TurnTable Top 100: Asake’s “Lonely At The Top” Makes Chart History

Posted on by The Native

Asake’s hit single, “Lonely At The Top,” has record a new win. This week, on the TurnTable Top 100, the track records another week at No.1, becoming the third-longest running No.1 in the history of the singles chart. It follows Omah Lay’s “Godly” and Joeboy’s “Sip (Alcohol)” as the only tracks to achieve this feat. “Lonely At The Top” also recorded 3.22 million on-demand streams and 86.6 million in radio reach.

Burna Boy’s track “City Boys” has made significant gains, climbing to the second position on the Top 100 chart. It has garnered an impressive 2.08 million on-demand streams and received 44.4 million radio airplay impressions, making it a strong contender against ‘Lonely At The Top.’ Crayon & Ayra Starr’s “Ngozi” is making waves at No.3 with 1.36 million on-demand streams and 58.6 million in radio reach, surpassing Crayon’s previous No.5 hit, “Ijo (Laba Laba).”

Meanwhile, Khaid’s “Anabella” is back at No.4 and Omah Lay’s former 3-week No.1 slips to No.5. Burna Boy continues to dominate with Seyi vibez-assisted “Giza” at No.6, making it his second entry this week from his recently released album, ‘I Told Them’ “Big 7” comes in right behind at No.7 and Young Jonn’s “Sharpally” rises to No.8. Adekunle Gold’s “Ogaranya” dips to No.9 while Shallipopi’s “Obapluto” makes a third-time appearance in the top ten at No.10.

Outside the top 10, Qing Madi & BNXN’s “Ole” and “Like Ice Spice” by Blaqbonez continue to hold steady momentum with “Ole” now charting at No.14 and “Like Ice Spice” coming right behind it at No.15. Pheelz and Young Jonn’s “Jelo” standing relatively strong, debuting at No.17. 

[Featured Image Credits/The NATIVE]

NATIVE Exclusive: Araloyin Oshunremi Is Just Getting Started

Posted on by Nwanneamaka Igwe

Araloyin Oshunremi is the man of the moment. After two wondrous seasons playing Stefan, the younger brother to a notorious drug dealer Jamie, (Michael Ward), the British-Nigerian actor returns to our screens for the third and final season of Netflix’s ‘Top Boy,’ this time, fuelled by revenge and a renewed vitality. Oshunremi, who portrays a young adolescent named Stefan is the latest 19-year-old wunderkind to captivate audiences around the globe.

Born in Hackney to Nigerian parents, a young Oshunremi made his debut on the screen at just 15 years-old when the streaming giant, Netflix picked up the London-helmed show and renewed it after the show’s initial debut in 2011 with ‘Top Boy: Summerhouse.’ Despite his fairly elementary experience at the time, he was cast in the show without much ado after a fated meeting one with a casting director. “Watching movies like ‘Norbit’ or shows like ‘My Wife & Kids’ on television made me like acting. However, I only started acting in year seven or eight for drama class in school. That’s where it really took off and I later got street casted outside a barber shop as Stefan on Top Boy,” Araloyin tells the NATIVE.

After seeing young Black kids who looked like him onscreen, Araloyin was determined to get his foot in the door. These days, it’s not easy for new and emerging actors to get their voices heard or serve as cast member in huge blockbuster series, given the lack of access and clear paths to stardom. However, Oshunremi’s story isn’t like that of most young Black people: he’s carving lanes for himself, joining the likes of Caleb Mclaughlin and Elsa Majimbo who are not confined by the industry’s glass ceilings. As he tells it, he first got his big break after running into a casting agent for ‘Top Boy’ outside his barber’s shop.

As fate would have it, his final step of audition was with familiar Black British actors who knew and understood his worth. “The final process was a chemistry read with Michael [Ward] and Hope [Ikpoku]. The chemistry was there because I already knew them prior,” he shares candidly. After impressing the team of directors, Oshunremi was invited to set and found himself a natural fit for the gritty story set in London which explores the complexities of growing up in marginalised Black and ethnic minority neighbourhoods.  

Since that fated meeting, a lot has changed since Araloyin–in more ways than one. His character, Stefan is an unassuming young boy who lives with his brothers, following the death of his parents in their council town flat. When he initially came on board, the role of Stefan was a supporting character playing as Jamie’s young brother but as seasons went by and Summerhouse grew more dangerous, the harsh realities of life on the streets began to puncture the perfect bubble created by his older brother, Jamie.

Araloyin embodies this character because he has lived a similar life: a doting son and imperceptive to the pains of growing up. “I’d say there’s some aspects of me in Stef, like the scenes where we saw him quite moody in the second season. He was sometimes angry and withdrawn and that was similar to me, at that point, because I was going through puberty. I never really looked forward to doing work and school so that translated to the character I was playing,” he shares. 

More than just relating to the character, Araloyin also had to reach into very different parts of his emotions and psyche to communicate Stefan’s growing pains. He talks about listening to moody music and translating that to the set and having to get professional help to tap into difficult emotions. “Last season was quite moody and down so I came into the set listening to depressing music or sometimes I wouldn’t speak to my family before I left my house.” When it came to the happier scenes, Oshunremi would adopt the opposite tactic and hang out with friends to influence his mood on sets. 

 

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Oshunremi’s dedication to the craft is undeniable but becomes increasingly evident in his research process. “I like to ask people who have occupied positions like Stef’s in real life. It makes it all the more realistic. I like to do that so when you watch it, they can see I’ve taken their advice and it feels as natural as possible. Most of us haven’t been in the shoes of our characters so asking people goes a long way,” he adds.

As a young boy growing up in Hackney, Araloyin has lived at the intersection of so many different cultures including his Nigerian heritage and that of the Caribbean which represents modern British culture. In many ways, it further explains why ‘Top Boy’ has become a crowd favourite and why the platform was a perfect debut for the upcoming actor. The show delicately tackles the intricacies of underground drug trades amongst black people in East London with a refreshing and most importantly empathetic standpoint.

More than that, the Ronan Bennett production has pulled from the fabric of Black popular culture in a nuanced and refreshing way that allows audiences access its beauty within the right context. In conversation with Oshunremi, it’s difficult to separate him from his character because of how reflective it is for him. “I’m from a Nigerian household and being a Nigerian in Hackney, you tend to absorb other different cultures. There’s a lot of Caribbean culture. So growing up in Hackney, it was quite diverse. The music, I even listened to was diverse but a typical Sunday morning would have my mum playing gospel music while everyone’s cleaning the house,” he shares.

Araloyin is not confined by the roles ascribed to Black boys like him. Instead, he’s making ground as one of the youngest actors on other Netflix productions such as ‘Heartstopper,’ lending his formidably dynamic skills on the show’s 2022 debut. “‘Heartstopper’ is generally more bubbly and energetic but ‘Top Boy’ is not as friendly. Otis is generally nicer and more open to meeting new people. Stefan, on the other hand, has quite hostile energy as can see from the scene he’s entering the room with his brother’s gun.” Despite the differences in both characters, Oshunremi is always looking to best his next effort: 

“I always tell my agent before that I want to audition for certain types of roles as opposed to just anything that falls on my lap. Any audition I go into, I want the role to be a challenging one. I also want the storyline to be really great.”

Now, audiences around the world are witnessing not only the growth of Stefan in the new season of ‘Top Boy’ but also Oshunremi’s own personal evolution. In the new season, we see Stefan become hardened by the community around him and the lengths people must go to stay alive on the streets. While Aaron, played by Hope Ikpoku, has chosen to focus on his studies, Stef traverses a different path in an attempt to grapple with the death of his brother and make sense of his feelings.

He seeks comfort in his brothers’ friends and a new love interest to find solace but ultimately, it only fuels his hate for his brother’s killer when he begins to seek revenge. “A major touchpoint of this season is decision making. We see a lot of characters make decisions that could either lead to a negative or positive outcome. The consequences of a wrong decision usually result in a death but more well-intended decisions result in positive outcomes,” Araloyin explains. For Araloyin’s Stef, he’s always been faced with decisions of this nature due to his background. Earlier in season one, he recalls losing his close friend and confidant, Ats, who got caught up in the drug business. The key difference is that Stefan no longer has the moral compass from his older brothers and must find out truths for himself.

Oshunremi shares “The Stef you meet steps into Jamie’s shoes to sort of respect his death. We see him put on Jamie’s chain and try to become him in some aspects. He starts to hangout with Jamie’s friends whereas he wasn’t doing that before. He’s trying to continue his brother’s legacy. He also adopts Jamie’s gun. So, little things like that; he holds on to to keep his brother’s memory alive. He also kept the picture of him and his brothers so his sentimental side is still something we get this season.” 

 

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Given the show’s heavy themes, it’s important that Araloyin has a great network around him ready to boost his talent and help him further his skills, from his well-oiled team to his family. “My family is very supportive in the sense that we never really talk about the show. They don’t ask how work was. As soon as I’m home, work is behind me and they make sure I’m happy and doing some family activities. My family and friends are my getaway from that character. Having good people around you is definitely the key to that.” 

Outside of Stefan, Araloyin is looking to expand his skills this year both on and off the screen. He admits that he’s looking for more roles with depth and emotion that allow him to communicate human complexities on screen. “Stefan’s been a nice character to play but I’d also like to dive deeper into the romantic side of filmmaking. We see Stef this season explore a love interest so playing a romcom would be good. I’d also like to play a black influential figure like Malcom X. If you’ve seen Judah and the Black Messiah, a character in one of those productions would be good,” he shares.

Araloyin’s final moments portraying Stef are understandably bitter-sweet. We witnessed a steady build-up across six episodes where he is faced with the choice of avenging his brother’s killer or maintaining his innocence. “You’re not even worth it,” he chants in the season’s final moments before choosing to walk away from his first potential kill. It’s a harrowing moment where audiences realise that Stefan’s evolution is complete: he’s survived the war with the scars to prove it. 

What’s next for Oshunremi? He has his sights set on Hollywood and expanding into bigger productions in America. The pivot from British television to Hollywood isn’t uncommon and Araloyin threads the path of actors before him such as Kedar Williams-Stirling who featured on ‘Sex Education,’ ushering in a new generation of talent spotlighting Black stories.

‘Top Boy’ isn’t the end of Araloyin, he’s just getting started: “I have a feature film coming out next year and I would maybe like to explore some roles in American settings.” [Featured Image Credits/The NATIVE]

How Kwesi Arthur’s Feature On ‘Top Boy’ Emboldens His Storytelling Ethos

Posted on by Emmanuel Esomnofu

After twelve years depicting the unassuming realities of the Black British experience, ‘Top Boy’ has reached its season finale. In art; it’s never truly final, after all, since the experiences have been committed to a form whose very existence is to preserve the ethereal beauty of mankind’s creation. For the great films that have been released over the years, the feeling of watching its closing scenes has held the miracle of instant and yet gradual transcendence. 

The best way of giving viewers that sure feeling of rush, or melancholy, or any other desired feeling, comes then from the music that’s being scored atop the action. ‘Top Boy’ has gripping tones to heighten its tension, but it’s used urban, new school music as the times go, most often digging into the golden wells of Black music in modern Britain, which sprawls the genres of Hip-Hop, Grime, Bashment, Afrobeats and several others. With the immigrant experience also deeply tied to the history of Black people in the country, as several Africans and Caribbeans have sought greener pastures across different eras starting from the seventh century, the series also nods to these influences through its music. 

Emerging as one of the most important musical voices on the new, last season of ‘Top Boy’ is Kwesi Arthur, whose song “Winning” can be heard on the new season. It’s a thrilling fifteen seconds, soaked in the Twi-inflected bravado of Kwesi, an artist who occupies a singular space amidst the giants of contemporary Ghanaian music. Since the turn of the 2000s, the genre HipLife emerged as the most popular form of Ghanaian expression, a colourful blend of Hip-Hop and Highlife sensibilities; the former recognisably the younger sound, for melodic timeliness it turned to the guitar-streaked Highlife, whose modern techniques had first evolved in that same land more than fifty years before. 

Unlike Black Sherif whose adaptation of the sound is pointed and wizened, Kwesi wields his Ghanaian expressions close to him, rather utilising rap as his primary medium through the variant stages of his career. It is for this reason he’s an early charter of the cross-continental seas, become familiar among diasporan audiences as early as the mid 2010s. Thus the showing on ‘Top Boy’ is a natural extension of an artistic relationship that began years before for Kwesi Arthur, before he sung himself into modern TV history or created the song that would. 

Consider a record like “Ade Akye,” the opener from 2017’s ‘Live From Nkrumah Krom’ EP. Over a production which switches to incorporate more hardcore Hip-Hop zest, he raps about where he’s coming from with the inimitable focus that’s become his brand. A watchful eye kept out on the street, the bars were realistic in its depiction of Ghana while establishing the ethos for Arthur: flying past the limitations of his physical location. It’s thus telling “Free” was the song which follows: with brighter loops, an Highlife bounce, it’s a lesser-stakes song, but lines like “Make I find my way oh” was indicative of Kwesi Arthur’s desire to grow, and when music consciously plots a way out of the dicey situations of its creator, its appeal would be outsized because there’s a larger story lurking behind its skeletal form. 

One of Kwesi Arthur’s biggest early hits was “Grind Day,” which also appears on the aforementioned project. Anthemic without losing Kwesi’s soulfulness, boisterous without centering shallow pride, it was testament to Kwesi’s long standing belief that whoever works diligently should revel in the fruits of their labour. Even if not immediately, then imminently, since life was supposed to be a give and take situation. That’s what makes his music so fitting for film; those are the exact same stakes captured in cinema; the weight of what’s given and the levity of what is received, their energies clashing against each other. 

Kwesi Arthur’s rap skills continued to be heralded in the following year, most especially in records like “8PM in Tema” and “The Anthem”. While the former was unavoidably Drake-esque (he made the city postcard record famous, after all), the latter had a more Western bounce, with Kwesi flexing his melody-laden flow over the glossy production. “Can’t fuck with your man dem, talk too much; me no like dem,” he sings on the opening line, revealing, in language and sensibility, the supposedly wise introspective demeanor that’s springing up as truth across Black dominated young circles, from Accra to Port-Harcourt to Stratham and Kingston. Everyone’s advised to move carefully, especially when one has dreams of Kwesi-sized proportions. 

To his credit, Kwesi Arthur embodied that aesthetic, not only in his music but also, and most crucially, through his personality. He wasn’t one to be found in the ugly controversy, twisting in the mud waters of frail egos and distorted celebrity images. Everything Kwesi did was premeditated, timed with the precise viciousness of a hunter chasing game. “Woara” was an early showcase of his Highlife sensibilities, and for the rest of 2018 he continued those popular plains, as heard on the KiDi-featured “Don’t Keep Me Waiting”, the Dancehall-inflected “Porpi,” which then served as a fine precursor to “African Girl,” his last single of the year which featured Shatta Wale. 

On the first day of 2019, the artist released ‘This Is Not the Tape, Sorry 4 the Wait’, a short project which totalled just over eight minutes. Coming at a time when his early listeners were missing the rap side to him, he felt compelled to remind them the artist they fell in love with hadn’t changed. As the tape revealed, Kwesi Arthur hadn’t stopped framing intensely personal concerns within the prism of the community, creating songs that anyone could relate to. “Live or Die” and “Don’t Keep Me Waiting Part II” were demonstrative of this quality, existing on varying ends of the sonic spectrum, but unified through their vulnerability, while Kwesi rapped with the weight of responsibilities that came with being heralded as a voice of the young in his hometown. 

By this time, Kwesi Arthur was viewed as a hero of some sorts, in the striking way that superstars like Sarkodie and Shatta Wale before him hadn’t. The artist who was closest to the communal relevance that he had was Stonebwoy, whose Bhim Nation was considered a sort of community for young Ghanaians who share the positive values of the Dancehall veteran. On the other end of 2020, the artist released the second edition of the ‘Sorry 4 The Wait’ series, but before then there were a slew of afro-inspired releases which included “Why (Nana Ama)”, “Revolution Sound”, and “Nkwasiasem,” all of which possessing distinct sounds, from the mellow R&B sound to the dusty rap production, and then the azonto-inflected Ghanaian pop sound, showcasing for a fine stretch, why Kwesi Arthur would come to be heralded internationally. 

2021 was the year which solidified Kwesi Arthur’s iconic status. Around that time, the new vision of Hip-Hop which was permeating semi-urban areas of Ghana was getting acclaim and being championed by indie lovers across the world. In no time, the Drill style known as asakaa was a genuine sensation for young global audiences, and among its more popular purveyors was a teenager known as Yaw Tog. With the menacing groove of his record “Sore” tearing through the continent, and with remixes better received for their potential to uplift an artist’s international standing, it came as a pleasant surprise at the start of that year when Stormzy appeared on the remix of the song, alongside Kwesi Arthur, who was the conduit between Yaw Tog’s Ghanaian origins and his international ambitions, which the British rapper signified. 

