Songs of the day: New Music from GoodGirl LA, Bisa Kdei x Gyakie, DJ Zandimaz & more

Posted on by The Native

Music has served as the life force connecting people and communities around the world in these unprecedented times. Though the pandemic has denied us live shows and concerts, 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.  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 continue pointing you towards as much great music as we possibly can.

Last Friday, we brought you new releases Rema and Seki Supervillain, a collaboration between Skillz 8Figure and Psycho YP, a momentous remix of Zinoleesky’s Amapiano anthem, and much more. Today, we’ve combed through all the releases you may have missed over the weekend, bringing you a curation that includes new single releases from GoodGirl LA and DJ Zandimaz, as well as new video drops from Focalstic and Davido, Adekunle Gold and Patoranking, and much more. Dig and enjoy.

GoodGirl LA – “Bando”

After closing out the year with “D4DM”, a PSA against physical and emotional abuse in relationships, GoodGirl LA has opened her headlining account for the year with the swaggering “Bando”, a few weeks after stealing the show on Vector’s “Early Momo”. “Trappin’ out the bando, many bad boys dey my back o/fine girls dey, dem a konto/girls don blow, no promo”, LA rhymes in the first moments, laying down a self-assured precedent that carries throughout the song’s duration. Backed by a clanging percussion pattern, she wields her guttural voice with a playful authority, resolving out loud that money is her priority. The music video also helps in underpinning her conviction, as it shows LA performing at her bando, along with a posse that includes a band, and mean-mugging men and women.

Focalistic & Davido – “Ke Star (Remix)” [feat. Vigro Deep]

Last year, Focalistic shot into unreserved ubiquity in South Africa on the back of multiple hits, the biggest being “Ke Star”, the thumping club anthem produced by Vigro Deep. The song has also improved profile across the continent, and he recently dropped a phenomenal Davido-assisted remix, which will certainly allow the song’s pan-African presence to rise. A week after its release, the rapper has shared the video for “Ke Star (Remix)”, and in contrast with the all black motif in the visuals of the original song, the new Dammy Twitch-directed video is packed to the margins with bright colours. While Focalistic and Davido perform, the video features a myriad of dancers mixing legwork moves from South Africa, like the vosho, with the vigorous variations of the zanku that has come to rule Afropop in recent years.

Adekunle Gold & Patoranking – “Pretty Girl”

Adekunle Gold’s third studio album, ‘Afro Pop, Vol. 1’, earned the singer a fresh round of plaudits, mainly for its glossy pop sheen and the evolution that led up to it. AG has remained consistent with post-release promotion efforts for the album, and he recently dropped the video for one of its standout tracks, “Pretty Girl” with Patoranking. Emboldening the song’s groovy, dancefloor-ready inclinations, the eye-popping set of visuals features its fair share of dance moves, while both singer perform their sets while styled in retro-inspired, brightly coloured outfits.

Kizz Daniel – “Flex”

He may not be overtly brash about it, but Kizz Daniel is one of the best around at extolling the pleasures of living the rockstar lifestyle. “Flex”, his new single following late January’s Amapiano-indented “Currently”, is the latest example of how effortlessly adept the singer is at evoking a good time while using his life as the main reference point. “See I just wan flex, make nobody hala for my head”, he proclaims on the chorus, casting a languid spell over groovy production inspired by Yourba highlife and Juju. Directed by the Alien, the accompanying video is situated in a retro-inspired cabaret, highlighting the positive perks of stardom as Kizz Daniel thrills the audience in the room alongside a live band.

Jay Bahd – “Go Get”

Of all the rappers prominent on the Asakaa wave, Jay Bahd is the one who leans into the obvious Pop Smoke influence the most. While his admiration and channelling of the revered Brooklyn Drill can cross into the terrain of cosplay at times, his booming voice and barrelling flow is potent and riveting enough to hold its own ground. On his new single, “Go Get”, the rapper boasts of his grind mentality and the spoils he’s accrued as his fame has risen in the last year. Seemingly inspired by receiving Off White merch from Virgil Abloh, the video sees him giving props to the Ghanaian-American designer, rocking his new fits in the hood while performing amongst friends and young people in his community.

Bisa Kdei & Gyakie – “Sika”

Bisa Kdei and Gyakie linked up for the first time on the latter’s 2020 single, “Sor Mi Mu”, forming an impressive partnership on the song. They’ve gone on to reprise their combo on Bisa Kdei’s new song, “Sika”, another romance-driven song where they act as love interests reassuring each other of their undying affections. Over a bright neo-Highlife beat, the pair complement each other very well once again, singing with a synched up sense of harmony. In the accompanying video, set at a rural location, they visualise their roles as love interests looking forward to seeing each other after a prolonged period apart, adding to the song’s endearing quality.

Etana & Stonebwoy – “Proppa”

Stonebwoy’s star power is undeniable. At the moment, there aren’t too many Ghanaian artists playing on his level of popularity, and his latest collaboration with Grammy-nominated Jamaican singer Etana is the latest proof. On “Proppa”, the two artists make a delightful pair, singing like star-crossed lovers over an Afro-Caribbean beat that finds the middle ground between their unique sensibilities. “If you want to be my lover, then come at me proper”, Etana sings on the hook, setting the tone for a playful and catchy tune about both parties fully committing to a romantic situation.

J Molley – “Want the Rack$” (feat. Nadia Nakai)

Last October, NATIVE Trybe alum J Molley released ‘All is Fair in Love & War’, a statement-making project showcasing his credentials as one of the more exciting Trap-inclined artists on the continent. Keeping the tape’s momentum going, he’s shared the video for “Want the Rack$”, a standout which features South African rap colleague Nadia Nakia. On the paper chase-themed song, J Molley’s melodic cadence makes for a nice juxtaposition with Nadia’s sturdy, unrelenting bars. In the video, set in a gaudy mansion, J Molley moves around with conviction while performing his set, while Nadia is captured in a sultry setting, as she reels off her raps while clad in a lingerie set, surrounded by an overflow of dollar bills.

DJ Zandimaz – “For Me” (feat. Michelle, Ceejay & Chuchu)

In an utterly male-dominated House music scene, it can be rare for women DJ/producers to corner mainstream attention. South Africa-based Zimbabwean DJ Zandimaz scored her first smash hit with late last year’s “Emathandweni”, a delightful Amapiano song with vocal appearance by Nokwazi. Hitting the ground run this year, she’s just dropped “For Me”, a soulful and catchy cut much in the same vein as her preceding song. Co-produced with Ceejay and Chuchu, the song spots bludgeoning log drum percussion, sunny piano and a buzzing synth bassline as its musical foundation, setting the stage for Michelle to sing romantic words of affirmation. Dedicated to the natural beauty of her home country, the video captures Zandimaz and Michelle basking in the seaside and lush greenery of Vic Falls. There’s also a party scene, where Zandimaz holds the sway over the crowd with her music.

Banky W – “Final Say”

Banky W and hugely popular actress Adesua Etomi-Wellington are getting set to welcome their first child to the world. The news filtered through late last, with pictures of the pair—Adesua with her baby bump—flooding the timeline. Turns out, those pictures are off the music video for Banky’s latest single, “Final Say”, a religious cut celebrating the pair’s marquee blessing and preaching a message of hope to believers. Over the Tropical House beat by legendary Cobhams Asuquo, Banky urges listeners to keep faith in God because he answers in due time. The sun-soaked video captures Banky and Adesua singing the song’s lyrics with an exuberant edge, culminating in a visual representation of their enthusiasm and joy. The song is expected to feature on ‘The Bank Statement’, Banky’s long-announced album currently rumoured for release later this year.

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

ICYMI: LISTEN TO NEW MUSIC FROM REMA, ZINOLEESKY, SKILLZ8FIGURE & MORE

The Shuffle: Celebrating the legendary Dr Frabz through 5 essential songs

Posted on by The Native

On Saturday 27 February, the tragic news of the death of Ayorinde Faboro, popularly known as Dr Frabz, broke to the public, and friends, colleagues, and music lovers alike sombrely shared their sorrow and shock at this passing. Over the weekend, many fondly remembered moments shared with him during his lifetime, whilst others listed all the fantastic tracks he gave us in his time, and it’s clear that we have lost an OG. For those who are unfamiliar, Dr Frabz was popularly known for his slew of classics, placing him on the innovative, cutting edge of Nigerian music at the peak of his popularity.

At age six, Frabz started playing the drums and piano in church, eventually going on to start producing music professionally in 2006. He quickly made his impact felt in the music industry, contributing to Mo’Hits Records’ dominant reign via production work on D’Banj’s “Jasi”. His upbeat instrumental arrangements pushed the genre towards a more contemporary bounce and it showed us the potential for Nigerian music on the world stage by incorporating elements of hip-hop, funk, EDM and R&B. In addition to self-producing his own songs as a singer, Frabz’s repertoire of collaborators included Wizkid, Dagrin, Naeto C, Davido, Omawumi, Seyi Shay, Chuddy K and more.

While the circumstances that led to Dr Frabz’s death are still unclear, Nikki Laoye alleged that he was shot during his stay in America. SamKlef’s tweets also confirmed that the producer was indeed in America as he narrated how he had spoken with him 2 weeks ago while he (Dr Frabz) was in Houston. One only needs to read the tributes from the old and new tastemakers in the Nigerian music industry to recognize how Dr Frabz’s production paved the way for other Nigerian musical talents.

No sound was off-limits for Dr Frabz, and this made him the go-to producer for several artists experiment and discover their identities. In celebration of his influential career, here are five essential songs that encapsulate his undeniable genius.

YQ & Dagrin – “Efimile”

One important thing Dr Frabz did was challenge his collaborators. While he was superb at tailoring his production to whoever he was working, Frabz’s beat had a commanding energy, ensuring that whoever would be singing or rapping had to be even more authoritative. His beat for “Efimile” combined classical-style piano chord loops, screeching strings, and crashing bass, serving as the perfect backdrop for YQ and Dagrin to deliver one of the best collaborations in Nigerian music. The hulking beat, in all its colour and maximalist thump, inspired some of the best bars Dagrin ever spit and an appropriately impassioned singing performance by YQ. Without overstating anything, “Efimile” is a classic record, and Frabz was a major reason for that.

Dagrin – “Thank God” (feat. Omawumi)

Growing up in the relatively neighbouring hoods of Iyana Ipaja and Meiran, respectively, Dr Frabz and Dagrin knew a thing or two about clawing their way up from humble beginnings. It feels apt that their marquee collaboration, “Thank God”, which features the immaculate pipes of Omawumi, was a celebratory song about rising from grass to grace through the help of God. Curating a soulful and booming instrumental, fitting for both vocalists on the songs, Frabz laced Dagrin’s meditative, beaming raps with a memorable synth piano chord progression and thumping drums, evoking the atmosphere of what a worship song would sound like at church where only rap music played.

Naeto C – “Ako Mi Ti Poju”

Naeto C will forever remain the epitome of swag rap in Nigeria, a reputation he earned by being effortlessly fly over catchy, experimental beats that expanded the horizons of rap music in the country. Within their handful of collaborations, it was obvious that the partnership between Naeto and Dr Frabz was intuitive. On the casually authoritative “Ako Mi Ti Poju”, the pair delivered a rap song instantly sounded distinct and has barely been recreated till date. Clearly inspired by the Lex Luger-dominated era of Trap music, Frabz’s production is sparse but maximalist, built around a framework of earth-trembling bass and spiced up by a potpourri of piano synth strings, adding gravitas and colour to Naeto’s boastful, unflappable raps.

eLDee – “Feel Good Music” (feat. Naeto C & Jimmy Flames)

As a young teenager addicted to radio (R.I.P Tosyn Bucknor), I had three major musical obsessions: Kanye West’s warbling croon on “Runaway”, the drum pattern of Olu Maintain’s “Yahooze”, and the unorthodox instrumental make-up of eLDee’s “Feel Good Music”. The reason for the latter bothered on how Dr Frabz used his voice as the foundational element of the music, beatboxing and sampling harmonies from his own voice as the basis of the infectious, booming hip-hop beat. On the song, he also sings the sparkling hook, displaying his under-heralded qualities a singer. With his all-round involvement on “Feel Good Music”, Frabz delivered an alley-oop to eLDee, Naeto C, and Jimmy Flames, ensuring that the song served only highlight reels for its 4-minute duration.

Wizkid – “Joy”

Couched underneath the conventional pop excesses of Wizkid’s sophomore album, ‘Ayo’, are a handful of personal gems offering an endearing look at the then budding global star. “Joy” is one of those songs, a loving ode to Wizkid’s mum produced by Dr Frabz. Accompanying the singer’s open-hearted expressiveness, the producer laid down a Reggae track, packing whistling piano chords, heaving bass guitar, brassy horn lines and groovy drums into a colourful, composite soundscape that never envelopes Wizkid. In promotion of ‘Ayo’, Wiz performed a mash-up of “Joy” and Bob Marley’s classic “No Woman No Cry” for BBC 1Xtra, and it featured Dr Frabz on piano and back-up vocals, performing the duty he was renowned for: doing his best to lift others up.

Featured Image Credits: Twitter/NikkiLaoye

ICYMI: Looking at DJ Jimmy Jatt’s generational influence on Nigerian music

TurnTable Top 50: Teni’s “For You” spends its second week at No.1

Posted on by The Native

Last week, Teni’s “For You” featuring Davido became the first song to debut atop the TurnTable Top 50 charts. As the second single of her long-awaited debut album ‘Wondaland’, this achievement was a celebrated milestone that saw a song by a female artist debut and sit at the highest position on the Top 50 for the first time since its inception last year. This came two weeks after newcomer, Mavin’s Ayra Starr initially set the mark for the highest-charting song by a female artist in the Top ten, with breakout song “Away”. Women’s History Month is certainly starting off on a memorable note.

“For You” is the first song to debut atop the chart on its first entry and hold at No. 1 for a second week. With over 1.46 million equivalent streams (down 37.6%), and a tallied 35.64 million radio airplay audience impression (up 10.48%). It’s joined in the top 5 by Omah Lay’s “Godly” which holds at No. 2 for another week after its record 11-week at the top of the chart. The song also continues its record for the longest song in the top three, top-five, and the top ten of the chart (14 weeks for all). 

At No.3 is Dj Kaywise & Phyno’s “High Way”, closely followed by Ayra Starr’s “Away” which holds at its No. 4 peak, and Ajebo Hustlers’ “Pronto” featuring Omah Lay which rises to No. 5 after debuting at No. 8 last week. Ajebo Hustler’s “Pronto” is also the PH-duo’s first top-five on the chart and Omah Lay’s third. Turntable Charts also estimates that with the release of the official video of “High Way” could potentially see the song rise to No. 1 on the Top 50 charts.

Outside the top 5, Davido’s “The Best” featuring Mayorkun ascends to No. 6 from No. 9 while Bella Shmurda & Dangbana Republik’s “Rush” moves to a new peak of No. 7. Zinoleeksy’s “Kilofese” is at No. 8 with Naira Marley’s “Koleyewon” at No. 9 and Wizkid’s “Ginger” featuring Burna Boy at No.10. Joeboy’s “Focus” is also at No. 11, while Masterkraft’s “Hallelu” featuring Bella Shmurda & Zlatan is at No. 13, Chike’s “Running (To You)” with Simi at No. 17, and Ckay’s “Felony” at No. 19.

You can see the full rundown of the TurnTable Top 50 here.

Featured image credits/Youtube

ICYMI: Focalistic and Davido are deep in their bag on “Ke Star Remix”

The African Ancient Futures Exhibition explores the Black experience through an afro-surrealist lenses

Posted on by The Native

Afrosurrealism is getting a modern revival. Over the past couple of years, the genre which is characterised by cultivating alternative and expanded ways of knowing and being for Black people, began to take over mainstream entertainment with a host of artists like Khalil Joseph, Jenn Kniru, Beyoncé, and more reimagining the reality of Black people today.

In these times where we are disconnected in various countries across the world due to a global pandemic, there is an urgent surge for escapist entertainment in arts and culture. The African Ancient Futures Exhibition provides that experience, both in-person and online through a virtual 3-D viewing. Although the pandemic has inadvertently changed how we engage with art, we can’t deny how community has grown to be an essential facet of art viewing. Africa 2.O Magazine and White Space Lagos know this all too well and have adapted various digital mediums to curate users experience through art and film.

It features Congolese architect and environment designer Edward L. Lobo (@hueman.ntr), Nigerian-American artist & filmmaker Jamal Ademola (@jamalademola), and British-Ghanian film director Curtis Essel (@curtis.essel, @33bound). Also included is a #HistoryDive series curated by A2.O editor Elisha Tawe (@vicious_roy), and a special feature by contributor and acclaimed Nigerian-Irish author Emma Dabiri (@emmadabiri). There will also be a #HistoryDive series curated by editors of A2.O Magazine, and a kiosk with creative merchandise and this will all take place in Lagos, Nigeria this weekend at 57 Raymond Njoku Street, Ikoyi. There will also be activations at The Kiosk section with merch from a few brands including Free The Youth for the first time in Lagos. The exhibition is held at Untitled, 59 Raymond Njoku Street, Ikoyi and has been extended for viewing till March 22nd. The virtual exhibition has also now opened through a portal here with a digital 3D space designed by exhibiting artist Edward Lobo.

