This era of singing rappers may get criticized for a lot of things but one thing no one can take from them is their ability to make music that resonate with fans. Gone are the days of relying solely on punk bands for songs that addresses sad emotions, Hip-hop artists are getting on the emo wave that Drake may have started but never fully embraced like Uzi Vert and Xxxtentacion have. Their decidedly weepy and angst lyricism has widened their appeal and emo kids of all race, tribe and color can relate with that sadness.
Lectrik’s releases are Trap as the come; referencing drug addictions over ambient spacious instrumentals. His latest single, “LXVE LXST” however has more substance than most of his previous releases. The emo inclined lyrics on the energetic single goes beyond mere brags that we’ve heard from every rapper ever. He admits to being heartbroken by his ex but chooses to hide his hurt behind drugs and his craft; “If I’m sad, I’ll take a pill so I’ll be jolly”.
While Lectrik’s lyrics seem sad as it describes the average person’s fears of falling in love—“True Love? Love Is A Lie/ I Don’t Want To Change, I Don’t Even Want To Try/ Loyal To My Music, Baby I Can Never Sly/ Love Lost And I Don’t Want To Find”—the Rex Manuel produced beat is everything but sad. It listens like a cross between Trap and Rock that would make even Lil Wayne’s similarly inclined Rebirth album envious.
Every emo fan needs something to turn up to and Lectrik’s “LXVE LXST” is the just what the doctor ordered. Drugs, alcohol and colorful lights go well with his pacey upbeat flow and his somber outro that subtly gives away his actual sad emotion.
Between the release of Mr Eazi’s Accra To Lagos mixtape and his Detty World Tour campaign, the neo-Afropop singer has also doubled up on media presence with conversation tied around his place in African music. Over the past two years, Mr Eazi’s unanticipated stellar run has been lauded and documented as an incremental leap for modern African music, ear-marking him as a potential next generation voice—sound and brand wise.
His impress stream of releases and how he manages them has been highlighted on his recent interview and documentary with Beats 1 Radio host, Julie Adenuga where he also delivered a live performance. But later today, James Corden, host of the Late Late Show will get more up-close and personal with Mr Eazi.
The informal set for the show will provide a dynamic take on Mr Eazi’s personality especially through James Corden’s refreshingly unpredictable questions and practical jokes that guarantee a thrilling talk with Mr Eazi like nothing we’ve ever seen or heard.
While we wait for the shows airing, Apple have already announced the singer as their latest “Up Next” artist for all the plays he’s racking up on their platform. There’s no denying that Mr Eazi’s music is pop in Africa at the moment.
For a band that is largely anonymous, To Name A Few are surprisingly easy to track down. After a series of direct messages on Twitter, followed by a few phone calls, I sat with one half of Nigeria’s most exciting alternative band. Ideally, I’d have wanted Christopher Tobechukwu Oti and Brumeh Dennis Oghenekaro together in one place, however geographical constraints meant I had to meet Brumeh alone. But I shouldn’t have worried.
Brumeh (sometimes stylised as Brum3h) is exactly what you’d expect of a lead vocalist for an alternative band, and yet not. He’s dressed in a navy dress shirt, his hair unassuming and he hums vocal runs under his breath while I order drinks; hot chocolate for me, an espresso for him. We sit and take each other in and I struggle to find my voice memo app to record our talk. I ask him if he uses an iPhone, he gestures to a now archaic Samsung phone at his side. We laugh at my presumptions, whatever awkwardness that hung between us dispelled. I was expecting a hipster but instead I have found an accidental luddite.
To Name A Few share some similarities with many of my favourite super groups. Both members met (and are still) in university, introduced to each other by a mutual friend who is also a musician. Both have established portfolios as solo artists and both have big plans for the future. Multi-layered artists are rare here, multi-layered artists who make music like theirs even rarer. It was only a matter of time before someone sought them out to understand the mystery around them.
The decision to form To Name A Few wasn’t a conscious one, more like an organic progression from collaborating on a series of individual projects, intensified by mutual interests and proximity. They originally wanted to name the band “Soul Garage”, but a brief Google search and a mildly sarcastic retort turned into band name gold.
