Fireboy DML’s dedication to his craft is not only limited to his sonic ability and penmanship. With engaging videos for his singles, from his breakout, “Jealous” to the theatric “Scatter”, his knack for release stunning and engaging videos remains constant and sets him apart. For his latest release, he’s just dropped the video for “Vibration”, an infinitely catchy standout that has enjoyed massive airplay on radio and in public settings.
In keeping with the song’s upbeat nature, the TG Omori-directed video for “Vibration” captures Fireboy in the midst of dancer’s, albeit with a retro twist. In one of the two prominent settings, there are dancers in dinner-type wears performing improvised, high octane ballroom moves, while ballerinas serves as the main characters in the other setting.
Check out the video for “Vibration” here.
Featured Image Credits: YouTube/Fireboy DML
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Earlier this month, the Lagos state government introduced a ban on commercial motorcycles and tricycles (known locally as Keke Marwa) in 14 LG/ LCDAs in the state, in a move welcomed by some, and seen as a hasty punishment by others.
The ban restricts commercial tricycles, and ‘okadas’, including ride hailing services such as Gokada and MAXokada from operating on major roads in several commercial hubs including Surulere, Ikeja and Victoria Island, amongst others.
The state government cited safety concerns following concerning statistics regarding accidents relating to Okadas, the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital recorded 1,200 accident cases in 2019, with a total of 500 involving motorcycles. ‘Okadas’ are also linked to crime, being getaway vehicles for robbers and other criminals seeking to evade law enforcement.
This is not the first time the government would be embarking on such a move, with successive administrations in the state imposing total and partial bans on motorcycles, in an attempt to restore sanity to the city’s transport sector.
With anywhere between 7 to 10 million people on a move daily in Lagos, and 95% of all this travel being on roads, road networks transport seem to bear the main load of Lagos state’s high capacity traffic.
Before the ban, commercial tricycles were introduced as part of the National Poverty eradication programme in 2001, with their operations mostly limited to inter-suburb routes, due to their affordability, small size, & dexterity. Commerical motorcycles have long been viewed as a dangerous cheat code to Lagos traffic, especially for commuters, the reward of this risky mode of transport was in getting to your destination on time, in a city where traffic congestion is almost ubiquitous.
The introduction of ride hailing services such as Gokada and MAXokada was seen as having the potential to revolutionise transportation in Lagos and the rest of Nigeria as safety helmets and other safety gear were set as standards, and a rider database made it a more secure alternative. Their success helped alleviate traffic congestion, with many commuters opting to leave their cars behind, as these services provided a nifty solution to beating rush-hour traffic.
Though these new services are not without flaws, with some riders still being reported to disobey traffic codes, it would be hard to not view their introduction as a step in the right direction. In terms of safety, out of 2 million trips completed in almost 3 years since its introduction, MAXokada has recorded 100 incidents, with 7 of these being serious incidents, and no casualities so far, according to the group’s CEO.
The current Lagos state administration at some point had even shown a willingness to work with these ride hailing services in order to make them more efficient for Lagos commuters, their inclusion in the ban is set to have a critical toll on their operations, and potentially lead them to scaling back operations, considering heavy investment (MAXokada has so far invested $10 million in Lagos so far) in the city.
The immediate effects of the ban so far would seem to be an added strain on commuters, immediate increase in traffic with commuters witnessing some of the worst traffic this week, and many having to walk long distances to find available buses. Transport fares on buses have been hiked, and fares on ride sharing services like Uber and Bolt have almost tripled during peak periods as a result.
The economy of Lagos will also take a hit, with thousands being employed directly and indirectly by institutionalized and non-institutionalized ‘Okada’ and ‘Keke Marwa’ services, the impacts could be even more far-reaching.
Whilst Lagos tries to decongest her roads, it can only truly be successful if the state develops adequate and complimentary methods of transport, that can be efficient within the confines of Lagos city’s current layout. This can only be done by involving the public who are at the receiving end of government policy, and are most immediately affected by these types of changes.