Together, all three rappers incinerated the booming production, and even amidst the varying perspectives of his co-star, that of Kwesi Arthur was evidently striking. After all, he’s been speaking the truth to social realities since he emerged on the scene, and has ostensibly mastered his language. The song which appears on ‘Top Boy’ was released that same year, a demonstration of Kwesi’s expanding reach into pockets of diasporic affiliations. It’s fitting that he featured Vic Mensa, a rapper whose Ghanaian roots have been a centrepiece of his artistic journey in recent years. Along with his friend and fellow American artist Chance The Rapper, both acts have been eager to connect with the history of the West African Country. Collaborating with an artist like Kwesi Arthur opens up the possibility for a sonic relationship that goes beyond the music to touch on the actual lives of the Ghanaian youth, which Kwesi Arthur, more than any other artist of his generation, has championed. 

Since 2019, the African music soundscape has been in consistent relationship with audiences outside the continent. It goes as near as ODUMODUBLVCK creating music with UK rappers, and as far as Rema hosting a tour across India. Wherever there are shared aspects of cultural existence, there’s a musician looking forward to tightening his links and positioning themselves there. For all his introspection, Kwesi Arthur has moved with that intentionality, and it’s a great sign that he is reaping the dividends of careful placement. 

When the artist released the ‘Live from Nkrumah Krom Vol II’, his perspective had changed; in place of the zeal to dominate is the bleary-eyed exhaustion of someone who’s seen it all. “I just wanna be alone, writing my songs,” he sings on “Pray For Me”. With collaborations like Cruel Santino (“Kill My Spirit”) and Nasty C (“Walk”), the artist was aligning with other young auteurs pushing their respective genres, but the resultant music was unmistakably Kwesi in execution, bubbling with the overtones he’s had all career long. 

“As Africans we got a story to tell,” said Kwesi to NATIVE Mag when he released his debut album ‘Son of Jacob’ last year. Its title inspired by the Hebrew connotations in his culture, its release was delayed, first by the pandemic, and later by the death of his grandma, whose voice also features on the project. Telling a story—this has been the ethos of Kwesi Arthur for as long as he’s been into art, writing poetry or singing in the choir. As he says, “There are so many sides of the story that still need to be heard; our perspective is needed.” 

ICYMI: WITH ‘SON OF JACOB’, KWESI ARTHUR IS AIMING FOR THE NEXT LEVEL

Everything we know about the earthquake in Morocco—and how to help its survivors

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

Last Friday, a strong earthquake hit Morocco, resulting in the death of over 2,000 people and the displacement of millions. At past 11pm local time, the 6.8 magnitude earthquake tore through homes and buildings, its epicentre located in the High Atlas mountain range. According to reports, the worst hit area is the al-Haouz province, where rubble has made it difficult for rescue workers to reach several villages in the community.

In addition to the strong magnitude, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has stated that the earthquake occurred at a relatively shallow depth of 18.5km, worsening the impact of the tremor. According to the USGS, earthquakes of this magnitude are uncommon in the region, but not unexpected, noting that nine quakes with a magnitude of 5 or higher have hit the region since 1900, and none of them have had a higher magnitude than 6. This earthquake is the deadliest that has hit Morocco since a 2004 tremor hit near al-Hoceima, leading to the death of more than 600 people.

While this earthquake impacted the southern part of Morocco, it was felt in the capital city Rabat, 350km north of the epicentre. Marrakech, Morocco’s fourth largest city, was severely rocked by the tremor. Back in 1985, the old city known as Medina became a UNESCO Heritage Site, and consistently attracted tourists for its mediaeval mosques, palaces and seminaries richly adorned with vivid mosaic tiling amid a labyrinth of rose-hued alleyways. The extent of the damage is still inconclusive, but according to reports, more than 300,000 people have been affected by the earthquake and several historic sites have been badly damaged.

Eyewitnesses in the foothills of the mountains have stated that some towns are completely destroyed. Rescue workers have been deployed to the affected regions, with some roads to the more remote areas damaged or blocked by debris. King Mohammed VI of Morocco has ordered the set up of a relief commission to distribute aid to survivors. He also declared three days of national mourning and ordered mosques nationwide to hold funeral prayers at noon on Sunday for those who died in the disaster.

There has been an outpouring of condolences from governments around the world, with Spain, France, Britain, Turkey, China and more countries sending monetary aid and/or rescue assistance. Even Algeria, which severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021, has reopened its airspace for aid material and medical assistance. For concerned individuals looking to help, here are several suggestions:

Donate to charitable and global relief organisations

There are several local organisations who will be catering to the needs of survivors and victims of the earthquake, including the Amal Women’s Centre, Moroccan Red Crescent Society and Banque Alimentaire du Maroc (Moroccan Food Bank). Mohammed VI has also ordered Bank Al-Maghrib, the country’s central bank, to set-up a bank account for strictly relief funds—details here. You can also donate to global relief organisations like UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, World Central Kitchen, and CARE.

Raise Awareness

You can share this news post or any other related information about the earthquake on your social media accounts. It might reach someone interested in donating.

UNDER SPOTLIGHT: HOW RHITA NATTAH CHANNELS THE PERSONAL & POLITICAL

For The Girls: Xenia Manasseh Is A Polished Creator On New Album, ‘LOVE / HATE Pt. 1’

Posted on by Uzoma Ihejirika

In 2019, Xenia Manasseh arrived on the Kenyan music scene with “Niambie,” a Swahili-and-English-delivered syrupy R&B song of love and commitment. Although she was born and raised in Nairobi, Xenia had just returned to her home country after years spent at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and as a signed songwriter at a music label in Atlanta, Georgia, where she had written the song in 2018. Before releasing “Niambie,” Xenia feared whether it would be well received by the Kenyan listeners. She didn’t need to worry; the song got instant acceptance.

“It blew my mind,”  Xenia tells the NATIVE. “I couldn’t believe it because I felt like people were going to tell me ‘Ah, this girl is just trying to bend. She’s just trying to bend this Swahili thing, like she’s still not really doing the local thing…she’s not really in the space of the music that we’re used to,’ but it just blended my influences and when I say the way it was received, I don’t mean even just at home, a lot of people in the US tell me that that’s their favourite song of mine.” 

That incident solidified Xenia’s belief in her craft. She decided to become an artist and do so on her terms, without fear and with confidence. Xenia’s sky-high confidence has spurred her through many singles and two EPs—2019’s ‘Fallin’ Apart’ and 2022’s ‘Maybe’ with Ukweli. Four years later, “Niambie” is part of the tracklist of Xenia’s debut album ‘LOVE / HATE Pt. 1,’ which features Karun, Tay Iwar, Shalom Dubas and Xenia’s grandfather Edgar Manasseh. It is a project that traverses the places Xenia has lived in or visited: Nairobi, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Lagos.

“I feel like I’ve always been where I’m supposed to be when I’m supposed to be there. I think I’ve always been in the right place at the right time,” Xenia says about her commitment to music. “It has never felt like there’s been a struggle or a push and pull like one place is calling me and I’m in another place. I felt like that when I had just gone back home from the US because I was in such a rush to come back, but I slowly settled into being home and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is actually where I needed to be to start and actually commit to being an artist’.”

Home, whether as a geographical or an emotional concept, is the livewire of ‘LOVE / HATE Pt. 1.’  As a child, Xenia grew up listening to the vast musical collection owned by her grandfather (who she calls Babu)—an eclectic mix including old-school traditional songs, instrumental albums, Brenda Fassie’s music, Norah Jones’ music, E-Sir’s music and Nameless’ music. At Berklee, she focused on entrepreneurship under Music Business/Management, and after relocating to Atlanta in 2018, she honed her songwriter skills with multiple producers. Xenia’s emotional state of mind is also her greatest asset. It is where the magic stems from, where she sieves both joyful and troubling experiences for musical gems. 

On the title track of Xenia’s album, she describes the tumultuous moments in a relationship full of highs and lows and those moments impact her views on companionship. “When I wrote ‘Love/Hate,’ I felt like it was the one song that described the range of emotions that I had written about [on the album],” she says. The song represents a time in Xenia’s life when she wasn’t willing to uphold boundaries because she felt love was a necessity superseded right or wrong. “I can admit that it’s toxic but it’s so good when it’s good, I don’t want to let go, I don’t want to be the one that ends things even though I’m aware that this isn’t healthy. And of course, I’ve grown from that, and I’m grateful for that experience because it helped me translate that into music.”

The cheery moments on ‘LOVE / HATE Pt. 1’ are bright and sparkly. On “Late Night Check Up” with Shalom Dubas, Xenia sought inspiration from the mushy feelings she had felt during a past relationship where her lover lived in a different timezone and would check up on her at night while it was morning where they were. She and Dubas had linked up when she came to Nigeria for the AFRIMA Awards. “Southwards,” with its croons of “Let me love you right/Oh/Baby,” had initially been written for another artist before Xenia’s manager shared the song with Tay Iwar when he was in Nairobi for a show.

“A lot of this project has been emotional [as regards the] features because it’s really somebody else coming into your space, bringing in their own experience and helping you finish a story that you started,” Xenia says, “and when it feels right, it’s just emotional.” On “G.I’s Intro,” Xenia’s Babu had sent her a voice recording of him singing “Zilizopendwa,” a Kenyan traditional classic Xenia had listened to and loved as a child. “I was like, ‘Wow, I have no idea what made you wake up and do this,’ and it was such a clean recording as well. And I immediately knew that I wanted it to be on my album.” Xenia considers the track as a way of affirming her Kenyan culture and immortalising her beloved grandfather.

The producers of ‘LOVE / HATE Pt. 1’ also have a special place in Xenia’s heart. MOMBRU, for instance, had worked with Xenia on ‘Fallin’ Apart’; on the album, he single-handedly produced “Southwards,” “Lowkey” and “Niambie,” and co-produced “Temporary Love” with Adrian Forbes and “Love/Hate” with Lambirth. Mbongua Mbongua Mbongua is the only Kenyan producer on the album and has known Xenia for the longest time. AVB (on “Late Night Check Up” with LNK), Cee B (on “Anticipate” with Stoopid Lou) and Sangria (on “Soul Lovers” with AVB) were producers Xenia first met during her time with the label in Atlanta, which had signed them too. Joshua Choo and Troy Bourgeois (on “Cheza Chini,” which Xenia also produced) had been schoolmates with Xenia at Berklee and bonded over the times they realised they were in the same class and never spoke to one another.

“I’m really happy to know that everybody that’s on this project are the people that I started my journey with,” says Xenia. “[From] the producers on the label…and just carrying that through to now and all of them having the patience. When I look at the tracklist and I just see their names, I’m like ‘This is everybody that’s been there from the beginning.’ It just makes sense. So It was meant to be.”

While ‘LOVE / HATE Pt. 1’  Xenia’s current masterpiece is emotional purging, there was no easy ride in making the album. She had to fight off feelings of fear and shame just so she could tap fully into her experiences in their purest, most honest forms. When she returned to Kenya from the US, she suffered writer’s block for six months. She had a space and equipment to record but the words refused to come forth. “I just sat down and I was like ‘Okay, how do we feel? How do we feel because I know how I feel but why am I avoiding talking about this? What exactly would be the problem with me doing this?’” she remembers. Finally, she wrote a song and it unlocked the well within her. “Every day back to back, I was just like, ‘Okay. Let’s just let go of all these feelings. Just let go.’ And I just kept letting go and I’ve never had writer’s block ever since; it’s never come back at all. 

“It became very clear to me that the only way that I can do this is if I’m always honest with myself, and not being honest with myself would cause a block. And I feel like that’s not even just in music, that’s just in life. You’d always get stuck unless you’re able to confront what’s actually happening. Take accountability, reflect, have that internal dialogue – not judge yourself for choices that you’ve made but see your experiences as experiences.”

‘LOVE / HATE Pt. 1’ is the first instalment in the series, with a second one bound to drop anytime soon. The album is four years in the making and has changed Xenia’s perspectives on love and life. It has allowed her to “explore all these different emotions that come and go” and emerge as a refined and mature woman with new ideas and an appreciation for every facet of life.

“I hope [people] get to take away what I got to take away from listening…that they don’t feel like they’re alone,” Xenia says. “[The album is] just for people to know that it’s okay to be vulnerable and to confront how they feel and see that there’s a lot of beauty that can come out of that. For me, [this album has] created so much beauty internally for me; my internal world is so much more peaceful just because I have spent so much time talking to myself.”

ICYMI: XENIA MANASSEH BREAKS DOWN HER DEBUT ALBUM, ‘LOVE/HATE, PT. 1’

Featured image credits/NATIVE

The Erasure Of Women In Afropop

Posted on by Nwanneamaka Igwe

In sports, a team or individual is typically awarded a medal, trophy or some sort of physical emblem to represent the success they’ve achieved from playing the game. In music, award season is the equivalent of this emblem, and it serves to confirm to artists and their audience that they are the best players on the field.

Earlier this month, Nigeria’s premiere awarding body, The Headies, held its second edition abroad at the Cobb Centre in Atlanta. In a groundbreaking year for African music littered with grand, weighty strides made by our homegrown talent, The Headies should have been an extra special moment for the culture’s evolution and the efforts made in recent years to cement Afropop as a global phenomenon. Since its inception in 2006, the industry’s biggest night faced the all too familiar issues of low production quality. This year’s edition added a glaring lack of regard for the women in the music industry under their belt.  

 

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Out of the 25 categories billed to be announced on the night, only 12 main categories were announced including Next Rated, Best Male Artist and Rookie of the Year. All of these were male-centred categories with winners like Asake, Rema and ODUMODUBLVCK, leaving out six major categories which were won by their female counterparts. Rather than earn similar glory as male artists and producers of the same ilk, women such as Ayra Starr, Tiwa Savage, Waje, Simi, Libianca, had to earn their stripes from a congratulatory post on The Headies Instagram account. It’s alarming that on a night as important as this for Afropop, women were missing out on the glory despite their invaluable contributions to the genre’s sonic fabric over the decades. This year, The Headies made dubious history by deciding to snub women, omitting to properly celebrate the full scope and spectrum of music coming out of the country. 

This glaring omission is indicative of a larger problem in the industry and by extent, society at large. Women have to work twice as hard to get the music heard, garner an audience and maintain this audience through their career span and life changes. Working against an industry where prejudice and structural limitations exist, it’s rare to find a woman who is able to crack the code and win the love and attention of audiences. Instead, only a few spots are reserved for a select few to occupy, where they are pitted against each other and constantly beat down by warring fans. Despite these odds, Afropop women are not backing down from getting their voices heard and conveying important messages. 

Following the recently concluded show last Sunday, pop star Ayra Starr, who was up for two awards including Best Female Artist and Afrobeats Single of the Year, announced in a statement on X that she would never be grateful for winning a category that wasn’t deemed to be announced on stage.  At this year’s show, there was not a single woman who graced the stage to receive an award, neither did any perform unlike their male counterparts. Throughout the show, major categories featuring women nominees were excluded from the show’s runtime and awarded online and backstage. Among these categories were Songwriter of the Year, Best Female Vocal Performance and Best Female Artist of which the recipients were Simi, Waje and Ayra Starr respectively. 

The omission becomes more glaring, considering only four women emerged victorious in an award show with 25 categories. While the absence of these women-led categories on the stage might be chucked up to poor timing or organisation from the producers, it gives way to a larger problem. Women are systemically underrepresented despite their achievements and contributes to fostering an ecosystem where a lack of female visibility is the order of the day. Considering the astounding influence women have in enabling Afropop to become a global phenomenon, such attempts to shadow their influence are impermissible.

Take Ayra Starr for example, an inescapable force since her debut on the scene in 2021. For the sake of this conversation, a recollection of her impact and deserving accolades will hinge on the past year alone. The Mavins signee released a follow-up to her chart-topping debut album, ‘19 and Dangerous,’ in the form of a deluxe album with five new tracks. One of these featured iconic Destiny Child singer and superstar, Kelly Rowland, for a euphonious remix of her memorable single, “Bloody Samaritan” and her smooth Dancehall melody, “Rush.” Beyond expanding the scope of her instantly recognisable sound, Ayra has proven to be a highly sought-after collaborator, lending her vocals for peerless contributions on projects by Wizkid, CKay, Zinoleesky and UK-rapper, Stormzy. Ayra Starr has, in only two short years, successfully stripped away the performative respectability politics expected from the industry newcomers, armed with self-affirming bangers spearheading the new generation of contemporary Pop music. 

