover music from niche, rising acts, while also spotlighting releases from the biggest artists on the continent. As artists continue to share their music with us, this year, it’s only right that we return to pointing you towards as much great music as we can.

Though the pandemic has denied us live shows, where the magical bond between artists and fans unfolds in real-time, artists have remained committed to sharing music with fans, so we continue to honour their art and create space and visibility for them. At the top of the week, we shared with you new releases from Terri, King Promise, Pheelz, Jeune Lio and more. Today’s curation includes KiDi’s new collaborative single with Kuami Eugene and Patoranking, Medikal’s latest drop, Ogranya’s hopeful song and more. Enjoy.

KiDi – “Spiritual” (feat. Kuami Eugene & Patoranking)

Last week, U.S.-based record label EMPIRE unveiled KiDi as the latest addition to its rapidly expanding clientele of African artists. Quickly following up that announcement, the Ghanaian singer dropped his first single of the year, “Spiritual”, and it features Kuami Eugene and Patoranking. Tapping into his established preference for crafting romantic bops—he refers to himself as “sugar daddy”—the song finds KiDi revelling in the ecstasy of finding an intoxicating partner, over a groovy, fast-tempo beat co-produced with Richie Mensah. KiDi handles the song’s first verse and its hook, while Kuami and Patoranking follow with lovestruck verses of their own.

Ogranya – “Roaa Ir’ro”

Ogranya has been on a prolific run since the start of the year, delivering at least one new song every week since the third Friday in January. On his latest drop, “Roaa Ir’ro”, the Abuja-based singer offers an affecting message that hits just right considering the uncertainty and listlessness the last few months seems to have induced on our collective selves. “Yesterday can keep sorrow/celebrate the one life that you live”, he urges over a neo-soul beat with hip-hop flourishes, encouraging listeners to relish every moment they’re granted on earth. This writer agrees that it’s the best way to move into a brighter future.

Busta 929 – “Ekseni” (feat. Boohle & Zuma)

Since making his first big mainstream splash with co-production duties on last summer’s “Jazzidisciples (Zlele)”, off Reece Madlisa & Zuma’s ‘Ama Roto’ EP, Busta 929 has quickly proven himself as a prolific Amapiano hit-maker. “VSOP” and “Umsebenzi Wethu” are amongst his latest in his increasing list of hits. On “Ekseni”, Busta’s first solo release of the year, the producer opts for a less visceral and more soulful approach, with a slightly higher emphasis on mood than thump. Featuring his signature use of wacky synth effects, he taps Boohle for her radiant singing as the main vocal draw, while Zuma adds a verse in the middle of the song.

Jola Bello – “Spin Me”

After closing out the previous year with “789”, Jola Bello has set the ball rolling for her 2021 campaign with “Spin Me”, a new single that continues her preference for blue-eyed, lovestruck narratives. Backed by folksy percussion, cloudy keys and intermittent sax harmonies, Jola sings a romantic confessional, expressing undying affection and other exaggerated emotions people experience in love. “You light a fire inside, bobo I no dey lie o/if you leave me, I go die o”, she sings, describing the intense nature of her feelings.

Medikal – “Undertaker Flow”

In the past year, Medikal has established himself as one of the key players in the burgeoning rise of Drill music in Ghana. Throughout 2020, he unloaded a prolific clip of singles and guest features, flaunting his ability as a fierce lyricist on each and every occasion. Taking no breaks, he’s already back to his usual ways, dropping new material at an overwhelming pace. His latest single, “Undertaker Flow”, dropped just two days after its predecessor, “Nyame”. For “Undertaker Flow”, El Chairmano, as he’s fondly referred to by his fans, leans into his villainous side, as he taunts the competition while boasting of his mic prowess and accomplishments. Rapping almost exclusively in Twi, he employs a staccato flow that ensures that even if you don’t understand the bulk of his lyrics, his boastful attitude is not lost in translation.

Dennis is a staff writer at the NATIVE. Let me know your favourite the Cavemen songs @dennisadepeter

ICYMI: LISTEN TO NEW MUSIC FROM PHEELZ, TERRI, KING PROMISE AND MORE

Track by track: DAP The Contract breaks down ‘I’m Glad You Made It This Far’

Posted on by The Native

With the year fully in swing, last weekend saw a plethora of high-profile releases, including full length albums from Black Coffee, Joeboy, and the Kuti dynasty, a new visual rendering of last year’s hit single, “Sponono”, alongside a video for “Geng Geng” by Kumasi heavyweight, Reggie. Outside of the mainstream, Chi Virgo threw out a loosie on YouTube, Pyscho YP and Azanti reinvigorated their song, “Focused” with a music video and rapping sensation, DAP the Contract dropped a four track EP to commemorate his journey so far, affectionately titled ‘I’m Glad You Made It This Far’.

Following up April 2020’s ‘Powers Vol. 1’, ‘I’m Glad You Made It This Far’ opens with a novel plight for the rapper. Though DAP isn’t a stranger to experimentation – as early as 2014’s ‘Goodbye for Never‘ DAP was moulding various soundscapes to his tastes. The project leaned toward live production, with its Jazz and Soul inspirations, however on “Would You” – which acts as an interlude ahead of “Would I” – DAP experiments with autotune, a dalliance he would return to in more depth seven years on, as he opens 2021 with a sung auto-tuned verse set to the backdrop of a solemnly “ooh“-ing choir.

After “Why Would I Lie?”, track number two, “Tried Everything” is equally as experimental, with a duality emerging at the project’s third track, “45”, which sounds like a return to the DAP flow with which we are most familiar – the triumphant album closer, “No Talkin'” delivers more of the same. “I’ve always wanted to play around with my voice,” DAP tells NATIVE, before explaining that his classical training as a pianist taught him music in the strictest way, meaning that he found it difficult to deviate from the rules that had been so rigidly instilled into him.

“But I think the idea is to learn the rules so you know how to break them in interesting and effective ways.”

 

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One way DAP has grown more confident in bending the rules is through his collaborations. On the self-produced ‘I’m Glad You Made It This Far’ DAP invites four artists to flaunt their unique deftness, led by popsnotthefather on “Tried Everything”. Though it took some sitting with the vocals before DAP fully appreciated the verse, popsnotthefather’s contribution to the EP is now one of DAP’s favourite features in his discography. It’s working with the likes of “Pops”, as DAP nicknames him, or “Tone” (who is formally known as Toneraps and features on “No Talkin'”) that has broaden’s DAP’s perspective on music and widened his pool of information on just how many different ways exist of creating this art. Joe bruce on “45” and Player Tu, who escorts Toneraps on “No Talkin'”, are the other two featured artist that bring their expertise to ‘I’m Glad You Made It This Far’, along with DAP’s fiancée, who he tapped for a sample and also took up the mantle of the project’s artwork.

Newly engaged, in a prosperous new job, fresh out of the bar, DAP has truly come along way, in his life, his career and even in the past few months. This EP might be coming at a high point, but the days he spent working on these songs were some of his lowest yet. So, ‘I’m Glad You Made It This Far’ is an output formed from his therapeutic releases during that period. It’s a proud announcement that he’s levelled up in his music career; it’s his proof that he can make a commercially sounding record with meaningful messages; it’s his lamenting the tough times we have to endure in order to reach the jubilant stage which he is at present, at which he leaves us on these stunning four tracks.

‘I’m Glad You Made It This Far’ might be commemorative of DAP the Contract’s journey so far, but in itself it is a journey through one of the most critical periods in the rapper’s young life. In an exclusive track by track interview with The NATIVE, DAP guides us through making it. Enjoy below.

 

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“Why Would I Lie?”

At the video I shot yesterday, they all said [a particular] person [inspired the song] and the distro guys separately also said that person, but I wasn’t really thinking of that when I made it: Kanye West. I don’t know if it was the content of what I was rapping about, or if it was the energy, or the style after I got off the autotune. I didn’t think of it like that, but in hindsight it makes sense, because this was a very ‘Little Guy V Big Corporation’ type energy, where I’m saying, “guys I’m still going to figure this out, no matter what happens. I still didn’t give away my rights; distribution is going to help, but I still own my masters and my publishing.”

Right before I get off the autotune I say, “I signed on the line I ain’t sounding the same, yeah/ L.City in my lungs and I gotta L.City in my brain/ Pray for thy enemies” and then it changes back to my normal rap voice “like dearly departed/ I’m just getting started.” Here, I wanted that to be the reintroduction. So, the first 45 seconds, I wanted people to be like, “okay, this is a new thing, where is this going? We haven’t heard from him in a while – since May last year,” but once I get into my bag, when the drums drop at that transition, you realise it’s still the same energy, no matter what I’m playing around with, I didn’t lose a step. So that was the energy of that song.

