Polartics virtual art exhibition is proof that the way we consume art in Nigeria is changing

Posted on by Tami Makinde

In just the space of a couple of months, we’ve gone from memeing through the pain of the then-novel coronavirus to observing strict social distancing requirements to flatten the curve and curb the chances of community spreading. It’s been a gradual, yet harsh phasing into a new reality, where we are heavily reliant on social media and the Internet to stay connected with friends and loved ones, work and study remotely from home, engage in friendly culture clashes and if you’re a bit like me–attend online yoga classes on Zoom.

Every facet of our reality is changing, and it’s no surprise that with this change comes ripple effects on the way we consume music, entertainment, and art. This is why online art gallery, Polartics are quickly adapting to these new times through the introduction of their new 3-D virtual art exhibition ‘I Hope This Finds You Well’. This endeavour is a joint exhibition of work from artist, Adeoluwa Oluwajoba and photographer, Femi Johnson, with art that revolves around themes of isolation and stillness in a changing world. The exhibition is currently ongoing and will end on the 7th of June.

 

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The immersive virtual experience mimics being in an art exhibition IRL (in real life) as viewers can begin a virtual tour guided by a playlist that takes them through all the artwork on display. Oyinkana Dada, the brains behind Polartics came up with the idea for a virtual exhibition following the cancellation of an IRL exhibition she was supposed to curate in Lagos. After this, she began reading up on how other key art players were coping with the lockdown and stumbled upon the deeply immersive world of virtual tours and art fairs.

“Polartics has never had a physical space, it’s always been mainly online anyway. I guess the difference was not just putting art online, but actually curating something as close to the exhibition experience as possible”.

The new normal is now suggesting that all you need to lose yourself in art, is really just access to the internet, and Oyinkan Dada is tapping into this, alongside museums and galleries around the world phase into this frontier of 3-D digital experience. ‘I think this movement might even stay after all of this cause I mean this is a good way to save money, and as long as you raise awareness and collectors know it is happening, you don’t always need that physical space’ she explains to me, noting how this augmented reality experience is in no fact a new feat, and one that will only continue to catch on, depending on how soon we’re all allowed to be let out again.

Although things are changing, creatives are still met with the same challenges as they would be in real life without the lockdown, such as access to funds to realise her vision.  ‘The biggest challenge was not having done this before, but it was relatively straightforward once I knew what I was looking for. I knew that I was looking for some sort of software that could create an experience that was close as possible to the real thing. Funds are always a challenge, it was exciting to be creative with it and explore something new’ she tells me, explaining how the process came to life.

Conversations around how we consume entertainment and how that’s changing is definitely in the forefront right now, and it’s refreshingly exciting to see young African art collectors aligning themselves with the change that is to come. You can check out the exhibition here.

Featured image credits/Polartics

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ICYMI: How multi-faceted artist, AMKMQ is redefining purity politics for West African women

The Shuffle: Kwani Experience’s “The Mudaland Funk” as a landmark of African Jazz-Fusion

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

Nearly thirteen years after they released their sophomore album, ‘Live after Birth’, South African jazz-fusion band, Kwani Experience returned with “Ransom”, their first single since. The track is a smouldering protest against the inequalities capitalism engenders when it comes to basic human rights, and those who are familiar with Kwani Experience will see that it’s business as usual for the band, who matches their strident candour with inventive musicianship.

Back in 2005, Kwani Experience debuted with ‘Birth of the Mudaland Funk’, a magnificent showcase of the band’s sonic gumbo, comprising jazz, funk, hip-hop and traditional folk grooves, as well as the revolutionary, pan-Africanist ideal that was deeply embedded into the music. ‘Birth of the Mudaland Funk’ wasn’t a big commercial success when it came out, however, it is widely regarded as a modern classic amongst cult fans and South African jazz aficionados.

For such a highly regarded body of work, it’s almost impossible to state what’s the best song— it’s “Dipula”, if you ask me—but as far as definitive goes, there’s no stronger case than the penultimate song, “The Mudaland Funk”. As with the entire album, “The Mudaland Funk” is an amalgamation of varying styles into a striking whole, but it’s also an explicit statement of what Kwani Experience stands for, as opposed to the way it’s implied on the other songs.

“The Mudaland Funk” starts off by tearing into an ululating piano motif, clattering congas, frenetic drum surges and a solitary vocal chant, which creates the perfect atmosphere for rapper Kwela Sekele’s charged couplets, which brings to mind Gil Scott-Heron’s seminal spoken word piece “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”. “Feel the deep rhythm sections of the heart/which are Eden’s mudaland funk/we march with the harmony of chants”, Kwela recites breathlessly, proclaiming the band and its sound as the manifestation of celestial inspirations. “Kwani Experience is the mudaland funk”, he chants on the makeshift hook.

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Innerlude | #BafanaNhlapo #BTS

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Towards the middle, the song settles into a tribal soul groove that accompanies spiritual chants and declarative raps, none of which are delivered in English, however, still manage to be transcendental by virtue of sheer performance. Beyond being a definitive song for Kwani Experience, “The Mudaland Funk” is a touchstone for African jazz-fusion, due to its otherworldly headiness and blistering execution.

The late, legendary jazz musician, Miles Davis once said, “Jazz is the big brother of revolution; revolution follows it around.” Kwani Experience have always embodied that quote, even after their hiatus in 2012. It’s why their older music – ever defiant and always looking to trigger a revolution one listener at a time – remains timeless, even fifteen years later. For those who didn’t know until now, you are welcome to the Kwani Experience.

Listen to “The Mudaland Funk” here.

Featured Image Credits: web/afropunk

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ICYMI: REVISIT BURNA’S BOY & WIZKID’S EXPERIMENTAL COLLAB, “SINGLE”

Odunsi the Engine drops suprise EP ‘Everything You Heard is True’

Posted on by Tami Makinde

Odunsi the Engine has been leading us up to this moment strategically, without us even realising. Despite not releasing any new music for about 6 months, he remained the topic of conversation seemingly every month since then. Whether it was about potential love interests, his collaboration with Tems, demands for a full version of “wicked, sexy” or commentary around his hairstyle choices: Odunsi The Engine is the name on everyone’s lips.

Last December was the first hint at the newly released project, when he premiered the mosh-inducing single “wicked, sexy” featuring Maison2500 during Santi’s Lagos-stretch of his No Tears in the Jungle concert. Just this weekend, he whet our appetites with a teaser of the girl’s anthem, “Body Count” featuring Amaarae, Gigi Atlantis & Deto Black, which certainly got everyone even more excited.

Now the wait is finally over, and Odunsi has finally blessed our eardrums with his 7-track tape which includes the much sought-after bangers.

 

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‘Everything You Heard is True’ is a culmination of everything the artist has been through in the past few months, following the cancellation of his first European tour which left him depressed and alone. He is incredibly experimental on the new EP, wishing to strip back everything we know about him, reinvent himself and show off the twin – like the Gemini he is. Speaking to the NATIVE, Odunsi admitted that the new project is:

“Just like a combination of everything anyone’s felt about me, everything anyone wants to believe, because at the end of the day it’s their perspective and I can’t battle someone’s views. Hence the EP name. Literally because everything you hear is true, because if you believe this or that then that’s what it is. It’s not a war thing, I’m not going to war with anyone about my personality or my vision, it’s more like if you’re with it, you’re with it.  It’s kind of like a statement”.

The statement he is referring to is the undiluted truth he wears on his sleeve within the 7-track tape, from the starter track “Luv in a Mosh” where he chides naysayers for worrying about his coloured hair to “Body Count” where he takes a step back and gives women the room to wield the sword of sexuality to slice notions our deeply conservative society present.

‘Everything You Heard is True’ is definitely one of the most experimental projects to come out of these parts in the last couple of months, and you don’t have to take our word for it. Listen for yourself below, you’re welcome.

Featured image credits/odunsitheengine

Tami is living in a black mirror episode and can’t seem to wake up. Tweet your fave female artistes at her @tamimak_

ICYMI: Odunsi the Engine and Tems’ “Decided” is the perfect song for self-reflection

The importance of a song like ‘Body Count’ for African women

Posted on by Damilola Animashaun

Female sexuality is a mainstay in afropop, yet for some reason isn’t a space women themselves are allowed to occupy, and also tend to shy away from. Women in music are marginalised by gender inequality and with respect to this are often forced to repress their own sexuality in order to satiate an audience who would rather view them as sexual objects.

“Not today, sis” said Amaarae, Gigi Atlantis & DETOBLACK with their outstanding performance on “Body Count” the undoubted standout off Odunsi’s recently released EP, ‘Everything U Heard Is True’. Beyond the incredible sonic quality, this track is a big moment for women, and I’m going to explain exactly why.

Lyrically, each artist is operating well outside of the space carved out for African women in general, starting off with Gigi’s infectious hook where she chants: ‘Don’t worry about your body count, let your body bounce’. While we all know that these conversations surrounding a woman’s autonomy over her own sexuality are tired and outdated, society doesn’t seem to follow suit in their treatment of the topic. Just last year, Kizz Daniel brazenly released the slut-shamey anthem, “Fvck You”, where he dedicated an entire song to berating his lover of sleeping with the grand total of 11 people – travesty. Only a few weeks ago, we saw Kelz, a British-Nigerian contestant from Netflix’s Too Hot To Handle mansplaining the issues he has with a woman’s body count being high, and why this is a reflection of her self esteem. He also explained that this doesn’t apply to men, because in his opinion, they experience sex differently to women, which supports the age-old myth that sex is something a man takes from a woman to enjoy, whilst a woman gives rather than enjoys for herself. The entire premise of “Body Count” and Gigi’s hook especially is here to defy this ‘norm’ and remind us that all of that is nothing but a load bullshit.

Sexuality in pop music is a nuanced concept, especially for women. It’s very empowering for them and their listeners when an artist completely controls how her sexuality is perceived, however, can be a bit cringe if it’s done solely for the appeasement of the male gaze. With her music in general, Amaarae has always embraced and presented sexuality on her own terms from songs like “Spend Some Time” and “Like It”. With this in mind, her contribution to “Body Count” sees her on form, where she flips the typical tenets of rap on its head, telling us about having the hots for the stereotypical ‘bad boy’, with lines such as “young rich nigga with blade and the chains, call me wifey”, and “big dick for me, then he fighting off the R.I.C.O”. This is especially powerful, considering how men love refer to women as gold diggers and hoes in their music, and it’s interesting to see an African woman flipping the script and giving them a taste of what they do. That’s not even all she had to offer, she also dabbles a bit into the politics involved in dating and situationships, with lyrics that negate the idea that women need emotion to enjoy sex. Men (in music and in real life) are notorious for refusing to claim the women they’re dealing with, and Amaarae takes a page from their book when she says “that’s not my man, that’s my amigo”, and also completely objectifies them with her cheeky Ludacris sample, saying “we got hoes in different area codes”.

