How Lady Donli’s Collaborators Are Enjoying Their Lives

Posted on by The Native

Today marks one year since Lady Donli dropped the — ‘Enjoy Your Life’ a 37-minute tape which gives us the right ammunition to do as instructed. You can’t listen to EYL, as Donli has permitted us to call it, without feeling uncontrollably cheery, an effervescent feeling we can thank not only the President of Enjoyment herself for, but also her roll of well-endowed featured artists.

Offering us the mandate to Enjoy Our Lives right beside Lady Donli, Tems, BenjiFlow, SOMADINA, Amaarae, VanJess, Tomi Thomas, SOLIS and The Cavemen were all fundamental figures in forging this memorable project, and their contributions have been all over our minds as we celebrate the anniversary with Lady Donli. So, to commemorate the year since the release of Enjoy Your Life, we’re taking a look at what the year has looked like for Lady Donli’s Cabinet, and how they’re following their own policy to ‘Enjoy Your Life’.

Tems – “Good Time”

Tems was fresh off the release of what would become her most defining number, “Try Me” when she appeared on the highly anticipated ‘Enjoy Your Life’. Featuring on the album’s fourth track, Tems’ magnanimous vocals on “Good Time” demands that every ear it touches “feel alive inside” as she professes on her opening verse.

Since that “Good Time”, Tems has enjoyed many more as she rapidly rose to stardom, becoming one of the most covetted Nigerian artists with only three official singles accompanying her impressive collection of features. With multiple spots on Show Dem Camp’s December drop, ‘Palmwine Express’, Tems hasn’t let up this year either. Though she’s only released one single this year, the melancholic “These Days”, Tems has assisted – some might even go so far as to say carried – potent records this year, from Odunsi’s April throwaway, “Decided”, to Khalid’s “Know Your Worth” remix. “I’m not even at my best currently” our TIME issue cover star professes – but she sure seems to be enjoying life to the fullest.

BenjiFlow – “Take Me Home”

BenjiFlow’s contribution comes up on the album standout, “Take Me Home”. Sauntering in on the second verse BenjiFlow’s seductively smooth take puts the sexually in Lady Donli’s apparently intellectual request to be taken home. Releasing his first body of work back in March, the r&b sensation has kept the very same ‘BENERGY’, professing his unyielding love a dying dedication to the object(s) of his desire through the largely self-produced amalgamation of vibes. Leaning into Latin instrumentals on “Somebody”, Alternative flows on the closing “Broken Parts”, and Afropop intonations merged with electronic synths on the project opener “Wonder Girl”, BenjiFlow is enjoying his musical range, and it’s something for the fans to enjoy too.

SOMADINA – “FLAVA”

“FLAVA” is the ultimate feeling yourself record. After Lady Donli chants the self-affirmative chorus over The Cavemen’s enchanting beat, SOMADINA ushers in a silky, well-articulated and undeniably ensorcelling first verse, featuring a favourite quotable, “don’t accept apologies unless it’s monetised” and some wise words encouraging us to feel okay in out vulnerability “sometimes tears dry but it’s alright”.

SOMADINA is a singer that is incredibly in touch with her emotions. Speaking with us in our REBEL issue last year, SOMADINA revealed that her “music speaks to everyone and anyone who can relate to pain, [but] it also speaks to me – that’s the most important thing.” Vulnerability isn’t a weakness for SOMADINA but a source of strength, of influence and nothing makes that clearer than her debut body of work, ‘Five Stages’. Juggling a Sociology degree – she’s between her second and third years now – with a budding music career, SOMADINA hasn’t been so active since the coronavirus threw us all into a tizzy, but we’ve got ‘Five Stages’ to get us through so all we’re hoping is that SOMADINA is enjoying her time away from the weighty demand of constant releases.

Amaarae – “FLAVA”

Amaarae on the other hand is loudly and proudly preparing for something big. Gearing towards her forthcoming project, ‘Angel You Don’t Know’, Amaarae has stayed relevant in news cycles throughout the year, recently with the trippy animation for the isolation anthem, “Leave Me Alone”, or her new feature on Rvdical the Kid’s “NASA” and earlier in the year her mindblowing verse on the sensational “body count”.

The Sexy Savage delivered a similarly as incredible verse on “FLAVA” last year. Referencing one of Lady Donli’s early hits (“you’re sweet like ‘Ice Cream’”), and Burna Boy’s collaboration with Lily Allen (“Like Lily I’ll lead ‘em straight to ‘Heaven’s Gate’”)Amaarae’s performance on “FLAVA” encapsulates her multiple talents as she flexes her vocal chords and flaunts her perfect pen as she rapidly fires through boastful bars. A lot has changed in the year, but Amaare’s quality certainly has not – that’s one constant we can all enjoy.

VanJess – “Corner”

Crossing borders with their contribution all the way from California, sister duo VanJess so effortlessly melded with Lady Donli’s exuberance on the traditional leaning bop, “Corner”. Their vocal contributions all but indiscernible, opening the standout number, VanJess refuse to be played. Lady Donli later on in the track affirms that people try her too often, but as early as the first verse VanJess let us know that that won’t be possible, they’re not fools and you’re on their own terms.

Still doing things on their own terms, VanJess have enjoyed a spree of collaboration in the past year, lining up features with every soulful voice you can imagine, from Ari Lennox, to Masego, to TikTok sensation Ant Saunders on the delectable “I Had A Love Song”, a Friday release that you absolutely must get into.

Tomi Thomas – “With The Kindness”

Formally known as The Forbidden, Tomi Thomas and Lady Donli are and undefeated combination, because their talents are both so astounding and their musical prowess enviable. “With The Kindness” is an energetic good-spirited track that politely puts the middle finger up at every hater. Stealing the show with a breathtaking bridge, Tomi Thomas absolutely annihilates his opps, with kindness sure, but ultimately with unbridled skill.

Perhaps it is because he is soo good that Tomi Thomas remains as sporadic as he does with is musical releases; the fans, his peers, no one would be able to handle regular drops from this supreme talent. Swiftly following the GMK-produced “Lagos” with a triple singles package, ‘Tribe’ from him and L.O.S. crew, Tomi Thomas is enjoying doing what he does best – making good music, plain and simple.

SOLIS – “Feeling Cool”

Following up the heavily percussive “Confident” on the double, comes SOLIS’ juxtaposing “Feeling Cool”. With a contribution so good, Lady Donli couldn’t dare touch it, SOLIS sings about reuniting with the perfect love, who at first reignites her fire but ultimately leaves her feeling blue. Though this wistful ending is a little off brand for the unapologetically cheery album, hopeless romance is SOLIS’ M.O, and she will dextrously work that source of her magic into anything.

This time last year, SOLIS was yet to release an official single, but by 2019’s end, the alluring vocalist had two in the bag already. Reverting to her informal freestyle drops this year, SOLIS kept listeners attentive every month, with Instagram TV singles such as “mercury” and “fuck boys kiss girls”, which she has now compiled into a strong throwaway project. Releasing ‘Ruled By Venus, Unfortunately’ to SoundCloud and Audiomack exclusively, SOLIS is enjoying creating on her own terms, she tells us, “With ‘RBV,U’ it was the first time, in a really long time that I was having fun creating music”.

The Cavement – ‘Enjoy Your Life’

Last but most certainly not least is The Cavemen. Given featured credits on “Corner”, The Cavemen are actually responsible for the production of the entire album, credited with bestowing upon the beats the infectious, bubbly spirit they exude. Since their indispensable contribution to ‘Enjoy Your Life’, The Cavemen have been building upon what they had already begun with “Osondu” and “Bolo Bolo” earlier that year, releasing a slew of singles, including the futuristic highlife jam “Anita” in preparation for their debut body of work. The President of Enjoyment has told us that she’s A&R’ed the project so we’re even more excited to see just what kind of enjoyment the band have been getting up to since their first extended play.

Featured Image Credits/Lady Donli

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The rise of influencer culture in Nigeria

Posted on by The Native

Opening up any social media app and scrolling through your feed, it doesn’t take but a minute before you stumble across an influencer posting about the latest product in town, be it a wig, a pair of shoes, a new skincare product, or an alcoholic drink. Influencers are the new class of celebrities taking over our feeds and in some cases our hearts; but still, even as more people in Nigeria become digitised and the influencer job description grows in legitimacy and genuine currency (lots of it), the term carries with it a negative connotation.

‘Influencer’ is one of those words that has been rendered somewhat derogatory, owing in parts to its ubiquity. The influencer is, firstly, both a lifestyle and occupation for one to aspire to, if you have the right elements to become one, but also a title to hate on if you’re unable to infiltrate this class of pseudo-celebs getting all the freebies from your favourite brands. Though the actual role of an influencer is simple – in essence a contracted individual hired to promote a product or service – the label is a contentious one, and for Tobi Ojora, who began as a fitness influencer, the checkered history of the creative occupation made her hesitant to engage with her growing audience.

‘I had sort of a rocky relationship with the term ‘influencer’ because of the negative connotations it has gained over the years but the narrative is beginning to shift– I think it’s becoming more than just posting clothes and getting likes’.

Tobi only started warming up to the idea when she realised that she was able to use her growing platform to educate and inform her followers about the many injustices women face in society. This is a sentiment mirrored by other young influencers today, like Naomi Offor, known online as ixxuvi, who uses her platform to impart moral values and educate her followers when action needs to be taken. Influencing has come a long way from just being about the latest fashion trends, and we’re starting to see more and more influencers wield their platforms as an educational and informative tool for their audiences.

 

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Whereas before, traditional 9-5 jobs were all we had to look forward to on our trajectory to success by societal standards, today the creative industries are getting their due as more and more millennials and Gen Zers are turning to this growing mode of employ to make their coins and hone their creative crafts. But don’t be fooled, creating content that can be monetised is not as effortless as the pictures on your feed might suggest. As more people tap into the influencer pool, and as more apps emerge, giving potential influencers another avenue to enact their public sway, the competition between influencers becomes more vigorous. What sets them apart? The numbers.

With the advent of technology and social media, we’ve begun to attribute the worth of a person or idea to how well they fair on social media – judging by how many likes, views, clicks, and shares it was able to garner. The more views an influencer is getting on their page, the more brands trust that their products are getting to as many eyes as possible – it’s a simple marketing technique primed to generate more sales in this capitalist world.

But this isn’t to overlook another important ingredient in an influencer’s success story: their ability to form an authentic connection with their following. This is how the top influencers are able to affect the spending habits of their followers. With viewers invested in their signature aesthetics or larger-than-life personalities, there is a level of trust built by the influencer, to their audience, just by the sheer authenticity and seemingly close proximity between the influencer and their audience. With this assumed proximity – that stems from the fact that this generation of influencers keeps fans religiously updated on their lives – influencers become the tastemakers through which their audiences make decisions, whether that be fashion, beauty, or even lifestyle choices like where to travel or which concerts to attend.

The most notorious incident of such untamed social media influence is the Fyre Festival. Back in 2017, Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule pulled off one of the biggest scams of the century, failing to host the multiple-day luxury event now famously known – thanks to Netflix – as “the festival that never happened”. Taking place in the Bahamas, the Fyre festival became a catastrophic disaster when millions were left stranded and shelterless after flying over to the remote island venue for the event.

The problem began with a boatload of influencers. The experience promised by Instagram’s finest, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Baldwin, Emily Ratajkowski and the likes, through ads and various social media posts, was far different from the experience that concert-goers received. Following the Fyre Festival fiasco, many called for the death of influencer culture, as the callous indifference from the esteemed influencers as to whether people got their money’s worth after the festival’s demise exposed the fact that influencer marketing is inextricably linked to consumerism and hinged on capitalistic exploitation.

But still, influencer culture continued to blossom. It still thrives and, daily, reaches new heights. People, especially young people, want to see how influencers live, they want to hear who they’re wearing, which products they’ve just bought, who’s rendering their essential services, and they want to know all this even in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. When Jackie Aina uses her platform to demand change from brands, we see the workings in their subsequent actions, and this is the true crux of social media influencing; the ability to inspire people you’ve never met. When content creator and influencer, MelissaWardrobe posts a picture wearing the latest It-dress, in a second these items are sold out, all purchased by a community of young women across the internet proudly brandishing the hashtag #MelMadeMeDoIt to signal their culpability in the sold-out spree.

 

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Unlike in Western countries where influencers were borne out of blog culture and close proximity to Hollywood stars, influencers here have not had quite that easy a trajectory to follow. Here in Nigeria, celebrity status, as either an entertainer or an artist, was the quickest way to get you a large following but not much else could boost you to a wider audience. That is until the onset of reality TV shows like with Big Brother Africa and subsequently, Big Brother Nigeria from which past housemates have had doors open up for them in other spheres of influence like film and music. Much like how reality tv shows such as ‘Love Island’ and ‘The Bachelor’ gave participants an entry into the celebrity social club, so were popular BBN housemates like Mercy Eke and Uti Nwachukwu able to leverage the internet to extend their time in the public eye – one need only be on Big Brother for a couple of episodes and the lasting buzz is enough to guarantee you are pushed into influencer-stardom, on the condition that you have the active personality to match.