“Tried Everything” (ft. Popsnotthefather)

I wanted to make a super easy song to listen to. I’m a Gemini, if you can’t tell, so I love when things clash, things are juxtaposed, [when I] force different perspectives to meet each other and try and understand each other. So, I wanted to make a super easy, mindless song, seemingly, but the lyrics are actually really rich and really mean something. The whole song is about everything I am saying on the project but in a radio friendly format.

I wanted the sound to be a little different from what I was usually up to. I was playing around with the autotune and then Popsnotthefather sent his verse back and it just made sense together. I think he enjoyed the fact that I was saying something substantive too, but it was in a style that he’s more familiar with – with the autotune – and he could play around with his voice on it too. It’s supposed to be a carefee, ‘the devil works but God works harder’ type thing. I’ve encountered a lot of obstacles, a lot of deals I thought were really shitty and disrespectful, considering that the person I was working with knew that I knew what to look out for, they didn’t care to not just offer me the same shit you offer any random artist who has no information.

“45” (ft. Joe Bruce)

45 is kind of the balance in the project. The rest of it is very confident and hard-rapping, but this song is based on The Last Dance documentary. I am a huge sports head – soccer mainly – I just love watching great people do great shit. So, I was watching that and learning about how Jordan’s dad got killed and then he went to go play baseball for a year. When he came back, his number was usually 23 but he changed it to 45 for that first couple games he was back – maybe just the first game. The anticipation was crazy but then he had like a bad game. So, the next game he changed back to 23 and just went crazy and destroyed everyone. I just found that such an interesting thing, so I made this song based on 45 being [a point at which] things don’t feel quite right; you’re kind of off kilt, you don’t really know what’s going on, your energy’s kind of off.

The first line is, “This feel like 45, not 23 What they say? Was feeling cute but later might delete it”, then it continues like that, saying how things can seem all perfect and glamorous and inspiring, but people are also going through a lot of shit, which is what the bar was like for me. People saw that I passed and it was great, but they don’t know the hell I went through studying for that exam. So, that’s what that song represents. The rest of them are similar in terms of just celebrating making it over another big obstacle. This is the opposite side, the side that people don’t always like to show. What we see a lot of the time is everyone’s life is so perfect and lit on Instagram everyone is on holiday all the time and life has been great, but so much shit has been going on. Even without COVID, without 2020, people were already going through so much shit, so I always make a point of giving both sides of the story, so that people understand that it’s not all amazing. Especially with the way my life has been, someone said to me the other day, “you your life just keeps levelling up, it’s so inspiring to watch,” and I’m like if only you understood that your life is levelling up too. All the shit you went through, I went through the same kind of shit, you know? So, 45 was like, let me get all this off my chest.

“No Talkin’” (ft. Toneraps & Player Tu)

The energy of the song is self-explanatory, more celebration, more me talking my shit. And the feature, when Toneraps sent that feature back I must have run his verse back a hundred times. Yo, Tones’ verse is crazy! In the middle of the verse when the beat switches – I didn’t even know how he was going to deal with the key change. The key changes from my verse to his verse, and I didn’t know how to rap on that, but he figured out a way to make it the hardest part of the song.

The sample is another [example of how] law school saves me. I still don’t understand the process of clearing samples. I don’t have a label who can email whatever board, society, program that owns the rights to the music I wanna use, but I’ve always wanted to use samples. Kanye was my favourite artist growing up; I came into loving Hip-Hop through sampling, and also growing up in a house where you’re listening to Motown and old school music all the time, I recognised a lot of samples already, in the music I was listening to from Hip-Hop artists. So, I always appreciated that sound. I grew up in the church, loved gospel, harmonies and choirs, that sort of thing; but I can’t use those samples that I find because the clearing process is going to be difficult, and if the sample doesn’t get cleared that’s why people’s albums get pushed back, or they get released later for free; I see that happen to artists all the time. So, that loop is from a website my friend put me on to called Splice. Then at the end, I wanted it to sound like a sample, but it’s actually me who made the whole thing. I wanted it to be mine and a female vocal on there, but I couldn’t go anywhere because of COVID so I just asked my fiancée to sing it, and she killed it it one take!

Featured Image Credits: DAP The Contract

ICYMI: 4 TAKEAWAYS FROM FEMI KUTI & MADE KUTI’S NEW COMPILATION ALBUM, ‘LEGACY +’

Prince Kaybee shares release date and cover art for coming album, ‘The 4th Republic’

Posted on by The Native

Spearheaded by the mammoth success of the Msaki-assisted “Fetch Your Life”, Prince Kaybee’s third studio album, ‘Re Mmino’, shot the South African DJ/producer into a higher stratosphere of fame at the time of its release. The 2019 album also spawned multiple smash hits, including “Gugulethu” and “Club Controller”, going on to win Best Dance album at the 2020 South African Music Awards.

In the period since his last album, Prince Kaybee has been quite busy, turning out the splendid “Uwrongo”, alongside Ami Faku, Black Motion and Shimza, as well as the Sir Trill-assisted “Hosh”. Last October, he collaborated with nine new female artists on ‘Project Hope (Season 1)’, a 9-song compilation project curated from sourcing out rising, talented women via social media.

During this time, the producer has also been hard at work on his fourth studio album, which he’s now officially announced this week as ‘The 4th Republic’ will be released on March 5, 2021. Prince Kaybee made the announcement via his social media pages yesterday, sharing its heartfelt cover art in the process. “Reached out to my fans and filled my face with their faces”, he wrote in the post unveiling the cover.

There’s not much information pertaining to the album’s tracklist, but he has also been teasing the album via the weekly mix series, Road to the 4th Republic, where he plays a live DJ set and sometimes sneaks in unreleased tracks off the album. The series is in its fourth week, and it will run every Sunday till the album’s release in early March.

You can look at the announcement below.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/Prince Kaybee

Dennis is a staff writer at the NATIVE. Let me know your favourite the Cavemen songs @dennisadepeter

NATIVE EXCLUSIVE: THE CAVEMEN ARE STARTING A RENAISSANCE IN PAN-AFRICAN MUSIC

Best New Music: Reggie’s “Geng Geng” is another searing banger straight outta Kumerica

Posted on by The Native

Kumerica is a living, breathing representation of the idea that there’s always strength in numbers. Before clips from the gritty music video for Yaw Tog’s “Sore” went viral on social media timelines, the community of Drill artists and producers coming out of Kumasi, Ghana, was already turning heads, including that of famed designer Virgil Abloh, whose September 2019 shout-out increased attention to the brewing phenomenon. By 2020, Asakaa—as it’s fondly referred to locally—shot into a higher level of visibility, effectively adding a fresh, exciting dimension to rap music on the continent.

To be conversant with Asakaa is to know Reggie, one of the linchpins of the high-flying movement. In a recent interview with Audiomack World, Sean Lifer, co-founder of Life Living Records and one of the de-facto lead figures in the Kumasi Drill community, credited Reggie’s early 2020 single, “Akata Gang Gang”, as the final nudge for him to fully commit to creating and dropping Drill songs. It’s easy to understand that effect: even though “Akata Gang Gang” captured Reggie in the very early stages of his development, he already possessed a magnetic sense of how to uniquely inhabit the frenetic ticks of a Drill beat, using conviction and carefreeness to his advantage.

During a highly productive and prosperous 2020 run, the 21-year old artist teamed up with O’Kenneth for the searing, statement-making EP, ‘Straight Outta Kumerica’, while making memorable appearances on hit songs including Kawabanga’s “Akatafoc”, Jay Bahd’s “Condemn” and Sean Lifer’s “Ma Drip”. Opening Reggie’s headlining account for the year is “Geng Geng”, an infectious, stomping anthem that, similar to several records out of the Life Living camp, is built around a proud sense of community. Featuring City Boy, Jay Bahd, O’Kenneth and Sean Lifer, the song is a delightful merger of the voices defining and setting the standard for Drill music in Africa.

Built on shared experiences and a collective sense of solidarity, “Geng Geng” is an exuberant ode to brotherhood, using the dark and gritty aspect of growing up and making a headway in Kumasi as its central theme. City Boy opens the song with a posturing and slightly reflective verse where he reveals, “no school, learnt everything online”. That lively intro quickly gives way to Reggie’s sublime hook, a stunning 4-bar sequence that will stay stuck in your head once you hear it more than once.