Songs such as Khia’s  “My Neck My Back”,  Lil’ Kim’s “How Many Licks”, Missy Elliot’s “One Minute Man” and several others, prove that black women have been talking their shit and taking charge of representing their sexual autonomy for decades, however, we’re still always taken aback when we hear more recent artists like City Girls, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat and others taking up this space. While they’ve held it down for women all around the globe, this is a completely untapped niche in the African music sphere, and freshman DETO BLACK introduces it in the best way with her verse on “Body Count”.

African women are expected to conform to the purity culture society has preached to us all our lives, and DETO single-handedly challenges this with her debut on the music scene, with confident delivery and explicit lyrics which defy everything we’ve been taught. For her first attempt and introduction to her music, she raps with the cadence of any other rapper you’ve heard, introducing her signature drawl at the end of each bar and switching up her flow to ride the wave of the beat. She’s also flexing the same way you would expect any rapper to, spitting body and sex-positive lyrics which show that she is entirely in control of her interactions, expressing carnal desire and demanding the way she wants to be treated – “I know you saw me looking cute on the ‘gram/don’t step if you ain’t got a plan”, “Gotta keep it on the low though, raw dinner eat this pussy real slow though.

Deto’s penmanship elevates the gravity of what she’s saying, and completely eradicates any possibility of her ability as a rapper being challenged with wordplay and specific references to things we all go through. She speaks directly to other women like her when she reminds us to ensure that we’re actually enjoying sex, saying; “better throw it back sis, gotta let this body count”, or when she pumps us with much-needed vim to live loudly and break set barriers, putting a middle finger up to the older generation of women who enforce these norms when she says to let these aunties know that she’s a bad bitch.

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Take that 💕

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This isn’t even a particularly new feat in afropop. Songs like Tiwa Savage’s “Written All Over Your Face” (which never quite took off), or literally every other Niniola song where she sneaks in Yoruba lyrics about sexual desires between her afro-house beats exist, however, don’t quite directly address women’s sexual autonomy in the way “Body Count” does. Outside of this, you’ll find that anything to do with a woman’s sexuality in music, is controlled by the male perspective, and Odunsi taking a step back on his own project to give women the platform to do this seems like a request for a revolution.

More than a catchy bop for women to twerk to in the mirror whilst we wait for outside to open so we can hit the clubs, “Body Count” is a bold statement for women and breaks ground for a new reality to emerge. We’ve spoken about the importance of women sharing their experiences in music, and whether we realise it or not, songs like this are a great contribution to the fight for women’s liberation from the shackles of patriarchy. When Megan & Beyoncé released their “Savage” remix, it brought women from all over the world together, and “Body Count” should be met with the same reverence for women in Africa.

Enjoy the music, but also make sure you don’t worry about your body count and let your body bounce.

Featured image credits/@Jessicnnt

Damilola is the head bitch in charge around here. Don’t tweet at her @damdamxx 

ICYMI: The importance of women sharing their experiences in music

Looking back at DJ Jimmy Jatt’s influence on Nigerian music

Posted on by The Native

Traditionally, DJing as an art-form existed for one purpose; mixing records at parties to make people dance. With the rise of hip-hop, however, this role required refinement and more than players of records or tastemakers, DJs also became creators of trends, who broke new and exciting music, standing at the pulse of an industry.

While there’s perhaps a considerable list of young Nigerian jockeys today who fit into these roles and are celebrated for their skills behind the needle, there’s older list of names who are recognised for their impact in the game. Outside of this, there’s a separate list which houses only one name, on who is eulogised as a trailblazer, turned a hobby into a paying career, and has influenced both the art-form and multiple generations. That name is DJ Jimmy Jatt.

With a career spanning close to three decades, Jimmy Jatt isn’t particularly a pioneer, in fact, this is a title he’s always eager to rebut. He’s however, something more; an institution—a huge figure in Nigeria’s pop-culture history at the vanguard of a movement, and an absolute living legend.

Let me explain

If you ask the average creative, chances are that many of them would have tried their hands at music at one point, particularly rap. For Jimmy Jatt, it was no different. His younger years were heavily influenced by the variety of sounds from the streets of Lagos Island and in a wider context, American hip-hop. He took to rapping under the stage name, Master J, and it didn’t take much longer for him to discover that there was a different calling to his dream of being an entertainer – the journey just required a slightly different path.

Coming of age in Nigeria, especially in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the famous question of your dream career was only limited to a few options: doctor, lawyer, banker or engineer—any profession outside of these were met with scrutiny and generally not taken seriously. At the time, being a DJ was regarded as a hobby or an activity for kids who lacked ambition, and while Jimmy acknowledges that DJing wasn’t a decision he knew would guarantee success, he was deliberate about doing it in order to prove the naysayers wrong.

For him, there’s a punch and power to being a DJ, which has always been appealing. He aspired to be the guy who determined which records got played at an event; the one who had a raised booth or corner all to themselves that very few could get to; the one with the secret key to whether a party popped off or not.

Jimmy not only shifted what it meant to be a DJ, he also shaped its perception by building the ‘cool’ identity, which has become the mainstay of his brand. With this small number of professional DJs at the time, Jimmy was already being regarded as the best DJ in Africa by 1989 and 1990 respectively, but it was later in that decade when the pop evolution began that the impact of his work got the attention it rightfully deserved.

Down the years, he established himself as the one-stop-shop for a wide variety of services. For the artist who could not pay a producer for beats, Jimmy Jatt’s studio was the go-to place for rough instrumentals. For upcoming talents on the streets, he kicked off the Road Block Street Carnival and took some participants along to the night clubs he played at, and for those with demo tapes seeking radio airplay, Jimmy Jatt was the plug with his radio shows; Fun Fragments on OGBC2 and later Friday Night Jams on Ray-power.

“I met DJ Jimmy Jatt for the first time around 2005 when I just came into Lagos to promote “Na Beans”, narrates veteran rapper, Terry Tha Rapman. “I went to his house in Surulere, played him my single and weeks later, he invited me to record on two tracks on his album.’’ The album Terry is referring to is ‘The Definition’, the first official LP curated by a DJ in contemporary Nigerian music.

Released in 2007, Jimmy leveraged his goodwill and extensive connections, pulling together the biggest name in the industry at the time for ‘The Definition’, a project Terry refers to as a “Hip-hop milestone”. The album was a resounding success, spawning hit records, including the evergreen Lagos anthem, “Stylee” and the all-female ensemble banger, “2 Much”.

In 2008, he began Jimmy’s Jump Off, a TV show providing a platform for rappers to showcase their skills. Jimmy’s Jump Off was programmed with several videos played in-between an interview session, but its main event became the last segment which featured a freestyle session. During its run, freestyling on the Jump Off was the avenue for rappers and even singers to bolster credibility and boost their CV.

Jimmy’s booth hosted a long and diverse list of notable rap acts, pulling in evergreen moments from the M.I, Modenine, Burna Boy, the late, great DaGrin, Wizkid, L.O.S, and much more. For Ghost, one half of the rap duo Show Dem Camp, who recalls meeting Jimmy Jatt when SDC made its Jump Off appearance in 2013, he describes the show as the “modern-day Sway in the Morning or Fire in the booth.’’ These days, the Jump Off has now been expanded into an annual concert.

The legacy

I have witnessed Jimmy Jatt perform on many stages, but my first time having a conversation of any form with him was at the Castle Lite Unlocks concert in Lagos, which J. Cole headlined. Hours before the show started, the organizers tossed the press into a room for a brief exchange with artists performing on the night. Only a few artists showed up, with several of them looking like they would rather be somewhere else, but not Jimmy Jatt—that is one attribute that has defined his career all these years.

He walked into the room exchanging light-hearted banter with those he recognised and it was no surprise that his session was the longest and most insightful, as he entertained questions with the clarity of someone who had a deep understanding of his craft, a genuine love for the music and a profound appreciation for people gathered in the room. “I always realised the need to keep learning and improving myself,” he told me in a separate interview in 2018.

“The internet has made it easy now for DJs unlike when we started, so for me, to be more is to do more.” He once attempted to put together a band of his own, after discovering a band that performed at Eko Hotel, where he earned his first big fee of N1,000, got 20 times that amount. He stuck with DJing, though, building the type of legacy money can’t buy or adequately measure.

To etch a legacy is to create stories that would outlive you. What’s really admirable about Jimmy Jatt is that he has never been complacent about being great, and it extends into the extensive list of DJs and artists he has mentored or influenced. There is hardly any Nigerian DJ who didn’t pass through or get some form of help from Jimmy Jatt, be it in words, tutoring or exposure. Today, DJs like Neptune, Consequence, and Spinall have successfully followed this template, becoming dominant fixtures in Nigerian music and possessing a number of projects in their respective catalogues.

I once read that a strong measure of an artist’s greatness and legacy is how often they are cited by others as an influence—“He is always a positive force,” Ghost tells me. Jimmy Jatt certainly didn’t invent the art of DJing, nor was the first to place pieces of vinyl on a turn-table on the streets of Lagos, but the impact of how far he went to make a success out of it – not just for himself, but for anyone who dares to dream is monumental and far-reaching.

Longevity does not automatically equate to legendary, but it’s a major part of it. Prolific in the 90s, consistent in the 2000s and constantly re-inventing himself, Jimmy Jatt has shown that you can rewrite the history of your chosen path irrespective of how the society tries to outline the narratives. In his words, “If you do a great job, people will come find you,” and for close to 30 years, people have not stopped knocking on his doors.

[Featured Image Credits: Instagram/djjimmyjatt]

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Ehis Ohunyon is a veteran journalist, amongst other things. Direct your questions on Nigerian music and pop culture to him @ehiscombs

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NATIVE Exclusive: Meet Edozie Anedu, the Benin based artist behind DRB’s ‘Pioneers’ cover art

Posted on by The Native

I think my story is special. I have the role to break boundaries and connect more people, especially here in Nigeria.

The connection we once had between an album’s music and the physical design isn’t quite as prominent as it used to be in today’s age of instant music. Though we can’t tangibly hold the art like we did when we collected records and CDs, the album cover still remains the face of the songs, even though they currently only exist as a tiny thumbnail in our phone’s music library.

Regardless, this didn’t stop DRB from commissioning Benin-based artist, Edozie Anedu to produce a memorable cover for their long-awaited debut album, ‘Pioneers’. Edozie’s surrealist painting for the DRB cover evokes an emotional resonance that highlights the importance of togetherness and collaboration in Nigeria’s creative scene.

 

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Edozie Anedu gained an interest in art from when he was really young. Before he got the chance to go to museums, he developed an interest in art through his appreciation for the graffiti paintings done as part of his school’s social night activities. He soon started drawing at the back of his notebook but was punished by teachers who felt he was wasting the space he should be used to take notes. He tells me:

“Drawing at the back of my notebook is what influenced my art style. The back of your notebook is where you make rough calculations, so I’m used to drawing over rough scribbling. And if you look at my work, you’d see that all around the work, there are rough sketches. Now when I have to draw I have to incorporate those rough scribblings all over my art.”