In an attempt to alleviate the strain caused, mini buses or ‘Korope’ have been seeing plying routes tradionally undertaken by commercial tricycles, Lagos Bus Services Limited (LBSL) is also set to deploy a fleet of 65 buses to supplement the Berger-Oshodi-CMS axis.
The state government has also announced the introduction of 40 speed boats to try and take advantage of Lagos state’s untapped waterways. How well these new introductions will do in easing the groans of commuters is yet to be seen.
In the days after the ban, social media was been on fire with accounts of ordinary Nigerians lamenting the inconvenience of the ban, as many within the city centre had to walk long distances to crowded bus stops.A quick tour of Marina and other parts of Lagos island shows hoards of commuters battling for limited bus seats, contasting with a relatively saner road climate in the absence of commercial tricycles.
Whilst writing this story, there have been reports of seperate clashes between okada riders and security operatives in the state.
Safety of Lagos commuters and the sanity on its roads would be paramount concerns of any serious government, however a system reset of this nature must be handled delicately, to ensure smooth transitions, and limit the already strenuous traffic conditions.
The task of governance is often riddled with unforseen outcomes, as the needs of many must be catered to with limited resources, but for the time being, Lagosians might have to return to the drawing board with a more realistic interim plan to tackle the city’s traffic paradox.
Featured Image Credits: Web
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The success of Nigeria’s 1995-themed Nike jersey at the 2018 World Cup has allowed Nike to continue incorporating national history and cultures into their jersey designs. To commemorate the New York Fashion Week on Wednesday, the sportswear giant unveiled a new set of jerseys for Nigeria, USA and Korea. The jerseys celebrate the federations’ distinctive attributes with highly differentiated collections that also highlight Nike’s 65 chassis options across varying necklines, sleeves, cuffs, badge placement, etc.
Nike has given Nigeria’s nostalgia influenced 2018 jersey a more culturally immersive makeover with hand-drawn prints and a colour scheme that resonates with the national flag. The new Nigerian national team jersey didn’t only take on a new look as science is the core of Nike’s design process. The design team leveraged 4D visualization tools to bring the product to life after capturing data on more than 300 footballers and football-specific movements. The result of the precision knitting is a kit that is 55% faster wicking, 13% more breathable and with 10% more stretch than Nike’s previous kits.
The Nike crew collaborated with a creative team of fashion and culture tastemakers from Nigeria. NATIVE spoke to Teezee, one of the creative minds behind the design research and he told us his contribution to the creative process. “I worked with Grace Ladoja, Rukky Ladoja and Bubu Isigo on this project, from the inception of the ideas to the end. We essentially did all the research on the textiles traditionally used in Nigeria, trying to get them incorporated into the new kit.” He also explained that the new jersey wasn’t about getting a better version of the successful 2018 kits. “It’s about introducing new innovation with local-inspired techniques for these new ones.”
This is the 3rd time Nike is unveiling new national team jerseys for Nigeria since they became official kit sponsors of the National Football Federation in April 2015. With the performance-enhancing knitting structure and the national pride artistry on the 2020 kit, we expect to see a pep in the step of our players as they try to secure a spot in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/ng_supereagles
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Over the past four years, South by Southwest Festival has created a stage for the leading African acts to showcase their music on the global festival’s interactive stage.
Yemi Alade, Mr Eazi, Falz, Adekunle Gold and Mayorkun are among the talented crop of artists that have performed on the SXSW stage. Last year, in partnership with Bavent Street Live and Okay Africa, a 3-day ‘Africa to the World’ stage took place, indicating the upward trajectory of African music in international music scenes.
This year, over 21 artists and DJs from Africa will be performing at the 2020 edition of the festival; the selected artists all showcase a range of diverse genres and sounds from popular afropop, reggae, r&b, hip-hop, rap, dancehall and even ghetto punk, a genre that South African artist, Moonchild Sanelly coined herself.
