Whoisakin wants everyone to pay undivided attention to his music. The singer’s breakout has been characterised by an impressive debut EP, ‘Full Moon Weekends’, and a preference for physical anonymity. It’s not a common trope in pop music, but a few artists have concealed their identity in the beginning stages of their career—e.g. the Weeknd, H.E.R—getting initial props for their talent before putting their faces out there.
Whoisakin is following the same route, albeit with his own twist, using an animated hybrid of wolf and a young man as his avatar. The “Wolfbiker” image adds a layer of mystique to the title of his EP, representing the immersive style of music he makes, which is perfect for owl hours listening. “I’ve always been nocturnal and I wanted to make a tape that depicts my love for the moon”, he told us back in June as part of our Fresh Meat picks for that month. A blend of emotive storytelling and musical choices that intersect between Afropop and contemporary r&b, ‘Full Moon Weekends’ has captivated a lot of ears, including mentor Mr Eazi, who he’s now working with via the #emPawa30 artist incubator initiative.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-u8JKwDcqs/
Keeping up the momentum for his EP, Whoisakin has dropped the animated video for the opening track, “Magic”, which features another Fresh Meat alum, Olayinka Ehi. Based on a real life situationship, the song portrays the complicatedness of differing intentions between love interests, and the hurt that follows when the only compromise is to part ways. “Even though I thought the relationship had potential at the early stages, she never felt the same way and it was just “vibes” for her”, the singer explains of the scenario behind the song.
The animated video for “Magic” is a dramatic depiction of the song’s content, while it also continues to lean into Whoisakin’s anonymous mystique. Put together by YX Animation, we see Wolfbiker physically fight through robots to get his interest, representing the intensity of his affections, however, Olayinka Ehi’s animated character demands some space and turns him down outrightly at the end of the video. Eye-catching and riveting to watch, the video is another timely reminder that not everyone you like will like you in the same way, and that’s very fine.
Watch “Magic” here.
Featured Image Credits: YouTube/Empawa Africa
[mc4wp_form id=”26074″]
Dennis is not an interesting person. Tweet Your Favourite Vigro Deep Songs at him @dennisadepeter
We’ve had music to fall back on through all the heartbreaking moments of 2020. Despite the ongoing pandemic, civil unrest, and the seemingly endless barrage of bad news, musicians have continued to capture our collective pop consciousness with new songs that either reflects our present reality or provide an escape from it. We know it can be difficult to keep up with all the diverse streams of music, so we’ve created this column to keep you, our readers, up to date with all the finest tunes coming out of Africa and the rest of the world. These are the songs you absolutely need to hear.
Though it has been a slow week for music releases, we’ve made sure to capture all the highlights with our Songs of the Day curations. We started this week’s curation for Songs of the Day with new music from; The Cavemen, Skepta, L3, and Michael Phantom, Eugy, Toyé, Sir Dauda, and Simi. Today, we are featuring the new releases from Remy Baggins, Psycho YP and MOJO, Ghanaian singer, Supa Gaeta and Oxlade, Rhamani, and more for our mid-week curation and you can enjoy them below.
Remy Baggins – “GBOJU!” Feat. Psycho YP, MOJO
Remy Baggins has consistently represented Nigeria’s anime fandom by making reference to the Japanese cartoon culture on each of his 3 projects. Just like his last EP, ‘Sakura’, his latest project, ‘Amaterasu’ gets its title from the ninja anime, “Naruto”. As a result, he’s able to tap into his more forceful elements for “Gboju!”, one of the standout tracks from the tape where he features Psycho YP and MOJO to deliver cocky brags.
Tell produced the beat for “Gboju!” with the trendy drill bass that sets a frenzied backdrop for the aggressive performance from the artists. With each artist performing threatening lyrics, the video Kelvin Nuel and The CRWD directed captures them looking menacing in the streets. Remy Baggins puts on a ski mask in some shots while Mojo smokes a blunt and Psycho YP points gun fingers at the camera. Though Remy Baggins was all about love on ‘Hentai’ and ‘Sakura’, “Gboju!” reflects a more hardcore Baggins.
Supa Gaeta – “Text Me” Feat. Oxlade
Ghanaian singer, Supa Gaeta is gearing to release his new EP, ‘SUPA SZN’ in the coming months. While fans anticipate its release, the singer has shared the tape’s lead single, “Text Me” inspired by his experience from the pandemic-induced lockdown.
Singing “It’s a lockdown thing/ Facetime me, make I run that thing” over the breezy afropop production, the song continues the genre’s romantic conventions as he expresses his intimate feelings for his muse. There’s also a guest verse from Oxlade who performs a melodic set that builds on the distant lover narrative as he joins Supa Gaeta to plead for a text from their muse. The accompanying visualizer made by YX Animation depicts Supa Gaeta and Oxlade in a Simpson’s style art while we watch both singers try to win their muse’s affection over the phone.
Whoisakin – “Magic” Feat. Olayinka Ehi
With his debut tape, ‘Full Moon Weekends’ Whoisakin proved that it’s possible to make upbeat and joyous songs that can still put listeners in their feelings. On the Olayinka Ehi-assisted opener, “Magic”, he delivered a sensuous r&b infused performance with lyrics that narrate his experience with unrequited love. “She said to me/Though it feels like magic/ I’d be on my way”. He has now shared the YX animated visualizer for the track and it depicts him in his wolf form as he rescues the animated Olayinka Ehi who plays the damsel in distress.
The visualizer video for “Magic” depicts Whoisakin fighting off some robots who attack Olayinka Ehi in the forest. However, just like in the song, he fails to earn her love and the video ends with him getting a door slammed in his face.
Rhamani – “Pepeni” Feat. Dahlin Gage
America-based Cameroonian singer/dancer, Rhamani has released a new single, “Pepeni” ahead of the release for his upcoming project, ‘Just Rhamani’. He had previously shared his self-produced debut single, “Legedis” and “FAWO” in 2018 and 2019 respectively, but while we wait for the tape’s scheduled release, he has given fans a new dance-driven single to enjoy.
“Pepeni” has an upbeat rhythm reminiscent of the Azonto era of afropop. Though the sound is no longer as trendy as it was, Rhamani invites us to recall its groovy appeal. He has built his fanbase around his dancing so his embrace of the dance-driven sound is hardly surprising. Ghanaian rapper, Dahlin Gage also contributes a rap verse that shows the genre’s range. By conjuring the throwback sound, “Pepeni” sounds instantly familiar.
[mc4wp_form id=”26074″]
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
Though he hasn’t been out of sight completely – thanks to a gentle stream of unmissable features, such as his ‘Pioneers‘ standout chorus on “I Swear”, his assists on Higo and Hvrry’s double take, “Company/Issues”, or his latest collaboration “Mentally” with Prettboy D-O – it has been almost a year since WANI delivered a single of his own. Having spent the year working on the second installation of his widely acclaimed debut EP, ‘Lagos City Vice’, WANI is finally out with his first official single this year, “All My Ladies” – an indication that he’s is ready to open up the floodgates to the ‘LCV‘ sequel, which the girls (and boys too) have been clamouring for, for years.
Dedicated to a particular demographic of his fanbase – the ladies – WANI’s new single is a thank you to the ones who have stayed on side, even during his long, unannounced musical hiatus.
“The hiatus was just to get the plan in motion for the next set of moves. I just secured a deal for ‘Lagos City Vice 2’, so I was waiting for that to be set before I released any music. Also, I wasn’t comfortable releasing music throughout the pandemic, I didn’t even feel like people were ready to [listen].”
Telling NATIVE of how he felt “the mood wasn’t ready” – now that outside is opening back up and people are more comfortably adjusting to the new normal , WANI believes fans will be more receptive to “All My Ladies” – WANI also expressed that with the weight of the year, it was also hard for him to get into the right mood to release music.
“This latest release, I wouldn’t even call it a single. It’s just something to show people that I’m still working. Give me a little bit of time, let me get the project ready for your guys. That’s literally the whole purpose of this release, and it’s a crazy song, so why not?”
“All My Ladies” is a celebratory release that closes out WANI’s previous chapter, introducing the next phase of Wani Wonder. However, as much as the track is a happy appreciation of his loyal fans, “All My Ladies” also warns the industry that now is the time to start support, because WANI is about to go. Having recently signed a deal with Platoon, WANI’s warning “if you got love, show me don’t wait till when I get on,” looks like one to be taken seriously and fast.
It’s like every 4th quarter I remember I actually have to drop . just singed a deal for Lagos city vice 2 but I’m going to drop ONE more independent record for you guys before then ok ?
“All My Ladies” is produced by Adey, who earlier this year, for his long-deserved spot in the limelight, called upon WANI to deliver “Fugazi”. Clearly a sound pairing, Adey’s production on “All My Ladies” matches WANI’s diverse musical palette. Journeying through musical history, Adey’s beat honours Nigerian hip-hop legends, The Remedies, through its subtle sample of their hit single, “Shako Mo”, before teleporting us to a deserted Colonial Street, where Nelly and Kelly hash out their “Dilemma” to the tune of Ryan Bowser’s infamous high-pitched “ahh”. Sampling Diana King’s unforgettable “Shy Guy” opener, “Oh lord have mercy mercy mercy,” WANI himself cashes in on his versatility and breadth of musical knowledge as he sings to his lady love.
WANI has always been positioned, by his listeners mostly (although he embraces it too), as a ladies man – this latest single plays right into that. Compelling the woman he is interested in to take him serious – “fuck with me I’m a real don dada” he sings – over the course of the track, WANI reminds his fans that he knows how to treat girls right, and that, when it’s time, he is a faithful guy (though he might still play the field during off-season).
Is Mercury in Retrograde this week? I don’t check those things anymore, because I’m trying to get right with God (read all about how I found God in between Roddy Ricch lyrics here), and apparently horoscopes go against the first commandment. I’m lying, it just gives me anxiety when the first thing I read in the morning is ‘Gemini, watch out for crossed wires today’, and all I do throughout my day is look over my shoulders waiting for someone to piss me off. Anyway, it seems as though everyone is having a bad week this week, and it wouldn’t shock me to hear that we’re all just burnt out from the happenings of this crazy year.
We started this column a few weeks ago to give you (more ourselves tbh) a much-needed break from the constant consumption of horrible news every day, and we hope you’ve enjoyed them so far. So if this week, you’re having a horrible week like me, here are some of the things that have kept my mind off the chaos, and kept me a little bit sane. Enjoy!