Edozie’s work celebrates Nigeria’s youth culture with vibrant colours and rough scribblings. His Basquiat-esque approach to art pushes beyond safe conventions and makes his art stand out from his peers.

“I started out with drawing complete forms before I discovered Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work. Then I started painting and over time, that led to a particular direction which developed into my style. My style is very rough and raw. It’s influenced by Basquiat but it reflects my childhood and life experiences growing up in Benin. I don’t draw other people, I express my art in a more vibrant and more skewed form.”

His unique art style made him the go-to artist to portray the visual summary of ‘Pioneers’, named to reflect the DRB reputation as the forerunners of Lagos now buzzing alte scene.

“If you’re going to lead a new movement, if you’re going to be legendary, you have to be different”, Edozie says when he’s featured on the documentary video DRB released ahead of the album. Although he has been gaining some attention in the Lagos art scene since his work sold out at the Top Pyramid art fair in Lagos, he’s probably the least recognizable person in the 4-minute long clip which featured appearances from heavyweights such as Olamide, Davido, Skepta and the other collaborators like Santi, Odunsi The Engine, TEMS, Wani, Prettyboy DO and Lady Donli and many others who contributed on the album.

“For me it was a big surprise at first. Just getting all that info. Then we had a couple of meetings in Lagos. I travelled to Lagos for those meetings. We hung out a few times just to get into the vibe of the project” Edozie tells me, describing his surprise at being selected to design the cover for the new DRB project. “Teezee told me about ‘Pioneers’ and it was really cool because we all stand for the same thing, trying to stand out, trying to create something while still being ourselves. For me, that was all the reason I needed to work with DRB.”

Edozie Anedu’s reputation in the Lagos art scene was solidified when he held his exhibition, “Mistakes I Choose to Keep” curated by Wunika last year. He describes the experience as his opportunity to enter into the art world for real but his earlier feature at Top Pyramid Lago’s art fair already showed him the impact of his position as a young Benin-based artist, working in Lagos.

“I think my story is special. I have the role to break boundaries and connect more people, especially here in Nigeria. I remember when I mysteriously got selected for the Top Pyramid art fair. I was the only artist there who wasn’t from Lagos.

It was very significant that I wasn’t from Lagos and I was also a lot younger than everyone else. It made me realise the importance of my story and my position. You don’t see a lot of young artists going out there. People my age don’t really see a reason to push boundaries.”

His level of recognition, especially outside of his usual scope is all due to his work, which he lets speak for him. Through social media, he managed to gain the attention of people outside of his sphere, and it’s only served him well since he began. “It’s probably best not to expect anything. The main aim is to believe in your art and share as much as you can”, he says. “When I saw how people reacted to my pieces and I got feedback, that made me realise that what I was doing was working”.

 

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Edozie also explained that being from Benin inspires his work because his creative mind enjoys investigating the chaos around him. His pieces often use symbolism and sometimes written word to give commentary on his society. He believes that the purpose of art is to shock and enlighten people in the best way that he can, using his art tools. A favourite among his many pieces, “Advertising For Nigerian Police Force” for instance, speaks to Nigeria’s security challenges with striking imagery.

“In my work, I try to depict a form of honesty with how I draw my lines. My lines can be likened to that of a child’s in an effort to portray honesty. When people look at my work, I want people to see life and not just art cause I’m trying to show what life is actually about.

I also try to express the emotional side of colours. I try to combine new colours in a way to express something and I’m going to continue to do that in the hope that people are able to connect with it. I hope I am able to convey a message with the colours.”

All of these also inform the direction he decided to take for DRB’s album cover which he titled “Midnight Friends”. The art portrays a hangout scene, which expresses togetherness and how important it is to build relationships with others. It’s a sentiment that’s also mirrored in the project’s cohesive mix of different artists from the Nigerian music scene to fit seamlessly into their vision for the album.

The DRB crew have been innovative and stylish from the start. They clearly recognise the importance of having an aesthetically pleasing cover for their debut project as a collective, and collaborated with an artist who like them, knows why you need to stand out from the norm as a creative. Edozie’s visual summary of ‘Pioneers’ elevates the project from its already appealing attribute as an entertaining listening experience to a celebration of youth culture and subculture in Nigeria.

Stream ‘Pioneers’ below.

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

ICYMI: NATIVE Exclusive; Nxwrth is making the sound of the future today

How E Kelly puts his artist-oriented approach on full display with new EP, ‘No Secrets’

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

In a 2016 interview, Noah “40” Shebib, widely known for his role as Drake’s creative right-hand, detailed his artist-oriented approach to making music. In between all the technical terms, 40 explained that his fondness for immersive soundscapes is part of his process to ensure the artist has enough room to express themselves without having to duel with the beat, since they will be performing the songs and carry them as part of their catalogue for the long haul.

Listening to E Kelly’s newly released debut EP, ‘No Secrets’, I immediately recalled 40’s creative process, since the project comes off as the result of an artist-oriented approach. Usually, producer-curated projects are seen as the perfect medium for outright showcases, since for all their contribution to the music, producers are so often underappreciated. While E Kelly does strut his prowess on ‘No Secrets’, he uses it as a vehicle to display his ability as an ultimate collaborator who’s fine with dictating the colour and intensity of the spotlight rather than being under it.

For those familiar with E Kelly’s work, this approach isn’t uncharacteristic. In comparison to widely regarded colleagues such as Sarz and Shizzi, he doesn’t necessarily have the perception of a super-producer, even though his overflowing catalogue (Wizkid, Major Lazer, Mr Eazi to name a few), continued relevance and longevity are proof of the level of respect we should be putting on his name. In a recent hits battle against DJ Coublon, where he clearly omitted some of his biggest hits, E Kelly comes across as a producer who’s content with letting the music speak for him, even if it means he gets overshadowed by it.

 

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With five songs and five featured artists, E Kelly doesn’t break form with ‘No Secrets’. The project finds him adjusting to each artist’s sensibilities, without sounding like there’s no autonomy on his part—in fact, the EP’s greatest strength is in his ability to cater the variety of guests in service of well-executed songs. Take standout cut, “Oreke”, where E Kelly merges r&b-styled guitar chords and lively afropop percussion, perfectly accentuating Joeboy’s blue-eyed candour and infectious melodies.

‘No Secrets’ finds the balance between layered instrumental work and vocal delivery; instead of leaving it up to the artist to sink or swim, E Kelly works towards enabling a comfort zone for his collaborators. Mr Eazi’s appearance on the Faze-interpolating “Need Somebody” is bolstered by summery keys, xylophone plinks and booming bass; Boybreed’s heartfelt show on the title track plays to the sibling duo’s afro-Caribbean strengths; while glockenspiel riffs, tightly plucked guitars and a dancehall bounce adds momentum to King Perryy’s dynamic performance on “My Girl”.

In contrast to recent, excellent projects such as Guiltybeatz’s ‘Different’, Nxwrth’s ‘N.A.S.A’ and Rexxie’s ‘Afro Street’, E Kelly’s debut differs from how these projects retool artists’ voices to fit into the producer’s space. By virtue of its approach, ‘No Secrets’ broadens the scope of the afropop’s growing trend of producer-helmed projects, by showing it can—not should—be done in a way that suits the artists and still prioritises the producers.

Listen to E Kelly’s ‘No Secrets’ here.

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ICYMI: WE NEED TO STOP DEMANDING WHAT KIND OF MUSIC WE WANT TO HEAR FROM ARTISTS

Life in Quarantine: Here’s how Dami Oniru is spending her days indoors in Atlanta

Posted on by Tami Makinde

Life In Quarantine Is A New Bi-Weekly Column We Will Be Running To Give African Artists who are Quarantining In Different Countries Room To Speak About Their Current Creative Processes During The Current Global Pandemic. We Take A Look Into Their Daily Routines And Find Out How They Are Doing whilst having to be Away From Their Family And Friends With No End In Sight, Yet. This week, we speak to Dami Oniru about her time with her family in the States.

It took almost a whole week to get in touch with  r&b/soul singer, Dami Oniru, and from our conversation, I came to realise that it’s because the reclusive artist spends a lot of her time off social media. She’s heavily invested in her daily schedule, and doesn’t find that much time to be as plugged in.

Back in February, before the ‘Rona and shortly after the release of the colorful visuals for ‘5 Shades of Bri’, Dami Oniru flew to Atlanta to visit her mum and sister for three weeks. She certainly couldn’t predict the changes that would take place within the space of her mini holiday.

Today, it’s been three months since she left Lagos and Dami is making the most of the time indoors with her family. She is choosing to look at the current lockdowns and social distancing requirements as a blessing in disguise from God.

As she waits out the opening of borders so she can come back, Dami Oniru is spending her time indoors wisely. One thing about Dami is that she has always been well-organised in her affairs and this is something that continues today even with the lockdowns. From mapping out her daily tasks in the morning, cooking up quarantine games for her fans and followers to even taking up guitar and piano lessons, and still finding time to code, Dami Oniru is keeping busier than ever. From our conversation, she definitely inspired me to do more with my time, and that’s one of the qualities of her music which sets her apart.

 

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 On how she got stuck in Atlanta

I was meant to be in Atlanta for three weeks back in February when the coronavirus became a pandemic. Since then, I have been with my family, especially my mum and my sister and it’s great because I usually don’t get to spend this much time with them. We’re all just waiting for the borders to re-open so we can come back home, but I probably won’t even leave immediately it’s safe to travel just to see how everything out there plays out first.

On how she’s finding it

It’s been good, it’s been okay. This is the longest time I have been here at a stretch. It’s been good being with my mum and my sister. Georgia has actually re-opened, but I don’t really trust that decision because it had one of the highest number of cases in the US so my family and I are still limiting going outside and social distancing.

On how the city is like in lockdown

Like I mentioned, the city has pretty much opened back up because the state government made that call but it’s really just for essential workers and people who need to work to earn their living. Restaurants and fast-food joints are still closed but you can always order online. There are new social distancing requirements set in places like the supermarket as they have these stickers on the floor that ensure 6 feet distance between customers. I’m still spending most of my time indoors, and only go out for groceries. When I do, I glove and mask it up.

On her daily schedule in Atlanta

I usually start my day between 1pm and 2pm, I give myself free time in the morning cause once I begin my day, I’m sticking to my schedule until really late in the evening. I write a to-do list every morning and it’s usually the same thing, but it’s good to guide my day. I’m doing some coding courses, but I haven’t done it for the past two-three weeks because I have been focusing on the music aspect of my life and trying to properly plan and create a brand for myself, to utilise post covid. I’m ready to tie loose ends with everything concerning my personal brand Dami Oniru and focus on the music business side of things as well.