Ahead of the exhibition’s closing day over two weeks away, we spoke to Ethel Tawe, the art curator who is currently hosting the exhibition in collaboration with Whitespace Lagos and Africa 2.O Magazine about her interest in surrealism, the exhibiting artists, and the future of magical realism in African art.

 

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 NATIVE: Hi Ethel, how are you doing? Please could you tell me more about the African Ancient Futures exhibition and its focus on imagining Africa through surrealist lenses?

Ethel: Hi, I’m blessed and feeling thankful for the response to the exhibition so far. I curated this exhibition with a few questions in mind, asking why the Black and African experience has largely been framed as a ‘move away’ or response to the western world. I was prompted by Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu’s essay ‘Ancestors of the Future’ where she asks: “assuming here that we are all equal, what is the western world reacting to? Are they reacting to us?… As artists, does our creative impetus derive from challenging the dominant narrative, or like artists elsewhere are we driven by the sheer need to create?” Kahiu mentions that it is as if Africans are viewed as unable to have an original thought that arose from themselves without it being reactionary. While reality has put many of us in the position to simply reflect the times, what about beyond that? What would we be doing if we weren’t always responding? It’s a difficult and almost uncomfortable question, even for myself, but that’s why I wanted to explore it through surrealist art which aims to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind. 

NATIVE: In your curatorial statement, you state that the rise of audiovisual and digital media has expanded our imaginations and increased the spectrum of our narratives. How do you hope to transpose this change in our lives with this exhibition?

Ethel: I wanted to bring together artists who investigate Africa’s past, present, future, and beyond, through the digital medium. The exhibition has a virtual viewing online. In the space itself, there’s a virtual component with QR codes throughout for the audience to tap further into these digital artists’ world. At entry, guests receive a special QR code that takes them into our listening portal to hear the artists introduce themselves in their own voice. In a time like COVID when travel is restricted, the artists and I worked remotely across time zones and space, from Kinshasa, to Los Angeles, London, and Accra. The process itself was a reflection of the theme and I wanted the audience to reflect on that.

It is also no secret that digital artists struggle to find ways to physically exhibit and monetize their craft in the capital A art world. An old emphasis on the canvas often placed digital work in the margins, though this is slowly changing. In the hyper digitized world of COVID 19, is there now a significant opportunity to bring these artists works to a wider audience in an increasingly accepted format? Are these formats considering access and how do they compare to the physical experiences? I don’t have the answers to these questions but I hope the audience can join the artists and I in investigating the infinite possibilities.

NATIVE: How did you source the different artists that are a part of this exhibition?

Ethel: As an editor, one of my favorite parts of developing new stories is the process of writing about artists I love; that’s how I connected with and interviewed some of the exhibiting artists. I am interested in researching and documenting African arts, to build an archive that puts us down in history on our own terms, especially in the digital landscape. These artists’ works feel quite personal to me in one way or another. In Jamal’s work, I see myself reflected in the Black female form and her cosmic energy. Edward visualises worlds that resonate deeply and feel like a stage for my own figurative collage work; that’s what inspired our collaborative series “Transmission”, included in the exhibition. The pan-African essence of Curtis work, the references embedded throughout, are so relatable but equally push boundaries. The power of the digital world is how these artists came together for me and for this exhibition. 

NATIVE: Your work has always dealt with afro-surrealism and magical realism. Why does this mode of expression define most of your work?

Ethel: I find that there is power in allowing ourselves to dream beyond this dimension. I call myself a time traveller because of my interest in exploring cyclical conceptions of time in African tradition; hence the phrase ‘African Ancient Futures’. I’m interested in how we breathe life into colonial African archives; how we work with and against the archive today as a form of history-making for tomorrow. I’m interested in myth, intuition, social justice, and the complexities of identity, through experiences of my own or perhaps those embedded in my DNA. Magical realism has become a visual language to convey these ideas and reflections in a way that feels expansive enough, most authentic to me, and (I think) accessible to a wide audience. It allows us to FEEL, as a shared human experience. 

You can find out more about the ‘Ancient African Futures’ here.

Featured image credits/Courtesy of Ethel Tawe 

ICYMI: Polartics Exhibition is proof that the way we consume art in Nigeria is changing

Fresh Meat: Best New Artists (February, 2021)

Posted on by The Native

Staying True To Our Mission Reshape The Face Of African Popular Culture, The NATIVE Team Curates A Monthly List To Spotlight The Best And Most Exciting New Artists On The Continent. Some Of These Artists Have Dropped Songs To Some Regional Acclaim, While Others Are Brand New On The Block, Working Towards Their First Big Break. Tune In To What’s Next. Click Here For January’s Fresh Meat.

Although it’s the shortest month of the year, February is exciting for many reasons. Not only does the month carry cultural significance as America’s revered Black History Month, a time where we gather together and reflect on our past and futures as Black people globally but it’s also a crucial time for many artists in the music industry. Being the second month of the year, when all the awkwardness and newness of January is out of the way, many artists around the world begin to settle down and focus, making plans for new projects and singles releases, ready to hit the first quarter of the year with urgent delivery.

In a year like 2021, the music landscape is more unpredictable and everything moves really fast, seeing as we’re all consuming more information now than ever before. Artist discovery may seem a bit tedious today, knowing how many artists are gunning for the attention of listeners in these parts, however, when an artist lands something that really sticks, it’s our duty to put you on to the hottest newcomers in Africa who are consistently meeting the demand for something fresh, defiant, boundary-pushing and above all, authentic. We’re coming up to one year since we launched this column, and the efforts of the alumni from the past year is This month we’ve got an interesting line-up of artists for Fresh Meat from South Africa’s Benzo who’s rapid-fire flow is delivered all in Xhösa to Ruger, the latest Jonzing World signee with a voice of gold.

Enjoy.

Lil5ive

Like many young, nascent artists, it doesn’t take much to figure out that Lil5ive is a reflection of multiple contemporary pop music trends. Like many truly talented young artists with a sky-high potential ceiling, those influences are only touchstones for a distinct style and persona that will only become more magnetic as time goes on. Listening to Lil5ive is like hearing something familiar and unique at the same time; the reference points are palpable, but there’s a conviction to his delivery that makes it easy to realise he’s the author and finisher of his musical offerings.

Just over a week ago, the singer/rapper dropped his debut EP, ‘Dreams & Imaginations’, an instantly riveting tape underlining his eclectic preferences, from moody, piano-rife beats to reflective, first-person perspective writing and a delivery that folds afropop melodies, contemporary R&B ticks and Trap cadences. In the 6-song EP, you can hear hints of the delightful rap-sung yodelling of Roddy Ricch, the versatile croon of Burna Boy, and the street-bred orientation of Bella Shmurda. These may or may not be direct influences, but considering how nearly singular it all sounds, it’s more of a testament to Lil5ive’s already sharpened powers as a music maker.

Beyond its technical traits, the EP, like all of Lil5ive’s music on digital streaming platforms, is driven by introspective, personable writing. Self-discovery and self-assertion are the central theme of ‘Dreams & Imaginations’, a project that thrives on Lil5ive speaking his truth unabashedly, whether it’s detailing his demons (“Drugs”), shrugging off unbelievers (“Where”), or simply representing his idea of what love entails as a young man in these romantically complicated times (“Feelings”).

In an interview with Guardian Nigeria last year, following the release of the video for “Omo Ologo”, Lil5ive says he believes his “personality and [his] sound will distinguish me”. In an increasingly heterogeneous Afropop landscape, his self-assuredness already lays a strong precedent, and considering how well he backs it up on his debut EP, he looks set for greater visibility in the near future.

Ruger

21-year-old Jonzing World signee, Ruger might be new to the afropop scene, but his melodious vocals undoubtedly sounds light years ahead of his entrance into our exciting sonic landscape. Arriving with a bang over a month ago on Jonzing World’s single “One Shirt”, complete with an eye-patch and a killer voice, Ruger made his debut on the scene with label boss, D’Prince and Rema. Each artist delivered impressive verses narrating their journey at the top of their respective scenes, and tihs follows the classic tale of the underdog’s steady incline to victory. This is a strong introduction to the scene, and his affiliation with two afropop heavyweights shows a good start to his rise to the top. As Ruger continues to evolve and show listeners different sides to him as both as an artist and as a person, he’s in good company. 

His self-titled debut single,  “Ruger”, is reminiscent of the now nostalgic outdoor parties. Opening with “Man I spit fire from day one,” the singer boats about the confidence he has in his ability, even before the fame and celebrity. In all his music, Ruger reassures listeners that he was born for this, with incredibly self-assured and confident lyrics, reminiscent of Rema himself two years ago. Ruger’s default mode is one of unquenchable chill, clearly setting his own pace and connecting with the people he makes music for. With only one song out, he’s really fresh Fresh Meat, but his debut was undeniable, and we’re rooting for him. 

Benzo

Whether you like it or not, the female mcees are coming into the game loud, audacious, and ready to take charge. This Women’s History Month, it’s important to celebrate the women who are breaking stereotypes and boundaries, and as an avid fan of these female mcees, Benzo was right up my alley. The 20-year old rapper is a new and fresh voice in the Johannesburg rap scene, having made her official debut a few months ago in November. In her corner of the world, Benzo has been building up momentum, which led us to her debut project, ‘Kumkanikazi’. 

Last year, she released her debut single “Kwedini”, an upbeat single that featured fellow Cape Town rapper, Lookatups where both artists traded boastful raps. The uptempo number sees her spitting between Xhosa and English like she usually does  “I keep it a 100 and clean/my future is bright,” she brags on the number, fusing her culture with new-age trap..

On ‘Kumanikazi’, her debut project, she continues with this penchant, and her pen game immediately stands out, where she paints a vivid story of her reality whilst drawing on commentary about several universal conversations. She mixes bright pop vocals with snappy raps and futuristic production that makes her songs feel more intimate, and this makes it clear that the 20-year old is just having fun over the beat, consistently showing up as her authentic self throughout her small but potent discography. “Imali” is an instant standout from its opening moments as Benzo raps, “When I wake up in the morning/Get it lit and you welcome to the party/and I run on the beat like a cheetah,” taking no pauses as she churns out bar after bar. It’s clear that Benzo is in tune with popular culture being a Gen Z rapper, which makes her instantly relatable and likeable. Although most of her music is in Xhosa, it’s safe to say that the Johannesburg-based rapper is putting on for her city and she’s definitely one to keep a close eye on in 2021.

Urban Village

Urban Village is not entirely your typical Fresh Meat; they’re a nascent act, popularity-wise, however, they’re far from being relatively new. Formed in 2013, the band comprises bandleader and guitarist Lerato Lichaba, vocalist and flautist Tsubatsi Mpho Moloi, drummer Xolani Mtshali, and bassist Simangaliso Dlamini. All members of the 4-piece band were born in Soweto around the dawn of South Africa’s post-Apartheid era, a common bond that acts as the foundation for their musical exploits.

With a strong appreciation for music from past decades, via their respective families, Urban Village is dedicated to reinterpreting storied musical styles through a modern lens, paying homage to previously established culture with eyes planted forward. This mode of operation has made the band a local sensation in the last few years, mainly dispensing their music via live gigs, even taking the stage at the 2019 Afropunk festival. Last year, via a recording deal with Parisian label NØ Format, Urban Village released its first project, ‘Ubaba’, a short, attention-grabbing EP which served as the precursor to their recent debut LP.

Released in late January, ‘Udondolo’ takes listeners through an abridged history of South African pop music with an experimental verve and a topical edge to it. Tightly crafted and utterly stunning to listen to, the album casts Urban Village as revivalists with a purpose, as they weave a colourful, genre-mashing tapestry by pulling from Mbaqanga, Isicathamiya, and Afrofunk, while adding elements of Rock and Electronic music. Led by Tsubatsi’s agile and deceptively rangy voice, they sing of communal themes, from pride in blackness on “Dindi”, to the ideal of togetherness on “Sakhisizwe”, and “Marabi” evokes the memory of one of the oldest genres in South African pop music, Marabi, while also interpolating harmonies from Solomon Linda’s evergreen “Mbube”.

Having already delivered what will be regarded as one of the best albums of this year, Urban Village have raised their ceiling even higher. While the ongoing pandemic has stalled their momentum as a performance-based band, ‘Udondolo’ projects even more positive things as the world begins to open up, hopefully in the coming months.

SiBi

At this point, it’s almost repetitive to keep stating that there’s an R&B renaissance going on in South Africa; all you have to do is go through previous Fresh Meat instalments to scratch the surface of the myriad of talent breathing new life into a perennially overlooked genre on the continent. Vaal-born singer-songwriter SiBi is the latest artist to make an eye-catching entry into SA’s reinvigorated and generally riveting canon of contemporary R&B. Two weeks ago, she dropped her official debut EP, ‘Riverside’, consolidating on the promise of her impressive, nearly 2-year old first single, “Chill Out”.

Paying homage to her home region’s landmark river, the third-largest in South Africa, the 7-track project (8 songs if you look through her SoundCloud) doesn’t bear too much aquatic overtones, it’s an odd but fitting mix of serene and jumpy feels perfect for a calm evening near a body of water, whether alone or with a group of close friends. With intimacy as its magnetic element, ‘Riverside’ thrives on SiBi’s abilities as an expressive writer, almost to the point where it feels like she’s sharing her life doctrines and simply venting amongst friends. On the EP, she comes across as laser-focused on her goals (“Gang”), self-assured (“Chill Out [Remix]” with Grace Isis and Benzo), and vulnerable (“Pieces”); a multi-dimensional personality make-up that’s instantly gripping.

Similar to many of her colleagues, SiBi’s soundboard blends in vivid influences from hip-hop, and it shows in her beat selection and accompanying delivery. On the Tyler ICU-produced standout, “Dlala”, she moves between airy singing and a smoothed-out style of the now-standard triplet rap flows, matching the production’s Trap-heavy inclination. “My sound is – if Hip hop and R&B had a baby during the summertime who likes to take night time drives,” she recently told Le’Afrinique. “It’s an unfiltered and honest safe space.” Not just for her, but also for the increasing line of listeners set to be affected by the relatable nature of her music.

Konde Oko

Kondé Oko who used to be known as YCG, is the Nigerian rapper who already boasts of a pretty thorough catalogue. Since he began releasing music back in 2017, as his first release on his Apple Music will reveal, the rapper went on a near back-to-back streak, sharing new singles and projects with fans on a consistent basis. So far, he has four official projects which his potential clear. 

Kondé’s brisk and hurried delivery is more than enough to keep listeners entertained throughout its 26-minute runtime of his most recent offering, ‘Good Enough?’, where he shows us that it’s not about whether he’s good enough, it’s how much he’s willing to do. Here, he skips between dreamy trap landscapes, introspective raps, and hard-thumping anthems creating a world of his own where he is fully able to enjoy himself. Whether he’s going solo on a song or joined by close friend and collaborators Na-ku, Baby Brit, and more, his ability is consistent and that’s one of the best things about him. The project opener “Do Betta!” sets the pace for the rest of the album, Kondé is at his most flagrant, assuming the role of a menacing figure on the number waxing lyrical about defeating his opps. “I don’t know shit ‘bout the weather/I can’t do shit for a nigga, most of them goofy on Twitter,” he raps confidently, which shows how sure he is of what he knows about himself – another useful weapon for proficiency.

Although he’s what you would refer to as a relatively young artist himself, ‘Good Enough?’ finds him putting on new names in the Hip-Hop/Rap scene from Baby Brit to Yung Kevo. The Baby Brit-assisted “H1 N1” sees the vocally agile rapper trade bars effortlessly with his collaborator, as they both pack an array of vocal deliveries, rhyme patterns, and clever wordplay whilst also being socially conscious. “Blue lives don’t matter, not at all, not to me” to show his disdain for last year’s harmful and disconcerting treatment of Black people by law enforcement. 

There is still time to catch the Kondé Oko train as the rapper isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. More than an artist, he’s a creative visionary as on his projects, he assumes the role of the artist, the producer, and the sound engineer, and sometimes even the director and videographer behind his visuals. This is a feat he wears with palpable confidence, although he’s now more willing to allow others into his music creation process, as he reveals in a recent interview. Check out his most recent visuals here: 

Blxckie

Sihle Sithole, AKA Blxckie was born and raised in Durban, South Africa. After spending several years as a rap fan, he finally took on rapping last year and has since delivered two hit singles, “Big Time Sh’Lappa” and “Uppity” which earmark him as one of the bright prospects from South African hip-hop. He gained our attention through persistent SoundCloud releases during the first few months of the COVID-19 lockdown. However, what converts most of us listeners into fans is his enticingly confident delivery, which saw him queue up awe-inspiring brags at a machine-gun-like pace to match the energetic trap beats he rapped over; “Big rack, big slatt, big-name/Lean spill so I got a big stain/ Ten toes, I ain’t never switch lanes.”