Anyone with their ears to the ground has witnessed the global superstar consistently push the envelope and surpass all previously set expectations in more ways than one. The world, as well as the organisers of the Headies cannot ignore this hence why she was awarded the Best Female Artist. However, her award was not deemed worthy of on-air recognition when her label mate, Rema, was granted several minutes to express his gratitude for winning the Best Male Artist. In his speech, Rema shared his sentiments pertaining to incessant support of our institutions like The Headies, “It’s very important that I let everyone know that I am not here because of the awards. I am here because it is important to support our institutions. When I say institutions, I mean the bodies that support you to be able to achieve these major successes.”

While this perspective comes with a lot of merit, it is difficult to support an institution that takes every opportunity to sideline the impact of women in the industry. The acts of indiscretion are buried deep in the fabric of what is supposed to be the biggest celebration of Nigerian music. Looking back at the nominees of the Album of the Year category since 2006, 7 out of 62 nominations belong to women and only 2 in 16 winners were women. Similar stats fall in other categories and as a result, women often only emerge victorious in categories dedicated to them. 

“Best female artist na beans? We work hard, every single one of us! I’ve seen Tiwa record 4 hit songs in the same night, Tems breathes and lives for music. We didn’t deserve such nonchalance! Nigeria , you didn’t raise me to settle for less,” shared the Mavin starlet in her post on social media, which has now racked up over 2.9million views. Despite her very public outburst, neither the Headies nor its executive producer, Ayo Animashaun has commented on the statement and the show’s lack of visibility for women performers. 2008 Headies Album of the Year winner, Asa, shared in an interview with CNN “In Nigeria I have to fight (for my) gender. I was very aware of my femininity, so when I went into studios, I had to wear baggy clothing, because I didn’t want to accentuate the fact that I was female,” she said, speaking on the early stages of her career. “I didn’t want to bring attention to myself, I wanted to go there and do the job.” With several years passed and many albums under Asa’s belt, the degrees of inequality in Nigeria’s music space are still just as rampant. 

Given the system that rewards on merit and merit alone, music is a mirror reflecting and often magnifying larger cultural and societal failings. It only takes one quick look at the top percent of artists today to realise that popular music often fails to recognise the contributions of women. By March 2022, Billboard music reported that only 21.8% were women. “This number has been stagnant for a decade, with women representing 21.8% of artists across ten years and 1,000 songs on this chart,” the report shared. When the lens is narrowed down to these parts, we’re sure that within the Nigerian music industry, these numbers are even lower, within the different areas of the ecosystem from DJs and producers to songwriters and rappers.

The glass ceiling for women is constantly shifting and obscured as they make their way to the totem of their powers. Since the late ‘90s to early noughties, it has always been the case where only one woman can win at the same time, ascribing only one main position for female artists to operate within. As such, other female artists were pitted against each other with varying sides arguing about their sartorial choices or their tenors. Nowadays, there’s seemingly more room for women to get their voices heard. Thanks to platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, SoundCloud, and Instagram, women can tap into their audiences directly and find measurable success. However, now that there are more women operating in the scene, it’s easy (through incidents like what happened at The Headies) why this erasure on a prestigious award night is harmful and downright wrong. They ignore their valuable contributions as evidenced from the dearth of women to perform at shows, and little to no visibility for their craft. 

According to its Afrobeats-dedicated website, the total number of hours male artists have streamed on Spotify is about four times more than that of female artists. It’s cold, hard numerical evidence of a hegemony that continues till date, even with the consistently increasing number of women making great music. Beyond the consumption pattern, the myriad of issues female artists have to face behind the scenes is sometimes obscured by music industry jargon like branding and funding, but real ones know that it’s just plain ol’ misogyny.

Women only come into play to become a recurrent punchline for lyrics and a chance for men to express their sense of entitlement over women’s bodies, choices and lives. This comes at an expense to women, but men in an attempt to drive their machismo and score points, present women as objects of their desire. We could go as far back as Fela’s “Lady,” an open condemnation of women’s liberation in a patriarchal society or “Cough (Odo),” by Kizz Daniel, who at this point is a serial offender. He expressly stated being entitled to a woman’s body after doing her some favours, a follow-up from his brazenly inappropriate and outright misogynistic lyrics for his previous hit songs, “Yeba” and “Fvck You.” These songs, in their typical fashion, show men reinforcing the power they have over women financially and physically, while fixating solely on what the woman ‘should’ provide in return- usually something sexual. That is, when they aren’t the subject of explicit music videos or serving as the butt of misogynist jokes. Meanwhile, women continue to hold crucial responsibilities in the background, puppeteering the operations with impeccable supporting vocals and ghost writing.  

Whether or not audiences and industry key players choose to acknowledge, Afropop is producing new female stars. The younger generation of women have spent years refining their craft and putting out genre-redefining music as a means of expression and empowerment for women, as well as an act of rebellion. Through the music of young women such as Brazy, Ugoccie, Ictooicy, Bloody Civilian, SGaWD, DEELA, Qing Madi, Ebun Yele, Lifesize Teddy, Morravey, Liya, Somadina and many more, other young Nigerian women can hear and feel their emotions, truths and feelings soundtracked in real time, showing us that they can make music in their own right and in their own way, solely for expanding the sound of Afropop and disrupting what the world has come to know of the genre. It’s about time we recognise these unrivalled forces for their copious footprint in African music. 

[Featured Image Credits/The NATIVE]

Additional words by Tami Makinde and Damilola Animashaun.

ICYMI: FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE 16TH HEADIES AWARDS

New Music Friday: Projects From Balloranking, Oladapo & More

Posted on by Emmanuel Esomnofu

It’s another Friday and time for a roundup of music projects from African acts to check out. Throughout the weet’s another Friday and time for a roundup of music projects from African acts to check out. Throughout the week, music has poured in from all over the continent and sometimes it can slip through the cracks, unheard. This column serves to bring those projects to your ears as you prepare for the end of work and look forward to the weekend. We’ve compiled a typically spellbinding list today, a vast terrain in the African music soundscape covered. In addition to new projects from Patoranking and Majeed, here are four more projects that deserve your ears.

OLADAPO – ‘IN CASE I NEVER LOVE AGAIN’ 

Stunning over the years with his R&B-influenced sound, Oladapo has released a new album today. The poetic framing of its title gives the listener what to expect: a collection of ten songs which deal with aspects of everyday life, delivered through an intimate prism of acoustics and warm percussions. Oladapo knows how to create tender songs and he hates it all on this vulnerable, searing body of work. 

BALLORANKING – ‘GHETTO GOSPEL’ 

The conversation about spiritualism in afropop is incomplete without Balloranking. Since making his entry into mainstream Lagos some half-decade ago, the artist has consistently honed his sound. What’s audible now is his brazen vocals unfurling the most realistic portraits of young life in the big city, one famously streaked with danger and the trappings of lust. ‘Ghetto Gospel’ is his debut album and features the likes of Bella Shmurda, 1Da Banton, Dablixx Oshaa and others. 

E.L – ‘THE TEACHER’ 

Ghanaian artist E.L has consistently maintained and renewed his vision of Hip-Hop over the years. Quirky, but able to unfurl punchlines over colourful beats, it’s a blend he’s mastered. That skill set availed him as one of the pioneers of the azonto sound. On his new EP ‘The Teacher’, the rapper performs spellbindingly, creating songs that never fails to entertain the listener. 

KAH-LO – ‘PLEASURE/PAIN’ 

Nigerian artist Kah-Lo has pushed a futuristic, inventive vision of her Dance sound over the years. Offering a quirky prism through which her investigations of self and femininity shines through, her name has entered discussions about contemporary artists deliberate in their presentation. On her anticipated debut ‘Pleasure/Pain’, she conjures a thrilling set list which keeps the listener entranced through its more than thirty minutes runtime. 

Our First Impressions Of Patoranking’s ‘World Best’

Posted on by The Native

Since his debut on the scene, Patoranking has proven to be a chameleonic mastermind armed with party hits like “Suh Different” and Wande Coal “My Woman, My Everything.” But since his 2020 third album installation of ‘Three‘—a distinct reggae-influenced project where he discussed his experiences with life and love— audiences have only perceived the Afropop star in single and feature capacities. He continues to prove, despite the sparse presence, that he hasn’t kept his hands off the pulse.

Just as his previous albums have emphasised, Patoranking’s music serves a melting pot of various genres including Reggae, Pop, Afrobeat and most recently house-influenced tunes. His recent album, ‘WORLD BEST,’ sees Patoranking back and better to reiterate this same message. Stacked with Caribbean influences, Patoranking evidently sets out to bridge a gap between cultures on the new 15-tracker and successfully achieves this feat.

The singer ultimately merges both worlds with a uniquely contemporary style tied together by distinct Dancehall and Afropop sensibilities. Through the album’s runtime, he enlists the help of worldwide superstars turned friends such as Victory, Popcaan, Diamond Platnumz and Gyakie for fresh, unrivalled verses on the seamless body of work. 

In typical fashion, we share our thoughts on the album, from best song to stand out production, biggest potential hit, biggest skip and more. Lock in!

 

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BEST SONG 

Sien: I’ll have to go with ‘‘Babylon”. The Victony factor combined with the guitar chords get you in a mood that’s nearly indescribable.

Israel: “Kolo Kolo” is definitely a personal favourite, it has all the hallmarks of a stellar Patoranking number with a well delivered verse from Diamond Platnumz which completely takes the track over the top. 

FAVOURITE PRODUCTION

Emmanuel: Each beat on ‘World Best’ is well actualised and this comes from Patoranking working with the most talented producers out there. However I’m leaning very heavily towards “Smoke & Vibes”, which reminds me of my beloved Ajegunle, which is also Patoranking’s beloved. With sweet guitar licks, there’s a quintessential Highlife feel that melds perfectly with the slowed percussions, making it an ear treat. 

Chigoziri: Although “Abobi” is a track we’ve heard before, I still stand by it as my favourite production. The lyrics tell a story that the artist perfectly delivers in sync with the timeless saxophone and drums that remind me of Fela Kuti’s songs.

BIGGEST POTENTIAL HIT 

Dimeji: “Babylon” is probably going to be the biggest hit. Vict0ny is always on point with his features and it’s easy to hear the chemistry they shared on the track. The song has the potential to be really big, the beat adds to that too because it really gets you moving.

Alex: The tracks on the album are going to be hits, but I’m leaning towards “Babylon” featuring Vict0ny becoming the biggest hit on the album. On that track, the duo displayed an excellent vocal synergy, and the beats had me moving from the intro.  “Higher” has the potential to be big too. Fingers crossed. 

BEST VERSE

Daniel A: Fire burn Babylon! For me Patoranking’s second verse on ‘Babylon’ really hit for me. He says ‘Leader, lion, yes I be idolo – fight and face my fears no ojoro’ referring to being strong and going to challenges without fear and coming out triumphant. 

Dennis: I really like the first verse of “Abobi,” because of the granular, very human detail that set-up the song’s socially conscious tilt. For me, that’s when Patoraking is at his best, reflecting the lives of everyday people rather than the agitprop of a song like “Heal the World.” At the same time, it’s the lead single for ‘World Best’ and I’ve listened to it more than a few times, so there’s a familiarity. Of the newer material, I think I’ll go with Popcaan’s guest appearance on “Tonight,” where he just glides over a beat that’s quintessentially Nigerian even with its dancehall thump.

BIGGEST SKIP 

Moore: Of all the songs on the project, “Smoking & Vibes” is the one I’d be most likely to skip. While still a solid song, it becomes very repetitive in a way that makes it feel unnecessary to listen past the first ten seconds.

Daniel B: I didn’t truly resonate with “Inshallah”; the drill beat felt quite out of place compared to what I would typically expect from Patoranking. It seemed like he was attempting to incorporate new sounds into his repertoire, but I don’t believe it worked very effectively.

STANDOUT FEATURE 

Uzoma: For me, it’s Victony on “Babylon.” That brother has a voice that conveys so many emotions. His verses—short and punchy—tell very relatable stories about his come-up in the industry. Patoranking, too, does his best on the track but it’s Victony that owns it. It was a collaboration I didn’t envisage but I enjoyed.

Nwanneamaka: Victony killed his verses on “Babylon.” The production is very inline with Victony’s soundscape and I imagine this was one of those scenarios where a song was recorded with a particular artist in mind. The twinkling keys are very Victony-esque and allowing his verse to introduce the track was the best decision. They glide in and out of the track so smoothly, their chemistry is not something I’d have fathomed on my own but it works really well. 

OVERALL FIRST IMPRESSION 

Dimeji: It’s easy to see the vision Patoranking had for this album. He projected it perfectly, and it shows because ‘World Best’  is a really solid body of work. The entire album had me dancing around my room, and the replay value will have me giving it repeated listens soon enough.

Emmanuel: ‘World Best’ is Patoranking’s magnum opus. Every aspect of his artistry blooms beautifully here, and he rarely makes a misstep. The features are in-sync with his vision and each record has something to say. It’s the artist’s fourth project and the ease with the form is better seen, and for that he should get all the credit, especially with the high expectations he set with the choice of title. 

Chigoziri: I’ve always been a fan of Patoranking’s artistry and music style. ‘World Best’  lives up to its title as it emphasises his ability to work with different cultures and genres effortlessly. 

Listen to ‘World Best’ here.

[Featured Image Credits/The NATIVE]

Essentials: Majeeed Offers Poignant Reflections On ‘Cheers To Life’

Posted on by Emmanuel Esomnofu

Around the same time a new vanguard of superstars were breaking into the Afropop scene, an unassuming Majeeed crept up. He wasn’t immediately championed like some of his peers, but his sound—a vivid reinterpretation of 2000s-sounding Nigerian Pop—left a good impression on those who listened. “Gee For Life” was a focused rendering of his skills, his vocal style reminiscent of Kizz Daniel though the writing was undeniably his, simple but strikingly evocative as he mused about his loyalty to a girl he loved. 

Majeeed continued in that fine form, scoring an underground classic with the realism of “Time.” It was a record in the class of Oxlade’s “Ojoro” and Victony’s “Kolomental,” an early career song which laid down the artist’s preoccupations. For Majeeed, he was more driven by external stories, revealing his own perspective through the telling of others’ experiences. His debut EP ‘Bitter Sweet’ arrived in early 2022, and as one hears on songs like “How I Care” and “Yawa No Dey End”, he was extending that range both in subject and sound.

Coming into the new year, it was evident that Majeeed was on the cusp of a breakout. That arrived unanimously on the Tiwa Savage-assisted “Gbese,” whichbintroduced the sterling Majeeed to a wider fanbase. Since then the artist has moved with the purposefulness required to solidify his ubiquity, and his latest project, the positively-titled ‘Cheers to Life’ comes from that consideration. It’s the same title which supplies the opening record, a glittering piece where Majeeed’s stirring vocals emerge. Soft with its drums, sexy in its movement, the record doubles as an account of his better quality of life but the first verse describes getting ready for a night out. 

Every narrative of Majeeed is threaded by the didactic twist of his pen. On that emotive opener, it comes with the lyric, “Instead make you live your life, you sit down there dey complain,” he sings with jazzy carefreeness while the production builds around him. “Girls Deserve More Money” would make him a popular man among the ladies; promising to avail the good life to his lover, it adapts the kind of songwriting primed for an internet-savvy audience base. You could almost imagine a TikTok run behind the chorus, but on the song level, Majeeed’s evocative qualities are yet present, which is further amplified by the dreamy electronic loops in its post-chorus parts. 

“Stop Nonsense” is the only other record in this collection of eight where Majeeed appears alone. It’s also the most popular-lying record, with splashes of smooth vocals and brash drum playing which shuffles between Amapiano and House. A groovy, anthemic number, it demonstrates Majeeed’s range across ‘Cheers To Life.’ Understandably however, the collaborative records offer more to the listener. Given the svelte, malleable quality of Majeeed’s tone, he’s able to blend in with a host of voices, and that artistic ability elevates the project.

 

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The similar hue of BNXN’s tone comes present on “Waka Jeje,” which stands a good chance of being one of the project standouts. Over celestial amapiano-influenced arrangement, both artists muse about coming from where they’ve done, the journey not lost on them. “Thank God say man no look like wetin e don go through,” sings Majeeed on the opening lyric, following up with why more hustle is needed to consolidate on one’s spot in life. BNXN’s lazer-sharp delivery is finely utilised, and he’s one of the EP’s best features, in terms of potency matching up to Tiwa Savage’s superb work on “Gbese”. 