I now have a team, so every day, we speak about things that need to get done, and that’s mostly been about planning the release of my new single, which is out on Friday. Before this, I was coding every day and taking guitar and piano lessons, and I also started trying my hand at producing music. I actually haven’t recorded anything since quarantine started – I’ve written new songs but nothing recorded yet. My creative process usually is to work with producers and make stuff from scratch but with everything going on I have more or less had to take a pause on recording and focus more on doing things I didn’t have time for before coronavirus (BC). I’m also doing more songwriting, just trying to get better and do better because I don’t think we will get this free time again. I want to be as productive as possible.

 

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On her Quarantine Games

I think one thing a lot of people don’t know about me is that I am very playful and a kid at heart, I love playing all kind of games and I’m a big fan of word games and Sudoku. I thought this would be a great time for any artist to tie up loopholes; that could be with your fans. I was thinking of ways to connect with my fans that didn’t involve going on IG live cause that’s what hot atm. So the whole idea for the quarantine games was to get my database of fans up, so I could know what the numbers are like and try to engage with them. Because I feel like people connect with my music but because I am such a private person, they don’t really know much about me.

I google-searched a bunch of tools that could help me create word search games or crossword games and just things that could get people’s brains working and I created the games based on titles from my songs and yeah, I used that as a medium to send out emails and just gain more fans. The fastest marketing tool that’s free is definitely word of mouth because the number of people engaging with my games kept increasing. People did really engage, so its really cool to see they’re interested in me and what I have to offer and I’m happy to be a reason why they were entertained at this time. It has made my fans and I connect more, because in the emails I send out, I try to give a little advice to encourage them. A few people said they were hard, but I made some a little difficult on purpose. I hope to do more of that in the near future.

On her upcoming single, “Nowhere to Run”

The song is about forgetting who you are at some point, and eventually working through things and rediscovering your power and your strength in your weakness and just remembering that whatever the situation you are going to get through it. It’s called “Nowhere to Run”, and it’s ironic cause I mean we actually don’t have anywhere to run physically and mentally at the moment. Mentally, we will always get stuck with our thoughts and we can do things to distract ourselves in the meantime but no matter how far you run, and how much you distract yourself from what it is, you’re always going to come back to that problem. The best way is to work through it. You know how when you put a mentos in a Coke bottle, it explodes? That’s how it will be if you keep things bottled in.

On why she’s choosing to release music now

We are all collectively stuck at home, which could translate into a lot of things and that could be hard for some and easy for others. It may have an effect on the people who are used to moving around a lot and being in control, which has now been taken away and this ties into like fear and mental health. The song is basically about losing yourself and basically rediscovering your power. In conversations I have had with friends nowadays, I think this period is a time to self-reflect and just figure yourself out and if there’s anything you always wanted to do it, now is the time to do it. If there is stuff you need to heal from then now is a good time to turn inwards because like I said before, we don’t know when next we get this free time.

You will hear that the song sounds like a soundtrack for a movie, its cause it was a demo I wrote for Beyoncé’s Lion King: The Gift album. It’s inspired by Lion King, and I think the message in the song is really powerful so I thought no better time than now to spread the positivity. That’s always my goal, to put a smile on someone’s face through connecting through my music. I hope the song makes someone feel better about themselves, the song is just every positive affirmation you can think of.

One thing she loves, likes and hates.

One thing I love right now is how much I am learning and how productive I have been. In a normal setting, there are so many distractions so this is great.

One thing I like is staying home, which I love ordinarily but now I am able to spend time with my family and I really like that.

One thing I hate is not being in control. I know that God is control and I am always trying to teach myself to let go and let God. Not knowing what is coming next is kind of annoying, I know that regardless of whether I am in control or not, God’s plan is the best. I hope we’re all here to experience the good things after this.

 

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Tami is living in a black mirror episode and can’t seem to wake up. Tweet your fave female artistes at her @tamimak_

ICYMI: Here’s how Lady Donli is spending her days indoors in Toronto

Best New Music: KiDi takes inspiration from the ‘80s on “Next Time I See You”

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

Two of this year’s best albums, The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours’ and Dua Lipa’s ‘Future Nostalgia’, are defined by their explicit affinity to pop music from the ‘80s. While both artists lean into those inspirations to create personal masterpiece, in the larger context, it further highlights the far-reaching influence of music from that era.

Closer to home, Odunsi (the Engine)’s debut album, ‘rare.’, took some cues from the disco-funk hybrid originated back then, and Tyler, the Creator sampled an obscure Nigerian disco gem for a standout cut off his last album, ‘IGOR’. Now, Ghanaian singer, KiDi is the latest African artist to draw inspiration from this infinite well, and a feat he manages to pull off sublimely.

‘Blue’, KiDi’s new EP features repeat-worthy songs, loaded with ear candy melodies over mid-tempo, highlife-indented production, however, it’s the disco-heavy final track, “Next Time I See You” that stands as the project’s most striking point.

The sonic difference of “Next Time I See You” sets it apart from those within its proximity, but that novelty is an accessory to a greatly crafted song which adheres to the simple, shiny and chic essence of pop music from the ‘80s. Disco music’s best and most potent trick lies in its ability to get listeners in a good mood without subverting the emotions behind the singer’s content.

On “Next Time I See You”, technicolour keys, a low-end piano synth riff and swinging, slip-n-slide drums create the bright atmosphere for KiDi to hold out his pining heart to a love interest he feels a strong, almost divine, attraction towards. “Next time I see you, I swear walahi, I no go let you go, no way”, he proclaims on the bold and bulletproof hook.

Where KiDi’s work is usually accentuated with tricks for melodic embellishments, “Next Time I See You” finds its allure in a somewhat straightforward vocal approach, giving us a full view into the singer’s raw ability as a vocalist. Coupled with his lyrics, some of which are sung in his native dialect, the song is an incredible take on a highly influential style of music, taking KiDi’s Ghanaian identity into account while also sounding as pristine and as catchy as disco music is supposed to be.

While “Next Time I See You” is a testament to the wonderful results artists can achieve by looking to the past, it also acts a leading example for future forays from other African artists. As an amorphous genre that pulls from any and everywhere, it won’t be totally unexpected if disco becomes a prevalent source of inspiration in the near future. What’s certain, though, is that KiDi’s well-executed banger—alongside aforementioned examples—has set a high benchmark for quality.

Listen to “Next Time I See You” here.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/kidimusic

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ICYMI: WANI SENDS A MESSAGE ABOUT RESILIENCE ON DRB’S “I SWEAR”

Songs of the Day: new music from M.anifest, NSG, Bella Alubo, Marv OTM and more

Posted on by Tami Makinde

Today, one could very easily argue that the Nigerian musical landscape is more liberated from the audience’s expectations than it’s ever been, and artists now have the room to re-imagine genres to fit their own personal expressions. This allows for an expansive range of new music from many different artists, which can become overwhelming, so we’ve decided to help out by sorting through new songs from across all the sub-genres around the continent to highlight all the new releases you absolutely Need to hear.

Last week, we brought you Rema’s new collaboration with Samzy, we also had new music from Aramide, Kida Kudz, Tomi Agape, WurlD, Yinolu, FamousCTwo, and Psycho YP as well as Namibian rapper, Lioness’ new album. To start off the new week, we have new music from NSG, Bella Alubo, Marv, Manifest, Mugeez, and many more. Dig in, and you’re welcome.

NSG – “Porsche”

Raise your hands if you were today years old when you realised NSG stands for Nigeria slash Ghana! Over the weekend, the UK’s biggest music group, NSG announced their forthcoming EP, ‘Roots’ which is due for release next month. The 18-track collection is set to feature Jae5, Chip, Tion Wayne, Legendary Beatz including pre-released fan favourites such as “Options” as well as their new single “Porsche”.

In their usual fashion, the boys are just having fun and vibing with each other over a fusion of trap and afrobeats-inspired sounds. In the accompanying music video, the group is seen having fun and boasting about their success since stepping on the scene as they enjoy the company of seductively clad dancers and deliver their verses in front of a Porsche – no less.

M.anifest – “We No Dey Hear” featuring Kelvyn Boy and Kel P

Manifest is back with a new single “We No Dey Hear Word”, a swift follow up to his last self-assured single, “No Long Talk”. This time around he teams up with Kel P, and fellow Ghanaian rapper Kelvyn Boy for a catchy upbeat number about staying true to oneself despite the curveballs that life throws.  ‘New things on the horizon/Boys no dey hear chale that’s the slogan too’ M.anifest sings assertively before he is joined by Kelvyn Boy’s melodious voice on the song’s hook both adding to the uplifting tone of the song.

The accompanying video directed by Allison Swank begins with the propitious message ‘When life puts me in a tough situation, I don’t say why me, I say ‘try me’. Shot in Accra, we get to see the sights and sounds of the city and watch the immense strength and courage of its inhabitants.

Bella Alubo – “Loneliest Girl in the World (Quarantine Edition)

Bella Alubo is currently isolating in London, where she is bagging her Master’s degree and for her latest offering has given us something to enjoy during the quarantine. On “Loneliest Girl in the World”, Bella whips up a syrupy synth production upon which she speaks about the struggles of living alone abroad. ‘I ain’t go no money/I ain’t got no friends’ she sings, baring her sould for her fans to see. With this song, we get to understand her isolation routine a bit more and the accompanying visualiser helps paint a more vivid picture of what the artist is getting up to. We also love that the track is a donated single, all proceeds she makes will be going towards COVID-19 relief in Nigeria, so make sure you listen and keep listening!

Marv OTM & Malik Bawa – “Jetski!” featuring Zilla Oaks

Abuja collective, Apex Village has whipped up a considerable level of fame in the last couple of years, putting out a prolific stream of music releases to satiate their expanding fanbase. Despite the strength they garner as a group, the members of the collective are currently cultivating budding solo careers from Psycho YP to Zilla Oaks and Marv OTM. This month, producer and artist Marv OTM is set to release a new project with fellow producer, Malik Bawa and ahead of this, they have shared a new single “Jetski!” featuring one of our Fresh Meat artists, Zilla Oaks. The new single sees both artists trading bars about running circles around the competition and staying ahead of the curve with their impressive braggadocious raps.

Emtee – “Johustleburg”

South African rapper, Emtee has just released an ode to the city that raised him into the man he is today, in new single “Johustleburg”. Producer and long-time collaborator, Ruff is responsible for the frenzy of scant bass, hi-hats and whistles on the new track. ‘You can’t play a Jo’burg nigga like that/people here hustle day and night’ he sings, admirably talking about the city of Gold and reflecting on the dangers that many within the city face.