Here is a list of all the African acts set to bring Africa to Austin, Texas this March:
After closing out 2019 with the immensely catchy “Big Engine”, Skiibii is wasting no time kick-starting this year. The singer has just dropped a new single, “Somebody”, enlisting the talent of consistent hit-maker, Kizz Daniel. The song showcases both singers’ softer side, where each artist reassures their love interests of their undying commitment. In the accompanying video for “Somebody”, TG Omori lays on the gloss, setting Skiibii and Kizz Daniel in brightly coloured scenes, where they jovially perform their lyrics alongside each other, as well as in the company of models who act as muses.
Watch “Somebody” below.
Featured Image Credits: YouTube/SkiibiiVEVO
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Crayon’s 2020 debut, “Kpano”, is the first time we’ve heard from him since since he made his Mavin Records debut with his impressive EP, ‘Cray Cray’. Produced by Ozedikus, who sets a lightweight afropop groove for Crayon’s boastful lyrics about his music’s efficiency, singing “Awon kpano kpano no fit stop the turn up tana”, he’s clearly targeting the dancefloor and you can catch us there.
The mix of Ozedikuz’s catchy riffs and Crayon’s melodic vocals is sure to put a pep in the step of listeners and we expect to hear the song on radio and DJ turntable for the coming weeks.
You can stream Crayon’s “Kpano” below.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/crayonthis
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Ghanaian director, Shirley Frimpong-Manso is releasing the sequel to her 2009 hit film ‘The Perfect Picture’ which continues the ongoing story of 3 female friends navigating their lives as with age comes more issues and problems in their relationships.
The film which premiered in Ghana last December, is set to premier in cinemas nationwide today, and includes a star-studded cast including Richard Mofe-Damijo, Beverly Naya, and John Dumelo, as well as most of the original cast like Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku, Lydia Forson and Jackie Appiah.
Watch the trailer for ‘The Perfect Picture’ below.
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Tami is a lover of astrology, music and women. Tweet your fave female artistes at her @tamimak_
Some people ask: “Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?” Because that would be dishonest. Feminism is, of course, part of human rights in general – but to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Last weekend, one of Nigeria’s most prominent female pop stars, Teni took to her social media to call out ‘feminists’ for being selective with the equality they demand. Teni’s comment suggested that a woman who made fun of another woman who decided to propose to her fiancé, was a result of feminists not wanting the equality they’re asking for, which became a huge discussion about feminism throughout Nigerian Twitter.
Teni is not the only woman in the Nigerian entertainment industry to reject the feminist tag. Other women like Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade and DJ Cuppy, have firmly denounced the movement and distanced themselves from conversations on gender and equality in the past, all for very different reasons and personal beliefs.
In this age, discourse is a key player in the way people digest information that might be new to them, or challenges what they consider to be the norm. The Guardian showed us the perfect example of this, by hosting a dinner where liberal white women were forced to check their racial bias through conversation. It’s very important that any conversation about women, coming from women is seen to be pushing the narrative forward, and not giving the oppressors room to leave their own behaviour unchecked.
In addition, when these women come under attack, feminism allows other women and sometimes a few men stick up for them. It is because of feminism, that the world isn’t as horrible as it used to be for women who came before us, and what feminists today are fighting, is even more rights for every woman, everywhere. This is why, as Chimamanda said very aptly, we should all be feminists.
So why are there so many women who aren’t feminists?
Before anything else, Feminism is the belief in social, economic and political equality for men and women. At its core, feminism aims to fight against the patriarchal structure of society, which is built on the oppression and subjugation of women, to the benefit of men. This bleeds into many different areas of life, from the law to the work place, especially in a country like ours, which generally hangs on to traditional beliefs and practices, even if they are outdated.
Given that the patriarchy is woven so deeply into our societal fabric, something as simple as wanting equality, is shunned as a Western ideal. This could be because the most popular narratives about feminists are usually painted in a negative light, even world wide. For many years, being a feminist was mostly presented as being an angry, bra burning, protesting and unpleasant woman. Even today, with viral slangs and memes such as “feminists are children of disobedience”, women are still seen as radical for just wanting equality, in the area they are interested in breaking free from. To tackle this, we must first collectively understand that there is no right or wrong way to be a feminist, and a person’s expressions of feminism are down to who they are as people first.