What I’m listening to at the moment: What A Time To Be Alive
On Sunday, Drake & Future’s joint tape, ‘WATTBA’ turned 5, and I went to listen to it again just for the vibes. When it dropped, I had just started my Masters at London College Of Fashion, and I remember very vividly the first time I heard “Plastic Bag” and “Diamonds Dancing”, and falling in love instantly. “Diamonds Dancing” especially because of Drake’s monologue at the end, when he said ‘your mom would be ashamed of you, haven’t heard a single word from you, ungrateful‘ – let’s just say, thank God for growth. Whilst the lyrics about a toxic entanglement resonated more with me in 2015 when the project dropped, when I was listening to it on Sunday, the standouts for me were “Jersey” and “30 For 30 Freestyle”.
I guess at that point in life, I hadn’t really achieved anything or even experienced real pain, so it didn’t hit like that when Future was clearly revelling in the pride of what he had overcome when he said ‘you do what you want when you’re popping’ on “Jersey” or when Drake said ‘but I got bigger fish to fry, bigger shit than you and I’ and ‘the pen is working if you niggas need some ghost lines’ on “30 for 30 Freestyle”. It was nice to look back to 5 years ago and be able to see very clearly how different my perspective on life is. When I pressed play, I wasn’t expecting to do any self-reflection, I just wanted to revisit one of my favourite albums of all time, but it was nice that the music was able to help me measure my growth as a person. Music is special isn’t it? The world was a very different place in 2015, but what Drake and Future said in most of these songs are still relevant today. I’m very grateful that it’s my job to listen to music and analyse what it means, and when things like this happen, it reminds me that I’m definitely on the right track.
What a time to be alive, no?
What I’m watching on YouTube: Jay Z
If you haven’t already noticed by now, I’m a real rap girl. I spend so much of my free time either listening to rap or researching rappers, and Jay Z is one of my favourite rappers. I would say about 70% of my free time is spent either watching or listening to a rapper speaking about something or the other, and this weekend I was on a Jay Z interview binge. I watched a lot of interviews I had already seen before, but the one that stuck out the most to me out of everything was this one at Columbia University where he says ‘I walk into every room as myself. I don’t walk into any room as anyone else, I’m not cowering, I’m not speaking soft, my voice doesn’t change. Imma walk in as myself and proud and I speak for us’.
I don’t think I need to explain why it’s important for anyone anywhere to walk into every room as themselves, and because I’ve felt more like myself recently than I ever have, it really sat right with me when he said that. If you need a reminder, I suggest you listen to Jay Z speaking, something about the things he says – whether it’s on wax or in an interview – always gives me a good indication of who I am and maybe it could help you too.
What I’m watching on Netflix: Menace II Society
It’s taking me a really long time to get through this film, because I don’t like blood and it’s very bloody, but I’ve been starting and stopping ‘Menace II Society’. It’s a drama set in Compton in the ’90’s, and it follows a young man who gets caught up in a life of crime, and has to face the consequences of his actions… somehow. It’s basically a different and more in-depth version of ‘Boyz N The Hood’ or ‘Baby Boy’ (why was that film so trash?), and you guys know how fascinated I am by gang activity and life on the streets.
I really enjoy consuming anything that gives me a good sense of a reality that’s very different to mine, and I think this film is basically a visual version of the kind of music I like listening to. From watching it, I can also recognise a lot of scenes from ‘Don’t Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood’ (where Ovie’s signature ‘MESSAGE’ is originally from) which I’ve now understood is a parody of ‘Menace II Society’.
Check out the trailer here:
Wizkid, Burna Boy & Davido
We’re preparing for our next instalment of our weekly column Fresh Meat, and every month when we’re looking for these artists, I remember a time when artists like Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy were at their own tipping point, and gearing up to take the Nigerian music industry by storm. 10 years ago in 2010, I only knew of Davido because he made a song with my friend called “Tambourine”, which was circulated via hotmail (lol them days), I had no idea who Burna Boy was and knew of Wizkid from his feature on D’Prince’s “Jonzing World” (one day can we talk about how great 2009/10 D’Prince was??).
Today, all three of these artists have earned their stripes and have all left indelible marks on the Nigerian music industry in general, yet for some reason, we’re kind of demanding that they have to still prove it to us? In the past 8 weeks, each of them have dropped music and each drop has had it’s own moment, been enjoyed by all and certainly undeniably good. But, each of them have been compared to one or the other surrounding these drops and I’m genuinely confused about what the point of these comparisons are. There’s always some sort of beef or the other surrounding all of them; Wizkid and Davido’s beef trickled down into the different fan clubs and I think we’ve all been made aware of the brewing conflict between the African Giant and O.B.O recently. When ‘Twice As Tall’ dropped, there was talk about “Way Too Big” being a diss song to Davido, but if you ask me, I would say “No Fit Vex” sounds like it could be what’s directed to his counterpart, and what would make the most sense for grown ass men who occupy the same position.
While Davido clearly drew the battle line with “Fem”, making direct indirect with lines like ‘tell Odogwu we like to party’, “Life no easy my brother you dey find your own me I dey find my own” sounds like where we should all be at. Back in 2015/16, we were all thriving off Drake and Meek Mill’s very public fight (I can’t believe Drake convinced me that I didn’t fw Meek), but now they have made up and Meek has said many times that it was a pointless and baseless fight he should have never given any energy to. I don’t know what the intricate details of any of these fights are, we’ve all heard whispers but it sounds dumb, and like Jay Z has advised us previously, let’s not Michael & Prince any of these guys. Let’s all just enjoy all the fire music with no stress.
But I’m a Gemini and the twin is kind of living for the drama and thinking this is more interesting than M.I & Vector’s beef….
Hennessy – The Conversation
Which brings me to my next point. I got really excited when I heard about The Conversation, a documentary by Hennesy which aims to present a dialogue about the evolving hip hop scene in Nigeria since the ’80s. As someone who is actually really interested in rap, I’m particularly uninterested in Nigerian rap and watching this documentary confirmed why to me. My favourite thing about rap is the authenticity, and how what I’m hearing gives me a good enough idea of the person who is rapping, and I rarely ever get that from Nigerian rappers. I know it’s because I can’t really get past the intonation which mostly mimics an American accent, and that’s why I’m more drawn to rappers like Naira Marley and Zlatan, who are speaking (rapping) as it comes to them, and it really makes the difference for me.
I love to learn about things though. I wanted this documentary to fill in the gaps my disinterest in the actual music left, but I’m afraid it didn’t really do anything for me at all. Earlier on in the lockdown, I watched all the episodes of Hip Hop Evolution on Netflix, and I was in awe of the creativity and innovation evident in each rap era the show documented – even from a time long before I was born or even thought of. Two episodes in, I’m not really sure what more this documentary aims to do, than sensationalise M.I and Vector’s beef. The first episode left out a lot of crucial information, that would have given an even clearer idea of the shaping of the Nigerian rap scene, by the people who were there. These actually interesting bits were very briefly glossed over in the aim to rush into this conversation about who is the best rapper or not, or who is beefing who.
I personally want more or nothing at all.
FEMME MAG is what the girls need and deserve
As someone who is usually the only girl in the room and has mostly always been, when I get a crumb of the amazingness of spaces created for women, I am eternally grateful. FEMME MAG is an editorial version of that. I spent a lot of my time as a young girl reading Cosmopolitan, Man Repeller, Jezebel and such websites targeted towards women, but never really felt like it was for me (because it wasn’t lol). Having a website dedicated to Nigerian women, and made by Nigerian women is what the scene needs at the moment, and our friends at Femme Africa are doing a great job.
If you haven’t heard about it yet, FEMME MAG is an editorial vertical of Femme who are carving out a space to tell stories about African women, for women, by women. I particularly love their interview series, Friend Of A Friend, which tells real and authentic stories about young women in a way I’ve never seen done (right) in these parts. I am definitely looking forward to everything else they have in store, and you should follow them on Instagram for more frequent updates:
Last week, the internet was in a tizzy because news broke that ITV had partnered with Digital Play to bring Love Island to the country. For those of you who are uncultured and won’t keep up with the times, ‘Love Island’ is a UK dating show, where a number of contestants are locked up in a villa for eight weeks and have to find love within that time. At the end of the show, there’s prize money and also the inevitable promise of becoming a celebrity as we’ve seen with many of the previous contestants.
Currently, we’re all following Big Brother Naija (or at least were until they evicted Kidd and Erica) and earlier on during lockdown, my timeline was filled with tweets about ‘Love Is Blind’ and ‘Too Hot To Handle’, which gives good enough indication that the Nigerian audience will appreciate this kind of reality show.
It would be the perfect opportunity for pop culture to become a bit more daring in this country, and I’d like to see a lot of drama. Much like we’ve seen in Big Brother several times, I’m expecting a cheating nigga, who has a girlfriend outside to be inside the villa professing love for someone else. I’m also expecting to see the goody-two-shoes who is mArRiEd To tHe LoRd but still came on a dating show on national TV to find love. I really want a ‘wild girl’, who will shake the room for real; someone who will take all the ideals about gender equality, and general uselessness of (you know the gender, don’t make me say it) that we see the timeline divided over, to the wider Nigerian audience, and cause a real ruckus with the olds who will be watching. I generally just want chaos, and I hope they deliver!
Left to my parents, if you don’t go to an office, you don’t have a job. Wait until they find out that ‘pressing phone’ is actually a career, and the power of the social media influencer in driving sales is genuinely lucrative. The Internet has changed many things since millennials came ‘of age’, and many bloggers have built a reputation and amassed a following by offering genuine and honest reviews of all sorts of products. Essentially influencers have a trust-based relationship with their followers, and this allows them to drive sales and predict trends in the way that it was originally done by fashion and beauty magazines.
Of course, with every good thing comes the bad, and we have instababes who have very clearly had their bodies sculpted by Dr Miami telling us that all we need to do to look like them is drink Flat Tummy Tea. Given that these guys have taken charge of the forefront, when I come across people like Melissa’s Wardrobe, I’m genuinely happy and if I had more money, I would buy everything she recommends.
First of all, she doesn’t present herself as an ideal in any way. In the same breath that we see her all glammed up and living the lifestyle – wearing Prada and chilling with Stormzy – we also see her at night with her hair in a mess, spot cream on and looking just as regular as any of the rest of us do. If you watch her Instastories every day like me, you’ll know that a few weeks ago, she tried a product which she was hoping wouldn’t make her break out, and lo and behold, it did. Her hashtag #melmademedoit is enough proof that more than an influencer with a curated page, and very nice clothes, she is actually influential and I would present her to my children as someone to look up to! Follow her if you haven’t already, her stories are hilarious!
It is no secret that Nigerian society is a patriarchal one. One doesn’t even need to visit our shores to see how androcentrism proliferates, a simple peek through our most commercially successful movies will give you all the insight into the misogynistic tropes into which Nigerians – through TV and cinema – are buying. Though films such as ‘Wives on Strike’ or ‘King of Boys’portray and venerate women wielding their own power, both in their own unique ways, quite a few major blockbusters still haven’t been able to shake decades old stereotypes of Nigerian women as evil mother-in-laws (The Wedding Party), conflicted brides (Isoken), or slimy, slutty vixens (anything with Beverly Naya in it).