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Tami is living in a black mirror episode and can’t seem to wake up. Tweet your fave female artistes at her @tamimak_

ICYMI: Here’s all the new music you may have missed last Friday

For the Girls: In conversation with Deena Ade about her love for Lagos, her music and SlutWalk

Posted on by Tami Makinde

‘My name is Deena Ade and I live in Lagos’

Deena Ade is a fiercely independent artist and our very first interaction where she promptly mapped out what the nature of our subsequent conversations were going to be gave me a good sense of that. She drew my attention to a music video release she had the following day, telling me: ‘I am hoping we can collaborate on this and perhaps you can gain insight into the elusive and reclusive Deena Ade, creating in isolation’. Of course, I was instantly intrigued by this pointedly confident artist, who just two years prior, had put on the ‘infamous’ SlutWalk in Lagos. We quickly became acquainted speaking about her approach to music, and her interest in dismantling societal views against women’s sexual autonomy.

Given this, I was very surprised when Deena Ade stated her reservations about believing women who have accused someone of assault anonymously, because she thinks there’s a chance that it could be false. ‘I know my views are not conventional, but I’m a firm believer that if you are going to do something, do it right. If you’re going to accuse somebody of rape, I need you to come forward and not be anonymous because how can I argue and defend somebody I cannot confer who they are’. I immediately explained to her that anonymity doesn’t negate the validity of the claim, especially given the current climate where people are quick to defend abusers for the abused to see. Still, she maintained that:

I am never going to take one side of the story only especially when it’s from an anonymous source. I have brothers and I am very worried about that. It might seem tough and unfair but I am not for the dragging especially when we have no evidence whatsoever’ 

As stated earlier, Deena speaks with strong conviction, which made me wonder whether to prod further – I didn’t. Given that the patriarchy is woven so deeply into our societal fabric, it’s not alarming to see women with opposing views. With this reality in mind, any woman who is challenging the patriarchy in their own little way is contributing to the fight, which needs to be tackled from different angles. At the end of the day, we’re all eating the same shit from different toilets, so where I see someone not as committed in an area I’m committed to, just shows me how much more I need to do for the women I’m fighting for. 

One person’s dog in the fight, like Deena Ade’s might be to champion sexual health for women, whilst another person’s, like mine, could be more interested in ensuring that victims of assault are always seen and heard. So while our views differ, Deena Ade is entitled to her own views. I believe that it’s my responsibility, however, to educate people within my reach about the damaging effects of harbouring such views could cause for a generation of women, and the dangers of letting allegations of assault slide.

 

Deena Ade might be from Ibadan, which is very different to Lagos, however, she clearly has the inbuilt hustle mentality that comes with living in Lagos, which is probably why she made the decision to make it big over here back when she was in university. Back then, she would periodically visit the buzzing metropolis for holidays with her cousins, which drove her determination to never return home. She tells me:

Life in Lagos is pretty interesting, very different from Ibadan. It’s very exciting but very challenging as well. There are a lot of benefits to being a woman here, but it’s like a minefield most of the time

I didn’t want to go back to Ibadan and have a simple life – be a banker, and have a house and family. I wanted to go to Lagos and get it. I saw all the opportunities here and there was no way I was going to pass up on it. I made the decision to move, I worked and I saved money for rent and that was it’ she tells me with a laugh. 

For the most part, she’s doing it all on her own with the help from a few friends she made in the industry. She cites her relationship with Sarz and Wavy the Creator as one of the reasons she was welcomed so quickly into the Lagos music scene and refers to them as friends turned family, who have kept her going in her darkest moments. ‘Once I decided that I wanted to make music, I started making the necessary connections in preparation for me moving to Lagos. Of course, everything was not as it seemed and some of the people I met over the years were not as useful as they portrayed to be later’ she tells me, stressing the need to protect your energy from people in the industry ready to take advantage of young artists.

 

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Much like it is in person, Deena Ade’s superpower is her ability to connect with her listeners through reliability, and her focus is on romance and love. She’s just finished her new project and is excited for the ‘rona to be over so she can begin rolling out the new singles. In her latest song, “Bitter”, the anti-love anthem where she curses out a past lover is actually not even her own story.

‘Bitter is not my personal experience, it’s actually one of my close friends. He was breaking up with his spouse and would not stop talking about it. So I wrote the chorus based on everything he had been saying. In the verses, I was like I wonder what she is saying so I wrote it from her perspective and just kind of mix-mashed them both in’

It’s this ability to effectively communicate matters of the heart, that has endeared Deena to listeners. Earlier this year, she landed a spot at the last Femme Africa showcase, a feat that she found very thrilling. She thinks platforms like Femme Africa are really important in showcasing and highlighting female talent, in order to gain the attention of the big wigs who can really make a difference and fill the gaping hole, which lacks women in the entertainment industry as a whole.

Outside of the music, Deena is also very interested in fighting for women’s equality, and her contribution is through sexual liberation. She’s mostly interested in women’s sexual health and increasing the accessibility of contraceptives for women in Nigeria. She has been working with a few powers that be to make this happen and plans to host another SlutWalk if miss ‘rona ever leaves us alone.

 

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Through her sonic quality and bolshy nature, Deena is an important facet to the Nigerian music industry as a whole. We need more women who exist loudly and outside of convention to challenge the status quo, mainly because of the current lack there is. As we have explained previously, it’s important for women to be presented with music which mirrors their own experiences, and Deena is a good candidate for this. Perhaps something that could even help shape her own views, when she’s privy more theory outside of the scope she’s interested in for a more wholesome fight against the patriarchy.

Featured image credits/DeenaAde

Tami is living in a black mirror episode and can’t seem to wake up. Tweet your fave female artistes at her @tamimak_

ICYMI: Let’s talk about the big bad F: Feminism

Where Were You: Femme Africa’s virtual panel was full of wise takeaways for creatives

Posted on by Tami Makinde

Beyond the music, Femme Africa has also been committed to paving the way for other creative women manoeuvring the industry. They did so with their first-ever panel talk, Coffee With A Creative and their latest one, Spilling The Tea where we got to hear directly from women in the industry about their various experiences.

Over the weekend they brought Spilling the Tea directly to us through their first virtual webinar, which was aimed at opening up an honest dialogue about alternative streams of revenue for artists and creatives in the wake of the pandemic.

 

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The Spilling the Tea panel included some daring and revolutionary women in the creative scene including Elizabeth Sobowale, brand manager and consultant to Dj Cuppy, Kimani Moore, the marketing manager for the diaspora at WMI Warner Music and Grace Ladoja, founder of Metallic Inc. & Homecoming, as well as the manager to Skepta, Sarz & Octavian to name a few. These formidable spoke about the current state of the world, how they manoeuvre their fields and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on creative careers.

The creative industry today has been seen a huge hit thanks to the pandemic, and many young creatives have suffered a decline in their workflow and income. It was particularly heartwarming to hear the panel reassure young people that they can still remain active during these times, and offer practical solutions to make the most of the time indoors. Spilling the Tea was a great way to take our minds off the stress, and also an interesting way for creatives who signed up to the event to tap the brain of successful people in the industry and gaining perspective from different angles of the industry.

The speakers didn’t only inspire us with their personal journeys, they also shared some pertinent advice for young people who are manoeuvring the industry, using their own experiences as a milestone. The things that stuck out the most were: Grace Ladoja speaking about the importance of budgeting and mapping out finances such that you’re always in the position to plan ahead and adjust accordingly; Elizabeth Sobowale speaking about the value of staying true to the brand you have created for yourself, using her client, DJ Cuppy as an example, stressing the importance of not falling out of character, just to stay on and perform for everyone, especially in these times when we’re all stuck at home. Another thing that stuck out was Kimani’s advice for young creatives to aligning their mindset towards work, speaking about how one should always be working to improve yourself and gain experience even if you’re not being paid, because it will always serve you when bigger opportunities come your way.

Speaking to the NATIVE, Femme Africa’s founder, Ayomide Dokunmu shared her and her ever hardworking team’s motivation behind the webinar, and the excitement at landing their event speakers:

“The team and I had been pretty stressed about the pandemic, lockdown, and loss of revenue that we started thinking more about what we could do and how we could really make an impact. That’s how we decided to do another “Spilling the Tea”. In fact, it was great because we could get those who weren’t in Nigeria and have as many people benefit from it regardless of their geographical location.

For an event, we always have who we want to speak and have backups incase our speakers are unavailable. We decided to literally shoot for the stars and we were very pleased when we got these three amazing women. The artists they represent range from up and coming to those who have already achieved mainstream success.

They all have unique stories that people do not really know about from Grace being homeless three times to Kimani barely surviving on $100 a month after moving to Atlanta to pursue her dreams. The impact on the scene is incredible and learning from them was something else. The feedback we got was great and can’t wait to do more!”

Featured image credits/Femme Africa

Tami is living in a black mirror episode and can’t seem to wake up. Tweet your fave female artistes at her @tamimak_

ICYMI: In conversation with Ayomide Dokunmu, the founder of girl-group initiative, Femme Africa

Songs of the Day: New music from Rema, Kida Kudz, Aramide, WurlD, Tomi Agape, and more

Posted on by Tami Makinde

Today, one could very easily argue that the Nigerian musical landscape is more liberated from the audience’s expectations than it’s ever been, and artists now have the room to re-imagine genres to fit their own personal expressions. This allows for an expansive range of new music from many different artists, which can become overwhelming, so we’ve decided to help out by sorting through new songs from across all the sub-genres around the continent to highlight all the new releases you absolutely Need to hear.

Earlier in the week, we brought you a collaboration between Don Jazzy and Falz, Cassper Nyovest’s second single of this year, the lead single from a joint project between Vector and Masterkraft, and more. To start off the weekend, we’re bringing you new releases from Aramide, Kida Kudz, Tomi Agape, WurlD, Yinolu, FamousCTwo, and Psycho YP as well as Namibian rapper, Lioness’ new album. Dig in, and you’re welcome.

Aramide – “Me & You Time”

Aramide is back with her first single of the year following a short break from music. “Me & You Time” is a romantic number about spending time with the ones you love. Over the mellow beat produced by Sizzle Pro, Aramide sings about being so encompassed in her love, ‘I’m loving everything that you do/E be like say na juju’ she says over the acoustic strings and acapella-like humming in the background showing how quality time ranks highly in her love languages.

Samzy – “Red Dots” featuring Rema

Nigerian-American rapper, Samzy has just released his second official single “Red Dots”, one of the pre-released singles off his forthcoming EP which features Mavin’s golden boy, Rema. The catchy bass-drop anthem is produced by Eem Triplin, and has both artists trading hard-hitting bars about obliterating their competition. ‘Red dots, what’s going on call the boss/man I pray I never get caught’ Rema sings on the hook, tapping into his known trap sensibilities for this self-assured number. It’s great to see Rema collaborating with younger artists from around the world!

Kida Kudz – “Jiggy Freestyle”

Since dropping his debut tape ‘Nasty’ earlier this year, Kida Kudz has kept the freestyles coming at an impressive rate. This week, his latest offering is “Jiggy Freestyle” a loose number on which the UK-based artist addresses fans directly, asking them to stay jiggy even during the quarantine. Over the drum-led beat produced by “Tasty Time” producer, KD, the JFC leader puts on a braggadocious front as he raps, ‘NBG no I got no belt/On a lockdown still jiggy’ clearly having fun in this short freestyle.