Blxckie explained in a recent interview with BreakroomAfrica that he was motivated to start rapping cause he got stuck in Johannesburg with Lucasrap$, 808Sallie, Shouldyuang, and Yungseruno, other rappers and produced for 3 weeks and they encouraged him to release music daily like they were doing. After his first breakout single, “Big Time Sh’Lappa” featuring Lucasrap$ put him in the limelight, he followed up with “Uppity” and more recently, “Stripes” featuring Flvme as he continues to keep up the momentum with his singles from the last 4 months racking up over a million streams.

Blxckie has now abandoned his 3-year-long Psychology degree and moved permanently to Johannesburg, where he believes he can continue to grow as an artist with the supportive community of music fans. In just over 11 months, his dedication to music has been rewarded with massive support and we are eager to hear what else he has in store.

móst

Versatility in delivery and an omnivorous soundscape are the go-to tenets for many artists in their development stages. U.S.-based Nigerian artist móst personifies this prevalent trend in a promising manner. Across his sizable catalogue, he’s proven himself to be adept at crafting contemporary R&B songs, competent with laying out rap bars, and delivering the colourful melodies and songwriting generally associated with present day Nigerian pop music. móst encapsulates the increased commingling of R&B with Rap, as well as Afropop’s inspired cadences from both these genres.

Last July, móst dropped his debut EP, ‘Afro Lover’, a serviceable representation of his chameleonic preferences, as he hopscotched from groovy, dance-ready tunes to skittering trap flows and sensual melodies. As its title indicates, the project revolved around romance-related songs, situating the artist’s writing within a universal framework. For his recently released follow-up EP, ‘Mixed Emotions’, móst gets a little more idiosyncratic with his writing, offering listeners a stronger persona to interrogate through his music. The 6-track sophomore still borders heavily on romance, but we also get quick glances into the ideals that make him tick as a person.

On the opening, title track, his sole rapped verse is a stream of consciousness run, where he proclaims his goal of building an estate, references the U.S. putting immigrant children in cages, and ends with a sequence praising his love interest for her qualities. Leaning more into the hip-hop/R&B dimension of his artistry, the self-produced EP finds móst in a far more assured candour, personalising his writing even more while continuing to chisel the elasticity of his vocal abilities. móst is clearly still growing into his own artist, but even at this moment, he’s one to keep tabs on.

[Featured image credits/NATIVE]

Words by Dennis Ade-Peter, Debola Abimbolu and Tami Makinde 

Songs Of The Day: New music from Rema, Zinoleesky, Skillz8figure and more

Posted on by The Native

Music has served as the life force connecting people and communities around the world in these unprecedented times. Though the pandemic has denied us live shows and concerts, 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.  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 continue pointing you towards as much great music as we possibly can.

Earlier this week, we put you on to the new releases from Ycee, Tiwa Savage, AKA, Edem, Psycho YP, and more. To begin the weekend, we have another banger from Rema here, Zinoleesky’s remix of his hit single “Kilofeshe”, Bryann, Cece, Seki Supervillian, DEELA and Tblu, and more. You’re welcome. Enjoy.

Rema – “Bounce”

Another banger! Rema does not miss and his latest single, “Bounce” is proof that his winning streak won’t be running out anytime soon. The new single is his first official release for the year and it features masterful production from Mavin Records boss Don Jazzy, the pair’s first collaboration since the rapper/singer signed to Mavin. Over the uptempo fast-paced euphoric production, Rema sings about his love for a woman’s body. “Girl, I’m in love with your booty bounce/Girl, this night we dey go like seven rounds” he sings passionately.

This won’t be the first time the singer has shown his love for women, his previous single “Woman” treaded similar lines and we love to see the consistency. Speaking about the new release, the Mavin signee shares “This record was inspired by the luscious and magnificent body of the African woman. Furthermore, I’m really excited about this tune because it’s my first single with the legendary Don Jazzy”. Sharing the release on his social media at the time of its release, the singer boasted of the beginning of a new genre, although he didn’t give a name for this new genre of music he’s created, we can’t deny that this is an electrifying record by every metric and Rema has cemented his place as his generation’s undisputed leader.

Zinoleesky – “Kilofeshe Remix” featuring Mayorkun and Busisiwa

Of Lay Lay! As one of the exciting new voices from Nigeria’s street music scene, Zinoleesky sure knows how to make a record stick so much that it’s replayed for months. His 2020 banger, “Kilofeshe” just got remixed in collab with Mayorkun and Busisiwa, and we can confirm that it’s a hit. “If industry na iPhone, I’m just a charger to it/Kilo kan me pelu local money/Can’t you see the extraordinary things I’m doing,” Mayorkun sings on his verse, gleefully telling his haters that he doesn’t care if they look down on him because he’s balling–disrespectfully. Who knew all this song was missing was Mayorkun’s electrifying adlibs and Busisiwa’s alluring vocals as their contribution certainly make the remix a defining moment. However, I would really have loved to hear the song punctuated by more of Busisiwa’s catchy melodies right from the onset.

Skillz8Figure – “Like Dat” featuring Psycho YP

Skillz8Figure was one of the most exciting artists of the past year and we’re continuously excited for new material from the singer. In a few weeks, the singer will be releasing his debut album titled ‘After Dark’ but ahead of its release, he’s now shared a new single “Like Dat” which features Nigerian rapper Psycho YP, the follow up to pre-released single “4Life” which featured Twitch 4EVA.

Over the song’s mid-tempo production, he sings “Watch the way that we stepping now/They wanna know what I think about, more commas on commas,” effortlessly flexing on his opps with menacing bars delivered in the most soothing voice. It’s giving Brent Faiyaz and I love it. Psycho YP joins the singer on the song’s second verse, delivering his braggadocious lines with ease, a known feature of his meticulous craftsmanship. Whatever the case, the two promotional singles have certainly whet our appetites and we’re waiting with bated breath for Skillz8Figure’s debut out next month.

Sekisupervillian – “HIGO”

Ahead of the release of his sophomore album ‘TECHDRILL’, Seki Supervillian has been keeping fans entertained with a slew of singles including “Faithful” which was released earlier this month. While there’s a lot of reasons to be excited about the upcoming album, no one is more excited than the rapper himself who has just shared a 7-track surprise EP titled ‘Sometimes I Feel Like Madonna’ which was released exclusively on his Soundcloud.

Describing the new EP to eager fans as ‘Your Training Wheels Before Tech’, the 7-tracker sees the experimental rapper expanding the boundaries of his artistry and straight up just having fun over any beat he’s given. The EP’s opening single “HIGO” is an instant standout right from its opening moments which feature a snippet from friend and collaborator Cruel Santino himself alongside the most infectious adlibs you’ll ever hear. “All problems won’t make you special/Don’t make this shit about you everyone’s hurting, shits normal/Everday life,” he raps melodiously on the song, painting a picture that visualises his experiences. If “HIGO” is only a taster of what’s to come on ‘TECHDRILL’ then we might have to make the release day a national holiday.

Bryann – “Longe”

For his debut single of the year, 22-year old singer Bryann has just released the catchy upbeat new number titled “Longe” and its infectious rhythm is exactly what you need to begin the weekend. Over the groovy production by Spaxx, the singer address his muse expressing how she truly makes him feel while showcasing his melodic abilities. Singing “Akosua body sharp/I no go fall your hand, So I want to make you dance,” Bryann shows the notion of courting through dance. Captivatingly colourful visuals directed by the Alien also accompany the new song and show scenes of the singer dancing with his love interest. “Longe” is the first offering of a slew of singles leading to his forthcoming debut EP ‘Ileké’.

Mimz – “XXV”

Nigerian singer, Mimz has just released her first official single of the year titled “XXV” and it’s inspiringly self-assured and confident. On the new track, she sings about missing an ex-lover who had her all the way messed up, but rather than sit around and mope, she decides to make the most of her years as a 25-year old ready to hit the town with her girls and drink champagne all night. “Sip bad bitch juice, hop on a flight/This that don’t take shit boom 25” she sings confidently on the number, delivering a verse that will surely resonate with women in the mid-twenties. She also uses the song to talk about the distrust which exists between the citizens and the Nigerian government, deciding to make her own way in life rather than look up to them for any kind of change.

CeCe – “All I Need” featuring Dremo and KCamp

Nigerian-American music exec, CeCe has just released her first single of the year, “All I Need” which features KCamp and Dremo. The simmering new track is a romantic number on which both artists declare their romantic affections for a love interest. “You got all I need/Give it up to me,” Dremo sings over the song’s hook, in his attempt to convince his muse that he’s all for her and implores her to reiterate his affections. The single is perfect for a romantic winddown with your lover this weekend and “All I Need” is said to be the second single off her forthcoming album, ‘If Not Me Then Who’ released later this year.

DEELA – “Fit” featuring Tblu

Last year, newcomer DEELA released her debut self-titled EP, a move that was widely celebrated at the time for introducing Hip-Hop lovers to a new girl rapper with the iciest bars. For her first official single this year, she’s linked up with frequent collaborator and fellow newcomer, Tblu for a sensual new number titled “Fit” which will certainly bode well on your weekend party playlists. “A nigga who bag me will know it’s a flex/he hooked on that DEELA potion, guiding him like a devotion,” DEELA raps matter-off-factly on the song’s first verse, bragging about her abilities to keep her men hooked and her sexual prowess. Tblu joins her on the second verse, taking a more gruff sensual tone as she raps “Pretty brown skin girl you know you mad/Best pussy out here you better ask your dad,” and breathes levity into the number. Just what we need, the girls talking their shit.

Featured image credits/Instagram/Scrdofme

ICYMI: Watch Nissi’s spirited video for “Move x2”

12 African figures who have influenced Black History

Posted on by The Native

We only have to look at the mythos of the Egyptian Pharos to realise how Africa has always played a significant role in terms of art, science and technology throughout history. Although white supremacist propaganda from the colonial era set us back with the false narrative that African culture is ‘savage’, we’ve fought for the abolition of slavery and for our independence and freedom to create cultural expressions that have impacted global community.

As inclusivity has now become the order of the day in popular culture, the visibility of African culture and artistry appears to be at an all-time high with so many new avenues available for us to celebrate our rich culture from social media to streaming platforms.

While not everyone might appreciate the significance of African culture being represented accurately and celebrated, Black Americans’ ancestral ties with Africa encourages them to contextualise themselves within the African culture. This has led to a lot of cross-cultural referencing between America and Africa as Marvel’sBlack Panther’ showed the economic benefit of being inspired by Africa.

 

NATIVE Presents WizMag: 4-Pack Deal

 

As we draw near the end of this year’s Black History Month, we’ve compiled a list of Africans who have made a global impact through music, photography, fashion and other expressions.

Chi Modu

Displaced in his infancy, during the Biafran War, Chi Modu was born in Nigeria but raised, almost entirely in New Jersey. Coming of age in East Coast America, Chi Modu’s growing expertise in photography – which he had first fallen in love with whilst studying Economics at Rutgers University in his home state – coincided with the rise of arguably the most influential genre in contemporary music: Hip-Hop. Chi Modu was a key figure in documenting the music and the culture’s leading figures. His degree was followed by vocational schooling at the International Center of Photography after which he landed the prestigious role at The Source, where his eyes would go on to make history. Documenting Hip-Hop’s glory days in the ‘90s, Modu’s motivations were to share the stories with his audience, reveal the characters and lives of his muses. Chi Modu didn’t simply produce a picture of a famous rapper, he thoughtfully, yet plainly, captured the people behind his lens. From a Rolling Stone cover image to album covers for the likes of Mobb Dep, Method Man and Snoop Dogg (of whom he has an unforgettable tribute to California, and inadvertently West Coast Rap), Chi Modu’s eyes were deeply influential to, not only the popular consumption of hip-hop and it’s artists, but also their thorough documentation into the history books.

Adewojumi Aderemi

Manu Dibango 

In a career that spanned about six decades, Manu Dibango brought the world to Africa, rather than the other way around which was common place. The Cameroonian singer, saxophonist, composer and songwriter dedicated the bulk of his life to underlining and refreshing the rhythmic complexity of several African sounds, including the Rumba and Makossa, putting them in conversation with global music trends of the time. Manu Dibango’s overflowing discography is packed to the margins with ultra-funky tunes, placing him on the cutting edge of Dance Music. The most popular gem in his catalogue of classics is “Soul Makossa”, the 1972 smash hit that picked up Grammy nominations and has gone on to play an integral part in a handful of future hits, including Kool & the Gang’s “Jungle Boogie”, Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”, and Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music”. Although the rate of his output slowed down as he aged gracefully, Manu Dibango represents a force in the sprawling history of Black music, and his cultural impact will continue live beyond his days on earth.

Dennis Ade Peter

Ali Farka Touré 

Grammy award-winning Ali Farka Touré from Mali gained international reverenece through his 1994 collaboration with Ry Cooder on their joint album titled ‘Talking Timbuktu’. His diverse catalogue of music meticulously took the traditional music of Mali, including the music of the Jeliya and the Kora, and applied it to the guitar to create something which resembled the Mississippi blues. Back then, Toure was a part of the forefront of the ‘World Music’ movement, which came to prominence in the late 1970s and 80s and he was also among several African musicians, including fellow Malian singer Salif Keita and Senegal’s Youssou N’Dour, whose distinct take on African music gained wider appreciation and respect around the world. He gained so much popularity in his time that he famously toured both in the US and Europe, embodying a new template of authenticity that many Western audiences admired. Today, years on from his death, the late African Bluesman Ali Farka Touré is still celebrated as one of the pioneering figures of West African music. His position in taking Mali music to the world is still revered and his cultural and social significance for the people of Mali has been underlined in the documentaries such as ‘A Visit to Ali Farka Touré’.

Tami Makinde

Fela Kuti 

Two weeks ago, news filtered through that Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was amongst the prospective nominees to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later this year. Few days later, legendary guitarist and Funk musician Bootsy Collins penned a conversational piece for Rolling Stone, making a strong case for why Fela’s likely entry into the most hallowed institution of artist immortalisation is deserved and even long overdue. Bootsy used his short experience in Nigeria, while touring the country with James Brown in 1970, as the reference point for his piece, remembering just how mind-blown he and the other members of James Brown’s band were, when they saw Fela play.

In addition to being regarded as the greatest Nigerian artist ever, Bootsy Collins’ experience is emblematic of the stunned effect Fela induced on his global colleagues. The first time Paul McCartney saw Fela, he broke into tears; when Nigeria’s military regime organised FESTAC ’77, all the prominent Black artists who came in from across the world gathered at the shrine to witness his anti-establishment stance in all its greatness; in 2009, JAY-Z and Will Smith executive produced the Broadway musical, “FELA!”, which in turn played a key role in Oscar-winning director, Alex Gibney’s deeply flawed but essential biographical documentary, ‘Finding Fela’. With the support galvanised by Nigerians across the world, Fela will likely be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, another result of his undying influence.

Dennis Ade-Peter

Ruth Ossai

A Ruth Ossai image is recognisable anywhere. Known for her distinctly dynamic sets and subjects strewn across the floor in vibrant garments, Ruth Ossai has always used photography as a medium of communication and connection from one culture to another. In her youth, Ossai was gifted a point-and-shoot camera by her mother, which she used to capture her life in Anambra to show her family in Yorkshire, where she moved to for school. Compiling photo albums in sketchbook and collage styles, these rustic, multimedia methods are still visible in Ossai’s images today, which often patch the styling of the backdrop and the floor mat together into one artistic creation, made of many. Her unique style is highly sought after and has earned her a spot on prestigious British lists, such as Dazed 100 and th British Fashion Council’s 2019 NEW WAVE: Creative.

In our parts (likely all over Africa given the prevalence of Nigerian cinema across the continent) it’s clear as day that Ruth Ossai’s images borrow from the styles of legendary African image-makers – the likes of Malil Sidibé, Phillip Kwame Apagya, Seydou Keita, Sanlé Sory – and is inspired by media of decades past, that paraded the bigger is better ideology through colourful music videos alongside cluttered. In 2018, as part of Miu Miu’s Women’s Tales – an ongoing series by the fashion house, spotlighting women in the film industry – Ruth Ossai earned a chance to further honour the aesthetic and the artist that inspire her world-renowned imagery, as she photographed key players within Nollywood. As well as Miu Miu, Ossai has worked with Kenzo, Nike, FENTY, Browns, and photographed many iconic women of colour – from Letitia Wright (Vanity Fair) to Jodie Turner Smith (Elle), Michaela Coel (New York Magazine) to Priyanka Chopra (Marie Claire). Ossai’s most recent cover is Elle’s March 2021 cover of FKA Twigs, where she once again conveys the simple elegance of safety and comfort, basic needs that women struggle to find but are freely afforded in Ossai’s intimate shoots; this is particularly significant considering the painful memories FKA Twigs, or before her Michaela Coel, dig up in their interviews. Dedicated to bringing the culture of her South-Eastern Nigerian home to the world, Ruth Ossai contemporary image-making has gone leaps and bounds in broadening editorial aesthetics in global popular culture and counting Black art, African art amongst the standard of beauty.