But whilst our popular entertainment still has a way to go in telling women’s stories, Nigerian literature has always remained diverse, imaginative and inspired in how they narrate women. So, of course, when rumours dropped that Arese Ugwu’s bestseller, The Smart Money Woman would be getting a television adaptation, we knew that we were in for a treat, and have been eagerly anticipating today, as the series premieres on AfricaMagic Showcase tonight (DSTV Channel 151).
Published in 2016, Arese Ugwu’s The Smart Money Woman is a Lagos-based fictional novel that explores the daily trials of middle-aged, middle-classed womanhood in Nigeria’s commercial capital. The Smart Money Woman TV series, which is based on the book, isn’t only exciting because of its storyline centring around five women and their affairs alone, it’s also a treat considering the formidable cast of female filmmakers behind the scenes. Produced by Kemi Akindoju, The Smart Money Women is directed by Bunmi Ajakaiye and its scriptwriters are Pearl Osibu and Jola Ayeye, who of course adapted from Arese Ugwu’s original story.
Starring Osas Ighodaro, Ini Dima Okojie, Toni Tones, Kemi Lala Akindoju and Ebenezer Eno (respectively), The Smart Money Woman TV series follows the lives of its protagonist Zuri, and her closest comrades, Tami, Lara, Adesuwa, Ladun, who navigate financial, career, relationship woes as individuals and as a supportive group, through the course of the show’s thirteen episodes, which will air weekly. Speaking with NATIVE about what viewers should expect from the forthcoming series, Ayeye says:
“Smart Money Woman is about how love, relationships and money collide. So you guys can expect to laugh, cry, feel sad and be exasperated by the characters and their shenanigans. You can expect to see themselves and their friends –and enemies– in the individual stories. I really, really hope people enjoy the series, it’s going to be a fun 13 weeks”
Watch the trailer for The Smart Money Woman below, and get your alarms set for 9:30pm tonight, when the series premieres.
PatricKxxLee has made no secret of his emo influences. With multiple face tattoos, piercings, black painted nails, dyed hair and choker chains, the South African rapper wears his angsty attitude proudly. Though he might seem like any other SoundCloud rapper who shares similar wardrobe choices, PatricKxxLee has always stood out for his earnest reflections. Where it’s typical for rappers to spend the bulk of their time bragging about their money and affluence, he spends his time dismantling his demons and blurring genre lines between hip-hop and punk-rock.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFSQAFtFIRA/
He just shared his 3rd album, ‘Eternity’, the follow-up to 2018’s ‘Nowhere Child’ and he’s picking up right where he left off on his dark path to salvation through music. With no features on the 17-track offering, PatricKxxLee can indulge in all his emo punk extremities, exploring the darkest corners of his thoughts over moshpit-inducing beats he self-produced. He delivers tracks referencing the horror video game, “Silent Hills”, “Lost Boy Anthem”, a vampire romance-themed track, “Fangz” and even encouraging listeners to “Join (His) Cult”.
Although PatricKxxLee’s charismatic personality has allowed him build a fanbase that matches his intensity and need to rage, emo rap is still seen as the outlier among hip-hop heads. However, on one of the standout tracks from ‘Eternity’, “God Don’t Make Mistakes”, PatricKxxLee highlights hip-hop and punk rock’s symbiotic relationship as tools for protesting against the system. His rage inciting mix of bass guitar riffs, eerie synth samples and hi hats serve as the perfect backdrop for him to deliver commentary on the systematic oppression of free-thinking youth by conservative societies and religion.
“Might as well kill me now because I will not fear the system/ This is a horror movie/ they kill anyone who film it”, he says with the swagger of a gangster rapper. His lyrics paint institutionalised religion as an evil machine that brainwashes people and robs them of their purpose and voice. And although some of his rants become mythical with lines like “The universe is female/The species that inhabit mars is indeed male”, he remains grounded in the truth he preaches against the system and makes compelling points like “Toxic masculinity goes hand in hand with Christain pride”.
PatricKxxLee’s “God’s Don’t Make Mistakes” shows that there’s never a bad time to protest against injustice when we see it. Using Christianity as the anchor for his cry against institutionalised subjugation, the song encourages listeners to be more politically and socially literate, or “woke” so they don’t fall for whatever lies their authority figures say.
Stream PatricKxxLee’s “God’s Don’t Make Mistakes” “below.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/patrickxxlee37
[mc4wp_form id=”26074″]
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
As the Afropop movement takes on the world, topping charts and gaining international accolades, Nigerian gospel is doing the same. Culture Journalist, Ify Obi guides us through the evolution of Nigerian gospel music, from its birth, to its global appeal, and beyond.
A little while ago, a video of DaBaby and his daughter having a father-daughter moment sent Nigerian twitter into a frenzy. As sweet as the video was, what caught everyone’s attention was the song by popular Nigerian gospel music singer, Agatha Moses, playing in the background. Upon hearing that song, as I’m sure it did most Nigerian-bred Twitter folk who watched the clip, a rush of previously locked memories came streaming through my consciousness. I recalled waking up on Saturday mornings to the voices of Tope Alabi or Chioma Jesus knowing that I had a long day of chores ahead, or the funny choreographies we did to Darrell Evans’ “I’m Trading My Sorrow” and Infinity Music Group’s “Olori Oko” whilewearing the infamous white lace gloves with socks to match. Gospel music has always been informative in our collective Nigerian socio-cultural experience and will continue to be so, after all, the Nigerian Christian community accounts for the largest Christian population in the continent.
As much as gospel music is a diverse Christian music genre, it is also an intricate part of popular culture. Today, gospel isn’t bound to the walls of the church, though having its roots there – you are every bit as likely to listen to a choral rendition of a song like Midnight Crew’s “Igwe” at church as you are to dance to it at a wedding party. Chances are, you’ve probably already done so. In the face of life’s uncertainties, the feelings of helplessness associated with living in Nigeria, and the ever-present socio-economic hardships, gospel music provides a sense of relief for the average Nigerian; the genre vocalises our longing that one day, these circumstances of life will change. It has never mattered what language the songs are performed in or whether or not we understand them, the message – of love, hope, and faith – is (and always will be) felt deeply.
The Formative Years
Gospel music in Nigeria dates back to the 16th century. At this time, the Portuguese catholic missionaries arrived in the ancient Benin kingdom for their evangelical mission, and with their arrival came the introduction of liturgical music. This music was often unaccompanied and contained very limited tunes, so it did not fare well with the people. What would, however, form the basis of what we now know today as Nigerian gospel music began to take form until the 19th century. The coming of the UK based Church Missionary Society (CMS) created wide-spread evangelism across Nigeria and choral music was introduced. Not long after, a Nigerian version was born out of a style and rhythm that was unique to the rich culture of its indigenous listeners, pioneered by Reverend Josiah J. Ransome-Kuti (grand-father of Fela Ransome-Kuti), who, as church organist of the St. Peter Church, Ake, Abeokuta, fused choral music with Yoruba and new rhythmic structures.
A total of 43 tracks were recorded when Reverend Ransome-Kuti was invited to the United Kingdom in 1922 to record an album for his compositions. Some of these recordings became standards, such as “Egbe Awon Angeli”, “Oyigi Yigi Olorun Wa”, “Jesu Oba Alaanu”. Today, Ransome-Kuti is regarded as the father of Nigerian gospel music and is credited as the first Nigerian to record an album. In the same vein, chorister and composer, Ikoli Harcourt-Whyte was the first person to create choral music in Igbo language in the 1930s.
By the ‘50s and ‘60s, the trend of incorporating traditional music forms with choral music quickly grew in popularity and spread wide across Nigeria. Soon enough, traditional instruments began being implemented, and it didn’t stop there. Gospel music artists continued to evolve the genre through the decades – from the folk and country-inspired Karis Band of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (the ‘70s) to Kris Okotie’s pop-to-gospel conversion (the ‘80s). Then, with the rise of the new generation of American ‘90s gospel stars (Kirk Franklin; The Winans), Nigerian gospel music set itself on a new course. Modelling their music after the American legends, the emergence of Nigerian gospel artists such as Sam Okposo, Tope Alabi, and Broda Martyns, spread the gospel beyond the congregation. From there, Nigerian gospel music gained listenership outside the church and began establishing itself as a crucial part of the Nigerian music industry at large.
Taking on the World
There is clearly a growing space for Nigerian music in the global music market right now. As the Afrobeats movement takes on the world, topping charts and gaining international accolades, Nigerian gospel is doing the same, albeit in its own way.
The global growth of the Afropop movement was mainly reliant on the rise of internet culture, evolution of digital technology, and the age of DSPs such as YouTube, SoundCloud, and Apple Music. Gospel, on the other hand, always had an invaluable edge: the international expansions of Nigerian Pentecostal churches and communities. From The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) to Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministry (MFM) many Pentecostal denominations have, over time, established communities in key countries around the world particularly the U.K and the United States. The international leap for Nigerian gospel music was a natural given.
In 2014, former Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams sampled popular Nigerian praise song “When Jesus Say Yes” on her single “Say Yes” which featured other former Destiny’s Child members, Beyoncé Knowles and Kelly Rowland. Williams’ single was eventually ranked amongst the biggest gospel singles of the past decade by Billboard. Sinach’s 2015 single, “Waymaker”, recently spent 6 weeks at number 1 on Billboard’s Christian Songwriters Chart with over 120 million streams across different streaming platforms in the month of May 2019-2020. This came along after the song was covered by international gospel stars such as Bethel Music, Michael W. Smith, Mandisa, Leeland, Christafari, Mandisa, and Passion Worship Band.
Similarly, fellow Loveworld Records (owned by Christ Embassy Church) artist and contemporary singer-songwriter, Frank Edwards released a joint EP in 2016 with one of gospel music’s most respected figures, Don Moen. “My crossover into the international market started when I collaborated with Grammy-nominated artist Micah Stampley” Frank Edwards explained to me over a text message.
“The church I attend, Christ Embassy, already had a clear global presence, as sermons were broadcast around the world. So when you step on that stage, you minister to a worldwide audience.
But you see, The Experience Concert gave me a chance to meet some of the people who already knew me. People like Don Moen and Travis Greene. The Experience Concert kind of brought us together.”
When American gospel music heavyweight, Travis Greene, described The Experience concert as the “largest Christian music concert in the world,” he wasn’t too far from the truth. It might not be marketed as one of the major ‘Detty December’ activities in Lagos but The Experience concert does pack a punch. In 2017, the annual Lagos-held free concert reportedly drew a staggering 700,000 attendees to the historic Tafawa Balewa Square, with millions viewing online across the globe.
Established in 2006 by House On The Rock Cathedral Senior Pastor, Paul Adefarasin, The Experience has, since its inception, given a home to a number of emerging and established artists alike. Coming at a time when there weren’t many platforms dedicated to the growth of gospel artists, The Experience Concert has played a prominent role in the crossover of many local talents into the international gospel market.
“As a result of the vast improvement in quality, several gospel songs now compete favourably with secular music, oftentimes debuting at the number one spot on music charts.
Before now, American gospel songs were the norm in our services. Today, our indigenous songs are favourites in many American Churches.”
Pastor Adefarasin explained during a press conference in the wake of the 2018 edition. He, however, stated “While we do not take all the credit for the growth of the gospel industry, we are proud to say that The Experience has played a very prominent role in this regard. The socio-economic impact of this mammoth occasion is evident and lends credence to scriptures in the Psalms which attest that God blesses and causes the earth to yield its increase to His people whenever He inhabits their praises.”
Now, many local talents compete favourably alongside their international counterparts as they carve their own spaces in the global market.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufh5tfdKw6I
The Contemporary Face of Nigerian Gospel Music
The year may be 2020, but the Nigerian music industry still remains heavily male-dominated. You can comfortably count on one hand the number of women who are slightly in the reigns and even at that these women rarely receive as much recognition or visibility as male musicians do. However, the same can hardly be said of its gospel sub-genre. Speaking on the cultural impact of the gospel music industry, it is difficult to overlook the influence of its women. I mean if there is any doubt, you can take a look back at the beginning of this story.
In the gospel music industry, women are seen to be the leading figures, and this goes beyond the music, as women often assume positions of authority, for example, Bola Are and Funmi Aragbaye who have both served as National Presidents of the Gospel Musicians’ Association of Nigeria. Not only are these women highly influential, they also enjoy longevity in their careers. We have all been listening to songs by Tope Alabi and Chioma Jesus for most of our lives, yet, they are still very much present in the industry and show no signs of slowing down. They presently co-exist and reign supreme alongside the likes of newer names like Mercy Chinwo, Sinach, Nikki Laoye, Ada Ehi, and an even newer crop of gospel artists diversifying the landscape.
“For too long, Nigerians have put gospel music in a box creatively. They believe if it doesn’t sound like Nathaniel Bassey, Tim Godfrey, or Mercy Chinwo then it isn’t spiritual”
So believes Timi Kei, a young artist whose music blends soul and rap with spiritual lyrics.
Like a newly-formed butterfly finding its way out of the cocoon, gospel music in Nigeria is steadily breaking free of traditional stylistic limitations and is soaring to new heights. Today, its leading artists incorporate the forms of other popular music genres like pop, jazz, rock, r&b, rap, and even afropop in their music; though not without a few criticisms. Purists are of the opinion that the gospel community is conforming to the ideals of secularism in order to appeal to larger audiences for financial gain.
“This is one of the reasons I decided to refer to myself as a Christian who makes music as opposed to a gospel artist. I strongly believe there is nothing wrong with a gospel artist adopting any secular music style as long as the message is being passed to a broader audience,”
Timi Kei continues.
Regardless of such criticisms, the contemporary gospel community continues to hold its place, and to the Glory of God, it shan’t be backing down.
Back in July, Spaceship Entertainment singer, Nissi, released her debut project, a seven-track EP that brought refreshingly positive high notes to the year. 2020 has been dire, to say the least, but Nissi’s ‘Ignite‘ offered us a soundtrack to let our hair down to, basking in the pop glory the rising star offered up for our ears to devour. Telling NATIVE that this project, and her music on the whole, is intended to reveal bit by bit who Nissi really is, ‘Ignite‘ set off with a proud proclamation of her happy demeanour, the title track explaining how music, her music eases the stress and pressures of the harsh world.
Directed by Mollana Burke for JM Films, the freshly released music video for “Ignite”, illustrates the joy that the track, and its gleeful crooner exude. Showing off her footwork through a picturesque catwalk of hedgerows as she sings, “As soon as I step in the building you know it’s about that time, ’bout the time to ignite your life“, the “Ignite” video brings to life Nissi’s assertion that dance is the right medicine for pain. Emphasising the healing bond of friendship, “Ignite” depicts three women leaving stressful situations, finding themselves happy and at peace as they dance with their friends, one of whom of course, is Nissi.
Though “Ignite” is definitely a feel-good pop bop, the record bears more meaning than just ‘have a blast’. Speaking with us last month, Nissi revealed that she always aims to add value to the world with her music, saying:
“For me, music is not about the popular phrase of ‘I just caught a vibe’, the real skill is being able to say something that people can understand and enjoy easily. It helps when you constantly utilise music as a means to say something, whether it’s to yourself or to someone else.”
From this it is clear that “Ignite” is more than just a song to get hip to. Appreciating that there is “only so much that one can digest“, “Ignite” it’s is a means to defy the constant expectation to be war-ready in the battleground that has become our daily lives; it’s a timely suggestion of how to deal with stress, both internally and externally, in order to take care of our mental and physical wellbeing; “Ignite” is a big middle finger to the recurring pain that has been exacted on the world throughout the year.
Featured Image Credits:
Wojumi Is A Bad Bitch And She’s Going To Brag About It. Tweet Her Your Latest Cultural Exploits @Dewoju
“There’s always a recording session, so I have little time to myself to relax and do other stuff”, Cracker Mallo tells me over a Whatsapp voice note recording. He pauses for a second as if to underscore how much he’d like to do other stuff. This year alone, the Lagos-based producer has produced on projects from Fireboy DML, Olamide, Tiwa Savage, and more, all while still working on his own debut project as an artist/producer. The project, ‘A Friendly Introduction to Saund’ was only a few hours from its scheduled release date when we had our conversation, but he was still in the studio, working on new music. “I just can’t stop”, is the only explanation he offered.
He quickly laughs off the comment, but his shyness contradicts the sense of wonder he expressed repeatedly over the course of our conversation. Ayodeji Olowu, who many know as the producer, Cracker Mallo emerged as one of afropop’s most promising producers when Fireboy DML’s breakout single, “Jealous” became a hit in 2019. The song’s success led him to other Afropop tastemakers such as Tiwa Savage, Mayorkun, Slimcase, Mr Real, Dice Ailes, and more. And though producers are often seen as shadowy intermediaries in Nigeria’s music scene, Cracker Mallo has stood out with his distinctly festive instrumentals.
Combining the upbeat bounce of street-hop with stunning percussions and synths, there’s a lingering sense that the beats he makes are the showpieces—no matter whose vocals are on them. After his production helped Olamide secure this year’s street anthem, “Wonma!” the young producer solidified his reputation as a hitmaker. But despite the growing support for his production, he remains convinced that he has the range to also be a celebrated artist. “It’s more rewarding to drop my own music”, he explained. “I’m still going to drop some more”.
The release of ‘A Friendly Introduction to Saund’ might be the start of Cracker’s career as a producer/artist, but straddling different talents has been a constant in his life from a young age. He spent his early years participating in different activities from dancing, singing to playing the drums, and conga and drawing. He was also the social prefect while in school, so he got to organise parties and even DJ in some of the parties held in his school. It was while DJing that he first realised his passion for music. “I get inspired to create all the time. It was when I started to DJ that I started to really enjoy music. Then I got the software and once I figured it out, there was no going back”, he recounts to me with utmost confidence.
If a childhood spent exploring so many different talents seem usual, its peculiarity didn’t occur to Cracker Mallo. “The normal mentality in Nigeria is that you have to go to school and get a job before you can make money”, he explained. “They tell you that if you’re doing something else that is not in that line, then you’re taking a risk and not securing your future. So I had to do both school and production. It wasn’t easy because school had to suffer a bit, but I did it anyway.” His determination to always find creative ways to express himself shines through on all his buoyant productions that can either sound disarmingly off balance like on Olamide’s “Wonma” or harmonious like on Tiwa Savage’s “Dangerous Love”. Meanwhile, his exuberant sonic signature, “Saund!”, immediately makes all his tracks sound as inviting as a party.
One of the exciting things about afropop is that it innovates so rapidly that by the time you’ve got a handle on one style, everyone’s moved on to something else. However, Cracker Mallo has remained on top of all the different trends. He admits to me that his project had no unique direction besides highlighting the different angles his music can take. True to those words, the 5 tracks show Cracker’s production range with enchanting EDM harmonies, street-hop bangers and r&b bops. With each track embracing afropop’s dancehall elements that trigger involuntary head bopping, ‘A Friendly Introduction to Saund’ provides some welcome escapism in an era of lockdown.
“When I make a beat, I’m trying to paint my emotions and the different sounds depict different intensities at different points. It all has to go together and it has to be full and interesting and cohesive and weird.”
All the years of singing in the church also pay off on ‘A Friendly Introduction to Saund’ as he incorporates his vocals into his production. Backed by lush EDM harmonies, Cracker sings “Waiting/ Don’t keep me wait” on the opener, “Paradise”, filtering his vocals through auto-tune machines till it melts into the groove of the beat. He told me it was also his vocals that formed the Arabic-sounding drop on the Olamide-assisted track, “Palanshe” while he performed all the vocals on the closing track, “Do Better”.
It’s a vulnerable introduction of Cracker Mallo as an artist, but one that reveals his dedication to pursuing a career as an artist, even while it seemed out of reach in Nigeria’s white collar focused society. Though Lagos has proven to be the most talent and entertainment friendly scene in the country with the music industry holding several music festivals and concerts to celebrate the culture, there are still challenges that even celebrated producers like Crack Mallo can’t avoid.
“Everybody in Lagos seems like they’re on fast forward. It’s fun but at the same time it’s stressful because everyone is hustling and trying to chance everybody,” he told me. “It takes a lot to be able to grow. There were times when we didn’t have money for fuel, so we’d be in the studio, waiting for light. We’d have to wait for like 3 hours before we have light to start a session and then they’d take light after 30 minutes. Sometimes we’d get deals and it’d look promising and then it just doesn’t work out in the end. There has been a lot of challenges, but in the end, I’m happy.”
Having won the City People Music Award for “Music Producer of the Year” and earning a nomination for Soundcity’s MVP Awards for “African Producer of the Year”, Cracker Mallo is finally seeing the results for his dedication to making music. With several hit songs to his name, he can explore more experimental sounds for his debut project and introduce us to his accomplished singing voice. The project shows that he isn’t just a producer, but a full blown artist in his own right.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/crackermallo
[mc4wp_form id=”26074″]
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
Wizkid has been teasing his forthcoming album ‘Made In Lagos’ for over three years now. During summer’s peak, ‘Made In Lagos‘ anticipation left fans in a gulf of uncertainty, as debate as to whether we’ll ever hear the album ever grew more and more valid. Matters weren’t made any better when the previously announced “July 16” release date, turned out to be the H.E.R-assisted “Smile”, instead of the full-length album touted to feature Burna Boy, Tems, Tay Iwar, Skepta, Ella Mai, Damien Marley and more.
With the release of his latest single, however, the original Starboy has assured us that the false starts are through. Along with “No Stress” came the album’s bright and hyperactive cover art and a pre-release appearance on streamers, indicating that, on October 15, we will finally hear the sounds that Wizkid ‘Made In Lagos‘ and beyond.
Track number eight on the forthcoming project – two songs down from the #MIL lead single, “Smile” – “No Stress” begins with four counts of the same breezy arpeggio, a surprisingly simple, soothing introduction to Wizkid’s equally as calming familiar vocals that confess his casual relationship status involving no stress.
The familiarity in Wizkid’s opening line doesn’t come from his delectable signature-sounding singing chops alone. The melody of his introduction, which turns out to be the heart of the track – it’s chorus – is reminiscent of Wizkid’s 2018 hit-collab with fellow Eagle, Skepta (who ironically released a song of the same title on Friday too, though his interpretation of “No Stress” sounds a little more gritty than Wiz’s sensual one). Reigniting the intonations he delivered on his “Energy (Stay Far Away)” chorus, “she tell me bad man, say I need your love,” Wizkid hones in on the parallel these two songs shares in their sentiments, affording the conclusion that he wants “bad energy [to] stay far away” because both this bad man and his “pretty pretty lady” don’t like stress. This is the bond that both Wizkid and his girl for the three-plus minutes of the record share, the fact they “no like no stress“.
Generous with his verses, Wizkid delivers an atypical (for these times) three verses over the track. Interpolating Amerie’s “1 Thing” on his third and final verse – where he shouts out black women from the Motherland, the Caribbean, and even South London – Wizkid’s second verse gets into a sung flow, as he repeats that he is the only one for his muse, a tone he set right from the top of the song where he sings favourably as about his independent woman whose “got her own but she needs some love.“
Crude in his lyrics, delivering his own version of the “suck and fuck” rhyme, Wizkid is the perfect man for his muse; he’s the only one that can make her feel love or feel warm, the only one that can relieve her stress, and likely because he is the only one that can make her cum. Though Wizkid brags a lot about his stamina and his dexterous oral muscle, he is just as much into having a good night as he is into treating his lady right. It is refreshing and tantalising to hear a male artist advocating for sexual equality in the bedroom as well as emotional maturity in relationship affairs.
Wizkid has been winning women over with his lyrical seduction since his “Tease Me” days. But over the years, as Wiz has matured, so has his growingly alluring vocals, boasting a seductively calm voice that narrates his grown-up intimate desires, adding more authenticity to his irresistible music. When it comes to “No Stress”, UK-based producer P2J (who boasts sprawling credits on Beyoncé’s ‘The Lion King: The Gift‘ album) uses his talents to forge the safe, sexy space that affords the type of encounter Wizkid narrates over the gyrating beat. P2J’s prowess is evident from the subtle details he weaves into “No Stress”, for example, in the background of his production, listeners can sense a muffled vocalising trooping through each bar, mocking the orgasmic sensation Wizkid repeatedly describes – and, for all music lovers, metaphorically imparts – on this song.
“No Stress” leaves listeners pulsing to the beat of Wizkid’s perfect modern love affair. It’s another W in the bag for Nigeria’s brightest star.
We’ve had music to fall back on through all the heartbreaking moments of 2020. Despite the ongoing pandemic, civil unrest, and the seemingly endless barrage of bad news, musicians have continued to capture our collective pop consciousness with new songs that either reflects our present reality or provide an escape from it. We know it can be difficult to keep up with all the diverse streams of music, so we’ve created this column to keep you, our readers, up to date with all the finest tunes coming out of Africa and the rest of the world. These are the songs you absolutely need to hear.
We ended last week’s curation for Songs of the Day with new music from; Kwesi Arthur, Simi and new collaborations from Alicia Keys and Diamond Platnumz, Darey and Patoranking, Bankuli and Congolese singer, Hiro, Leehis Jr, Shaun Mbah, Big Daddy Kave, Ictooicy and R¥DA, NSG, and more. To start the new week, Today’s curation for Songs of the Day features the latest releases The Cavemen, Skepta, L3 and Michael Phantom, Eugy, Toyé, Sir Dauda and Simi. You can enjoy them below.
The Cavemen – “Bena”
Though traces of highlife guitar riffs remain ingrained in the DNA of afropop, the genre is not quite the rave it used to be in the ’60s. Lagos-based brother duo, The Cavemen, however, are on a mission to reignite the spark of the historic guitar-led sound. Their impressive debut project, ‘ROOTS’ channelled the nostalgia of highlife as they narrated different romantic scenarios.
The band has now released the music video for one of the tape’s standout tracks, “Bena”, a captivating ode to a certain type of love. The Granville Wilson-directed video pays tribute to the band’s retro aesthetic with greenroom edits that are immediately reminiscent of music videos from the 70s. We also see cultural dancers reintroduced, while we see some of the lyrics being dramatised, as one of the band members tries to woo a love interest who’s only interested in money.
Skepta x L3 x Michael Phantom – “No Stress”
Skepta seems to have developed a fond relationship with the Essie Gang since he featured on the remix of Octavian’s “Bet”. His latest release, “No Stress” sees him teaming up with two other Essie Gang members, L3 and Michael Phantom as he flexes his production chops and delivers threats to his opps; “Kill your bloodclat tell that pussy don’t stress”.
L3’s lyrics also echoed Skepta’s threatening intentions despite his auto-tuned and melodic vocals. Phantom’s cocky bars come in at closing verse as they all rap over the menacing instrumentals. The video produced by BrathaBratha mirrors the edginess of the song with blurry frames and spooky lights. Though “No Stress” has the same title as Wizkid’s latest single, the two songs antithetical as Wizkid appeal to love and romance while Skepta wants the head of his haters.
Eugy – “Forever”
Eugy released his latest project, ‘4 Play’ with the accompanying video for the opening title-track, “4 Play”. The cryptic ending of the video hinted that there will be more videos to give a more wholesome picture for the romantic-themed project. True enough, he just released the video for the tape’s second track, “Forever”, where he sings praises of his love interest over whine-friendly afropop beats produced by Janeson records Hamadoo.
The video Gabriella Kingsley and Luke Biggins directed for “Forever” continues from 3 months from when the video for “4 Play” was set in. The relationship with his muse from the older video seemed as though he had been cheating on his main girl, however with this one, we now we see them together at parties with his friends. The video for “Forever” also ends on a cliff hanger, when both women meet at the party and we expect to see more drama in the coming videos from Eugy.
Toyé – “Attitude Remix” Feat. Jada Kingdom
Atlanta-based Nigerian singer, Toyé offered an impressive dancefloor-ready tune for his 2019 debut, “Attitude”. Now, to keep the momentum going from the attention garnered for the song, Toyé has just released a Jada Kingdom-assisted remix that adds a welcome touch of a woman to the love song.
Jada Kingdom is a Jamaican singer and her contribution to “Attitude Remix” introduces the steamy sensibilities of reggaeton to the romantic song. Saying “Go0d punani make me get the bling/ You dey man it so well/ I will give you loving plenty”, her sexually provocative lyrics make the song fitting to sex playlists, while also blurring the lines between the Caribbean and African dancehall culture. It’s a late entry, but “Attitude Remix” deserves to feature on summer playlists.
Sir Dauda – “Woman” Feat. Simi
Thanks to his guest feature contribution to songs from artists like Show Dem Camp, LadiPoe, Falz and more, Sir Dauda already had a recognisable voice before he released “Landlord”, his debut single under Bahd Guys Records. Though the single’s egotistic lyrics betrayed his soft voice, the singer has now shared his debut project, ‘Love Ex Machina’, taking a more sensitive approach with the 4 new songs contained in the 5-track EP.
Sir Dauda has now released the music video for one of the tape’s standout tracks, “Woman”, where he confesses his affectionate feelings for women; “This is love/ This is love that I’m feeling”. Directed by Dammy Twitch the video shows Sir Dauda seated on a throne with his muse, while Simi performs alone in a studio set. The video captures the song’s dreamy harmonies through ethereal glitch effects and fanciful costumes.
[mc4wp_form id=”26074″]
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
If Big Brother Naija has shown us anything for the past two months, it’s that Nigerians love reality shows and the drama that comes with them. For the past two months, a significant portion of the populace have been, as expected, glued to the ongoing fifth season of the show, and while this is now the norm for the well-established BBNaija brand, it’s also an indicator that the country is a potential hotspot for many entertaining reality show formats.
Over the weekend, word got out that the UK-originated reality show, “Love Island”, will be coming to Nigeria very soon, as the format of the show has now been acquired by Nigerian-based media and entertainment network, Digital Play, from its original producers, UK-based ITV studios. The executive chairman of Digital Play, Toyin Subair, publicised the news via his Instagram account, stating that the deal was announced during the ITV Studios Fall Festival that took place last week.
After its successful reboot in 2015, “Love Island” quickly became a hit initially amongst viewers in the UK, before going to gather audiences across the world. With this level of success, the dating reality series has gone on to become an international franchise, spawning offshoots in over a dozen countries including the U.S, Australia, Sweden and more. Nigeria and Spain are the latest countries to co-opt the “Love Island” title and format.
Last summer, the timeline collectively watched the series’ 5th season every night, and together we fawned over the drama in the villa which housed two British-Nigerian contestants: Yewande Biala and Ovie Soko. Earlier on in the year, before the ‘rona turned the world upside down, we also enjoyed the likes of British-Ghanaian Leanne Manning and Michael Boateng who brought an extra layer of entertainment to the house. There is no doubt that with an exclusively Nigerian or African cast, the show is bound to be even more exciting than we know it to be.
There’s no certain date as to when the first season of “Love Island: Nigeria” will go into production and begin to air, however, it is definite that it will air on Lagos-based television station TVC, for terrestrial, and on 9 Vision Media for digital. Since the news got on Twitter, the potential—or inevitable—drama of a Nigerian version of “Love Island” has got many excited, resulting in a lot of jokes and excited reactions filling up the timeline. Check out some of the reactions below.
The success of Nigeria’s 1995-themed Nike jersey at the 2018 World Cup has allowed Nike to continue incorporating national history and cultures into their jersey designs. To commemorate the New York Fashion Week back in February, the sportswear giant unveiled a new set of jerseys for Nigeria, USA and Korea. The jerseys celebrate the federations’ distinctive attributes with highly differentiated collections that also highlight Nike’s 65 chassis options across varying necklines, sleeves, cuffs, badge placement, etc.
For its new design, Nike gave Nigeria’s nostalgia-influenced 2018 jersey a more culturally immersive makeover, with hand-drawn prints and a colour scheme that resonates with the national flag. The new Nigerian national team jersey didn’t only take on a new look, as science is the core of Nike’s design process. The design team leveraged 4D visualization tools to bring the product to life, after capturing data on more than 300 footballers and football-specific movements. The result of the precision knitting is a kit that is 55% faster wicking, 13% more breathable and with 10% more stretch than Nike’s previous kits.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Mt–tHmhE/
In putting it together, the Nike crew collaborated with a creative team of fashion and culture tastemakers from Nigeria. NATIVE spoke to Teezee, one of the creative minds behind the design research and he told us his contribution to the creative process. “I worked with Grace Ladoja, Rukky Ladoja and Bubu Isigo on this project, from the inception of the ideas to the end. We essentially did all the research on the textiles traditionally used in Nigeria, trying to get them incorporated into the new kit.” He also explained that the jersey isn’t about getting a better version of the successful 2018 kits. “It’s about introducing new innovation with local-inspired techniques for these new ones.”
This is the 3rd time Nike is unveiling new national team jerseys for Nigeria since they became official kit sponsors of the National Football Federation (NFF) in April 2015. Ahead of international friendlies in October, the NFF has now officially unveiled the new kit as the country’s national jersey for both the Super Eagles (male team) and Super Falcons (female team), from 2020 till 2022. In addition to the NFF announcement, several Nigerian footballers have come on social media to flaunt the new jersey and other additional threads.
Every Weekend, The NATIVE Will Put Out A List Detailing The Best And Most Enjoyable Songs Released During The Week.
With The Scope Widening And Music Dropping At An Immeasurable Pace, It’s Easy To Miss Out On A Lot Of New Drops, So We’ve Decided To Help Out, By Collating A List Of The Best Hip-Hop, Pop, R&B Songs From All Over The Continent. Our Main Goal With This List Is To Make Finding Great Music Of The Moment Easier For You.
Tyler ICU & Nicole Elocin – “Bella Ciao” (feat. Kabza De Small & DJ Maphorisa)
It might be a little too on the nose, but describing Money Heist as a global phenomenon is very fitting. Since its third season, the Spanish, Netflix original TV series has become a worldwide event. Noticeably, the show has served as the Trojan horse for the renewed popularity of the Italian folk protest song, “Bella Ciao”, originally composed by frustrated women who had to do back-breaking work in rice fields in the late 19th century, then modified and adopted as the anthem of the Italian anti-fascist resistance in the 1940s.
“Bella Ciao” has been covered a lot of times, but it’s seen a huge resurgence in pop culture, with recent reimagining of the classic coming from artists as disparate as EDM savant Steve Aoki and Algerian singer Chibane. Tyler ICU and Nicole Elocin are the latest to reimagine “Bella Ciao”, using Amapiano as the framing sound to pay dutiful and playful homage to the classic composition. The South African producer-singer duo recently released a joint project titled ‘Money Heist’, a collection of mostly original songs (they cover Elaine’s “Risky” as well) that is carried by the impressive dynamic between the two artists and their slew of featured guests. The best song on the 13-song set depends on who you ask, however, the cover of “Bella Ciao” is undeniably a defining and instantly memorable moment on the project.
Left to their own devices, Tyler and Nicole tilt their efforts towards the jazzy side, with Nicole’s sweetly scented voice and preference for romantic themes smoothening things even further for r&b overtones. For “Bella Ciao”, though, they get grittier and groovier with assists from the Scorpion Kings, Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa, resulting in a high octane banger that will trigger the Vosho or any number of animated dance moves. Sailing over a pulsating synth line and lush piano strings, Nicole repeatedly sings the first stanza of modified version, while chopped chants fills a significant amount of the negative space, adding a trance-like effect that makes the song also perfect for raves. Considering how literal it is, Tyler and Nicole manage to pull off a remarkable and enjoyable cover, readjusting the urgency of the original words into a chant of optimism.
Veen – “The Skies”
Veen’s music sits at the intersection of familiar and gonzo. Across his delightful catalogue, the Port Harcourt-based rapper, producer and engineer has established a flair for grounding left-field choices with trap’s recognisable low end knock. Last week, he dropped his second solo EP, ‘On Impact’, comprising six excellently crafted songs that folded indelible hooks and succinct, quote-worthy lyricism into a colourful and impressionistic sonic canvas. On the final song, “The Skies”, Veen veers into drill a rollicking banger, imbuing the sound’s innate liveliness with his own flamboyant cool.
True to form, the self-production on “The Skies” is wonderfully twisted and meticulously layered, as he merges piano synths that beep and buzz with a lively and thumping percussion bassline. On the catchy hook, Veen raps about he and his team’s laser focus on getting to the bag, while also throwing in some raunchy, hedonistic lines. Similar to some of his best work, though, like last year’s “Race”, he hits patches of profundity that elevate the song’s thematic concept and add depth to his exuberant persona.
“You know the vibes, walking in silence like spies/open your eyes, they wanna be telling you lies/don’t be a sheep, elevate to the peak”, he raps at the end of his sole verse, showing his cleverness with the pen and throwing some meaningful advice. On one hand, “The Skies” will get your head nodding and shoulders rolling, on the other, it contains some food for thought that will stick you. Like they (sort of) say on social media, get you an artist that can do both.
Lola Rae – “Shower Me”
Lola Rae may have been flying under the radar for the past few years, but she’s now ready to make her return to the music scene. Her return on the scene comes with a sexy bang and from the looks of things, the singer is ready to prove that her comeback will be monumental. Her latest single, “Shower Me” is a catchy and delectable afropop offering, which finds her singing about being lavished excessively with dollar bills. Over the groovy percussive beat produced by Juls, she sings “Cause we rocking all night o/doesn’t mean you’re all mine” as she expresses her disdain for lovers who seek to waste her time while maintaining that the only thing that will keep her committed is an amorous lover willing to spray her with money.
In the accompanying Ray-Fiasco directed music video, her penchant for the finer things in life is on full display. Armed with an all-female cast, she shows off her luxurious lifestyle donned in fur coats and glamorous designer items to further push the song’s opulent message. After such a long time away from our hearts and ears, Lola Rae’s comeback is coupled with such a fun message and a bouncy beat that pretty much demands for one to start shaking their ass, and we couldn’t be more happier.
Sampa the Great – “Time’s Up Remix” featuring Junglepussy
Zambian-born, Melbourne-based MC Sampa the Great has shared a new remix of “Time’s Up” from her 2019 album ‘The Return’ and this time around, she’s enlisting help from American rapper, Junglepussy. The new version is a stripped back look at the single with more of a focus on the song’s lyrics where they both chuck up a bold middle finger to the music industry about its racist ways.
In addition to the new remix, Sampa has launched a remix competition, encouraging “Black women and nonbinary people across the world to submit their best verse for “Time’s Up” The top two contestants will have the chance to appear on a new official remix, along with various other prizes. All proceeds from the “Time’s Up” remix go to Pola Psychology, a practice that “provides culturally responsive mental health care for African youth and musicians in their own community, by their own community.” It’s heartwarming seeing two black women carve out space for other women who look like them while speaking on a very important topic which matters in today’s world of global reckoning about the erasure, appropriation, and othering of black experiences.
Tems’ flow is captivating. When she sings, she employs the effortless precision and skill of a seasoned artist and that is a testament to the strides she has been making since the release of “Mr Rebel” over two years ago. Today, she is celebrated as one of the most promising young voices from these parts, and with each new release, she constantly hits the nail on the head, putting the words to our romantic feelings in a way no one else can. Her latest single “Damages” continues her penchant for making music that hears us at our most base emotions as she soundtracks a kiss-off to a past lover.
Singing “I’m not what you need to be now, cuz I’m done with it now/No more damages now” over the song’s infectious hook, she sings passionately about finding the emotional strength to walk away from a love which no longer serves her, though she’s been hurt in the past, she’s no longer afraid to lose lovers as she was in her naïve ‘baby girl’ years. Beyond captivating us with the emotional depth of her songwriting, Tems delivers a cautionary message to anyone shrinking themselves to bend to a lover’s will, and with her strong, unshakeable voice, she reassures them that they, like her, will make it out of the turbulent relationship.
Tems has always spoken openly about her devotion to her fanbase, the Rebel Gang and this new release feels like a special message for those among them who may be hurting. In any case, she’s definitely endeared herself further to us and lured us (myself included) further into the Rebel Gang fandom. The delectable new number “Damages” leaves us pining for more as we await her debut project ‘For Broken Ears’ which is slated for release next Friday. Watch this space.
Simi – “No Longer Beneficial”
Simi is having a great year, following the success of her singles, “Duduke” and her contribution to Ladipoe’s “Know You”. Both songs showed her strength at making relatable songs with wide-spreading appeal; connecting with married folks and TikTok savvy teenagers. The singer has now released her new single, “No Longer Beneficial”, kicking off the rollout for her coming project, ‘Restless II’ with a theme song for women who aren’t looking for serious relationships.
Because conservative Nigerian society makes it seem like every woman’s goal is to find a man to start a family with, “No Longer Beneficial” speaks for the under-represented demography of women who are only trying to have fun with no strings attached. And though Simi’s marriage to Adekunle Gold means the song isn’t self-referential, she boldly embodies the carefree sentiment like she has lived it before.
Singing “Why do you want a square to be a pentagon/ Maybe I’d be ready 2021” over the lightweight guitar-led beat produced by Sess, “No Longer Beneficial” is a compelling kissoff to men trying to lock her down into serious relationships. We won’t be surprised if this turns out to be another trendy song to soundtrack social media posts.
DJ K3yz, Oxlade and Blaqbonez – “Mama”
Oxlade and Blaqbonez have reunited for a new collaboration, “Mama”, a tribute to maternal affection. The two first showed off the potency of their link-up on “Mamiwota”, a romantic bop that established both artists as part of the new generation of afropop hitmakers. Now, they’ve switched gears and the trap beat Focus Ramon produced for “Mama” has allowed them flex their versatility as they ditch the lightweight romance theme for expressing their sincere appreciation for their mothers.
Channelling hip-hop’s candid lyricism, the opening lyrics, “You think shit is funny?” introduces the sombre mood of the song. Each of the artists takes turns singing or rapping over the laidback beat as they describe their harsh reality, growing up in Nigeria and working to get paid. Oxlade’s trap soul contribution emphasizes how his mother motivates him to work harder to reach his goals and Blaqbonez’s closing rap verse echoed a similar sentiment as he brags about his fast cars while reminding listeners of his humble beginnings. With their melancholic melodies and lyrics, you can tell that they mean every word.