Even still, before we got the current crop of influential GenZers, like the Amy Okoli‘s, Queendarerah‘s, and Diana Eneje‘s of today, we had popular public figures like Toke Makinwa, who capitalised on her huge following from her lifestyle blog, carving her own niche on the internet as that rich aunty you want to grow up to be. Social media also birthed the likes of influencers like Bobrisky, who’s infamous bleaching cream and gimmicks online endeared her to a host of new followers and eventually lead to brands and musicians reaching out to the Snapchat queen turned Instagram starlet when they need promotions.

As the landscape in Nigeria changes, we’re beginning to see a slew of young people who are determined to be their most authentic selves, whether that’s in music, or in film, from the likes of Sharon Ephraim, and now lifestyle entertainment with a new class of influencers who are doing things all on their own terms. For Amy Okoli, she never had any innate plans to become an influencer but found herself already doing the job following the release of her Youtube channel back in 2018. “It was through posting and promoting my Youtube content on my Instagram that brands started contacting me to work” she tells NATIVE. Soon enough, Amy had racked up an impressive CV that could rival any other girl in town. Other women like Ella, known to her 20.5k Instagram followers as The Wallflower, carved her niche on the internet first by being a model and then a fantastic video vixen.

“Two years ago, I decided that I wanted to try out modelling because it was something that I really liked. So I started doing a couple of shoots and I started posting these shoots online and from there, people took an interest in me. I have a way with my body and working the camera, and I [am] able to [use this to] sell fits.”

 

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The landscape has massively changed to the point that anyone can easily be an influencer today, but it’s the willingness to go the long run and develop skills like consistency and attention to detail that ensure a steady incline in the competitive industry. Tobi Ojora shares her working formula with me; after noting which posts got the most engagement, she tailored more content towards what people were more inclined to like. ‘I think I’ve been able to identify my ‘market’ pretty well. I know what my followers like to see, and I know what I like to post and what my style is, so I just merge the 2 – for example, I know that they love streetwear, but are a little less keen on florals and flowy dresses, but I like both, so I alternative and revolve around multiple styles to keep it interesting’.

We’re coming into times where the creative industry is witnessing a huge boom in stakeholders but factors like budget and funding are still a hindrance to those just starting out. Influencers in Nigeria bear the brunt of this. Naomi (@ixxuvi) shares how breaking into the industry was difficult, especially when she was just growing her followers, explaining, “I started off by doing a lot of free work for exposure and even after two years in this industry I still get requests to do so instead of being paid“. With the industry just in its infant stages, creatives professions like influencing are still not taken as seriously as they should and many influencers spend a good amount of time trying to establish that trust with brands that are willing to pay them what they are worth.

Even international brands have created a rep for underpaying influencers from these parts, or not paying them at all. Amy Okoli notes how these brands reach out to her for promotions but rather than pay her, they bank on exploiting her following for free promo though they do pay influencers from other countries.

“Starting out in Nigeria is hard because you quickly notice how international brands rank the influencers from African countries compared to those elsewhere”

Despite this pushback however, Amy Okoli remains unapologetic and unafraid to demand what she is worth, as the industry can be exploitative if you do not tread carefully. With Amy revealing how contracts are drawn up atrociously in favour of the brands who demand the influencer expend more than they are paid, it seems the Nigerian government ought to take a leaf out if Ghana’s book, investing in the creative industries so that we may properly protect our creatives from bad deals.

Nigeria still remains a socially conservative nation, but we can’t deny the strides that this new generation of creatives have made since starting out their careers. In today’s world, all it takes is one viral moment to usher you into influencer-stadorm and here in Nigeria, as we continue to see the creative industry grow, more influencers are going to be born. Thanks to the help of apps like TikTok and platforms like Youtube, we’re going to be seeing the rise of more GenZers able to catch the attention of the internet. It’s already happening and from what we can tell, the kids are doing more than alright.

Feature image credits/NATIVE

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Songs of the Day: New Music from Tiwa Savage, BOJ x Davido x Mr Eazi, Yemi Alade & more

Posted on by The Native

It can be hard to keep up with the rapid pace of events unfolding during the lockdown. With each passing month, the lack of regular social breaks from the harrowing news cycle has made it overwhelming to continuously consume a landslide of new information. With collective efforts to stay indoors and curtail further spread of the virus still ongoing, we’ve decided to help curate a list of the best new music from all over the continent that is sure to give you the much-needed detox from social media.

Our mid-week curation included new music from The Kazez, Efya and Tiwa Savage, Alpha Ojini and Moelogo, Skales and more. Today, we’re bringing you new singles from Tiwa Savage, again, Yemi Alade, a collaboration between BOJ, Davido and Mr Eazi, and much more. You’re welcome. Enjoy.

Tiwa Savage – “Koroba”

The build-up towards Tiwa Savage’s third studio LP, ‘Celia’, is gearing to reach its crescendo. A month after sharing “Dangerous Love” as the album’s lead single, she’s now shared a second single, “Koroba” in the lead up to the album. Diverging from the blue-eyed romantic intentions of her last single, “Koroba” finds the singer taking aim at the rumour mills and mocking the overtly judgemental nature of society. “If I follow politician, you go hear am for paper/them go call am prostitution, who no like enjoyment?” she playfully sings over London’s colourful and catchy beat. “Koroba” is as carefree as they come.

Yemi Alade – “True Love”

Thanks to her unwavering work ethic and consistency, Yemi Alade has worked her way into one of the more popular and bankable artists out of Africa. A week after featuring in Beyoncé’s film, ‘Black is King’, the singer has returned with a new single, “True Love”, and it stays true to her knack for crafting catchy songs that are ready for mass consumption. Against Vtek’s spry guitar riffs and fast-paced tribal drums, Yemi Alade describes her perception of what it feels like to be loved, whilst also urging listeners to embrace positive feelings that bring them happiness.

BOJ x Davido x Mr Eazi – “Abracadabra”

It’s been nearly three years since BOJ’s last solo studio album, ‘Magic’, but the singer has remained ever busy with features, a pair of EPs with Ajebutter22, DRB’s long-awaited debut album, and banging singles of his owns. Coming off the release of DRB Lasgidi’s excellent album, ‘Pioneers’, he’s just dropped his second single of the year, “Abracadabra”, and he enlists the services of afropop heavyweights Davido and Mr Eazi for the feel-good jam. Set to a mid-tempo afro-Caribbean beat produced by Genio, all three artists admit to carnal intentions, loading their lyrics with vivid imagery that play up their raunchy attitude. BOJ sets the tone for the song with his supreme ability to lay down killer hooks, while Davido and Mr Eazi let personify sexual thirst with their contributing verses.

Freda Rhymz & Sista Afia – “Saucy”

Earlier this year, Ghanaian artists Freda Rhymz and Sista Afia nearly came to blows, stemming from a beef that initially only included online subs but grew into diss tracks traded back-and-forth. All is now seemingly well between both artists, as they’ve collaborated for a new single, “Saucy”, which sees them bragging about their sex appeal. Accompanied by a glossy and vibrant beat, they perform their set in a mix of Twi and Pidgin English, with Freda singing the lively hook and Sista Afia contributing a sassy rap verse.

Navy Kenzo – “Bampa 2 Bampa”

Three years after their well-received debut album, ‘AIM (Above Inna Minute)’, Tanzanian duo Navy Kenzo are gearing up to drop their sophomore LP, ‘Story of the African Mob’, which will be out in early September. In anticipation of the album, they’ve shared a new single, “Bampa 2 Bampa”, a love song about commitment between two lovers. Although most of the lyrics are delivered in their local dialect, a touching romantic candour is evident in the song’s memorable hook, their R&B-tinged melodies and the sublime folksy beat.

Crayon – “On Code” (feat. London)

With his impressive debut EP, ‘Cray Cray’, Crayon showcased his formidable abilities as a budding pop star, and with over 10million streams he’s well on his way. Continuing his consistent streak, the London-produced “On Code” is his fifth single, and it continues to hone in on his flair for crafting songs heavy on romantic sentiments. Singing over catchy mid-tempo production, Crayon expresses his admiration and desire for a love interest, conveying the level of intimacy he wants to achieve with her.

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Remembering the pre-lockdown parties

Posted on by The Native

Everyone knows that absence makes the heart grow fonder – it’s why a homebody like me can, strangely, miss bumping and grinding with strangers at the nightclub. Something about being confined in quarantine for 4 months has made buying overpriced liquor appealing. In fact, I’m now looking forward to the lockdown being lifted so I can pretend to follow what my friends are saying over the deafening music blaring through the surround sound system of the club.

Of course, there are other highlights to going out to party at the club, like say, meeting Alton Mason (as I did), but I think everyone will agree that the real allure for clubbing is the music listening experience. Dancefloor audiences are at the top of the music food chain and even the most hardcore rappers like Olamide or M.I have learned to appease the dancefloor gods for commercial gains. It’s the single reason so many music videos are set in neon-lit clubs despite the backlash artists get for not being more innovative. Not too many artists can afford to pass up on such an apt depiction of a good time almost anyone can relate with that they want their song to convey.

Because so many songs use the dancefloor as a plot device, I’d even go as far as saying you haven’t truly experienced some songs until you’ve heard them playing at a mind-numbing volume while you’re intoxicated enough to dance in public. That’s when I feel the most connected with elite lyricism, like Wande Coal’s “Iskaba, Iskele bete, Iskolo boto”. The virtual parties on Instagram, zoom, and other such online replicas of the dancefloors that have emerged during these lockdown times are cool, but music just slaps harder when you’re in a room full of people who are feeling the same energy as you. With dance being a huge part of African music, the lockdown has sorely affected the music that soundtracks our nightlife boogies.

So,  given how the entire ecosystem of the dance-driven sound has been disrupted, it’s hardly surprising that critics have now declared the death of the Zanku wave – one of the most prolific African dances in the past decade, and the street-tuned sound that dominated the Nigerian music scene last year.

During Zanku’s heyday (read as before the Rona), you couldn’t go to any club in Nigeria without hearing Zanku beats. While artists like Mr Real, Zlatan, and Naira Marley grew enough acclaim to be seen as the face of the street-hop sound taking over the mainstream, DJs – namely DJ YK Beats and DJ Damlex – were the real villains pushing the buttons from behind the scenes. Without the need to smoothen dance music’s excess to make their songs into pop hits, they pushed the sound’s maximalist extremes, mixing different drum riffs and synth harmonies without having to include distracting lyrics. The songs’ haphazard titles matched the skeletal arrangements of drums and synths that played as though the beats were leaked before they were actually finished.

Regardless, DJ YK Beats’ “Dance Instrumental” and DJ Damlex’s “Lagos Beat (Zanku Instrumental)” were regular customers at Nigerian clubs. Even if you couldn’t predict when they’d slip into the rotation, you could always count on them to feature at some point before the end of the night. After getting into the Zanku groove and learning the legwork dance movement, it became a moment to look forward to. However, very few club-goers returned home to download the songs because it was just the type of music you only associate with the club.

If the Zanku genre is predicated on listeners’ ability to get up and join in the music with their own performances of the dance, then the coronavirus would be its natural end. Since mid-March clubs in the dance’s country of origin have been mandated shut, gatherings of other 30 people declared illegal and opportunities to gbese have been few and far between.

During a time when we spend most of our 24 hours in the comfort of our own homes (probably even without leaving our beds) the soundtracks to our lives are transforming drastically. As you can imagine, audiences around the world are opting for more mellow music to wind down to at home, than upbeat vivacious tracks that’ll make us miss the days when we could get lit to them. According to CNBC, music streaming giant, Spotify reported a decline in the streaming of Pop music and Rap music, whilst folk and classical music streams increased, as well as streaming of older music, such as Disney songs, that bring us a comforting feeling of familiarity in these unprecedented times.

This data is reflected in Apple Music’s top 100 charts for Nigeria also, despite our keen connection with upbeat pop numbers. With Omah Lay clutching the number one spot (as well as 6, 7 and 8), Sam Smith and Burna Boy’s melancholic “My Oasis” comes in at the second most streamed track by Nigerians on Apple Music. Though the top 10 still features uptempo numbers such Rema’s “Woman”, Davido and Mayorkun’s “Betty Butter” and Patoranking’s “Abule”, these records do not play into the same hyperactive animations that primed Zanku music for club domination.

No thanks to outside being closed, Zanku instrumentals have now become a sort of period piece to reminisce on, simply sparking nostalgic wonder for when we’d be reunited with the club. We’re not yet putting the final nail in the coffin, but if corona keeps doing its thing, the Zanku might just end up six feet under for good.

Featured Image Credits/“Dance Instrumental” – DJ YK Beats

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

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How To: A guide to Africa’s most popular dance moves from the 2010s

Posted on by The Native

Any Afropop song worth its salt is inherently hinged upon its ability to make you dance, and artists tend to gear the music towards danceable rhythms that will get a party started or rile a crowd of concert-goers up. While we did the Makossa, Swo and Yahooze through our formative years in the noughties, those dance moves didn’t quite hold the kind of reverence the ones we have today do.