WurlD – “Wayo (Kpe Le Wu)

All month, WurlD has been releasing singles in anticipation of his project ‘AFROSOUL’ which we’re expecting later on in the month. This week’s offering, “Wayo (Kpe Le Wu)” sees him in usual form, where he addresses a romantic subject pleading that she loves him and skips the games in their relationship. Over the groovy percussions and pounding drums produced by Kel P, WurlD sings, ‘No dey switch personalities/we don dey get too comfortable’, admitting his deep feelings, which he wishes his lover reciprocates.

Tomi Agape – “London”

Tomi Agape is back with a new single “London”, a smooth follow up to her earlier single “This Way”. The London-based artist taps into the drubbing infectious beats of Juls, upon which she delivers a rapid-fire number about her city, London and the steady grind to success. ‘Take it on the chin, don’t stop/Young one inna London tryna make that dough’ she sings in her usual laidback drawl, as she flips her current situation into a catchy upbeat bop letting listeners know she is focused on making her music and stacking her paper.

Yinoluu – “(In) B/W” featuring AYLØ & AY

Ahead of his EP drop later this month, talented producer Yinoluu has been dropping singles ahead of the upcoming project, and this week, he has tapped into the infectious voices of AYLØ and AY for new single “(In) B/W”. The pair are a smooth union of undulating airy vocals, as they muse over the subject matter of love and empathy. AYLØ switches up his usual flow, rapping ‘Got a job and now you renting nice apartments/Got it going on like you got that’ using ornate writing to capture his side of the relationship, where it seems like the girl is doing well without his help.

C-Two – “Sosa” featuring Psycho YP and Famous Bobson

UK-based rapper C-Two tapped two Nigerian rappers, Psycho YP and Famous Bobson for his debut single of the year “Sosa”. Produced by Mudz Beatz, the upbeat number has all three artists trading hard-hitting bars about women and getting their shit popping. ‘Power changing hands now/Don’t fuck with the rules/smoke next to the no-smoking sign’ Psycho YP’s raps stealing the show in his usual self-assured manner, as he puts on a confident show and cocksure brags over the upbeat track.

Dimss – “No Regrets”

Rapper, Dimss has just released a new project ‘GoingThruIt’, an 8-track collection of introspective tracks where he digs into the frustrating parts of his life and turns it into relatable numbers for listeners to enjoy. On the first track, “No Regrets”, he raps about making it big with his boys over the catchy drubbing beats. ‘I’m just tryna better me/I’m just doing it for the family’ he raps reflectively, showing a deep self-awareness of his flaws but resolving to do better rather than be weighed down by the past.

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Tami is living in a black mirror episode and can’t seem to wake up. Tweet your fave female artistes at her @tamimak_

ICYMI: Here’s all the new music you may have missed from earlier in the week

Watch Editi Effiong’s new short film, ‘Fishbone’

Posted on by The Native

Following the success of his first two feature films ‘Up North’ and ‘The Set Up’, over the weekend, Editi Effiong released an impressive short film, ‘Fishbone’ which does a good job of tackling the issue of drug counterfeiting, through the lens of its victims and perpetrators. Set in one of Lagos’ finest slums, Makoko, the film also manages to touch briefly on life in low-income communities and how their talents are exploited by the high and mighty in society.

Shot handsomely by cinematographer Femi Awojide, ‘Fishbone’ brings to mind Akin Omotoso’s  ‘The Ghost and the House of Truth’, another film shot mostly in Makoko that captures its filth beautifully. Both movies show the abandonment of these slums by the authorities and the heinous crimes that occur daily. In Omotoso’s film, a girl doesn’t return home after school – she has been raped and murdered; in ‘Fishbone‘, ghetto kids are recruited to produce fake drugs that are mostly bought by people like them because they are cheap.

‘Fishbone‘ has three principal characters; Mama T, Schoolboy and Inspector Cole, who represent the rich, the poor and the law, respectively.

Mama T (played by Shaffy Bello) runs a drug counterfeiting lab in Makoko, and we first meet her in a gorgeously lit scene where she berates Schoolboy for being afraid of the police. “You fear too much,” she says to him in Yoruba, and through this conversation, we learn that she’s a woman who understands her place in society – above the law. Schoolboy, one of Mama T’s eyes on the street, has just run down to the lab to inform the team that the police are around. The police have been investigating Mama T for a year, but she’s so elusive that they didn’t realise she’s right under their nose.

In one of the film’s most touching scenes, she and the inspector have a tete-a-tete: “Brave of you to come out here, no offence but this is no place for people like you,” he says to her. She replies, “looks can be rather deceiving, inspector.”, which brought him to realise the weight of her words, and the reality of the system he works in.

In just over 30 minutes, ‘Fishbone’ tackles drug counterfeiting, social injustice and karma. Editi Effiong’s directing and screenplay impressively weaves these themes to create a powerful film that critiques, informs and transports its viewers to a world that’s familiar but often forgotten, where wealthy Nigerians get away with every evil they perpetrate, and the poor man hopes karma gets them. Unlike in the real world, however, we see karma in full effect albeit distasteful, given that it ropes other innocent people into the suffering the perpetrator deserves.

In every scene Mama T appears in, Effiong makes her the most powerful presence, she’s dressed entirely in bright red and adorned in jewellery, but as she unravels, her appearance becomes less illuminating. As Mama T, Shaffy Bello is magnificent, never in a movie has her facial expressions been this intentionally used to serve a narrative. In the film’s most exciting scene, the  Inspector (played Etim Effiong) and Mama T have a conversation about conscience, which is more of a monologue from Effiong, since Bello’s facial expressions speak for her. This use of silence to communicate is abundant in the film, and is a curious but welcome choice for a debut director.

‘Fishbone’ is mostly excellent, the problem with the short comes in a series of post-credit interviews on piracy and drug counterfeiting, but more about the former, and given the film’s subject is the ills of drug counterfeiting, talking about intellectual theft in Nollywood feels insensitive. It would have been in better taste to speak to people who have suffered from the effects of drug counterfeiting; let’s hear their stories. This is however, not to dismiss the issue of film piracy; it’s definitely a worthy conversation, just not here.

Watch ‘Fishbone’ here:

Featured Image Credits: Youtube/ShowdemcampVEVO

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Words by Daniel – Nollywood blogger and critic. Tweet at him @DTNollywoodblog.”

ICYMI: VADER THE WILDCARD’S “YOU GARRU BE KIDDING ME” IS AN INFECTIOUS POP-RAP BANGER

Rap Song of the Week: Show Dem Camp take a well-earned victory lap on “That Year”

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

If you’ve been following the duo of Tec and Ghost since their debut album from 2011, ‘The Dreamer Project’, you’d know they took the scenic route to building up a reliable and supportive fan base, as well as their rep as pioneers and OGs. Last December, Show Dem Camp convened their annual concert series, Palmwine Festival, for the third time in a row, which is a huge feat for the pair.

Insider sources say SDC’s latest single, “That Year”, was initially recorded as far back as 2015, but the song clearly carries more weight being released in this reflective period for the whole world. Even though they already had three critically acclaimed projects and the seminal hit song, “Feel Alright”, Show Dem Camp was largely in hibernation mode circa 2015, and if “That Year” had dropped in that period, it would’ve been a proclamation of their resurgence.

Looking back now and considering how much they have achieved since effectively coming back with ‘Clone Wars, Vol. 3’ in December 2016 and ‘Palmwine Music’ in the summer of 2017, the song now comes across as an unbridled celebration of their trajectory since.

 

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“That Year” is a well-deserved victory lap, which finds Tec and Ghost reminiscing about a special period in their lives when everyone else thought they were popping when they knew they really weren’t. It’s a documentation of the valleys in their career, but rather than get needlessly sentimental about it, they cherish the moments and the setbacks, while also sharing the lessons learned along the way. In the process, they are also immortalising close chappies and fallen friends who were integral to that period in their journeys.

With Sir Dauda’s bright and prayerful hook, and Ikon’s colourfully aggressive production, “That Year” pushes towards a transcendental edge. The song is emotional enough to get you in your feels if you actually sit and think about it for a minute, but is also boisterous enough for you to embrace the joy without question.

Watch the video for “That Year” here.

Featured Image Credits: Youtube/ShowdemcampVEVO

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

ICYMI: VADER THE WILDCARD’S “YOU GARRU BE KIDDING ME” IS AN INFECTIOUS POP-RAP BANGER

Music Friday: New projects from E Kelly, Lioness, Kiienka, KiDi & more

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

Friday is universally known as the day for new music releases. This means there’s so much music to wade through, and a few might get lost in the shuffle. To help out, here’s a run-down of newly released projects the NATIVE recommends from this week’s slew of releases. From the E Kelly’s debut EP, to comeback projects from Dr Sid and Dammy Krane, and new projects from rappers Lioness and Phlow, and more, make sure you dig in–you’re welcome.

E Kelly – ‘No Secrets’

E Kelly has been around in the industry for over a decade, and in this time has amassed a sprawling catalogue of classic hit singles, helming songs for a wide range of artists including Wizkid, Mr Eazi, M.I Abaga and more. For his latest move, however, the producer and songwriter has just dropped his debut project, ‘No Secrets’, a 5-song EP that emphasises his curatorial skills. The project features Mr Eazi, Joeboy, King Perryy, Boybreed and Minz.

Dr Sid – ‘The Interesting EP’

Even though Dr Sid’s last project was his sophomore album, ‘Siduction’ back in 2013, he’s still managed to stay in relevant afropop conversations throughout. The veteran Mavin artist has only dropped a few one-off singles, while also taking long breaks of silence in between. His comeback project, ‘The Interesting EP’, is made up of 5 songs, with guest appearances from Don Jazzy, M.I Abaga, Eyango and the pre-released “Lit” featuring Ladipoe.

KiDi – ‘Blue’

Ghanaian singer KiDi finally released his long-awaited debut album, ‘Sugar’, last year, and not up to a year later, he’s returned with a follow-up. Nearly a year later, he’s back with ‘Blue’, a new, 5-track EP that continues his knack for candy-like melody over groovy beats. While his debut was star-studded, KiDi opts for a more independent release this time around, with the sole feature coming from Ghanaian singer Adina.

Lioness – ‘Wish You Were Here’

“I needed to be in hot water to evolve”, Namibian rapper/singer Lioness explained in a recent interview with the NATIVE. The result of that evolution is her newly released album, ‘Wish You Were Here’, a 12-track project that joins her growing catalogue as the artist’s third official LP. She’s joined on the album by J. Derobie, Ogranya, Dizzo, South African DJ/producer Young DLC and more.