Featured Image Credits: NATIVE
Words by Dennis Ade-Peter, Tami Makinde & Debola Abimbolu
Because romance has proven to be the most effective theme for scoring radio hits in Nigeria’s club-driven music scene, there’s never a shortage of songs expressing desire, and BOJ’s reputation as one of Lagos’ prime playboys sets him up to deliver some of the best love songs we have. “Abracadabra” was released in August, featuring vocals from Davido and Mr Eazi and now, all three artists have come together to perform their verses in a new playful video.
Singing “O fe pami pelu gbogbo ibadi(She want to kill me with all that ass)/Ti ba fowo kan o fumi ni igbati(If I touch she’d give me a slap)“, BOJ’s description of his impulsive desires at the club is as vivid as it is catchy, with his melodies riding the mid-tempo afro-Caribbean beat produced by Genio. Davido and Mr Eazi also build on the vulnerable confessions with their raunchy lyrics admitting their carnal desires. The Ademola Falomo directed video shows the artists in different greenscreen sets as they perform their lyrics in the company of their muse.
Rather than set the video at a club to convey the song’s depiction of men’s thirsty, the video places BOJ in a desert scene while Mr. Eazi is captured in a green field with huge mushrooms. According to this video, BOJ might need to get a stable girlfriend if he wants his thirst quenched.
Watch the video for “Abracadabra” by BOJ, Davido and Mr Eazi below.
Featured Image Credits: YouTube/BOJVEVO
[mc4wp_form id=”26074″]
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
We’ve had music to fall back on through all the heartbreaking moments of 2020. Despite the ongoing pandemic, civil unrest, and the seemingly endless barrage of bad news, musicians have continued to capture our collective pop consciousness with new songs that either reflects our present reality or provide an escape from it. We know it can be difficult to keep up with all the diverse streams of music so we’ve created this column to keep you, our readers, up to date with all the finest tunes coming out of Africa and the rest of the world. These are the songs you absolutely need to hear.
Our midweek curation for Songs of the day featured the new releases from Kenyan singer, Maya Amolo, Bella Shmurda, JELEEL!, Alpha P, T-Classic, and South African duo, Reece Madlisa and Zuma. To get you into the good-feels for the weekend, we’re featuring all the latest music releases. We have new releases from Kwesi Arthur, Simi and new collaborations from Alicia Keys and Diamond Platnumz, Darey and Patoranking, Bankuli and Congolese singer, Hiro, Leehis Jr, Shaun Mbah, Big Daddy Kave, Ictooicy and R¥DA, NSG, $pacely and Dani Draco and more. You can enjoy them below.
Kwesi Arthur – “Turn on the Lights”
Kwesi Arthur has shown his wide-ranging talent as an impressive rapper who can deliver melodic earworms when necessary. On “Turn on the Lights”, the lead single from his newly released project, ‘This Is Not The Tape Sorry For the Wait II’, the Ghanaian artist interpolated Future’s breakout single of the same title as he boldly confessed his search for a romantic partner over a bouncy r&b beat produced by Yung D3mz.
Despite the song’s catchy, dance-driven melody, the newly released video for “Turn on the Lights” has a moody ambiance conveyed through slowly panning shots and Kwesi’s somber expressions. Through the nearly 4-minute duration of the video, we see different women in different scenes while Kwesi Arthur is shown performing his lovelorn lyrics, “Looking For A Girl Wey Go Stand By Me/ So Turn On The Lights/ I’m Looking For A Boo”.
Simi – “No Longer Beneficial”
Simi fans are never starved of a reason to stan their fave. Though she shared her sophomore tape, ‘Omo Charlie Champagne Vol. 1′ last year, she still maintained an impressive run in 2020 with single releases. After delivering hit songs like “Duduke” and “Know You”, featuring LadiPoe, the r&b singer keeps up the momentum with her latest release, “No Longer Beneficial”, a compelling kissoff to men trying to lock her down into serious relationships.
“No I’m not trying to settle down/ You’re looking for love/ I’m looking for a good time”, she sings over the lightweight guitar-led beat produced by Sess. Though the song is hardly self-referential given her marriage to Adekunle Gold, her lyrics embody sentiments a lot of women can relate with. And though “No Longer Beneficial” doesn’t have the same call and response flow that made “Know You” so trendy on TikTok, we still expect the song to serve as the soundtrack for TikTok posts. The single whets fans’ appetite for her promised EP, ‘Restless II’.
Alicia Keys’ newly released self-titled album, ‘Alicia’ offers an autobiographical account of her rough upbringing in New York. However, her vulnerable confessionals also required her to trust her guest features, so she tapped r&b’s finest; Miguel, Khalid, Snoh Aalegra, Sampha and Tanzanian singer, Diamond Platnumz.
For the Diamond Platnumz-assisted “Wasted Energy”, Keys’ classic soul melody is expressed through a reggae-dancehall rhythm, as she sings over a lightweight P2J-produced beat with samples from Red Rat’s dancehall classic, “Tight Up”. Singing “Why would you want to fuck up the chemistry”, the song narrates Alicia Keys’ relationship woes and Diamond Platnumz’s closing verse in his indigenous language adds an enchanting ambiance that elevates the romance-themed song to a global bop.
Darey – “Jojo” Feat. Patoranking
Earlier this year, Darey returned from his hiatus from releasing music with a religiously inclined single, “Jah Guide Me”. Though the song had an up-tempo instrumental, his new single, “Jojo” is a more convincing attempt to return to serving dancefloors. Produced by Pheelz, the groovy afropop instrumentals for “Jojo”, takes elements from the trendy Amapiano rave as he sets a backdrop of ambient synth harmonies and upbeat drum riffs. The dance-driven instrumentals urge Darey to tap into his more contemporary sentiments and he showed off his narcissistic nature with cocky lyrics, bragging about his celebrity and accomplish on dance floors.
“When I step in a place/ I know seh you notice”, he sings over the groovy instrumentals, before encouraging listeners to dance. Patoranking also contributes a verse, singing in patois as he joins Darey to brag about their music’s efficiency on dancefloors.
Bankuli – “Gbemiro Remix” Feat. Hiro
Bankulli has grown from being an artist manager and A&R to being a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, following his feature on Beyonce’s album, ‘The Lion King: The Gift’. His debut single, “Gbemiro” got a lot of positive reviews for inspiring hope and celebrating blessings during the pandemic. And now, he has updated the song with a remix that features France-based Congolese singer, Hiro.
Hiro’s contribution to the “Gbemiro Remix” adds a multi-cultural flavour to the pseudo-spiritual song as he performs his verse in French while Bankuli’s Yoruba melodies are maintained. The newly released remix is sure to lengthen the song’s self-life with Hiro’s verse expected to introduce the song to new audiences around the globe.
NSG – “MCM”
NSG’s infectious blend of Reggae influences and Afroswing gave their latest tape, ‘Roots’ all the makings to be the soundtrack to this year’s summer. Though the pandemic hasn’t allowed the summer festivities to go as smoothly as we’d like, the Londoners have shared the uplifting music video for one of the project’s standout cuts, “MCM”, directed by Kevin Hudson.
The video for “MCM” captures the NSG crew in their elements as they show off their dance moves while singing about their reckless lifestyle; “Living off the impulse, don’t you follow me/ I’m here for the cookie then I gotta leave”. With the Zanku dancing, strippers twerking, and the shots at the studio and in a store, the video for “MCM” captures all the things we love about London’s most exciting crew.
Leehis Jr – “Lacoste” Feat. Shaun Mbah, Big Daddy Kave, Ictooicy, R¥DA
Nigeria has a thriving underground music scene that explores influences beyond the mainstream dance-driven sounds of the moment. Leehis Jr’s new single, “Lacoste” celebrates the scene as it showcases the varying talents within it. Shaun Mbah, Bid Daddy Kave, Ictooicy and R¥DA join the rapper for a posse cut.
With their cocky brags and confidence to go toe-to-toe over the same beat, “Lacoste” plays like an all-star cast of underground emcees showing off their rap prowess with dynamic flows over the trap beat. Each rapper delivered memorable bars in their b0astful verses, but what stands out is the technical brilliance from each of them that allowed each rapper to stand out for being unique despite the uniform beat.
$pacely – “Paradise” Feat. Dani Draco
Ghanaian artist, $pacely has been on our radar for a while and his ability to fuse his indigenous melodies with his hip-hop influences makes him one of the artists to watch out for from the Ghanaian music scene. He just shared the music video for his Dani Draco-assisted single, “Paradise”, and the video captures the gang love sentiments expressed in the song; “I’m with all the goons that never told”.
The Foz x JTC directed video shows $pacely and featured artist, Dani Draco rolling deep with their crew as they perform their boastful lyrics over the trap production. The video also captures the psychedelic ambiance of trap music with purple and green film filters.
[mc4wp_form id=”26074″]
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
Earlier this year, Dunnie stormed her way into our hearts with her stellar EP, ‘Four’ and since then, she’s only proved her growing appeal with each new release. Her vibrant EP spawned the titillating romantic number, “Overdose”, where she endlessly narrated her devotion to a lover.
So, it follows that for her latest offering, “Overdose Remix”, Dunnie taps into the ethereal romantic touch from afropop’s favorite loverboy Oxlade, and in keeping with his usual energy, it’s a certified bop.
Over the lively self-produced beat that, Dunnie sings about the intoxicating rush of a new lover sticking to most of the original song’s hypnotic pulse. The tender melodies make the perfect backdrop for her to fire off her romantic intentions and she leaves no room for second-guessing her feelings. Singing “You have captured my heart/The way that you give me love, overdose”, the imagery is both vivid and relatable to anyone that has ever felt the thrill of a new lover.
Oxlade joins her on the song’s second verse, where he makes bold proclamations of his love, singing: ‘Everything I have done for you is true love/Give me loving overdose’. He sings with sentimental longing, and his alluring vocals intermingles with hers for intimate storytelling at its finest. Soothing and sumptuous, this is a mid-tempo bop to really get you in a relaxed mood this weekend.
Fireboy DML has been one of the most consistent artists this year, as he constantly keeps his fans satiated with enough new music and video treatments. Since releasing his sophomore album ‘APOLLO’last month, he’s been expanding the universe around the project by delivering several engaging music videos, starting off with “New York City Girl”, “Eli” and “Tattoo”.