Just the way Tiwa Savage, Teni and all the other aforementioned expressed different reasons for not being feminists, feminists have different forms and expressions of their feminism. It would be near impossible to think that all of these women aren’t actually interested in balancing the uneven power structure in a world which they also have to manoeuvre as women.
We have seen them struggle because they are women, from Teni being body shamed by certain men on a podcast, or DJ Cuppy’s success always being ascribed to the hard work of another man (her father). The fact that even given this, they still don’t want any parts, and sometimes actively dissociate themselves from the movement, however, is just another example of the effects of patriarchy on society. It could be more trouble than it’s worth (for them) to associate themselves to a word which the general public is repulsed to, and it could cost them their careers.
Regardless, when members of an oppressed party, who have a platform refuse to speak up against oppression, and even fan the flame sometimes, the power structure will always favour one party to the detriment of the other. We’re living in a time where access to information and discussion is changing the status quo, and conversations on societal issues on across the Internet are tacking the problem from different angles from dismantling rape culture to sensitising people to period poverty.
The fight for equality shouldn’t be reduced to flagrant conversations that can give our opps more room to continue to oppress us, and a very important way to achieve this is for women in power to never give them an avenue. It’s important for women to understand that different women can express their own feminist beliefs how they want without using it as a blanket to shy away from the word.
In addition, as a generation, we have access to all the information we need to dismantle dangerous beliefs from our older generations. At this point in life, a failure to educate yourself adequately on what the movement is and how far it has come, is a step backwards. This is why it’s disappointing that we keep getting these comments from women we’re expecting more from. Every woman is instrumental in the fight for equality, which will benefit all women, and the next generation of women, and we should all do our bit to create the world we want to live in.
It’s also worth noting that nobody has to say, or not say that they are a feminist. Most of the time, when a woman is asked, it’s an attempt to gaslight these conversations and the best way to not add fuel to the fire, is to not add fuel to the fire.
Featured image credits/Adweek
Tami is a lover of astrology, music and women. Tweet your fave female artistes at her @tamimak_
After a few hit songs here and there, Kida Kudz has finally released his debut project, ‘Nasty’. The rapper announced the project last Friday, sharing its release date for today (Feb. 7). Last month, he dropped the Best New Music entry, “1AM”, and the Jaykae-assisted single serves as the lead single for Kida’s new mixtape. ‘Nasty’ contains ten tracks, and it features vocal assists from UK R&B singer, Tanika and Grime veteran, Chip.
Stream ‘Nasty’ here.
Featured Image Credits: YouTube/GRM Daily
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Dennis is not an interesting person. Tweet Your Favourite Playboi Carti Songs at him @dennisadepeter
One of the major reasons love songs do so well on the dancefloor, is because the artists serve as a mouthpiece for couples, sometimes singing exactly what they’re feeling.
King Perryy’s latest single, “My Darlina” has all the potential to be the biggest song in the country, as it seemed to aim for an aura of star-crossed love and appreciation. It melds influences from around the world with a groovy blend of auto-tuned ad-libs, electronic music beat drops and highlife guitar rhythms.
King Perryy’s direct plea for affection, “Would you be mine/ I’d be on time” is delivered in such a subtle manner, you feel shy for intruding on such intimate exchange between lovers.
Stream King Perryy’s “My Darlina” below.
Featured Image Credits: Maj Del Images
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Although each rapper favours his own distinct style and cadence, you’ll find that Zilla Oaks, Dremo and Prettyboydo are often at their best when spitting self-aggrandising raps. Making the most of that magical common factor, their collaboration on Zilla Oaks’ new single, “Ogini”, sees them delivering cutting bars, making the song kind of a musical equivalent of getting taunted by bullies, in a good way.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B73OlK0AFAK/
Zilla opens “Ogini” on top form, with a verse where he invites rappers to come and get smashed on wax, while Dremo steps to bat for the second verse, taking the temperature up a notch with clever, outright disrespectful lines, and D-O closes out the song with a rabid litany of unsparing bars, making pointed declarations that play up the more aggressive side of his persona. “Even if you know my music, know that getting money na my occupation”, he belts out at the beginning of his verse.
iileri XO’s standout production on “Ogini” compliments the fiery performance from the three rappers, heightening their sinister intentions with spooky piano keys, bell chimes and floor trembling bass.