Kiienka – ‘Spaceman 2.0’

Kiienka properly introduced us to his experimental style of trap music with his debut EP, ‘Spaceman’ last year,  and he’s consolidating on that artistic identity with the newly released sequel, ‘Spaceman 2.0’. Including the catchy lead, “In the Ends”, ‘Spaceman 2.0’ is made up of eight tracks, entirely producer by frequent collaborator, Veen. Unlike his feature-packed debut, the new project spots just two guests in Psycho YP and Libianca which leaves room for listeners to really see what he’s about as an artist.

Phlow – ‘Marmalade’

Nigerian rapper, Phlow earned some buzz for her fierce and impressive lyrical displays on several cyphers, features and a few projects. After a low-key 2019 which initially started with a head-turning feature on Show Dem Camp’s “White Flags” and the soulful EP, ‘Gloria’, she’s opened her account for this year with a new project, ‘Marmalade’. The 6-track EP, produced by Alpha Ojini, features guest appearances from Alpha, Psycho YP, Blaqbonez and soul singer Tomi Owo.

Dammy Krane – ‘4 D Girls’

Dammy Krane announced the release of his new EP, ‘4 D Girls’, with the release of the projec’ts second single, “Aje”, last Friday. The 4-track tape also includes the previously released “Confess”, featuring Ghanaian singer Nana Boroo. Rounding out the features, Bisa Kdei and Kiddominant make appearances on the final song, “Body”.

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

ICYMI: CHECK OUT NEW PROJECTS FROM DRB LASIGIDI, MAISON2500, NORTHBOI, TERRI & MORE

In loving memory of Picture Kodak

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

It’s a bit strange to think that when there’s a pandemic killing people all over the world, people are still dying of other things. A week ago, popular afropop dancer and model Love Divine Ike fka Picture Kodak passed away following an electrocution incident. She was recognisable from her appearances in 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 appearances in music videos, conceptual dance videos and stage performance.

Shortly after Love Divine’s passing broke to the public, condolences started to pour in from artists, colleagues and admirers. With her résumé, the reactions were appropriate. Beyond the picture posts and perfunctory “R.I.P” missives, there were grief-ridden tweets 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”.

Without a doubt, Love Divine impacted the Nigerian music space, and according to those 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 have never really been explicitly acknowledged until now. 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 deep 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.

Without needing to dig too deep, 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 its dancer’s sensual and boisterous performance; the hypnotised lady in Wizkid’s “Joro” personifies the song’s bewitching groove; DJ Tgarbs’ bodacious figure 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 Love Divine’s ferocious and sexually charged performance wass 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 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 is a visible part of their 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.

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 to 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

NATIVE Exclusive: Namibian rapper Lioness is currently undergoing a full circle moment

Posted on by Tami Makinde

‘I needed to be in hot water to evolve as an artist’

Latoya Lucile Mwoombola, fka Lioness is currently undergoing a full-circle moment as she sets out to release her third album ‘Wish You Were Here’ tomorrow. The Namibian rapper has been working on her career for a minute, and now we are finally witnessing the result; a 12-tape collection of powerful snapshots of her current state of mind.

The journey to stardom didn’t happen overnight for her; in fact, a direct and meticulous series of events have led the rapper to be where she is today. A young Lioness began her music career unknowingly when she was enrolled in music lessons. ‘My mum created the monster’ she tells me with a laugh. ‘I played the piano and my sister played the violin. She was really more of the musical one growing up, and I was the academic child. When we got older, she got a computer and had the Fruity Loops app where she would make different beats’. Watching her sister create intricate beat patterns is what inspired Lioness to start singing and writing down lyrics, and also develop her singing voice to the level it needed to be at. 

 

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My late mother was always supportive of my sister and I,  but she still expected us to have degrees. She was like “your reality is that you’re an African woman, you are black and you live in Africa, the chances of you becoming a superstar right now is not impossible but always have a backup plan right now”.

Regardless of the fact that she knew the music was her passion, after signing up for different cyphers and a deeply introspective period dedicated to growing in the field, Lioness still had to secure her medical degree before anything else. At the moment she has currently begun her medical career full time as the ‘Rona hits countries around the world. Although her asthma limits how hands-on she can be at the moment, she tells me there are still so many other ailments to treat in spite of everything else. ‘My job is so demanding, it doesn’t really ever stop just because there’s a pandemic. I guess it’s a whole lot of wave of paranoia as well.  A common cold will have everybody freaking out now so our job is a little bit harder than it normally would’.

When she’s not on duty at the hospital, she’s working round-the-clock on the 24hour helpline and scribbling down lyrics when the inspiration hits. It’s this work ethic and impressive balance of her two worlds that got her a performance slot alongside Kenya’s Nazizi at the 2018 Coke Studio Africa and a top 10 slot at Mr Eazi’s emPAWA Africa imprint.

On the eve of her album release, the Namibian doctor and artist sat with us to talk the new album ‘Wish You Were Here’, her involvement with Mr Eazi’s emPAWA Africa, her personal growth as an artist and what it means to stay true to yourself.

NATIVE: There weren’t female rappers in Africa when we were growing up. Who did you draw inspiration from when you were younger and who inspires you the most now?

LIONESS: I was as ignorant as the layperson would be in terms of female rappers in Africa. I remember Nazizi in Kenya, but only faintly. Even though we are friends now, I remember hearing of her but I didn’t follow her. I was more into entertainment in the sense that I was into pop in Africa. But I loved Brenda Fassie and Yvonne Chaka Chaka.

Brenda Fassie especially because she was just a whole lot of woman – she was like fierce and she was just doing her own thing. She was just snorting her coke, she didn’t care. From that point of view, I loved that. Not the drugs or whatever, I loved how she really defied the odds and any definition. Especially that time in history where SA & Namibia were really connected. That was the next best thing for us, I admired the dancing, singing, and energy.

Internationally, I also loved Left Eye of TLC, Lil Kim, and Foxy Brown. The fearless embrace of their sexiness and femininity while still spitting hard bars won me over and really endeared them to me. Oh and I’m a Barbs for life!

NATIVE:  How did it feel going from one of the top 100 in Mr Eazi’s emPAWA programme to being one of the top ten finalists?

LIONESS: I met Mr Eazi at Coke Studio actually, and he told me about emPAWA, and then I sent him a couple of stuff which he really liked. He’s also straightforward so he would have told me if it was trash. Then I was chosen to be part of the top 100 out of thousands of entries and then I landed the top 20 list. But then some people had visa problems, so he was like you know what just come, you’re really hardworking’. So then I went there, it was intimidating at first but I needed to be there to evolve. 

NATIVE: How would you say that programme helped you evolve as an artist?

LIONESS: I needed to be in hot water to evolve as an artist. I learnt so much from them, and I made life long friends. The goal was just to be better and make each other better. It was not so really so much of the competition but really moving as a unit. I learnt so much from the mentors like Diplo, Mr Eazi, Juls and others. I met people I used to look at on my phone, like there they were in front of me, it was crazy. 

Mr Eazi is great, he didn’t want to make us famous through himself, because they would be like oh you have a feature with Mr Eazi so let’s only pay attention to that. He wanted it to be like he was the one featured on the song, not the main attraction. He really tried to focus on establishing us as individual artists and not making us live off his hype. We focused on making features with each other. 

NATIVE: Tell us about your 2018 Coke Studio Africa experience?

LIONESS: This actually came at a time when I needed this push with the international recognition. I was very intentional with my music and meticulous with all of the details. It really built me up to understand how things worked outside Namibia, because I had no clue. Just seeing the levels of expectations internationally and seeing where I was, I could sort of now open my eyes and be open that I had a lot of work that I had to put in. 

It takes a lot of work especially when you are doing things right. I really appreciated it because I’ve learnt lessons that I’ll never ever forget. I didn’t think I could sing, then I started singing and it worked out really good so it was definitely one of the milestones in my career.

 

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NATIVE: Let’s talk about the new album, Wish You Were Here, what is the inspiration behind the project?

LIONESS: I realised that my followers and listeners really connected with me more when I was my most authentic self, especially my Namibian people. The first song I wrote was actually a love song, ‘Wish You Were Here’. Because at that time, I was in a relationship and I wanted to write about something everybody has experienced or wanted to experience. When you are sitting down with another woman and things are awkward, and your man is annoying you and she’s like girl tell me about it, it’s relatable.

I wanted the people listening to me to see me as a friend and somebody who experiences things as they do. I think that love is so broad because you can express yourself in so many ways. I wanted to show them a bit about my story and love was the main thing so I carried it through the whole album. I’m still in love, currently I am. I thought I was before until I met the person that I’m with now.

NATIVE: How different is this from your previous album ‘Pride of Cliq‘?

LIONESS: Pride of Cliq was a very amateur and sophomore album, and I was really in a confused state then cause I was like do I rap rap or do I sing rap. I was confused about my sound. I think it’s a good album to compare to, and also witness the growth that I have experienced as an artist. It wasn’t a terrible album but I have learned a lot about doing things properly. Albums are really expensive and I’ve learnt to really take my time with it from choosing producers to the mix and mastering. Before I was really fixated on doing things myself because I’m an independent artist so I thought that I am just going do it by myself. 

I really tried to do things right this time, and not rush it. Because the last one was rushed, I was like okay now I have this little bit of hype I need to put something out, it was a lot of pressure. But this album it took time, it took a lot of critiquing and taking a lot off and putting stuff in; it was very extensive and very intentional. With the previous album, I didn’t necessarily have a theme and it’s not because you always need to, but I think that albums tell a story and it needs to be a collective piece. It needs to have the WOW factor.

NATIVE: What was the selection process like for the features that made the cut?

LIONESS: The people that featured on the album, were just people that made so much sense to the beat and the feel. So I don’t really know how to explain it, but I really meticulously picked artists based on the vision I had of how I wanted the songs to be like. So it was a bit of intuition and also the chemistry I had with the person on the song – it really came naturally. I thought at the end that I didn’t have any women and was sad about that, but I thought at the end that that’s okay cause it’s also my experience of love. It just happened to be like that made sense.

NATIVE: On the album, you have a mix of singing and rapping on what inspired that?

LIONESS: During our emPAWA Africa masterclass, I had a lot of one-on-one sessions with Mr. Eazi; and he encouraged me to sing and explore how much further I could take my artistry. I really took that seriously and had an honest conversation with myself where I made the decision to unapologetically try new things. I’ve seen that it worked out and it made me realise that I have different talents which make me multi-faceted. Especially after I lost my mother, I went through a very big change in my life and I had to sit down and decide a lot of things and in that process, I really just matured and decided to live life to the fullest and not ever compromise. That masterclass really made me think about how I want to be as an artist and how much more I want to dig into myself. 

NATIVE: What advice do you have for young female rappers looking to make it in the industry?

LIONESS: I think women are at liberty to do what they want now, it’s not like 10 years ago where we weren’t really allowed in the room. People just want to see greatness and who is worth their money. If you understand where you want to go, I don’t think there’s anything that is going to hinder it and we all have a purpose in life and if it’s music, you just just have to run with it. It takes time, progression and consistency and for me, my biggest motto is consistency.

