Best New Music: Odunsi’s “Divine” is finally here

Posted on by The Native

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For Odunsi, like many African artists, crafting a distinct sound could be a mule’s work due to the formlessness of Afropop. This and the Odunsi’s year-long album mode is why “Divine” will immediately stick with old fans and new converts who may still be skeptical of “alte” music.

“Divine” fuses a Caribbean-electronic touch that has grown increasingly popular on the Billboard 100, with nostalgic Afropop drops. By the time funk synths and Odunsi’s voice set in, the arrangement is transformed into a timeless piece of Afropop that doesn’t blend fringe ideas without purpose. Two things that synergise “Divine” as the future of contemporary Afropop: A performance by Sola King that recalls P-Square’s similar tack with hooks back in their “Busy Body”, “Do Me” days, and additional vocals from Davido, another multi-versed songwriter and producer.

A lot of older millennials will beg to differ but R&B is at the tail end of its era. Between 2010 and now, electronic music, soul, hip-hop and embers of jazz have merged to create a fusion of neo-R&B-hip-hop, an expansive genre that encompasses a dizzying range of influences (Shout out to Drake). These days, there are talks of a ‘global’ music scene thanks to the internet; which means mainstream music is only going to get more diverse in the coming years. The emergence of an artist like Odunsi is no less divine timing since his music itself is born of Africa’s rich socio-cultural history.

Odunsi’s debut album ‘rare’ is expected in the coming weeks. Stream “Divine” via Apple Music below:

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ICYMI: Darkovibes is living in the moment on “Stay Woke”

Major Lazer release ‘Afrobeats Mix’ with snippets from 3 new songs

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If it felt a little odd that a group containing a white American and a white Brit could make dancehall records when ‘Gunz Don’t Kill People – Lazers Do’ debuted in 2009, Major Lazer fixed the narrative through their subsequent releases, proving dancehall’s universal allure. Their last EP, ‘Know No Better‘, took a global direction, mixing Caribbean, pop and Afropop influences. But for ‘Afrobeats Mix’, just as the title suggest, the newest project from the trio is focusing on African dancehall.

Though the mix only leaves room for brief barely-1-minute-long snippets of hit songs, 17 tracks adequately convey the sound of dancehall in Africa. DJ Maphorisa’s “Midnight Starring” and Davido’s “If” played on the same mix, means the gqom sound from South Africa, Afropop from Nigeria and the other African genres you can expect to hear on any radio station on the continent are represented. The new Major Lazer tracks teased  on ‘Afrobeats Mix’ are expected to be released shortly, following the release of the video for Burna Boy’s feature, “All My Life”. Other artists that feature on the new Major Lazer tracks expected to be released in due time are Kizz Daniel, Kranium, Babes Wodumo, Taranchyla, Mr Eazi, Raye and Jake Gosling.

You can stream Major Lazer’s ‘Afrobeats Mix’ below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/majorlazer
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ICYMI: See the video for Major Lazer’s “Particula” featuring Nasty C, Ice Prince and Jidenna

Listen to Mut4y’s “How Deep is Your Love” featuring WurlD

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Star Boy music’s executive and one half of production duo Legendury Beatz, Mut4y, has released his third single of the year “How Deep is Your Love” featuring Nigerian-American singer and songwriter, WurlD. On it, they sing about the depth of human intimacy; “If I no get no motto o, baby how deep is your love? Blessings come and go, girl I need to know, how deep is your love?” referring to pop culture while plunges of synths, drums and an organ instrumentation evoke modern Afropop.

Check out Mut4y’s “How Deep is Your Love” featuring WurlD below.

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Wizkid and Mut4y revive evergreen classic afropop on “Manya”

Watch Duncan Mighty and Lil Kesh team up for “Flenjo”

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Lil Kesh resurfaces with his latest Afropop number; he features Duncan Mighty, tapping into the recent buzz around the Nigerian Pop music veteran. The single, titled “Flenjo”, comes with a Stanz-directed video that sets both singers in various scenes depicting the song’s premise: living life to the fullest. Over highlife drums Rexxie produces, Lil Kesh sings and raps jollily in a mix of English and Yoruba about his contentment with life, having decided to live in the moment. While Duncan Mighty sings in English-tinged lines about his intent to enjoy his money. The colorful video starts off in a park where Lil Kesh, surrounded by summery-dressed models, performs his lines on a backdrop of blue skies and bright-colored buildings. The video progresses into neon-lit rooms where Duncan Mighty performs surrounded by his definition of enjoyment.

Watch Duncan Mighty and Lil Kesh’s “Flenjo” here


Featured Image Credit: Youtube/KeshVevo

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ICYMI: Five Take-Aways From Davido’s Breakfast Club Interview

Estelle and Maleek Berry play lovers on “Meet Up”

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In an interview with NPR, Estelle who was raised in West London, revealed that her Senegalese mother and Grenadian father separated when she was 3, but rekindled their love almost two decades after, finally marrying when Estelle, now 38, was 33. This, she said is what inspired her 5th studio album, Lovers Rock, which is named after the reggae sub-genre the Grammy-winning singer personifies on the project. Among the artists featured on the project is Maleek Berry, who Estelle enlists for “Meet Up”, the 2nd song on the romance-themed album. Estelle and Maleek Berry play lovers on “Meet Up”, offering flirty lyrics that also covey a show of commitment, over Afropop-tinged reggae instrumentals. The 14-track album also features reggae artist, Tarrus Riley, on the album’s lead single, “Love Like Ours”, as well as Jamaican dancehall singer HoodCelebrityy, and UK’s Alicaí Harley.

Listen to Estelle and Maleek Berry’s “Meet Up” here:

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/Estelledarlings
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Watch the video for RAYE’s “Confidence” featuring Maleek Berry

“Rafiki” Director, Wanuri Kahiu sues Kenya for banning the film

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Wanurin Kahinu’s film, “Rafiki” made history in April as the first Kenyan film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. “Rafiki” went on to enjoy screen time in Ghana and South Africa, and as a result of the global acclaim, earned a sold-out crowd at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last week. Despite international reverence, the Kenyan government banned the film, declaring a clear intent to promote illicit activities as the reason.

“Rafiki” is a story about two girls falling in love despite their clashing cultural and social backgrounds. Buzzfeed reports that the CEO of Kenya’s Film Clarification Board, Ezekiel Mutua, said in a statement that the board found a clear intent to glorify lesbianism in Kenya, where same-sex intercourse is illegal.

Kahinu wants the film to be eligible for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, but the ban makes this impossible as candidates’ films have to be shown in their home country before they can be considered. This is what drove Kahinu’s lawsuit. Her complaint is that this law —which has been used as premise to ban films like “Wolf of Wall Street” from cinemas in Kenya— prevents distribution of “Rafiki”, which violates her right of self expression and freedom of speech. Her aim for “Rafiki”, she says, is to get the Oscars selection committee to see the film and submit it for Oscar consideration. The deadline for Oscar submissions is 30th of September.

The lawsuit however goes beyond the awards ceremony. For Kahinu and the other Kenyan creatives who signed the petition for the lawsuit against the Film Classification Board, its about the board stifling their ability to express themselves freely. “The petition is larger than awards eligibility or Rafiki’s theatrical run” Kahinu said in an interview conducted after the lawsuit was filed on Monday the 10th of September. “It’s the fight for our human right to work in a creative space. It’s a petition for our constitutional rights, as artists, to freedom of expression and freedom of creativity. Our ability to express ourselves and tell our stories IS our humanity”.

Featured imge credit: Instagram

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Check out Chike Frankie Edozien’s book “Lives of Great Men: Living and Loving as a Gay African Man”

Essentials: ‘Bad Boy Blaq’ by Blaqbonez

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Blaqbonez’ come up story is the stuff of big dreams. The 22-year old has been co-signed by M.I, Illbliss, Vector, three of Nigeria’s longest-running rap careers, and contemporary wordsmiths like, Dremo, YCee who have lauded the rapper since his stint Hennessy cypher, a prelude to his debut project, ‘Last Time Under’.

Blaqbonez’ debut album, ‘Bad Boy Blaq’ is his first project since signing to 100 Crowns Entertainment. Backed by the big budget for #LAMBAugust and M.I on the executive producer chair, anticipation for Blaqbonez’s album hinted at the emergence of a hip-hop prince. In a true hip-hop royalty fashion, the crown prince’s “South Africa Must Go” from 2015 pushed a narrative that M.I infamously ran with for last year’s controversial, “You Rappers Should Fix Up Your Lives”.

Understandably, Those who started listening to Blaqbonez’s music either this year or last would be surprised to hear his earliest recordings, where his voice came in at a much higher register and conveyed things he has mostly left behind; boisterousness and nerves. No longer feeling around for a style or held back by a need to distinguish himself from his peers, the onus was on him to fit the pieces into a whole on ‘Bad Boy Blaq’.

Blaqbonez thrives in the dark for most of the 10 tracks on the project, an ambience created courtesy of production from Alpha, M.I and Tempo. The first track, “Accommodate”, chronicles his rise to the limelight with a decided self-assurance that also surfaces on the second track, “Denied”, where he’s a dead-eye marksman, shrugging off doubters. “Never Been Lucky, My Life Ain’t A Roll of The Dice, I Just Cannot Be Denied/ This Ain’t no War, I Be Like Thanos The Second, Murder Like Half of Your Guys”, he sneers over a bone-chilling beat with synths and scatting drum riffs.

Blaqbonez’ schemes are simple but ruthlessly efficient, packing confessional lyrics with brags to make his gloats more admirable. This works best on “Play”, a light-weight number where Blaqbonez crafts a catchy melody about the perils of helplessly falling for the wrong one. “Play” is backed by auto-tune filters and a mid-tempo Afropop beat, making it one of the few tracks on the project fit for radio. This fervour for pop surfaces on “Mamiwota”, a love song featuring Oxlade’s catchy Afropop hook. On tracks like “Tosin’s Song”, the emotive narrative offers a more introspective Blaqbonez using Drake-esque voice recordings to paint an warm image of his relationship. Though “Woke” underlines Blaqbonez’s willingness to experiment with pop genres, “Consent” a standout track from ‘Bad Boy Blaq’ is where Blaqbonez attempts to make a political statement on relationships in the 21st century.

The impressive duo of Loose Kaynon and AQ grace ‘Bad Boy Blaq’ with a verse each on “Lowkey”. Over the piercing beat, the three rappers flex on haters with brags, emphasizing the hip-hop star power of Chocolate City. It’s a classic M.I style but Blaqbonez brings a freshness through his often immature lyrics; “I Got A Lot of Fuck, That I Never Get To Use/ I’m Chivita with the Juice/ Michael Jackson with the Moves”.  The album closes with with “I Told You”, featuring Terry Apala’s Apala who infuses Apala on the trap instrumentals, providing a grim canvas for Blaqbonez’s street savvy bars; “When I Started, They Told Me Nobody Go Know You/ Ogbeni Ko Si Oshi, Ki Lo Fa Oshi/ Now They Know Me For Moshin Olosha/ Sabi I Told You”.

The ‘Bad boy’ impression on the art for ‘Bad Boy Blaq’ explains his self-conceited and often controversial intentions, but he’s careful enough to offers context for them through his semi-autobiographical songwriting. Though the focus for BBB appears to be highlighting Blaqbonez’s versatility as a rapper with enough sauce to dabble into Afropop, and trap, it also shows his budding pen game that’s worth watching.

You can stream the ‘Bad Boy Blaq’ tape below.


Featured Image Credits: Instagram/blaqbonez

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ICYMI: Check out all the essentials from Loose Kaynon and AQ’s joint project, ‘Crown’

Beazley Designs of the Year Award Shortlists Nigeria’s World Cup Jersey for a Win

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Though the world cup ended over a month ago, Nigeria’s jersey is still on a winning streak, charming eyes, hearts and wallets from the onset. Nike unveiled Nigeria’s eye-catching line for this year’s World Cup in Russia, sending the whole world into a frenzy to buy their own jerseys. Both the home and away shirts reportedly sold out online within three minutes. British GQ also named it the tournaments best kit, describing it as “eccentric and off-the-wall in the best possible way.”

The latest is a nomination for London’s Design Museum‘s Beazley Designs of the Year, which Rihanna’s inclusive make-up line, Fenty Beauty, works by Gucci, Burberry and costumes from Black Panther are also shortlisted for. Even with Nigeria’s loss at this years World Cup, the kits, designed by Matt Wolf (home kit), managed to build an energetic moment around and within the country.  It is written on Design Museum’s site that Beazley Designs of the Year began in 2008, this year will make it the 10th annual event where “hundreds of design experts from around the world nominate the most innovative and thought-provoking designs from the past 12 months”. This year’s top picks fall across fashion, architecture, digital, transport, product and graphic design. The winners are set to be announced in November.

Featured Image Credit: Micaiah Carter

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Exclusive: How an All-Nigerian Cast Brought Nike’s ‘Naija Collective’ to Life

Watch AKA’s video for “Fela in Versace” featuring Kiddominant

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Off AKA’s album Touch My Blood, “Fela in Versace” has been on the number 1 spot on Metro FM’s Top 40 in South Africa. He premiered the video for the track on MTV Base South-Africa earlier this week. Like the song, the video directed by Nate Thomas, illustrates status, money and extravagant living. Afrobeats music producer, Kiddominant kicks off the music video with an entourage in Versace walking behind him with swag. As the video progresses, the cast and video vixens burn clothing items that are supposedly Versace. A clip of AKA performing at a live concert is shown, and he also delivers his verse, name dropping Fela and Nelson Mandela, while wearing Versace and wrapping himself around Nigeria and South Africa’s flags.

Check out the music video below.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/akaworldwide

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ICYMI: Watch AKA’s music video for “Caiphus Song”

Listen to Meekdona’s ambitious single, “Dreams 2 Reality”

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As a result of staggering streaming numbers around the world, hip-hop’s dominance has seen the genre take on pop traits over the years. The incorporation of spacious trap beats, melodic (often mumbled) rhythm and catchy ad-libs have infused more color to Hip-hop’s gritty attitude and perhaps, made the genre more accessible to outsiders. Alhough the more conservative hip-hop fans would rather distant themselves from the pop-fueled mumble rap style, Meekdona clearly doesn’t give a damn as he releases a new trap-fueled single, “Dreams 2 Reality”. Over the glossy beat produced with layers of synths, percussion and a bouncy drum pattern that’s sure to get head bopping, he brags about “Stacking Papers” and his “Billion Dollar Dreams”. While “Dreams 2 Reality” might not have the most inspirational lyrics, Meekdona’s attempt at marrying the brash traits of conventional rap with melodic vocals is an ambitious one.

Listen to Meekdona’s “Dreams 2 Reality” below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/meekdonalson
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ICYMI: Listen to Yung L’s new dancehall record, “Bam Bam”

Yung L continues his dancehall fascination on new single, “Bam Bam”

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Yung L makes the type of music that gets people hyped at clubs and makes those who aren’t in the club wish they were at the club. Though his last single, “Abba Father”, explored a lesser known spiritual side, he returns to his dance music specialty for “Bam Bam”, his latest single. Chopstix produces the pacy House fueled instrumentals for “Bam Bam” with Afropop harmonies and traditional drum riffs. The upbeat harmonies evoke an ecstatic performance from Yung L, switching flow as erratically as the dancefloors he describes in his lyrics; “Too Many Girl In’a The Party/ Girl Dem High To The Sky/ Girl Dem High Like Boom-Bye-Bye”. Asides the vivid representation of the joys of partying, he also manages to offer some commentary on the current conversation on dancefloors since 2Baba’s “Amaka” dropped earlier this year; “Amaka Disappoint Me, She Put Me On A Loooong Thing”.

You can listen to Yung L’s “Bam Bam” below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/yunglmrmarley
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ICYMI: Check out all the essentials from Yung L’s ‘Better Late Than Never’ album debut

Watch Yemi Alade in the video for her latest single, titled “Issokay”

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While on tour in North America, Yemi Alade shot a video for her latest release, “Issokay”. While Yemi Alade layers the Egar Boi-produced dance beat with cheeky lines about her superiority, the video follows her on a tour through Toronto, Canada. In the Ovie Etseyatse-directed video, Yemi Alade and her group of casually-dressed black dancers groove airily to the beat against a backdrop of the city’s landscapes and buildings, showcasing African dance steps in the almost isolated areas. The still on-going tour made a stop at the Essence Street Style Festival over the weekend, where Mama Africa and her tour band, Over Sabi Band, performed as one of the headlining acts. Her next stop, according to the official tour website, is Houston, Texas on the 6th of October.

Watch Yemi Alade’s “Issokay” here:

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/YemiAlade

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ICYMI: Five Take-Aways From Davido’s Breakfast Club Interview

Listen to “Wagon” by OluwaBawa

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Rap isn’t the most popular genre on radio, but innovative rappers have always found ways for their hip-hop records to appeal to radio’s lightweight sensibilities. For OluwaBawa’s latest single, “Wagon”, he raps over a catchy House beat. DJ Java produces the track with layered synth samples, percussion, and a throbbing base that invites listeners to a party. Thematically, “Wagon” is about the two extreme emotions his love interest evokes; “It’s Magic, It’s Tragic/ She’s A Bad Girl Looking For Romancing/ She’s Dancing”. Though most of the lyrics show him to be obsessed with the song’s muse, the partying ambiance that the beat creates draws listeners to the entertaining motif of OluwaBawa’s lyrics.

You can stream OluwaBawa’s “Wagon” below.

Featured Image Credits: Soundcloud/oluwa-bawa
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ICYMI: Listen to “What are We” by Bella Alubo and DJ Java

Kunle Afolayan to showcase new clothing line at “Africa Fashion Week Nigeria”

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The 5-time award-winning actor-turned-director, Kunle Afolayan is about to embark on a new career venture. Afolayan who has been immensely acknowledged for his movie, “The Figurine” recently launched his clothing line, Ire Clothings and released “Kunle’s Kembe” as the introductory collection.

“Kunle’s Kembe” is inspired by traditional baggy trousers of the same name, which have featured in many movies showcasing the Yoruba culture; Afolayan wore it to play his role in “October 1”. Since he commercialised them, a few celebrities have been spotted in the trousers. Even the governor of Lagos, Adewunmi Ambode has been photographed with a pair of “Kunle’s Kembe”.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm2euIGlc7V/?taken-by=kunleafo

Kunle Afolayan describes the brand as ‘Trado-modern’.  In a recent interview about the brand, the filmmaker said that the goal is to merge traditional fashion with modern fashion, “it is one of the things about our heritage that has captured the pop culture. The motive is trado-modern, and I am glad to be promoting it. This attire is one of the products that I intend to also use to promote Lagos”. 

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Afolayan’s interview also revealed that the Kembes were released to test market demand, stating that Ire Clothings is working on other outfits that will be released for sales in due time. Owing to the feedback from the Kembe’s sales, the movie director is now pushing further into the world of Fashion; Ire Clothings has been announced as one of the 95 that will be featured at the Africa Fashion Week Nigeria, set is to hold between the 15th and the 16th of September at the Lagoon Restaurant in Victoria Island, Lagos.

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Simi to make acting debut in Kunle Afolayan’s film, “Mokalik”

Olamide’s life and times is in full colour for “Logba Logba” video

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It has become increasingly inevitable that every year promises a different Olamide. Though you might expect his knack for constantly reinventing himself to have an adverse effect on his fan base, he has proven time and time again that he can always make hit songs that aren’t derivative. Coming off the euphoria of the “Wo” sound that brought us the now viral ‘Shaku Shaku’ dance, Olamide has gradually moved on to a less erratic beat, favoring the mellow vibe that high-life and Caribbean-fused-Afropop offers.

His latest single, “Logba Logba” is his 6th release for this year and Killertunes produces a shoulder-shrug paced instrumental with layers of percussion, sweeping synths, rattling samples and a bouncy drum sample. The mid-tempo mix provides the background music for Olamide’s melodic rendition, filled with Yoruba idiom-esque lyrics. “Logba Logba” serves as a reminder of Olamide’s ethos to live the moments to the fullest, without any worry for the future. It’s a marker for his confidence in his popularity and talent.  And the video Unlimited LA directs, captures these sentiments in a series of shots showing Olamide in comfortable clothes at a wild party, then Olamide in a suit, partying with classy models.

Watch the video for Olamide’s “Logba Logba” below.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/OlamideVEVO
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ICYMI: Watch the music video for Olamide’s “Motigbana”

6 videos you should see this week

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Soti – “Eko Remix” Feat. Falz

Despite the allure of the city and the dreams it promises, Lagos isn’t exactly the ideal place to live in. On “Eko (Remix)”, Soti’s latest release, she features Falz for an ode to the city that sells dreams as fast as it crushes them. In the hands of Paul Gambit, the director behind the colorful video for “Eko (Remix)”, this sense of uncertainty comes to life through an array of spontaneous shots, showing a beautiful birds-eye view of the city, people working at a construction site, people counting money in their office, and people sitting at their office desks. Although the song’s lyrics were already pretty clear, the follow-up video portrays the reality it described more vividly.

Anthony Bourdain – “Parts Unknown”

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The 3rd episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown (Season 10)” is set in Lagos Nigeria, where the now deceased chef and author got to experience some of the city’s “high-energy and entrepreneurial spirit”. His journey is documented in a 42-minute video that has now earned an award for “Outstanding Picture Editing For A Nonfiction Program” at this year’s Emmys. The mood of the video seems to mirror the frenzy and contrast that exists in the city, opening with scenes of ambition driven rowdy markets and a pacy drum score for background music. The video goes on to show the luxurious side of the city through an interview with Banky W and club owner, Shina Peller before showing the more rural and unsupervised Makoko community. He eventually gets into the food business at hand, trying out the local cuisine. The episode has been described by Bourdain saying, “our episode in Lagos, Nigeria, is one of the true highlights of the season and a piece of work I’m very proud of” on his online journal.

Hennessy Cypher – “Team Reminisce”

Although Hennessy VS Class offers rap battles, where the winner of the prestigious Hip-hop competition is announced, the Hennessy Cypher exhibitions often delivers the more entertaining moments of the competition. Team Reminisce set the standard for the show with a performance featuring Ifex G, Bobbi Phillie and Oladips —three rappers from across the country, who embellish their bars with their indigenous traits.

Kanye West & Lil Pump – “I Love It” Feat. Adele Givens

When the pictures of Kanye West in his over-sized slides surfaced on the internet, many chalked it up as another oh-so-Kanye avant-garde shoe design. And though the slides have already gone viral in its own right, it still came off as a big reveal when Kanye and Lil Pump put out the video for “I Love It”, wearing magnified clothes. The video, executive produced by Spike Jonze, debuted at the Pornhub Awards, where Kanye was the creative director. The bizarre scene reflects the song’s eccentric lyrics with Kanye singing “I’m a sick fuck/I like a quick fuck” five times.

Cassper Nyovest – “Gets Getsa 2.0”

Cassper Nyovest’s latest single, “Gets Gesta 2.0”, scratches the trendy itch for 90’s nostalgia through a remake of “Get Gesta” by Kwaito legend, Doc Shebeleza. The house instrumentals are however modified to an hip-hop bounce courtesy of Gemini Major’s production. Cassper raps in his indigenous language, delivering cocky lines to heighten the party mood of the song. The video director shoots the video for “Gets Gesta 2.0” on a bright day, showing Cassper Nyovest performing at a front porch before appearing at a car showcase in the night.

Elon Musk – “Joe Rogan Experience podcast”

Elon Musk has seen a lot of media attention recently with the latest being his appearance on Joe Rogan Experience podcast. He sat down with the shows host and spoke about a wide variety of topic for the 2-hour duration of the video. Though the conversation was informal enough to contain some blunt words (and an actual marijuana blunt), Elon addressed several purposeful topics like the dangers of artificial intelligence, the justice system, social media culture, global warming and naturally, some of the more lesser-known interesting functions of the Tesla.

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

ICYMI: Watch the video for Brymo’s “Ba Nuso”

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/ SotiVEVO

Krizbeatz teams up with Mayorkun and Reminisce for “Poker”

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Krizbeatz revives his near-year-old debut album,  ADM (Afro Dance Music)with a Mr. C directed video for “Poker”. Standing as the fifth track on the star-studded album, “Poker” features Mayorkun bragging about a woman’s reckless attraction towards him, and Reminisce glorifying his love interest’s physique with lines designed to accommodate brags about his sexual prowess. Mr C directs a that sets the trio in tropical-themed, neon-lit rooms dancing casually to the mid-tempo beat Krizbeatz produces.

Watch the video for “Poker” here:

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ICYMI: Five Take-Aways From Davido’s Breakfast Club Interview

Watch Brymo’s Introspective video for “Bá’núsọ”

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“Bá’núso”, Brymo’s latest video release is a one man video that shows the singer calm and placid. “Bá’núso”, which loosely translates to keep your secrets to yourself, is the third video release from Brymo’s album Oso. On it, he sings about the importance of privacy as he tenderly counsels anyone who would listen to “Bá’núso”. Singing over tranquil piano instrumentals, Brymo illustrates using proverbial lines sung entirely in Yoruba, to advise meditation, introspection and self-reliance as tools for surviving the fast-paced world. 

Brymo wears the character of a sacred leader in the video for “Bá’núso”. He is tucked in a plain sheet like the genteel leader of a sacred tribe and performs his lyrics in a single camera frame focused on his face. The scene alludes to that of a sacred leader who’s sharing his teachings with his flock, or a Yoruba preacher counselling his congregation. Brymo employs an array of enunciated facial expressions to communicate his message, as he sways meditatively to the instrumentals.

The video, directed by Victor Adewale and Samuel Obadina and shot in Gbagada, sets Brymo in a dark room with a single camera lighting.

Check it out below.

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“Tomiwa is figuring it out…” Tweet at her @fauxbella

Essentials: Brymo’s “Oso” is perfect once you get past the melancholy

DJ Obi took over Tinie Tempah’s Disturbing Ibiza series to end Europe Summer Tour

Posted on by The Native

Many DJs out there do have multimillion dollar contracts. If you don’t believe it, take a look at DJ Obi, who pulled off an exciting summer with his team, and ended it with a bang. In just two weeks, DJ Obi travelled to three cities in Europe —London, Amsterdam and Ibiza— to cover a number of sets. He started his End of Summer Series on August 24th at London’s famous music celebrating centre, Boiler Room. While there, he was joined by The NATIVE DJs, BBK’s DJ Maximum, with live performances from Skepta, Lethal Bizzle and Boj amongst others. On Wednesday the 5th, DJ Obi performed his final set at Tinie Tempah’s Disturbing Ibiza series at Ushuaia beach hotel, which has rapidly become an annual  tradition to the island with a line-up that covers hip-hop, R&B, grime, afrobeat and more. While at Ushuaia, DJ Obi shared the stage with DJs and artists including DJ Charlsey, Donae and M.O. He’ll be announcing more international dates in the following months.

Meanwhile, take a look at DJ Obi doing his thing at Boiler Room here and at Tinie Tempah’s Disturbing Ibiza series in Ushuaia below.

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Fisayo is a journalist in search of words. Tweet at her @fisvyo

ICYMI: Artists Mourn The Passing Of DJ Olu On Social Media

Vegedream’s “Ramenez La Coup A La Maison” inspires an African World Cup celebration

Posted on by The Native

The UEFA Nations League competition that took place last weekend saw the French team play against Netherland in a match they won 2-1. But given that this was their first match on home soil since their triumphant World Cup campaign in Russia, the celebration after the match took an overly festive tone. The French national stadium was turned into a concert venue for over 80,000 supporters to party with the ever thrilling Les Bleus squad.

After the initial parade (at the famous Champs-Elysées in Paris) failed to satisfy the estimated 300,000 fans who had gathered in the streets, the post-match celebration on Sunday gave the fans a show befitting of their victory. Les Bleus’ most celebrated trait since they won the competition in July has been their rousing team spirit. And they displayed that again as the squad brought out Hip-hop artist, Vegedream, to perform his hit song, “Ramenez la Coupe à la Maison (Bring the Cup Home)”. 

His performance marked the highlight of the night with the Afropop melodies prompting dance moves from the players. As could be expected, the popular ‘Shaku Shaku’ featured on the world stage and emphasized both the team’s diversity and proficiency of music to bring cultures together.

See the video of the French national team’s World Cup celebration below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/mbappe10_

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

ICYMI, World Cup 2018: The French National Team is Living the Ultimate African Fantasy

PatricKxxLee’s “H3llywood Blvd” is an irresistible tribute to finding your happy place

Posted on by The Native

The world, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, is not a very happy place. The lucky ones who are naive enough to stay away from the news might be able to ignore the globe fizzing out on a short fuse, but for deeply feeling folks like PatricKxxLee, that’s not an option. Channelling his depression on his emo-records may guarantee that his music resonates with other deeply feeling people, but it takes a toll on his mental health. After releasing “Ghosts Love Me” with a press release, announcing his decision to take a break and seek proper help, he gets right back into his struggles with depression on his latest single, “H3llywood Blvd”. Only this time, he seems more aware than ever.

PatricKxxLee’s voice glides over the somber synth led beat he produces with slow building drums, repeating “Hollywood Boulevard” like a lost memory of something he can no longer reach, or a dream that never happened. Though his lyrics “Heart Still Pierced And My Life Moves Fast/ I’m Still Shitfaced and My iPhone Cracked/ Fuck!” are woven around his troubling reality, there’s an unmistakable sense of hope; “In Hollywood Boulevard”. With the catchy throbbing base, “H3llywood Blvd” is a desperately sad song that somehow manages to be as euphoric too.

Listen to PatricKxxLee’s “H3llywood Blvd” below.

https://soundcloud.com/patrickxxlee/h3llywood-blvd

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

ICYMI: Watch the thrilling video for PatricKxxLee’s “So&So”