The name has its disadvantages, including promoters misinterpreting To Name A Few as a literal phrase and genuinely omitting them off line-ups and event flyers. But it is also the perfect allusion to the nature of the group; a condensation of big ideas into a simple, accessible format.
MAKING THE BAND
Accessible formats is the first topic Brumeh and I broach, that and the band’s preference for relative anonymity, even as solo artists. Their motivations are simple; Brumeh’s incarnation as a photographer made him more comfortable behind a camera and Oti’s work as a producer meant working in anonymity, a state he guards jealously. Because of their divergent trajectories as individual artists, Oti and Brumeh have had to craft a very defined vision for their image as ‘T.N.A.F’. The yearning for anonymity is something that has been utilised in the past by emerging acts such as SBTRKT, The Weeknd and Jai Paul, for varying reasons. However, it is very rare to see a Nigerian band take on this approach in an industry where seemingly everything other than the music is fed to the public in excess. Oti and Brumeh don’t agree with this, they are content with waiting in the shadows until all the pieces fall into place.
For a band with the kind of goodwill T.N.A.F has amassed, they haven’t done much performing live. It is perhaps an indictment of the current state of the industry and its preoccupation with pop music, that other genres are suffering. Brumeh tells me of the time a close friend offered to manage him but despaired over how to market his sound as a solo artist to live audiences. He appreciates the honesty, and seeks it out when dealing with promoters and industry insiders. That way he is able to thin out the gigs that T.N.A.F accepts, choosing only the festivals and concerts that ensure artists can give their best performances. Those metrics, other obligations and their schedules meant the band only played live three times last year.
As Brum3h, Oghenekaro is obsessed with cerebral song writing and composition, sometimes spending as long as 4 months writing one song. Oti is more spontaneous, prioritising a ‘vibe’, over complex lyrical arrangements. This word, vibe, is a theme that reoccurs often when Brumeh and I talk about T.N.A.F’s essence as a super group. And the vibe was strong when their first song together was made.
Oti’s urgency and Oghenekaro’s meticulousness are perfect complements. Once they were acquainted, it wasn’t long before their working relationship evolved from casual collaborations to what it is now. After the decision was made to form the group, they got straight into the business of making music together. Because they’d worked together for a while, Oti worried they’d get complacent and continue to work on their collaborations without ever properly jumpstarting their career as a group. So, he offered the beat for “Stay Over”, a skin and bones composition he’d been sitting on.
Like everyone’s favourite alternative band Bombay Bicycle Club, T.N.A.F has an unaccredited female vocalist on their songs, providing an interesting softness to their melancholy fuelled music. Feranmi Williams is their secret vocalist, and her otherworldly ad-libs helped transmute “Stay Over” from a great debut to an opus.
“Writing ‘Stay Over’ took literally 20 minutes,” Brumeh says laughing.
He laughs because of the incredulity of writing a song that complex so quickly, without any of the rituals that have calcified around his songwriting process. He was at the house of an ex-lover, the relationship a well of inspiration that Brumeh admits mining in his music. It was there he wrote the lyrics and melodies. That same morning, he tracked Christopher down to his home studio, dragged Feranmi, an 18-year-old undecided singer along and got down to the business of recording. Using his acoustic guitar with a pick-up mic thrown into its belly and the crudest possible set up; Oti, Brumeh and Williams made magic.
“It didn’t quite hit home, till my mum listened to it,” He says, sipping his espresso. His mother is religious, not in a firebrand Pentecostal way, but enough that there is some bias against ‘secularity’. Because of Oghenekaro’s work as a voice actor and voice over artist, his mother routinely searches his name as a way of keeping abreast of his projects so he gave her ample warning.
“…she actually called me to say, ‘this is a good song’.”
