For a musician with a tough, street-smart image, a prison sentence can actually boost popularity. But in Dammy Krane’s case it can only hurt his good image. TapJet’s fraud accusation saw the singer jailed earlier this year but since receiving bail, he has been quick to defend his innocence through his social media accounts and singles like “On Point”released after his arrest in June. The charges against him were eventually dropped by a Miami court following a lack of sufficient physical evidence and Dammy Krane can finally heave a sigh of relief.
But not one to let such a major controversy go without milking it for what it’s worth, the “Amin” singer has released a new single, “Prayer” barely a week after his court case. Spellz produces the mid-tempo Afrobeat number which gives Dammy Krane a chance to score a hit seemingly from behind bars. As he shows his gratitude to God, his family and fans’ support, he makes sure to remind haters “E Sure For Me”. But most of all, the freedom music allows even when behind bars reflects in his hopeful lyrics of “I Want To Lo’wo Lowo (have money to spend)/ I Want To Buy Bugatti Fun Mummy Mi Oh”.
Listen to Dammy Krane’s latest single, “Prayer” below.
Yemi Alade is a busy artist. The past 8 months for her has been about her music, from touring and releasing projects to music videos. It hasn’t been up to a week since Yemi Alade released new single “Knack Am” and announced her third studio Album, Black Magic. She keeps things moving steadily, teasing a video snippet on her Instagram a day ago in the lead up to the official video release today.
“Knack Am” is everything we’ve come to expect of Yemi from song writing to melody, the music video isn’t lacking in all the basics of a quintessential Yemi Alade either –lush colours, rich aesthetics, theatrical expressions, dancing and more often than not, love drama. It’s unclear how Yemi Alade and director Clarence peters expect “Knack Am” to be taken by the public but for a song sung with pieces of suggestive remarks, it’s essentially incoherent to the rest of the song how a choreograph by kids ages 4 to 6 add to the song’s narrative. The idea however seems to be an attempt to balance the target audience across all ages.
“Knack Am” is produced by DJ Coublon, featuring Josh2funny, Mc GeneGene and Solo. See the Clarence Peters directed adjoining video below.
Featured Image Credit: Youtube/YemiAladevevo
Fisayo is a journalist who thinks writing is hard and reading too. But her journey somewhere reveals, words are like pawns on chessboard when writing. She wants to see, create and share with the world, experience & communicate these experiences. Tweet at her @fisvyo
9ice recently came under fire for “Living Things”, a track where the veteran purportedly names Nigeria’s biggest Yahoo Yahoo boys. But nearly a decade ago, Olu Maintain pulled off an even bawdier affiliation with the cyber-fraud culture, and he relatively got away with it.
Towards the tail end of 2007, former half of defunct alternate cover group, Maintain, Mr Olu Maintain released “Yahooze”, off a Maintain Reloaded album he released the following year. Though Mr. Olu has clarified through several interviews that “Yahooze” was not intended as a tribute to Yahoo-Yahoo, the lyrics glean a different truth. After an electronic siren layered on the opening moments of the Puffy Tee produced instrumentals, Olu Maintain leaps into giddy choral hook of the words ‘Yahoo’. He stretches this along chorus that eventually comes to rest with the conclusion that ‘Yahooze, na music’ . No one knew what it meant, but it was provocative.
Following the release of the single, allegations of cyber-fraud trailed Olu Maintain. This culminated several interviews where the singer had to spell out different vague meanings including a claim that he composed it as a celebration of the life of Monday to Friday worker-bees. Ironically, the accompanying video launched Nigerian music into an era of music video pageantry. Thanks to Olu Maintain’s DJ Tee directed video featuring Hummers, drop-top Benzes and bottles of champagne, stakes for boujee-ness were raised with every new Nigerian music video depicting high-end automobiles, designer clothing and expensive alcohol, a literal subversion of every salary earner’s prudent lifestyle.
While Olu Maintain continued to grant interviews to downplay the shady narrative his brand was been assigned with, “Yahooze” shot into the class of alternate national anthems. At the height of Olu Maintain’s controversy-tinted success, the singer played host to former United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell at a concert in London, teaching the former statesman the two-fingered dance move accompanying every song released at the time. Late President Yar’Adua also hosted Mr Olu at his Aso Rock villa alongside Nigeria’s World Cup winning Under-17 football team, where everyone in attendance merried to a song supposedly celebrating a deeply rooted social ill.
Till date, Olu Maintain retains his initial defence of “Yahooze” as a non-threatening walk-in-the-park Afropop club song. His ability to manoeuvre his way around the post-release media storm around the track however is reminiscent of Dammy Krane’s recent legal troubles after an alleged run-in with the law in the U.S. Earlier in the year, the “Amin” singer became the centre of a credit-card fraud scandal with private American airline, TapJets. Despite a series of cited proof to indict the singer, Dammy Krane is currently a free-man awaiting all charges to be dropped in the coming months — a plot twist that came as a surprise to everyone who was certain of Krane’s guilt. Though there is a mandatory 180-day period for Dammy Krane’s prosecutors to consider bringing new charges against the singer before all charges are dropped, at the moment, it’s safe to say Krane may just have pulled a Yahooze.
Listen to Olu Maintain’s “Yahooze” below.
Featured Image Credit: Youtube/OluMaintainVevo
Toye is the Team lead at Native Nigeria. Tweet at him@toyethebot
Clean versions of songs are still proof of how free-to-air censorship is still implemented. Earlier this week, NBC (National Broadcasting Commission) released a list of banned songs including “Wo” and “Wavy Level” by Olamide, “Fall” and “If” by Davido and 9ice’s “Living Thing” . According to the NBC, music must retain certain level of decency and these crowd favourites didn’t quite make the cut.