Listen to “Ogini” here.
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Dennis is not an interesting person. Tweet Your Favourite Playboi Carti Songs at him @dennisadepeter
Rumors that Wande Coal’s coming project, ‘REALMS’ will be released next month have now been confirmed with the release of the project’s lead single, “Again”.
The romantic number was premiered on Ebro’s Beats1Radio show and it revealed a more introspective Wande Coal than we’ve heard in recent times. His sweetly melodic vocals ride the mid-tempo beat Melvitto and Screwface produced as he tries to convince his love interest of his romantic feelings with charming lyrics; “I never want to leave omo/ will you dance with me omo”
Stream Wande Coal’s “Again” below.
Featured Image Credits: YouTube/Wande Coal
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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
Since the release of Mandy & The Jungle, Santi has been trotting the globe, taking his sound to new territory each time. Last year saw him gracing Tyler the Creator’s annual Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival stage, and also headlining his first-ever show in London before bringing it home to Lagos.
Given this, it comes as no surprise that the multi-hyphenate creative is taking on the Lovebox Festival stage this year in Gunnersbury Park, London. Slated from June 12-14, the three-day festival released its anticipated lineup yesterday and everyone was ecstatic to see Santi on the lineup, in great company of other amazing artists like Goldlink, Tierra Whack and Jorja Smith. We can’t wait to see what other concert and festivals he will be hitting up this summer.
LOVEBOX 2020 IS HERE 💖
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To mark the first anniversary of her debut EP ‘Bri’s Lounge’, singer/songwriter Dami Oniru just released vibrant accompanying visuals to three songs off her project, “Alive”, “Higher” and “Ready” in a 4 min clip titled ‘The Bri’s Lounge Visuals: 5 Shades of Bri’. The Ademola Falomo-directed video took viewers through the pain of losing and finding oneself after experiencing trauma that almost rocks your faith and trust.
We get to see more of Dami Oniru and her creative expression through ‘Bri’s Lounge’, as she takes us through 5 stages of her grieving process, as well as serving 5 fire looks. A grief stricken Bri, is seen visibly crying, smashing up her room and mourning in a dark graveyard to her acceptance after a ‘rebirth’. Following that, she sends a clear message that she’s not to be messed with, and we’re loving each new shade of Bri! We can’t wait to see what she serves up next.
Featured image credits/andikan_
Tami is a lover of astrology, music and women. Tweet your fave female artistes at her @tamimak_
It’s been four years since Tiwa Savage released her sophomore album ‘R.E.D’, an ambitious 18-part tape which reaffirmed her dominance as one of Nigeria’s biggest pop stars, complete with dazzling success and tabloid worthy-scandals that are etched in social consciousness. It was a follow up to her debut ‘Once Upon A Time’, served nearly three years after, which saw her ditch the Western influences for more afrobeat inspired tropes owing to her signing with the Mavin powerhouse.
Although ‘R.E.D’ was home to hits like the Olamide-assisted “Standing Ovation” and “My Darlin”, it’s her single with Dr Sid “If I Start to Talk” that shows off her impressive vocal range and marked her as one of Nigeria’s most promising acts, as she is still able to deliver hits we’ve come to love like “49-99”.
Although “If I Start to Talk” saw Tiwa ditching the waist twirling dance bops for a calmer, reflective praise to God, it was infinitely topical at the point as the singer/songwriter was going through a lot of discomfort in her personal life that was dragged and debated by everyone who had access to a phone or computer in Nigeria. While famous blog released sensitive information about her personal life, and her marital issues were brought to the limelight, Tiwa was growing as an artist and “If I Start To Talk” is the beginning of the true and authentic African Bad Gyal we know today.