While that record is familiar enough to Afropop audiences, there’s the attempt to further its reach by creating an EDM remix. The mix doesn’t come across as deliberate enough, somehow losing the song’s essential soulfulness. That quality is however present on “Slip & Slide,” where Majeeed and the American artist of Nigerian descent Rotimi layer sweet affirmations over the warm palmwine-evoking production. Produced by Priime, it mirrors the work he’s done for Wizkid, and the sexy vulnerability associated with the veteran is present here, even more because of Rotimi, who provides a distinct but reliable perspective for Majeeed’s delivery to feed off. “Shayo” is a personal favourite of the collection; fusing the distinct writing skills of Majeeed and his guest Lojay, who’s never been known to flunk a feature—it’s a hit song in the waiting.

Crowd vocals are in sync with the guitar-led production, slightly evoking Highlife and which works given the genre’s dedication to alcohol-fuelled communal spaces. It’s the kind of song that gives cheers to life, because even in the midst of all the complexities of relationships and experiences, we’ll always find ourselves loving its thrill. Majeeed’s project is a colourful demonstration of his unique prowess, and if there’s anyone who thinks he’s resting on his laurels, then they haven’t heard this. There’s clearly a lot of journeys embedded within the young man, and his music seems to possess the grace necessary to see them through.

ICYMI: LIFESIZE TEDDY, ILHAM & MORE BEST NEW ARTISTS FROM AUGUST

‘Blood & Water’ & ‘Young, Famous & African’ headline Netflix’s slate of upcoming South African titles

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

Netflix is gearing up for some of its busiest months since entering Sub-Saharan Africa. A few weeks after unveiling a packed schedule of upcoming Nollywood releases, the streamer has shared a slate of short and medium term plans in South Africa, from commissioned films and TV series to deals with filmmakers. The announcements were made at MIP Africa, which is part of FAME Week Africa, currently ongoing in Cape Town. In the panel titled ‘See What’s Next on Netflix’, a handful of returning TV shows and newly commission titles were teased.

Headlining the set of returning shows is ‘Blood & Water’, the young adult series that’s delivered three seasons and has gotten better with each new batch of episodes. Its renewal was announced earlier this year, and the fourth season is set to premiere in early 2024. Also making a return next year, for its third season, is the reality show ‘Young, Famous & African’, which gathers a cast of pan-African superstars for frivolous drama. Completing the list of renewed shows is ‘Savage Beauty’, the family-rooted mystery drama which debuted in 2022 and is expected to return next year.

 

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Of the slate of upcoming titles, the earliest release is the young adult series, ‘Miseducation’, which will premiere next Friday, September 15. The series will follow Mbali Hadebe (Buntu Petse), a first year varsity looking to reform her life in the aftermath of the shameful exposure of her mother’s corrupt dealings. It’s helmed by Burnt Onion Production, the studio behind the Netflix hit comedy drama show, ‘How to Ruin Christmas’, which ran for three seasons.

Slated for late 2023, BBZEE Production’s ‘Yoh’ Christmas’ will be looking to either match or surpass the acclaim of Burnt Onion’s acclaimed, holiday season show. Before then, the third instalment in writer and director Jayan Woodley’s ‘Kandasamys’ film franchise will drop on October 20. Netflix acquired the licensing rights to the first two films in the family-rooted drama, and has now commissioned ‘Kandasamys: The Baby’, which was shot in South Africa and Mauritius, as an exclusive.

Also part of a franchise, ‘The Ultimatum: South Africa’, a regional spinoff of the Netflix reality series which features couples at a crossroads in their relationship where they either have to commit to tying the knot or go separate ways. News of the reality show hit the internet around this time last year, with a tentative premiere date for this year, however, there’s no concrete release schedule just yet.

 

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Rounding out the rest of the slate are two films, both set to drop in the first quarter of 2024. ‘Soweto Love Story’ is a romantic comedy set in the heart of Johannesburg’s famous township, and ‘Heart of the Hunter’ is a spy thriller based on the book by Deon Meyer. The latter is directed by Mandla Dube, who entered a multi-project partnership deal with Netflix, following the release of last year’s Apartheid-era action thriller, ‘Silverton Siege’.

As Dube’s partnership deal unfolds, the streamer has also shared several partnerships with filmmakers and production houses, most of whom have delivered commissioned work for Netflix. Nigerian-born Akin Omotoso (‘The Brave Ones’) and Ochre media have been tapped for a multiple-title book adaptation; Donovan Marsh (‘iNumber Number: Jozi Gold’) is set for a 3-film partnership; Gambit Films (‘Blood & Water’ ‘Unseen’), Stained Glass Productions and Black Brain Pictures will produce multiple films and TV series.

Alongside multi-title deals with Nigerian filmmakers like Mo Abudu, Kunle Afolayan and Kemi Adetiba, Netflix is clearly playing the long game and looking far into the future.

AV CLUB: ‘JAGUN JAGUN’ RAISES THE CEILING FOR YORUBA EPIC FILMS

Best New Music: Brazy updates “Attends” with befitting DBN-Gogo assisted remix

Posted on by Nwanneamaka Igwe

In music, success is measured in different ways. For most artists, it’s the ability to communicate with listeners on a deeper and emotional level which serves as a determinant for their success. Given that attention spans continue to decline and we’re constantly in search for the next best thing, it’s always impressive to find a new artist who is able to break out authentically and garner a loyal following. With a small but mighty discography, London-based, Nigeria-born rapper, Brazy is making waves in the industry speaking directly to young audiences, both back at home and in the diaspora, while simultaneously bypassing the norms with her genre-defying music.

It’s impossible not to have heard her earworm track “Attends,” a catchy song delivered in French, Chinese and English, which found success fast and easy on the Internet. Since its release in 2022, Brazy has earmarked herself as an artist to watch who came into the game confident, and ready for a good time. The snippet, which debuted months prior, showcased a thrilled audience dancing to the intoxicating hook with a witty pre-hook, “Cheat on me, I’ll cheat on you.”

In a NATIVE exclusive interview earlier this year, Brazy shared that she had recorded the song to perform in the Paris leg of an intimate show for Cruel Santino’s ‘Subaru Boys: FINAL HEAVEN’ tour. “When I performed it in Paris, I hadn’t put the snippet out but the way the audience reacted was insane. I thought because it had that Bouyon feel it was nostalgic to them or other black people in Europe like Amsterdam. Then I heard it took off in Ghana.” 

 

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“Attends” captures Brazy’s effervescent, carefree sound perfectly. The upbeat production seamlessly tied in with Brazy’s fast-paced delivery as Brazy returned to tell her love interest that as much as they’re a match made in heaven, “Me and you I think it’s fate, you be custard and I be cake,” she won’t hesitate to leave his side at the first instance of inconsistency.

Brazy is keen on expanding her craft and connecting with her growing audience who consist of young people who look just like her. With this in mind, she’s recently just released the DBN Gogo-assisted remix to “Attends,” a clear tactical move within her arsenal to widen the scope of her discography and open her to an entirely new audience. In recent months, many Afropop artists are expanding their worldview and collaborating with a diverse cast of artists and producers from around the world, including standouts such as Victony’s “Soweto” which pulls the effervescent production of Tempoe and the brilliance of Rema and Don Toliver.

While there’s certainly arguments to be made for and against cross-cultural collaborations of this ilk, Brazy’s “Attends” is a clear standout which further showcases her artistic brilliance. Arriving only a few days ago after an announcement on the rapper’s Instagram page, “Attends (DBN Gogo Remix)” is a fusion of two hitmakers who are strutting with palpable confidence and creating more bright spots on the sonic canvas of the year.

The remix takes an entirely new sonic direction to the song’s original version. Over the bouncy new track, Brazy and DBN Gogo flip the upbeat instrumentals of the song for a more toned down pitch laid over familiar House-sensibilities, all the while retaining Brazy’s infectious vocals. From the onset of “Attends (DBN Gogo Remix),” it’s clear that Brazy and DBN Gogo are just having fun as they dance across the scintillating production with delectable keys.

As the track builds up, Brazy’s vocals come into focus, as she enunciates a much calmer and richer tone to suit the now mid-tempo production. Thankfully, she retains the original, well-loved lyrics only to be met with gleaming swishes in sound effects that key perfectly into Brazy’s futuristic palette. When the pre-hook arrives, Brazy chants the first verse again as the low-cadence drums now jump to the forefront of the track.

DBN Gogo’s seamless production is an instant standout on the track. Sticking to her sonic roots, she blends and contours keys and percussions into her orbit with an ease that provides the perfect backdrop for Brazy’s catchy lyrics. It’s not lost on us that Brazy tapped the South African DJ, producer and music executive for a befitting update to the track given the burgeoning success of Dance music on the continent and the diaspora. In the past few years, South African music has soared across the continent owing to the global rise of Amapiano and more, and it has found an audience IRL and in online spaces such as Instagram and TikTok.

Given that Brazy is no stranger to finding viral success on online spaces, the remix is a perfect commingling of two like minds who are keenly observing the culture while contributing to it in real time. By the end of the track, all expectations have been effectively met. It’s a fun and memorable spin on an already potent single–let’s all be cake.

Featured image credits/NATIVE

ICYMI: OLAMIDE, PHEELZ & THE SYNERGY OF ARTIST-PRODUCER PAIRINGS IN AFROPOP

Four takeaways from Tekno’s new album, ‘The More The Better’

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

When Tekno finally shared his debut album, ‘Old Romance’, it felt more like a long overdue item being ticked off a checklist, rather than a marquee event fitting for a pivotal figure in Afropop. Released in late 2020, four years after he helped reshape the sound of Nigerian pop with a handful of smash hits, including the forever classic “Pana” and producing Davido’s “IF,” the album lacked the trademark spark that made him one of the hottest hit-makers around.

Maybe it would be too much to ask for the singer/producer to recapture that same magic and stretch it out across an entire full-length, but the framing of the project was an indicator that Tekno did understand the narrative function of a multi-song drop. What ‘Old Romance’ lacked was generally compelling execution, a concept project about holding on to the ideals of wholesome romance in these times. On the more intriguing songs like “Uptown Girl” and “Catalia,” Tekno’s recognisable mix of levity and heartfelt charm makes for delightful listens, but for the most part there isn’t that much insight to be gleaned from the album.

‘The More The Better’, Tekno’s new sophomore album, doesn’t come with the sort of high stakes that accompanies a debut LP and, to its overwhelming advantage, a low bar to clear its predecessor. The singer takes advantage of those circumstances to deliver a project that meets his standards as a hit-maker, and is even surprising in its sonic width. This is Tekno having as much fun as he can on wax, while remaining an everyman’s artist with his perspective on love and life. Here are four striking takeaways.

 

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Tekno will always be for the masses

Very few artists poignantly capture the human angle of the Nigerian condition like Tekno. While they might be described as “deep cuts,” within a catalogue filled with preppy romantic and lascivious hits, several of his songs have seen him Nigeria’s socio-political ills from a purely pro-people stance. On his new album, there’s nothing quite as surgical as “Sudden” or as fiery as “O Wa,” co-headlined with Falz, but it has its fair share of resonant moments.

On the Dido-sampling opener, “Twice Shy,” Tekno sings of resilience from a person perspective: “Man been through the darkness of the tunnel, at the end there was light/situation could’ve held me down, but delay is not denial.” The lack of specificity will make it easier for listeners to work their own personal feelings into the song, aided by the interpolation an African China classic. It’s the same M.O on the zen-seeking lead single, “Peace of Mind,” and the spiritually-inclined “Play,” where he further acknowledges how Nigeria isn’t optimised to enable the dreams of many of its young people.

The romance isn’t old; it isn’t new either

At his best, Tekno’s love-themed songs find the middle ground between stand-in-the-rain-R&B invocations and a touch of Nigerian male solipsism that doesn’t come across as overbearing. The hook of 2015’s “Duro,” where he promises to “show you love that you’ve never seen” and already dreams of a family with kids, is one prime example. On ‘The More The Better’ closer, “Can’t Chase,” he invokes the infamous Folake from “Pana” as a way to drive home the message that he’s not interested in any messy romantic situations.

It’s the first time in his career he’s pointedly addressing the complicatedness of love in an era where situationships and all kinds of games abound. Considering the many songs of adulation and admiration and devotion before it, there’s a subtle redressing how listeners might come to view Tekno in relation to romance. With undeniable slappers like “Lokation” and “Permit,” many will easily recognise the troubadour whose music is primed to light up dancefloors. However, without any explicitly rigid frameworks, there’s no feeling that the singer is selling us an agenda. Like the rest of us, Tekno has his own ideals and they’re translated into songs that fit within the self-assured scope of this album.

 

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The return of a “King of Pop”

Tekno is widely known as the populariser of the “pon-pon” sound that revolutionised Nigerian pop, which basically mean that at some point he dictated pulse of mainstream music. In a way, he still does, considering the easily traceable evolution of what’s hot these days. On ‘The More The Better’ standout, “King of Pop,” he flexes his ability to effortlessly deliver club-ready music. The tricks are recognisable: catchy one-liners, snappy melodies and a liberal use of onomatopoeia to fill up negative space. The music is new territory, though, a makossa beat with some Afrobeat embellishments.

Part of his credentials as a pop savant is Tekno’s preference for colour-packed beats, and he plays around with even more sonic shades from across Afropop. The title track has a salsa-infused swing to it, “Flashing Lights” is a dancehall-inflected bop, “Borrow” is driven by a red-blooded folk-pop groove, “Peace of Mind” is heavily indebted to Kizomba, and there’s a mid-section run featuring log drum-indented arrangements. Tekno is at his most adventurous, aided by Tuzi, DJ Coublon, Krizbeatz and more soundmen who help make sure these forays are less risqué choices and more a showcase of mastery.

A notable change in vocal texture

A few years back, Tekno dealt with a serious vocal ailment, which made it difficult to record or perform music. In getting his chords fixed, the change in the texture of his voice is evident. While there’s always been a light rasp in his voice, it mainly added edge to the buttery croons and youthful charm of his melodies. Now, his voice is hoarser than it’s ever been. You can tell on “Regina,” which features CKay, whose “emo-afrobeats” style is partly indebted to Tekno’s pon-pon reign. On that song, the contrast in tone shows how much Tekno’s voice has changed. For what it’s worth, he’s adapted his songwriting to fit. In place of melodies that used to lilt, he’s leaning even more on making his lines pop, whether it’s by adding a little more verve to his performance (“Borrow”), or singing his lines with a lived-in touch (“Can’t Chase”). It’s further proof of how ‘The More The Better’ shows Tekno as a malleable performer whose identity will remain intact as he ages forward.

ICYMI: FOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM KIZZ DANIEL’S ‘MAVERICK’

NATIVE Exclusive: How Patoranking Became The ‘World Best’

Posted on by Emmanuel Esomnofu

Three minutes into a Zoom conversation with Patoranking, our shared roots was the topic. We rattled off a number of places we knew, after he got to know that I lived in Ajegunle for a significant part of my life. Each name was familiar and evoked memories of home. But while the area which was affectionately called AJ wasn’t really that for him—Patoranking was raised in Ebute Metta, another suburb in mainland Lagos—it was there he got introduced to Galala, the zesty subgenre birthed from Dancehall which has formed his core sound over the years, making him one of Africa’s most intriguing musical exports. 

Immersed in Patoranking’s practices and philosophy are his many stories. Regardless of the gargantuan leaps he makes in his career, if the artist comes across as a guy-next-door, it’s because he’s lived on the farthest-leaning spectrums of life and has come through the other side with appreciation for everything. “When I moved from nothing to something, that was my story,” he sang on the opening lyric of “Alubarika,” his breakout record which was released in 2014, just around the time African pop was opening itself up to audiences internationally, especially in the United Kingdom. Rather than fizzy, afro-focused sonics, the vision of the artist born Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie was markedly different: he wanted to connect the world to his stories, through the universal genre of Reggae which most influenced him. 

“Music was the only means of survival,” he says to the NATIVE. “Music was the only guy that could control you. And if you don’t want to do what people are doing, either you play football, or you do music, or you learn handwork. Or,” he says with a hint of danger, “You join bad gang. And coming from a home in the ghetto, it’s very important that we do what is right.” 

Years before Patoranking appeared on the circuit of mainstream audiences, he was in Ghana trying to convince people of his talent. The West African country which bordered Nigeria from its southwest region had a thriving Reggae culture, sharpening Patoranking’s love for its intricacies. That awareness to the possibility of sound would beautifully coalesce with older experiences, such as sauntering into AJ street jams and stealing everyone’s hearts through dance. The Galala-influenced music of Daddy Showkey, Marvellous Benjy and Danfo Drivers were already ingrained in his consciousness, and without giving it much thought, Patoranking was cultivating the ethos and delivery of what would become an inimitable voice. 