Olamide’s recent hit songs, “Wo” and “Wavy Level” despite his image for showing a wholesome side to the street lifestyle got flagged for the use of Tobacco in his videos. The act advertised by the agency as encouraging second hand smoking and illegal use of drugs violates the Tobacco Control Act 2015. But we all know that while Olamide’s intentions were innocent enough on the his singles, he has done worse—at least as far as vulgar lyrics is concerned—with little or no consequence.
Davido’s “If” and “Fall” have also been doing very well in the airwaves since their release in February and May respectively but the NBC just finally deciphered his cryptic lyrics. He hides provocative words like “I Go Chook You/ Chuku Chuku” in child like melodies though it’s seemingly meant for adult consumption with the violent and raunchy double entendre. Of course with “Banana Fall On You” on “Fall”, you’re stuck somewhere between wondering what took the NBC so long and why even bother at this point.
9ice’s “Living Things” was being heralded as an admirable comeback at least till Falz’s outburst against artists glamorizing the internet-fraud lifestyle. Though Falz never mentioned any names and 9ice isn’t the only artist with a song praising the culture, the nerve to name drop celebrated quick-money earners books him a spot on the NBC’s latest list of banned songs from the radio.
Of course the ban does very little to affect the artist and or their songs since we no longer rely so much on radio for deciding what’s hot and we live in an era where music taste is left to the listener. In fact, if at all there’s going to be any effect, the ban means we can expect an increase on their streaming figures given our internet savvy generation.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/davidoofficial
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
Nigerian-born Northampton rapper, 7th Obi has released his first single since debuting with Warm Rooms EP in 2016. Tapping NUXSENSE producer, Sivv the new single samples Mac DeMarco’s “Chamber Of Reflection” which in turn was heavily influenced by 70’s Japanese musician, Shigeo Sekito “ザ・ワードⅡ / セキトウ・シゲオ”. The resulting “Tropicana” is a more complex jazzy improvisations and shimmering layers of sound that allows 7th Obi attain hipster level nonchalant vengeance music.
Haunting and sombrely mellow synth harmonies gives “Tropicana” a trip-hop sound as 7th Obi raps with a laid-back flow though his lyrics are paradoxically borderline violent. He depicts his struggle to reach his goals and find himself in the Hobbesian universe he creates with words. As his talent gets him the recognition he desires, he admits the influence of his role models with reference to them through a casual shout out to Tyler the Creator’s “Yonkers” and J Cole’s “Freedom Or Jail, The Clips Inserted/ My Life’s Inverted” line from “Let Nas Down”.
His non-nonchalant vocals emphasizes the songs trippy narrative as the raps about “Not Giving A Fuck” and being “So Louse”. But the draw back of crafting a no-context-needed timeless single is that listeners are left waiting for the punchline. Stream 7th Obi’s “Tropicana” below.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/7thsam
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
Technically this means they’ll find other ways to steadily navigate their way through the industry, whether it’s by shrugging off part of their reputation behind the Dj-ing booth to become artists or hype-men under their own work or becoming hosts of their own show. DJ Big N’s –Mavins in-house disc jockey– latest, “Anything (For You)” is another archetypal show of this. Albeit, DJ Big N actually began his career as an artist. On “Anything (For You)” he appears twice as a build up to the song and an end to it as well.
In a moment of listening, the production on “Anything (For You)” feels non-existent, Tiwa Savage and Burna Boy’s delivery however, ensures that even when production is not overtly done right, it’s tempting to project some level of ignorance to Baby fresh’s presence (perhaps absence). We are still in the age of Tekno’s neo-highlife wave and it’s hard not imagine why a song like this came to be. At the dusk of what seems to be an over-saturation of Ghanaian hip-life into West African Afropop, producers are striving for ingenuity by leaning away from Afro-Caribbean drums while sustaining the same tempo. Produced by Baby Fresh, “Anything (For You)” is layered with enough electronic sounds to flail the eventual result into the obscure.
Tiwa Savage sings the first verse and chorus, owning it all before passing the baton briefly to Burna Boy.
Listen to DJ Big N’s “Anything (For You)”, below
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@djbign
Fisayo is a journalist who thinks writing is hard and reading too. But her journey somewhere reveals, words are like pawns on chessboard when writing. She wants to see, create and share with the world, experience & communicate these experiences. Tweet at her @fisvyo
It has been approximately two days since Adomaa delivered her deliciously soothing new single’“Gone” to us and the village of people living between my ears have found the perfect soundtrack to all their feels. With neo-soul and jazz being her forte, Adomma’s birthday gift to us, produced by newcomer Boye and mastered by Nova, is grounded in soulful piano chords with an underlying touch of Afrobeats.
The song starts out with a kick drum solo closely followed by the subtle introduction of piano chords setting the mood for the sultry vocals Adomaa serves. For fear of missing a single beat, I’m suddenly sitting still, holding back the breath I’ve just drawn in because within seconds Adomaa is going to start singing and I don’t want to miss a single key change.
“Gone” recounts the story of a jilted lover, one whose epiphanies reflect a harrowing façade of a relationship grounded in lies. Detailing the progression of what she describes as the best of the worst she’s ever known, Adomaa in her signature falsetto, takes us on a journey of heartbreak and what it takes to come to terms with fuck niggatry.
There’s a certain groove to the entire arrangement that makes it quite befitting for an episode of HBO’s Insecure. Just when you think you can predict the progression of the song, Boye throws you for a loop. The simultaneous introduction of the maracas and the conga halfway through the first verse, subtly transforms the song into a brilliant mix of neo-soul and Afrobeats, with neither overpowering the other, extraordinary if you ask me.
Lyrically, it is reminiscent of ‘Love Galore’, as both songs tell a tale of a lover who puts a woman through the absolute darkest parts of the devil’s fiery butt crack, under the pretense of love. Adomaa’s you know you didn’t love me you should have left me alone bears the same message as SZA’s why you bother me when you know you don’t want me, making me wonder what the men of the world have been up to, nothing shy of being trash I presume.