In his short but prolific catalogue, Reggie has shown his prowess as a lyricist capable of dousing his bars with colourful wordplay and pocket-bending flows. However, what really elevates his artistry is his increasingly undeniable ability to spin plain-stated, highly infectious hooks. Over DJ Fortune’s gleefully haunted piano chords, vocal chants and explosive, uptempo bass, Reggie employs a gliding flow that heightens the grooviness of his backing beat.

Celebrating the thrill of leading a hedonistic lifestyle with his brethren, he references beautiful women, white people (a nod to cybercrime and an inside joke), and weed, topping it with the reputation of the endearing mantra, “Always trap with the Geng Geng”, which is epitomised by the trap house setting of the accompanying music video. Jay Bahd and O’Kenneth share space on the second verse, with the former’s clear Pop Smoke influence further bolstering his arresting swagger, and the latter making the most of an 8-bar appearance. Sean Lifer closes out with a bridge referencing Western Union, ending the song on a casually commanding tone that sums up the rapper’s central ethos. 

From song structure to thematic content and its musical make-up, it’s clear that “Geng Geng” is a phenomenal reiteration of what makes Asakaa tick. In addition to being the latest banger straight outta Kumerica, it positions Reggie as an ascendant superstar primed to continue his upward trajectory in the company of his trusty gang. 

Watch the video for “Geng Geng” here.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/Reggie Osei

Dennis is a staff writer at the NATIVE. Let me know your favourite the Cavemen songs @dennisadepeter

ICYMI: UGANDA’S ‘N*GEN’ IS NOW SHOWING IN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

#EndSARS: Lagosians to protest re-opening of Lekki toll gate operations

Posted on by The Native

Nearly four months after soldiers opened fire on unarmed protesters at the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020, the Nigerian Army has yet to fully cop to its heinous act, despite real-time evidence, investigative reports, and testimonies confirming its role in the massacre.

Shortly after its constitution, the Lagos State judicial panel of inquiry was, in addition to receiving testimony from victims of police brutality, saddled with the duty of investigating the events of that gory night and providing a comprehensive report with recommendations. Since the panel began sitting and receiving testimonies, it has faced its fair share of bumps which suggests that the parties allegedly involved have no plans to take responsibility for their actions.

Recently, the Nigerian Army announced that it would no longer face the panel, a resolution that’s unsurprising considering its early unwillingness to testify in the first place. It was also recently announced that the Lekki Concession Company (LCC), in charge of the Lekki tollgate, has been petitioning the panel to take back control of the tollgate, even though it’s been quite uncooperative with the panel’s investigation.

Last weekend, though, upon its fourth petition, the LCC was finally granted the ruling to repossess the tollgate by the Justice Okuwobi-led panel. The panel delivered the ruling after a 5-4 vote in favour of the petition, with Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), Patience Udoh, Rinuola Oduola and Temitope Majekodunmi being the four to vote against the petition. Since the decision was made public, many concerned Nigerians have vehemently opposed it on social media, citing the lack of accountability on the part of the Nigerian government, the army, and the LCC itself. On Monday, the hashatag #OccupyLekkiTollgate gained quick popularity on the timeline, signifying plans for a protest at the ground on Saturday, February 13.

According to the LCC, their petition to repossess and eventually reopen operations at the tollgate is aimed at fully assessing the on-site damages, in order to file insurance claims for repairs. For those opposed to this move, the mishandling of the tollgate as a crime scene and the apparent obscuring of evidence should deny the LCC any rights of taking back control anytime soon, even if ever at all. Plans for the February 13 protest have also sparked conversation about the effectiveness of protests, considering the ongoing, unfavourable aftermath of the previous protests, which was effectively ended by the President’s insensitive speech after the Lekki massacre.

Also, there’s a planned counter-protest on the same day at the same ground, tagged Defend Lagos. Yesterday evening, Lagos Commissioner of police, Hakeem Odumosu, met with top ranking officials of the state police, with the planned protests against the panel’s decision being the main agenda. The meeting ended with a resolution to “beef up security”, despite the fact that End SARS protesters were always peaceful, even in the face of chaos and a state-sanctioned massacre.

Throughout the protests and in the weeks that follow, government officials and its supporters enjoined those protesting against rampant police brutality to follow “due process”, claiming that the federal government had accepted the initial terms laid out, which included the institution of judicial panels. The decision to hand the revive the site of a state-sanctioned massacre only goes to show why the Nigerian youth populace was relentless in those weeks of protests. By choosing capitalism over justice, the impending protests at the Lekki toll gate proves that this generation has its conscience intact, and will keep fighting the good fight by using its voice when necessary.

Dennis is a staff writer at the NATIVE. Let me know your favourite the Cavemen songs @dennisadepeter

#ENDSARS: INSECURITY IN NIGERIA PERSISTS

Turntable Top 50: Omah Lay makes it to ten weeks at number 1

Posted on by The Native

Exploding onto the music scene, as all Mavin fresh meat do, with a stunning 5-track EP, Ayra Starr made her charting debut in style, coming in at number ten on the Turntable Top 50 Charts last week, with the project lead single and opening track, “Away”.  Though her equivalent streams are down 23.6% shifting her from 17 to 23 on the Top Streaming Charts, Ayra’s radio airplay position goes from number 6 to number two, whilst she debuts at 21 in the TV Top Songs chart, with audience impressions up a mammoth 852%.

Suggesting that the buzz is not momentary, positioning Ayra as an artist here to stay, her success on TV and radio has pushed “Away” a total of five places upward in the Top 50 charts, earning its spot in the top 5, at position five this week. This is a historic feat for Ayra, who becomes the only Nigerian woman to enter into the top five of the top 50 charts.

In the top 5, Ayra is joined by Bella Shmurda, whose “Cash App”, featuring Zlatan and Lincon, slides from its peak at number 3 to number four; “The Best”, the collaboration between Davido and Mayorkun that was just fitted with a rousing music video that has bumped the single up from its position at 11 last week to the number three spot; and the number one and two singles from last week – Dj Kaywise & Phyno’s “High Way” and “Godly” – both neck and neck in the closest chart points between two songs in Turntable Chart history. 

Back at number one again, this marks the tenth week Omah Lay’s “Godly” has enjoyed an uninterrupted run as the number one song in Nigeria. With 1.38 million equivalent streams this week, “Godly” is back on top of the Top Streaming Chart and retains its number one spot on the TV Top Songs Chart, but loses a position on the Top Airplay Charts from the second highest charting song to the third highest. A blend of all three charts, “Godly”‘s continued success across these media has ensured Omah Lay a record extending run on the Turntable Top 50, one that crowns him as the first artist to spend double digits in the number one spot.

Outside of the top five, the usual suspects have simply reshuffled. “Ginger”, by Wizkid featuring Burna Boy, is booted out by “Away” at number five and drops to 6, closely followed by another top 5 exile “Koleyewon” by Naira Marley, which falls from 4 to 7 this week. Olamide’s “Infinity” and “Loading” shift one position down occupying positions 8 and 9 on the charts this week, as Zinoleesky closes out the top ten with “Kilofeshe”. You can check out the full top 50 chart for this week via Turntable here.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/Omah Lay/Ayra Starr

ICYMI: SONGS OF THE DAY: NEW MUSIC FROM PHEELZ, TERRI, KING PROMISE AND MORE

Songs of the Day: new music from Pheelz, Terri, King Promise and more

Posted on by The Native

Music has been the driving force keeping us connected for the past ten months where we have been cut off from live experiences. As a result, last year, The NATIVE created our ‘Songs of the Day’ column as an avenue to curate some of the best and biggest songs from around the continent. In the time since its creation, the column has served as a means to discover music from niche, rising acts, while also spotlighting releases from the biggest artists on the continent. As artists continue to share their music with us, this year, it’s only right that we return to pointing you towards as much great music as we can.

Though the pandemic has denied us live shows, where the magical bond between artists and fans unfolds in real-time, artists have remained committed to sharing music with fans, so we continue to honour their art and create space and visibility for them. To end the previous week, we brought you recent releases from Psycho YP and Azanti, Kabza De Small, and Chi Virgo, as well as new songs from Stonebwoy, Black Cofee, Psiv, King Deetoy and Nviiri the Storyteller. So to begin the new week, we’re bringing you new music from Pheelz, Terri, King Promise, Jeune Lo, Rebecca Winter, DJ Consequence, Korede Bello, Oxlade, Hanu Jay, Salome and more. Enjoy.