“It wasn’t easy going around telling people that I would be great,”  he says now, “all they need to do is just listen to Patoranking. But we kept on going, you know. Many stumbling blocks, trying to get people’s attention, wondering why nobody’s hearing you. Also, you want to give your family a name, which is very important and then you want to be the voice or the face everyone look up to in the ghetto. So you don’t have to fail them; you just have to get it done.” 

Patoranking sure introduced himself with the assurance of a man who carries such transcendental responsibilities. Aside the stirring performance in the Timaya-featuring record, loosies with Olamide (“Bora”) and DJ Hazan (“Early Momo”) were well-received in the streets, the acute, gritty observations of Patoranking connecting on a deep level. “Girlie O” moved him past those considerations; having that bell-evoking progression and Pato’s affectionate lyricism, the record revealed him in the light of the Caribbean-facing superstar. 

Throughout 2014, Patoranking was in scintillating form—he honoured those transcontinental ambitions with records like “Tonite,” which was a collaboration with the veteran Faze and “My Woman, My Everything,” which received a stellar hook from Wande Coal. He also burnished his relationship with the local soundscape, appearing on the Sarkodie-hosted “No Kissing Baby” and “Friends,” one of his most affecting records which considered the weight of relationships. From then on, the artist was in incredible high demand, and the more he opened his arms to collaboration, the more he flowed into the ebbs of a career that had world domination in sight. 

By the time Patoranking released his debut album ‘God Over Everything’ in 2016, he was a household name on the continent. A 16-track body of work, it incorporated features of influential contemporaries (Wizkid, Olamide and Phyno), merged Fuji into the emotive closer with the iconic King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall who the song is titled after, and per his Jamaican influences, Konshens features on the tropical “Daniella Whine”. It was a successful debut and three years later, in 2019, Patoranking released ‘Wilmer’, the album named after his first daughter and which featured her on its black-designed cover. The sonic variance in records like “Feelings” and “Lenge Lenge” demonstrated that Patoranking still knew how to conduct the several parts of his artistry, while embracing a pan-African vision featuring the likes of Kenyan rapper Nyashinski, the South African artist Busiswa, the French artist of Congolese heritage Dadju, and Donae’o, the British rapper of Ghanaian and Guyanese descent. Crowning it all was Davido on the uber-hit “Confirm”. 

Patoranking places an intentionality into his music, and an innate self-awareness for his potential for love and greatness has never been in doubt. In February, earlier this year, he released the stirring track “Abobi”. A sociopolitical number whose peculiarly Nigerian expression emerged from a tradition shared by the likes of Ras Kimono, Evi Edna Ogoli and Majek Fashek, it aligned Patoranking with his didactic motivations while establishing the trajectory for his fourth album. 

“For me, it’s a place of pain,” he shares in response to how he approached the record. “In as much as I’m an advocate for change, I just have to do what I can do because at the end of the day, charity begins at home, you know? And if I’m to start mine, I have to start from my own place which is—so my home is, my music. So if I want to speak for the people or fight for the people, I have to start fighting from my own home. That’s why I just pour it into the music, where I talk and express how we feel.” 

Patoranking’s activism comes across as essential and true to his core. It’s the involvement of a man who’s seen life from its darkest corners and knows more than most why we must embrace the light. It’s also a sensibility that emerges from the Reggae genre, which has always acted as a conscience within the scope of popular music. One of Patoranking’s major heroes, the legendary Bob Marley was a messenger of love as much as he was a globe-trotting superstar who became one of the 20th century’s most enduring personalities. Creating his fourth album which is titled ‘World Best’, it is this unification that Patoranking has set his sights on. Particularly, unifying the shared experiences between his African home base and our Black siblings in the Caribbean diaspora. 

I asked why that was important for him. “If you look at it, we’re all one. Same colour, same race,” he says. “It’s just different place. There’s a lot of similarities; if you live in Jamaica, you’d see that same lifestyle in the ghetto. There’s a place called Little Kingston in Ajegunle; and if you go to some places in Ghana or Sierra Leone, you would think you’re in the Caribbean. Even when you’re there in the Caribbean, you’d think you are home. And if you go through history, that taught us that a lot of the people that make up these places are people taken from home.” For Patoranking, it was a choice of language and love. 

‘World Best’ album drew its title from a similar well of language and love, as Patoranking’s friends have been calling him that for a while now. “I’ve always wondered why they call me world best,” he says, “and you know, no man crowneth himself king, except the people. And if they said ‘Okay, Pato, you’re world best’, they see what I don’t see and I was like, ‘You know what? I’ll take it. I’ll claim it. It took us about two years making this album because we wanted to make sure we get it right.” 

“We like to take new directions; if everybody’s going left, we want to go right. That’s what we were able to do with this one.”

 

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Beginning with the drill-evoking “Inshallah,” the fifteen track body of work delivers on its creator’s promise of novelty. It’s a different song to anything Patoranking has done before, merging his distinct dancehall sensibilities with the more contemporary style. On “Gyal Like You,” he and Kizz Daniel lend their inimitable voices to the warm rootsy production. Sounding straight from a bar in 2000s Ajegunle, it’s a loving message with Galala undertones. “Smoke & Vibes” is similarly composed, with Highlife-esque guitars colouring its seams. It’s a harkening to records like “Make Am” as Patoranking again flexes his grasp on topical issues (this time, overt reliance on drugs) while retaining his humour. The Jamaican stalwarts Beenie Man and Popcaan appear on “Amazing Grace” and “TONIGHT” respectively, both signature styles vividly impressed alongside Pato’s.

“Just like the title, it has to be around the world,” says Patoranking in response to where the project was created. “From Lagos to Lome, Togo; to Accra, Ghana; LA in California; London, Paris. So we just went around the world making the best of the best songs”. One of Patoranking’s best-ever songs does come here, on the Victony-featured “Babylon,” a phrase known to rasta believers as representing the dysfunction of the modern world. Over thumping progressions, both artists trade off each other’s energies, especially Patoranking whose sensibility audibly influence the song’s direction. “Leader, Lion, yes I be Idolo/ Fight and face my fears, no ojoro,” he sings in his passionate verse, describing himself as World Best and the Champion. 

Like most of the artists he collaborated with on the album, Victony was called into the studio to directly contribute his dulcet vocals. Patoranking is a huge fan of the youngster and he also cedes space for talented Ghanaian songstress Gyakie on the party-starting “Control Me”. Along with veteran features such as Diamond Platnumz and the American rapper Ludacris, ‘World Best’ emerges as a combination of both experienced and fresh voices, which supplies a vivacity that makes it Patoranking’s most well-honed album.

“A place of peace, where the energy is right,” he says, “that’s where I’m coming from with this album. We just want to carry everybody along, musically and experience wise. As a human being, I love peace, I love vibes, I love the right energy. In as much as we wanna go global, we want to make sure we do it the right way. Which is our way, which is the peaceful way, which is the easy-going way. So even when you hear this album, that is how you should feel.” 

Listen to ‘WORLD BEST’ below.

Track-By-Track: Xenia Manasseh Breaks Down Her Debut Album, ‘LOVE/HATE, Pt. 1’

Posted on by Uzoma Ihejirika

Xenia Manasseh’s debut album ‘LOVE/HATE, Pt. 1’ is out in the world only four short years since the Nairobi-born singer/songwriter returned to her home country. She had spent close to five years in the US, studying at the Berklee College of Music and chasing a songwriting career in Atlanta. ‘LOVE/HATE, Pt. 1’ is a culmination of all of Xenia’s experiences whilst contemplating self-love and affection for others. 

“The number one lesson that I learned a long time ago was that I was supposed to do music, and that that was the path that I was supposed to follow and that was the thing that brought me the most joy,” she tells the NATIVE. “To just follow my heart and just see where it takes me.” Xenia’s album is a combination of her honest, clear-eyed observations and hers as well as the producers’ mastery of music techniques. The project, which features Karun, Tay Iwar, Shalom Dubas and Xenia’s grandfather Edgar Manasseh, traverses topics of new love, hope, hurt and belief in one’s greatness. 

‘LOVE/HATE, Pt. 1’ is Xenia’s gift to every listener, an album for “people to know that it’s okay to be vulnerable.” Speaking with the NATIVE, Xenia tells the stories behind each song on the 11-tracker, breaking down the feelings, motivations and human connections that breathed life into the album. 

Her words, which follow below, have been lightly edited these words for clarity. 

 

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“G.I’S INTRO” FT. EDGAR MANASSEH

This is the song that I recorded last. I recorded it this year about a month and a half ago. So, my grandpa, my Babu, and I have a very interesting way of speaking when we’re not in the same place and we just communicate by sending each other music. And so in May, I woke up to some lyrics from him and then a voice recording of him singing the song and a message that said, “You can perfect this song.” Anybody who knows him knows how he comes off as stern but he’s so gentle. He’s at that age where it’s just like “I know what I’m talking about.” So he sent me a voice recording of him singing [the lyrics], and I was like, “Wow, I have no idea what made you wake up and do this,” and it was such a clean recording as well. And I immediately knew that I wanted it to be on my album.

I already had the structure [for the album] before so everything that you see now [from] songs 2-11 was the original version of the project, which I loved. But then, once he sent me that, I was like, “Oh my God.” One, it’s in Swahili, and he is from the coastal region of Kenya. I’ve grown up there most of my life, by the beach. I went to high school In that city. Our ancestors are from there. And it’s a song that we’ve sung for so long. So it’s called “Zilizopendwa,” and it basically means “the songs that are loved.” And, I’m sure you guys have those songs as well that you sing at your traditional ceremonies. At least for our culture, there are songs that you sing at weddings, you sing at funerals, you sing at celebrations [and] you sing whenever the family comes together.

And yeah, I went to the studio and I just recorded over [his] singing. So G.I is his nickname. His full name is Edgar Ivan Manasseh, but he’s been called G.I for a long time and as somebody who’s contributed so much to my musical journey, everything about it feels so real. I feel like I’m also fulfilling one of his dreams and putting a stamp on the fact that I’m Kenyan embracing my culture and embracing where I’m from and giving back in a way to him and those that came before him that made the way for me.

SOUL LOVERS

I can’t remember at which point I wrote it, but I feel like that was also the name of the beat. I had started working with a label in Atlanta [in 2018] as a songwriter so I would always get beat packs sent to me pretty often and if that wasn’t happening, I could just reach out to the producers that were also under the label. So, this guy—he had just been signed after me—his name is AVB. He was the youngest one that was signed to the label but I just kept gravitating towards his stuff; I was just like “This guy just has so much magic that he’s doing.” He alongside the other producer Sangria who had been signed just right before me. 

And I heard this beat and I just remember feeling like I was floating. I was classically trained so it just was a culmination of that plus the R&B direction that I had started taking in my music. It was like a no-brainer and the song just flowed out of me. It took me maybe an hour to just write it and send it. And then after that, I’ve just had it this whole time. So the fact that it’s coming out feels so good. It feels so good.

“LATE NIGHT CHECK UP” FT. SHALOM DUBAS

This is also another one that is produced by AVB  [and LNK]. It was just another beat that I found in the folder. This one, I can’t really remember the space that I was in. I feel like I was describing my hope for something new. I was writing all these things in the middle of the night. I truly think that I was a nocturnal creature in another life because I was writing in the late morning hours. After midnight, I’d be up until six, seven or eight a.m. sometimes. 

I think I was just sitting there thinking about how I miss being checked on in the evening because the person that I had just gotten out of a relationship with was in the US. So there was a time difference. So whenever they would wake up, it would be in the evening for me. And I guess I kind of just trailed off in that direction and was just describing how it felt in the beginning. It’s like the feeling of having butterflies, the feeling of “Oh my God, this person has messaged me” in the middle of the night [and] morning for them. Somebody’s checking on me and this is something new and I’m excited and it’s so clear to me that this is somebody that I have some sort of future with, and I think that that’s the space that I was in when I wrote my section. 

And then, in 2021, we went to Nigeria for the AFRIMMA Awards and that’s where I met Shalom who my manager Faiza had been telling me for the longest time that she had sent “Late Night Check Up” to and we hadn’t had a chance to connect before that at all. And of course, we never knew that we were going to end up being nominated for AFRIMMA or end up in Lagos. So we had multiple sessions, but this was the very last session that we had before we left and went back to Nairobi and it just felt so surreal. It was the first time I was meeting her but we were in the studio and I was engineering for her. I remember crying—I’m pretty sure we have video evidence—but I remember crying because I just couldn’t believe it. I was like, “Wow. somebody has finished the story. You couldn’t have told me that this is where I’d be in the world when this song was going to be finished or who would be doing it,” because we had so many ideas before. And I feel like she completed the story.

“SOUTHWARDS” FT. TAY IWAR

This one is so funny because I had a studio session yesterday with the person that I had originally written this song for in 2019. When we were compiling stuff for the album, I was looking up the lyrics and of course, it took me back to the day that I wrote it—June 24 2019—and that person’s name was at the top and I was like “Oh my God. I completely forgot that you’re the reason why I wrote this song,” because they were just looking for songs and I was doing my whole songwriting thing at the time. And this was a song that I actually pitched to them, but they didn’t end up using it.

So I just had it for myself for a while. And then again Faiza, my manager—who has been working with Tay for a while—had actually booked him in Nairobi for a show and I opened for him at that show. And so I got to meet him then. Not knowing that maybe a year later he would send us back the second verse and we were just mind-blown. I don’t think we’ve stopped being mind blown since that day. Every time I listen to [the] song, I’m just like “Wow, the way things come together is just incredible.”

“ANTICIPATE” FT. KARUN

“Anticipate” [was] produced by Cee B and Stoopid Lou. Cee B is another producer that was signed to the same label that I was [in Atlanta]. I had been writing every day but I hadn’t picked anything from any of his folders. So on that particular day, I was just like, “Let me see what this guy has in here for me to use,” and I listened to that beat and I remember it was called Motion, and I immediately started thinking about driving and then, all of a sudden, I had half a song that did use the metaphor of driving to describe love. I just remember sitting in my room and feeling like I was moving, like I was in motion and then [I] totally forgot that I had sent the song to Karun.

And I think she and I had a gig maybe six months later. And when we were saying bye to each other, she was like “By the way, I wrote something to that song you sent me a while ago.” I had no idea what it was going to be but she and I had known each other for a while. We had been roommates in college and then we had come back and I feel like she’s one of the main artists in Nairobi that opened the door to so much of the alternative R&B and soul music that’s being created now. 

So she sent me her verse. A lot of this project has been emotional, especially [with the] features because it’s really somebody else coming into your space, bringing in their own experience and helping you finish a story that you started, and when it feels right, it’s just emotional.

“TEMPORARY LOVE”

Karun had been a part of the #emPawa100 program [launched] by Mr Eazi where he was giving grants to a hundred artists on the continent to do a video and a release. And for the one that Karun did, I was in her video. And I remember feeling like, “Oh my God, I can’t believe I missed out on this opportunity.” And so it came back around the [following] year and he [Mr Eazi] had reduced the numbers. He’d now made it #emPawa30 where the same amount of money that was originally being given out was going to be split between 30 people so everybody would have more to spend on a video and a release and something else if they could. 

And so you just had to apply by posting one or two video submissions on your Instagram and tagging emPawa [Africa]. “Temporary Love” is the first one that I submitted but even just off that song, I had definitely gotten into the program. I posted a second one but by that time, I knew this one was happening. I just didn’t know when and then on November 5, 2019, I woke up and went on Twitter and Mr Eazi had tagged me in a tweet saying that I was his fifth pick for the emPawa program and I was like “Whoa,” and then [I] came to find out that I was the only Kenyan out of all the 30 people. And it’s crazy to think that though – 30 people out of who knows how many people applied on the entire continent of Africa? 

But yeah, that’s how “Temporary Love” happened. But I think it took me an additional year to write the second verse because we only had to post a one-minute clip for the audition. So I only had the first verse up till the chorus. Between 2019 and 2020. And then I think I finished it towards the end of 2020 after trying multiple times and then finally being like “How should I approach this?” and doing some cool stuff with songwriting.

I think I like to see it now as just relying on my first instinct because I tried to write so many versions of the second verse. And I only succeeded and followed through once I went back to the source. So on the version that’s out, I start the song by saying, “No I didn’t listen/Try to keep my distance,” and I start the second verse by saying, “I know I kept my distance/Wishing that I listened.” So once I made that switch, it just made sense. I was like, “Yeah, go back to the original idea. Of course, you have something to say if you just make reference to that.” And that’s how I approach a lot of my songwriting as well. I don’t like to stray too far from my first instinct because it’s about how I feel. I feel like the thinking should be done to apply the language, but it’s about how I feel.