Sonically, this song gives me hints of Pro J and Robin Thicke’s 2007 hit song, ‘Lost Without You’. With its own blend of the rattle sounds and piano chords falling right in line behind Thicke’s soulful falsetto, these two songs are definitely distant cousins to each other.
While Kidblack delivered a verse befitting of the subject matter, this song, just like DJ Khaled’s ‘Shining’ and Calvin Harris’ ‘Feels’, did not need a rap verse. The song is enough to carry its own weight and my sincere opinion is that it takes away from the complete vibe being delivered unto us.
I am thoroughly pleased by this song because it is a fusion of two interesting sounds and is yet another record pushing the boundaries of Ghanaian music as we know it.
It may be debatable by numbers, but 2017 has been quite the odd year for Nigerian music. Top flight acts like Davido, Wizkid and Yemi Alade amongst others have continued a steady upward climb. Middleweight artists like Tekno, Runtown, Niniola and YCEE amongst others, seem to be strengthening foothold. And the internet is parading a slew of self-publishing millennial up-and comers as the future of Nigerian music.
On the flip side of this is near total radio silence from the streets. Olamide’s disbandment of his original YBNL crew (Lil Kesh, Chinko Ekun, Adekunle Gold, Viktoh) circa their album drops and contract expirations respectively, left a vacuum of an ultimate tag team to drop hits for the streets. Artists like Oritshefemi, CDQ, Reminisce have mostly remained on air with features, videos and concerts. This leaves only a handful like Dotman, Junior Boy and Davolee, with the exception of Small Doctor, who is having quite the exceptional year with smash hit, “Penalty”.
The murmurs have been low-key, but eyes have been on Olamide — the self-titled voice of the streets — to turn things around. Besides promoting his The Glory album with videos, and dropping three singles, “Wavy Level”, “Love No Go Die” and “Summer Body” to mixed reactions, Olamide has mostly remained under radar, charts wise. It may have taken a minute for “Wo” to come, but it’s the last days of summer, we’re reliving the magic of a gritty Olamide, who is sworn to the streets.
“Wo” comes as both a refreshing outtake from the mid-tempo neo-highlife sound Tekno and Davido have popularised, and as a re-invigoration of the same Young John stroke that dominated all of 2015 into last year. Olamide’s assuming brag ‘Won lo n’ miss wa ni ‘gboro’ (I heard they’ve been missing us in the streets), gives all the context you need for why a song like “Wo” is needed.
Like much of Olamide’s biggest club-inspired songs, there’s not a lot of purpose to “Wo”. Olamide’s cheeky titular refrain ‘wo’, sounds like a taunt, as if to mock those who are not quite familiar with life from the hood for all they are missing. The affect however, is in Olamide’s musty and swagger, a calibrated blend of all the authenticity that fame or wealth will never take out of who he is at heart.
Somewhere on the internet as you read this, there’s a headline saying Olamide’s new smash hit is now a public health hazard. There are two truths to this: the first is a criticism by the ministry of health for Olamide’s smoking in the accompanying video for “Wo”, the second truth is a certain fact that once again we have another Olamide song that will be played till ears bleed.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the street takeover 2017 edition.
Stream Olamide’s “Wo” via Apple Music below
Toye is the Team lead at Native Nigeria. Tweet at him@ToyeSokunbi
On this mix, Smoking Indoors brings a plush mix of vibe-out tracks undercut from the underground, to meet numbers from the mainstream sharing the same ethos: Chill and rage. From Patrickxxlee’s neo-goth trap, “Broken Boy Break Toys” to Wizkid’s Afro-carribean chill-wave, “Naughty Ride”, the tempos stay leveled. Everything else is sustained on sub-woofer cuts from Ria Boss, Lady Donli and Aaliyah
Have a listen and check out our playlist below.
Spottie – Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Low Polygon Count – Shamana
You’re so Beautiful – Reddish Blu
You Owe Me (Sango Bootleg) – Nas
Team Talk – Daniel OG Broken Boys Break Toys feat Saint Klaus – PatrickxxLee
Bank Account – 21 Savage
WTRP feat StanleyGTK & Tau Benah (Unreleased) – Imran
Reasons feat Davido & Zinzi (Unreleased)- Tau Benah
I Hate You Bitch – Z-Ro
Momma Loves Me (Urban Noize Remix) – Jay-Z
Cockroach – SMOKING INDOORS
WHOULUV – Ria Boss Kashe Ni – Lady Donli
A Girl Like You- Aaliyah
Sweet Life – Creative Elevation
Fusion – Aylo OTB – GMK
Give Up – DKVPZ
Naughty Ride – Wizkid
Bad Gyal – Lotto Boyz Fall – Davido
Dont W8 4 Nobodi – SMOKING INDOORS
IDK Interlude- DAP The Contract
There are murmurs that African RnB is dead, but at some point last year, someone would have suggested you listen to Ric Hassani, a 28-year-old from Eastern Nigeria whose voice and facial expression carry empathy. “Gentleman”, his most successful single has its thematic linings told on love as Ric compels a lover to leave a man not worthy to be hers. He had continuously teased a minute of the video through a sponsored post on Instagram, with a somber cut of melody and classic-man vintage aesthetic. Before year end, enthusiastic coverage of Ric Hassani included his performance of “Gentleman” at Lagos Fashion Design Week, snowballing into another performance of the song at his Ted Talk this year. His debut album, African Gentleman, folds “Gentleman”, and other pre-released singles like “Only You” and “Marry You” into a world that is engrossed in love and romantic longing.
But there’s more than that: Ric hassani’s debut serves a little more than just three songs. He has released the track list to a standard and deluxe edition along side new single, “Sweet Mother” and the album’s cover art. See below.
His new song “Sweet Mother” is alive with the love from his girl and his mother. “Sweet Mother” hears Ric Hasani deliver eager declarations everyone makes when they’re in love. With phrases like “my sugar pumpkin, you’re so sweet” and “my choice milo, you know you mean the world to me”, Ric chants in an alto voice over drum thrums and a string instrument that’s both Afropop and highlife. The musical arrangements and his shuffling between singing and spoken word towards the end of the song, may just bring nostalgia of Prince Nico Mbarga’s “Sweet Mother”.
Have a listen at “Sweet Mother” featuring Mumba Yachi and pre-order the full album below.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@richassani
Fisayo is a journalist who thinks writing is hard and reading too. But her journey somewhere reveals, words are like pawns on chessboard when writing. She wants to see, create and share with the world, experience & communicate these experiences. Tweet at her @fisvyo
Film maker and stylist Daniel Obasi has become one of the biggest dissident voices to emerge in Nigeria’s fashion and alternative art scenes in the last half decade, his work distinguished by its attention to otherness, its exploration of femininity as a way to navigate the world and its heavy leanings on afrofuturism and afro-dystopia. But Obasi didn’t really come into his own until he turned briefly away from the camera and the clothes rack and took on film making. His debut film, the dubiously named ‘Embers of Bloom’ was an unexpected triumph, buoyed by excellent casting (models Daberechi Kalu-Ukoha and Ifeoma Nwobu bring an electric chemistry to the shots that are intimate while remaining innocent), song selection (Mary Akpa’s “Collide” provides excellent mood music) and of course, Obasi’s styling genius. ‘Embers of Bloom’ spoke to an unvarnished otherness that Obasi tries to recapture in “Illegal” his new short film.
With a spoken word piece narrated by Josiah Osagie and original music by Snargzy, Obasi extends a photo editorial commissioned for fashion retail site Oxosi.com into a five minute fashion film edited by Robert Matuluko. The film follows Daberechi Ukoha-Kalu and Tobiloba subomi who are both garbed in Nigerian designers and stuck in some primitive settlement dress as they though they live outside of contemporary times. On the surface the film references all the right things, afrofuturism, androgyny, Nigerian designers like Raya Jewellery, IAMISIGO, Orange Culture, Rayo and Tsemaye Binitie; but that’s all it does, reference these things. “Illegal” never goes beyond referencing, there are so many places the film could have gone with its iconography, so many stories it could have told but the film never gets around to any of it.
Perhaps, if the film had been more stringently edited and the near three minutes of repetitive imagery cut out, the film could have told a much more succinct story. The length of the film, the repetition of scenes at the expense of the clothes kept “illegal” from becoming a promise fulfilled. The fashion film has evolved beyond the generic trope of models lounging and and looking forlornly at the camera, and compared to the rest of Obasi’s oeuvre, “Illegal” simply don’t pass muster.
Make up – Awoyemi kemi
Hair – Happiness Okon
Creative Assistant – Lauretta Orji
Designers –
Orangeculture
Iamisigo
Tsemaye Binite
Raya jewellries
Rayo
Edwin eats his rice and cabbages. Tweet at him@edgothboy
After signing to Lycan Music, and putting out two singles under the imprint that give a definitive afropop twist to classic R&B sounds, Tyson Noir has made strong advances towards establishing himself as an afropop powerhouse. So now he’s taking the next logical step and reinterpreting the songs with video treatments, starting with his most recent release, “Yours”. Tapping Mex to direct, Noir performs the love song in a world of monochrome assisted by a model who also plays the role of dancer as ancient symbols wash over their performance.
Zoro – Landlady
Zoro’s “Landlady” single released back in May has finally gotten a befitting video courtesy of Mex’s film production. Showing a diverse array of skill set, Mex ditches the more minimalist motif used earlier for Noir’s “Your” for a more scripted video. While Zoro’s romance theme is still portrayed in the video, the video also shows that it’s not all rosy being in love as two couples are juxtaposed in the clip—one ends simply with an amateur unlocked phone drama while the other ends in a beautiful wedding.
Snoop Dogg – Neva Left
We’ve seen Snoop dogg in some pretty animated situations ranging from his voice on King of the Hills‘ Alabaster Jones character, Street Dogg on Sanjay and Craig, himself on The Cleveland Show and Lil Dicky’s video for “Professional Rapper” that all prove that while he may be gangster, he’s still a kid at heart. But the contrast in his personality has never been more obvious than his recently released video for “Neva Left”. Using a Boondocks like motif, Snoop Dogg is shown in a Scarface inspired world of drugs and gang banging as he explains how the community he grew in encouraged a life of crime.
Emtee – Corner Store
Corner stores are so convenient that sometimes we fail to appreciate how much better our lives are because of them. South African rapper, Emtee certainly gets that as he delivers a trap equivalent of an ode to the street supermarket on his latest offering, “Corner Store”. Sure he stays true to rap’s introspective narrative bragging about his flows and earnings, but the Ambitiouz visuals emphasizes the importance of corner stores. The video ends with Emtee and his squad turnt up at a house party but not before showing shots of their trip to the store to the drinks that even rap must agree is the true life of the party.
Jay Z – Chester Bennington Performance
Three years after his On The Run world tour, Jay Z is finally back on stage for his 4:44 album. Set at Staffordshire’s Weston Park and backed by a 40-feet-tall metallic Jeff Koons inflatable dog, Jay Z digs deep into his bag of classics and performs oldies like “99 Problems” before getting into his latest releases like “Kill Jay Z” and “OJ Simpson”. But the most memorable event at the show has to be his tribute to late collaborator, Chester Bennington and his performance of fans’ favorite from their Collision Course mash-up “Numb/Encore” as his finale.
Katy Perry – Swish Swish Trailer
It appears the NBA season is no longer the only thing basketball fans have to look forward to with Katy Perry’s trailer for “Swish Swish”. As the title already suggested, the teased trailer is set withing the four corners of a basketball court as Katy Perry and her team, Tigers face mean looking Sheep team of players. The trailer features cameos from Jenna Ushkowitz, Gaten Matarazzo, Christine Sydelko, Bill Walton and Rich Eisen while Nicki Minaj remains MIA despite her feature on the songs vocals. The minute long trailer gives away the goofy motif of the video as cameos are shown in exaggerated facial expressions and mustaches while Katy Perry can’t catch a ball though she’s the captain of the Tiger’s.
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
Live show format is such a rare thing in Nigeria. Apart from a handful of very skilled musicians who have grown a much older, more sophisticated fanbase and pioneer like the 9 man Bantu collective who runs the monthly Afropolitan Vibes concert, the average concert goer in Nigeria has at best seen artists lip-sync to a backing track. But live shows are the very soul of concert performance, the opportunity for an artist to morph, transform themselves. Artists like Lady Gaga and Beyonce have used their live performance concerts as an opportunity to re-imagine their music, experimenting with ideas that never made it into the official studio release, reworking their lyrics and instrumentation to pay homage to their forebears and speak on contemporary issues. This in part is why X3M’s Dusten Truce and the Lucid Company’s Jamal Swiss teamed up for their Pop-Up concert series Young Kulture.
The premise behind Young Kulture is pretty straightforward; music from Nigeria’s most interesting young talents, taken from its predominantly electronic origins and given new life via the Young Kulture live band. Make no mistake though, this isn’t just some random concert or festival; it is actually a tour for Truce and Jamal, who are both promoting projects with the tour, EP 23 to Life for Truce, and Based On True Events for Swiss.
There are few things I particularly find interesting about this approach to New Age Music. Young Kulture’s has kept their set lists notoriously sparse for their first four shows as they traversed the mainland and island. They’ve also kept a surprisingly meticulous social media calendar and campaign for the tour, keeping their fans in the loop every step of the way. Sure there were some kinks but what show doesn’t have kinks. After a hiatus, Young Kulture is closing out the summer with a fifth headlining show (though we can’t say for sure if this will be the last one for the tour) and to celebrate they are bringing on a ruthlessly curated list of supporting acts for the #YKThe5th pop up, and a headlining guest appearance from alt-darling Simi.
With Tinny Entertainment’s Bella Alubo, Sess The Prblm Kid, The Grey Area and Maka, if you’ve never been to a Young Kulture concert before, this might be the one to start with.
Tickets are 2,000 and are available at the gate and online here, and free palwine for the people who actually show up on time.
If you like live music and want to see the New Age really progress, this is definitely a good place to talk with your wallet. See you there.
Okay, even I’ll admit, that headline is a bit of a misnomer. Thrifting, or the entire process of buying and wearing second hand clothing isn’t exactly a fringe activity. Except for a very privileged few, most Nigerians wear second hand clothing. Like epileptic power supply and taps that don’t run, Okrika is a inevitable part of Nigerian life.
As a child during the worst of the Abacha regime, I remember going with my elder sisters and my twin brother to Kasuwan Barchi in Kaduna to shop for the cold Harmattan months. As a largely sheltered child who had grown up on a steady diet of western cinema, I hungered to become like the children I watched on the Cadbury’s Breakfast show, always brightly dressed in headbands and cargo shorts, stripped polos and knee length varsity socks. Kaduna with its dusty streets and jellabiya clothed mallams always brought me careening back to earth. There seemed no way I could magically transport myself to a place where I could be assertive and land jokes and have parents who cared in a real way about my opinion so I did the next best thing, I reinvented myself by aping the fashion I saw them wear on TV.
Everything about the Harmattan market fascinated me. Unlike the rainy season market which was filled with ‘practical’ cotton sweat shirts and sensible corduroy shorts (Corduroy was huge in the 90’s), the Harmattan market was outlandish and overdone and unabashed about it. I loved the knitted hats and woollen socks, the downy sweaters and the Shearling lined boots that were stacked lazily on top of each other, the red stained beard of the seller bobbing as my sister rolled her eyes and threatened to leave if he didn’t lower the prices. My sisters fresh into Uni, were struck by the Baby Phat craze that had swept female hip-hop and R&B the year before and had grown incredibly skilled at sorting through the bales of ‘Grade One’ wrinkled clothing, their eyes gleaming with delight when they spotted the signature stylized cat. The occasional Dolce & Gabbana was a steal, Chanel you only got if you’d struck a deal with your ‘dealer’.
But what really made Okrika markets special for me was the options. I’d sort through the piles, choosing as many as I could manage, and together my sisters and I would thin out the herd, culling until we reached a compromise of stylish and practical and most important, within budget. Those clothes are long gone, but they remain immortalized in the photographs my mother insisted we take each year, silent markers of a story more complex than anyone who sees them now can imagine.
‘Okrika’ as it is called by Igbo traders who predominantly own that market in the South, and ‘Gwanjo’ as it is called in the North is a multi-billion naira industry that starts in Goodwill stores, Salvation Army Charities in the United States and Oxfam stores in the United Kingdom and ends up here in our predominant ‘Okrika’ markets like the one at Tejuosho in Lagos. The trip from newly made ASOS blouse to Okrika steal is a long and very interesting one, and also an story for another detailed article. For this one, we’ll stick to the ‘why’s.
Why does it matter that we thrift, if we already do?
Because the current rate at which we consume clothing is unsustainable. Globalization and industrialization has turned fashion from a specialized skill owned by a select few to an industry fed by thousands of machines. As more people invest in innovating the process of creating clothing, they create a system and a fashion cycle that produces clothes that meets no discernible demand. To ensure their investment pays off and their fancy machines do not lie dormant, the people behind your favorite fashion brands have created a fictitious cycle of demand, driven by fashion media, insisting that buying cyclical fashion trends is the best way to become trendy and desirable yourself. Clothes are made in anticipation of this fictitious demand, and the surplus of this fake demand is discarded and becomes ‘second hand’ clothing. This waste plus the stigma around second hand clothing means that the bulk of these discarded clothing end up in landfills where they are of no use to no one. This kind of waste (it runs in the hundreds of millions of dollars every year) is simply unsustainable.
Because there is a very damning human cost that is paid for cheap, fashionable clothing. In 2013, the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh collapsed, injuring 2600 people and killing 1,129 people, many of whom suffocated and starved to death over the course of four days. The vast majority of the people killed and injured in the Rana Plaza collapse were itinerant workers, women and girls who worked in unsanitary sweatshops making copies of high fashion brands for 30 – 50 dollars a month. Many of the women and girls working there were indentured (forced to work there either to pay off debts owed to debtors or the person who trafficked them from their homes). The Plaza they worked out of had none of the required safety measures and was holding far more people than its estimated. Rana Plaza is only one of hundreds these ‘sweatshops’ housng hundreds of modern slaves, their very lives at risk so we can wear a cheap but brand new pair of ‘trendy’ pants.
To bring it home; Because in Nigeria there is a stigma around thrifting, and the communities who thrift and embrace thrifted clothing as an aesthetic are often mocked for it. The Hausa ‘Aboki’ and the Igbo ‘Mgbeke’ have distinct dress aesthetics that have grown out of almost exclusively wearing ill-fitting okrika clothing without the context for why and where these okrika clothes originally made. The cultural intelligence and ingenuity with which the Mgbeke subculture in particular have managed to turn okrika into an art form has attracted photographers like Ruth Ossai and Nadine Ijewere who have both tried to capture the essence of the okrika for Western Fashion brands and failed miserably. The fact that we do not seek to understand and celebrate these people and how they reinterpret their circumstances and culture through clothing is telling in and of itself.
The average Nigerian is dirt poor, living on less than $3 a day. The average flip-flop on ASOS costs about 5 dollars. They simply cannot afford to not wear second hand clothing. For those of us who are privileged enough to choose, it is imperative that we embrace Okrika and celebrate the creativity that comes from taking the old and reinventing it as new. The lives of others and our very planet depends on it.
Clothes are clothes are clothes.
Ultimately you, not labels, not branding, not celebrity, determine what is cool.
Edwin eats his rice and cabbages. Tweet at him@edgothboy
It’s odd how we speak of how Chance The Rapper cracked the free music formular, without mention of Drake’s 2011 ‘Free The Single’ campaign. In between crafting the Take Care album and steadily gaining traction as a performer, Drizzy suddenly decides to release a couple of completed songs off the album, for free. Were his moves to put out music with no pay come from a genuine appreciation for his fans or was it a part of a bigger scheme? His record label was against it, for one, they tried to stop him even. Fast forward 5 years later, Drake is reforming how we view albums. Coasting on the success of the chart topping Views, he brings up a playlist to tide fans over until his next project.
Chance the Rapper’s turn may have come later, but it is not to be disregarded. After releasing his Colouring Book mixtape, the third since his 2012 10-Days debut, Chance followed up the release by heading out on the road to tour the project. What began as an easy-reach tactic to increase fan accessibility to music by up and coming artists has become more or less a business model. While this threatens to usurp the album format, the rise of streaming already hinted at a possibility that digital music distribution would eventually topple traditional album sales. After all we all knew the day would come when artists of a digital era would to have to seek out new means of reaping profits off their art due to multiple means of public access. We just didn’t think it’d be so soon, since the first Mp3 player even came to be.
The Nigerian system of doing music, particularly distribution has always been simple. Everything you do is for free. Every single song put out is not with the intent of making bank but just to get visibility. At the end of the year, when listeners have played the song enough to get it on the radio, the artist might end up as a side performer at Olamide’s OLIC or on one of the many weddings, birthdays and end-of-the-year galas which turn up in December. Little is said about actual numbers in Nigerian music industry but a bulk of the industry’s revenue is generated at this time of the year. In 2016, reports indicated that over $50million was generated in end-of-the-year revenue from music events in Lagos alone. What is marketed in America as a Project-to-Tour system is reflected in a similar but less scaled Single-to-Christmas-Concert format. Only problem is, while this model influences other aspects of an artistry (album crafting, composition, marketing etc.) in American markets, in Nigeria, the reverse is the case.
The emphasis on touring in America goes beyond ticket and merchandise sales, artists also use it as a medium to give fans a live experience of whole projects. This goes a long way to solidify the meaning of an album as well as strengthen post-release relevance on the charts. The contrast is sharp when compared to Nigeria because emphasis is placed on singles, oftentimes dredging into mindless radio pop that can only keep artists on stage for no longer than a 20 or 30 minute set, let alone a tour that would put said artist on the road for many months.
This directly impacts the album culture, making it near impossible to consider touring because artists only have a handful of material to perform anyway. Other failings of a singles based music industry falls along the lines of the lack of dedication to stagecraft because artists have a 30-day period in December to play over a hundred shows (For an A-list act) all over the continent. The short time-frame between locations often leave artists fatigued and jaded and the result is crooked, half-bake outings that never give attending fans the value for their time and money.
The lack of tours shortchange African artists of a healthy ecosystem of corporations, record labels and distribution links willing to bankroll talent with value. Due to the proliferation of piracy and low sales in the local industry, many scholars over the past few years have emphasized sales and re-distribution as the best way for artists to get profits off their music. But as is evident from Chance The Rapper and Drake, that Nigerian musicians offer their music for free is anything but the problem.
Touring needs investors and investors need a product. Mr Eazi who is currently touring his Accra to Lagos mixtapeand Davido who is on a 30 Billion World Tour for a vast catalog of material he has built over the years, are exceptions to their counterparts averseness to touring. But these are two artists who are already inherent in their own becoming as African music establishments, giving artists of their caliber, leverage to pitch to promoters and independent venture capitalists. Due to how a lax album culture impacts touring, singles are aggressively pushed on the radio, encouraging a Payola culture that further robs the industry of some actual brand ingenuity. Hence, it becomes very likely to have a superstar artist with ultra-successful singles who cannot be marketed as a product , because hype sells singles and nothing more.
Perhaps, consideration has to be given for how much Nigerian artists differ from their foreign counterparts. Circumstances on both sides of the Atlantic have shaped how Nigerians have benefited from a formula they perfected. Nonetheless, the conversation about touring must be opened to ensure a system that works for artists and encourages them to take more risk. To understand that well put together performances matter more a set of shows stacked into a two-week period. That African music has inherent problems that prevents album sales from being a profitable business model should in no way remove from the purpose of an album or the qualitative era for the culture it should inspire.
As Mylo, the Port-Harcourt based artist continues to make experimental rap that aims to make a connection with the world, he’s looking inward this time, a change from the braggadocio on “R.I.C.O” released 2 years ago and his freestyle “King Kong” released May this year. Mylo favours confessional lyrics, addressing topics such as romantic longing on his new single “On My Way”, which feels like a minimal therapy session with a trusted companion. You know this even before you become aware he’s been trapped in the friend-zone with his interest for a while and badly wants out.
“On My Way” begins with a synth guitar/synth harp and a steady wooden gong playing in the background as Mylo teeters on the fence between skeletal rapping and intermittent atmospheres for story telling. His shuffle between the two makes “On My Way” engaging though. Sometimes speaking is crucial to letting listeners feel the soul of your voice and Mylo embraces this well. The verses shift from her side of the story “I will love to go on this journey with you, Mylo I hope you understand that” to his own stand point “I aint saying that he bad for you, but I’m saying that I’m good to you and I know that I’m better for you”. It’s lightly intimate and feels like a conversation between he and his best friend, as he directly and obliquely compels her to leave a man not worthy to be hers.
Against this moody but interesting backdrop, producer Wenger does his work to layer his vocals well with the instrumentation sailing just in line with Mylo, by leaving only the synth string instrument when Mylo speaks, and slinking into more varying sounds when Mylo actually sings and raps, making listeners actually soak in the dialogue without noisy interruptions. An additional scaled-down vocals you barely hear in the background struggles to provide harmony as well. Perhaps Mylo’s changing style through the song makes him seem uniquely skilled at navigating continuity but producer Wenger’s presence helps facilitate this continuity. As a song about love, “On My Way” sounds unfeigned and neither is it so deep.
Have a listen to Mylo Hebron’s third single of the year, “On My Way” below.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@mylohebron
Fisayo is a journalist who thinks writing is hard and reading too. But her journey somewhere reveals, words are like pawns on chessboard when writing. She wants to see, create and share with the world, experience & communicate these experiences. Tweet at her @fisvyo
Falz has become almost as recognizable for his distinct character tropes (think the pervy brother Taju) as he has for the superior story telling on his releases. The flexibility these theatric skins give have allowed him the dexterity to address several issues from politics to romance to straight up club-inclined dance numbers. He uses his sense of humor as an anchor for conveying these themes and his latest offering, “Something Light” reiterates why the bahd guy is so good.
He features YCee who has been on a good run since his 2015 debut that resulted in a critically acclaimed debut EP, First Wavereleased a few months ago. Paired together, our expectations are heightened but they don’t disappoint. Sessbeats produces the mid-tempo beat with synth loops sprinkled over the sparse baseline. Falz and YCee rap over the trap beat though it’s not quite a duet, more like two concurrent but unrelated stories. If you squint, you’d be reminded of a similar sounding “Otis” track by Jay Z and Kanye.
But instead of bragging and affirming their place on Hip-hop’s wall of fame, they address a more pressing issue of getting into the pants of “Big Girls/Dangerous Girls”. They exchange hilarious stories of their experience with girls who are “Searching For Maga” and despite leading the men on, only want “Something Light”—a euphemism we assume means not sex.
Clarence shot the video for “Something Light” starring internet sensation, Maraji and comedienne Wofai Fada who play the role of the “Big Girls” in the colorful light-hearted video. Watch the video below.
Featured Image Credits: YouTube/FalzVEVO
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
There’s more to creating a great music video than finding the perfect location. While a great location almost always guarantees great visuals and a higher propensity for an excellent representation of a song’s ethos, there is also the temptation to use a great location as a crutch, chucking out everything else (plot, great actors, a decent director) and hope that we’ll get distracted enough to not see that the videos leads have zero chemistry. This is what makes the new music video for Eugy’s single “Captain” featuring Siza so underwhelming, nothing is altered from the usual. With nary a thought to make a significant stylistic deviation from the theme of his “Hold Tight”video released in March, Eugy sings with a female hanging about him as he confesses some love for her in a speed boat on a waterside. Except in “Hold tight” it was a car and here, it’s a speed boat. Into this bargain, this time Siza takes the role of the video vixen (ish) instead.
Gabriella Kingsley directs the video for “Captain” and Team Salut is of course on the beat. He’s the one who did the production work on Eugy’s Flavourz debut EP this year. Have a look at the review here, while you peep the video for “Captain” below.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/eugyoffical
Fisayo is a journalist who thinks writing is hard and reading too. But her journey somewhere reveals, words are like pawns on chessboard when writing. She wants to see, create and share with the world, experience & communicate these experiences. Tweet at her @fisvyo
Lady Donli: the rapper-turned-songstress is trying to put love and light into the world, and she’s doing a great job so far.
What drives you to create music: the process or the final creation in itself?
Well, I love creating. The entire process of making music is therapeutic for me. When I start a song, I might not know how it’s going to end up or if I’m even going to finish it. Making music to me is like eating food: it’s one of those things I can’t live without. [It’s] the main way I express myself. So in essence, neither of these things really drive me to create music, I create music because I need to. There’s an insatiable need in me to constantly create. The final creation is just a bonus, a tiny reward.
You started making music as a rapper before turning to singing. How would you describe the difference between Lady Donli, the rapper and Lady Donli, the singer?
When I used to rap I wasn’t known as “Lady Donli”, I used to go by “Zainab” (my birth name) and by default these two identities are different. As Lady Donli I’ve grown and begun to understand what I want from my artistry. My musical identity has become much clearer. I’ve become a stronger artist in general. These days there’s more direction with the music, so the person who was making music then and the person making music now, are two entirely different people. However, I think my rap background definitely still influences my music.
Will the rapper ever return?
She’s definitely making a comeback on the next project.
You recently performed at the O2 Academy Brixton, opening for Nonso Amadi. How do you see yourself growing as a performing artist?
I think with each performance I become a bit more confident. Every time I perform, I watch videos to see what I can improve on. [It] might be my vocals, [or] the way I interact with the audience, [or] how close I hold the mic to my mouth. I analyse my technique. I also go to a lot of concerts so I can analyse and understand what other artists I love are doing. There’s definitely been growth. I know some people who come out for me every single time I’ve performed and they tell me how much they think I’ve improved, and these are my actual critics so it’s pretty reassuring.
What do you do to get yourself out of the inevitable lows of the creative process?
I LOOK FOR NEW EXPERIENCES. There’s always something to write about, you just need to find it. Sometimes I go travelling, sometimes I go exploring, I go on road trips as well. I actively go searching for new experiences and try to meet as many new people as I can, and I always come back with something new to talk about or write about.
“Ice-Cream” has been your best performing single thus far, and it only dropped a month ago. Do you feel the need to nurture your music once it is released? Or would you rather let it grow on its own?
I love seeing my music grow organically. It’s blissful. However, I think nurturing your music can be pretty important. It helps you reach new demographics you’d ordinarily never have reached from just organic growth. The right type of PR will take your music to the greatest heights. I haven’t quite started on PR yet, but when I do, I hope that it shows and the music continues to spread above and beyond.
You collaborate with various artists from all around Nigeria, from Tomi Thomas to Odunsi The Engine. What do you enjoy about partnering with another creative to bring something to life?
It’s all about the vision. There’s one thing I always say, “don’t feature someone for the sake of a feature”. If I create a song and I think it needs a particular artist to complete it, then I’m going to go out of my way to get them on that song. If that feature comes to life then it’s beautiful. I’m probably the happiest when I get back a feature and it blows my mind. At that moment, I know we’ve created something special and that feeling is irreplaceable, it’s the power of a good collaboration. That’s the best part for me. When we jointly share a vision and it comes to life the way I’ve envisioned.
Do you see the release of music as a cathartic experience or is it just the natural end to a process?
I think it’s more of a cathartic experience. Whenever I finally put out a song, there’s a relief that comes with it that can’t be explained – especially when the reception is good. I think it’s like letting go of a baby and watching it grow haha. It’s an emotional experience. Whenever I release an EP, I spend the next couple of days sleeping because of how overwhelmed I’ve become in the process of creating and releasing it.
Do you ever feel like the process of creating trumps the eventual release of your material?
Creating over releasing any day. Mostly because I can create for fun. I make music as I said to express myself. So I have a lot of unreleased music because on random days I just want to feel and sing, with no thought. Releasing music is stressful, there’s a lot of thought that has to go into it. I don’t need to think too much when I create, it comes naturally.
Finally, what is the meaning of birth to you?
I think it’s a sense of awakening. Fully being able to express and explore your inner being. It’s the beginning of the journey to self discovery.
Every now and then the universe gifts us with artist who can depict a real, raw and beautiful emotional journey with moments both of extreme power and unhindered vulnerability in one song. Ilaye’s debut release, “Castle Wall” is a compelling way to mark her name in the Nigerian music industry with a new era of music emerging from the millennials of our time.
“Castle Wall” begins on a decidedly acoustic guitar note with soft echoing synth harmonies in the background as she charms through her vocals and age-defying insightful lyrics that haven’t been heard from a pop artist since Lorde. Ilaye “Shares (Her) Story From This Tall Castle Wall” channeling a soft power, somewhere between Seyi Shay’s “Airbrush” and Asa’s entire discography. The childlike purity in her voice also reflects in her story about a girl who just wants a chance to express her heartfelt emotion through her art. And with honest lines like; “If You Want To Come With Me. I Am Willing To Have You”, not being the most inspiring, it certainly feels real and authentic.
The Atta Lenee Otigba produced haunting violin harmony emphasizes the angst melodrama narrative of “Castle Wall” as Ilaye sings over windswept transitions among its sparse arrangements. But what sets Ilaye apart from the field of dark pop is her soaring melodies and pure vocals with minimal studio tampering; a move that spells promise of a reputation for live performance.
Cassper Nyovest is on the move as he promotes his new album, Thuto. Sitting down with the hosts of The Breakfast Club on Power 105.1, Cassper gave the 411 on his new album, relationship and his connection to the infamous Kanye West.
In the U.S. for a few shows, he made a brief stop to chat on the radio with Dj Envy, Charlemagne The God and Angela Yee. Pulling out his African swagger, he discussed how his girl got to find out about his cheating via the one place nobody would expect- his song. The details on how the bust up went were never completed.
Prodded on the subject of his beef with AKA, he kept his lips sealed as he claimed the position of Mufasa and tried his best to create distance between their positions on the rap scale. In between fielding questions about the album and discussing his #FillUpFNBStadium, he explained the confusion around his floating stage idea stating that he had gotten the idea first and without calling Kanye out, implied that Kanye jacked it the following year causing people to give him the side eye just because it was Yeezy.
Watch Cassper Nyovest’s The Breakfast Club appearance below.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@casspernyovest
A journalist by training, Ehimenim is a lover of history, good books and Game of Thrones. For her, the real world is just another Westeros and everyone is a supporting character. Read and repeat is her motto. Give her a wave on Twitter@EAgweh.