Terri – “Come Around”

For his first official release of the year, Starboy Entertainment singer Terri takes it back to familiar romantic settings. His latest offering, the P.Priime-produced single, “Come Around”, is the perfect listener as Valentine’s day draws closer. Over smooth jazzy production with upbeat drum patterns, Terri goes the mile to prove to his love interest that he’s certainly not the type to leave any room for mixed signals, as he’s ready to unconditionally love her. Singing, “come around everytime/dey your side/for my next life I go choose you again”, hr woos his love interest, admitting the lengths he would go to prove his affections.

King Promise – “Alright” (featuring Shatta Wale)

There’s no denying that it’s been a difficult couple of months and music that provides a protective balm has done a lot to heal and soothe communities around the world. King Promise’s latest single “Alright” featuring Shatta Wale is a reflective number aimed to comfort and pacify listeners who may be going through life’s throes at this period. Singing, “We go dey alright/We go be just fine”, on the song’s hook, King Promise assures listeners that with God on our side, we will make it through the tough moments in life. Shatta Wale joins him on the song’s second verse, delivering a memorable verse with lyrics such as, “be your brother’s keeper/hope you know say blood is thicker/burn all your worries like cigar”.

Pheelz – “Wayward Girl”

After establishing himself as one of the most talented beatsmiths in West African pop, producer, Pheelz is now turning his sights on his solo music career. His latest single, “Wayward Girl”, is the follow-up to his debut single “One Life” which was released last year, both singles are said to feature on his upcoming debut EP, ‘Hear Me Out’ ,slated for release later this year. The upbeat single sees the singer address his encounter with a woman far more experienced than he is, and the feeling of longing for someone who’s heart can’t be trusted. Although we’re still raised brows at the song title for it’s negative connotations, we can’t wait to hear what Pheelz has cooking on his upcoming project.

Jeune Lio – “Sexy Girl from Abidjan (SGFA)” (featuring Oxlade, Didi B & Chrystel)

Ivory Coast DJ Jeune Lio is paying homage to the beautiful women from his country’s capital. For his latest single “SGFA”, he enlists the help of Nigerian singer Oxlade, Ivory Coast rapper Didi B and American singer Chrystel for an upbeat single that aims to show love and admiration for Black women–not only from Abidjan but globally. In the recently released video directed by Samuel Ouedraogo, Jeune Lio makes sure to show off the city’s vibrant energy, his synergy with his collaborators and of course, the beautiful women of Abidjan. Jeune Lio certainly wants people to come and witness the beauty of Abidjan and he’s telling the world about his city, one track at a time.

Korede Bello – “Real Man”

There’s many qualities that women look for in their romantic partners, and financial security is one of them. On his latest single “Real Man”, Mavin singer Korede Bello makes a compelling case for his love interest to quit playing games and fall in love with him. Singing, “Take my money, make I treat you good/Let’s go shopping, anything for my queen”, over the upbeat production by Ozedikus, the singer states in no uncertain terms that he would like his partner to “chop his money”, expressing that spending on her makes him happy and fulfilled in the relationship. Not bad…

DJ Consequence – “Uber (Refix)” (featuring Hanu Jay)

Before 2020 rounded up, DJ Consequence released his debut EP, ‘Vibes From the Future’, and to start off the new year, he’s giving befitting video treatments to the EP’s standouts. The dancehall leaning single “Uber (Refix)” featuring Hanu Jay has just received the vibrant Dammy Twitch touch with the a recently released set of visuals. The eerie video sees both artists looking driving down a quiet road before they soon enter a psychedelic world bursting with daring aesthetics and particularly an inventive sense of fashion.

Rebecca Winter – “Diamonds” (featuring Mulla Stackz)

For her first single of the year, British-Nigerian singer Rebecca Winter has just linked up with rapper Mulla Stackz for a new romantic number titled “Diamonds”. Here, diamonds refer to both artists sing requirement for their partners to stay exclusively committed to them (“they ain’t got a chance with you/they must be bluffing”) and the need to be dripped out and spoiled with affection and diamonds (“someone who is balling and can treat me right/pricy is how we roll”). This is the perfect r&b number to start your week.

Salome – “Lovers High”

Canada-based Nigerian artist Salome has just released her first official single of the year titled “Lover’s High”, the follow-up to her debut EP ‘Mask Off’ released in 2020. In the romantic number, the singer addresses a love interest, requiring that they both synchronise their energies and get closer together by dancing and letting go into each other’s arms. With Valentine’s day just around the corner, this is a fitting song to share with a love interest in your life.

Featured image credits/Instagram

ICYMI: It’s Joeboy’s time now

NATIVE Exclusive: The Cavemen Are Starting A Renaissance In Pan-African Music

Posted on by Ifeoluwa James Falola

Through a cult following and electric live performances across Nigeria, The Cavemen channel nostalgia and experimentation in their sudden resurgence of highlife music. In an exclusive interview with The NATIVE, Ifeoluwa James Falola reveals how the two-man band came to be the contemporary custodians of one the most influential genres in the African soundscape. 

It is a mild  Sunday evening in November on Moloney street in Lagos Island. While the street down below is filled with a familiar lull peculiar to Sundays in Lagos, the rooftop of the H-factor building is buzzing with teeming expectation. A devout crowd mill around, expectantly waiting for the brother duo of Kingsley Okorie & Benjamin James, otherwise known as The Cavemen, to thrill them to the tune of highlife records of hope, joy, and love. When The Cavemen start the show almost an hour after the set time, the intimate audience does not mind the tardiness, some are even grateful for it, the delay allowed free-flowing circulation of alcoholic beverages served by one of the event sponsors. Soon enough, the five-man band kicks into full swing playing live music from The Cavemen’s sixteen-track debut album, ‘ROOTS‘, also teasing unreleased music. The energy is riveting, the performance is exhilarating, and an overtly elated audience mindlessly sings along, with eccentric voices seamlessly blending into the clammy Lagos Island air. As the show progresses and the energy heightens, a dark stout man veers the attention away from the band briefly, by proposing to his significant other. The audience grows mushy for a short while and not long after, The Cavemen wind-up the show to an encore of their song, “Me You I”, on which they sing “You don’t have to cry / Baby, you should know it’s alright / Don’t let this love / Don’t let this love fade away / Let your love be magical.”  As previously heralded by social media, a concert by The Cavemen is an experience to remember.

Three days later, just a little after midday, I am ushered into The Cavemen’s studio – aptly nicknamed The Cave, by their sister – on Lagos’ Mainland. Their accompanying band members are gathering their instruments just as I walk in. “We just finished rehearsals,” Kingsley, the older of the brothers, tells me, as I kick myself wishing I had arrived just minutes earlier in order to have witnessed their rehearsals. In response to me expressing my regret, Kingsley replies, “don’t worry, we would treat you to some cavy music.” While I settle on a couch, Benjamin waltzes in looking for a pair of shoes with his dreadlocks dishevelled, leading with the all important questions: “is this an interview?” “No, it is just a conversation,” I reassure him. 

“Thank God, if it was an interview, I would freak out.”

Highlife music is arguably the most influential genre in Africa’s music ecosystem. Through a fusion of highlife, and other genres, the Fela-pioneered Afrobeat was derived as well as other contemporary forms of African music such as Makossa, Hip-life and the now globally-renowned Afrobeats. Initially originating from Ghana, Highlife made its first entry into the Nigerian soundscape through South Eastern Nigeria with the genre gaining mainstream recognition in the 1950s, serving hope during the Nigerian civil war, becoming a source of rehabilitation afterwards and shaping the soundscape for generations to come. 

With their heritage tying them to that same region, Benjamin fondly recounts, “we have been listening to highlife since we were children. It was the only thing we could listen to. We only heard secular music while we were in school. Our father played us Chief Osita Osadebe, our driver was always playing Oliver De Coque. We didn’t like it at the time.”

Kingsley and Benjamin have always been affiliated with music. The pair used to play gigs at their church as kids, for measly compensation that often ended up in their parents’ coffers. Although the brothers had served as instrumentalists in a six-person band called The Movement, well over six years ago, it was not until Kingsley had an epiphany far away at law school in Bagauda, Kano – while Benjamin toiled at the Peter Kings College of Music in Badagry – that the idea of coming together as The Cavemen formed. 