Adewojumi Aderemi

Malik Sidibé

Malik Sidibé is the visual luminary who captured ’90s Mali from his studio named Studio Malick in Bagadadji, a district located in the heart of Bamako. Known back then as the eye of Bamako, Sidibe’s unique photographs of party halls and quirky sartorial choices in Mali before the country’s 1960 Independence have now become the stuff of Instagram feed dreams. Capturing the intimacy and joyful exuberance of celebration and merriment, the image maker’s best-known works have depicted the burgeoning pop culture and nightlife of the Malian capital where he spent most of his career. Sidibé was once quoted to have said, “It’s a world, someone’s face. When I capture it, I see the future of the world”, a statement that’s surely stood the test of time as his best-known works have been known to typify youth culture as we know it by millennials and Gen Z Africans of today.

Although the photographer passed away at 80 a few years ago, his legendary photographs have been displayed in showrooms and art exhibitions across the United States and Europe. Sidibé’s work started receiving international acclaim in the 1990s when the French curator André Magnin introduced his work to France. In 1995, the photographer had his first international exhibition at the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris, and years later, in 2007, he became the first African and first photographer to receive the Golden Lion award for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale. By 2017, a year after his tragic passing the previous year, the Cartier foundation paid tribute to him in the form of a large retrospective exhibition titled Mali Twist. Till today, the image maker’s photos are widely distinguishable and have taken up their own space on the internet.

Tami Makinde

Trevor Noah

For a man born and raised in South Africa, who also started his career at home, Trevor Noah’s current level of popularity would be unfathomable if it weren’t unfolding right in front of our eyes. A decade ago, he delivered the classic stand-up special, “Trevor Noah: Crazy Normal”, a showcase of his punchy but loose joke unfolds and parodying that remains utterly hilarious till date. With a rising profile at home, Trevor sets his sight on a global audience, touring across continents and catching the eyes of fascinated Americans in the process. His ability to turn societal observations into easily digestible, hard-hitting jokes earned him a breakout berth as a correspondent on ‘The Daily Show’, a talk show he’s now been headlining for over six years as its main host. This year, Trevor will be hosting the upcoming edition of the Grammys, highlighting just how deeply etched he is into American and global pop culture. Trevor Noah is still writing his mythos, but from already available evidence, he’s already done enough to be regarded as legendary Black figure.

Dennis Ade Peter

Alek Wek

Fleeing from a war-torn Sudan, Alek Wek arrived in London at the young age of fourteen. Within the next five years, Alek Wek would become a professional model, signing to Ford Models in 1996 and named Model of the Year by MTV a year later – the same year that she graced the cover of Elle Magazine, becoming the first African to do so. Celebrated for breaking boundaries in the fashion industry, with her dark skin, her low cut her and her distinctly Africa name, scouted in Crystal Palace in 1995 Alek Wek spent much of her career manoeuvring spaces that had historically never seen her, and contemporarily didn’t accept her. But whilst the colour of her skin continued to be politicised, Wek was always only concerned with how good she looked: “Everyone was making a big deal out of the color of my skin, but I was making a big deal about how good I looked in that suit!”

Appearing in music videos for Tina Turna and Janet Jackson, judging on ANTM and Britain and Ireland’s iteration of the Next Top Model show, Alek Wek quickly became a fixture in pop culture, inspiring many black girls to believe that they too could be a part of and in addition, could influence mainstream culture. For example, Lupita Nyong’o said of her success, “when I saw Alek I inadvertently saw a reflection of myself that I could not deny,” she added. “Now, I had a spring in my step because I felt more seen, more appreciated by the far away gatekeepers of beauty.” Both a supermodel and a role model, Alek Wek remains influential though her modelling is not as active. She is also involved in campaigning with ties to the UN Refugee Agency, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, World Vision and is also an advisor to the US Committee for Refugees Advisory Council. Her book ALEK: From Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel was a bestseller and was translated into ten languages; get a copy and inspired.

Adewojumi Aderemi

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Given the boundaries she broke and how much it took for her to break them in our traditional society, in our eyes, Chimamanda was a role model and she could do no wrong if her entire politics was built on educating more people about feminism. She did do wrong, however, and it’s important for us to acknowledge that when we speak about the novelist. Back in 2018, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie came under heat for comments she had made on Britain’s Channel 4 News regarding trans identities and their experiences. Though she later apologised for the ways in which her comments invalidated the experiences of transwomen, the writer came under heat again last year when she referred to an essay by Rowling on gender as “Perfectly Reasonable”.

Regardless, it’s difficult to create any sort of list documenting influential African figures that have traversed across borders without including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the award-winning author behind books such as ‘The Purple Hibiscus’, ‘Americanah’ and ‘Half of A Yellow Sun’. To say that Adichie has earned her stripes and created a name for herself that put African literature on the map would be only telling one side of a many-layered story. Her continued status as a contemporary African novelist telling authentic stories about motherhood, feminism, sexuality, marriage, civil war, and much more, has now earned her the rankings of near-celebrity in these parts and across the diaspora. In 2013, a track called “****Flawless” on Beyoncé’s self-titled album included a sample of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk We Should All Be Feminists, a landmark move that was celebrated by many Africans and African-American women just learning and forming their own politics at the time.

Tami Makinde

Solomon Linda

For a long time, Solomon Linda was a shadowy figure. In 1939, the South African singer and the acapella group he headed, the Evening Birds, recorded “Mbube”, one of the greatest and most ubiquitous songs in the history of music. Still in the oppressive, racist Apartheid period at the time, Solomon Linda signed away the rights to “Mbube” for next to nothing, working in South Africa’s underdeveloped music industry as a Black Man recording for exploitive white, male executives. “Mbube” was wildly popular after its release, even going on to pioneer the Isicathamiya genre, but its global popularity happened in 1951, following a reinterpretation by American folk band, The Weavers, titled “Wimoweh”.

“Mbube”, now known as “The Lion Sleeps”, would go on to be covered and reinterpreted by a slew of American bands. The song would become even more popular after its use in Disney’s animated classic, “The Lion King”. In the last few years, Solomon Linda’s family have been fighting to gain full rights to their father’s timeless song, as well as due financial proceeds that weren’t paid to him while he was alive. It’s a battle that’s still ongoing, underlining the callousness of the music business and the fact that it’s another thing white people momentarily stole. For now, the symbolic victory is that Solomon Linda is no longer shadowy, he’s a seminal figure in pan-African and Black history.

Dennis Ade Peter

Virgil Abloh

Problematic as he may be, Virgil Abloh is one of the most influential figures in contemporary popular culture. Whether it’s becoming a synonym for a unit of measurement, or being the source of continental pride back in 2018 when he was named as the first person of African descent to head Louis Vuitton’s menswear line, Virgil Abloh is constantly in our eyes and ears – if not mouths – and thereby one of the key features in how contemporary culture is being shaped.

Becoming a Master of Architecture in 2006, from the Illinois Institute of Technology, it didn’t take long for Virgil Abloh to venture into the fashion industry. By 2009, Abloh had launched a boutique stroke gallery by the name of RSVP Gallery in Chicago, and that same year interned at Fendi, alongside fellow Chicago native, Kanye West. Withheld from real responsibilities Fendi became a chance for the pair to develop their artistic collaborative relationship, which culminated in Abloh’s role as Creative Director for DONDA – where he earned his stripes as a stylist and a DJ – and artistic director of ‘Watch The Throne’. After his first fashion brand, Pyrex Vision – which he was working on at the same time as his Been Trill collaborative endeavours, co-signed (then un-co-signed) by the likes of A$AP Rocky – Virgil Abloh, in 2013, began his high-end streetwear label, Off-White. Shortlisted as an LVMH finalist in 2015, Off-White has been instrumental in the rise of streetwear and its surrounding culture, globally. Though he has been known to portend its death, Off-White, and even its predecessors Pyrex and Been Trill, under the custody of Virgil Abloh helped usher streetwear into the mainstream. With their help, Champion t-shirts went from being Walmart stock to Pyrex merch and now well-respected street style pieces. Acutely aware of the significance of collaboration in streetwear, Virgil Abloh has collaborated with Nike, IKEA, and even smaller brands, such as the Nigerian streetwear convention, Street Souk. This collaborative spirit is shared throughout the streetwear market and continues to empower brands as they strive for mainstream success. Ultimately, Virgil Abloh’s appointment as Louis Vuitton menswear artistic director was the icing on the cake; a simple nod to his already palpable influence in contemporary fashion.

Adewojumi Aderemi

Osita Iheme

Osita Iheme is among the crop of entertainers that I would aptly categorise as ‘90s Nollywood royalty. If there was ever a Hall of Fame for renowned and celebrated actors of our time, it would be a crime not to include Osita Iheme. Growing up, the comedy prodigy appeared in almost every single funny movie or sketch that you could come across on television. Along with Chinedu Ikedieze, the television duo were known for their dramatic comical acting in their roles as Aki and PawPaw. His exaggerated expressions and top-notch freestyle skills earned him a new found fame on the Internet, when he became the meme king. There’s an Osita Iheme meme for just about anything you cam imagine, they worked well as reaction images for any given tweet or thread. The resurgence of these old clips and images is largely thanks to Instagram accounts documenting Nollywood noughties for a new generation. But it was Fenty Beauty sharing a clip of the famed comedian back in 2019 that really boosted the duo’s visibility to a more international audience. Whatever the case, there’s no denying Iheme’s comedic gold and his memes will remain evergreen.

Tami Makinde

Featured Image Credits: NATIVE

All illustrations by Debola Abimbolu for NATIVE. Words by Tami Makinde, Adewojumi Aderemi and Dennis Ade Peter

ICYMI:

Songs Of The Day: New Music from Ycee, Tiwa Savage, AKA & more

Posted on by The Native

Music has served as the life force connecting people and communities around the world in these unprecedented times. Though the pandemic has denied us live shows and concerts, 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.  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 continue pointing you towards as much great music as we possibly can.

Last week, we put you on to the new video from Gospel singer Sinach, new single drops from Niniola, Lil5ive, and capespring, a much-anticipated Ke Star remix featuring Davido, as well as the official debut single from Jonzing World’s Ruger. For our mid-week selection, we’re bringing you some of the best releases in the past few days from around the continent, including releases from Ycee, Tiwa Savage, AKA, Edem, Psycho YP and more. You’re welcome. Enjoy.

Ycee – “Nu Riddim”

On his debut album ‘Ycee vs Zaheer’ back in 2019, Lagos-based rapper and singer, Ycee confidently asserted his penchant for fusing rap and singing in his work. In an interview with the NATIVE, he confirmed that era marked some of the best music he had ever made, but although he’s been relatively quiet since then, having only dropped last years ‘Quarantunes‘, the singer is confidently returning to the limelight with a new single titled “Nu Riddim”. Over an r&b-tinged beat, he sings “It’s up to you and you, baby no one but you/so baby date me,” delivering a soulful heartfelt confessional to a love interest.

Bob Marley & The Wailers – “Jamming” (Tropkillaz Remix) [feat. Tiwa Savage]

Four decades after his passing, Bob Marley’s music continues to inspire. The Jamaican Reggae icon, in addition to being one of the greatest musicians to walk the earth, was and continues to remain a symbol of hope for a better world, so it makes sense that present day artists are still reinterpreting and remixing his best songs. Famed Brazilian DJ/producer duo, Tropkillaz, have just shared their remix of “Jamming”, putting a sunny and bouncy Tropical House spin on the bonafide Bob Marley classic. They also recruit the increasingly socially inclined Tiwa Savage, and on her verse, the singer extols the power of togetherness in the drive for change, a clear allusion to last October’s bracing #EndSARS protests in Nigeria, as well as the other movements for social change across Africa.

AKA – “Finessin’”

Last November, AKA dropped ‘Bhovamania’, an experimental project where he blended dance-inflected sonic cues and melodic rap cadences. While the project has divided opinions pretty sharply, the South African rap veteran is still working promotional angles for the project. His latest drop is the music video for “Finessin’”, a clear standout off the tape featuring uncredited vocals from newly engaged fiancée Nelli Tembe, where he raps about his priorities—get a queen, live his best life and leave haters foaming at the mouth. The video takes a cinematic route, as it casts AKA as a street racer and schemer who navigates a deal with some dangerous guys, but is later caught by a police detective.

 Falana – “Joy”

It’s a little more difficult to sell positivity these days. With a still-raging pandemic, the world seems to be under a perennial dark cloud, making it near impossible to relish moments of joy. On her new single, “Joy”, Falana makes a strong case for viewing each second of every day as a blessing. “stumble, get up, I keep it moving/trouble won’t let up, I keep it moving”, she proclaims in her trademark, sweetly scented voice. The accompanying video does a great job of beaming joy, portraying heart-warming scenarios alongside shots of Falana singing and dancing while flamboyantly styled.

Stogie T – Dunno (feat. Nasty C)

In July, Stogie T dropped two singles featuring high profile guests, “Animals” with Griselda rapper Benny the Butcher and the Nasty C-assisted “Dunno”. Renewing attention for the latter song, he’s just dropped an accompanying music video, and it visualises the ominous shit-talking both rappers indulge in over a slow boiling piano chords and floor shaking bass. Directed by Amir Singh and Lazarusman, we see Stogie T and Nasty C tormenting an internet troll, taking and twisting tropes from horror flicks, resulting in quite the intriguing set of visuals.

Rexxie & Mohbad – “KPK”

Rexxie has had the streets on lock for the past two years and counting. Having played an integral role in morphing the sound of street-bred music into a dynamic and distinct organism, the producer’s latest smash hit, “KPK”, takes sonic cues from the South African-originated Amapiano, subverting them for a banger that’s fresh and instantly connected with Nigeria. Keeping the song’s hype train going, he and cMohbad, have shared the music video for “KPK”, and as expected it is dominated by the seemingly infinite variations of the Zanku dance. The video is set to precede the forthcoming release of Rexxie’s debut album, ‘A True Champion’.

Barry Jhay – “Ori”

A significant portion of Barry Jhay’s growing discography is geared towards music reflecting the aspirational reality of Nigerians. In a similar vein as his breakout hit song, “Aye”, the singer’s new single, “Ori”, is a prayerful song where he hopes for greater heights in life. Ever reverent of Yoruba traditional culture, Barry Jhay leans into the ideal that one’s head determines one’s destiny; so he prays his head directs him the right track over a folksy, fast-paced instrumental by Vstix.

Psycho YP & Azanti – “Ji Masun”

True to their initial plan of dropping multiple videos off their joint tape, ‘YP & Azanti, Vol. 1’, Psycho YP and Azanti have shared the video for “Ji Masun”, a short while after debuting the video for “Focused”. The new video hints at a storyline brewing, as it finds Azanti losing the lover he won over from the previous video. Set at a Game night/house party, the video leans into Azanti’s confessional candour on his verse (“I didn’t step up, I told lies and didn’t fess up”, he sings), while also capturing both artists performing their lyrics.

Edem – “Favour” (feat. Efya & Sarkodie)

Following a prolific 2020 run that saw him drop a full-length project and an EP, Afro-Caribbean veteran, Edem has opened his account for this year with “Favour”, a new single featuring singer Efya and rap veteran Sarkodie. Driven by a thumping, fast-paced Dancehall beat with Funk inflections, the Ghanaian trio rebuke hot-and-cold lovers, each turning in impassioned performances to display their disdain at the other party’s indecisiveness. The accompanying video focuses on the song’s dance elements, adding an artsy twist with its use of black-and-white shots and brightly coloured sets making for a visually catchy juxtaposition with all the melanin on display.

BEST NEW MUSIC: FOCALISTIC AND DAVIDO ARE DEEP IN THEIR BAG ON “KE STAR REMIX”

Hot Takes: Spotify, Ghana’s LGBTQIA+ community and the future of Afropop

Posted on by The Native

Another day, another dollar. The week might have just started, but I’m already feeling pretty spent. Not only has Zoom fatigue and spiralling to keep up with adulting in a panasonic got me down this week, but we’re edging closer and closer to our one-year anniversary in quarantine and the thought of that really spooks me. But with officially one week to March, this means we’re also a few weeks closer to my favourite time of the year–Aries season.

For me, all things align when my season is in town (or I would just like to believe so) and so, I’m holding onto that wishful thinking in hopes that I’ll subconsciously start believing that things will get better soon. This all sounds mad bleak. so I’ll stop the rant now. In other news, my co-worker Dennis called me cool in last week’s Hot Takes column so maybe things aren’t all that bad. We started this column a few months ago to give you (more ourselves tbh) a much-needed break from the constant consumption of horrible news every day, and it’s been such a journey discovering all the latest tidbits in popular culture to get our minds off our dystopian reality. Today, I’m taking the reigns to school you guys on all things Gen-Z, the Headies, Bobby Shmurda’s release, and helping members of the Ghanaian LGBTQI+ community in these trying times.

What I’m listening to: Kaash Paige ‘Teenage Fever’

One of my greatest discoveries of 2020 was Dallas singer, Kaash Paige who released her debut full-length LP ‘Teenage Fever’ last September. Before this, I had heard her airy melodies on Don Toliver’s “Euphoria” featuring Travis Scott earlier in the year, just as the world descended into months of a socially distanced lockdown and we were all consuming more music than we normally would. Her voice was refreshing, one of the best I’d heard in a minute, and I was infinitely curious about the 19-year old singer off that one track. Her debut album ‘Teenage Fever’ converted me to full Kaash Paige stan as her 13-track album encapsulated everything the modern lo-fi r&b  has to offer at this moment. Although she chronicles her experiences as an upcoming artist on the verge of her teenage years, some feelings and experiences are universal and able to resonate with anyone. Being a music writer, I find it hard to consume a lot of music outside what I have to analyse and write about (desperately trying to break this curse, send me playlists) but ‘Teenage Fever’ had me coming back for replays. Also with a stage name that has the acronym “Kill All Arrogance, Stop Hatred,” what’s there not to love about this prodigy.