“CHEZA CHINI”

So “Lowkey” is the song that I ended up releasing with emPawa after I got the grant, and before we got to this version of the album, there was no interlude. And the song came out in December 2020. And I remember just listening to the album over and over again and feeling like I wanted to add something new to it because the song had been out for a while and I was like “Okay, if I put this in a project I definitely want something to break up the first half and the second half,” and so I arrived at “Cheza Chini.” 

So Cheza is Swahili for play And Chini is Swahili for down. So play it down, which is basically keep it lowkey. I was trying to bring in some Swahili but also do something crazy. And I wanted something ambient because I like ambient sounds, I like meditating and I like the sounds of birds. I like the sounds of nature. I just wanted to close my eyes and listen to something and be transported to a totally different world before “Lowkey” started. The version that I had of it [“Cheza Chini”] before was just a version that I made on my laptop. And then, I ended up re-recording it this year, a few months ago, and changed the arrangement a bit to make it feel even more orchestral. We added that long bass that just goes all the way through and “Cheza Chini” is the one song on my album that I had a hand in the production.

So funny how life is: two guys, Joshua Choo and another guy called Troy Bourgeois. We all went to the same college. I actually had a class with Troy and I had no idea that he was in LA. I just went for my session and found out that he actually worked at the studio that I was recording. And so he just came through to help. And then Josh and I were connected through my mixing engineer. And the first day that I met Josh, he’s like, “I’ve been listening to your music for so long.” And then we started reviewing videos from when we were at school and finding out that we were in the same room so many times and didn’t even know or hadn’t even connected. 

So, that’s how that all came together, that was a great day. I love playing around with vocals. I was in the choir when I was a kid and we always sang chorales and I love choral music. I love arranging vocals so I wanted to also just play around with that. I always try to have those elements in all my projects and you’ll always find something like that where I just have a section that is packed with vocals on vocals on vocals and so I wanted to play around with that on “Cheza Chini.” Cheza Chini is the translation for “keep it lowkey.” It’s the intro to “Lowkey.”

“LOWKEY”

I feel like I might have written it the week after I got accepted [for the #emPawa100 program]. I remember writing it in November 2019. I had a friend that I had just met. She’s from Denmark and she was just in Nairobi for a while and we became so close. She had even lived in my grandparents’ house with me for a while and then she got an Airbnb so I’d split some of my time there. And I remember on that day, everybody wanted to go out but I was like, “No guys, I just want to stay here and make some music.” It was like 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. and I was just sitting there. The beat, I think, was also called lowkey. At that time I was trying to really rely on my instincts, and so I would use the names of the beats as the inspiration and I’d be like, “Okay, lowkey. How do I feel? What do I have to say about this? What’s my experience with this?” 

And I believe that there might have been somebody new in my life [at that time] and based on my previous experience which shaped a lot of the ‘LOVE/HATE, Pt. 1’ album, that was a relationship that had ended. I just didn’t want to share that with anybody so soon. I was in a space where I wanted to just keep it to myself because I was afraid of losing it if I opened it up to the world and that’s what I wrote about. I also wrote that song very fast.

“NIAMBIE”

I wrote it when I was in Atlanta In 2018. I feel like I actually even downloaded the video the other day from the session where I did it. October 3, 2018. In the six months that I was in Atlanta, once I started writing songs, I was doing five to six sessions a week, so four, five, six days of the week, I was in the studio splitting my time between the label and then splitting the other half of the time making stuff with MOMBRU.

I went to his house and I just wanted to do something different. He had played me the beat and I kept trying to write something in English and it just wasn’t flowing. And so I was like “Okay, let me just try something new.” Up until this point, I hadn’t written anything in Swahili that I had put out. At the time we were working on my debut EP ‘Fallin’ Apart,’  for which we had the idea for it to be parts A and B. And I think that was supposed to happen. But it’s funny now because that’s actually what’s happening with [my album]. We have part one and part two. ‘Fallin’ Apart’ just came out on its own and it’s gonna stay like that.

So I was like, “Okay if I’m going to write something in Swahili, I want to actually talk about something that’s super traditional.” So I went back to thinking about arranged marriages. In an arranged marriage, you don’t have much of a choice. You are just set up with this person and so I was just trying to think what happens in the case where you don’t have a choice, but you’re in love with somebody else and you’re willing to even risk tradition and you’re willing to just break boundaries if you just get confirmation from [that] somebody else that they want you as much as you want them. And so, that’s what “Niambie” is about. 

So, [the song’s title] means tell me. The first verse—direct translation—is “Believe me/ I want to be with you forever/But before you find me with somebody else, tell me that it’s me.” The second verse, “Contemplating my decision/ I’m on a mission for more.” I wanted to explore something else and see what it’s like when I don’t conform, which, outside of that song. definitely applies to me. That was my frame of mind when I wrote that song. And then I put it out. I think I had been home for about two months and we had my whole ‘Fallin’ Apart’ EP already, but we decided to put out “Niambie,” which didn’t even end up on the project and it was just so well received, it blew my mind.

I couldn’t believe it because I felt like people were going to tell me “Ah, this girl is just trying to bend. She’s just trying to bend this Swahili thing,” like “She’s still not really doing the local thing,” like “She’s not really in the space of the music that we’re used to,” but it just blended my influences and when I say the way it was received, I don’t mean even just at home. A lot of people in the US tell me that that is their favourite song of mine. I have videos of so many friends that are not Swahili-speaking at all that learned the song, that know it word for word and it just blew my mind to be at home and have the reception on both ends. And I was like, “Oh, I’m supposed to do this music thing, why am I running away from this?” And so, I made the commitment and now here we are so many years later talking about my debut album.

“PRECIOUS”

I love this song. I don’t have a favourite [on the album] but sometimes it feels like this one is my favourite. This is my self-love song even though it still sounds like I’m speaking to somebody. I feel like it can apply to anybody that I want to let into my life. Whether it’s a friend, whether it’s a relationship. This song was produced by the only Kenyan producer on the project. His name is Mbogoua Mbogoua Mbogoua. We had known each other for a while. He invited me to his studio and we made this song and it’s funny because it’s the only song we’ve actually ever done together but then it’s the one song that I’ve consistently performed ever since then. 

I can’t remember the headspace that I was in or rather what prompted me to write the way that I did. It was kind of aggressive almost; it’s like “Of course, I need to talk about myself like this. Of course, I need to value myself. Of course, I need to remember my value and know that I’m precious and know my worth. And of course, I need to have boundaries and uphold those.”

Yeah, “Precious” is just energy. When I wake up, I want to feel like this and I want other people to feel like that. And I feel like they do, all those that have listened to it, all those that have heard me perform it. I have a friend who tweeted two days ago that was like, “I just need Xenia to confirm that ‘Precious’ is going to be on the album because I can’t keep going back to the video I have in my Google Drive from her performance in 2019.” And so I’m excited for it to finally come out.

“LOVE/HATE”

This definitely had to be the title track. When I wrote “Love/Hate,” I felt like it was the one song that described the range of emotions that I had written about from having hope to new love to songs like “Soul Lovers” where I’m talking about how colourful love can be, how soulmates just find each other.  For [this song], [I highlighted] that push and pull. One day, we’re good, the next day, I’m packing. Everything falls under that title. 

And this song in particular is very sentimental. I don’t know if it’s because of the emotional space I was in when I wrote it and how that’s not even a headspace that I’m in right now. In the song, I was willing to over-compromise. I was willing to not uphold boundaries because I felt like love was such a necessity, and because I was operating like love was such a necessity, when it wasn’t there, I also felt like my world was just being thrown into chaos.

And I just was constantly going back and forth between those spaces and I can admit that it’s toxic but it’s so good when it’s good. And I don’t want to let go, I don’t want to be the one that ends things even though I’m aware that this isn’t healthy. Of course, I’ve grown from that and I’m grateful for that experience because it helped me translate that into music and be like, “Okay, what do I want to do different from this?” So, Yeah, that’s a very, very special song.

Stream ‘LOVE/HATE, Pt. 1’ below.

Featured image credits/NATIVE

TurnTable Top 100: Burna Boy Claims Four Spots On The Top 10

Posted on by Uzoma Ihejirika

Fresh off the release of his album ‘I Told Them…’ Burna Boy leads with the most tracks in the Top 10. He takes No.2 – No. 5 spots with “Giza” featuring Seyi Vibez beating “Big 7” down from its spot last week despite being a new entry on the chart. “Giza” had the No.1 spot on streaming with 3.69 million streams. “Big 7” climbed down to No. 5. “City Boys” takes Khaid’s “Anabella” spot at No.3 pushing “Anabella” down to No. 6.

Asake’s “Lonely at the Top” holds down the No.1 spot for the eighth week, making it the only song to last that long for the first time in two years. The record has remained unbeaten since Joeboy’s “Sip (Alcohol)” spent ten weeks at No.1 in 2021. The song amassed a total of 3.65 million on-demand streams in Nigeria earning it the No. 2 spot on streaming and 96.8 million radio impressions earning it the No.1 spot on Radio.

Burna Boy’s “Cheat on Me” with Dave saw a rapid ascension from the Top 50 into the Top 5, climbing up from its No. 41 spot last week to No.4 this week. Omah Lay’s “reason” drops further down the chart, taking the No.7 spot on the Top Ten while Adekunle Gold’s “Ogaranya” drops from No.7 to No.8. Olamide’s “Jinja” drops four positions, going from No.5 to No.9. At the No. 10. spot is King Promise’s “Terminator.” Notably, Falz’s “Ndi Ike” falls completely out of the top 10 entries.

Featured image credit/NATIVE

NATIVE Exclusive: Eclipse Nkasi’s Grand Vision For Music And AI In Africa

Posted on by Uzoma Ihejirika

Curiosity has always motivated every one of Eclipse Nkasi’s endeavours. It began with music, opening him up to the world of rap as a teenager in secondary school. This led him to discover the music production software FL Studio and set him on the path of being a music producer. Nkasi followed the allure of curiosity to the business side of music making as he became an event organiser and the Head of Promotions at prominent Nigerian record label, Chocolate City Music. After that, he would then move into the Marketing and Advertising industry, where he’d work with a number of notable brands on campaign content and strategy. By late 2022, Nkasi’s curiosity showed up again: this time introducing him to the endless possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI).

 

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“I was always interested in technology. I always liked to seek out knowledge. So it wasn’t very long before those two started to collide,” he tells the NATIVE. “I started to have ideas that were very inspired by technology and I felt like this could be something that I could do.” Artificial intelligence, a relatively new phenomenon in today’s world, is gaining more recognition for the abilities of digital machines (computers, robots, and more) to replicate the analytical and decision-making abilities of the human mind.

Nkasi’s observations of the technological evolution and his passion as a creative person inspired him to found Wakati Media, a company blending technology with creativity. “Our goal is to reshape the way people experience music, film and fashion. We are leveraging artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and so much more.” In May, Nkasi released the first offering of his technology-meets-creativity ideation in the form of ‘Infinite Echoes,’ a nine-track project and, in his words, Africa’s first AI-powered music album. The album was made in three days with a $500 budget and was nourished by Nkasi’s close friends David Wondah, a music producer and sound engineer and Nnamdi Agbo, a singer, songwriter and actor.

“I knew that artificial intelligence was going to be able to do a whole lot, especially within the creative space. This is following what I had seen in the late part of 2022 with ChatGPT, Midjourney, DALL-E and the likes of them,” Nkasi says. He was worried about what the role of an artist and creative when AI was involved and had conversations with friends. “[This was] split across two lines: people who thought ‘This is the end. AI is here to take all our jobs and we are done for.’ However, there were also people who thought AI would not stand a chance and was missing a real human element. “Instead of falling into one of those boxes, the best thing for me was to just figure out what was possible,” he shares.

“I’m now very aware of what can happen, of the fact that AI isn’t going to eradicate artists and not because I’m saying that sentimentally but because I know for a fact what is currently possible till that changes tomorrow.  So now, I function from a place of information and first-time experience.”

Nkasi made a documentary to record his, Wondah and Agbo’s experiences with recording ‘Infinite Echoes.’ A large share of the album was created by AI-powered software: Soundraw for beat making, ChatGPT for the lyrics and ElevenLabs for voiceover work. “We added extra instruments to suit what we wanted. The most obvious thing to do with AI and music would have been to do some fake Drake or fake Rihanna voice cloning and that we didn’t want to touch, and I’m very grateful that I stayed away from it,” he says. ‘Infinite Echoes,’  which follows Nkasi’s ‘Child of Destiny’ (2020) and ‘Gravity’ (2023), is an intricate story of a character named Leo in a dystopian universe who goes through different situations to realise that he alone possesses the power to win. It is a sonic tale of self-discovery and self-actualisation. 

“I have a way that I approach album making and this is an example of why human nature would always define how an AI project comes out,” shares Nkasi. As a creative, Nkasi belives in telling a story, a cohesive sonic vision bounded together with lyrics. “The themes that cut across the album are things that I also highlighted in the beginning when I started prompting. It was clear that I wanted the songs to be about hope, love and a sense of faith. The actual story [of the album] was written by ChatGPT, of course taking direction from what I gave. We give it the context and the themes we wanted it to contain; the sonic influences –  Hip-Hop, Afrobeats, Soul and a bit of Dancehall, which is the type of sound that I like to explore personally.”

With ChatGPT, Nkasi generated song and album titles and a tracklist. Song titles for “Love Tempo,” “Dream Chaser,” “Find You,” “God’s Whisper, Pt. 1” and “God’s Whisper, Pt. 2” stayed the same, except for “Ifuu (Men Di Bad).” He also made sure to fill his promptings with exact details of the lyrics and the emotions therein he wanted. “It’s advanced prompting. [You] get content that feels better for you because in the end there’s no song on ‘Infinite Echoes’ that doesn’t sound like it’s a song Eclipse could have written,” Nkasi says. 

According to Nkasi, using advance prompting achieves much better content than generic output. “If you use ChatGPT extensively, you start to realise that it does have certain words or phrases that it panders towards. You run the risk of having things that have these overarching ChatGPT-ey type of writing over time and that’s why it’s good to give it more context. The best example would always be the song ‘Find You.’ That’s the Dancehall one,” he says. Nkasi had the entire chorus written out before prompting ChatGPT and only gave the machine the chorus. “[I said] ‘Give me the rest of the song—the verses and other parts of it—but make sure it’s about 80% patois, 20% English and maybe 10% Nigerian Pidgin.’ That’s the same thing we did for “Ifuu (Men Di Bad)” because it’s an Igbo song written by ChatGPT, even though I also wrote a huge part of it.”

“God’s Whisper, Pt. 2” was produced by David Wondah, with the lyrics written completely with ChatGPT. It’s a soaring Gospel duet by Nkasi and Mya Blue, an AI-generated singer. Mya Blue materialised out of the creation process for ‘Infinite Echoes’ as Nkasi felt the desire to push the boundaries of AI further. Hopping onto Midjourney, he went to work on Mya Blue’s facial characteristics and sonic textures. For the voice synthesis process, Nkasi tested Mya Blue’s pronunciations with “very weird songs,” seeking to smoothen her use of English and Nigerian Pidgin. Mya Blue has done covers of Davido’s “KANTE,” Libianca’s “People” and Resonance’s “Lee Lee.” Nkasi reveals that while working on Mya Blue, he never thought about her race; he was only concerned with creating and bringing his vision into reality. Still, that hasn’t stopped Mya Blue from impressing several listeners.

Nkasi also lets on that there is a huge demand for more music for Mya. “We already have offers from one of the top distribution companies in Nigeria to distribute her music. So now, we’re in the studio trying to make original music from her because apparently everybody wants to hear it,” he says. According to Nkasi, Mya will soon have her own single and make appearances on other mainstreams Nigerian songs. “[There’s] possibly an EP from her by the end of the year.”

For Nkasi, the biggest lesson that he has acquired from working on ‘Infinite Echoes’ is one that every creative person needs to heed: “Just execute.” The project drained Nkasi emotionally and financially—from would-be funders failing to fulfil their promises to losing all the footage for the documentary and having to rent equipment again and reshoot. He’s grateful that he didn’t give up on the project even when those trying moments tempted him.  “We have investment offers from VCs [venture capitalists]. We have a whole plan in terms of how we intend to do this on a bigger scale and be able to incorporate more creatives,” he says. 

Nkasi also mentions that all creatives will benefit from AI, especially if they stick to the path of ethics. He believes this is important so that nobody’s copyright is being infringed upon in the process of creating music with AI and the final product is true to each person’s craft. “I will continue to spread the word [by] organising workshops and training that will help more people get into the world of AI and music and arts, but get it from the right angle,” he says.