In the accompanying music video directed by Clarence Peters, there are varying clips of a bruised woman laying on the floor, a gagged woman being waterboarded as well as images of a blindfolded Lady Justice, all possibly alluding at Tiwa’s personal struggles that year and touching wider themes of domestic abuse and violence against women.
Through “If I Start to Talk”, Tiwa Savage shows resilience and the inability to be silenced, ‘If I start to talk the tin wey I don take my eyes see/the tin wey Baba God don do e no go end’ she sings, full of praises for all she’s been through and ready to face further challenges because of her faith.
Tiwa Savage is undoubtedly one of the most prominent afropop artists artists in Nigeria, and she continues to amass further recognition over the years, making her runway debut last year at Naomi Campbell’s charity fashion show, Fashion for Relief and signing a global recording agreement with Universal that has opened her to a much wider audience. We can’t wait to see how much more she continues to grow and bounce back flawlessly every time.
Watch the video for “If I Start to Talk”.
Featured image credits/instagram
Tami is a lover of astrology, music and women. Tweet your fave female artistes at her @tamimak_
The socially conscious direction of Patoranking’s latest album, ‘Wilmer’ seemed informed by his adjustment into his role as a father. He continues to show impressive character growth with the recent announcement of a scholarship program to assist less privileged children who were born in underdeveloped areas like him.
A post shared by Patoranking (@patorankingfire) on
Patoranking shared his inspiring story, born in Ebute-Metta, Lagos, to show others that “Great leaders can come from anywhere, from any country, and any social class”. He joined forces with African Leadership University to launch the scholarship program that will allow 10 young promising children to get a degree from the institution that is lauded as Africa’s most innovative university. Education is essential to helping children reach their potential as schools help them learn, grow, interact, and build confidence.
Patoranking move to educate the next generation is a great way to give back to his society, and he has set an example we hope others will follow. You can find out more about the scholarship here.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/patorankingfire
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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
The bond African artists share was displayed for the world to see at last month’s Grammys when Angelique Kidjo dedicated her Grammy for World Music Album to Burna Boy. She continues her harmonious relationship with Nigeria, joining Yemi Alade to celebrate African music in the newly released music video for “Shekere”.
“Shekere” is one of the tracks on Yemi Alade’s album, ‘Woman of Steel’ and the accompanying video directed by Ovie Etseyatse, follows the tribal-tribute vibe of the song. We see Yemi Alade and Angelique Kidjo performing their verses dressed in traditional attires while surrounded by vibrant tribal African costumes. Some of the shots are set in a studio, but we also see them in an outdoor location where the famous Maasai jumping dance is performed along with other African cultural dances.
Watch the music video for “Shekere” below.
Featured Image Credits: YouTube/Yemi Alade
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Hailu Mergia just announced his coming album, ‘Yene Mircha’, which will be released next month. The Ethiopia funk legend is currently on his 6th decade of musical activity and there’s no doubt about his enduring relevance at 74. The blend of traditional Ethiopian music and electronic music he and the Walias Band established in the 1960s and ’70s with songs like “Tche Belew” has remained a highlight in Ethiopian music history even today.
He led the Walias Band to become one of the country’s best-known groups in the freshly invigorated music scene in Addis Ababa. In 1977, they recorded the Ethiopian classic, “Tche Belew”, having already crossed over from Addis Ababa nightclubs to a coveted residency at one of the city’s highbrow hotels. The woozy, synth-laden instrumentals on “Tche Belew” casts a spellbinding cord across different traditional sounds from Africa.
Though Hailu Mergia spent most part of the last 2 decades driving a taxi in Washington, DC, after The Walias Band’s disband in the 80s, he’s still regarded as a musical pioneer. In 2018, he released his album, ‘Lala Belu’, his 1st collection of new music in 2 decades and his 1st ever project aimed at a largely worldwide audience. He will be releasing a new album on the 27th of March under Awesome Tapes From Africa and you can pre-order it here.
Stream Hailu Mergia and the Walias Band’s “Tche Belew” below.