What I’m watching on Netflix: Behind Her Eyes

When I’m not watching episodes of Modern Family or The Office (US, duh!) or rewatching my favourite teen films like Mean Girls and Wild Child, I am always looking for what’s hot on Netflix at the moment. Over the weekend, I saw people talking about the ending of a new series called ‘Behind Her Eyes’, and being a lover of a good psychological thriller, I decided to give this a watch. The ending definitely was a shocker and it gave me very Jordan Peele ‘Us’ vibes in the very last 2o minutes of the show so you absolutely must watch it if it’s your speed. Complete with night terrors, astral projection, and a cheating spouse, this wasn’t a bad mindless binge if you can get through the 6 hour-long episodes.

What’s hot on TikTok: BGC Drama Effect

Over Christmas last year, when I was down with the ‘rona, I found myself finding comfort and solace in TikTok videos. They became a way for me to escape my reality and really find something to laugh about again while I was cut off from hanging with my family in our communal living spaces. Since then, I’ve become a regular TikTok user, consistently checking what’s on my timeline every day and even making a few videos myself. This week, my TikTok feed seems to be filled with people using this dramatic BGC sound effect that’s typically used in reality TV and movies when the plot thickens and a revelation is made. All week, TikTok users have utlised this effect to air out greviences in the most hilarious way. From asking why sis shaved her coochie if all she wanted was closure to asking that deadbeat nigga why he hasn’t hit if the girl he’s talking about lets everyone hit, you will for sure be triggered by one of them. If you’re looking for a way to spend a few hours laughing, this is the perfect trend for you, cause every single video has been a hit.

@orodiiolmao sorry I look rough I just woke up #fyp #viral #xyzbca♬ BGC Drama Effect – whozmanzzz

@3.pointsLike bro im just chillin♬ BGC Drama Effect – whozmanzzz

Spotify is finally coming to Nigeria and Ghana

Finally, Spotify has announced that they will be expanding into 80 new markets over the next few months, including key territories across Africa such as Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. The vast expansion coming soon means that Spotify will be active in more than 173 markets. This move is one that many Nigerians have been anticipating for a while and will increase the number of streaming services that are already available in these countries including Apple Music and Tidal. In addition, this could also be This could also mean a lot for podcasters, as it means that the platform could increase opportunities and visibility for many podcasters, and reach a wider audience. With both free and subscription-based services coming with the app, it would be interesting to see how Spotify is able to manouvre the African market. Those who use the platform swear that it’s superior to all others, and we’d love to see how accurate this comparison is. A widely acknowledged constraint to the adoption of streaming is the relatively high price of data in both Nigeria, Ghana and I suspect many other African nations so it will be interesting to see how Spotify entering the African streaming market would rally up users who are already using services like Audiomack where they can stream for free.

Gen Z vs Millenials

Last week, Gen Zers and Millenials declared war on the timeline following the release of a Zikoko article that revealed what Gen Zers hate about the millennials around them. Many of the comments focused on how the sibling generations were so different, with the younger of the two disliking how similar their older siblings were to their boomer parents, and how restricted and stuck in their ways many of them could be. The enemy lines were drawn and this resulted in a full-blown Twitter war that lasted hours with each side making fun of the other for their general traits. It’s safe to say that Gen Z won the war by a landslide, and they keep taking losses even nearly a week after. If you’ve ever been around a 30+ millennial, you’ll know that they love to ask you whether you know what song was popping in 1999 even though you were probably a toddler, and for years they have fancied themselves superior because of it. Now, the tables have turned, and we’re all adults, but the millennials can’t seem to identify the new vanguard of Afropop hitmakers in pictures. Safe to say that many failed woefully and couldn’t tell who was who if they walked past them on the street, even though they probably jam to their songs on the radio and in the club (well, when outside was open).  It’s hilarious how an artist could be heard everywhere from the streets to the club and still could remain unknown or unrecognisable to a whole group of people in society, and in Nigeria, that seems to be a common trend. Nontheless, it’s all a bit of banter and we’re here for all the funny tweets. Play nice kids, the real enemy are these damn boomers.

Hushpuppi in the mud…AGAIN

Last year, in June, popular Instagram influencer Ramon Abbas aka Hushpuppi was arrested by the Dubai police. A court document claims he and co-conspirators “[targeted] victims around the world in schemes designed to steal hundreds of millions of dollars.” Hushpuppi who had become known for his extravagant and opulent lifestyle on Instagram claimed that he made his money through real estate, and was then charged with conspiring to launder that money. Investigators seized nearly $41 million, 13 luxury cars worth $6.8 million, and phone and computer evidence, Dubai Police said in a statement. They uncovered email addresses of nearly 2 million possible victims with their lives destroyed through phones, computers and hard drives.

Since then, not much had been heard of Hushpuppi’s case until now and it seems that he’s still deep in the mud–despite Bobrisky’s pleas that he makes it home soon. Further news of Hushpuppi’s case now shows that he is in more trouble than initially suspected. According to a thread on Twitter, the scammer was allegedly working with North Korean hackers to help them scam a number of US citizens of billions of dollars. But his plan was foiled when a flewed out date with Blac Chyna raised suspicions. Now, I don’t know what in the badly written Nollywood script is going on, but we can’t say for certain whether any of these claims are even true. What I do know however is that we (not me sha) made an influencer out of a man who spent his life stealing from hardworking people. There’s nothing funny or inspirational about that and he deserves to pay for his crimes. Karma is a bitch and Hushpuppi’s is definitely draped in Gucci.

Bobby Free!

Bobby Shmurda is finally free people and the summer can begin again. Bobby was made eligible for conditional release, meaning he will serve the remainder of his sentence under community supervision until the maximum expiration date of Feb. 23, 2026. Although the conditions of his release don’t seem to be that great, the news of his release has already been widely celebrated in hopes that the rapper would get back in the booth and take over again. Quavo told Billboard that he will be there to pick up the Brooklyn rapper in style. “I’m going to get my guy,” the Migos frontman says. “I’m personally gonna go pick up Bobby Shmurda. I’m bout to go get him. I’m gonna let him show you how I’m gonna pick him up, yessir,” he had shared. Fans were very excited about this because prior to his arrest, Shmurda and Migos were working on a joint mixtape titled Shmigo Gang. Quavo then teased another collaboration in the stash at the end of 2019 and now we can only imagine what the trio will get up to with Shmurda now that he’s finally free.

Defunding the Headies and the future of Afropop

It’s been over 15 years of production from the annual Headies awards and its 14th installation came and went without any lasting impact beyond the milieu of new artists it welcomed into its winner’s hall of fame including Omah Lay, The Cavemen, Fireboy DML, Bad Boy Timz and more. We know that everything is made extremely difficult in Nigeria, but there’s no way to sugarcoat it – for a show that has been around for so long, the Hip Tv award is terribly produced, disorganised, and unrepresentative of the breadth of the Nigerian music industry. This year, with loads of people stuck indoors due to COVID-19 rules and guidelines, many more people tuned in online for the award show, but didn’t quite get the experience they expected. The problems were many–the video quality was incredibly poor, the lighting was atrocious, hosts were on stage without masks, award winners walked back to their seats and didn’t exit orderly through the backstage, and the category award winners were all over the place. The most obvious peeve I had while watching the show was the lack of understanding of the different genres and the unrepresentative categories that the Headies still relies on.

Fireboy DML won awards for Best R&B and Best Pop Album for his debut ‘Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps’ and his sophomore project ‘APOLLO’ respectively. While we’re incredibly happy to see the singer earn his stripes, neither of these albums belonged in either of those categories and therein lies the problem. If we’re not even defining and understanding in certain terms what a genre means, then how can we ensure that all the albums or songs nominated within that category are representative of the entire landscape of that genre within Nigeria? Take, for instance, the Alternative category, artists such as DRB, The Cavemen, and more were nominated within this field and in previous years, many such as Odunsi the Engine, Lady Donli, Tay Iwar and more have also received nominations. But not everyone that is considered ‘alternative’ is making alternative music–sometimes they make r&b or rap or pop.

Award categories must show and recognise they are keeping abreast with moving popular culture. Considering that we’re in an era of music where full-lengths constantly defy easy categorisation, grouping albums by genres is quite the task, however, we need award shows that are properly representative of everything music has to offer, if not, then I struggle to find why we should even be paying attention to award shows bent on keeping some away from receiving accolades. It was still heartwarming to see young artist supporting each other and showing up for themselves particularly the Next Rated nominees. The future of afropop is definitely in safe hands, all that’s missing is an award show that does justice to their collective contibutions.

Ghana’s LGBTQIA+ community

All across Africa and her nations, marginalised groups are crying out for help against governments and people bent on harmfully erasing and prosecuting them. The Ghanaian LGBTQIA+ community is particularly looking for support and help at this moment. A few weeks ago, LGBT+ Rights Ghana opened its doors to the queer community within the country with a new community center that would serve as a safe space for many looking for shelter and community.

Rather than see this as a moment of celebration for the queer community who are still under attack from homophobic legislation, many of Ghana’s Catholic bishops and government officials have fired intense vitriol and hate towards LGBTQ+ advocacy. Phrases such as ‘it’s against our culture’, ‘it’s a sin’ and other harmful and degrading rhetoric have been shared on the news and on social media, in efforts to sentisise the wider public to feel empowered to carry out hate crimes on queer-looking or androgynous individuals.

These tactics are nothing new. For many years now, African nations have constantly churned out the same harmful rhetoric and language when it comes to engaging with the marginalised queer communities who endlessly facing prosecution for daring to live their lives and love who they love. The more that religious leaders and well-known government officials continue to chastise and debate the validity and existence of members of our community, the more other citizens feel empowered to hurt, attack, and harass individuals different from the norm. This comes just a few weeks after Angola decriminalised homosexuality in the country. The new penal code, which was passed in parliament back in 2019, does away with the contentious “vices against nature” provision which targeted queer Angolans and hindered their access to healthcare, education and obtaining employment. The new law also states that individuals found discriminating against another on the basis of sexual orientation will face imprisonment of up to two years.

This move by the Angolan government sparked hope for members of the LGBTQIA+ communities in other countries where it is still criminalised by legislation. That is why what is currently taking place in Ghana and being fuelled by local media is so painful to bear. At the moment, there are so many queer people hurting and hiding from being ousted during this time and it’s even more painful knowing that we have a long way to go before our existence is not hot button stories to debate and invalidate. Shutting down the LGBT+ centre in Ghana sends a clear message about the importance of certain lives over others in the Ghanaian community and we must all play a part in making sure we support our Ghanaian counterparts who deserve to be seen and heard. People continue to claim Africa is not ready for homosexuality but what gives any government the right to deny members of their society the right to live freely as themselves. To find out how to help, read more below and donate to LGBT Rights Ghana.

Featured image credits/NATIVE

ICYMI: Here’s all the hot takes you may have missed last week

The best and worst looks from the 14th Headies Awards

Posted on by The Native

On Sunday night, the 14th Headies Award Show saw the likes of Bella Shmurda, Fireboy DML, Bad Boy Timz, The Cavemen, Ladipoe and more earn their stripes for their contributions to the Nigerian music scene. The award show has long been known to be the ultimate accolade for a Nigerian artist, however, due to their wavering consistency despite being around for over a decade the prestige of a Headie might no longer be what it once was. While there were many noteworthy moments such as Fireboy sweeping up four awards including Album of the Year and The Cavemen’s first award, what seemed to have gained the attention of those watching all over the country, was the fashion choices.

The red carpet is often a point of discussion at award shows, and The Headies was no different. The choices donned at award shows are usually either a hit or miss out, and in Nigeria, when you factor that there’s a global pandemic that demands that we remain socially distanced, a 12-pm curfew, and wear face masks to curtail the spread of a deadly virus, there’s a lot to turn over and discuss.

Although fashion is primarily subjective, and what may be best dressed to one person may be the worst dressed to another and vice versa, what’s good is typically always good, and what’s bad is bad. Following our observations throughout the Sunday night show, and given that there was little else to discuss about the award show itself, we’ve ranked a few of our best and worst fashion moments from the 14th annual Headies Awards.

Best Fashion Moments

4. Alex Unusual

I don’t even think this lady has much to do with the music industry, but there’s no denying that she looks kinda cute in this outfit. Although the pants could’ve been a few inches shorter, she still pulled off this three-piece co-ord stylishly. Made by Sevon Dejana, the burgundy velvet number shows off the brand’s penchant for flair, and it’s definitely put them on our radar for whenever outside opens properly.

3. Kimoprah

Remember when Mercy Johnson said ‘forget about your shiny suit’? Well, Kimoprah’s isn’t one we will be forgetting any time soon. I’m a sucker for a good tailored two-piece and this gorgeous set from sustainable ready-to-wear womenswear brand, Hertunba was all hits no misses. This earthy brown tone seems to be the colour of the season, and the trousers pair perfectly well with the blue jacket, it seems a bit like the fit was inspired by the beach and she looked good.

 

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A post shared by Kim Opara (@kimoprah)

2. Erica

If you’re going to do the princess look, you have to do it right and Erica definitely did it right with her gorgeous dress by Mide. With mixed fabric, what made the dress stand out to me was the intricate hand beaded detail in the mid-riff, adorned with traditional cowrie shells. If you ask me, this is how you take tradition forward.

 

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A post shared by Erica Ngozi Nlewedim (@ericanlewedim)

1. Wizkid

Can there be a rundown of the best fashion moments with our Starboy coming up in conversation? Absolutely not. Wizkid has always been a fashion icon, and the best thing about his fits lately is that it shows how laidback and relaxed our Starboy currently is. Dripped in a slouchy white two-piece, and a mask to match, this ensemble made him look extra cool and in a default state of unflappable chill. He looked effortlessly cool, and that’s why Wizkid is our fashion hit of the entire event.

 

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A post shared by wizkidayo (@wizkidayo_stories)

Worst Fashion moments

4. Falz

Falz may have won the award for Best Hip-Hop/Rap song but this outfit was far from hip in my eyes. It’s really difficult to pull off a white suit if you’re not P-Diddy, and when you then add in gold detailing on the shoulder pads, I just –. I think Falz could have looked alright and regular without that detail, but it just really reminded me of WWE heavyweight belts and that’s a big no from me.

 

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A post shared by Falz TheBahdGuy (@falzthebahdguy)

3. Nancy Isime and Bovi

The hosts of the 14th Headies award show gave little to desire when it came to their sartorial choices, and their stylists should be written up for what they did. I know it’s harmattan but surely, it’s still too hot for Nancy’s winter jacket? On top of that, the bright yellow… na. Although, it’s important to note that Bovi made a statement when he wore a piece that featured the bloody Nigerian flag from the October 20 #EndSARS horrors so that was a redeeming factor.

 

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2. Iyabo Ojo

My unpopular opinion is that the lady who won the award for best dressed was actually one of the worst dressed people at the event. But like I said earlier, one person’s fashion hit might be a miss for someone else and this certainly belonged in the latter for me. I’m not a fan of all the bedazzlement on her dress and I didn’t really get the whole sleeves extending into gloves thing, it doesn’t seem practical. What happens when she needs to spend a penny? Lovely hair and makeup though.

1. Desmond Elliot

Get a load of this guy. I get that we should respect tradition and all, but this is not an owambe and he just looks out of place. It would have been a bit better if he wasn’t wearing a full on agbada, maybe just a regular blue traditional fit might have toned the look down a bit and made it more bearable. One good thing is that there are already loads of funny memes and jokes about this fit on social media and I’ve been hollering all afternoon.

Featured image credits/NATIVE

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Best New Music: Focalistic and Davido are deep in their bag on “Ke Star Remix”

Posted on by The Native

Over the past few years, a distinct rhythmic genre from South Africa has risen to indisputable fame, traversing borders from its originating country and rubbing with other sounds within Africa taking on new life in the communities it has now settled in. Amapiano, as it is now popularly known has become South Africa’s youngest and fastest-growing electronic music movement, which has grown from the underground to a global phenomenon.

While the genre enjoys a new moment in the spotlight, we’ve seen more and more African artists – particularly Nigerian artists – hop on its wave, adopting this sound into their Afropop-tinged production and displaying the creativeness of Amapiano. While this certainly boosts the genre’s growth and appeal, we’ve already seen how detrimental claiming ownership of the genre can be to the communities and places it first originated. Because of this, cross-cultural collaborations between Afropop’s finest and South African artists tapping into the genre are always welcome, much in the way our inclusion of “Sponono” on the best collaborations of the past year proved without a doubt.