Bringing our attention back to the stellar project, Fireboy DML has got a treat for his loyal fans this weekend. He’s just released a new video, “Friday Feeling” and in line with his usual buoyant spirits, it’s a vibrant and youthful visual affair. Directed by Director K, the video for “Friday Feeling” captures the beauty of millennial friendships. As he sings, “so we’ll get high, high on life” with rabid enthusiasm, we see Fireboy DML and a group of friends take a road trip around familiar Lagos roads.
They get up to mischief together, driving off without paying for their car fuel, throwing food at strangers on the road, and running without any care in a field of grass. It’s everything you would expect from a song that praises the weekend for the boatload of adventures it brings with it, and Fireboy DML and his friends sure know how to make the most of their time together. They end the night dancing and drinking in a brightly-lit field, showing off more of their youthful carefree charm, and by the end of it, you’ll feel every urge to call up your friends for similar shenanigans.
From the moment Tems made her sterling introduction with “Mr Rebel”, it was instantly evident that we were witnessing the bloom of a truly special talent. It’s been over two years since her debut single, and she’s been captivating more and more ears with each far-flung single and sporadic guest appearance.
Rather than rush into a debut project with all the goodwill she’s amassed from those captivating showcases, the big-voiced singer has taken the scenic route, building her rep as an artist that values being meticulous with whatever she puts out.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFRZe3VDxnM/
Finally ready to go, Tems is set to release her debut EP, ‘For Broken Ears’ later this month. The highly anticipated project is scheduled to drop next Friday, and it will comprise seven songs completely written and performed by the singer, four of which she single-handedly produced. Ahead of its release, she’s shared the penultimate track, “Damages”, as the lead single, and the song sets a riveting tone for what to expect when the EP drops in its entirety.
“Damages” leans into everything that quickly endeared initial listeners to Tems; it’s emotionally expressive, instantly relatable and magnificently crafted. Getting in her self-assured bag atop a dancehall-adjacent beat produced by Spax, Tems sends a no-holds-barred kiss-off to a former lover, flaunting her emotional growth to let him know she’s far from interested in rolling the years back even though she doesn’t rue the naivety of her “baby girl” years. In her typically manner, “Damages” is loaded with artfully plain lyrics, clearly written from a personal perspective, and her chamber-filling voice effortlessly wrings out every ounce of feeling so that listeners can connect with the song’s emotive core.
With “Damages”, Tems continues to establish herself as one of the few singer-songwriters around that connects clarity and catharsis, an ability that elevates her on both the technical and thematic sides of her artistry. There’s little to no doubt that ‘For Broken Ears’ will expand on what makes Tems special, and we will all be paying rapt attention for the big event next Friday.
Listen to “Damages” and pre-add ‘For Broken Ears’ here.
[mc4wp_form id=”26074″]
Dennis is not an interesting person. Tweet Your Favourite Playboi Carti Songs at him @dennisadepeter
The most obvious thing about Davido’s new single, “FEM”, is that it reinforces the fact that he won’t bite his tongue for nobody. To an extent, we all saw it coming. In May, the singer posted a photoshopped image of himself and Wizkid with the tag, “The 2 greatest of all time! No Cap [emoji]”. Soon after, Burna Boy took to his Instagram stories with a slew of not-so-cryptic subliminal, which the public quickly deemed as shade-packed reactions to Davido’s instantly viral post.
Allegedly taking jabs at Davido being born into wealth and the role it played in his rise to fame, Burna’s incendiary comments became indicative of a tiff brewing. Throughout his high flying career, Davido has been outspoken about how he’s had to claw his way through dismissals and lack of overwhelming support from the “industry”, due to being perceived as the rich guy who bought his way into popularity. Last summer, after releasing the Chris Brown-assisted “Blow My Mind”, the singer went on a tirade on the difficulties he’s encountered because many insiders think he’s undeserving of his achievements due to his financial status.
It’s not dissimilar to the rant he went on after his headlining concert at London’s Indigo O2 arena in January 2019, constantly referring to the “they” who didn’t believe he could pull off such a grand show. According to many artists and stakeholders, the Nigerian music industry is a toxic maze of gatekeepers who often create unnecessary obstacles on their path towards achieving their version of success. For an artist like Davido who’s been operating at the pinnacle of Nigerian pop music for nearly a decade, his recent claims that there are hurdles in his path have been treated at face value, considering all the success he’s continued to amass.
No matter how cynical you are, it is impossible to deny that Davido has been extremely hardworking and prolific on his way to becoming a perennial Afropop superstar and global brand. Even with only two albums separated by a 7-year gap under his belt, he’s held the African audience spellbound with an unrelenting run of hits, while making in-roads as one of the most important players in exporting African music to the world. With all of these items on his credentials, Davido shouldn’t have anything to prove or censor calling himself one of the greatest, however, there are still naysayers who feel he’s undeserving of that pedestal—or at least dictating who’s on the pedestal with him.
Burna’s alleged missives towards him for tagging himself and Wizkid as the two greatest could’ve sparked another rant, but if there’s anything Davido loves more than ranting, it’s addressing his issues with other people on wax. A week after the alleged subs, Davido planted the seeds for a good old-fashioned diss track, sharing a video that contained the introductory seconds of “FEM”, with the tag, “just call me”. When the full song and accompanying video came out last Thursday, it confirmed the initial suspicions of many people.
On the Napjil-produced song, Davido doesn’t attempt to veil his target, getting right to it within the first minute as he sings, “you wey dey find pity, tell Odogwu say we like to party”, referencing two of Burna Boy’s hit songs, “Odogwu” and “Like to Party”. Entirely written by Davido, this particular line and the whole song itself plays into his established knack for being as direct as possible, such that his intentions have no wiggle room for misinterpretation. It’s a tactic he’s employed whenever he feels a major slight has been directed towards him.
Between 2015 and 2016, legendary Nigerian media mogul and former presidential candidate, Dele Momodu, was between the singer’s crosshairs, after a family-related controversy went public. On two occasions, featuring on Falz’s “Bahd, Baddo, Baddest” and the remix of Humblesmith’s “Osinachi”, Davido threw out caustic, unmistakeable taunts, even going as far as performing his verse on the former song at a live event that had Mr. Momodu in attendance. In 2017, he used the same approach on his smash hit, “FIA”, a song where he explicitly railed against the Nigerian police force and actress Caroline Danjuma, for insinuating he was involved in muddying details of the passing of close friend and associate, Tagbo Umeike.
While he’s steered clear of such level of controversy since, Davido uses “FEM” to reiterate that he can get it jumping whenever the need arises. As familiar as this energy is, though, the way Davido addresses this circumstance is a bit more peculiar. “FEM” has its fair share of taunts, with lines like, “you see say my own jeep pass G-wagon”, but the defining attitude isn’t just confrontational, it’s downright instigative. “Before the whole matter gets dangerous, you need to make sure you don’t say too much/‘cos if you say too much, I fit to run up on you”, he sings at the top of the second verse. Touting the support of his fans and the backing of his crew, the 30 Billion Gang (30BG), “FEM” is Davido drawing a line in the sand, much like Kendrick Lamar threatening his peers to say “candyman” at the potential of grave risk.
Predictably, “FEM” has quickly become a phenomenon, sitting at the top of Apple Music’s daily top 100 songs since it dropped and the video has racked up over five million views on YouTube in less than a week. It’s also been a prominent topic on social media, with Davido fanning the flame with insinuating remarks since returning back to Twitter. It clearly points to the fact that controversy sells, but the looming effect many people are overlooking is that the direction of this beef could have real life effects that go beyond trading words on wax.
Davido is familiar with being in a cold war with a rival superstar, with his prolonged tiff with Wizkid reportedly devolving into a physical brawl at the One Africa Music festival that took place in Dubai in November 2017. While that allegedly happened somewhat coincidentally, “FEM” is the first time Davido is openly threatening physical violence rather than simply hurling incendiary jabs. What makes the situation a little more volatile is, the artist on the other side, Burna Boy, is no alien to finding himself in and dealing with controversies.
In 2017, reports surfaced alleging that Burna was involved in a robbery and physical attack of Nigerian singer Mr 2Kay, a situation that apparently escalated after 2Kay took exception to a comment Burna made about Nigerian pastors. Burna has since denied any involvement in the attack, but many hold his denial at face value, because he’s never cut the figure of someone who’s averse to violence. In the thick of the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa last year, the singer went at SA rap artist AKA, threatening bodily harm after several of the rapper’s tweets were translated as being prejudiced towards Nigerians.
For anyone who’s been watching him, Burna Boy has never come across as one who’s comfortable with letting things go—“FEM” is the allegedly product of him being aggrieved about a Davido post. So far, he hasn’t reacted to the Davido call out, which is a bit abnormal because Burna addresses things instantaneously instead of letting them simmer. A reaction from him is the next logical step to determine whether this beef becomes more intense or eventually dies down. Whichever way the pendulum swings, fans of Nigerian music will be watching with peeled eyes, because we’ve proven that there’s nothing we love more than beef—even if it has no significance beyond the ensuing drama.
Featured Image Credits: YouTube/Davido
[mc4wp_form id=”26074″]
Dennis is not an interesting person. Tweet Your Favourite Playboi Carti Songs at him @dennisadepeter
Wizkid seems to be listening to the cries of his untrusting fans and is unravelling this distrust with one new single at a time. A few weeks ago, Starboy released the H.E.R assisted “Smile” to hold fans who expected ‘Made In Lagos’ over until the album was ready. Now following some heavy promotion and raised eyebrows from Wizkid FC over the past few days, he’s now given us a new P2J-produced single, “No Stress” and the project’s official album art which makes Made In Lagos feel more real than ever.
While what we would like is the project he’s been teasing for over two years, no new Wizkid music is ever unwelcome and “No Stress” will definitely do for now.Against the quick-tempo beat laid down by P2J, Wizkid is the most lyrically sound we’ve heard in ages, switching up his flows from the cool verses to the catchy hook in smooth and dexterous fashion.
“No Stress” takes us back to 2013 Wizkid, who got every party started right from the first few seconds of the song. Backed by a primarily percussive beat, with sharp accompanying keys, Wizkid is singing about his relationship with a lover, saying that he’s ‘got a pretty baby she don’t need no stress’. From their sexual synergy to the affection (he claims) they share for each other, Wizkid sounds relaxed and at peace, and is giving us good indication of what to expect from the album.
It must be no coincidence that today is the anniversary for Wizkid’s sophomore album, ‘Ayo’, and to claim the day, he’s reminding us of the Wizkid we know and love with this new song. Only two songs in, we can tell that Made In Lagos is set to be the classic we’ve been waiting for, and whenever he decides to give it to us, we’re more than ready for it.
Listen to “No Stress” here
[mc4wp_form id=”26074″]
Damilola is the HBIC around here, don’t tweet at her @damdamxx