Keep proving yourself to yourself. Don’t care about other people’s opinions unless you find it to be constructive, cause a lot of time a lot of women are like “I think you need to be more this or that”.  I was told once that I need to be sexier and I was like “no I don’t, it’s you that thinks I need to be sexier”. My talent speaks for itself, ride it out and see how far it goes. 

Stream ‘Wish You Were Here’ below.

Featured image credits/Lioness

Tami is living in a black mirror episode and can’t seem to wake up. Tweet your fave female artistes at her @tamimak_

NATIVE Exclusive: Ghanaian rapper Ms Fu is rooting for every woman in the game

A guide to Davido’s DMW crew and his influence on Nigerian pop culture

Posted on by The Native

Today makes it 9 years since Davido dropped his breakout song, “Back When”, and since then, he’s remained a tour de force in Nigerian music. When he dropped “Back When” he caught some heat for claiming to be broke when he very clearly wasn’t, and following that, he decided to embrace his status as an OBO.

With his second song, “Dami Duro”, he stepped fully into his rich kid persona, and over the years has continued to live up to it.  Beyond the riches, he has also gained a reputation for his generosity, which has changed the lives of a lot of people from musicians such as Mayorkun, Peruzzi, Zlatan and others, to his right-hand men in his DMW crew.

In his dominant run since his break out, he’s built an empire, created a healthy ecosystem and placed some structure in the music industry.

Being from a wealthy home, however, doesn’t only mean living lavish for the afropop juggernaut. His family is known to be super religious and also for how generous they are in society – to the poor and to the church. Clearly, this teaching stuck with him, and he tells us a bit about this on the hook of his song, “Animashaun” which means ‘one who has should give’. He sings “Gboro Oluwa”, which means ‘heed to God’s word’, before he speaks about how far he’s come in all this time and has grown with all the people he came up with, building value for those he meets along the way.

Davido personifies the saying that we rise by lifting others, and after discovering Mayorkun and Dremo in 2016, Davido nurtured DMW into more than just a collective with a hefty roster of artists. His boastful lyrics on “If”, “30 Billion for the account oh” left a striking impression on Nigerians and thus, DMW evolved into the 30 Billion Gang, a sort of royal family in Nigerian pop culture. This ‘gang’ allowed Davido to absorb even the non-musically inclined people affiliated with him as members of the dynasty, and they all play useful roles to him and in the wider scope, the entertainment industry.

So as we look back at his prolific run in the industry since he broke out with “Back When”, we’ve decided to take a look at the people who have held it down with him, and how their affiliation to Davido has benefitted them and the entire crew:

Black Tycoone

Davido and the DMW/30 GB have a distinctly affluent look and BlackTycoone is the creative director in charge of a lot of the aesthetics and DMW/30 BG’s visual identity. He and Davido went to school together, and after coming to a confusing stage in his life, Davido took him in and gave him the room to hone in on his creative skills. Now, he’s in charge of all the aesthetics you see with the whole crew, from setting up the stage designs for DMW performance to mapping out what the members’ album and single covers look like.

Lati

Lati’s influence as the Davido’s personal assistant has made him an afropop legend of sorts, and you’ve definitely seen/heard the phrase “Call Lati” a few times. Nothing goes to Davido without going through him, and the pair have known echother since the were 10 years old. Lati used to work in Davido’s household after losing his parents and has now grown to become Davido’s trusted right-hand man.

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Happiness is free. #Goodfriday

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Aloma

Aloma is Davido’s unofficial personal assistant. He doesn’t have a defined role but is in charge of things such as confirming Davido’s bookings and also does a bit of A&R and talent scouting for DMW. Before he met Davido, he used to hawk second-hand clothes for a living, and his connection to the streets he grew up in allows him to keep his ear to the ground in finding young talent fresh off the streets, such as Lil Frosh. In 2019, his AMW (Aloma Music Worldwide) imprint was instrumental to Lil Frosh’s signing to DMW and he continues to help push the artist whilst finding others to follow suit. He has recently also made a pivot to artist, and has just released his first body of work, ‘Ikotun The EP’.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_rqo61Dotw/

Father

You must be living under a rock if you haven’t heard about Father DMW in this lockdown period. A few weeks ago, he found his way into popular model, Eva Apio’s Instagram Live, and the pair continued to speak on Live every day for a while after. Their hilarious conversations became a reality tv show of sorts, which gained them both several more followers than they came into the lockdown with. In a recent interview, Father spoke about how he used to be an Okada driver, who ran errands for Davido and was given the chance to live his dream of being a comedian thanks to Davido. Now, Father is a household name in his own right who definitely has a lot going for him.

Obama

Davido’s road manager, Obama supervises the singer’s transportation, scheduling, and the financial aspects of his time on the road. He is also tasked with delivering press statements when show organisers breach their contracts with the artist in order to protect the singer’s image. Much like the rest of the crew, he gets to hang out with A-listers such as Lil’ Baby, Young Thug, Chris Brown and more. Obama has also started a record label, Obama Music Worldwide, and is currently championing a young artist, Ayanfe.

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A GOOD TIME!! ASABA WE HERE

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TJ

If you’ve ever seen Davido in real life, you know how hectic it gets for the singer when he’s swarmed by adoring fans, or a mob of people expecting a hand out from him. We owe his life to his muscle and bodyguard, TJ who ensures Davido is safe at all times and has sustained several injuries including a stabbing in doing so. TJ is now CEO of his own security outfit, Platinum Security and does concert and event security.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/DMW HQ
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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: See the full-list of writers credited on Davido’s sophomore album, ‘A Good Time’

Songs of the Day: New music from Don Jazzy, Cassper Nyovest, Vector & more

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

Today, one could very easily argue that the Nigerian musical landscape is more liberated from the audience’s expectations than it’s ever been, and artists now have the room to re-imagine genres to fit their own personal expressions. This allows for an expansive range of new music from many different artists, which can become overwhelming, so we’ve decided to help out by sorting through new songs from across all the sub-genres around the continent to highlight all the new releases you absolutely Need to hear.

At the beginning of the week, we brought you new releases from Show Dem Camp, M.anifest, the Gorillaz-curated collaboration between Skepta and the late Tony Allen, and more. Today, we bring you a collaboration between Don Jazzy and Falz, Cassper Nyovest’s second single of this year, the lead single from a joint project between Vector and Masterkraft, and more. Dig in, and you’re welcome.

Don Jazzy x Falz – “Safe”

Don Jazzy’s evolution from mystical music producer to an icon with a jovial presence on social media has been interesting to watch. Two weeks ago, Don Jazzy shared a video of himself singing a coronavirus PSA, and fans immediately began to hound for the song’s official release. Now, he’s given people what they want with the new track, “Safe”, which is straightforward in its message, encouraging listeners to adhere to social distancing rules during these uncertain times, and also show love and support to family, friends and those around in whatever way possible. Falz also stops by for two verses, reinforcing Don Jazzy’s stance with his bracing raps.

Cassper Nyovest x Tweezy – “Amademoni”

In the years since his mainstream breakout, Cassper Nyovest has amassed a long list of achievements, and he makes sure to flaunt his acclaim every chance he gets. “Amademoni”, his second single of the year, finds the South African rapper in boastful form over a whirring drill beat—he notably namechecks Pop Smoke at the beginning of the song. Assisted by Tweezy, who delivers the catchy chorus, Cassper reiterates his status as a top dog in African rap music, backing it up with a music video loaded with snapshots of sold-out concerts and meetings with international superstars like J. Cole.

King Perryy – “Jigga”

Since capturing mainstream attention with the Timaya-assisted hit song, “Man on Duty”, King Perryy has remained active via a consistent run of singles and features. While the singer is currently prepping his debut project, tentatively titled ‘Citizen of the World’, he dropped a new single, “Jigga”, to celebrate his birthday a few days ago. Backed by a groovy beat which combines elements from Igbo folk and dancehall, King Perryy dedicates the club-ready anthem to friends and his supporters, imploring those who aren’t in this sect to “dey one side”.

TÖME x Wavy the Creator – “Magical Fruits”

Canada-based singer TÖME is currently gearing up to release her sophomore album, ‘Bigger than 4 Walls’, later this month, and she’s already giving us a peek into what to expect. A few days ago, she shared the vibrant “Free” as the lead single, and she’s now followed up with a second single, “Magical Fruits” featuring Wavy the Creator. TÖME and Wavy make a great musical pairing, conjuring images of a baecation on a tropical island, as their sensual vocals glide over the airy piano strings and lightly swinging drums.

Vector x Masterkraft – “If We Must (Sun x Rain)”

Less than six months after dropping ‘Vibes before Teslim’, Vector is preparing to drop ‘Crossroads’, a new joint EP with ace Afropop producer, Masterkraft. While the 5-track project will be released later this month, the pair have shared “If We Must (Sun x Rain)” as the lead single. Solely backed by angelic vocal samples and minimalist piano chords, Vector goes into stream of consciousness mode, rapping thoughtfully about the current pandemic, conspiracy theories and the divide between the haves and have-nots. “If We Must” hones in on the socially aware side Vector has always shown on social media and in interviews.

FSB – “High Enough”

In between their hedonistic intentions and savage-heavy lyrics, trap artists are quite adept at sneaking in personal stories and truths in a way that’s catchy and affecting. FSB’s “High Enough”, one of the standouts from his newly released debut project, ‘First Impression’, follows this M.O. “My ex say I need help, can’t look at my shelf”, FSB admits, immediately following up by bragging about the amount of Supreme gear he owns. Supported by a floating piano loop and reverbed 808 bass, he balances introspection and materialism, admitting the wrongs in his past relationship but also deferring to his growing wealth as something of a crotch.

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ICYMI: LISTEN TO NEW MUSIC FROM GORILLAZ X SKEPTA X TONY ALLEN, M.ANIFEST, SHOWDEMCAMP AND MORE

Akin Omotosho’s ‘Vaya’ will be available to watch on Netflix Party tonight

Posted on by The Native

In 2018, news broke that Netflix had acquired Akin Omotosho’s ‘Vaya’, and we’ve been waiting patiently for it since. The film which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) back in 2016 gained a lot of critical praise and earned him the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Director before being acquired by Ava DuVernay’s Array. Now, in these bleak times, we finally get to watch the film, as it will be available to watch on Netflix later on today!

VAYA takes viewers along on a journey of three young South Africans who travel away from their rural homes on a train bound for Johannesburg. Full of suspense and based on real accounts, the intertwining stories of these naive strangers as they struggle to survive, culminates in an explosive moment.

Now after being certified 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, VAYA will finally be available on Netflix party later today at 9PM, using their recently launched app, Netflix Party. We’re super excited and can’t wait to see how the events unfold.

Watch the trailer here: