A few weeks ago, Bella Alubo and Ycee released ‘Late Night Vibrations‘; a project that fused R&B-pop and hip-hop into a romance fuel six-track mood piece. Off the same EP comes the video for “Empathy”, shot by Visionaire pictures.
“Empathy” gives a hazy look into the love lives of YCee and Bella with people who we can safely assume to be exes now. The song finds the pair singing about the apathy that trails their breakup. And it does make sense they’ll feel bereft after seeing them get a love lock with someone who doesn’t care that the relationship failed.
On “Wame”, Stonebwoy toes the line between his commonplace dancehall sound, bringing Cassper Nyovest along for a catchy rap verse. “Wame” is a love song which literally translates to ‘marry me’. But over the energetic beat, most of their words are lost in translation as they perform in their native languages. With a catchy hook and chorus (from which we gather they like the waist of African woman).
Nearly 8 years since we first heard his voice on Ice Prince’s “Oleku”, Brymo’s mid-tempo, retro style; a fusion of Fuji, soul, RnB, and alt-rock and an understated catalog has earned the singer a distinguished stature among fans and critics likewise. In his self-presentation as seen in interviews, BrymO is modest; his elocution articulate, if tentative, and with an awareness for a crisp enunciation.
Indeed, BrymO may be a pop singer but some of his impulses are also clearly literary: already the author of a book, BrymO can be found mingling with writers at book festivals, like Aké, and other literary types on university campuses. In the pop culture polarity between artist and celebrity, Brymo leans on the former, and this schtick, of an introspective, literary-lyrical everyday human, no doubt, constitutes a significant part of the Brymo appeal.
Brymo’s rise to cultural prominence began ostensibly by complementing the hip-hop of former Chocolate City label mates: MI, Ice Prince, and Jesse Jagz, with befitting hooks. But since an acrimonious split from that record label, Brymo had charted a different solo trajectory, starting with the uber philosophical, Merchant, Dealers, & Slaves, released in 2014.
Without ignoring BrymO’s unusual Freudian turn with his compilation album, Trance (2015), as an intuitive metaphor for his fame and stardom as a dream state, Tabula Rasa effectively marked the beginning of Brymo’s once philosophic and, well, vacant outlook. Then came the whimsical and infamously suggestive Klitoris (2016).
Across these projects, Brymo has consistently managed to spark curiosity by edging on minimalism and obscurity, using a combination of intriguing album titles, and poetically waxed lyrics. He is no doubt, an indemnification for what should exist as conscious music, but with the release of most recent album is revealed, Oso (2018), a self-referential Yoruba word which translates to ‘wizard’, BrymO had perfected a long-running theme but may have also worn the narrative thin.
BrymO’s competence as a singer is rarely ever in question but it is the non-musical quirks and posturing, which are perhaps a broader reflection of his personality but also serve as a crutch to some form of artistic avant-gardism, that are a curiosity. None more relevant than in the recent uproar about one of the lead singles and video to his new album: “Heya!”
“Heya!” is set around the Lagos lagoon, and shows BrymO naked but for a San bushman traditional thong, covering his pubic region. The video opens with the aerial view of the Third Mainland Bridge, then the striking image of a steam engine boat, before cutting on to a naked BrymO emerging from the middle of the river, leaving small ripples in his wake, while walking on to a parched path, toward a grand piano covered in white clothing.
Directed by Ayomikun Oludoyi, “Heya!” can be read as a metaphoric allusion to the mystical powers of deep waters in Yoruba cosmology, a connecting theme with the album title, and a comment on his self-presentation as a mysterious child, of humble beginnings in riverine Lagos who walking on to a predestined career in music.
BrymO’s singing is accompanied by a simple piano acoustic progression and indistinct synths backing. In the song lyrics, BrymO dabbles in more tendentious self-eulogizing: notably, a cursory reference to having been ‘stubborn since a small pikin’ and smugly to a supreme talent of always being the first to diagnose a problem. In the following verse, some of this childhood predilection resurfaces, with a conclusion that tracks the ‘problem’ of men and women is down to collective ‘ignorance’. Without irony, BrymO, an otherwise proficient musician, had assumed the haughtiness of a priest, one no less common in men of letters.
“Heya!” is Brymo’s attempt at profoundness that comes off bare and deficient instead, against the backdrop of hollow introspection and self-indulgent social meta-commentary. A more cynical reading of the script is to take BrymO’s daring naked video as an excuse, and misguided prop, to shore up a half-assed musical performance. Given the video, we have gotten for “Heya!” off his Oso, Brymo’s flair for shock value and mysticism has disproportionately skewed to the spectacular-controversial at the expense of his primary duty as a competent singer-songwriter. It is almost too odd that for a man whose art seemingly borders on self-awareness, Brymo seems to be easily consumed by a distracting solipsism when thrust in the centre spot.
Having experienced and perhaps broken some of the barriers of opportunities we may assume are peculiar to our geographic location, Toye offers a well-rounded outlook on whether or not greener pastures are ever what they seem.
Words By Toye Sokunbi
I saw this tweet and couldn’t stop thinking about it.
To answer the question, we must go to the beginning.
Because every African child is raised to seek a baseline range of accomplishments as we mature, every phase of our lives comes with its own unique set of anxieties; you worry about grades, until you have to worry about getting a job, then you swap the latter for a new goal, to keep the cycle of life going, basically.
In this warped process of growing into our own skins, we’re all forced to drown in the weight expectations, overestimating our capabilities for excellence to delusional levels. As we grow older, heartbreak and disillusionment sets in once it occurs that perhaps some people do have two heads. It gets worse when you realize that life is a twisted extension of a kindergarten playground with a “members only” sandbox and you need certain privileges to enter.
It is a universal law though, that only a few can [and will] actually get to the top. I begrudgingly indulge the assumption working with more resources may accelerate career growth outside Nigeria. But it’s also just as noteworthy that all these perks of emigration would be irreverent if the person didn’tーby stroke of ambition, luck or biologyーbelong at that top spot.
While this stirs-up the age-old argument on whether high-achievers are born, or made, it doesn’t mean we’re not as well-adjusted adults as we think we are. It just means the top 1%ーin any strata of lifeーis only a single percentage of multitudes who share varying shades of mediocrity in common. It also means, even at the top, life has taken a fundamental understanding of consequence and task-mastering the art of keeping up. Otherwise, toppers must learn the lesson the loose tightrope taught the gymnast; If it can go high, it can come down, hard.
Chimamanda Adichie’s legendaryTED talk, on the dangers of a single story, echoes a similar but divergent perspective on what happens when people only opt for parts of the wholesome narrative. Many Nigerians understandably share a similar mindset with the tweet above; that Nigeria is the only obstacle in the way of a maximum potential that would’ve been a smooth sail in any other economy.
That premise is false.
Business Insider reported American “Consumer-debt levels are now well above those seen before the Time of Shedding and Cold Rocks”. According to the NerdWallet, “Americans’ total credit card debt continues to climb in 2017, reaching an estimated $931 billion — a nearly 7% increase from the previous year”. This report by The Guardianspeculates that British citizens may be on course to be halving personal income month-to-month to service mortgage and car loans. Other developed countries with similarly insane household debt levels like Australia and Japan, have had to implement policies toavert major financial crisis.
The problem with that narrative is only more glaring at the individual level. For every Nas, who is a legend in hip-hop circles, there is a Wale who just got dropped by his label. For every 4.0 graduating CGPA caption posted on graduation week social media, many dropped out for bad grades, got expelled or moved back home because their parents couldn’t continue paying tuition. For every middle-class Nigerian family that saved up enough to successfully emigrate their comfortable life, you can bet your ass, there are thousands more whose children had to join the U.S Army for health insurance and a permanent residence.
Again this doesn’t mean you should ever settle under any circumstance. Human endeavour itself is predetermined on striving to be better, and people who already embody this betterness are the finish line and the gunshot you hear at the start of the race of life. However, understanding your current limits is very helpful when aligning who you are with where you want to go.
In Nigeria, we are forever swirling in the waters of our over-dramatized existence, thus the search for a higher purpose/meaning outside religion is a fool’s errand. It’s not odd that these same people who’ve read about miracles in their holy books, pray against the enemy’s evil eye when they feel they are not making progress in life. If you have been taught to all your life to move chronologically from point A to B, getting stuck at a solid Lーlike joblessness after Uni, or singledom after doing all the things a “modest woman” does to be a “good wife”ーmay leave you at God’s feet, imploring him to ask your Aunt Chi-Chi from the village what’s really good?”
Where it all crumbles though, is that a society that uses a single scale to measure the extent of an individual’s fulfilment will most likely ignore all the peculiarities of everyone’s personal legend. Think of these examples: The story of that speed painter who went viral after sketching a tweeter, may have turned out differently if he’d been a poor black American who had spent all his youth gang-banging to survive the streets instead of practicing art; International students make up a multi-billion dollar industry for American colleges, because even American households can’t afford to pay, so children have to take on heavy student loans to pay for their own education; If there is somebody for everybody, then nobody is for everybody, and that means and we all have a narrow range of potentials who can match our goals and interests.
“Are Nigerians abroad more successful or are you just failing at life right now?”
“Who the fuck wants to know?”
The biggest argument to support this idea that Nigerians thrive in abundance, I’ve noticed, often bullishly romanticizes the post-colonial years that culminated Nigeria’s oil and agricultural windfall. I have no problem believing fairy-tales of a pound to a dollar in 2018, but I’d like the same people who make those claims to keep factors like population, national literacy, and per-capita income within context too.
The Nigerian government has indeed poorly adapted to changes in our societal structure over the years, but in any case, we would still be products of our environments no matter what the fates are. When you’re done feeling sorry for yourself, you can revel in the bliss of knowing that this social media age is all about storytelling, and you can start sanitizing your mind by separating fake news from the facts or at least telling your own damn stories.
Psychology of Things Unknown is a weekly column by Tomiwa Isiaka, published every Saturday.
Featured Image Credits: Micheal Cho
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Cobhams Asuquo’s “Mad Over You” cover strips away the memorable highlife guitar riffs, but the electric guitar licks more than make up for it. Sizzy Benjamin performs the live set, complete with drums, tambourine rattles, percussion and backup singers. His somber take on Runtown’s lyrics are more affecting as he drags vowels and places emphasis on particularly affectionate lines; “I Dey Mad Over You You You You You”. Though it’s more a emotional than a dancehall number, you can still get your groove on to the funk baseline.
Listen to Cobhams Asuquo and Sizzy Benjamin’s “Mad Over You” cover below.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/cobhamsasuquo
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Though Benie Macaulay’s new single gets its name from popular street-hop slang, “Shashe”, it shows the diversity in popular Nigerian music with the vocal performance from the Afro-house singer, DJ Yin.
On previous singles like “What You Started” and “Good Loving”, DJ Yin’s take on Afro-house explored the genre beyond its mere dancehall fascinations to express her romantic feelings. But for Benie Macaulay’s “Shashe” she sings “Me I Just Dey Here Dancing/ No Time For No Romancing” over the catchy beat. DJ Yin has been peaking at a new level of expertise with every new vocal performance. “Shashe” is her latest embodiment of how an artists can mature tangentially within their comfort sound.
Listen to Benie Macaulay’s “Shashe” featuring DJ Yin below;
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/beniemacaulay
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
“Make that Money”. Over the synth percussion led beat Kuvie produces, Lady Jay also addresses the different things people do for money and highlights the importance of finding your way and being as patient as possible. It’s a motivational piece for times when the grind gets tough, reminding listeners that “Rome Wasn’t Built in One Day”.
“On A Friday” bounces like BLY singing over a YG sample with a mixture of drums and layered synths, interpolating a familiar melody from Omarion’s “Pose to Be”. “On a Friday” is a call to relax and perhaps get lucky after a long week of work; “Baby Take A Break on A Friday/ Lemme Take These Off, Lemme Tease Ya. We Can Start It Off With Tequila”. The second single, “The 90s”, is more mellow, but it finds BLY spiting rap bars about grinding for that paper. The pacy drums keep the stretching and atmosphere synths and layered vocals from being completely somber as BLY sing raps about working on his craft daily. It’s a reminder that you need to put in the work before you can really enjoy your turn up.
Listen to “On a Friday” and “The 90s” below.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/blyston
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
From fisticuffing grown men in traditional attires to verbal abuse at every other National Assembly gathering, the Nigerian Senate chronicles continue with what senate leaders have called an act of treason. During the senate meeting in the Nigerian National Embassy on Wednesday morning, a group of intruders stormed into the Nigerian National Embassy and stole the ceremonial mace.
“This action is an act of treason, as it is an attempt to overthrow a branch of the federal government of Nigeria by force, and it must be treated as such” said Senate media and public affairs chairman, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, in his statement following the incident. He also accused suspended senator, Ovie Omo-Agege, of leading the criminal act. Ovie Omo-Agege’s involvement was confirmed by a member of the security staff who told Premium Times that the security staff tried to stop the group but they said they were with the senator. The Senate gave the police 24 hours to find the mace, because as you may already know, “The parliament cannot convene without their three-foot long metal staff.
Turns out the police came through, detaining senator Ovie Omo-Agege on Wednesday, after he was accused. According to news from the statement released by the police today, their search “forced the suspected miscreants to abandon the mace at a point under the flyover before the City Gate, where a patriotic passer-by saw it and alerted the police”. #crisisaverted.
But only just. We’ll live to remember the embarrassing events until perhaps things get worse and we become desensitised on how disgraceful our lawmakers’ can be.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/thenigeriansenate
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Moving on is never the easiest thing. It’s a grudgingly long process that demands to be taken seriously (talk about vindictive). Simisola moves to this point with her video for “Gone for Good”, directed by Joziewood.
Though the change from Aje Films is obvious, we still get a few decent frames of Simi communicating the frustration of getting over love. But it looks like Simi is bringing classicism into basic human emotional response—where is the representation for those of us who can’t afford to be forlorn in a tub. “Gone for Good”, captures all the facets of the relationship she now has to move on from but it’s sad to see the Simisola story progress from the mushiness of “Complete Me” and “One kain” to this point.
Listen to “Gone for Good”;
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/
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Eku Fantasy is a cross-continental project by the duo of Olugbenga Adelekan, who is the bass player for UK based band, Metronomy, and South Africa-based Gareth Jones (known as producer Jumping Back Slash). The two met via social media and worked on one song together from their respective hometowns, communicating via social media and email. Their first release under the project was a remix of “We Got The Power” by Gorillaz. With Olugbenga’s distinct voice, and Jumping Back Slash’s production, the group’s version produces an almost unidentifiable version of the original song.
The duo met in the small town of Knysna on South Africa’s Garden Route to expand what was to be a one-time collaboration into an EP titled EF1. They announced this extension with the release of the first single “Living On The Outside” along with an experimental sci-fi themed music video featuring Olugbenga in a white background, missing his pupils.
“Living On The Outside” conveys the struggles that come with life as an outsider in a foreign country. Something both artists have experienced—Olugbenga from Nigeria to the UK, and Gareth from the UK to South Africa. “Where is your accent from” Olugbenga sings, over the enigmatic piano sounds produced by Gareth. Depicting questions usually asked of foreigners, “I learned the language, I passed the test”, he sings of people trying to fit in. “But I’m still living on the outside”, he carries on, illustrating that it is almost impossible to feel rooted in a place that is not your own.
Listen to Eku Fantasy’s “Living On The Outside” here:
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/oluolugbenga
“Tomiwa is figuring it out…” Tweet at her @fauxxbella
Politics permeated our culture a while ago. It worked it’s way into pop music with songs like “Mr Lecturer” , African China’s “MrPresident” and a wealth of others.
It’s no surprise that right now, popular music is becoming a mad dash toward wokeness. Subliminal messaging in pop music today conceptualises the levels of awareness, views and opinions that we imbibe via media consumption and mistakenly believe to be our own. Ineffectual messaging isn’t a crime in the court of public opinion, but when wokeness is your aim, thoughtlessness is usually the result. Ergo, the botched messages on consent and drug use floating around.
So maybe pop just being feel-good music like “Jahblend” isn’t a bad idea. In all fairness, the average listener isn’t priming their ears for the moment when an artist makes the perfect lyrical metaphor about unrest in the North East. They just want to dance. JahBlend and Jyino Sukus deliver on this, with a song whose lyrics don’t burden the listener or the beat. Titled after the artist himself, you can already tell it’s not so deep for anyone. It’s simply feel good music you can dance all day too and not have to do any mental gymnastics over songwriting.
Idris Elba is set to star in and executive produce his second TV series following the release of “In The Long Run”, which was released in March and based loosely on his life growing up in his family. The new show, titled “Turn Up Charlie” is a Netflix series based loosely on his life as a DJ.
“Turn Up Charlie” is about Charlie, played by Idris Elba, a struggling DJ who gets more responsibilities after accepting a job as the nanny to his famous best friend’s problem-child daughter. No other actors have been announced yet, but the show is set to begin production at this May in the U.K.
“Turn Up Charlie” is written by Georgia Lester—who also gets executive producer credits—along with Laura Neal, Femi Oyeniran and Victoria Asare-Archer. And is to be co-produced by Brown Eyed Boy Productions and Green Door Pictures
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Sexual harassment and misconduct in tertiary institutions in Nigeria isn’t a new thing. But like an itch in that painfully unreachable spot, we’ve struggled to ignore it.
Yet even in popular culture, we have all heard Eedris Abdulkareems’ “Mr Lecturer”, highlighting the harassment that goes on in schools. Unfortunately, this gross misconduct has continued to fester both inside learning spaces and outside. An audio recording of a Professor soliciting sex for grades from an Obafemi Awolowo University student has gone viral but the University body is demanding that the victim gives up her protective cover of anonymity before investigating the matter despite the evidence showing that the Professor in question is complicit.
While it’s alright to tell a man to lift himself by his own bootstraps, it’s a cruel joke to ask that of a man with no boots. We can’t in good faith ask that victims of harassment and assault speak up and stick with their guns if we as a society aren’t working to create the safest space possible for them to do this. However, it’s the silence from intimidation that assaulters thrive on. There’s no revolution without individual liberation, but also no individual liberation without the liberation of society. Everyone needs to be willing to champion their own cause to the end.
There can be no gainsaying of the fact that a great revolution is taking place in the world today. There is a human rights revolution, with the freedom burgeoning taking place all over the world. After years of protests, child marriage has finally been abolished in India, the fight for inclusion is waxing stronger and yes, we live in a period where changes are taking place, however leisurely it might seem.
Rip Van Winkle is famous for sleeping twenty years but beyond his legendary comatose state, he slept through a revolution. While he buried his head in resignation and snored on peacefully up in the mountains free of colonial rule, a revolution that would change the course of history was taking place—And Rip knew nothing about it. One of the greatest liabilities of life is that too many people get through periods of social change but fail to develop the new attitudes and the new mental responses that the new situation demands. We let the social conditioning that oppresses us take our fight from us.
In the fight to create a society that doesn’t oppress anyone, every person has a part to play; from victims to survivors and even those who scale through unopposed because injustice against one is the injustice against all. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. But if victims allow the fear impede their fight for justice, there’s only so much a social outcry can do. Whatever directly affects one, indirectly affects all. It’s like Dr King said, “I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be”. In this case, for one survivor of assault that resigns to the fate that ‘nothing is going to change because this is how things work in Nigeria’, there is a long line of impending victims.
We need to stop waiting for time or ‘karma’ to come for those who perpetrate these heinous acts. It worked out fine with another professor who was only recently called out for sexual harassment, after securing another job abroad, but time is neutral. It can be used either constructively or destructively and unfortunately, people on the wrong side of the fight for a fair and assault free society have used time much more effectively than the forces of good. It is imperative that we recognise that societal progression never rides on the wheels of inevitability. It is birthed by tireless efforts and persistent work of dedicated individuals and victims themselves have to be at the core of these groups. For without persistence, time and silence work to benefit the primitive forces of social stagnation.
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Mariam is (insert pretentious stuff about myself here). Share your thoughts with me @MA_Y_M
Social media has created a suitable climate where artists can interact almost directly with their fans. And while there are a few drawbacks like Wizkid’s “Na Your Papa Fuck Up” clap back at someone who was disappointed that the singer couldn’t make the opening night at Coachella, there are lots of benefits for both artists and fans. Asides aiding online music distribution, it can also be a very useful tool for promoting music and leaving breadcrumb trails to get fans excited about new music before it even drops.
Runtown recently came under fire when his label accused him of breaching his contract for the second time, but the “Mad Over You” singer has managed to avoid being a public spectacle by maintaining a tunnel vision focus on the music. And given his brilliant run of successful hits, no one is complaining. With his latest singles, “Energy” and “Said”, his collaboration with Nasty C, doing so well, it’s the type of album rollout dreams are made of and he’s taking advantage of it. Runtown has spent the last couple of weeks hinting at a new project that has remained untitled, but we took the liberty to do some digging and came up with possible directions the project could take.
Sound wise, the Sound god’s career path has seen him try out different melody styles since his break out single,“Gallardo” off ‘Ghetto University’. The pacy Arabian harmonies heard on the dancehall number was shed for a mid-tempo guitar led highlife instrumental that gave us hits like “Mad Over You” and “For Life”. But his most recent single, “Energy” finds the singer making hip-hop references to Drake. It might be inconsequential given Afropop artists’ liking for shamelessly interpolating familiar pop culture references, but the singer’s recent bromance with Nasty C leaves us wondering if the South African rapper could bring more hip-hop influences that’ll be heard on this coming project.
Since their “Said” collaboration, Runtown and Nasty C have enjoyed a pleasant relationship, perhaps heightened by the song’s wide appeal. Both artists have been seen together repeatedly and naturally, you’ll expect them to eventually hit the studio in an attempt to recreate the brilliance of their electric duo. Already, there’s a snippet online of a possible single from Nasty C featuring Runtown called “No Permission”. But frankly, the partnership of both artists, blending hip-hop and Afropop as though they were meant to be together, deserves a joint project. We are all looking forward to at least one Nasty C feature when Runtown’s project is eventually released.
Even YCee who is known for his pop-tinged hip-hop fascination has reached out to Runtown, suggesting a beat in case the singer felt inclined to rap. They might end up collaborating on the track seeing as YCee has earned a reputation for blending Afropop and rap conveniently. It’s yet another hint that Runtown’s album has a high chance of featuring a lot of rapping.
And if the album does go the Hip-hop route, it could afford Runtown a chance to finally address his issues with the Eric Manny label. There’s no denying that Afropop’s easy-listening aesthetic might discourage discussing such a nagging problem, but hip-hop’s truth-speak and introspective outlook could inspire him to speak out on the issue or even tell off the label and perhaps launch his own label as this tweet below suggested.
It’s surreal now that it’s been almost two years, but the events on and following Headies 2016, kind of gave us the feeling that Nigerian music was witnessing a new dawn. Don Jazzy’s infamous spat with Olamide highlighted why award shows still have a cultural relevance for Nigerian music, despite, the abysmal turnout at the edition that followed Olamide telling the organisers to leave trash for LAWMA; the culture had spoken.
After nearly a year of silence, the organisers of the show are back with another edition slated for the summer, but from the nominations, it’s hard to say if they have any intentions to regain lost reputation. To give a bit of a recap, the Headies has gradually lost the ability to house Nigerian music under a singular culture and voice, due to accusations from fandoms and artists alike that the award show no longer adequately represents the events happening in the industry in real time. Looking at this year’s round of nominations, a few of the usual suspects manage to make an appearance (Wizkid, Davido, Adekunle Gold etc). However, it appears the Headies is still oblivious to why the award show has gradually lost reverence since it’s launch in 2006.
In this story, we take a look at some of the most coveted categories, break down the nominations and speculate potential winners.
Next Rated
One would think Maleek Berry and Mayorkun’s careers have moved past being nominated to ‘maybe do well’. But here they are, competing with the likes of Johnny Drille and Zoro for the Headies’ Next Rated award. It’s really hard to pick a winner for this one, as rooting for Maleek Berry might actually be insulting to someone who has been actively involved in the industry for nearly 8 years.
Hip Hop Revelation
Okay, nobody really gets what this category is supposed to be about anyway but it belongs to the organizers. They are at liberty to pick whoever they want but we could help but notice it’s the only space they could squeeze Mr Eazi into for all his work over the past few years.
Lyricist on the Roll
For years, this award practically belonged to the O.G, Mode9. His ability to write lyrics with mind-bending metaphors and introspection of higher understanding made him tough to beat, though nearly impossible to enjoy. Eventually, even he got bored, leaving room for other acts to take home the award. His absence from the music scene meant painfully underrated relatable songwriters could finally get the credit they deserve but all of Ajebutter22’s effort at capturing the Lagos experience on his ‘What Happens in Lagos’ album debut was ignored for tracks like “You Rappers Should Fix Up Your Lives”, M.I’s high-minded critique of the Hip-hop industry he’s ironically also a part of.
Best Rap Album
Here, M.I’s critic of Hip-hop straying from its root for more popular sounds is actually valid. Olamide hasn’t done a lot of rapping for a minute and Phyno has followed that same path. Yet, both their albums Glory and Playmaker respectively are nominated for the Best Rap Album award. Sure, there were some hits from both albums, but they sure as hell weren’t rap songs. AKA and Anatii’s ‘Be Careful What You Wish For‘ joint album is getting no love, but Falz’s pop filled and probably worst project so far is a potential winner for the Hip-hop award. At least ‘27‘ came with an impressive Christmas concert that had everyone talking about Falz’s creative genius.
Best Music Video
If the Headies wanted to put filler nominations to look viable and competitive, Humble Smith’s “Focus” is a terrible choice to go with. It’s a colourful slow-mo ad for Rolls Royce, if the luxury vehicle somehow wanted to launch a multicoloured tyre brand.
Best Rap Single
Burna Boy’s rapid-fire delivery alone deserves to an award for his hook/verse on “Link Up”, the most hip-hop song on Phyno’s ‘Playmaker’ album and the hardest hip-hop collaboration we’ve gotten in Nigeria for a while. But given the Headies reputation, we wouldn’t put it beyond them to give the award for Best Rap Song to “Something Lite”, Falz and YCee’s response to unpromising date with girls.
Best Street Hop Artist
It has been a really good couple of years for street pop and even the Headies couldn’t fuck that up. Our money is on Mr Real’s “Legbegbe”, but it’s a fair enough race and anyone on this category will be deserving of the award.
Album of the Year
Wizkid’s ‘Sounds From The Other Side‘ features on this category as well as Best R&B/Pop Album but only one song off the project is nominated for any individual award like Song of the Year. It’s this sort of sloppiness that makes the Headies unreliable.
As shameless as this category looks, no one can blame them for paying tribute to their sponsors. It’s just business; If you want those checks to keep clearing you better put whoever’s signing it on the stage.
With the wealth of alternative music in the industry today, can we please stop trying to fit Adekunle Gold into this box. Nonso Amadi’s “Radio” is just one out of a whole genre of mainstream bridging indie songs and yet we still have to include Adekunle Gold who clearly sings Afropop to a more traditional leaning. It doesn’t make him any more alternative than Terry Apala. But the real shocker here is “Ponmile”. If they won’t acknowledge Fuji as a popular genre, they really should just leave it alone.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/the_headies
Mariam is (insert pretentious stuff about myself here). Share your thoughts with me @MA_Y_M
For the umpteenth time—for whoever is still counting—the Queen B has our metaphorical wigs snatched. Her film length performance with lively stage set, her energetic stage presence, choreographed dance sequence and seamless transitions were mesmerizing, never mind the inspirational message from being the first black woman to headline at the festival, the Fela tribute and the fact that just 11 months ago, she was pregnant with twins. Beyonce has revived the feverish concert glory of pop icons like Michael Jackson and everyone at the venue in Indio, California or who saw it televised across the globe watched in awe.
Though Wizkid was initially billed to perform on that same day, some issues flying his band meant his performance will be set for a later date at the festival. Which is just as well because, can you imagine climbing on stage after that? After 2 hours of nonstop screaming and cheering for Beyonce, it’ll be a stretch to expect the crowd to keep that energy and enthusiasm going for the Starboy. And although Beyonce has set a near-impossible standard for every headliner that will follow her, African performance over the years haven’t been encouraging either.
It doesn’t take long for the average person to develop a healthy skepticism of African concerts after watching Queen B. Aside from the usual live venue problems (guest list confusion, property loss, expensive drinks), Afropop has its own special set of bullshit when it comes to stage performance. There are too many opening acts, a rotating list of artists who really should be confined to smaller stages and grow a fan base before graduating to headliner status. There are too many people and it makes everyone nervous cause you never know who’s there to enjoy the show and who’s trying to jack your stuff. The shows run hours behind schedule. If you make it that far, the headliner is often not very good. If they even know all their lyrics, they’re singing them on top of their own recorded vocals, It’s this sin, that seems to offend the most. And it’s not just dilettante fans who complain; it’s something I hear all the time as a reason why my friends don’t want to go see a singer whose music they love perform their songs in real life. It’s less of a concert and more of a celebrity spectacle.
But before I get hate-mailed by a believer in the Afropop gospel, let me get one thing out in the open; Afropop is probably in the best place it has ever been. We have the diverse sounds of artists like Odunsi and Terry Apala who are spearheading a movement that has both kids and old school veterans alike, excited. Then we have the likes of Kiss Daniel, Falz and Santi, who are bringing personality back with hyper-realised individuality, while old blokes like Davido are doubling down on songwriting.
So, why, with an array of artists that could challenge even Shoprite, in terms of variety and excellence, do live performance still suck. The short answer, artists don’t realize the potential for having viable live shows.
Instead of recording an album and hustling a live show, the formula for being a ‘successful Afropop artist’ is to pick one song and push it through as many retweets and DJ’s as they can. If the song is good, it gets added to the rotation on radio. And if the song is really good (and if they have good people behind it), the single gets momentum and their name gets out there. Promoters far and wide will book them to perform at clubs. But this isn’t a full show, it’s a quick set at a club based on a hit record. The artist’s presence is just gravy since everybody will know all the words and the club would go off whether or not they were there.
They can earn money by just being in the building and can keep this steam going through a steady, well-paced string of big singles until peak concert season at the end of the year, when big-budget corporations come with their big stages and big checks. But with little to no live stage practice, and perhaps used to getting paid for just showing up, we get minimal effort from the artist and wish there weren’t so many damn artists, so we can at least enjoy one good set. When you think of all these, Beyonce’s performance seems light years away from anything we could even dream of here. However, let’s not get carried away just yet.
Just as we complain of bad performances here, so do many fans around the world (with Beyonce and a handful of other artists being the exceptions). Granted, we probably have it worse here because even top-billed acts let us down more often then they should, but we too have exceptions. Just a few years ago, Cassper Nyovest’s dedication to creating a captivating experience with an elaborate stage design was acknowledged by international media after an ironic Kanye rant during his Life of Pablo Tours. Kanye accused someone who many believed to be the South African rapper for stealing his stage design; “This the original, accept no imitations! Niggas be copying our shit bro. Stealing our shit, stealing our stages”. But Cassper was quick to remind everyone he already had the flying stage set a year before Kanye did.
Cassper’s flying stage asides reminding everyone that artists in Africa can be just as innovative with their live performances shows a side to the problem we don’t often consider. In established industries like America, it’s easy to have performances like Beyonce’s Coachella because there’s an active industry of professionals and events that demands such extensive showcases. But because the music industry in a country like Nigeria is still relatively new, it’s difficult to even find the extras, dancers, set designers and light engineers to deliver extravagant performances. And those who find a way to wing it don’t get the proper recognition they deserve because we’ve become desensitised and stopped paying attention as a sort of coping mechanism for disappointing shows.
It might take some time before Nigerians fully develop a concert attending culture, but it shouldn’t be too long now with shows like NATIVELAND, Gidifest and other concerts showing a dedication to push the culture. With a little more concern for the artists to connect with fans, more people will be encouraged to attend concerts and artists will have more incentive for investing into their performances.
It’s a worthy investment cause, concerts provide an opportunity for artists to build their brand identity and fan base, which they can in turn market for album sales, merch and even concert tickets. Things are already in motion to build Nigeria’s concert culture and artists are showing a willingness to explore it. Tay Iwar opened for Asa at her Encore concert in Lagos last year and below is a video of Asa’s performance with a 60 piece orchestra at the Simphiwe Dana Symphony Experience in 2015.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/coachella
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
If “Itty Bitty” listens like “Peter Piper”, it’s cause D-O is returning to the hazy and atmospheric melodies that were missing from his recent singles, “Footwork” and “Chop Elbow”. While the experimental limerick melodies gave “Chop Elbow” some humour and personality, it took away the melodic appeal that makes him most charming.
Though the formula for “Itty Bitty” has been used many times—July Drama’s adjacent-chill-wave production, D-O’s pseudo-romantic lyrics and catchy mid-tempo melodies—the performance is truly endearing. He sings “She Say Baby Take It Easy (I Say)/ She Say Put It Just A Litty Bitty/ She Say Boy You No Go Kill Me Today” in his suggestively subdued vocal. With D-O’s anticipated Everything Pretty project debut still without a release date, “Itty Bitty” adds to the singer’s growing string of crowd-pleasers.
Stream the new single below.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/prettyboydo
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
One minute, 40 seconds. That’s the exact mark in which “Goodvibes”, Akinfelay’s new single, goes from good to great—from a nice melody to something more weighty and transcendent. Singing over the synth-based beat with throbbing 808 drums, he ushers listeners to his atmospheric and surreal universe where only good vibes are allowed.
The first half of “Goodvibes” finds Akinfelay giving pseudo-romantic introspection. But as the bass drops and the beat takes a more drowsy dip—almost like someone leaned on the rewind and slow-mo button—his lyrics become more cocky and whimsical; “You Know I Got The Sauce/ I’m Chilling With The gods”.
Listen to Akinfelay’s “Goodvibes” below.
https://soundcloud.com/akinfelay/goodvibes
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/akinfelay
You are meeting Debola at a strange time in his life. He wandered into a dream and lost his way back. Tweet at him@debola_abimbolu
The DMW music group is back with a second single for the year following the release of “Mind” some weeks ago. For “Aje”, DMW’s latest single,Davido and Peruzzi are joined by Yonda and Fresh VDM, who produces, but also gets credited as a featured artist on the song.
“Aje” is accompanied by a video filmed and directed by DammyTwitch in Dakar, Senegal. The video shows all four DMW members featured on the song, beginning with Peruzzi singing to his lover on the colourful streets of Dakar. Davido follows Peruzzi’s verse up with lines professing his love for the girl he sings on a rooftop on what seems to be a cloudy afternoon. Yonda anchors the final verse with the same aim of serenading a love interest with his lyrics.
Watch DMW’s “Aje” here:
Featured Image Credits: YouTube/DMW HQ
“Tomiwa is figuring it out…” Tweet at her @fauxxbella
A few months ago, we reported an incident between a Taxify driver and a passenger. In all of the chaos, it was established that both parties felt their lives were in danger. But even before this incident surfaced, many drivers and passengers have spoken about feeling endangered by the other party in an Uber or Taxify affair.
Well, it seems the constant complaints from the drivers who have partnered with Taxify, Africa’s fastest growing ride-hailing platform, have been heard by the companies authorities. The company announced today that they have added a panic button to its ride-hailing app in Nigeria. Uche Okafor, the City Manager, indicated that the safety is their top priority and they have been working and developing ways to ensure utmost protection for both parties.
“With hundreds of thousands of trips across the country booked through our app each week, the safety of driver-partners and riders is a top priority for the company. Over the last few years we’ve led the way with technology based safety features such a GPS tracking of every trip and our two-way rating system”. He indicated that the goal is to safeguard driver-partners against violent attacks and hijacks in an attempt to utilize technology to ensure safety on trips are safer for users. The panic button will is embedded in the app and signals Lagos State Emergency Response Agency when it is activated.
Hopefully, similar features will be rolled out for riders as well. Let’s level the safety ground for all parties.
Featured Image Credit: Web/TechArena
“Tomiwa is figuring it out…” Tweet at her @fauxxbella