Over the past few years, some artists have seen massive success due to their attachment to a particular dance move, which catapulted their songs to new heights. Take Zlatan for example, who coined the current rave, Zanku (an acronym for the phrase “Zlatan Abeg No Kill Us”), which has birthed its own sound of popular music at the moment. Even though there is a slight obsession at home to declare the end of the Zanku era, it’s wise to truly appreciate something for what it is. Starting as a dance from the streets of Lagos, popularised by Zlatan and Chinko Ekun, Zanku became a global phenomenon, which has most recently been tapped into by Beyoncé in her latest film, ‘Black Is King’. For that alone, the movement will go down in history as one of the most dominating runs in Nigerian culture.

Now that outside is closed, and we don’t even know when it will be safe to hit the clubs again, we’re missing all those sweaty times when the person standing next to you just had to spread themselves to bust a shoki – even when there’s literally no space for all of that. So while we’re reminiscing about those times, we’ve decided to look back at all the popular dances we had in the last decade. From Davido’s Skelewu to the Shaku Shaku which made it over the shores, here are the most popular dance moves we had in the past decade:

Galala (Nigeria, ’90s)

Granted, this dance arrived way before the 2010s, but we just had to give the Galala an honourable mention, seeing as the move still goes off today.

Dancing has remained a reliable bridge between the street (ghetto) and popular Nigerian culture. When Daddy Showkey emerged from the streets of Ajegunle to dominate the mainstream music scene in the ’90s, he brought along the Galala dance step which required dancers to bend their knees and shuffle their feet in one spot. The dance has remained evergreen and saw a sort of resurgence through the late 2010s, with dancers still referencing it occasionally to show their range and performers like Santi breaking out the move to wow their fans. Though Daddy Showkey, Baba Fryo and others from that region were known for popularising the dance and the sound that goes along with it, the credit for its origin goes to the vibrant dance scene in the Ajegunle ghetto.

Azonto (Ghana, 2011)

If we never get to the bottom of the friendly war between Nigeria and Ghana, we’ll pin it on the fact that Wizkid hijacked their dance move and made it his own. Back in 2012, the azonto was all the rave, thanks to Sarkodie and E.L’s late 2011 offering, “U Go Kill Me”. Initially emerging from Accra’s bubbling Jamestown, the moves and sequencing for the azonto dance can be in part credited to the Ghana’s Ga tribe. Making it all the way to Prince William and David Cameron in the UK, for the diaspora communities in particular, the Azonto became a unifying symbol of West African pride, and was arguably the first dance to popularise social media challenges, which have in turn changed the way we appreciate music.

Kukere (Nigeria, 2012)

Afropop singer, Iyanya lucked out in 2012 when he created the viral dance that became known as Kukere following the release of his breakout song of a similar name. The dance is actually a direct adaptation of the traditional Efik dance known as the Etighi dance. Being of Efik origin himself, it comes as no surprise that the artist popularised a dance step which greatly nods to his culture but for a modern audience. The dance went on to become popular in Nigeria and Ghana and even became a mainstay in the United Kingdom, where members of the diaspora still connected to home would adopt the dance and popularise it in dance clubs across the shores.

Alkayida (Ghana, 2013)

Though it didn’t take off quite as far as the azonto dance craze, alkayida was the dance move from Ghana that followed, in a sense evolving out of the azonto cultural reset. Naming his hip-hop hit after the song, “Alkayida (Boys Abr3)” , Ghanaian rapper Guru brought the dance into popularity. Unfortunately, its controversial name meant that the alkayida wasn’t as far reaching as the azonto, but what the dance lost in reach it makes up for in longevity, as this dance move remains on the roster ’till today.

Shoki (Nigeria, 2013)

Shoki had its moment in the mainstream in 2014 as it took over from Davido’s Skelewu dance trend. Emerging from the youth of Agege in 2013 Dre San, Lil Kesh and Orezi released singles titled “Shoki” that year, but it was Lil Kesh’s debut single under YBNL that fully captured the essence of the Shoki rave. While the bend and slowly lift before tossing away dance motion was innocent it itself, the context for Shoki has always been sexual since it was first popularised by Femi Kuti’s ‘Shoki Shoki’ album released in 1998. The sexual undertone of Shoki fit Lil Kesh’s lewd brand of Afropop and he championed the dance through his sexually provocative lyrics and music video which featured Davido also doing the Shoki dance. Everyone was doing the Shoki after that and it certainly helped that it wasn’t a complicated move to learn.

Skelewu (Nigeria, 2013)

The year was 2013 when Davido’s viral dance challenge inadvertently led to the nation catching the Skelewu bug. Hit songs always seem to carry with them innovative dance moves, and Davido definitely piqued our interest when he set off this viral dance, which was further encapsulated by the song’s video. Though short-lived, the song and the dance competition was all anyone could talk about, and thus a new way of partying was born. The song had two videos, one which was an instructional guide on how to do the dance and a second, more theatrical video which imagined a dystopian post-apocalyptic world where the Skelewu fever took off, leaving only those that were able to get down, have fun and hit that Skelewu.

Sekem (Nigeria, 2013)

The video for Iyanya’s “Kukere” not only set the stage for the dance craze of the same name, it was also the catalyst behind Sekem, the viral dance that grew in popularity between late 2013 and mid-2014. The “Kukere” video featured an extensive cameo from MC Galaxy, who provided comic relief with his complicated style of the Kukere dance, and shot to a higher level of fame shortly after. Leveraging on that rise in popularity, MC Galaxy, a comedian by trade at the time, a composite evolution of Kukere and Skelewu. The T-Spize-produced title song came with lyrics instructing listeners on how to perform the dance step—one hand in front and one in back, and gliding to the side by twisting one foot. The dance craze permeated the mainstream through a challenge where prizes were awarded, and the sound MC Galaxy brought along also left its mark, even making imitators out of P-Square, who mimicked the sound on their smash hit, “Shekini”.

Shakiti Bobo (Nigeria, 2015)

Olamide may be the undefeated King of the Streets, but he’s undeniably also built a reputation as being the king of viral dance trends. Back in 2015, he kicked off the viral Shakiti Bobo dance following the release of his hit single “Bobo”, and immediately won the hearts of the nation with the catchy song and even catchier dance step that we’ve seen sported by some of our faves like Missy Elliot. Though tied to the sound of the streets, the dance went on to become one of the unifying dance moves from these parts and you couldn’t hit up an event spot without having to bust into this dance at least once #thatyear.

Shaku Shaku (Nigeria, 2017)

Shaku Shaku was one of the first African dance moves to go viral on the internet. It all started when Olamide initiated a dance challenge to decide which dance crew to feature in the music video for his street smash, “Wo” in 2017. Lagos-based dance crew, Westsyde won the challenge with their feet shuffling and hand bondage dance choreograph which they called Shaku Shaku. While the song went on to dominate the mainstream music scene in Nigeria, the intersection of dance, music, viral video and social media made the Shaku into a movement that all Africans, both at home and in the diaspora, felt proud to be a part of. There was a communal sense of pride associated to dancing Shaku Shaku and after France‘s predominantly black football team won the World Cup in 2018 and did the Shaku Shaku in celebration, it felt like a validating moment for the African music scene.

Gwara Gwara (SA, 2017)

Rihanna’s performance at the 2018 Grammy’s, Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” music video, and the streets of South Africa all have this dance move in common. Created “from scratch” by South Africa’s DJ Bonz who released tutorials of how to do the dance along with his 2017 single “Ofana Nawa” which features Sobz, the Gwara Gwara dance has taken a well documented tour through South African music – such as the infectious dance tune, “Gobisiqolo” by Bhizer and Babes Wodumo’s Mampintsha-assisted “Wololo” – and beyond.

Zanku (Nigeria, 2018)

New dance crazes are frequent occurrences, but the speed with which the Zanku completely phased out Shaku Shaku was quite remarkable. After fully emerging into the mainstream at the top of 2018, it seemed like we would all be pulling imaginary generator ropes till the end of the year, however, the final quarter of the year came with a drastic flip in the switch. Catalysed by the smash success of Chinko Ekun’s “Able God” and sealed by Zlatan’s “Zanku (Leg Work)”, the Zanku dance – with its feet stomps, bent backs, vigorous shoulder rolls and climactic kick (Gbese!) – became a fixture at year end parties and concerts.

With his involvement on the two aforementioned records and his scene stealing feature on the apex Zanku song, Burna Boy’s “Killin’ Dem”, Zlatan can rightly claim to be the prime populariser of the dance, but its exact origins are quite ambiguous. So far, it has been traced back to Agege, one of the numerous, packed places in Lagos where ghetto coincides with suburbia, and the same place where Shaku Shaku came about. These days, the Zanku has elevated from its murky beginnings into an identifiable dance with international adopters, most recently, Beyoncé in the video for the Shatta Wale-assisted “Already”. That the Zanku is still in vogue and continues to evolve in variation nearly two years later speaks to its durability, and when it fades, it will be remembered as one of the greatest and best dance crazes to take over afropop.

Pilolo (Ghana, 2018)

Pilolo which loosely translates to “go search for”, is a traditional Ghanaian game of hide and seek, whereby one person hides an object and the other children involved in the game search for it. But since 2018, the name Pilolo has been given a whole new meaning as Zigi, the Ghanaian singer who is also known for starting the Kupe craze, named his brand new dance after the game. Coming up with the dance move whilst practicing for a video, Zigi explains:

“I rushed to my brother, showed him the steps and he asked me to add more energy to it. I did more research, watched more dance videos, so I wouldn’t come up with an already existing dance, then went ahead to shoot the dance video, ending it with my new step.”

Performed by Janet Jackson in her set of “Made of Now” on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show, Zigi’s well researched new move is now another global dance sensation stemming from the continent.

Kpakujemu (Nigeria, 2018)

Olamide has popularised many dance moves in his time. From Shakiti Bobo to the Shaku Shaku right down to 2018’s Kpakujemu, Olamide knows just the right moves to hit the scene with, and just the right grooves to get us dancing. Launched by the winners of Olamide’s “Wo” challenge (which brought about the Shaku Shaku), with a collaborative single, featuring Lyta, Terri and Barry Jhay, and Olamide himself, “Kpakujemu” is the Westside Lifestyle dance crew’s debut single and the first formal introduction we got to the move. Earliest sightings of the Kpakujemu, however trace back to one of Olamide’s visit to Cool FM where he shows OAPs Kemi Smallz and Do2dtun how the newest move in town is done to the tune of his fresh single “Motigbana”. Though, surprisingly, the song “Kpakujemu” song didn’t air with a music video, he dance has caught on and is still a fave amongst dancers and music influencers alike.

Dances by Iffy Atuche

Written by Debola Abimbolu, Adewojumi Aderemi, Dennis Ade-Peter and Tami Makinde

ICYMI: BIG BROTHER NAIJA IS REACHING INTO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

In loving memory of Picture Kodak

Posted on by The Native

It’s almost too much to process, that in the middle of a global pandemic, people have been passing away from other causes. It’s just one, but a particularly heartbreaking way in which the COVID-19 virus has had knock-on effects in our day-to-day lives. In a period where funerals are prohibited (for most) due to the strict social distancing guidelines, the loved ones of the dearly departed have been unable to properly eulogise those they have lost in the ways we have all become accustomed too. Back in late April, popular Afropop dancer and model Love Divine Ike, more widely known as Picture Kodak, passed away following an electrocution incident. She was recognisable from her appearances in many music videos, a sprawling list including Burna Boy’s “Gbona”, Olamide’s “Oil & Gas” and Blaqbonez’s “Haba”. She was also a founding member of Westsyde Lifestyle, a prominent dance crew dedicated to amplifying street-bred dance culture through conceptual dance videos, stage performances and appearances in music videos.

Shortly after Love Divine’s passing broke to the public, condolences started to pour in online from artists, colleagues and admirers. With her résumé, the reactions were appropriate. Beyond the picture posts and perfunctory “R.I.P” missives, there were tweets expressing deep grief from Chinko Ekun and Dremo, testimonials to her bubbly and good-natured personality from Simi and Blaqbonez, and Zlatan expressed his sadness at her death by delivering a verse over the soulful folk instrumental for Bankulli’s “Gbemiro”.

Just last weekend, it became public knowledge that Kodak featured in the music video for “Keys to the Kingdom”, one of the many visuals that make up Beyoncé’s new Disney-exclusive film, ‘Black is King’. As short snippets from the film and pictures of the ever-energetic Divine on set made its way on to the social media pages of those involved in its creation, they were met with an outpouring of emotion by fans and creatives alike. Without a doubt, Love Divine impacted the Nigerian music space, and going by all the glistening comments, in ways that may never be fully appreciated by those are not industry observers.

It is a bit ironic that for a face many will recognise from their favourite music videos, her contributions were never really explicitly acknowledged until her passing. This is very common for many women who appear in music videos and on stage – they are beamed unto our screens and briefly share the spotlight with the artists, however, they barely bear any other considerations beyond satisfying our gazing eyes in those moments.

If you ask an artist how they’d like to spend a meaty promotional budget, chances are, shooting a music video will be at the top of that list. The reason is simple: the right videos leave an impression on the viewer, increasing the song’s chances for commercial success; and it also builds or consolidates an artist’s brand. More often than not, these visuals will feature dancers/models who are entrusted with improving the impressionistic value of the video.

There’s a wealth of recent examples of the importance of women to impressive music videos. It’s impossible to envision the entrancing video for Burna Boy’s “On the Low” without noting Curtisha Kruytoff’s scene-stealing performance; Georgia Curtis’ hypnotic dance moves in Wizkid’s “Joro” personifies the song’s bewitching groove; DJ Tgarbs’ innate allure is essential to the zany idea behind Ycee’s “Vacancy”; Seyi Shay’s femme fatale persona in the video for Show Dem Camp’s “Do Me Nice” heightens its storytelling devices; and Picture Kodak’s ferocious and sexually charged performance was the central point for Blaqbonez’s “Haba”.

These examples point to the important, yet, often understated role these ladies—widely described as video vixens—play, especially in Afropop’s bigger picture. In the last few years, Nigerian music has been increasing its global attention, and while a significant part of that is down to its groovy and diverse sound, its colourful videos are also vital. If you scroll through the YouTube comments of the music videos from popular Nigerian artists, you’ll find viewers leaving comments to announce their locations, many of them from far-flung countries across the continent and the world. Since they’re quite the staple in these videos, it doesn’t seem far-fetched to define the eye-catching presence and roles of dancers and video vixens as essential.

In an industry teeming with male singers who regularly sing about women as the object of their affection and affluence, video vixens mainly come off as accessories. A big part of that comes from the influence of hip-hop, a genre that has been single-handedly responsible for shaping the perception of video vixens in the last three decades. Blame it on the inherent machismo, and the misogyny resulting from it, rap videos have set the sexist identity these women all supposedly fit, an image that has been taken to heart by audiences who are simply content to follow along.

Many rap fans will be familiar with Karrine Steffans, a former video vixen from who became known for alleged sexual relations with a long list of popular rappers, was infamously nicknamed Superhead and has been referenced in many sexually derogatory punchlines. In 2005, Steffans published ‘Confessions of a Video Vixen’, a memoir in which she highlights the casual degradation and sexual exploitation she faced during her stint as a vixen. The memoir stirred up controversy, with the worst cynics calling Steffans a snitch and deeming her experiences as occupational hazards of the profession.

To many, being a video vixen somehow automatically equates to being a sex worker, and in a conservative Nigerian society, being perceived as a sex worker means that respect is regularly thrown out of the window. Sure, sex sells, and while exuding sexual appeal may be a visible part of the arsenal, that’s not all video vixens represent. Many artists fancy their videos as visual experiences, and by executing their stipulated roles, these women are important to translating the working idea into an enjoyable video. It’s a simple ideal with its own complications.

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FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN ____________________________________________ The LOVE DIVINE FOUNDATION is a project that is established to memorialise one of our founding members, Love Divine Ike (PictureKodak, 1996 – 2020), to celebrate her lifestyle, fulfil her dreams and secure her legacy as a major contributor to the Afro Urban Culture, and most importantly to realise her vision as it pertains to the empowerment of young girls and the celebration of radical femininity. This fundraising campaign is set up to raise the seed funding required to establish the works of the foundation which includes LEGACY PROJECT, MEMORY PROJECT, COMMUNITY CENTRE, FASHION & LIFESTYLE BRAND and the reinvigoration  of the DANCE COMPANY. _________________________________________________ Visit www.westsydelifestyle.com/donate to DONATE

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Women like Picture Kodak were a key part of women using their bodies as an empowering expression of their femininity. While this is definitely a complex debate, what’s of utmost importance is conceding to their autonomy and respecting the integral nature of their work to the colourful visual identity of contemporary Nigerian music.

While they might never be able to get the same kind of spotlight artists do, acknowledgement of their importance in the game goes a long way. In recent times, the Kalakuta Queens have begun to receive their flowers as the unsung heroes of Afrobeat. Known for their energetic and seductive dance routines, what these women represent to Afrobeat’s aesthetic is now being acknowledged, over three decades later, through the critically acclaimed play, ‘Fela & the Kalakuta Queens’.

Even with wildly varying nuances, Nigeria’s current music scene can and should take cues from a reverent act like this, even if it’s on a much smaller scale. Regardless of the fact that they are nameless to many, these dancers are integral to representing the music we all love and support, and they should always be regarded in that light.

We shouldn’t wait until it’s too late to give them their flowers. Rest in peace, Picture Kodak.

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Dennis is not an interesting person. Tweet Your Favourite Playboi Carti Songs at him @dennisadepeter

ICYMI: WE SHOULD BE GIVING MORE PROPS TO SOUND ENGINEERS IN AFROPOP

Nasty C releases new single “Palm Trees” ahead of his forthcoming album

Posted on by The Native

South African rapper, Nasty C is the name on everyone’s lips at the moment. After signing to Def Jam Recordings earlier this year, he’s been proactively releasing new music from the T.I-assisted “They Don’t” to the Dj Whoo Kid-hosted mixtape ‘Zulu’, and now with the forthcoming release of his third studio album ‘Zulu Man with Some Power’ slated for later this month.

 

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Ahead of the project release on August 28, Nasty C has now shared a new single “Palm Trees” along with an accompanying video.  On “Palm Trees”, Nasty C references the airy and green landscape of Los Angeles, as he delivers confident, salacious bars about his carnal desires. ‘In the strip club cause I love butts/I flick a bitch bean, I’m the clit guru’ he raps over the bass-heavy production by LA-based trio Bankroll Got It.

In the accompanying video, we see Nasty C deliver his verses while surrounded by the sexy women he raps about with rabid enthusiasm. It’s a stunning watch to keep our interest piqued before the release of his upcoming project, which is said to host guest appearances from Ari Lennox, Lil Keed, and yet another collaboration with T.I.

Watch the video for “Palm Trees” below.

Featured image credits/NastyC

Hell hath no fury like Tami. Tweet her your fave female rappers @tamimak_

ICYMI: Burna Boy shares details for new album ‘Twice as Tall’

Burna Boy shares details for new album, ‘Twice As Tall’

Posted on by The Native

Since its announcement a few months back, the anticipation for Burna Boy’s fifth studio album, ‘Twice As Tall’, has been through the roof. The afro-fusion artist came into the year riding high on back-to-back MVP campaigns in the previous two years, delivering two landmark albums in ‘Outside’ and ‘African Giant’. With these projects, Burna Boy both dominated on the home front, with multiple hit singles, and simultaneously furthered afropop’s global agenda through international features, festival appearances and sold-out shows around the world.

Through post-album loosies, like “Money Play” and “Odogwu”, the Grammy-nominated artist has made it clear that he plans on riding high for as long as possible, and the impending arrival of a third album in three years is testament to his dedication and consistency. Over the last 48 hours Burna Boy has been publicly teasing details for the album and has now announced next Friday, August 14th, as the release date for ‘Twice As Tall’.

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#TWICEASTALL 14/08 🦍 – – 📽 @ayotunde_bello

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Sharing the album tracklist yesterday evening, Burna Boy has revealed that the album will comprise of fourteen new songs and the previously released lead single, “Wonderful”. The feature sheet for ‘Twice As Tall’ boasts collaborations with UK rap superstar, Stormzy; Coldplay’s Chris Martin; Kenyan group, Sauti Sol; Senegalese Mbalax legend, Youssou N’Dour; and legendary hip-hop trio, Naughty By Nature. Headlining this star-studded cast is hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who serves as executive producer of the album.

In a new Burna Boy profile story by the New York Times, Diddy explained that he was brought in for “fresh ears” when the album was about 80% done, and he was able to add voice-over intros and source for musical contributions from producers and artists like Timbaland and Anderson .Paak. In the same profile, Burna explains that ‘Twice As Tall’ is “continuing the mission I started, which is building a bridge that leads every Black person in the world to come together, and to make you understand that without you having a home base, you can’t be as strong as you are.”

Take a look at the tracklist for ‘Twice As Tall’ here.

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Dennis is not an interesting person. Tweet Your Favourite Playboi Carti Songs at him @dennisadepeter

#ZIMBABWEANLIVESMATTER: CORRUPTION IN AFRICA AMIDST THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK

We spoke to a few people about partying during a pandemic

Posted on by The Native

In nightclubs and party venues around the world, once crowded dance floors have remained empty and venues have remained shut in light of the ongoing global health crisis. With five months already into the socially-distanced new normal, tensions are building up around the world as we’re all starting to feel the pressures of staying home without any human interaction.

Talking to the homies online is all good, but seeing them in person is even better, and so whether advisable or not, we can’t gloss over the fact that some people are beginning to plan parties and weddings during these unprecedented times. And while such escapism may be a chance to blow off some steam after extended worldwide lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic, it also raises safety concerns about how to party while also respecting new social distancing measures.

 

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Partying during the pandemic would have gotten you a raised eyebrows and unfriendly messages a few months ago (Funke Akindele even got hit with a fine for her birthday bash), but now more and more people are hosting pandemic parties and seeing close friends and family if they need to. However, the truth still remains that the consequences of the actions we take are still potentially life-threatening, so more important than ever before. Despite this, it’s hard to convince anyone to keep staying indoors when everyone’s beginning to feel the effects on their mental health. I, for one, have been out for a party during these times and have had my anxiety peak while attending a small get-together at a friend’s house.

From the numerous Sallah parties that were held over last weekend, it’s becoming apparent that, with the lockdowns being relaxed across different countries around the world, many people have begun to ease back into their regular schedules, grabbing meals at restaurants, attending private baby showers, and even in some extreme cases, going to nightclubs. Here’s how members of our community are getting up to no good amidst a pandemic.

A, 28, M.

I was scared and anxious because, at the party, everyone was acting like there was no COVID. Everyone went about their businesses without masks or hand sanitisers. I wore my mask but pulled it off later. I kept sanitising my hands but it felt so weird. And like 2 people offered to shake my hand. It was scary.

On another occasion, I went to see my grandpa and I didn’t even sit because I was scared I might have contracted COVID-19 at the hangout earlier. I just kept a distance in his house. I didn’t want to give him the virus.

M, 23, F.

The first event I went to during the pandemic was in May and it was a friends birthday. It was a bit nerve-racking to be among so many people during such an uncertain period. I took precautions, as did others with me. Strangely, people weren’t practicing social distancing there. We were all so happy to finally reunite after being away for so long! I was a bit shy too and everything sort of felt unreal, at that moment I had to value social interaction a bit more and also valued myself a bit more too.

Life-altering events can really show you how much you miss people or how much you’re good without them. Over time life started to feel normal again from these little hangouts and the thought of catching the virus did cross my mind, I also felt like “what the heck”, we’ve all been in isolation.

D, 22, F.

I’ve hung out with my friend a couple of times. The first was a very small birthday (we were about 7 in total), that made me a little anxious considering the fact that nobody wore a mask. I almost didn’t go but I had my birthday earlier in the year & he traveled for it so I said okay let me just go. The other times we hung out, I wasn’t anxious because I knew we were both taking the virus seriously and taking the necessary precautions to avoid contracting it.

F, 23, F.

I went to an illegal warehouse party. It was relatively normal but there was this element of corona is inside throughout as no one wore masks. If I go out again I’ll be sure to social distance as the anxiety the next day was not worth it.

A, 25, M.

Tbh, I haven’t gone out much. Even pre-corona I was always at home (because of laziness). However, the few times I’ve gone out I’ve still had it at the back of my mind that we’re still in the middle of a pandemic and sometimes that takes out the fun. I don’t really want to be out with friends and still be paranoid. I had a birthday picnic last month and I was so close to cancelling because of all the health procedures involved and social distancing but my friends still insisted – and we had a good time.

I haven’t gone for any house parties …(yet). I missed one last month because I was with my aunt and she’s a high-risk person so I just thought not to put everyone at home at risk. I might try to start going out a little more, and still wear my mask, have my hand sanitisers in my fanny pack and just be careful … because at this point what can we really do.

D, 23, M.

I’ve been to about 20 different motives since the lockdown ease. It sounds really careless but I was never paranoid at any time. But at some of these motives, I’ll see some people stylishly isolating themselves from the rest of the crowd or people avoiding sharing blunts. 

Don’t let Lagos people fool you, they’re all partying and without masks and I can’t blame them when the numbers aren’t making sense anymore. 11k discharged patients in one day, it’s now looking like cap. 

H, 27, F.

I have gone out to a few things, but even while I’m there, I’m anxious the whole time and it makes me super detached from the people I’m around. After every major hangout though, I self isolate for two weeks or sometimes just a week, to see if I feel any changes to my body. So far nothing so we move.

A, 23, F.

Yeah, there was a period of time I was going to a few birthdays. I felt uneasy that there were so many people, and a little confused cos no one else seemed worried, but that also made me more at ease, because it wasn’t like a bunch of people panicking. Plus, these events were with family, so I wasn’t worried about infecting my mum cos she was also there. Although I went to the beach once and did steam therapy when I got back and drank dogoyaro [Neem] with lemon and ginger for days after. 

K, F, 27.

Not really event but been to visit friends/tiny gatherings up to like 12 people. Wasn’t bad, was paranoid, got drunk and started sharing cig so was actually really paranoid for a while – since that one I’ve been to see friends, smaller scale and had people round. I’ll be out sha – restlessness but it try and keep it limited especially if imma be drinking because I clearly can’t be trusted to make corona compliant decisions when waved. Won’t be going to parties or anywhere with too many people sha but just tiny gatherings etc I’m v cool with.

A, 25, M.