“I was on my way to civil litigation class in law school. It was not my usual territory, it was not Lagos or Abuja, it was Kano. I was thinking of it that day that I think I am in a cave because I was really out of what I was used to. So, yeah, I was a caveman. I came home and told my brother” Kingsley reminisces. Initially going by Knote & The Cavemen, in March 2018, The Cavemen was officially formed when the brothers reunited after being estranged by music school and law school. Benjamin handled the drums, whilst Kingsley played the guitar. Their singing stride, however, was borne out of necessity and not opportunity; the duo could not afford to pay vocalists so instead, they attempted singing.

The first song the burgeoning Lagos-based band made together was the point-blank “Oge”, but in the lead up to their first release of music, The Cavemen stumbled on a roadblock, discovering that they share a name with a United Kingdom rock band. “We had an issue when we first started out. We had to put a full stop in front of our name on digital streaming platforms. We do not make the same music with them so it does not really bother us,” Kingsley confessed. A year after coming together as a duo, the pair released their break-out single, “Osondu”.

““Osondu” had been there but we were scared of making it because we wanted it to sound ideal and we did not know if we were capable of that at the time. “Osondu” came in 2017 and we recorded “Osondu” in January 2019 – we were already performing the song for two years before we put it out. We had someone who was to record us. We recorded “Osondu” and “Akaraka” but the person didn’t give us the files. He ran away with our money,” Kingsley explained how they ditched their reliance on others and bootstrapped their music journey. “We did it by ourselves. The entire album was recorded in our room, in our mother’s house. The first time we performed Osondu was at the Tamari Festival in Abuja, that was where we met Lady Donli,” Benjamin asserted. 

Since meeting Lady Donli at the Tamari Festival in Abuja, the two-man band have garnered production credits on Lady Donli’s debut-album ‘Enjoy Your Life‘, performed alongside the likes of Onyeka Owenu, Asa, Bez and have served as opening acts at Big Brother Nigeria – Nigeria’s biggest reality show. In August 2020, the band released their critically-acclaimed highlife-themed debut album ‘ROOTS‘. At a time when Afrobeats was deepening its roots into the global music machinery, its artist earning well-deserved, competitive acclaim overseas, Benjamin and Kingsley stuck their neck out into the past, breathing new life into the Highlife sound that reigned in decades past. 

“Highlife is a combination of brains and beauty. You can dance to highlife, you can meditate to highlife. That is all we have always wanted. To us, we think things are too deep around us, let us create an avenue where people can do whatever they want to do,” Kingsley remarked, noting that their version of highlife comes from years of studying Ghanaian highlife and fusing the sound with other genres.

Immediately after the release of ‘ROOTS‘ – a predominantly highlife-based album fuelled by its blend of English, Igbo and Pidgin – The Cavemen started performing select intimate gigs across Lagos. Bands playing gigs in small venues across the city is not a novel feat, but it is atypical in the Nigerian music scene. “We have been performing our songs before the album came out. That was how everybody knew us, it was by word of mouth. The reception was not big like now, sometimes it could be just two people. There was a time we performed to ourselves, there was nobody at the venue,” Benjamin recalled before silently demonstrating the fervour with which he performed to the empty audience on the said date.

“Currently, we are the busiest band in the country, we always play shows. Performance is our strongest point.”

“Who has released an album and toured the album this year within the country? It is not bragging, it is just facts,” Kingsley added, before divulging plans to embark on a country-wide tour when COVID-19 restrictions are officially lifted.

While 24-year old Kingsley is quite outspoken and extremely philosophical, the 23-year old Benjamin is reserved, loathes interviews and listens to a wide range of music including electronic music. I ask Kingsley if they feel like The Cavemen are pioneering a renaissance of highlife music “I think we are. What we are doing is new. It is like a risk, being a pioneer comes with taking risks. The guts to put out a live record, and a live album eventually, is quite a risk.”

With the solid reception to their debut album – which took over two years to make – the recent socially-charged single, “Who No Know Go Know”,  a sophomore album due any time soon, and several collaborations with fast-rising and established acts, The Cavemen are not only rekindling a renaissance of highlife music, they are taking us back to a time when highlife music not only portended hope but was also a source of rehabilitation – for a country in need of mending, and for generations yet to come. In this way, The Cavemen are what we need. 

Featured Image Credits: The Cavemen.

Ifeoluwa James Falola lives in a melting pot of purposeful nothingness called Lagos, Nigeria. Telling the stories of Africans powering a generation through music, Ifeoluwa invites you to join him on this adventure @jimdfirst.

ICYMI: BEST OF 2020: A RANKED LIST OF THE BEST 20 ALBUMS THIS YEAR

Uganda’s ‘N*Gen’ is now showing in America and the Caribbean

Posted on by The Native

Though the pandemic disrupted life as we once knew it, one thing that has remained certain is our need for more scientists who can solve problems such as the COVID-19 virus. With schools shut down to reduce the crisis, millions of children are now stranded at home, mindlessly watching television or distracting their parents. But rather than allowing kids to waste this period, six teachers from Clarke Junior School in Kampala, Uganda came up with an idea for a television program that promotes a culture of holistic learning and development for children; N*GEN – Next Generation TV.

 

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N*Gen (pronounced Engine) was created by six teachers from Clarke Junior School in Kampala while East African nonprofit, Peripheral Vision International funds and produces it. The show features a dozen 35-minute episodes, with engaging educational STEM (disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) segments – delivered by charismatic teachers – exciting animations, fun quizzes, experiments, fitness and mindfulness exercises, as well as tips for healthy living. N*Gen started airing on Ugandan TV in September 2020 and since then, it has been picked up by TV networks in other African countries like Eswatini, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Africa Channel in the US and the Caribbean have also started airing season one of show every Saturday and Sunday at 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. ET from the 6th of February, as the second season is in development and will be produced in 2021, pending funding support for the show.

N*Gen is particularly exceptional as it looks at science through African eyes and presents what many believe to be a difficult subject in a manner that is accessible for their audience of children between the ages of 8 – 12. However, it has also gotten a lot of praise for prominently featuring women as its two main presenters, Irene Nyangoma Mugadu and Annah Komushana. Though some male teachers appear during the course of the TV show, the focus on the show’s female hosts emphasise the importance of featuring African women in science, thereby encouraging and empowering more young girls to explore disciplines that are mainly pursued by boys, and reach their full potential academically.

The team of teachers and producers includes people from Uganda, Nigeria and Kenya – where some segments are also filmed – who team up to brainstorm ideas for episodes. The African focus allows African perspectives, locations and scientific discoveries to be broadcasted for the world to see just as we’ve always watched foreign content from Western countries. This means that this generation will boast a pan-African education – not only in the social sciences but in the material sciences also – of which generations before them felt a distinct lack.

Watch the trailer for ‘N*Gen – Next Generation TV’ below.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/NgenTVAfrica
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You are meeting Debola at a strange time in his life. He wandered into a dream and lost his way back. Tweet at him @debola_abimbolu

ICYMI: THE SHUFFLE: TANZANIAN LEGEND, SAIDA KAROLI IMPACTED HOLLYWOOD WITH HER CLASSIC, “MARIA SALOME”

Tiwa Savage has been nominated for two NAACP awards

Posted on by The Native

These days, award shows have proven not to be a viable metric for determining value. In the past, many of the popular award shows across music and entertainment such as the Grammys, the Golden Globes, and more, have been flagged for their corrupt and out-of-touch practices, particularly in grouping Black artists into stringent categories. Yet, we can’t deny that earning one still retains a certain honour that artists and music lovers alike revere. If anything, it shows artists defying the odds and breaking the glass ceilings set before them by an industry lacking in diversity.

The nominees for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards are finally in, and the Oustanding International Song category has some of the fiercest contenders in the game–albeit not the only. Buju Banton, Koffee, and Skip Marley have all been nominated for awards. While Davido and Tiwa Savage have both earned nominations with Tiwa Savage recording two nominations, one for the singer’s Sam Smith assisted single “Temptation” off her third studio album ‘Celia’ and her collaboration on Davido’s “Tanana”. While the winners won’t be announced till March 27 on BET, Savage’s record two nominations at this year’s event –alongside Buju Banton and Koffee – could suggest that 2021 is one of continued power for the African Bad Girl.

 

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Tiwa Savage has been one of Afropop’s most formidable superstars for nearly a decade, a feat made more remarkable when you consider the fact that she’s been operating on a level of reverence in the music industry that’s typically male-dominated. Over the years, the singer has been vocal on how women in music need to work ten times harder than their male counterparts to reach equal amounts of acclaim, and that often comes with a higher level of scrutiny because women aren’t allowed to be anything but excellent across the board.

She’s right, and a simple example is the post-album reception to ‘Celia’. Although her third studio album certainly stands out for its infectious buoyancy and meticulous craftsmanship, but still the project seemed to continually be left out of conversations when discussing the best albums that defined the past year. This is not to say the current Afropop albums making the list don’t deserve the acclaim – they definitely do, but so also does Tiwa Savage’s offering. ‘Celia’ is the singer’s most ambitious and experimental album yet, and it’s dedicated to the multiplicity of womanhood, named after her own mother, as Savage tries to reconcile the different parts of her life as a woman from motherhood, to friendships, dating, and love.

The singer herself echoed the slow reception to ‘Celia’ last year when the album was named as one of the Time’s Top 10 Albums of 2020 alongside Fiona Apple’s ‘Fetch the Bolt Cutters’ and ChloexHalle’s ‘Ungodly Hour’, notably the only Afropop album in the list. Savage rightly shut down her detractors at the time, affirming her decision to follow her heart and refocusing the message on working towards her next body of work. Safe to say that if it’s anything like ‘Celia’, Savage would claim residency atop or near the top of the forthcoming award shows and best albums list.

Back in August, we spoke about how the singer’s tracks “Dangerous Love” and “Koroba” were topping Nigeria’s charts on the Turntable Air charts. With ‘Celia’, Savage is once again vying for her rightful place as one of Afropop’s most decisive tastemakers, and she’s doing it all on her own terms. Her work consistently shows the central idea that women deserve to have fun, fall in and out of love, and generally have a life beyond conservative roles set up by society. We should be paying attention and celebrating Tiwa Savage’s current contributions to the growing Afropop genre, and notably counting her earned stripes when she makes award history in this way.

Whether you’re paying attention or not, Tiwa Savage is not waiting for anyone’s permission to share her most honest work, and the world is already taking note.

 

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Featured image credits: Instagram/tiwasavage

ICYMI: 4 Takeaways from Femi & Made Kuti’s new compilation album ‘Legacy +’

Bolu Babalola: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Posted on by Fikeyinmi Odulaja

“With Bolu Babalola’s ‘Love In Colour’, reading about love as a black woman, has never been so easy.” Sharing her experiences with the novel and her excitement for the forthcoming follow up, ‘Honey & Spice’ and further exploits to come from the author, book-lover Fikeyinmi Odulaja delves into the cultural significance of ‘Love In Colour’, and the influence of its author. 

Bolu Babalola’s Twitter bio reads “Pop Culture Scholar. Yorubaddie™ Romcomisseur™ Author of Sunday Times Bestseller LOVE IN COLOUR,” but I would describe her as the gift that keeps on giving. The Romcomisseur and Yorubaddie titles indicate a self-assured British-Nigerian woman, who is proud of her heritage and who she is and can be. Babalola is definitely what you would call a Twitter influencer, with 78.6K followers and the blue verification tick to solidify her status; she always has the right pop culture references for any situation. Babalola is also known for her expertise on love – one to rival Oloni’s – as she stays giving us the playbook on how to identify the perfect heart-throb. For example, when she tweeted “a heart-throb requires a specific and delicate balance of vulnerability and bad boy energy,” any keen follower would know her definition of the perfect heart-throb is Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You  because in a previous tweet she revealed just as much, saying, “will there ever be as powerful a white heart-throb as Heath Ledger? Doubt it. Nobody comes close. Looks, charisma, soul, humour, the sweet x sexy x bad boy trifecta. Ugh.” 

From her tweets to her debut written article, ‘Netflix and Chill’ – which earned her a shortlist by the 4th Estate BAME Prize in 2016 – and most recently and especially Love in Colour, Bolu Babalola is unapologetic about her affiliation with romance. In all these forms, her writing is perfection. She entertains in her tweets, and captivates in her novels – Bolu Babalola is a writer, through and through – the writer – and her panache in that field is only augmented by her experience elsewhere; she also worked as an assistant producer on BBC Comedy and is a scriptwriter- a multifaceted woman living like most millennials today, doing more than one thing.

Bolu Babalola’s debut novel Love In Colour, was released on the 20th August 2020 and has experienced outstanding success since then, including becoming a Sunday Times Bestseller. The book is indeed about love in its plethora of colours, as she boldly retold African, Greek & Asian myths, tales & folklore. She took stories that originally made women damsels in distress, disobedient daughters, haughty gods and targets of violence, and turned them to modern-day magic. In the retelling of these tales, Babalola focused on the true essence of love which she equates to being respected, heard, supported. Careful not to appropriate the stories of others, emphasising the importance of telling your own narratives, Babalola’s Love in Colour is a creation that affirms the reality that black women deserve a true love, not one of servitude and silence. In her interview with Refinery 29, she stated, “I felt these stories were so violent and romance was something we needed. It was all about a man’s desire and I wasn’t about that.” True to her word,  Bolu Babalola gave us women who lived life on their own terms, saved themselves, chose themselves and most importantly she gave us happy endings. I would argue, that this book redefined black love as it is typically portrayed in mainstream media, but in her interview with Refinery 29 where she was asked if she hopes Love In Colour changes the narrative of the focus of black couples and suffering, Babalola humbly responded, “I have no idea if Love In Colour changes the narrative. I don’t want to act like I’m doing a grand thing.” 

When Black people write about love, there is almost always some hardship woven into the story, so as a hopeless romantic I had to get my romance fix from the likes of Sophie Kinsella (who I adore) but these stories were not always relatable. Everything about Love In Colour is relatable to me, from the description of the outfits, the hairstyles, the jewellery, or just the names that mean something to me. I also appreciate the fact that all the names were written out as is, with no italics to signify some sense of ‘other’ or ‘foreign’ – again making the entire experience of reading utterly relatable. This book was written for girls like me, hopeless or hopeful romantics, the black and brown girls who had to imagine love in a field with people eating strawberries. But for girls like me, there are no fields, and if you’re somewhere like Lagos, then you’re definitely not eating strawberries – do you know how expensive those are here? 

So unlike the novels of my childhood, Love In Colour opens with the retelling of one of the more prominent Yoruba myths starring, Osun, Sango and Erinle – but the way Bolu flipped the script here is brilliant (no spoilers I promise, I need everyone to read this book themselves).  My main takeaway from this story as told by Babalola was that to be loved means to be fully seen, not just looked at, and that is precisely how Love in Colour made me feel in its entirety. I felt like I was reading love stories written just for me, by someone who truly saw me.

 

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A post shared by Bolu Babalola. (@boluberry)

Bolu Babalola has only just begun. There is still so much in store starting with the forthcoming Honey & Spice and a second novel, both acquired by Headline Review, and preempted by Katie Pecker in the UK and William Morrow in the US and Canada as announced by The Bookseller. The author tweeted, “This has been technically four years coming, but really it has been my whole life. Four years, three versions, a masters degree and another book in between. I am so excited to share my debut novel HONEY & SPICE! ( Plus one more!) Glory be to God. 

What we know so far about Honey & Spice is that it is centred around the very 21st Century dating phenomenon that is ‘situationships’. A relationship that a lot of us struggle to define, I look forward to seeing how Babalola tackles the subject. To the possibility of Love In Colour being made into a TV show anthology – which the rumour mills are churching – this might not be wishful thinking. In an interview with i-D Vice where she was asked if she has a “dream cast in mind for a Love In Colour TV adaptation,” Bolu Babalola responded, “No. Because the thing about this country is that there aren’t a lot of opportunities for young Black actors and actresses. So I really feel like whatever show that I create, it will definitely be full of people that we don’t know yet.” This response suggests Babalola has given it much thought, so it isn’t too presumptuous to expect Love In Colour brought to our TV Screens. I am certainly keeping an eye out for it and everything this author has in store for us. The world is certainly not ready for the gift that keeps on giving. 

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/Bolu Babalola

Fikeyinmi Odulaja is a blogger, lawyer and product manager, with a fondness for a good book. Tweet her your favourite romance novel @arismusings

ICYMI: 4 TAKEAWAYS FROM FEMI KUTI & MADE KUTI’S NEW COMPILATION ALBUM, ‘LEGACY +’

4 takeaways from Femi Kuti & Made Kuti’s new compilation album, ‘Legacy +’

Posted on by The Native

At this point, it wouldn’t be a long shot to regard Afrobeat as a family heirloom. Not to say the Kuti dynasty holds an exclusivity on the genre’s musical and socially-inclined doctrines, but it’s undeniable that the scions of the late, great Fela Anikulapo-Kuti are the staunchest and most popular apostles of Afrobeat. Femi Kuti, Fela’s eldest son, got his start playing in the Africa ’70 and Egypt ’80 bands in his teen years, before striking out on his own in his mid-20s, and he’s currently building an awe-inspiring catalogue of his own, well over three decades later.