Through his company Wakati Media, Eclipse Nkasi is determined to restructure how entertainment and media content is created and consumed in Africa. With ‘Infinite Echoes,’ the journey has begun. More content in the areas of film and fashion are in the pipeline. “These are the milestones for me. There’s a lot of work that I need to do across those spaces,” he says. “I can see that there’s a whole revolution coming. So to anybody who is with it, I say, ‘Welcome to the Resistance.’”

Featured image credits/NATIVE

Identify: Tolibian wants to become a master of his craft

Posted on by Nwanneamaka Igwe

Hailing from the North Central part of Nigeria, Tolibian is a familiar name among young people. Wearing multiple hats as both an artist and a comedian, he’s garnered a sizeable following blending Fuji and Apala into his orbit and charming crowds with his wit. For any multidisciplinary artist, it’s a know conundrum facing multiple skills and weighing up which to master, in fear that they can only maintain one lane. However, the Ilorin-born artist is doing the opposite–a master of both his skills, learning his craft and biding his time for his moment.

The way Tolibian sees it, he’s able to play to both his strengths because they are extensions of his personhood. “It’s like taking the form of a character. If I want to be an artist, I can be an artist. If I want to be a comedian, I’ll be a comedian, he tells the NATIVE. “I don’t find any difficulty in switching between these characters. I can easily go on stage and perform my music without being comical,” he continues. 

This relentless attitude and commitment to his craft swiftly earned Tolibian an outstanding social media following for his hilarious skits, which later laid the foundation for the multi hyphenate to venture into music. In order to be the best in both fields, Tolibian has studied and paid close attention to the reaction his music or comedy skits elicit from a crowd. This careful exercise soon armed him with the confidence he needed to fully explore both creative pursuits, particularly music after seeing how receptive audiences were.

Taking a familiar starting place, Tolibian experimented with Fuji sounds which once soundtracked his childhood and drew inspiration from its great artists to inform his work. “The positive reviews I was receiving from the content online is why I felt like music was what people wanted to see. I make music effortlessly. I decided to put in effort and see where it goes and my music has been evolving in a really exciting way,” he shares. For Tolibian, he’s comfortable with embracing his mistakes and learning curves, and using this to further furnish his world view. 

With a knack for melody, and a technical comprehension for cadence, he then released his standout single “Abaya,” which he describes as a pivotal moment in his career. “I think that was when I dropped “Abaya.” My freestyles always trend and I’m grateful to God and my audience for the support. But the one that stunned me the most was definitely “Abaya,” the uNder alum shares.

Tolibian continues to deliver true-to-life lyrics and showcase his refined confidence as he ascends the ranks. Recently, he released new single “Happy,” a Fuji-inflected number with an aspirational message that serves to further reinforce his hitmaking abilities. As he continues to take a step towards the powerhouse he is capable of becoming, we caught up with Tolibian to discuss making music for his audience, growing up in Ilorin and mastering his comedy and music skills.

Our conversation, which follows below, has been lightly edited for clarity. 

NATIVE: Thanks for joining me today. Taking it back to where it all started, what role did music play in your life when you were growing up?

Tolibian: Tolibian, that’s me. I hail from Kwara State, Nigeria. Ilorin-west to be precise. Growing up wasn’t too tough but it made me who I am today. It has taught me to be resilient, persistent, hardworking and never giving up on my dreams. I didn’t have any formal music training. I used to play music for fun but then I started to make freestyle videos online and I noticed people started to fall in love with the musical part of me so I decided to take it seriously and pursue it professionally.

What year was that? 

I started making music professionally in 2021.

Looking back on when you started, how would you describe your previous sound with the music you’re making at the moment?

I’m still working on different genres. I’m still trying to find my own style. I’ll just let my fans and audience decide but for now, I’ll say I’m doing Afro-fusion and Afro-Fuji even though I try to be versatile with different genres.

When did you realise you wanted to start music professionally?

The positive reviews I was receiving from the content online are why I felt like music was what people wanted to see. I make music effortlessly. I decided to put in effort and see where it goes and my music has been evolving in a really exciting way. I’ve been exploring different sounds and styles to find what really resonates with me. I’ve also been working on some new songs and I hope it connects with people on a deeper level. I’m collaborating with other artists to create something truly unique and powerful and I believe this evolution would help me grow as an artist. It’d help me connect with a new audience in a meaningful way.

You come from the Northern part of Nigeria, Kwara State. How instrumental was your hometown in the music you were listening to and making?

My background doesn’t really inspire my music but I grew up listening to Fuji music like Barista. I also listened to the likes of Bob Marley and Fela but the genre I really grew up listening to was Fuji and the oldies music. My dad played them a lot.

What moment in your career do you consider to be your big break?

I think that was when I dropped “Abaya.” My freestyles always trend and I’m grateful to God and my audience for the support. But the one that stunned me the most was definitely “Abaya.” I’ve dropped a couple of freestyles that trended like my cover of Avicii’s “The Night” and Fireboy’s “Peru” but the virality of “Abaya” really got me in my feelings. The love was massive and the turn-up was unexpected.

How did your artist moniker ‘Tolibian’ come about? 

I postulated the theory of my stage name from my actual name. My name is Motolib so I removed the ‘tolib’ and I just added the ‘a’ and ‘n’ after to make it sound nicer. That name has been mine since secondary school. I’ve been exploring different sounds and fuji has definitely played a significant role in my music career. Most of the covers I did for people are me using fuji on their actual song so Fuji has played a good role in my music career so far. I’m still working around other genres and I really believe that evolution is going to help me grow as an artist. 

Your music covers a range of genres from Afropop to Hip-Hop, Apala and more. Why is it important, at this stage of your career, to remain experimental?

Creativity is very important for any kind of project. You can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again. If you don’t get tired, your audience can get tired and they’ll always ask for more. Learning never stops. As a person you need to keep learning every day but more so as a creative person. There are new talents emerging every day fighting to reach stardom so I feel it is very important for any creative to always want to explore and go beyond your capabilities. It is good to try out new things.

What do you want people to take away from your music?

I want them to feel like they can change the world for the better through their own actions and the power of my music.

In 2021, you released your first official single. What headspace were you in at the time of making this track and what messages did you hope to tell audiences?

“Abaya” is about me trying to tell people to not live above their means. I made the song for pure entertainment. The message there is literally to cut your coat according to your size. In the song, I tell them, “If you cannot afford abaya, go for Jalamiya.” 

How would you describe your creative process?

I believe that when you create something it is important to stay open-minded and let your imagination run wild. I can get inspiration from anything. From personal experiences, other people’s stories, movies, and listening to songs. I can get inspiration from anything. It’s just left to what I’m writing on and my pen game. The inspiration I get is what I use to inspire and entertain others. It’s helped me so far and I’ve been improving over the years.

As well as music, you’re building your path within comedy. Can you tell us more about your earliest memories of making people laugh?

Back then, in my alma mater, I used to be this stubborn boy making people laugh. I’m never boring. I think that’s how it started. When I got to senior secondary school I continued as an MC for different departments. I started posting short skits on my Facebook with makeup on and I’ll even have my head of department officials support me. I’m only the body that passes the message to people and lucky for me, they found it hilarious. So that’s how I started and from there I fell in love with music. I started making freestyle videos. People loved that so I decided to pursue it professionally. That’s how I switched from comedy to music.

Would you say you dabble both now or you’re predominantly focusing on music?

I’m focused on music professionally. I’m still going to use the comical part of me to promote my music but for now, I don’t want to confuse my audience.

How do you find combining your comedic skills with your love for music?

It’s like taking the form of a character. If I want to be an artist, I can be an artist. If I want to be a comedian, I’ll be a comedian. I don’t find any difficulty in switching between these characters. I can easily go on stage and perform my music without being comical. If I was summoned for a role in a movie or skit, I’d obviously have to play the role of the comedian which makes me engage with a different audience. None of these talents interfere with each other and it is all thanks to God that I’ve been able to finesse it. Although, most times, I do have creative blocks and I find it difficult to write. Once I switch into one character and get too deep and fall in love with it, getting back to music can take some time. I’ll be stuck battling with creative blocks but it’s usually not too tough for me to handle.  

How do you usually overcome those creative blocks?

I wish I had an answer to this question but honestly, it just comes and goes.

How have you managed to navigate the industry as a newcomer and what are some of the things you’ve learnt so far?

Not giving up on my dream, being resilient and being persistent. That’s the only way. Don’t rely on people to help you. I’m not saying you shouldn’t get help from others but you should help yourself first before your helper will come. I have a good number of fans on my platform and if I’ve been able to get this far without any label’s help, anybody can do it. If I can survive, you can survive.  

You recently released “Happy.” What was your inspiration behind this song and what did you want listeners to take away?

“Happy” is like a breakthrough type of song. Anybody listening to “Happy” should feel that breakthrough. The song isn’t really inspired by anything but that’s what I want my listeners to take away.

When you made “Happy,” did it feel like you were making a hit?

Yes. I always believe my songs are going to be a hit. You just have to trust in the process which is why I put in my all in everything I do because I want it to be worth it.

The music scene is packed with amazing talents looking to carve their lane. How do you stay true to yourself at all times amid all the noise around you? 

In as much, as I said, I’m trying to explore and try out new sounds to see what really resonates with me, one needs to be very careful with the way you learn and the people you learn from. When I see something that really sits with me or is really creative, I go for it. Over the years I’ve been able to differentiate between noise and actual music. I know what I want.

What does growth look like to you personally?

Growth means everything to me. My numbers are increasing, my pen game is getting better and improving the kind of music I make. I mean if I start counting, we’ll spend all day here. My music has been evolving in a very exciting way and I think that’s growth for me. I’ve been able to take a step from freestyle and delve into music. That’s growth for me.

What’s next for you beyond the recent single release?

I have a body of work that is dropping soon, probably this year. I’m dropping an album or EP.  I believe my fans are going to be excited for this one.

Featured Image Credits/The NATIVE

NATIVE Selects: New Music From Juls, Pheelz, Kold AF & More

Posted on by Emmanuel Esomnofu

Every week, new music shows up, sweeping fans and music lovers off their feet while artists gauge reactions to know the effect of their creativity. At the NATIVE, we are committed to keeping our ears on the pulse of the music scene and bringing the best sounds to your doorstep. In our last edition, we brought you new releases from Johnny Drille, Moonga K. and more. Today, we have songs that move from Afropop to Amapiano to R&B, with our select artists showcasing their unending talent and passion for creativity. Lock in!

JULS – “PALMWINE RIDDIM”

For those who know, Juls is the progenitor of the contemporary palmwine sound. A decade after collaborating with Show Dem Camp on the iconic “Feel Alright,” the Ghanaian-born producer is building a rootsy world. “Palmwine Riddim” sets the tempo in that regard; a live-centric mellow groove whose progression imbibes a neo-Highlife flourish, while incorporating the bubble of everyday voices and conversation. It’s a masterclass in mood and measure, and has us very excited for his forthcoming ‘Palmwine Diaries, Vol. 1’. 

KOLD AF – “NOBODY 2 SOMEBODY”

One of the most distinct voices to emerge from Nigeria in recent times is newcomer Kold AF whose silky smooth vocals is every listener’s dream. Her spirited lyricism finds the perfect accompaniment through her vocals, a full, embodied quality. On “Nobody 2 Somebody,” she sings about the potential of her dreams, while centreing divine power as a spur behind them. Heartfelt and contemplative, it’s the kind of song you want to wake up listening to. With records like this one, there’s no doubt that Kold AF has a lot more to say. 

MAJOR LEAGUE DJZ, KOJEY RADICAL & MAGICSTICKS – “BAD FOR BUSINESS”

It’s a heavyweight affair on “Bad For Business” as the producers Major League DJz and Magicsticks collaborate. All three have been some of the most inventive hands creating from the percussive roots of Amapiano. On here, their distinct adaptations of the genre bares in magical form. Earthy, fun and quirky, the British-Ghanaian artist Kojey Radical excites over the production, unfurling afro-inspired rhythms and just sounds so good having a great time. 

KRIZBEATZ FT. RAYBEKAH & LADE – “TIME WASTER”

On this emotive masterclass, producer Krizbeatz features the duo of Raybekah and Lade, who sings about the lack of intentionality from a love interest. With distinct but similarly affecting vocals, their stories are delivered with a humorous bent even as the song’s message imbibes a lot of thoughtfulness. As always the brilliant hand of Krizbeatz is never far away, in this case supplying the effervescent production which the song benefits from. 

BALLORANKING FT. DYANI – “WE UP”

Primed to release a new album this week, Balloranking has shared a new promotional single titled “We Up.” The artist operates a distinct plain in the Street Hop canon, his stories presented through an optimistic gaze, while his vocal inflections have been consistently evocative. That skill set is present on the mellow “We Up,” a gracious recounting of the struggling days and how he wants to keep living the good life. A chilling feature verse from Dyani cements the record’s celestial appeal. 

PHEELZ FT. YOUNG JONN – “JELO”

Inspiration is the theme of the song as two of Nigeria’s most prominent producers-turn-musicians collaborate for the first time. There’s a lot connecting Young Jonn and Pheelz but it’s still a marvel how beautifully they both connect here, their distinct sensibilities melding into sonic warmth. A narrative style is used to depict the grass-to-grace theme, with specific places and memories brought up, while the vocalisations and ‘Piano-inflected production builds around. 

IDAHAMS – “GOD BLESS AFRICA”

On the mellow record, the Port-Harcourt raised artist and producer sings about the beauty of Black women. The mood is however more celebratory than contemplative as he sweetly paints images of associative loves. Teasing an affectionate performance from him, the production mirrors the lyrical direction, in the sense that it’s a fun and relaxed vibe. With its runtime going just over two minutes, it’s a breezy record that should have you hitting replay.

ATTIFAYA & KEMUEL – “FRESH BOY RIDDIM” 

As the title suggests, there’s a luxurious feeling permeating this record. Right from the glossy keys and laid-back drums to the deliveries, which range from the sing-songy hook of Kemuel to the rap zest of Attifaya, each part of the song is in purposeful alliance. “I too get style, I for dey sell style” is a line which does great at describing the flex that’s the artist’s mission, and crowd vocals brings the atmosphere together, establishing an outdoor party vibe. 

KOLABOY FT. TIMAYA – “KOLAPIANO (ISAKABA) [REMIX]” 

The Oja sound has been one of the distinct instruments soundtracking our musical year. Among its early adapters in the scene was Kolaboy, who blended its spiritual essence into charged drums to create the sound he described as Kolapiano. On this remix, he teams up with Timaya who contributes his golden voice to the song’s well-established mythos. Singing about the desire to live the good life, with lyrics delivered in the Igbo language and Pidgin-English, the pair deliver a masterful remix. The song’s video also relays the song’s intentions with a fine depiction of its ascendant culture and its dramatic proportions. 

ICYMI: FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE 16TH HEADIES AWARDS

What’s Going On: Nigerian Labour Congress starts warning strike, Gabon’s new head of state & more

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

“What’s Going On” Tallies Notable News Headlines From Across The Continent — The Good, The Bad, And The Horrible — As A Way Of Ensuring That We All Become A More Sagacious African Generation. With This Column, We’re Hoping To Disseminate The Latest Happenings In Our Socio-Political Climate From Across The Continent, Whilst Starting A Conversation About What’s Important For Us To All Discuss. From Political Affairs To Socio-Economic Issues, ‘What’s Going On’ Will Discuss Just That. This Week’s Headlines Come From Gabon, Nigeria & South Sudan.

Brice Oligui sworn in as Gabon’s new head of state

Last week, Gabon became the eighth country in west and central Africa to be taken over by a military junta, following a coup that overthrew 14-year president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, successor to his father Omar Bongo, who ruled for 41 years. Led by Brice Oligui Nguema, a 48-year old army general and commander of the elite military unit known as the republican guard, the coup took place in the aftermath of elections that returned Ali Bongo as president, despite widespread allegations of gross irregularities and blatant rigging.

On Monday, September 4, Brice Oligui was sworn in as Gabon’s new head of state, as he took the oath in the presidential palace in the country’s capital Libreville. “This patriotic action will be a lesson learnt that will be taught in the books of our schools,” he said in the speech that followed his swearing-in, noting that the junta had taken power without any bloodshed. In addition to the announcement that a new government would be formed in a few days, he recommended a new penal code, a referendum for a new constitution, and a new electoral legislation.

Brice Oligui also promised a “free, transparent election” that would return power to the people, however there’s no set date. With the legislative reforms he’s proposing, though, analysts predicts that it could take months, or years possibly, for the next elections. While the United Nations roundly condemned the coup and the African Union suspended Gabon, many of its citizens are celebrating the junta’s seizing of power. However, there are some local cynics, like presidential opposition candidate Albert Ondo Ossa, who’s adamant that he won the cancelled elections and has called the coup a “palace revolution” meant to keep the Bongo family in power—Brice Oligui is Ali Bongo’s cousin.