Featured Image credits: Instagram/hailumergia
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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
The interesting thing about Omagz, is that never really went anywhere, but there’s always a feeling of yet-to-be-fulfilled potential whenever he pops up with new music these days.
Similar to his peers such as Odunsi and Santi, Omagz looked set to make his way to stardom after dropping his well-received debut project, ‘Young Magazine’, back in 2016. The following year, he dropped “What You Want”, a sultry banger that strengthened his position as a rising star, but things have yet to really click for him since.
To be fair, Omagz is still dropping music that deserves attention, as evidenced by his newly released EP, ‘229 Friday Vol II’, the latest drop of the series he began in early 2018. Mostly backed by aqueous piano chords and lightly swinging drums, ‘Vol II’ is a well-intentioned, strongly executed (re-)introduction to Omagz’ remarkable skillset, via five quality bops that lean into his vignette-based writing and his hoarse voice that makes his songs sound both casual and captivating.
Like a significant portion of Omagz’ catalogue, ‘Vol II’ mostly revolves romantic dealings, specifically the energy required to keep relationships going when things get rough. On “Gemini”, the opening track, he makes an impassioned appeal to a love interest, promising her a good time even though they may not last very long since they share the same star sign. While he relies on the same tropes as Bella Alubo’s “Don’t Trust Geminis”, Omagz revels in the messiness, laying emphasis on living in the moment and eventually facing the consequences when—or if—they arrive.
In the other scenarios he presents on ‘Vol II’, Omagz expertly flips the complexity of romantic entanglements into relatable songs, using optimism (“WIO”) or the nostalgia of the honeymoon phase (“Ako”) as tools for reconciliation. On the Fresh L-assisted “Ako”, Omagz reminds a sceptical partner of their compatibility before their recent disputes, even taking the sentimentality as far as interpolating “Sade” by late ‘90s afropop group, the Remedies, as the song’s hook.
Of the bunch, the Isah-assisted “Shades” is the only non-romantic cut, and even though its trap-infused production and sing-rap delivery sticks out, it gives insight into how Omagz views himself in relations to expectations about his career. “Niggas been looking for me since ‘016 but I’ve been light years away from all of these niggas”, he raps, hyping up his abilities and pegging himself as a somewhat underappreciated artist in the same breath. Amidst the confident brags, “Shades” also lends ‘Vol II’ its sense of purpose, presenting Omagz as an artist who has a lot to offer and ultimately decides what fulfilment means to him.
Listen to ‘229 Friday Vol II’ below.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/omagz229
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Dennis is not an interesting person. Tweet Your Favourite Playboi Carti Songs at him @dennisadepeter
Last October, Afro B released his third studio album, ‘Afrowave 3’, a 16-track project with high profile features from T-Pain, Slim Jxnmi (1/2 of Rae Sremmurd), Vybz Kartel and more. In promotion of the album, the UK-based singer has just shared the music video for the remix of “Amina”, the fourth track off the album, and he features Nigerian singer Wande Coal on this new version. The video for “Amina (Remix)” was directed by Roland Gogo, and it follows the light-hearted, romantic direction of the song’s theme.
Watch “Amina (Remix)” here.
Featured Image Credits: YouTube/Afro B
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Last year when we sat down with newcomer and TRYBE alum, Somadina, the young artist told us about her upcoming body of work ‘Five Stages’ and how living in university with a grieving roommate as well as dealing with a heartbreak herself, propelled her to explore the five stages of grief in her body of work. Back then, ‘Five Stages’ was just two songs deep, with the vague promise of a release date at the end of last year, which no longer happened.
However, the wait is finally over as yesterday the singer/songwriter took to her social media to announce her debut EP will be released February 13. Somadina also announced on her Instagram what the five stages were, namely: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. From the overarching theme of grieving, we think it’s safe to say that Somadina will be giving us a raw and honest take on her own experiences with hurt and that is definitely sure to resonate with everyone who has been through these ‘Five Stages’.
Get ready to cry your heart out.
Featured image credits/thankgodhimself
Tami is a lover of astrology, music and women. Tweet your fave female artistes at her @tamimak_