Passing down the tradition, Made Kuti, Femi’s eldest son, got his start playing in his father’s band, Positive Force, in his early teens too. Initially starting with the alto saxophone – just like his dad – and the bass guitar shortly after, Made has developed into a multi-instrumental savant, under the tutelage of his father, as well an educational stint at the Trinity College of Music in London – the same institution his grandfather attended in the early ‘60s. With so much history attached to him, Made is clearly carving out his own ideals as a musician, even though a lot of it is influenced by his trailblazing forebears.

Today, Made officially shares his anticipated debut album, ‘For(e)ward’, and it also serves as one side of the new double-sided compilation project with his father, ‘Legacy +’. Femi Kuti’s eleventh album, ‘Stop the Hate’, is on the other, opening side of the compilation. As its title indicates, ‘Legacy +’ builds off the reputation Afrobeat has garnered in the last five decades. For Femi Kuti, this project is a continuation of his unyielding ethos, as a socio-political activist and a brilliant composer, while this is Made’s novel opportunity to fully acquaint us with his personality and abilities with Afrobeat.

On first two listens, here are four key takeaways from Femi Kuti and Made Kuti’s ‘Legacy +’.

 

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The Afrobeat soil is fertile

Like many legacy genres built on the back of an “original” sound – e.g. Jazz, Reggae, Highlife, Juju, Mbaqanga – the sonic make-up of Afrobeat is distinct and instantly familiar. Rather than being the basis for monotony, this distinctness creates a challenge for present day Afrobeat musicians to refresh the musical tropes at the centre of the genre, and constantly innovate along its confines, both of which Femi Kuti and Made Kuti achieve excellently on ‘Legacy +’. Both ‘Stop the Hate’ and ‘For(e)ward’ was produced by Sodi Marciszewer, who worked on Fela’s last six albums, during the period when the Afrobeat progenitor was more inclined to label the style of his compositions as African classical music.

While both albums are unmistakably rooted in Afrobeat, there’s a clear variation in how both Kutis approach the genre, each composing and addressing social concerns in his own unique way. The elder Kuti’s half continues his flair for honing in on the thumping verve of Afrobeat, with rollicking guitar rhythms, hard swinging drums, and blaring horn motifs setting the scene for a largely propulsive project. On his part, the younger Kuti comes across as an obsessive, fully consumed musician, decoupling the very foundation of Afrobeat and stitching it back together in whatever way he deems fit. Remarkably, Made played alto sax, bass guitar and percussions on ‘Stop the Hate’, and he played every instrument on ‘For(e)ward’. This range serves him well on his half, as he pulls in jazzy turns (“Young Lady”), folksy arrangement (“Higher You’ll Find”), and he even plays around with Reggae on “Your Enemy”.

As a whole, ‘Legacy +’ is a testament to the infinite sonic possibilities that lies within the musical matrix of Afrobeat; even though the roots for the genre were laid decades ago, it’s become a self-sustaining ecosystem catering to the different sensibilities of its faithful purveyors, both young and old.

Femi Kuti’s unbending fieriness

In recent years, Femi Kuti’s songs have gotten shorter. While he’s never really attempted to reach the unyielding duration of his father’s compositions, the bulk of the Afrobeat maestro’s catalogue is packed with songs that considerably defy the time conventions of contemporary music. On ‘Stop the Hate’, he turns in his shortest spanning album till date, however, it’s not for lack of motivation. In fact, the elder Kuti’s unbending fieriness in the face of constant societal ills is the album’s driving force, but there’s an intuitive focus on ensuring there are no excesses diverting attention from his message.

The overwhelming majority of songs are punchy and pointed, with Femi Kuti’s trademark impassioned croon crashing in after short, attention-grabbing intros. Only the final two songs, aimed at charging young people to take control of their collective social destiny, last beyond the 6-minute mark. With the burning urgency in the shorter songs and the gentle sprawl of its longer ones, ‘Stop the Hate’ comes across as a whole message aimed at the youth of today, from an elder who’s invested in ensuring our generation ushers in a brighter era in the nearest future.

Made’s attempt at being a voice of reason for the millennial generation

Like those before him, Made Kuti has taken a shine to speaking on the socio-political, but if there’s anything ‘For(e)ward’ proves, it’s that he’s fine-tuning his approach to stand out positively. In eight songs, Made Kuti’s writing goes through different variations, from thought-inducing chants to pictorial storytelling. Lead single, “Free Your Mind”, leans into open-ended philosophy, with the only chanted words being, “free your mind and set your soul free.” The line sounds very hippy-ish, but there’s mystical edge to his somewhat round voice that lends it a compelling zaniness.

‘For(e)ward’ establishes Made within the Kuti lineage, but it also sets him apart as a potential voice of reason in an increasingly globalised world. He invokes the memory of his grandfather on “Different Streets” and his father contributes impassioned rants on “Blood”, directly leaning into history. At the same time, he shows a personal understanding of social issues in songs like “Your Enemy”, which addresses police brutality from an attentive point of view, and “Young Lady”, a slow-burner addressing the sexual harassment and abuse that has plagued Nigeria’s public tertiary education system for decades. Made Kuti is clearly looking to drive Afrobeat into the now, and beyond just the political, to ensure that the genre represents as many specific facets of existence that make up Nigeria at any given moment.

Everything was the same

While we’re prone to invoke popular protest songs in dire socio-political times, there are many who still doubt the power of music as a weapon for change. These sceptics often point at the fact that very little has changed in Nigeria, and indeed across Africa, despite the handful of loud politically charged artists the continent has produced. Afrobeat has that same fraught relationship with the constantly gloomy situation in which Nigeria has remained.

Made is officially the fourth Kuti generation speaking to the same issues his great-grandmother and iconic feminist, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, spent her life fighting against. Somehow, in the face of the perpetual lack of change, Afrobeat signifies hope for the next generation, and it’s represented in the sequencing that links both albums. Femi Kuti’s “Set Your Minds and Souls Free” segues into Made Kuti’s “Free Your Mind”, espousing similar schools of thought that for change to come, it needs to collectively start from within.

Listen to ‘Legacy +’ here.

Dennis is a staff writer at the NATIVE. Let me know your favourite the Cavemen songs @dennisadepeter

ICYMI: 10 ESSENTIAL FEMI KUTI SONGS

The Shuffle: Tanzanian legend, Saida Karoli impacted Hollywood with her classic, “Maria Salome”

Posted on by The Native

Although we’ve seen the global cultural economy increasingly turn to Africa for inspiration with Marvel’s box office record-breaking movie, Black Panther confirming the commercial benefits, African cultural expressions have long caught the attention of filmmakers and musicians around the world. In a bid to pay homage to their ancestral history and contextualise themselves within it, African Americans, in particular, have made conscious efforts to call upon African-born artists to participate in or inform their works.

East African folk music legend, Saida Karoli first broke into the music scene in 2001 when she released her debut album, ‘Chambua kama Karanga’. The project’s lead single, “Maria Salome” told a tragic love story delivered through her captivating mellow and hypnotically rhythmic vocals. And though it was sung in her native tongue, Haya, the enchanting melodies were the perfect fit to articulate one of the more dire scenes from the otherwise whimsical Peeples by Tyler Perry and Tina Gordon Chism (writer of ‘Drumline’).

Throughout film history, songs have added glory to struggle, majesty to landscapes, depth to heroes and villains alike. The eastern African folk song about a woman who dumps her lover to search for a better life, but is killed by the new men she found, was a perfect fit for the rom-com about a dysfunctional couple who try to stick together despite their differences. Its enchanting melodies and obscure lyrics were used to capture the avant-garde persona of the mother-in-law-to-be and it lent the film a mystical and suspenseful atmosphere.

Hearing Saida Karoli’s “Maria Salome” featured in the film that starred Craig Robinson, Kerry Washington and other Hollywood stars reconfirmed the Tanzanian singer’s position as the undisputed queen of eastern Africa’s folk music as her song’s impact continued to grow after over a decade since it was released. Although her indigenous lyrics were mostly crafted to win her fans from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and DRC where language isn’t a barrier, Karoli still made their mark in the world as she’s often regarded as one of the pioneers of the African music genres known for their authentic African sound. Her feature on the American/Canadian major studio, Liongate Movies’ Peeples is an example of how Black American’s appreciation for our culture in Africa exposes us to wider audiences with her sound getting featured in a film that grossed $4.6 million in its opening weekend.