 

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A post shared by Davido (@davido)

Focalistic was one of the first rappers to co-opt and properly commit to the growing sound, channelling the liveliness of his gruff voice over the genre’s rhythmic production. Following on from his latest album ‘Sghubu Ses Excellent’ which dropped in December last year, the rapper has now tapped into the pop sounds of Afropop heavyweight Davido for the remix to his 2020 single, “Ke Star”. Enlisting Davido was certainly a smart move, for a song that’s already stolen the hearts and ears of Amapiano lovers across the continent, particularly as the Afropop juggernaut tapped into the trending sound on his third studio LP ‘A Better Time’ . The South African rapper admitted after the song’s release that he had been a fan of Davido from day one, and a worthy feature from the Afropop star was now a lifetime dream diligently fulfilled.

Virgo Deep’s breezy instrumental arrangement sets immaculate ambiance for Focalistic and Davido to float effortlessly on the beat, supporting each other through their verses. Davido opens the track with his catchy adlibs and one-liners before bursting into his memorable verse: “It goes down when my G’s connect, no disconnect/I dey catch cruise, forget/If you talk you collect” he sings, arming listeners with enough quotables that can easily be committed to memory and chant.

Focalistic joins Davido after his powerful opener, delivering all the rhythms and enviable flow that we heard in the song’s original version. Singing entirely in Sepitori, the rapper memorably sings “Tikitiki yo yo yo” several times on the song’s lively production – the catchy quotable that first thrust the original version into viral prominence. He doesn’t compromise on his knack for delivering hits and creating, saying “Ase Trap Tse Ke Pina Tsa Ko Kasi” which is roughly translated as “It’s not trap, it’s a song from the hood”.

Currently, the song is already making headway around the continent, shooting to the #1 spot on Afrobeats charts in Nigeria, Tanzania, and South Africa, alongside remarkably making an entrance on the UK iTunes top songs charts. It’s safe to say that the song is already a brilliant success so early on from its release, and with Focalistic already teasing the song’s video in the coming days, we can’t wait to see how it continues to break records and foster collaboration between the Amapiano disruptors and artists from around the African continent.

Stream “Ke Star Remix” below.

ICYMI: A 1-Listen Review of Mr Eazi’s EP ‘Something Else’

TurnTable Top 50: Teni makes history as the first female artist debut atop the chart

Posted on by The Native

For eleven straight weeks, Omah Lay’s “Godly” made history as the longest charting No. 1 single on the TurnTable Top 50. Putting that run to an end, Teni’s new, Davido-assisted single, “For You”, debuts on this week’s edition of the charts. The new No. 1 also sets a historic milestone, as it’s the first time a song by a female artist debuts and sits at the highest position on the Top 50. “For You” is the second single off Teni’s long-awaited debut album, ‘Wondaland’, and this achievement emboldens the singer’s reputation for playing the mainstream game by her own rules.

Two weeks ago, Ayra Starr initially set the mark for the highest charting song by a female artist in the Top ten, with breakout song “Away” moving to No. 5, a week after debuting five spots below. Having dropped four places in the previous week, the Mavin wunderkind’s hit song has reached a new peak, rising to No. 4 in this week’s edition of the chart. The song’s leap was powered by an increase in radio airplay and TV airplay impressions, both metrics from more traditional sources that indicate the teenage singer’s growing ubiquity.

TurnTable Top 5 (February 22)

The majority of the top ten remains largely unchanged, with “Godly” only tumbling down one spot to No. 2, as well as DJ Kaywise and Phyno’s “Highway”, which comes in at No. 3 after four consecutive weeks at the second spot. Naira Marley’s “Koleyewon” (No. 5) continues its remarkable run in the top ten, as does Bella Shmurda’s “Cash App”, which drops one spot to No. 6. Wizkid and Burna Boy’s “Ginger”, which set the ball rolling at the top of the charts, holds steady at No. 7, while Davido and Mayorkun’s “The Best” falls six places to No. 9, and “Rush” by Dangbana Republik and Bella Shmurda slips from No. 8 to No. 10.

With their increasingly popular, Omah Lay-assisted jam, “Pronto”, Ajebo Hustlers make their top ten debut, coming in at No. 8. The duo broke out with the ultra-catchy and biting piece of social commentary, “Barawo”, and their latest drop gives stronger indication of their potential for stardom. Outside the top ten, Chike’s “Running (To You)”, featuring Simi, debuts at No. 18, while Joeboy’s “Focus” makes a one spot jump into No. 12. One of the bigger jumps of the week is from Ghanaian singer Gyakie; the Fresh Meat alum’s single, “Forever”, is the first song by a non-Nigerian to reach the top twenty of the Top 50, having climbed from No. 46 to No. 20 on the back of increased streams and radio airplay impressions during the period surrounding Valentine’s Day.

You can see the full rundown of the TurnTable Top 50 here.

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

NATIVE EXCLUSIVE: MADE KUTI IS MOVING AFROBEAT FORWARD

Watch Nissi’s spirited video for new single “Move x2”

Posted on by The Native

Spaceship Record signee, Nissi Ogulu has just shared a new single and video for “Move x2”, the follow up to last year’s debut album ‘Ignite’ and her 3-D animated movie ‘The Satchel’ which is now streaming on Youtube. The best kind of music is the kind you can feel and in these parts, the ones that can move listeners to dance. As such, the aptly-titled new single is perfectly indicative of the singer’s continuous penchant to imbue Yoruba heritage into her music.

Produced by Kizz Ernie, “Move x2” is a catchy upbeat single that finds the London-based singer encouraging her fans to look past the hard times and find reasons to keep moving and rejoicing. “Kasala everywhere, I no fit to comprehend/Why must all the good things come to an end/Kilode Kilode” she sings against groovy production, coming to the realisation that problem no dey finish. Regardless, we must always find the happiness within–which for her, she finds through dance.

The accompanying video brings the song’s empowering message to life. Directed by the Alien and shot in Lagos, we see beautiful scenes of Nissi and a host of female dancers living it up at every given chance. The video is drenched in cultural references to Nissi’s heritage from the traditional sculptures that grace each scene to the beautiful adornments she and the dancers wear. At the end of the video, the mood has lifted, everyone in her world is dancing and the energy is enough to rub off on anyone. “Move x2” is certainly a number that acts as an affirmation for how we fully and confidently show up in the world and Nissi wants all her fans to know this and move with this certainty. When the going gets tough, the tough kick off their shoes and hit the dancefloor.

Listen to “Move x2” below.

Featured image credits/Youtube

ICYMI: Focalistic and Davido are deep in their bag on “Ke Star Remix”

A 1-Listen Review of Mr Eazi’s EP ‘Something Else’

Posted on by The Native

Mr Eazi occupys a unique space in the African music industry. For the past few years, the singer-songwriter has been busy building the foundations of his music empire – EmPAWA Africa – an incubator music programme which has now morphed into a full fledged label and distribution service firm, with an aim to pave the way for other artists whilst highlighting the many possibilities that await African talent in the global market. This was enough indication that he had created something special, and it became even more evident when the careers of Joeboy, J.Derobie, WhoIsAkinn and more took off in the past year.

But while the afropop juggernaut has been busy investing in African music creatives, he hasn’t lost sight of his solo music career which has been spurring to greater heights as he continues to create what he calls “Banku music” — a twist on Afrobeats with greater influences from Ghana. Last year saw the release of successful collaborations with Major Lazer and Nicki Minaj with single “Oh My Gawd”, J Balvin’s “Lento”, which won a Latin Grammy, and “Nobody”, his link-up with DJ Neptune and #emPawa100 alum Joeboy, which was the No. 1 single of the year in Nigeria, generating over 100 million streams worldwide.

His legion of fans and followers alike have been following his every move until this moment. This year, the emPAWA boss has already released “The Don”, the boastful opening track to his latest musical offering, the 5-tracker titled ‘Something Else’. The EP is said to find Mr Eazi returning to the smoothed-out fusion of afrobeats and highlife he first developed on massive hits like “Skin Tight” and “Leg Over”. And the singer has already described the songs on the project as an intermission, or “calm before the storm,” ahead of the imminent release of his third studio LP ‘Life is Eazi, Vol.3’. 

In Usual 1-Listen Review Fashion, All Reactions Are In Real-Time While The Music Plays. No Pauses, Rewinds, Fast-Forwards Or Skips.

 

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The Don

“The Don” was the first promotional single from ‘Something Else’ released about two weeks before the project’s arrival. The title is perfectly indicative of what’s inside–over two minutes of straight boasting and flexing as Mr Eazi welcomes listeners into his ever-expanding world. He’s made a huge splash in the music industry these past few years and he’s even bagged a Grammy before the African Giant (albeit a Latin one) but I’m not even mad at it because Mr Eazi deserves to raise his shoulders. When he sings “Man are the don and I paid my price/I’m living like I’m in paradise”, I can almost imagine him strutting into the studio with palpable confidence the day this was recorded.

Love For You

I can already tell this isn’t going to be a favourite of mine just in the song’s first few moments. Mr Eazi sings “I got love for you/and I no go fuck up” in the song’s intro, and I am already resisting the urge for a massive eye-roll but this could honestly just be my own deeply-seeded trust issues. The production is simple, shakers are nice and soft, and it’s sweet-sounding enough to play by so quickly that I almost had to do a double-take when the next song came on. It sounds like this could be the next wedding song populating millennial weddings.

Cherry featuring Xenia Manasseh

I’d been waiting to get to this song because I was excited to see Kenya’s Xenia Manasseh was featured on the number. I’d dived into her music last year during International Women’s Month and hadn’t heard any new material until now. Praise Be. I’m already loving this from the songs opening moments, the beat is so catchy and fun. Not Mr Eazi segueing to singing in Igbo, this is actually really good. Wait did he just say “Cause na you wey give me efo, spiritual efo”, no but I’ve actually died because it sounds like the kind of corny pick-up line he would say (sorry Temi). Xenia’s verse is so fun and it really elevates this song. Everyone absolutely did what they had to do, including Blaq Jerzee. I will definitely be adding this to my library.

Saudi Arabia

This is also a really fun number already. It seems that Mr Eazi and Blaq Jerzee are the duo we didn’t know we needed till now. I’m not complaining because I’m doing a little dance and enjoying this a bit too much. Like I wouldn’t mind hearing this and the previous song at the function tonight, this is it. The only thing I’d say is that Mr Eazi has the corniest lines, OMG! But what more can we expect from these almost 30-plus millennials. However, this is one of the songs on the album which definitely needs a video and I’m hoping for one.

E Be Mad

I really like the strings that open this song. Very light and soothing. Okay, the beat’s dropped now. Why does this sort of remind me of dem “Skin Tight” and “Leg Over” Mr Eazi all over again? Here he goes with the corny rhymes again LOL, he’s a menace at this point, please. But these drum patterns and percussive instruments? This sounds like a bit of home. It reminds me of all these outdoor parties back in the village, everyone outside and soaking up the excitement in the air. I wish the EP was a bit longer because this just doesn’t seem like the song to end on, although its a really strong number.

Final Thoughts

For those who have paid close attention to Mr Eazi during his prolific career-run thus far, this EP represents a homecoming of sorts, a return to the familiar Banku-inspired music that has laced his earlier hits and a new evolution in his career–this is an artist who is relaxed in his kingdom. He sounds the most at ease that I’ve ever heard him, packing into the project’s 13 minutes run time something for every listener to have a selection of differing favourites.

This is an assertion of his growth so far, but not indicative of where the emPawa boss could take his artistry next. Speaking about the EP, Mr Eazi shared, “I spent the entire year working on building emPawa Africa and morphing into ‘Don Eazi’, the mogul. I almost had no time to record. This project was inspired by Kel P and Killertunes, who kept coming to meet me in Accra until I finally recorded ‘The Don”. That opened the door for me getting back in the studio.” That new-found ease is what translates on this album as we get to see the workings of an artist wearing a multitude of hats–as a tastemaker for a new generation of artists and an artist ripe for evolution.

Stream ‘Something Else’ below.

Featured image credits/MrEazi

Doing what I can to make sure the culture isn’t slept on @tamimak_

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The significance of Def Jam Africa’s “Coming 2 America” soundtrack

Posted on by The Native

Music and film are an inextricably linked pair. While it makes sense that various forms of art are always in conversation with each other, the relationship between these two specific forms is quite symbiotic. It’s almost unthinkable to imagine a film where there’s no music setting the tone or heightening the essence of its scenes, whether it’s in the form of wordless scores or songs or a combination of both. Likewise, a majority of the biggest songs are treated to visual components, many of which can be regarded as mini-films depending on their level of execution.

For film, more specifically, its bond with music has always been showcased by accompanying soundtracks, which have taken on different variations since its inception. It is widely believed that ‘Songs from Walt Disney’s Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs’ was the first film soundtrack to be commercially released, following the initial release of the 1935 animated classic, ‘Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs’. While that pioneering compilation comprised songs, sound effects and character voices from the film, the overwhelming bulk of soundtracks now stick to songs only. Even with these standards, soundtrack projects have expanded beyond the scope of only the music played in the film.

Prior to the massive slump in CD sales circa the turn of the millennium, soundtracks were a gold rush for record labels and film studios, meaning that there was the financial incentive to put together these projects, which in turn gave us great soundtrack projects like Prince’s Purple Rain’, Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly’, Whitney Houston’s ‘Bodyguard’, and the ensemble cast of ‘Love Jones’. With revenues dwindling from the rise in digital bootlegging, the emphasis on soundtracks reduced greatly. With streaming now bringing in revenue, soundtracks are on the rise, and audiences seem to be paying even more attention.

For instance, the upcoming ‘Coming 2 America’ is set to be accompanied by two soundtrack projects; one is its eponymous “original motion picture soundtrack”, and the other is ‘Rhythms of Zamunda’, a compilation tape subtitled as “music inspired by” the film. Going off their subtitles, the eponymous project is set to comprise songs featured in the film, including the fairly recent single, “I’m A King”, performed by Houston rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Bobby Sessions. On its part, ‘Rhythms of Zamunda’ is a curated playlist tape that takes liberties from the film’s plot, tying together a loose collection of songs that feels fitting within the broader intent of ‘Coming 2 America’.

‘Rhythms of Zamunda’ was curated by Sipho Dlamini, the CEO of Universal Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, after he caught wind of the film’s release plan in 2019. Being a huge fan of the 1988 original—“It’s one of my favourite comedies of all time”, he recently told Variety—Dlamini decided to put together a companion project to the official soundtrack, with the aim of showcasing the wide range of sounds in Africa. The idea seems fitting, if slightly shoehorned, since the film’s premise heavily relies on the fictional kingdom of Zamunda, which is located in Africa. “We wanted to bring our knowledge of the music from the continent that is coming up and affecting the youth globally—it’s not just Afrobeat,” Dlamini explained of the project, which will be released through Def Jam Africa and its parent label, Def Jam Recordings.

In addition to its announcement, the tracklist for ‘Rhythms of Zamunda’ has been made public, and it does quite the job of living to Dlamini’s pan-African aim. Comprising sixteen tracks, most of it already released, the project features over two dozen contributing artists and it traverses a wide range of sonic styles, including Afropop, R&B, Rap, Amapiano and Soukous. Nasty C’s Ari Lennox-assisted “Black & White” was recently shared as its lead single, setting the tone for a project that features Tekno’s “Skeletun”, Tiwa Savage’s “Dangerous Love (DJ Ganyani Amapiano Remix)”, Toofan and Fally Ipupa’s “Ye Mama”, De Mthuda and Njelic’s “Shesha”, and more.

With a substantial amount of its contributing artists being Universal signees from across the continent, this compilation project has an undeniable financial motivation to it. At the same time, though, it’s the latest significant move in sustaining the global momentum of, and increasing the attention on, music being made by Africans, especially in the barely cracked U.S. market. Due to the cultural significance of its predecessor, ‘Coming 2 America’ has generated a lot of hype since its announcement last year, especially amongst Black people—African-Americans, Africans in the diaspora, and those on the continent. While the coming film has quite a number of points to address in its portrayal of Africa and Africans, its cross-Atlantic setting makes it the latest film endeavour attempting to further conversations between the continent and Black people in America and the world at large.

It’s now trite to say African music is on the rise, however, it is important to note that any avenue to further the global agenda should be looked into, which is where the potential significance of ‘Rhythms of Zamunda’ lies. From 2Face Idibia’s “African Queen”, which appeared in the 2006 film, “Phat Girlz”, to Saida Karoli’s “Maria Salome”, which impacted Hollywood via its appearance on the soundtrack of Tyler Perry’s “Pepples” (2001), film soundtracks have served as avenues to amplify Afropop classics on a few occasions. It would be quite the achievement if several songs off ‘Rhythms of Zamunda’ could follow in those footsteps.

While it might be novel in the sense that it strictly features songs headlined by African artists, ‘Rhythms of Zamunda’ does not exist in a wholly unoccupied vacuum, especially as regards to Africa-related films. In the summer of 2019, Beyoncé released ‘The Lion King: The Gift’, a compilation project billed as a soundtrack of music inspired by the photorealistic remake of the classic animation film, “The Lion King”, supposedly set in East Africa. On her curation, Beyoncé collaborated with a slew of A-list African artists, as well as a handful of American artists. The compilation featured Afropop-inspired and indented songs, as well as short skits of soundbites from the film, and it served as the basis for her visually stunning musical film, “Black is King”.