I’ve been sick since Sallah. It might be all in my head because I’m generally fine, but I’m not. I’ve been going to see friends but this one was overdoing it; I was convinced into going to two Sallah parties and one turned out to be an actual house party. Not to mention we had a little Aallah party in my house. All these events featured no face masks.

O, 26, M.

I had my birthday a few days ago and invited people over. It was weird and being around people made me really anxious. I feel like I don’t know how to interact with them anymore. but at the same time, it felt really nice. I enjoyed seeing people and feeling their energy around me.

J, 22, F.

Featured image credits/BBC

Hell hath no fury like Tami. Tweet her your fave female rappers @tamimak_

ICYMI: Corruption in Africa amidst COVID-19 outbreak

dndSection’s “Zaza” is the theme song for every smoker

Posted on by The Native

In the crowded and competitive world of rap, dndSection takes advantage of his Nigerian roots, pulling different stylistic threads together in order to stand out. Earlier this year, the Atlanta-based artist released Chrystel-assisted “Darling”, which showed off his musical versatility with the change of pace from rapping to singing. Fans have since continued to anticipate his promised project and we can finally get a taste of what’s coming as he just released the project’s lead single, “Zaza”, a stoner anthem with a romantic twist.

The lightweight beat produced by 88Jay forms an earworm over which dnd can assert his artistic range, singing the melodious hook without diluting the potency of his rap verse. Saying “Your love really gets me right/ This shit intoxicating“, “Zaza” finds dnd comparing the endorphins from being with the woman he loves with the high of smoking marijuana. With lyrics celebrating both love and drugs, “Zaza” is a catchy song that’d resonate with anyone that has ever explored either. We didn’t think these two experiences had too much in common, but after hearing dndSection blur the lines between romance and rolled goods, we’re convinced the two feelings are one and the same.

Stream “Zaza” by dndSection and SMV below.

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

ICYMI: Listen to dndSection team up with Chrystel for “Darling”

How Vlisco’s association with the “Zwarte Piet” blackface ritual exemplifies fashion’s empty promises

Posted on by The Native

Investigating Dutch wax giant Vlisco’s history of racism, NYC journalist Joe Penney looks into the fashion industry’s tendency of fake solidarity.

2020 has been the year when masks have come off in the fashion universe, revealing the extent of racism and misogyny in one of the world’s most lucrative industries. The French brand Jacquemus, for example, was recently dragged for its nearly all-white team while relying on Black models. Off-White and Louis Vuitton’s Virgil Abloh has become a meme after his $50 donation to a Miami bail fund, and is heavily criticised for photos that showed the whiteness of his creative team, and his retained friendship to alleged serial rapist Ian Connor. Fashion writer Louis Paul Pisano also caused an uproar, when he posted pictures revealing Milan industry elite in blackface and dressed as slaves.

Brands with a strong presence in Africa have for the most part escaped increased scrutiny, but a few dissenting voices have challenged the neo-colonial power dynamics perpetuated by European companies operating within African fashion industries. Bolaji Animashaun was scrolling on Instagram from her home in Lagos, Nigeria, when she came across a post made by Vlisco, a Dutch company that is the most well-known producer of the wax cloth prints extremely popular across Africa. The post, which has since been deleted, said that the company was supporting Black women. Bolaji, a fashion consultant and director of Lagos Fashion Awards, who thought the post was performative, was incensed and began asking questions in the comments.

 

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Does Vlisco really care about Black Lives?

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Vlisco’s boilerplate statements about Black Lives Matter in reaction to those questions prompted her to make her own posts (some now deleted), and in the comments, a number of African industry professionals spoke about their own negative experiences with the company and demanded more information about the company’s racial make-up, wage gaps between its white and African employees, and its commitment to the fashion industry in Africa. 

“The biggest thing for me right now is the manipulation of creativity and labor,” Animashaun said. “There’s no [executive level] representation of those who wear the clothes. The clothes are consumed by 95% Africans. Most of the work is taken from us, it’s been inspired by what we do. Are Black people not good enough for you to be an executive, a brand director, or part of the creative team?”

Vlisco’s history, and that of its founders, the van Vlissingen family, is closely associated with Dutch colonialism. “They were trading textiles, and textiles were actual currency in the slave trade,” said Catherine McKinley, historian and author of Indigo: In search of the color that seduced the world. Though the actual van Vlissingen family hasn’t been associated with Vlisco – a contraction of “Vlissingen” and “Company” –  since the late 1980s, according to Frans van Rood, former head of design and development at the company, “The van Vlissingen family was based in Amsterdam and consisted of bankers and traders. One branch of this family got into coal trade and developed into a conglomerate”. Today, the van Vlissingens are one of the richest families in the Netherlands, and the most well-known family member, John Fentener van Vlissingen, is worth $2.1 billion.

According to the company website, in 1852 then-owner Pieter Fentener van Vlissingen visited his uncle’s Javanese sugar plantation and came across traditional batik cloth, which he then brought back to the Netherlands to mass-produce cheaply. Although the Netherlands had abolished slavery by that point, it was still legal in Java until 1860, so it’s likely that enslaved people were labouring on the van Vlissingen sugar plantation. Then, “around the turn of the 20th century, Vlisco shifted its attention to Africa,” says Frans van Rood. From there, a market for wax prints developed that is profitable to this day. 

 

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Testimonies from current and former employees of Vlisco show a company that is operating under a colonial-era organisation highly resistant to growing global demands that insist on tearing racist structures down.

There are relatively few fashion brands with annual revenue upwards of $100 million that cater primarily to African consumers on the continent, most focus instead on European, American and Asian markets. However, as local fashion industries in Lagos, Accra, Abidjan, Dakar and other West African cities began to boom, the Dutch brand started facing increasing competition alongside demands from consumers for the company to invest in African manufacturing. According to a current employee, who spoke to us under the condition of anonymity, almost all of Vlisco’s creative staff at the Netherlands headquarters are white – only one of the “14 Creative Designers who create the patterns that get printed on fabric” is Black, the employee stated. 

The way in which Vlisco has been able to sustain their profit and endure the competitive African market for such a long time, is in part because the company has been able to capitalise on the cheaper cost of production on the African continent and put an African face on their brand through their factories in Ghana and Ivory Coast. On the surface, these factories seem to be a sign that Vlisco is supporting African manufacturing industries, but the reality is exploitative, as Vlisco overshadows African brands with fewer resources, and ultimately, their interest in Africa is not reflected in the overwhelmingly white make-up of their creative and executive staff, largely hidden from view. 

 

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Fortifying their influence in Africa in 2017, with the inception of its ready-to-wear label, Vlisco & Co., Vlisco CEO, David Suddens is reportedly the man responsible for steering Vlisco into financial safety after a period of losses stemming mainly from Chinese exporters who provided wax cloths at a lower cost than Vlisco and its subsidiaries Ghana Textiles Printing, Uniwax, and Woodin. Vlisco & Co. – targeting a higher-income consumer both in Africa and the Diaspora – was a part of the Suddens-led turnaround.

Since the launch of Vlisco & Co., there has been a concerted effort to court and collaborate with young African creatives, a strategy which has so far paid off. Although it’s not clear if the division is profitable itself, it has changed the company’s brand image and orientation, lending much-needed credibility to its name and generating interest from internationally-known brands and public figures. In 2019, Vlisco collaborated with Dior on a print collection, while Beyoncé has worn their wax prints on more than one occasion.

But even the launch of a division meant to transform Vlisco’s brand from an out-of-touch white company that takes advantage of its African consumers was marred by that very dynamic. According to a former employee and consultant who asked not to be named for fear of retribution from the company, Vlisco & Co. started from the ideas and research of an African woman who was never properly compensated for her work, and was excluded from the company after its successful launch. 

“Vlisco Netherlands was never interested in working with African people,” the ex-employee said. “They had so many opportunities to get it right. If they’re saying they want to work with Africans, they’re lying.”

 

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In addition to their racial subjugation of African people, Vlisco has actively participated in racist celebrations at home in the Netherlands. From an undisclosed date until 2019, the company sponsored the Sinterklaas celebration in Helmond, Netherlands, where their headquarters are. 

Sinterklaas celebrations in the Netherlands are notorious for the blackface character Zwarte Piet, or “Black Pete,” a “mischievous helper-slave” to St. Nicholas that is an integral part of the celebrations’ “three-week-long minstrel show,” in the words of Washington Post opinion editor Karen Attiah. Zwarte Piet is widely known as a racist caricature, despite Dutch protests to the contrary.

On September 30, 2019, Vlisco’s CEO David Suddens sent an internal memo (which you can find below) to Vlisco staff announcing that “Vlisco is fully aware of the competing arguments around the history and meaning of Zwarte Piet” but “on balance, however, it considers that depicting black people in subservient roles is not appropriate.” Nowhere in the memo does it say the company disapproves of blackface or the racist tradition. 

The current employee who spoke to us on condition of anonymity said that when Suddens reluctantly stopped sponsoring the blackface ritual, he decided not to release a public statement because, he apparently said, “We’re going to please three people online and piss off 500 workers in Helmond,” speaking about Vlisco’s HQ workforce. They went on to reveal that most white Dutch employees of Vlisco support the blackface ritual and oppose efforts to make public statements condemning it. “It means that by saying that we condemn Zwarte Piet, that 500 of our white Dutch workers will be pissed at him, that he will look bad for folding under pressure,” the employee said. Suddens “is constantly discrediting the feedback that mainly the Diaspora and Nigeria are giving him. He just thinks it’s ‘woke culture’ and he won’t respond to it,” the employee explained.

When asked about the Sinterklaas sponsorship and accusations of racism against Vlisco, a spokesperson for the company said, “unfortunately our CEO is travelling at this moment in time. He is not available for comment.” Follow-up emails were ignored.

 

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Many brands have condemned racism within the industry after public pressure, only to have their statements’ performativity revealed through other acts of discrimination and whitewashing. The French luxury brand Celine, for example, declared on Instagram that it “stands against all forms of discrimination, oppression and racism,” only to be called out in the comments by stylist Jason Bolden, who wrote that Celine doesn’t dress Black celebrities “unless they have a white stylist.” 

As the internet age has given us a broader lens with which to peak in and scrutinise brands for their discriminatory practices, we are seeing an increasing number of virtue signalling actions that, on the surface, present as positive steps forward, but are revealed to be ploys to appease the public, so that these companies can retain their existing framework imbued with racial and gendered injustices. If brands like Celine or Jacquemus or a company like Vlisco want to prove that they deserve a place in the newly emerging, egalitarian and just world, they’re going to have to do more than share tokens of their support. They’re going to have to fight the racial battle right beside the rest of us. 

Original memo from the Vlisco CEO informing employees that the company will no longer be sponsoring Sinterklaas:

Joe Penney is an NYC photographer, filmmaker, journalist, and co-founder the Mali-based news website Sahelien.com.

ICYMI: The law doesn’t protect, women do.

#ZimbabweanLivesMatter: corruption in Africa amidst the COVID-19 outbreak

Posted on by The Native

As the novel coronavirus has spread across the world, everyone has been tasked with doing their bit to combat the ravenous disease, whether that be staying at home, working overtime as an essential worker or donating funds and goods to the cause. All over the world, any NGOs, non-profits and philanthropic individuals have lent a hand in combatting COVID-19, as have governments budgets, but here in Africa, it seems that the global pandemic only worsened an already out-of-hand sickness: corruption.

The large sums of money and abundance of goods that have been dedicated to tackling COVID-19 have only made it easier for corrupt officials to siphon off funds into their own pockets, and to distribute goods within their own circles, as opposed to using these provisions to help the people for whom they were intended, who need the support the most.

As early as April, just a month after the WHO declared the outbreak a “global pandemic”, the country was already reporting misappropriation of goods. Local councillors across South Africa – the hardest hit African country, with over half a million reported COVID-19 cases – were accused of denying NGOs the capacity to contribute their aid; stealing the food parcels that were put together to help poor communities, or strictly giving them to the supporters of their own political party; overpricing products that are largely substandard in order to make a profit; and also delivering inadequate services. In The Gambia, similar grafts were initiated, for example the registering of non-existent persons on the list of frontline workers, so that the fraudulent perpetrators may collect the risk allowance allocated to essential employees.

Over in East Africa too, coronavirus related corruption scandals sparked the #MoneyHeist, which trended in Kenya, as it was revealed that a large sum 1.3bn Kenyan Shillings (the equivalent of £9.8m or $12.2m) was spent on tackling the coronavirus. What concerned citizens were details of where the money went; for example the report presented to parliament  by Health Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, detailed the spendings which included 2m shillings allocated to mobile airtime, however local telecoms company Safaricom had already offered their services free of charge. Thankfully, today, it was reported that the COVID-19 emergency fund, courtesy of the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, has been replenished with seized funds, that were retrieved from anti-graft operations.

In neighbouring Uganda too, the High Court ordered the return of $5,000 from each MP involved in the scandal that saw the members of parliament allocate themselves the equivalent sum of $2.6m. The MPs justified these funds, saying they were to be used to raise public awareness about the disease, however district committees exist for this very purpose and, condemning their actions as “morally reprehensible”, the Ugandan President himself did not appreciate that the funds weren’t going to these committees as they should.

However, worst of all is the corruption and tyrannical violence ongoing in Zimbabwe, that has resulted in the trending topic #ZimbabweanLiveMatter. A couple of weeks ago, one of Zimbabwe’s high profile  investigative journalists, Hopewell Chin’ono reported via his now suspended Twitter account the alleged act of fraud within Zimbabwe’s Health Ministry, where multimillion dollar deals were made for essential supplies whilst nurses remain on strike due to insufficient pay, lack of PPE and poor working conditions. In response to his exposé, the Zimbabwean government, led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa called for Chin’ono’s arrest for “inciting public violence” – though the police officer leading the investigation, in Chin’ono’s bail hearing admitted that there was nothing in the defendant’s tweets that incited public violence. Jacob Ngarivhume, member of the opposition political party, was arrested on the same day; both were denied bail and await trial in a few days.

The Zimbabwean people have been in uproar regarding this arrest, and following the bail denial last Friday, July 31, an anti-corruption protest was held – but unfortunately, Mnangagwa’s government reacted in much the same way. Coming into power in 2018, President Emmerson Mnangagwa was elected after the overthrowing of widely known dictator, President Robert Mugabe, who refused to relinquish the presidency for almost 40 years. Apparently not that much different from Mugabe, critics of Mnangagwa have accused the sitting president of using totalitarian tactics, being silent on rampant police brutality and exploiting the COVID-19 lockdown to stifle political dissent. This is evidenced in his reaction to the anti-corruption demonstration, where twelve protesters were arrested, including Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Dangarembga and another opposition party member Fadzayi Mahere for flouting anti-coronavirus rules and incitement to commit violence.

It is incredibly disturbing and disheartening that not only are the Zimbabwean government misusing goods, services and capital intended to keep their citizens safe during such a deeply unsetting and unsafe time as this,  but they are furthermore persecuting and brutalising their citizens for simply demanding transparency and fairness. Mr Hopewell Chin’ono has been incarcerated before, and if he is convicted this time could face up to ten years, however there was no crime truly committed. The Health Minister Obadiah Moyo was sacked after it was found he awarded a $60m contract to a company that was inflating prices of supplies for the racket’s personal financial gain, yet when a journalist highlights this malpractice he is thrown in jail and silenced? The people are not having it, and rightly so!

Celebrities (including Thandi Newton, Boity Thulo, Burna boy, Buffalo Souljah and Beenie Man) and political figures – such as South African opposition leader, Mmusi Maimane who has called for SA president and chairperson of the African Union, Cyril Ramaphosa and to contact president Mnangagwa “and tell him to respect the rights of the media and opposition” – have joined the movement, lending their voices to the #ZimbabweanLivesMatter. With Amnesty International, the United Nations and the British embassy on ground in Zimbabwe’s capita, Harare both condemning the arrest, the global community has also responded in support of the Zimbabwean people. Hopefully as the threat of sanctions emerge, those unjustly arrested will be released and the Zimbabwean government will be forced to reimagine their regime for one that upholds human rights and protects its citizens, as governments are sworn to do.

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Wojumi is a bad bitch & she’s going to brag about it. Tweet her your latest cultural exploits @dewoju

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Understanding the difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation

Posted on by Tami Makinde

Despite how often the topic is discussed online, no one actually likes to talk about cultural appropriation, let alone be accused of it. But chances are we’re all guilty of borrowing from another culture in one way or the other throughout our lifetimes, whether it’s that Pocahontas or Mulan costume you wore when you were five years old or adorning your hands with non-permanent henna or even Fireboy DML’s use of Chinese symbols and dressing in the video for his latest single “Eli”, it’s a lot more common than we would like to think.

If we’ve all probably taken from a different culture to ours during our lifetimes, then how do you easily differentiate between cultural appreciation or exchange and something being appropriated poorly and offensively? It is not black and white. There is no clear, cut answer but considerations like power, respectfulness, collaboration, and credit are all important when weighing whether we’ve strayed from appreciation into the realms of appropriation.

The advent of social media and globalisation has meant that the world is now a more connected place than it once was. You don’t have to come from a particular country to know what is going on within it or the cultural trends that they adhere to, because it’s simply available to peruse at the click of a button. Imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, but when that imitation is steeped in callousness and touted as a means to garner clicks on social media, then therein lies the problem.

Appropriation is defined as taking something from a less-dominant culture in a way its members find undesirable and offensive, or that its heritage is misused by those in a position of privilege. Going by this definition, power dynamics are important when we talk about cultural appropriation. Take, for instance, Fireboy DML’s video for “Eli”, where we see the rising star adorn himself and his female muses in traditional Chinese attire.

Following its release, many viewers praised the artist for the accurate detailing and lushness of the recently released visuals, but I, like a few others, left the viewing with a bitter taste in my mouth. The song, which came out a week before the video, sampled familiar sounds from Han Chinese music and it’s a no-brainer that the Clarence Peters-directed video also gave a nod to the rich and vibrant Chinese culture.

The video starts off with the transcription of YBNL in Mandarin and subsequently, and we begin to see these Chinese symbols everywhere on the colourful set. Fireboy DML is presented as the wanted samurai who mingles with dangerous women, namely Delilah, who we see is adorned in the traditional Chinese female garment, the qipao, and has her face painted white. The video is beautiful and the set design is immaculate, but ultimately, “Eli” fails to go beyond engaging with Chinese culture on the aesthetic level.

I am a firm believer that if you’re going to do something, do it very well, and as an artist primed to be one of the biggest from these parts, the video for “Eli” failed to do justice. In the behind the scene clips, both the set designer and the makeup artist shared that the inspiration from the video was birthed from watching Chinese movies, especially ones starring Bruce Lee. In an attempt to pay tribute to Chinese culture, they have failed at actually getting any knowledge of the culture beyond what Hollywood has told us Chinese culture is to look like. There is a distinct lack of appreciation for the complexity, richness and fullness of Chinese culture, as the creatives involved all clung to popular stereotypes depicted in movies that have long since been criticised for their simplistic depictions of the Chinese culture.

Selecting which cultural elements suit our narrative without engaging with the cultures that gave rise to them not only creates the avenue for misappropriation but it also misses an opportunity for art to imitate real life, particularly by those who live and breathe these cultures. Chinese culture extends far beyond paying lip service to this rich and beautiful culture that has been in existence for millennia.

Given that Nigerians would rue the day anyone uses cultural norms that are exclusive to us in the wrong way, as we already countless times (see: Yvonne Orji), we need to question the way in which we engage with cultures that are different from ours, especially when we are the ones in positions of power selecting these cultural elements to infuse into our art. One of the strongest ways to achieve genuine cultural appreciation is through collaboration and dialogue. In the credits for Fireboy DML’s “Eli”, there was no mention of any Chinese creative being consulted in the making of this video. Basing your creative output simply on movie references is certainly not good enough when you are claiming to pay homage to a particular tradition, lived experiences, first hand narratives and adequate information from the keepers of that culture are imperative.

Last week, Beyoncé released the stunning visual masterpiece Black is King, the final accompaniment to a journey that started over a year ago, following the release of her executive-produced love letter to Africa Lion King: The Gift and it’s all anyone can rave about. Prior to its release, many worried that the visual album ‘Black is King’ would fail to connect with viewers, particularly those on the continent, as its depictions of Africa would surely be steeped in Wakandafication.

But in it’s 86 minutes runtime, Black is King does something differently than former depictions of Africa from outside the continent, it is drenched in authenticity and goes beyond clichéd depictions of African countries and their culture by featuring a myriad of African creatives from the continent and in the diaspora. The film was co-directed by Kwasi Fordjour, the Ghanaian creative director of Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment company, alongside other directors such as Emmanuel Adjei, Pierre Debusschere, Ibra Ake (Atlanta), Dikayl Rimmasch, Jenn Nkiru, Dikayl Rimmasch, and Jake Nava. Beyoncé did not stop there, she went further and worked with everyone from stylist, Daniel Obasi to the likes of Meji Alabi, Dafe Oboro, and dancer, Stephen Ojo.

The breadth of African creatives that worked on ‘Black is King’ shows Beyoncé’s willingness to learn and collaborate with those who know the culture firsthand. By engaging in this cultural exchange, Beyoncé succeeds in appreciating African, in particular West African, culture rather than appropriating it. The cultural nods are abundant, but they’re not lip service neither are they just pillaging ‘African’ aesthetics; ‘Black is King’ is well-intentioned, well-researched and commendably executed.

I didn’t watch ‘Black is King’ feeling that cringey second-hand embarrassment you usually get when someone uses cultural elements that are unfamiliar to them; instead, I was more focused on the fact that the work of African artists and creatives shone through, whether they were in the video or working behind the scenes. Discerning where we fall on the scale of appropriation and appreciation is very important because cultural identity is precious and those who feel marginalised may not wish to see their culture, heritage or tradition reduced to offensive stereotypes or used wrongly because globalisation fosters a false sense of entitlement in people.

To answer the initial question posed, all cultural appropriation is bad because we are not the right channels to appreciate other cultures, particularly if we have not consulted any members of that community that live the culture daily. However, well-researched entertainment that takes into account the experiences and nuances of those within the culture is welcome, if done properly.

Featured image credits/Instagram: tomm_34

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ICYMI: The law doesn’t protect, Nigerian women do

Ghana is set to establish specialised court for its creative industry

Posted on by The Native

Ghana’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture has announced final plans to establish a specialised court dedicated to the country’s creative arts sector. According to the press statement announcing the development, the Arts Rights court will function as a division of Ghana’s High Court, and it will deal with copyright and other related matters pertaining to the arts sector.

Copy of the statement announcing the Arts Rights court

Signed by the Minister for Tourism, Creative Arts and Culture, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi herself, the statement explains that the establishment of the specialised court has been a top priority for the Ghanaian government, in recognition of the creative industry’s important contribution to the country’s economy. Ghana’s economic focus on the creative industries, brought to their shores, last year, tourists and cultural influencers alike, when they Ghana hosted the Year of Return. An integral part of the December events were the festivals and concerts – Afrochella, Afro Nation, Detty Rave, etc. – that entertained the influx of tourists from the diaspora looking to reconnect with their African roots and generally have a good time.

With the Arts Rights Court, the Ghanaian government will be looking to improve the conduciveness of the stakeholders within the sprawling Creative community, helping to enforce laws around intellectual property rights, piracy and internal disputes, by taking into account the nuances of the sector. The Ministry, in consultation with the Judicial Service of Ghana, is currently working on the modalities of the Arts Right courts, which will commence in at the beginning of the next legal calendar from October 2020.

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NATIVE Exclusive: A trip to Cuba with Teezee, Skepta & Stephen Tayo

Posted on by The Native

The Yoruba people were amongst the first African slaves forcefully taken to the Americas during the period of the transatlantic slave trade. Even though they were stripped from their motherland, the Yorubas carried with them indigenous legends, songs, cultural practices and religious beliefs which survived and evolved over the centuries since – especially in Brazil and Cuba.

The religious survival of the Yoruba tradition in Cuba and Brazil is most incredible and a widely studied phenomenon in the new world. Scholars have stated that no other African ethnic group influenced the preservation of religious practices in the new world as the Yoruba, making them arguably the most influential group amongst all African ethnic groups in the new world.

At the time, in the 15th century, slaves were forced to practice the religion of their masters (which was often Roman Catholicism), the syncretism between the Yoruba Orisa and the Catholic Saints allowed the slaves to practice their own worship in secret. Centuries later, retaining but a few elements of the Roman Catholic belief, traditional Yoruba religion is thriving in the new world today, which is in great contrast to its decline where it originated from in West Africa.

When I arrived in Cuba, I was excited to embark on this cultural exploration with some of my Yoruba brothers: renowned photographer, Stephen Tayo, and award-winning musician, Skepta. Stephen Tayo has always communicated a strong Yoruba narrative through his imagery – most recently his ‘Ibeji’ series, which means “the arrival of two,” commonly translated to ‘twins’, in Yoruba. Skepta too, who invited us on the trip, bears strong ties to the Yoruba tradition himself, being the ordained Chief Entertainer of Odo Aje (Amuludun of Odo Aje)

I had been doing an independent study on Yoruba culture and the connections to the diaspora prior to this visit, and after my trip to Brazil last year, the obvious next destination for me was Cuba. With no idea how that was going to happen, it was all wishful thinking until Skepta and Havana Club made it a reality.

The trip began with us exploring the city and its iconic landmarks. Our main interest laid in gaining more understanding of the connections between our Yoruba culture back home in Nigeria and that in Cuba. Historically, it is said the majority of the Yoruba slaves were taken to Havana, Cuba and Bahia in Brazil. This was the first thing that struck me upon my arrival: the prevalence of black (Afro Cuban) people in Cuba, and how seamlessly we, as black African men, could fit into the community. Secondly was the overwhelming presence of Yoruba religion through out the city. It is believed that at least 70% of the Cuban population practice Yoruba religion, whether it be Santeria and Lucimi which are both syncretic religions of the Yoruba religion mixed with Roman Catholicism.

Another profound visit was our attendance of a traditional ceremony in honour of one of the Orishas they call Eleggua, who are also known as Esu. The most intriguing thing about this ceremony were the songs and the drum patterns being so reminiscent of the sounds of our culture back home in Nigeria – there is even the use of Yoruba words along with Spanish in the songs. This rhythm connected with us in a spiritual way, both myself and Skepta broke out into dance, and even our variations of the Zanku legwork fit in completely with the local dances.