You can watch the music video for Saida Karoli’s classic, “Maria Salome” above.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/tzgotmusic

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You are meeting Debola at a strange time in his life. He wandered into a dream and lost his way back. Tweet at him @debola_abimbolu

ICYMI: Donnie’s “The Way I Feel Rap” laid the foundation for Nigerian hip-hop

Mo Abudu’s Ebony Life signs first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television

Posted on by The Native

After helming deals with Netflix for the adaptation of two Nigerian literary classics last year, Mo Abudu’s Ebony Life Media has just yesterday signed a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television’s (SPT) international production division. The two-year deal is for SPT to get the first look at all new EbonyLife-controlled scripted television projects created, originated, or developed by EbonyLife and intended for global audiences.

This will be the second deal that SPT has done with EbonyLife, following a three-project co-development/production deal in 2018. The first project announced as part of this recent first-look deal is a series inspired by the story of the Dahomey Warriors, which is yet to have a release date.

 

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Speaking about SPT, Mo Abudu, the CEO of Ebony Life Media shared: “It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Sony Pictures Television over the last few years, and we are so pleased to be deepening our partnership with them.” Of the work that the partnership will bring about, she goes on to add that:

“Taking African storytelling to global audiences is something we are very passionate about, and this new opportunity with Sony gives us a chance to reach massive audiences worldwide with our scripted TV series.”

Featured image credits: Variety

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AV Club: How ‘Coming 2 America’ can portray an accurate view of Africa

Posted on by The Native

Thirty years after his initial trip from Zamunda to Queens, New York, Prince Akeem (played by Eddie Murphy) is returning to screens this August – this time to claim an American heir. Rumours about the release of a sequel to Paramount’s 1988 Coming to America have been circulating for almost as long as his decades-long return trip to mythical Zamunda. But the highly-anticipated film is finally being released on streaming platform, Amazon Prime later this year. Following the trailer’s release yesterday, coincidentally positioned within America’s Black History Month, anticipations are high for Coming 2 America, however, the ongoing rollout has also been met with mixed reactions from audiences around the world.

On the one hand, the beloved 1988 film directed by John Landis was a huge success at the time of its release, earning over $128 million at box offices and a reported $300 million internationally. On the other hand, though, many expressed concerns that it portrayed a naïve, stock photo-version of Africa and as such, if the sequel was to be anything like the original, it would be unable to fly under the radar as it did three decades ago. Back then we had an anything goes attitude towards ignorant representations, but these days we are much more thoughtful of the way in which we depict cultures that aren’t our own. Especially as Black people around the world are unified in their struggle against racism and governmental subjugation, the appetite for derogatory, alienating media has fully dissolved.

There’s no denying that Coming 2 America will face hurdles to depict Africa accurately; the playful fairytale of Zamunda would not be appropriate to viewers in the 21st Century, particularly as it would need to connect with a new generation of African and African-Americans with more understanding of their roots. The original film was about the Black cultural experience after all, albeit one that was laced with elements of fantasy. But to understand why the film depicted Africa as a regal universe, replete with royal digs and vibrant sartorial choices, one would have to understand the America in which the film was released.

In 1988 America, everywhere was ripe with rebellion and anger. It was in the final year of Ronald Regan’s presidency and the same year that Hip-hop/Rap group N.W.A released their standout single “Straight Out of Compton”, the title track of their debut album. The song would forever be one of the most defining moments of Hip-Hop; many termed it “Gangsta Rap” at the time, but “Straight Out of Compton” was really a revolt against the drug epidemic, a racist government, the disparities in the criminal justice system, and mass incarceration. The song was released around the same time as Coming to America, and both surged widely among Black audiences who saw accurate representations of their place as people in 1988 America. Back then, it wasn’t cool to be African, and the wild depictions and exaggerations in the film portrayed this.

In a year where we’re seeing many beloved classics, such as Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, Blade, Clueless’and more, returning to screens for reboots and sequels, it’s worth questioning what place Coming 2 America would fit in today’s world. Although on the one hand, it would be yet another hour of entertaining Eddie Murphy magic, capable of providing some much-needed nostalgic content in these difficult, socially distanced times, if the sequel does not address the naivety of the original movie then it would be a loss of a real opportunity to culturally depict modern-day Africa, for what she really is.

 

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In the original film, Africa was depicted as a homogenous monolith with no distinctions between the vast cultural landscape of people on the continent. Zamunda, like Wakanda after it, was created to be purely fictional, but their inability to connect with any African culture in any substantial way meant that there was creative license to be as incredulous as could possibly be, and that they were. There were elephants and giraffes stomping across the palace backyard, and even at times, Prince Hakeem would have to dumb himself down when speaking to the American characters to appear more African. Revisiting the original film will reveal instances such as the famous barbershop scenes where the typical jesting and roosting of customers takes place. But, here, one of the barbers referred derogatorily to Hakeem as ‘Kunta Kinte’, a fictional Gambian character sold into slavery in the 1977 film Roots.

In the sequel, not much seems to have changed. The barbershop is still a permanent fixture and is one of the first spots that we see King Hakeem return to in America, and the language there remains the same: one of the barbers (played by Murphy himself) referring to him now as ‘Mufasa’, to the erupting laughter of everyone around him. It might be cheap laughs for comedic value but it does uphold harmful stereotypes of Africans looking like animals, and lazy associations that reduced African people to pop culture references, stripping them of their identity and heritage. However, interestingly, in the new trailer, the film appears to be set mostly in Africa where the heir is taken to be sworn in, accompanied by his American mother (played by Leslie Jones). So perhaps this time, rather than cheap comedic moments like previously seen, we will get to see perceptions that Africans have of African-Americans (but this runs the risk of also being sensationalist).

African-American culture is so broad in the sense that its impact is felt greatly in many other continents. Growing up, I distinctively remember everything that was American was considered cooler, and anything African inferior in its place. So, the fashion, the music, the entertainment that many African children consumed while growing up was that of Black Americans, and it somehow formed communities of Black Africans, both back at home and in the diaspora, who remain connected and formed a common universal language built around the popular culture we consumed. Given this, it’s interesting to see King Hakeem in 2021 being taught how to walk and sag his pants, while chanting slangs like ‘hey ho’, things that any modern-day millennial in Africa would be privy to, having seen, or observed popular Black American culture.

Another aspect of the sequel that would require close attention is the way in which women are depicted in the film. Judging from the first look that the new trailer brings, we can already see that traditional gender roles will be confronted here. For the sake of not giving too much away, King Hakeem wants his newly-found son, who is now of age, to take up his rightful place as the heir to his throne. But what Hakeem fails to realise – however well-intentioned he is to reconnect with his son – is that his eldest daughter would have been in line for the throne and is perfectly capable of ruling the people of Zamunda. We see a dinner-table conversation between Hakeem’s daughters discussing whether their sister Mika will take the throne. But we’re once again reminded that even in mythical lands, there are gender disparities that are upheld by the law.

Although there’s also little to no female representation in political leadership in present-day African countries, we can still get the happy ending that we deserve in film, and the creative license can be used to subvert the negative and misogynistic stereotypes that the original film played into. The new trailer doesn’t give away who eventually takes the throne but the depiction of female characters is already looking up to be much better than the original film, where women were made to serve the royal family in scantily clad attire and were made to answer to all the commands demanded of them. There’s a real opportunity for Coming 2 America to take things a step further and explore female leadership and true power, particularly through the lenses of a young Black African woman.

All these issues also bring us back to a detail that seems to have been ignored, the lack of African co-directors or scriptwriters involved in the sequel. If at all we’re going to progress from consuming deeply sensationalist portrayals of the African continent then more attention needs to be paid to those telling the stories on the backend. Going beyond this, Coming 2 America will definitely be a must-watch today for many audiences looking for a way to reconnect to the familiar, but this time it’ll certainly pay to see things done right. With the recent slew of Afrofuturism content from films such as Black Panther and visuals such as Black is King, there is undeniable hype for the eventual release of Coming 2 Ameria, but if the film continues to reduce cultures, traditions and dialects to offensive stereotypes, y’all can keep it.

You can watch the original film on Netflix here.

Featured image credits: IndieWire

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