Within that same context lies Kendrick Lamar’s curated soundtrack for Marvel’s superhero film, ‘Black Panther’, which comprised songs that featured in the film, as well as music inspired by the film. Both the ‘Black Panther’ soundtrack and ‘The Gift’ faced criticisms upon release, the former for leaning too little into the myriad of sounds from Africa and the latter for focusing only on popular artists from the Western part of the continent. With a wide-ranging soundscape and its diverse cast, ‘Rhythms of Zamunda’ won’t be facing these particular reception issues, which is a major plus considering the increased attention being paid to soundtrack projects these days.

 

Last week, the timeline was momentarily owned by JAY-Z, following the release of “What It Feels Like”, a track off the “inspired by” soundtrack for the newly released film, “Judas & the Black Messiah”. Jay’s riveting cadence and lyrical prowess on his slightly, thematically discordant verse brought in a slew of comments, which ultimately trickled into conversations on the entire soundtrack itself. There’s the obvious fact that every JAY-Z verse these days is like an event on music Twitter, but it’s doesn’t diminish the upward trend of soundtracks receiving more attention, from the aforementioned curations by Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar to, for example, the star-studded soundtrack for “Queen & Slim”.

‘Rhythms of Zamunda’ currently sits at the nexus points of multiple contexts, paving the way for positive possibilities. Even locally, there might be something of a renaissance brewing with regards to soundtracks, considering Larry Gaaga’s “Living in Bondage”, which accompanied the 2019 blockbuster Nollywood film of the same title, and Basketmouth’s ‘Yabasi’, curated for the TV series, “Papa Benji”. With the chance to make an international impact, and the potential to serve as a catalyst on the continent, ‘Rhythms of Zamunda’ might very well be of great significance to African music—and even film as well.

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

AV CLUB: HOW ‘COMING 2 AMERICA’ CAN PORTRAY A MUCH BETTER VIEW OF AFRICA

Songs of the day: New music from Sinach, Ruger, capespring, Davido 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. We started this week’s selection by bringing you the new release from SGaWD who shared her debut video, “Feel Right”, as well as other new releases from Emo Grae, Mo’believe, Sean Tizzle, Ocho Foreign, Waje and more. Today, we’re catching you up on all the latest releases from around the continent that can serve up inspiration and comfort while we continue chasing the bag for the rest of this week. Gospel singer, Sinach has shared a new single and music video for her ever-expanding audience and we also have new releases from Niniola, Lil5ive, capespring, a much-anticipated remix featuring Davido, Ruger’s official debut and many others for you to enjoy. You’re welcome.

Carla Prata – “Certified Freak”

Colors Studio has continued to spotlight some of the underrated talents around the globe and African artists aren’t left out. Last weekend, we were introduced to the charming sound of Angolan singer, Carla Prata as she stepped into the famous studio and dropped her new single, “Certified Freak”, an empowering romantic anthem that soundtracked fans’ Valentine’s Day.

With her sexually provocative lyrics, “Baby put that pussy on my mouth yeah yeah/ I’m obsessed with how your booty bounce, yeah yeah”, “Certified Freak” is an ode to female empowerment and sensuality. It is carried by production that combines R&B harmonies with trap drums as Carla shows off her R&B vocal timbre with a laidback confidence that’s reminiscent of Syd of the Californian band, The Internet. This new song marks a turning point in her young career as she abandons the afrobeats and baile funk inspirations that permeated her latest EP, ‘Roots’, and it has also helped her grow more international attention.

Focalistic ft. Davido – “Ke Star” (Remix)

Teased a few days ago, this Davido and Focalistic collaboration is one listeners have been hotly anticipating this month. Last May’s hit song, “Ke Star” was a continental sensation across Africa, garnering platinum success by the time its music video arrived in September. Unsurprisingly, “Ke Star” had a fan in Davido,  and with his keen collaborative spirit, the Nigerian artist has now jumped on the track, and apparently has even more gems with Focalistic. Ever adaptable, Davido’s Pop skills are on full display over the familiar Virgo Deep production, as he blends perfectly with the duo’s already established works.

Ruger – “Ruger”

Debuting on the Jonzing World single, “One Shirt” Ruger came into the limelight alongside a legend and one of the most prolific Nigerian artists of recent years. Beside D’Prince and Rema, Ruger held his own, and on his debut single he is thriving off the confidence that that performance left him with. Opening his self-titled debut single with the lyrics, “Man I spit fire to the mic from day one,” “Ruger” is an introduction to the rising rapper, from his pink hair and eye patch gimmick, to his flawless offbeat flow. Born ready, the debut single comes already fitted with a music video, directed by uaxstudio, which depicts him lighting up the show, which he promises to continue to do as his career takes off.

Ninola – “Promise”

As the pandemic continues to force us to spend more time indoors, productivity appears to be at an all-time high as music fans have been getting more music from their favourite artists. Niniola closed her account for 2020 by sharing her debut album,  ‘Colours and Sounds’ and barely two months into this year, she is already gearing to release a new project. The Queen Of Afro-House as she’s fondly referred to by fans announced on her social media that she’ll be dropping an R&B EP, ‘Promise’ before the end of this month. And while we wait for the tape’s release, she has whet our appetite by sharing the lead single and title track, “Promise”.

Just as promised, “Promise” is an R&B song as it features some of the most enthralling singing we’ve gotten from Niniola in recent times. She climbs up and down several vocal scales melodically over the laidback R&B instrumentals produced by Dj Rombee while she expresses the pain from getting her hearts broken by a lover; However, she channels the pain into a moving breakup anthem that can serve as a catharsis for listeners who have dealt with similar disappointments.

Sinach – “Greatest Lord”

Though Sinach doesn’t make contemporary music, her music video for her 2016 gospel hit record, “Way Maker” is one of the most-streamed Nigerian videos on YouTube. She has just released a new single and music video, “Greatest Lord” as she continues to prove that gospel music is an intricate part of popular culture as the worship song already garnered over a hundred thousand views on the streaming platform since it was released last weekend.

Like all the best worship songs, “Greatest Lord” is built around swirling piano harmonies that give the song an enchanting aura while Sinach sings praises to her maker; “Your power has no limits/ Your name oh Jesus, the strongest”.  The song’s accompanying video is directed Ose Iria and it captures Sinach singing in a well-lit studio, accompanied by her backing choir and instrumentalists. Some visually appealing landscapes are also featured in the video and it helps convey the song’s message about God’s awesome power. “Greatest Lord” is the title track off her soon to be released album, ‘Greatest Lord’ and the song and video are sure to heighten anticipation for the project.

capespring –  “puppy” Feat. Jomande

capespring captured our hearts and attention with his debut project, ‘Duality’, released last year when he had just turned 16. His songs narrating personal stories of romance and his knack for switching between singing and rapping drew comparison to artists like Frank Ocean and the tape earned him a spot on our monthly column, Fresh Meat, where we highlight artists from around the continent who are on the rise. capespring has announced that he’ll be sharing his debut album in March, ‘diodrama’ and he already set the ball rolling with his debut single for 2021, “indigo” and his newly released single, “puppy”.

Lo-fi harmonies have become capespring’s signature sound and he delivers another charming performance here, singing and rapping about his feelings for his muse over the lightweight instrumentals; “I’ve been watching you from across the room/Girl what won’t I do to get up close to you?”. “puppy”  tells a story of young love and we can’t wait to hear what else the Kenyan singer has in store for us with his coming debut album.

Johnny Drille – “Bad Dancer”

Johnny Drille is an expert at the love song, and his latest offering is further proof of his dominance in the song-type. Typically melodic, “Bad Dancer” plays like a romantic drama, Drille’s his profound profession of love. Singing that despite his bad dancing, he wishes to embark on a midnight dance with his lover, holding her and serenading her lustfully, Johnne Drille tells his muse he wishes to “whisper into your ear that you’re beautiful and heavenly.”

“Deep in love,” the encompassing emotion has made Johnny Drille a better man, grateful that he has found his perfect match who fulfils all his prayers and more. In true romantic drama style, Johnny Drille’s profession of love comes with a plea to his lover to actually accept the love, which he delivers on the song’s vibrant bridge. This bridge builds up to the climax of the song, where an electric guitar solo plays beneath the chorus, and reaches its end as “Bad Dancer” closes with mystic chimes that portend a happy ending.

Plvyboi Pluto – “Superman”

Whenever a new sound begins to pop on global music charts, Africa artists are never too far behind on the wave. Playboy Carti’s baby voice and his ad-lib focused flow have become the new rave since he shared his new album, ‘Whole Lotta Red’ last Christmas and with its success as his first number one album, it’s no surprise that we’re starting to hear more Nigerians tapping into his sauce. Plvyboi Pluto used to be an Afropop singer by the moniker Afrowonder till he shared his latest single, “Superman” where he adopts a trap flow and a baby voice that sounds inspired by Carti or UnoTheActivisit. Singing “Pop the molly, pop the zinzu/ Cause tonight there’s no controlling you”, “Superman” also incorporates the pill-popping excesses of the American hip-hop sound while referencing the colloquial Nigerian slang, ‘Zinzu’ to give the song a much needed Nigerian flair.

Awori x Twani- “Hold Me” 

Ugandan singer and rapper, Awori has joined forces with French beatmaker, Twani to release a new album, ‘Ranavalona’, expected to be released later this year. Paired together by their label, Galant Records, the artist and producer teamed up to make an album in honour of the last queen of Madagascar, Ranavalona III and the newly-released lead single, “Hold Me”, hints at the empowering music they have in store as Awori raps then sings over the catchy hip-hop as she expresses her vulnerable emotions while talking us through her troubled thoughts; “Sometimes it just feels like I can’t relate/ I just want you to hold me”.

With her voice switching to match the emotions in her lyrics, “Hold Me” aims to reassure people craving love and those who are afraid to be vulnerable that they aren’t alone in their struggles. The upbeat instrumentals can certainly rejuvenate listeners and encourage us to be merry.

Lil5ive – “Happy”

Rising singer, Lil5ive has today released a six-track EP, ‘Dreams & Imaginations’ – a stand out of which is the rousing single, “Happy”. One of the more upbeat numbers from the project, with a very empowering subject matter, “Happy” first speaks to finding one’s voice amongst a crowd of your peers, feeling at the same time unheard and anxious of being heard. Ultimately, though trials do not overcome Lil5ive, as he tells us that he is not one to be fucked with, and that no matter how hard life gets, he is resolved to remain happy.

With happy horns following the song’s chorus, it is clear that Lil5ive is resilient enough to smile through the pain that Nigerian leaders have exerted on its people, as he sings on the song’s second, much shorter, verse. In these more dreary days, “Happy” reminds us of the value of keeping in good spirits, if you can.

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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: Catch up on all the latest releases from earlier in the week

Warner Chappell enters publishing deal with LVRN, home to the Monster Boys

Posted on by The Native

Yesterday, it was announced that Warner Chappell Music has entered into a publishing venture with Atlanta-based record label, Love Renaissance (LVRN). Spearheaded by LVRN co-founders Tunde Balogun and Justice Baiden, the new partnership is said to include new signings with rising Atlanta star BRS Kash, as well as the Monster Boys which includes Nigeria’s Cruel Santino (fka Santi), GMK and Genio Bambino.

Speaking about the new partnership, Genio of the Monster Boys shared,

“It’s a really big deal for the Monster Boys and we are all really excited about it. We are now going to be getting better opportunities to song write and produce for other bigger artists and projects. Also, this will help plug our music across movies, television shows and more so we can get royalties from them.”

LVRN, Co-founder and President, Tunde Balogun, and Co-founder and Head of A&R, Justice Baiden, also said: “Our main focus since the label’s founding has been the development of artists. We are now committing the same focus and approach with publishing to develop the best songwriters, producers, and artists. It’s pivotal to continue building with a talented team around you, which is what we found with Warner, and why this partnership is so important to actualize the next step which includes the ability for the label’s publishing arm to administer writers they publish on their own and to fully partner with WCM.

We can’t wait to see how the deal between LVRN and Warner Chappell will help and develop the artistry of the Lagos-based trio. Congratulations!

You can read more about the deal here.

Featured image credits/Nativeland

Doing what I can to make sure the culture isn’t slept on @tamimak_

ICYMI: Warner Music Group signs licensing deal with Audiomack

Netflix announces new animated musical based on Lupita Nyong’o’s book ‘Sulwe’

Posted on by The Native

Netflix announced today that they will be turning Sulwe, the New York Times bestselling children’s book by Lupita Nyong’o, into an animated musical. Nyong’o’s book was released back in 2019 and told the heartwarming story about a young girl who is learning to love her dark skin. One night, she is visited by a shooting star sent by the Night and embarks on a magical journey where she learns the eye-opening story of the sisters Night and Day. The book was praised as a true coming-of-age movie that explores colourism, self-love, and self-esteem.

With recent efforts such as Beyoncé’s visual album ‘Black is King’, the Wizkid-assisted song “Brown Skin Girl” and Netflix documentaries such as Beverly Naya-directed ‘Skin’, it is increasingly clear that young Black women have set out to visualise their experiences in a world that constantly pits them down. Black is beautiful and it is deeply encouraging that young Black girls are growing up in a world where they can see themselves and their experiences represented in mainstream media.

Speaking about the upcoming Netflix animation, Nyong’o shares that:

“The story of Sulwe is one that is very close to my heart,” Nyong’o, who was raised in Kenya, said in a statement today. “Growing up, I was uncomfortable in my dark skin. I rarely saw anyone who looked like me in the aspirational pages of books and magazines, or even on TV. It was a long journey for me to arrive at self-love. Sulwe is a mirror for dark-skinned children to see themselves, a window for those who may not be familiar with colorism, to have understanding and empathy, and an invitation for all who feel different and unseen to recognize their innate beauty and value. I am thrilled that the book is being adapted into an animated musical that we hope inspires children all around the world to celebrate their uniqueness.”

You can learn more about ‘Sulwe’ below.

Featured image credits/Deadline

ICYMI: Nigerian animation is winning this year

Meet Jola Adeboye, the director behind SGaWD’s debut video “Feel Right”

Posted on by The Native

In 2021, a new wave of up-and-coming female directors and filmmakers are pushing through the fold and becoming bright spots on the bleak canvas that is the androcentric industry in which they operate. Nowadays, courtesy of a milieu of big-ticket female directors such as Mo Abudu, Genevieve Nnaji, Funke Akindele-Bello, and more who are breaking glass ceilings and dominating conversations in this field, a class of young female directors challenging orthodoxy are emerging in the country including names such as Uyiade Ikpe-Etim, Danielle Mbonu and more.

Cue in Jola Adeboye, the 22-year-old director who has keenly been documenting the best of Lagos’ creative class in their natural day-to-day stints, particularly nightlife. Although the budding director has mostly kept her portfolio on her Instagram, sharing bits and snippets of grainy footage of Lagos’ best creatives and artists with her growing followers, her recent music video for Fresh Meat alum, SGaWD‘s debut music video “Feel Right” shows us a different side to her art.

 

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Speaking about the recently released video, Jola Adeboye shares that the team had been working on the release since June last year. “At the time, I got the call from SGaWD, I didn’t think it was going to be a huge project but it ended up spiraling into something more. I am really proud of the end result and I am really excited this is my debut”. The creation process was pretty much seamless as Jola and SGaWD had both employed a number of female cast and co-workers including stylist A’alia Boyo, creative director Mojoyin Durotoye and cinematographer, Stephanie Amata who then brought their collective visions to life.

SGaWD herself says about the cast and crew:

“It was very important for me to make my debut as an artist, practicing what I preach and believe in. I will always go up for women doing the job when they are available, not only because they are capable, but also because of the gender disparities in the entertainment and filmmaking industry.”

“The entire concept of the video was focused on black love ‘90s black love and love that we witnessed on old Nollywood films,” says Jola divulging a list of influences that included films such as ‘Poetic Justice’, ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’, and the legendary meme king Paw Paw rapping a love song on an old Nigerian film titled ‘Mr Ibu’. Love and gratitude drive the video’s central storyline as Jola and her dynamic team bring the song’s romantic message to life using sounds and sights to embody love. One of the standouts was the video’s zoomed-in shots on SGaWD and her muse’s acts of physical intimacy. The 4-min video is bookended with several of these shots keying in on the lover’s most intimate moments.

Jola notes that this technique was employed purposely, saying “Personally one of my love languages is physical touch. I love being expressive with touch and it’s one of the things that tells me a couple loves each other so we brought this alive in the video”. In today’s world where we’ve had to remain distance-width apart from our loved ones due to the effects of a global pandemic, viewing physical touch this intimate and finely-done on-screen paints a picture that visualises experiences we may all be missing. Few people have emerged from the seismic effects of the ongoing pandemic unscathed but Jola shows that these moments can never be forgotten when capturing human experiences.

Currently, the video has already amassed over 1.3K views on Youtube currently and is on the right track to reaching greater heights within the week. All the little achievements so far are ones that Jola does not take for granted so early on in her career but it’s her inspiringly firm sense of identity that informs the direction of her next passion projects. Already in the works is her upcoming solo film project titled Ìfémidé, and if this current visual offering is anything to go by, we can expect meticulously thought out, well-researched, and thought-provoking comments from one of Lagos’ brightest young minds.

Watch her debut with the video for SGaWD here.