After the ceremony, I raced to the opportunity to have a chat with the Babalawo (chief priest); I needed to understand if the people knew about the connections or the significance to Yorubaland through the religion and practice. To my surprise, most people don’t have a clue where it came from nor understand its connections to West African Yoruba culture. They see it as their own, and considering the way in which it has morphed from its original state 4 centuries ago, into the distinctly Cuban practices we were honoured to experience, it is. The Babalawo himself did, however, understand the relationship and connections as he acknowledged he is from Yoruba descent. He understood enough to sing the songs and translate the prayers, but not to communicate fully in the language.

While doing the tourist rounds around the city of Havana – a destination so rich in history that one might feel somewhat trapped in a time warp – the minimal internet access, the multitude of vehicles from the 60s/70s and the minimal impact of capitalism and globalisation on the people everyday life makes it all feel very surreal. However, whilst I do have respect for the country’s rich history, my main purpose was to understand the black/afro Cuban history in relation to Yoruba religion in Cuba. Upon politely informing our tour guides of our agenda, we were finally escorted to the Museum of the Orisas. This, for me, was one of the most exciting parts of the trip.

The museum was nothing short of magical. A statue and a story were attached to every single Orisa, giving me further understanding of the research and readings I had done by myself prior to the trip. For the most part, they shared the same names as the Orisas back home, their stories may have been slightly altered in some cases but with no significant or unrecognisable changes. I left feeling extremely enlightened and ready for our next adventure, however, the preservation of tradition we witnessed at the Museum of the Orisas made me think deeply about the contrast between the Cuban Yoruba religion (which has stood the test of time and managed to survive centuries) and Nigerian Yoruba practices back home, where we haven’t even dedicated a notable museum to something that is inherently ours.

After a few bottles of Havana Club and shoot day finally over, Stephen, Skepta and I linked up with some locals in a barbershop who, off the vibe we were musicians, invite us down to their studio, HM music. I can tell this is going to be a dope experience because, in a country where there is minimal exposure to external media, Skepta could just be a regular guy without the initial pressure of people wanting to take pictures or bothering him – he really enjoyed this aspect of being in Cuba. As soon as we enter the booth, Skep gets down to business producing an infectious afro-pop/reggaeton type beat in less than 10 minutes. The room goes crazy! Mumbling some verse ideas under my breath I enter the booth and drop a freestyle about our trip and experience, the Cubans add some vibes to finish off the track and it’s a smash! In half an hour we had a song that connected with all of us. Sipping on some rum while puffing on cohibas we share moments to last a lifetime, connecting our cultures through a shared heritage and history.

This was a monumental trip for me in my life and the journey in further understanding the impact of cultural identity. I could never have imagined the similarities in some cultures would be so prevalent today thousands of miles across the Atlantic after centuries. Where we are from and what we represent is way more powerful than what meets the eye.

Image Credits: Stephen Tayo

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Reminisce is in cruise control on his new EP, ‘Vibes & Insha Allah’

Posted on by The Native

At the beginning of his new EP, ‘Vibes & Insha Allah”, Reminisce’s kids ask him why he has to record and make music. On the surface, it’s a very innocent question from children with fleeting curiosity, but if you fixate a bit longer, it’s a weighty inquisition for an artist who’s achieved so much and can pivot to other endeavours with little to no regrets.

After spending the better part of the last decade as a key figure in reiterating the creative legitimacy of non-English rap music in Nigeria, and helping to solidify street-bred music as an unimpeachable commercial force, the last few years has seen Reminisce diversify his portfolio to include an impressive debut feature on the big screen and hosting the last edition of the Headies. While he’s continued to drop music, some of them going on to become big hit songs, this period coincided with the end of a prolific four albums in five years run. On ‘Vibes & Insha Allah’, his first project in four years, Reminsice shows he still carries a burning flame for making music, curating his version of a “30+ vibes” set list.

Between JAY-Z’s now obsolete claim that “30s is the new 20s” and the hyperbolic banter on social media that pretty much equates 30s with being the new 60s, artists within that age bracket are finding ways to embrace and express what it means to be grown in what is generally deemed to be a space for young people. Although with varying approaches and levels of success, colleagues like Olamide, Show Dem Camp, M.I Abaga and Vector have settled into veteran roles, and Reminisce joins that set in a manner that’s less literal in the topical sense but more evident in its seasoned execution.

‘Vibes & Insha Allah’ is finely-tuned and aggregate a lot of Reminisce’s best strengths as a songwriter and hit-maker, resulting in an EP where he’s more or less in cruise control. Centred on reliability, the short tape largely forgoes inventiveness in favour of recognisable elements like big beats and bold hooks. On the chest-pounding lead single, “Ogaranya”, Reminisce raps over a chunky beat laid down by frequent collaborator Sarz, with his vanity bars sitting perfectly on either side of Fireboy’s snarling hook. Like most of the EP, the song doesn’t set any new precedents for Reminisce, but it’s serviceable enough to highlight the traits that have brought him longevity.

Where he does mix things up is the beat selection for ‘Vibes’, a collection that is steeped in his preference for maximalist, swinging production but with enough variation to keep things interesting. Set to a marching bassline, interlocked guitar rhythms on the Krizbeatz-produced “Gbedu” echoes Afrobeat inspirations, while Reminisce’s dismissal of rap purists on “Jogodo” is given added weight by a serpentine flute riff and rumbling 808 bass. On a rare occasion, he’s overshadowed by TMXO’s booming, dance-inducing beat on “Over 2.5”, a light-hearted but bland song where his bit about sports betting feels a bit too perfunctory. It’s not a wild misstep, but the song falls short of Reminsce’s proven ability to sound commanding, whether he’s being profound or not.

On the other TMXO-produced song, the intro cut “Vibes”, Reminisce puts in a more compelling shift, letting his narrative raps flow in loose, conversational cadence over rippling bass guitar and horn flourishes. In what is undeniably the EP’s most personal and wistful moment, he documents the balancing act of being productive and living in the house with boisterous kids, in isolated conditions no less. Although the song doesn’t dig deep into the opening question from his kids, Reminisce’s appreciative tone indicates he’s in a great place – creating stress-free, enjoyable music – as is the case on ‘Vibes & Insha Allah’ – is a product of that.

Listen here:

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Dennis is not an interesting person. Tweet Your Favourite Playboi Carti Songs at him @dennisadepeter

ICYMI: BOD AND REMINISCE’S “SHENK WHO SHENK YOU” EMBODIES ALL THE ALLURE OF STREET-HOP

Why you might be cynical about Simi’s apology to the LGBTQ+ community

Posted on by The Native

The Notes app on the iPhone has sure seen a lot; shopping lists, brainstorms for potential songs, premeditated essays to friends during a fallout, and most notoriously the celebrity apology. Sharing a screenshot from her notes yesterday, Simi is the latest Nigerian celebrity to open up that yellow and white in-built feature in response to social media backlash.

Simi’s apology addresses her homophobic remarks made on a now-deleted episode of ‘Stoopid Sessions‘, her sporadic Youtube talk show.  Joined by friends in the industry, including producer Sess, the episode saw the panel dig into what dating is like amongst millennials, which quickly turned into their expressing their offensive misconception that homosexuality is a sin. Even sharing laughs over people’s existence, in the distasteful video Simi professed that homosexuality “does not seem natural” to her, and when challenged by Sess, the only reasonable panelist on the episode, she attempted to legitimise her unsolicited take, saying: “It’s not only things that affect us that we’re uncomfortable with.”

 

Months after the late March incident, Simi is now apologising to the LGBTQ+ community for “carelessly and casually” speaking on a topic that is “a matter of life and death for many” – and therefore not a talk show talking point. Admitting wrongdoing, promising she’s learning (and by inference improving?), and claiming to be humbled by the terrifying news of someone almost being killed for their sexuality, Simi delivered a convincing apology for which she was readily applauded.

However, some people just weren’t convinced. And as events unfold today, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that Simi’s apology, like all public statements from celebrity figures who are all invariably trying to maintain their status as celebrities, should be gazed upon through a critical lens.

Thanks to the character limit on Twitter and users’ preference to read posts rather than captions on Instagram, screenshotted Notes apologies shared through social media have become the prominent way in which celebrities take accountability for their publicly displeasing actions. With the direct access these media afford us, celebrities no longer have to seek out an interview in order to make their apologetic nature known; now our favourite stars are able to bear their hearts on one of the most private iPhone utilities and then share that with the world on their own terms, unadulterated by a certain publication’s agendas or your PR person’s well-trained spin. Notes apologies are intended to be personal, not a contrived public statement, but an actual heartfelt message scribbled down in an apologetic haze, however more and more people are calling bullshit on this practice, cynically viewing it just another publicity stunt to appease the masses.

Now, from reading her statement, there is no doubt in my mind that Simi feels apologetic for the things she said, and distressed at the way in which the queer community is treated. Naturally, these are feelings she would want to share with the public, as she does so much of her life, however, multiple other motives for releasing this apology could also exist – not negating her apology but rather giving us a critical understanding of it. The same goes for other celebrity apologies. Of course, remorsefulness is palpable in most apologies, but what also exists is an evident desperation not to be ‘cancelled’, a rushed bid to ensure that the general public stays on side so that brands, collaborators, labels and the money machines don’t pull out their investment in said celebrity (or in Simi’s case, rather unusually, her husband).

Simi’s apology came just a day after her husband, Adekunle Gold was called out for attempting to appear relatable to the queer community – following a feature on queer magazine, QUAZAR just a few hours before Simi’s note – whilst living at home with an openly homophobic person. What was touted as an impressive product of introspective self-critique starts to look a little more strategic when considering the fact that Adekunle Gold is promoting his forthcoming album, ‘Afropop Vol 1.‘, recently releasing its tracklist, and could do with as little flack from the general public as possible, especially from the queer community who are famously influential in the making of stars in the US. This has all been noted with warranted scrutiny from Twitter users, and resulted in QUAZAR Magazine pulling Adekunle Gold’s campaign from their page – which Adekunle Gold stated, in his own public apology (not via the Notes app), was as a result of social media bullying.

Claiming that Simi had no prior knowledge of his QUAZAR interview, and therefore affirming that the timing of her apology was purely coincidental, Adekunle Gold made it known that he does not support hatefulness, he does not “agree with homophobic behaviour in any sense”, and that he is “cool with every human being: “I love all my fans regardless of who they love or what they identify with.“

All but condemning his wife’s actions, Adekunle Gold making a point of denouncing queer discrimination, raises another questionable aspect Simi’s initial apology: that it focussed more on the fact that she shouldn’t have made those remarks than any acknowledgement of her homophobia, indicating, by inference, that she likely still considers the latter to be an ‘opinion’ to which she has a right. Granted, this might not be the case, but an apology that doesn’t make that clear is simply not an apology for being unapologetically homophobic. Whilst I am glad that many have found it in their hearts to forgive her, I can also relate to the many others who found it eye-rolling content and condemned it to the trash where all the other celebrity boohoos reside.

From what I have learned from my minimal years on this planet, apologies do very little for the person to whom you’re apologising, what really matters is that you are remorseful in your approach henceforth. What Simi, Adekunle Gold and other celebrities could do to actually convince us that they’re truly sorry and not scrambling to maintain their status, is step away from the Notes app, leave behind their thirst for public approval and actually work on the criticisms they’ve received, becoming the most authentic version of themselves, fans be damned!

But to paraphrase the great prophet Naira Marley, am just finking, mo kan suggest ni (or however that meme goes).

Wojumi is a bad bitch & she’s going to brag about it. Tweet her your latest cultural exploits @dewoju

ICYMI: AV Club: Daniel Oriahi’s ‘Sylvia’ won’t break any glass ceilings, and that’s ok

AV Club: Daniel Oriahi’s ‘Sylvia’ won’t break any glass ceilings, and that’s ok

Posted on by The Native

Back in February, Netflix announced its official launch in Nigeria, a move that was highly anticipated for many viewers, since the procuring of Genevieve Nnaji’s ‘Lionheart’ back in 2018. Since then Netflix Naija, as they’ve dubbed themselves, has been regularly updating their catalogue of Nollywood films and shows, and it’s been interesting seeing new audiences react to films that have come out years ago, in some cases.

It was through this ever-growing bank of Nollywood films on Netflix that I stumbled across the Daniel Oriahi’s 2018 film titled ‘Sylvia’, which has just been added to the streaming behemoth. Despite not being a Netflix Naija original, procuring the film, and a number of other Nollywood films like ‘Sugar Rush’ and ‘Your Excellency’, on license for an online audience to consume shows Netflix’s willingness to help showcase the diverse playing field of filmmakers and directors from these parts to a much wider audience. Unlike other films on Netflix Naija, ‘Sylvia’ was a commendable attempt at a psychological thriller that kept viewers at the edge of their seat, but ultimately it left little to be desired as it peddled familiar tropes that have been explored again and again in Hollywood.

‘Sylvia’ follows the story of Richard, a successful businessman (played by Chris Attoh) who finds himself in a psychiatric home. His well-polished diction and articulate speech quickly distinguish him from the other patients in his ward, and this is how we learn, through flashback, the harrowing tale of how he landed in a psych ward. Richard narrates the story of how he had found a friend in a young girl named Sylvia, a figment of his imagination which he could only visit through his lucid dreams and the aid of a red hibiscus.

As the years grew by, Sylvia and Richard’s love and friendship blossomed, as she was always there for him whether he needed help with school or work and when his mum passed away, Richard had no one to turn to other than Sylvia. After school, Richard moved to the city for a bigger corporate job and there he found Gbemi (played by Ini Dima Okojie) who he fell in love with and later married. Pissing off Sylvia with this intention, his first love vows to prove just how much she loves him by seeking revenge on Richard, and his spouse, for using her love when it was convenient but dumping her for a ‘real’ girl when it was not.

Sounds familiar right? Well, it’s because we’ve seen it before. I’m sure you saw it in Beyoncé’s ‘Obsessed’, and if you missed that then you definitely caught it in Netflix’s ‘Fatal Affair’ released just last month and in a myriad of other Hollywood movies released over the years that explore the murderous stalker ex plot. It seems that the stalker-thriller trope is a very popular genre, even for Nigerian audiences. The plots aren’t that greatly different, save for minor additions, but the main premise consists of a willfully oblivious man, his current lover or wife, his ex-jilted murderous lover, and the fight to win him over, resulting in at least one person dead or greatly injured. It’s a played-out predictable plot with ‘Sylvia’ now joining the ranks of films in this storied genre.

The only catch this time is the attraction for Nigerian audiences – the spirit wife. As a Nigerian, I’m sure we’re all familiar with the premise of spiritual spouses as religious culture in these parts is rife with tales of people finding out they’re entangled with a spouse from the spiritual realm. As spooky as it may be, we grew up learning that those spirits were evil, and if you ever found yourself attached to one then you needed all the deliverance and anointing oil, because it was a hint at larger monitoring forces at work in your life.

With ‘Sylvia’, Oriahi delves into this supernatural phenomenon as he plays out our parents’ worse nightmare on screen. Sylvia is powerful enough to materialise in the physical world, despite being reduced to barely the figment of a man’s imagination. She’s the villain because she tricks Richard to kill those who he loves dearly, but there is a human element to Sylvia. She may be the most powerful evil being in the universe but she feels just like we do, she gets sad, she gets heartbroken and she gets angry when things don’t go her way.

Indeed, the best and most enjoyable part of ‘Sylvia’  is its acting performances, with Zainab Balogun especially (who plays Sylvia) taking full control of the reigns and really excelling in this role as she shows off a level of depth and self-awareness like we’ve seen before from her. She commands each scene she appears in with little effort, and even when she’s missing from the scenes, the sighting of a red hibiscus reminds you that she is always there, like an omniscient character.

Despite these little enjoyable moments in the film, ‘Sylvia’ was full of awkward corners and left very little to be desired in the end. You knew from the onset how it would play out; spoiler alert, he loses his wife and later his best friend because of Sylvia’s bloodthirsty revenge and it’s his determination to escape her that lands him in the psychiatric ward, spending out the remainder of his days to escape facing the jilted lover. The stalker ex is an incredibly played out trope, so why do we keep getting more iterations of the same storyline over and over again?

The truth is that there is something comforting about the familiar. Actress, Nia Long who herself recently starred in one of the many iterations of the stalker-ex thriller, recently shared that the success of the genre was due to the habitual nature of humans. She says: “People know what to expect. I think people love the idea of knowing somebody is crazy, and somebody might die. They’re all for it. You can just sit there and be entertained for 90 minutes and give your mind a break from the very interesting times we’re living in right now.” So, perhaps this move to include ‘Sylvia’ on the Netflix catalogue is helping viewers get a much-needed break from the tumultuous state of the world right now, through their fix of the predictable.

Still, given that filmmaking is a creative medium, it should not be too much to expect that our filmmakers get creative, or, what is more likely the case, are given the full scope to be creative by the studios and execs who make the crucial decisions in the big budget film industries. Of course, the stalker-ex thriller is a tried and tested genre that is sure to leave the audience satisfied (unless, like me, they are thinking critically about the cultural implications of once again feeding into the perfidious stereotype of unhinge female lovers), but it is frankly a cop-out for studios to suggest that certain movies wouldn’t sell when no one has tried to sell them. Given how gratuitous narratives persist in contemporary Nollywood – for example the wedding storyline that suggests marriage is the pinnacle of a woman’s life, or the existence of a patriarch who remains ‘head of the family’ the even after his death – it is about time we began demanding more imaginative, diverse and inclusive movies. This is not simply for entertainment’s sake, but more importantly for the sake of our society, so that we may adequately reflect the multifaceted realities of Nigeria and also encourage the viewing population to imagine a better future for the country.

With that said, ‘Sylvia”s inclusion on Netflix is a noteworthy moment as it inadvertently highlights the range of Nigerian directors and filmmakers now streaming on Netflix and opens up wider conversations on the caliber of films to expect on the growing Nollywood catalogue. There is a case to be made for allowing this growing industry to gauge audience reactions online to a slew of Nollywood movies, and in as much as we want quality movies on Netflix, it won’t be uncommon for the streaming platform to feature both high-end and low-end films in its catalogue.

Surfing through the expansive catalogue may be a long and arduous task when it comes to finding the right film to watch, but perhaps therein lies the beauty of it; not all Hollywood films are spectacular, some are deeply mediocre and we should be okay getting the same on Netflix Naija. It gives us a chance to really question the caliber of entertainment we’re receiving and allows for films like ‘Sylvia‘ to take on new life and find new audiences.

Featured image credits/Netflix

Hell hath no fury like Tami. Tweet her your fave female rappers @tamimak_

ICYMI: ‘Bottega Veneta: Men’ explores gender boundaries in society

Best New Music Special: Bedroom pop is now ‘Ruled By Venus, Unfortunately’

Posted on by The Native

Over the weekend, SOLIS released her debut project, ‘ruled by Venus, unfortunately‘ a cheeky bedroom pop mixtape consisting of six tracks, most of which she’d previously shared informally via her Twitter and Instagram channels. Bringing her monthly freestyles together into an emotive project gave the familiar songs a new lease of life and put them all into perspective. Alone, they all have their individual undertakings, but together, they tell the story of who SOLIS is, and also what her art is.

“This project is an introduction. It’s hello, it’s how are you? It’s ‘I love you’.”

The title of track number six on the mixtape (stylised “iloveyou”), SOLIS’ final sentiments on ‘RBV,U’ hits us with the ultimate message she wishes to share through her music: “but I want my last words to you to be I love you”.

Ruled by Venus – “the planet of love, passion, charm, adoration, beauty, sensuality and pleasure,” SOLIS informs me via email – the amorous act, filled with love herself, is constantly yearning for adoration. Her obstinately romantic fantasies shepherd her through life and all its pertinent decisions, although she’s “using my brain now too though”. As any hopeless romantic will tell you, leading a life purely dictated by love can (read will) end in tears. That’s why SOLIS is ‘Ruled By Venus, Unfortunately’; that’s why she sings fuck boys kiss girls, that’s why demands for you not to call her the morning after, or advises you not to fall in love with her (or any other libra woman for that matter). SOLIS has felt the spectrum of love, the joy, the woe, the gut-wrenching uncertainty in the middle, but most of all its permanence – after all, despite the unfortunate times, SOLIS will always be ruled by Venus.

“I want [everyone listening] to know that love will always exist here, and I hope they feel the joy I felt creating it.”

From the very first track (“fuck boys kiss girls”) SOLIS’ glee whilst recording is palpable. Singing about the romantic inefficiency of dating men over a light-hearted disco-patterned beat, SOLIS’ lyrics feel more like a poetic diary entry sung for the fun of it, than a jaded lover biting back at a fruitless ex. Even on longing records, such as “don’t call me” in all its modern r&b glory, SOLIS – reminding everyone that she’s in control – doesn’t fall victim to the post-carnal attachments we imagine from the song’s sensual opening. Though she is full of love, her diary entries are not romantic tragedies. Succinctly wrapping up the dispiriting events of the first three months of this year that affected her personally and the world as a whole, the bouncy “mercury”, is probably the most glaring record of SOLIS’ unfiltered songwriting style. ‘Ruled By Venus, Unfortunately’’s bedroom pop conscience articulates SOLIS’ safety and comfort within her home studio, as she shares the candid vulnerability only one’s own private quarters can really afford, for the nation to hear.

“I think because, growing up, so much of the world – the things I experienced – they all happened in my mind, in my bedroom. There’s something comfortable and honest about the genre [bedroom pop] that expresses that feeling of comfort. I started writing songs in my bedroom, snuck boys into my bedroom, cried a shit ton in my bedroom. The history present in the room lends itself easy to it (the genre)”

Thanks to the growth in online platforms and technologies which have made producing and recording much more accessible, music-making has enjoyed a growing democratisation, which has given birth to bedroom pop, the archetypal Gen Z genre. Ballooning in popularity amongst younger artists, bedroom pop is not a genre in the sense that it’s a unifying sound, but rather a mode of production. With rife contestation over previously defined genres and a diminishing need for categorisation in our increasingly borderless and fluid world, the emergence of bedroom pop as a ‘genre’ speaks to our shift away from sonic comparisons into groupings along the lines of production methods, recording habits or maybe even distribution capabilities.

With a diligent DIY ideology, which rivals the industrious rural populations depicted in medieval filmography, the Generation Z demographic are channelling their creativity wherever they wish, defying the previously set standard that demands resources whilst celebrating the imperfections that come with producing an entire body of work from the comfort of your bedroom and distributing it through SoundCloud and Audiomack alone. As SOLIS vocalises “ah”s and “oh”s on the opening of “don’t fall in love with a libra woman” the audible breathiness that would have been obliterated in a studio setting drives its listeners into the breezy expanse of her approach to love, where her “feet don’t touch the ground”. The subtle smack of her lips as she repeats her faithful proclamation at the end of the tape, lends authenticity to her claims that she does indeed love us. Her minute-long rambling on the outro of “mercury” takes us into SOLIS’ mind in a way that only solitude could afford, conquering over the voice notes we’ve gotten accustomed to hearing now on studio-produced albums, that can sometimes feel artificial or contrived.

 

“With this mixtape, I didn’t realise I was creating it until it was done.” SOLIS tells me of how this project’s creation differs from her other formal releases. Whilst the r&b instrumentals backing her “comatose (demo)” (track number 5), match the mood of her charming 2019 single, “Angel”, the freedom of expression through SOLIS’ lyrics and through her delivery is something that is unique to this amalgamation of poetic musical renderings. Borrowing beats from YouTube, the sonic beauty alone isn’t what sets ‘Ruled by Venus, Unfortunately’ apart. How SOLIS effortlessly rides the sound waves, how she relinquishes power to her verbal compositions, how she vocalises her private introspections, how she floats through the track simultaneously commanding and being commanded by the music – that’s how SOLIS captivates her listeners.

“Since starting music, I’ve felt a lot of pressure to know who I am as an artist immediately. I’ve had people telling me what I should be and also felt like I was letting people down. With ‘RBV,U’ it was the first time, in a really long time that I was having fun creating music.

I didn’t overthink myself into a rut. I decided I was going to sing about boys and girls and ruling planets and falling in love. I was going to sing about lying to men. I was going to sing about my depression. I was going to sing about Mercury being in retrograde. I was going to do whatever I wanted.”

Refreshing in its take but also soothing in its sound, the self-defining simplicity of the bedroom pop process, is its most alluring. There are no rules. SOLIS and ICYTOOICY from these parts, Beabadoobee and Clairo from the West, they do whatever they want to do when it comes to music-making and it’s just that easy. ICYTOOICY peaked at the number three spot in Nigeria’s Alternative Album chart on Apple Music, ranking amongst Lewis Capaldi, Khalid and Wizkid in the top 100 Nigerian albums streaming at the time. Similarly, in UK charts Beabadoobee reached the top 5, proving that even the struggle of being independent is a hindrance worth enduring for the freedom to do whatever you want, as SOLIS did with ‘Ruled By Venus, Unfortunately’. SOLIS elaborates, explaining that she is “in no hurry at all to get into any contractual relationships” – she’s got supportive friends and a winning mindset:

“I’m a firm believer of things coming together at the time they’re supposed to. It will all make sense.”

With that said, bedroom pop is still predominantly considered a jumping-off point. Like Billie Eilish, who began in her own bedroom too, SOLIS has plans to move onto a more formal recording process for her forthcoming EP, which will be released to the Apple Musics and Spotifys her fans have been so desperately clamouring for. But make no mistake, ‘RBV,U’ isn’t simply a placeholder.

“’Ruled By Venus, Unfortunately’ has been a love-project that I will always be thankful for creating. My art has always found ways to save me… This mixtape encapsulates moments of unfiltered joy and fun in a time not so great (2020 has been hard to say the least on my mental health); I genuinely love all of the music, and I wanted my supporters to share that with me. The joy.”

All Image Credits/Danielle Mbonu

Wojumi is a bad bitch & she’s going to brag about it. Tweet her your latest cultural exploits @dewoju

ICYMI: Listen to Nissi’s debut project, ‘Ignite’