Nigerian Labour Congress begins 2-day working strike

“I think they’re just conditioning us for when the price officially becomes N700 per litre or something ridiculous,” a concerned Nigerian citizen told The NATIVE earlier this year, during a petrol scarcity crisis that had been rocking the country for months. Immediately after his inauguration as president in late May, Bola Tinubu announced the removal of petrol subsidy and a change in the per litre pump price of petrol, almost tripling the official price upon his arrival into office.

The hike in price, with petrol going for N585 per litre in Lagos and up to N620 per litre in some states, has impacted the cost of living, doubling the cost of transportation and driving up the prices of household goods. In protest of the fuel price hike and its impact on the cost of living, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has embarked on a 2-day warning strike, starting on Tuesday, September 5. The largest trade union federation in the country, the NLC’s strike is expected to affect varying sectors of the economy, with several affiliate unions, including education, aviation and banking, joining in the strike.

“The removal of fuel subsidies is a direct attack on the poor and working people of Nigeria,” NLC president Joe Ajaero said in a statement. “It is an attempt to impoverish our people further and make life more difficult for them.” The federal government appealed to the NLC to call off the strike, however, the congress leaders boycotted a meeting convened by the minister of labour and employment, remaining adamant that the warning strike would go on as scheduled. While the entire country isn’t on standstill, it’s been reported that some electricity workers, bankers and civil servants have joined the strike action. The warning strike is expected to end on Wednesday, September 6.

South Sudan Basketball makes Olympic history

Of the four African countries participating in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, South Sudan has emerged as one of the best stories of the entire tournament. Representing the youngest nation in the world, the basketball team clinched a spot at next year’s Olympics in Paris, after beating perennial African basketball powerhouse Angola 101-78 on Saturday, clinching the lone FIBA Africa direct qualification spot.

Already a surprise qualifier to the world cup, this latest feat is incredibly remarkable for a country whose basketball program is very young. Led by point guard and reigning NBA G-League MVP Carlik Jones, the Bright Stars of South Sudan won the first two matches in the preliminary, including a blowout win against host country Philippine, before losing their next two matches. However, their win in the classification round against Angola ranks them as the top African team of the competition, immediately qualifying them for next year’s Olympics.

[Featured Image Credits: Guardian NG]

ICYMI: THE POPULARITY OF FANTASY PREMIER LEAGUE AMONG NIGERIAN FOOTBALL LOVERS

Five Takeaways From The 16th Headies Awards

Posted on by The Native

Yesterday, the 16th iteration of the Headies Awards took place in Atlanta, Georgia for the second consecutive year. The ceremony, in its typical fashion, gathered some of the best heads in the music business, for a renowned celebration of remarkable achievements and milestones of Nigeria’s burgeoning music industry.

Since its inception in the early 2000’s, the award founded by Ayo Animashaun, has played a pivotal role in spotlighting outstanding talents and innovation across the scene. Within its 16-year history, the Headies has awarded the best and brightest in the game, from Afropop frontrunners such as Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Davido, Burna Boy, 2Face and more, and the new generation of stars including Rema, Victony, Ayra Starr, and more, who are pushing the boundaries of the genre on the global stage. While their recognitions and wins as artists and producers are important to the music ecosystem, the persistent lack of organisation and infrastructure of Nigeria’s premiere award show has hardly developed since its formation, despite its recent move to the States. 

This year, these structural issues were brought squarely to the fore in the recently concluded 16th Headies Award which was held at the Cobb Centre in Atlanta. On the star-studded night, efforts to push the envelope with the production and organisation of the award show were not successful, leading to production issues during the award announcements, sound problems on the stage and unannounced categories which were later published online and awarded backstage.

It’s an admirable step to ensure every facet of Nigerian pop music is properly represented but also a glaring recognition that our award system has a long way to go. After taking a look at the full list of nominees, below are our takeaways, including the good, the not-so-good and the befuddling snubs.

 

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WHEN WILL WOMEN GET THEIR FLOWERS?

The Headies hasn’t always been the most gender diverse awards show. In recent times, their lack of purposeful representation has been brought to the forefront, and this year’s event was no different. For an industry that is witnessing the influx of so many diverse and talented women voices, it’s a travesty that we are seldom seeing these women take centre stage at such events. 

Other than the female categories, which was won by Ayra Starr and WAJE, there were few other categories which had women nominees, talk more of winning them. This peels into the larger conversation that women haven’t always gotten their flowers, especially in Nigeria which, even with its massive number of male acts, does have women artists—from soulful savants like Lindsey Abudei, YINKA, and Bella Alubo, to the many rappers (as listed somewhere below)—who are doing great things with their sound. For an awards show to properly contextualise an industry, it must vehemently refuse the comforting temptation of a single story. Headies haven’t done that this year, and it’s a stab in the flesh of their intentions.

We should do better and recognise that women play a role in this music we so love; more than fillers, they should be celebrated, in the major categories, winning the major awards, and not as a favour, but because the music is that good. 

THE YOUNGER GENERATION IS DOING ALRIGHT

Nigerian pop music isn’t just at its most prosperous, it’s also littered with more bonafide stars than ever. Part of that is the boom in the emergence of ultra-talented, charismatic artists since the late 2010s, an influx of attention-holders as part of a younger vanguard. This year’s Headies is an explicit confirmation of the plain fact that the game is being elevated by a glut of artists that weren’t minted stars about a decade ago. 

Apart from Burna Boy (who’s clearly not a new cat), Wande Coal, Tiwa Savage, and Waje, all of this year’s awardees broke out fairly recently, an indicator that we’re living through an expansive time in Nigerian music and the future might be even more brighter than we can even imagine. Rema won Best Male Artist and African Artist of the Year, four years after he became the hot new kid on the block; Victony picked up to two Headie plaques, including one for Recording of the Year, a momentous aftermath two years after a life-threatening accident; Ayra Starr won Best Female Artist, a stunning achievement in year 3 of her career; while Asake deservedly coasted to the biggest wins of the night—Next Rated and Album of the Year.

That these wins are coming at a time when older superstars like Wizkid, Davido, Olamide, Kizz Daniel and more, are still prominent, at home and globally, feels a lot more wholesome than a straight override by the younger generation. It bodes well for the competitive spirit of awards like the Headies and, more importantly, the variety listeners will always be treated to.

NIGERIAN MUSIC, AMERICAN STANDARDS?

On “Danfo to the Headies,” a single off his most recent album, ‘West African Goat’, rap artist Paybac Iboro sang about entering commercial buses to the venue of the 2020 Headies. In typical Paybac fashion, it was a way to discuss his personal travails, but as a nominee of the award show, it was symbolic that he could attend the award show without needing the glossy ride many of his more commercially successful colleagues can afford. For its last two editions, no one can board a danfo to the Headies, a logistical impossibility due to the awards now taking place in the U.S.

First of all, hosting a Nigerian award show outside the country (and the continent even) isn’t great for the optics. Secondly, it’s a cultural travesty that undermines the importance of Nigerian music to its core audience. Thirdly, the move to America hasn’t exactly improved the production quality—which is worrisome because that was the main reason for the move initially. Now, in addition to many independent artists who wouldn’t be able to attend the show, if they were nominated, Nigerians and Africans have to stay up at early morning hours to catch the proceedings of the award show.

Also, after Anthony Anderson’s appearance of last year, it’s unexplainable that Terrence J, who doesn’t have any explicit ties to Nigerian music, was tapped to host this year’s event. It’s not that he did a bad job hosting, but it just plays into the Westernising of an award show that should be innately African.

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR CRITERIA? 

The relevance of producers in the music making process cannot be overstated. Many times, these artist-producer dynamics lay the foundation for seamless expression on both parts while offering a more or less consistent environment for artists to thrive and deliver back to back hits. Examples of these iconic duos across music history lay in abundance and a category like this at our most prominent award show should recognise that. However, a glance at the nominees and the eventual winner, Rexxie for “Abracadabra (Remix),” shows that the criteria is hinged on a producer’s work on a single as opposed to multiple singles or a body of work. 

Now, Rexxie is undoubtedly an extraordinary producer and his contributions to slinging the ropes of Street-Pop to mainstream audiences will always be priceless. Think London who was already nominated alongside Andre Vibez for “Calm Down.” Anyone familiar with Rema’s world domination at the moment is well away from the pairing’s faultless creative relationship beyond the hit single. Other than producing other hit singles across ‘Rave and Roses’ like “Charm,” London also scores writing credits on a number “Soundgasm” coupled with him being the most reliable ear for building Rema’s distinct sound. Magicstick who also appeared in that category missed out on the win, especially considering the fact that he spearheaded one of the biggest breakthrough acts of 2023, Asake. That being said, it is more beneficial in the long run to have the entrants for this category to celebrate long term impact beyond a 3-minute plus contribution. 

A RAP RENAISSANCE IS IN FULL-EFFECT

Every couple of months when Nigerian rap conversations swing into mainstream discourse, it often tilts towards the ideal that the genre is ailing. For those in the know, Nigerian rap has always been flush with talent and great output, it’s the audience that needed to catch-up. Well, the renaissance might fully be on the way. With his 2022 album, ‘Young Preacher’, Chocolate City rap artist Blaqbonez won the Headie for Best Rap Album. It’s the culmination of years of refinement to his skill-set, savvy self-marketing and a bullishness to prove that he is the “Best Rapper in Africa.”

For years, Payper Corleone has been forging his cred in the underground, his slick wordplay and mafioso-affiliated gait making him a distinct figure in Nigerian rap. His win in the Lyricist on the Roll category highlights the talent pool that lies just beyond the mainstream. NATIVE Records flagbearer ODUMODUBLVCK won two awards, including Rookie of the year, in the midst of a breakout run that has seen him score veritable hits with “Picanto,” “Declan Rice” and “Firegun.” The middle song, a cultural signifier of the synergy between Nigerian pop culture and global football, won Best Rap Song.

ODUMODUBLVCK has always been adamant that his burst into the mainstream is a gateway to more of his rap colleagues taking over Nigerian music. While that assertion mainly applies to his crew of friends and collaborators, it could be applied widely, especially when you consider that all three winners in the rap categories are wildly different artists, representing varying sects of the scene. And that’s not even including the many women – SGaWD, Aunty Rayzor, Ytboutthaction, Brazy, and more – who are easily some of the most inventive and exciting voices and faces around. The present and future of Nigerian rap is fertile.

[Featured Image Credits/The NATIVE]

Words by Dennis Ade Peter, Nwanneamaka Igwe & Emmanuel Esomnofu

ICYMI: REVIEW: OLAMIDE’S ‘UNRULY’

Our First Impressions of Ruger’s Debut Album ‘Ru The World’

Posted on by The Native

Ever since Ruger broke into the music space with “Bounce“, his career has been on roll and continues to skyrocket the charts. Signed to Jonzing World Records, Ruger has always delivered albums producing hit songs. From his debut EP, ‘Pandemic’ which had the major hit song “Bounce” to his second EP, ‘The Second Wave’ with “Dior” as the lead single. We can’t forget his comeback to the music scene in 2022 with “Asiwaju” and “Red Flags,” with “Asiwaju” proving to be the better song charting at number 1 on Apple Music for almost 2 months. With every release from Ruger, a clear road to stardom is paved.

Preceding his album was an extensive 15-city North American album tour with the first show in Boston. Before this, the artist also toured and performed in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Rome, Brescia, Oslo, Dublin, Ireland and Canada, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal, and Edmonton. 

The RU Nation has been anticipating the release of a new album ever since he announced this on his Instagram Page and With Ruger’s debut album now here, we’re about to witness the world and headspace of the one eye-patched artist. The 17-track features Stefflon Don, Projexx, Sauti Sol, Govanna, and Juggelerz and contains familiar tracks like “Asiwaju” and “Red Flags”. 

As per usual, the NATIVE team delves into ‘Ru The World’ to deliver our initial thoughts and impressions. Tap in! 

 

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FAVOURITE SONG

Uzoma: “Tour” stands out for me. The Drill-led production is so smooth and Ruger’s Dancehall-esque delivery is topnotch. Also, love the message of the song: seeing your efforts yield success and making those closest to you proud. It’s a brilliant choice for an opening track. 

Moore: Of the songs on the project I’d say “Kristy” is definitely my favourite. It’s a low-key, gentle love song with soothing vocals that makes it a perfect song to send to your crush.

Dimeji: “Tour” definitely. It’s a perfect introduction to the album. The harmonies on the chorus are amazing and the production brings the track together perfectly. 

BEST FEATURE

Chigoziri: “All My Days” stands out to me out of all the features on the track. Sauti Sol does justice to the song and brings the song to life. 

Sien: “All My Days” has to be it for me. From the bear selection to Sauti Sol gliding through the track. It’s a match made in heaven. 

Dennis: Sauti Sol and BenjiFlow on “All My Days.” The latter is the producer but he’s such an integral part of what is one of the album’s best and most distinct songs. Sauti Sol? Yeah, Bien killed it. He has a stamp on every record he touches and he makes Ruger the lovestruck guy sound even more enjoyable – believable even.

STANDOUT PRODUCTION

Nwanemaka: “Ashana” is a good shout for this. I wouldn’t necessarily say this is the best production because it’s super catchy and perfectly encapsulates Ruger’s soundscape. Legendary Beatz understood the assignment. 

Emmanuel: A winning feature of Ruger’s music has always been his production. On ‘Ru The World’ he extends that run by working with a host of talented producers who create a number of truly memorable beats. Of them all, I’m leaning towards the Kukbeatz-produced “Kristy,” which is a very layered show, from the Konto-evoking drum pattern to the guitar playing. It’s mellow while being energetic, inspiring some of Ruger’s most passionate imagery. “I Want Peace” is also a strong shout—-there’s a riveting warmth permeating its core. 

BIGGEST POTENTIAL HIT

Alex: It wasn’t hard to pick. “Asiwaju” is a potential hit. Upon its run-up before the album, it was already a hit. The beat, sound, lyrics and appeal to the supporters of President Tinubu will not be discounted. 

Dimeji: “Tour” again for me. The song has a really catchy essence and great replay value. I feel like it’ll go crazy on TikTok.

Chigoziri:  “Likely” featuring Govana sounds like a potential hit, especially with the catchy beats and Govana’s impressive delivery of his verse. 

BIGGEST SKIP

Nwanneamaka: Maybe I started getting tired as I reached the end of the album but “Red Flags” isn’t doing much for me. It’s also Ruger’s typical avoidant personality shining through because why would he say “You saw the red flags baby and you ignored the red flags and you’re here.” You can miss me with that. 

Uzoma: I guess Ruger must have wanted to try something different but “Nine” isn’t my cup of tea.  Doesn’t capture that pleasant SA vibe. There’s something about it that sounds so jarring.

Daniel A: Call it high expectations but “Addiction” ft. Stefflon Don wasn’t what I had hoped it would  be. It’s two strong characters choosing to go slow. Didn’t work.  

OVERALL FIRST IMPRESSIONS 

Dennis: Ruger is the latest Nigerian mainstream dancehall maestro. That much is evident on ‘Ru The World,’ an album steeped in lascivious and exuberant expressions. It’s a little too long for its near-house run-time but not to the point that makes it a wearying listen. After all, he plays with some sonic diversity, even if the thumping drum patterns of dancehall are central to its cohesive identity. It’s a remarkable debut LP from an artist who knows his best traits and optimises them.

Alex: Ruger has been on a continuous rise since he stormed the industry in 2021. His hit singles, “Asiwaju,” “Girlfriend,” “Bounce” and others are proof that he’s an artist to listen to. ‘Ru The World’ offers a hindsight into Ruger’s personality.  His perfect grasp of Afrobeats and modern sounds shines light on his incredible talent. The collaborations with Stefflon Don, Govanna, Sauti Sol and Juggler on the 17-track project provide a varied and engrossing musical trip for every listener. 

Emmanuel: For Ruger, ruling the world isn’t about geographical dominance as much as it is a telling of his romantic exploits. Almost every song on this album deals with the several affairs he’s supposedly had, painting their stories through the stark and sometimes reflective prism of a rising celebrity. That creates a progression the album benefits from, although its length could have been more concise, to encourage repeated listeners. It’s not a fatal flaw, however, as there’s an essential variance in the tempo of the songs. In all, Ruger manages a spellbinding body of work, cashing in on his cult figure as a teller of exciting sensual stories. 

Stream ‘Ru The World’ here.

[Featured Image Credits/The NATIVE]

NATIVE SELECTS: NEW MUSIC FROM JOHNNY DRILLE, BRAZY, PHYNO & MORE