Featured image credits/courtesy of Monjola Adeboye

Doing what I can to make sure the culture isn’t slept on @tamimak_

ICYMI: Made Kuti is moving Afrobeat forward

Hot Takes: Lori Harvey’s Valentine, Be Like Ngozi Challenge, Mowalola’s ubiquitous trucker hats & more

Posted on by The Native

Since the creation of this column, I’ve sort of made it a duty to avoid Hot Takes duty during our daily newsroom conversations. On one hand, I enjoy reading my colleagues’ opinions on whatever’s prominent on the timeline. On the other hand, I’m in that phase where I deem nearly everything about pop culture to be inanely funny, so I rarely have any meaningful takes, not to even talk of hot takes. Well, on Tuesday, I was finally pressed into doing this part of the job I’ve been avoiding mainly because, Tami and Ebube (the latter might send me a query).

Now that I’ve established that I was essentially bullied into doing my job, it’s only right I quickly explain my current issue with pop culture. At the end of the previous year, the NATIVE took a break, giving me the leeway to gaze at current happenings through my rear-view mirror. With no news to report and no pressing need to write stories, I was often late to whatever was trending, which meant that I witnessed conversations when the dust had settled to an extent. Believe me, when you’re on this end, you see how repetitive the cycle is, regardless of the topic and as humorous as it always, it can push you into cynicism.

Over the last decade, social media has become the cornerstone for our increasingly globalised world. At the same time, it’s emboldened just how polarised we can all be, since the vast majority of us are online to cater to our biases rather than meaningfully engage. With every topic, there’s always a for and against, which only serves to ignore nuances and often flattens everything into two-dimensional arguments. But, hey, this is the way pop culture works now, and even though I’ve hacked the pattern, there’s no other option than to participate somehow. Now that I’ve sucked some of the fun out of our best column, here’s my attempt at giving out opinions on current happenings. (I take my job seriously, guys.)

What I’m listening to – Young Nudy’s ‘Anyways’

Over the last few weeks, I’ve showed my real age a little with all of the Kuti talk. Don’t get me wrong, I love Afrobeat and the Kuti dynasty, I enjoy the fact that I know a bunch of historical facts on the genre and its prime purveyors that the average person doesn’t know, and I think Made Kuti will be really high in AOTY conversations at the end of 2021. But, I’m also a young person who listens to young people music. My Tidal account is mostly reserved for outré, sample-based rap music and the best Trap/Drill music I can find.

During the weekend, I revisited Lil Uzi Vert’s epic opus ‘Eternal Atake’, as well as Playboi Carti’s ‘Whole Lotta Red’ (for probably the 50th time). By Sunday afternoon, I found myself listening to a bunch of Young Nudy and I’ve gone on to listen to his solo debut LP, ‘Anyways’, every day since. When the album dropped nearly a year ago, I gave it the obligatory rap fan listen, and while it didn’t instantly strike me the way ‘Sli’merre’ did, I remember meaning to revisit it in full but I couldn’t because they were like fifty albums to go through every week in 2020. One of the reasons I’m stuck on ‘Anyways’ is that, I believe the rap community and I did a massive disservice to this album by not including it in year-end conversations.

‘Anyways’ is the quintessential Trap album, one built around the familiar tenets of thumping low ends, loud boasts and street tales, but it’s brimming with so much persona that it’s impossible to consider it rote. Going solo on seventeen tracks, Nudy’s ear for shimmering, slightly bent-out Trap beats matches the villainy he goofily exudes in his music. Similar to cousin 21 Savage, Nudy raps with a deadpan cadence, but what sets him apart is that he seems to rap every word with a wry smile on his face. There’s nothing funny about the line, “I’mma make sure I kill all them niggas before I leave this bitch”, but he makes it sound like he’s having way too much fun plotting his way to a potential sea of dead bodies.

What I’m watching – “Snowpiercer” & “Superstore”

Since Sunday, Netflix has been trying to bully me into watching its latest acquired Nigerian feature film, “Namaste Wahala”. I’m here to say that it won’t work, despite the notifications and email, even though I didn’t pre-add it to my list. If you’re looking for takes on that film, you’ll have to wait on AV Club (which I won’t be doing by God’s grace) or just read Woju’s thoughts on the trailer. Anyways, my screen time over the last week has been split between “Snowpiercer” and “Superstore”, two very different but both pretty decent TV shows.

Because I like copying cool people, I added “Snowpiercer” to my list a few weeks back after Tami wrote about it on Hot Takes. With episodes that run north of the hour-mark, the show has yet to test my patience or my amateur film critic mind. The story is just above serviceable, so much so that the character arcs can even be intriguing, plus the cinematography is quite remarkable. If you have a long stretch of free time, perhaps during a weekend, I’d recommend seeing “Snowpiercer”, it works best a binge-able. Side note: these weekly drops for the second season are not it.

I got into “Superstore” because I’d seen the boss, Damilola, tweet about the show’s character similarities with “The Office”, a show I vehemently believe to be one of the best comedy TV shows of this century. Halfway through the fourth (and last available on Netflix) season, and I definitely see some of the parallels, but what has really struck me is that all the main characters eventually developed into self-obsessed douchebags, which somehow feels fitting for a loosely knit group of individuals that tend to call itself a “family”. It’s not the funniest thing you’ll watch, but there are a handful of good laughs that make “Superstore” worthwhile.

Valentine’s has gone, where are your stocks?

I hate Clubhouse. On Friday, a friend decided that the best use of the aux, in traffic, would be to subject everyone in the car to a conversation about Valentine’s Day and its symbolic importance to know if your partner truly values you. I’d heard something to the effect that guys have to pull out all the stops for a woman they’re in love with, which I sort of agree with, but I laughed really hard because the last time I did that, it was essentially a waste of time. Anyway, I wasn’t on the timeline on Sunday, so I didn’t catch any of the headlines…until our badass Features Editor, Woju, sent me Lori Harvey’s IG stories as an idea for this column.

Guys, this is what pulling out all the stops looks like. Michael B. Jordan—who I’ll forever associate with being a snitch on “The Wire”—cleared out an aquarium for his significant other, treating her to a private, 5-star meal and beautifying her house with bouquets of flowers. The big-ass cherry on top came when Lori revealed that Michael had bought her stocks in Hermes, the premium, longstanding fashion brand. Obviously, certain sects of the Internet have been pressed, including Future Hive, which is expected, considering Future’s last album, the excellent ‘High Off Life’, is believed to have been inspired by his relationship with Lori circa late 2019 to around mid-2020.

Over the last few years, Lori Harvey has increased in popularity with each high profile relationship she’s been in, meaning that she attracts ballers only (male celebrities are groupies to popular baddies). For this reason, I’ve decided to search out “Lori’s Prayers” and vehemently recite it every day, because I’d also like to get some valuable stocks, or possibly cryptocurrency (even though it’s banned in Nigeria), for being the partner of a rich person. I know societal standards would probably make this wish difficult, but guys deserve really nice, opulent gifts, too. If you fit this description, I’m just a DM away plis.

Meanwhile, all this Lori Harvey and Michael B. Jordan talk is making me wonder what my favourite celebrity couple, Tiffany Haddish and Common, are up to. If I ever write this column again, I’ll be sure come with updates.

https://twitter.com/lilbajanting/status/1361407083967635458?s=09

Everyone wants to be like Ngozi

Here’s a fun-fact about me: I’m a big fan of women shoving their beauty in my face. Since the beginning of the year, the ever-generous Internet has blessed us with several challenges with women exhibiting their physical splendour. I quite liked the Bussit challenge, but I just couldn’t get into the silhouette challenge because I’ve heard Paul Anka’s “Put Your Head on my Shoulder” in one too many mobster films. However, I’m the biggest fan of the #BeLikeNgoziChallenge which has taken over Twitter NG in the last day because, and I can’t even stress this enough, women are beautiful!

On Monday, the World Trade Organisation finally confirmed Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as its new Director-General. The appointment would’ve happened sooner if America’s 45th president, Captain Orange, and his administration weren’t being dickheads. Set to officially start work at the WTO, this new position is the latest jewel in Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s trademark head wrap, setting history as the first woman and African to head the multinational body. In addition, she’s also inspired a challenge amongst many women who see her serially competent and record-smashing résumé as an inspiration.

With Africa’s ultra-conservative stance as society thawing at a slow rate, women are breaking glass ceilings that should have never existed in the first place, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is blazing a path for more to follow in the future. Her Ankara-centred fashion style has been receiving due homage since the WTO announcement, with women posting selfies of their best imitation, both regalia and pose, on social media. The challenge is simply heart-warming, and it will no doubt induce a smile while you scroll through the hashtag and stare at pictures of radiant, beautiful women.

Beefs in South African music > beefs in Nigerian music

Nigerians are a very self-involved bunch. If you ask many around these parts, the different combo of tension between the apparent big three of Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy over the last decade is the most interesting beef on the continent. Well, if you’ve been paying attention to beefs in other Afropop hotspots across Africa, then you might feel like that assumption is false. Last December, the tiff between Davido and Burna reached a new level after things allegedly escalated into a physical brawl at a club in Ghana. However, it’s not as gangster as Shatta Wale pulling up to the stage with a gun at the 2019 Ghanaian music awards, after Stonebwoy picked up the award for Dancehall artist of the year.

Down South, beefs have been baked into the very fabric of the music industry. Last week, Prince Kaybee guested on Podcast and Chill (I haven’t cancelled MacG just yet because he’s taken accountability for his bullshit), and he spent over half the interview duration discussing the beefs he’s been a part of, from Black Coffee to DJ Maphorisa to Busiswa and more. What really stuck out to me is, these beefs were triggered by relatively trivial matters. As outspoken as Kaybee has shown himself to be on social media, he came across as a thoughtful guy willing to reconcile these scores, but the more he spoke, the more I felt like none of these beefs would be fully settled—which is a shame because a collaboration with either Black Coffee or Phori or both would be gargantuan.

The Mowalola Trucker Hat

(written by Tami)

Back in the old days, cult fashion items fell somewhere a pair of between Baby Phat jeans, Ed Hardy snapbacks, or the latest G-shock wristwatch. Notably, all these brands were all international, a feat that was not surprising considering how much Black American culture, particularly Hip-hop/R&B popular culture of the noughties influenced an emerging class of millennial and Gen Z Africans. Growing up, anything that was African was looked down upon, rendered inferior, and labelled ‘razz’, whilst well-known international brands were favoured for the clout attached to them. Hey, we’ve all been through that process of dimming our own light and it won’t be hard to find young people who faced similar struggles with their identity due to the overwhelming influence from foreign aesthetics.

However, it’s safe to say that we’re coming into times where more and more young Africans are embracing their culture and with it, the homegrown entertainment, fashion, and music, and more from these parts. The greatest example of that is the burgeoning Afropop scene which is experiencing an explosive moment, quite unlike it’s ever seen before. But while music continues to cross borders, African fashion is also making headways amongst a new generation of Africans. Nowadays you’ll see your favourite celebrity sporting Kenneth Ize in a cryptic Instagram picture and your favourite artists wearing the latest Mowalola custom fit in a branded campaign. There’s a milieu of exciting talent bubbling in the continent and not just Black designer fashion but also an emerging class of streetwear brands as well.

 

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And it’s not just sartorial choices now catching on, even accessories are enjoying a moment. These items have the power to catapult a coveted brand into the spotlight at lightning speed, in no small part thanks to the magic of Instagram which sees new releases proliferate on feeds the very day they drop. Mowalola seems to have hacked the power of creating cult fashion accessories, influencing a generation of Africans in the same way that a bag drop from Telfar has the ability to break the internet. The NATIVE 004 cover star’s growing cult-like following study and take note of every drop the Nigerian designer makes with laser-eye precision; a new bag is sold out in seconds, but the Mowalola Puff Puff Trucker is by far the most revered accessory from the designer. The self-proclaimed DriP Gawd captured the hearts (and wallets) of her cult-following with this trucker hat release which features a cotton twill snapback with the signature, orb-like M logo influenced by the former Sony Walkman logo. It’s pure taste genius and simple enough to elevate any look within seconds. It’s particularly found a home within a community of young Africans looking to express themselves; creatively and otherwise through the use of fashion. These young people are challenging an outdated fashion system and items like the Mowalola Puff Puff Trucker serve to unite a community bent on diverging from the norm.

Nowadays you’d be hard-pressed not to find stylists such as Ashley Okoli or rapper Deto Black – best friend to the designer herself – sporting the trucker in all their latest glam pics. Even other coveted Mowalola items are getting all the rave reviews, from the custom The Simple Life tote to the vibrant Bundle bags and even the recently teased Mowalola thongs and jelly rings. Long-time followers of her brand now know to expect something outrageously unique from the designer and have boosted her to this level of household popularity because of this. As demand for more Mowalola cult items reaches fever pitch, owning one has now become as famed as the proverbial Dinner with Jay-Z. All in all, it’s a new kind of pride to see an African designer turn heads in this kind of way–albeit one that examines fashion through the lenses of liberated women, of queerness, and of non-orthodoxy.

 

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Finally…GOOD NEWS!

(Written by Tami)

Although her debut album was titled ‘Good News’, the Houston rapper’s project was not wholly embraced by the entire world of Hip-Hop–particularly her day one fans who were disappointed to hear that the rapper had not reprised her loved pimp alter-ego, the legendary Tina Snow. I, myself, was disappointed in the project as a collective body of work, especially as it was being marketed as thee Stallion’s debut album. As a project, it felt lacklustre and hurriedly put together, arriving merely a week after it was officially announced–although some others might think differently. But despite this setback, Megan’s dominance as one of the top mcees of this generation cannot be understated, no matter how much the opps say otherwise. Your favourite rapper also had to go through several phases and shed their skin to become a more well-rounded artist in full control of their creative output. And that’s why I fully welcome the different stages that Megan is currently going through, with hopes that she continues to find what works for her.

Yesterday, to mark the Aquarian rapper’s 26th birthday, the lovable Houston Hottie released a new freestyle titled “Southside Forever” that found her laying rest to anyone still doubting her at this stage in her career. The three-minute burner built on a track from LilJuMadeDaBeat and Juicy J opens with Meg posting a warning to anyone out there who still thinks they want to take they have what it takes to go bar for bar with her. “Shit can’t get started without me/Like I ain’t take over a season, the summer is Megan’s/B*tches ain’t eating”, she raps self-assuredly on the freestyle, eyes narrowed in slits and tongue pursued to continuously rollout clap backs, the rapper looks at home as she dishes out bars over the uptempo beat. The track arrives just a day after Meg changed all of her social media handles back to her alter ego Tina Snow, who we last saw on her 2018 EP of the same name. Whatever she’s teasing, we know it’s going to be good and we’re waiting with bated breath to see the return of Tina Snow. In the meantime, stream the 2018 EP for good luck, and let’s manifest new music from the ruthless character real soon.

Featured image credits/NATIVE

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

ICYMI: MEET THE GHANAIAN-AMERICAN SURGEON WHO DEFEATED GORILLA GLUE

Amaarae and Moliy party with the bad bitches in the video for “SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY”

Posted on by The Native

Amaarae is the girl you want to hit the hottest party with. Since releasing her debut album ‘The Angel You Don’t Know’ last year, the Ghanaian singer, rapper and producer has catapulted to a new level of visibility. On the 14-track offering, she seeks to reinvent her familiar bedroom pop sound, taking on a range of broader genres from Hip-hop to Afropop, R&B, Garage, Punk-rock, and more.

She continues to expand the world around her debut album, first releasing the Gianluigi Carella animated video for “LEAVE ME ALONE” earlier last year and then the riveting visuals for “FANCY”. This was followed by the Kojey Radical and Cruel Santino-inspired music video for “JUMPING SHIP” and then her vibrant performance on A COLOURS SHOW that has since amassed over a million views since its release last year.

 

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Now she’s serving up a brand new video for “SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY (SGLM)”, a standout from her debut album which features fellow Ghanaian singer Moliy. Amaarae had been teasing the visuals for the single for quite some time, first announcing the open call back in January for fan cams and accompanying instructions on how to send in videos from her day one fans and followers. Those of us privy to her finsta (private Instagram) have been more clued in than the rest, as the singer countlessly shared videos, pictures, and teasers of the upcoming release.

The singer shared the new video earlier this evening with a premiere on Crack Magazine. The song’s carefree and euphoric theme is brought to life in the new Yinka Soda-directed visual, which features Amaarae and Moliy in a colourful pink world full of all the baddest girls and their stacks of money. With flashing snapshots of Amaarae, Moliy, and their girls flexing cute sartorial choices, wads of cash, and fast cars, the girls are truly living out their raps.  The fan cameos and closing credits draw inspiration from the flip-phone era of the early noughties, as Amaarae continues to build and strengthen her visual aesthetic in line with her music. When we last spoke to the singer, she excitedly shared that ‘TAYDK’ was “non-stop affirmations and incantations 4 bad bitches”, and the visuals for “SGLM” certainly does live up to those expectations.

We can’t wait to see how she continues to expand ‘TAYDK’s’ visual world this year.

Watch the video for “SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY” here.

Featured image credits/Amaarae

ICYMI: CKay turns up the romance on “Jeje Dey Whine”