He says he lives for those days. The days when he receives positive feedback from people he’d ordinarily peg as not receptive to the kind of music that T.N.A.F put out. Those days make all the difference. As a group, Brumeh asserts that it has taken a while for them to truly appreciate the amorphous sound we’ve come to reference as ‘Nigerian’. Africa in Technicolour was Oti’s first foray into a Nigerian sound with global appeal and since then he’s put out two more EPs: Ultra and the instrumental EP Days of 808CR. Brumeh has spent his time honing his talents by writing for and collaborating with a range of artists including the synth-funk singer Nukubi, and the rapper turned songstress, Lady Donli.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
When I ask Brumeh where he sees T.N.A.F in 10 years, he only commits to the near future. Their unnamed EP is going to be an informal showcase for Feranmi Williams and other members of Art Square, the collective Oti and Brumeh helped build. There’s a ton of material to work through, some songs to rework, some ready to go and others ideas to be recorded. The scale of it, Brumeh says, can be overwhelming, but neither of them have ever walked away from a challenge.
There is also the deal with Euphonic, the music arm of arts conglomerate, Baroque Age; a collective of creatives from varying disciplines. Baroque Age is at the heart of the Nigerian Generation Y musical revolution, with many of the artists either in the collective or affiliated to its photographers, visual artists or cinematographers. T.N.A.F has stayed on the fringes of Euphonic while the band figured things out but as they perfect a bigger body of work, Baroque Age’s tools will prove important to the EP’s success.
There is always the worry that the group’s individual perspective might get subsumed by Baroque Age’s more visible champions, but Oti and Oghenekaro still have autonomy over their music, and Brumeh guarantees their vision will rise above any influences. Before this, he tells me, he wants to get better at music theory, and go ‘beastly’ on his production skills. He also wants to perfect the band’s live sound, through intimate unplugged performances with him on his guitar and Oti on his sound card.
“I want our performances to be an experience,” he says earnestly, “I want them to hear us and leave changed.”
This almost religious earnestness is rare, especially here where everything seems out to break your spirit. It is why Brumeh, Christopher, Fernami and To Name A Few will do great things.
They have to. For the culture.
TRYBE Is A Collection Of Artists On The Cusp Of Greatness
Edwin eats his rice and cabbages. Tweet at him@edgothboy
Embracing who we are, what we are and what we are made of have long been recurring prophecies that seem to never go away. We hear it in speeches, in poems, in movies, songs and nearly any creative work of art that has ever been made. On social platforms we’ve seen it spin into tags like #blackgirlmagic, #blacklivesmatter, and #Melaninpoping. In music we’ve seen artists communicate how important it is to embrace blackness, as a response to the pervasive racism against people of colour. Few have made music as transcendental as Nina Simone. Her life and music is the quintessential example of what it means to reflect the happenings in the society. Her music has become a cultural touchstone for other artists who sample, recreate, and cover as homage.
JayZ’s recent single “The Story of O.J.” samples Nina Simone’s “Four Women” off his 4:44 album. But there is an older, more fitting homage. In 2014, Somi Kakoma, a neo-Afro Jazz singer-song writer of Rwandan and Ugandan descent, also reworked the song as part of her The Lagos Music Salon EP specifically highlighting African genocide and skin colour into the narrative Nina originally created to tell of four stereotypes of African-American women in society.
Curiosity at how the Ugandan-Rwandan singer came to release an album titled The Lagos Music Salon, reveals it was inspired by an 18-month sabbatical she took in Lagos at the time.
Her version “Four African Women” speaks poignantly to the issues universal to African women, with a spotlight on women of the continent. Each verse referencing a different kind of woman, highlights a specific theme. “My forehead long…My eyes are hollow…My hair is woolly too”, Somi paints with her voice what she wants others to see in an African woman and what African women should see in themselves, as if instilling this pride of blackness gradually with her soothing voice in every note, but firmly into our minds. When she stops singing intermittently, Jazz snares and bass drums swell and wane, playing up the drama, emphasising the surging emotions her words conjure.
In this, Somi’s expression carries liberation for all women seeking to look at those who look to fairness as the classification specifier of beauty. “My skin is pink It used to be black My mirrors and my magazines Made me cry Discarded western bleaching creams”, she sings. Little doubt that themes and narratives like this places Somi Kakoma on the path Nina Simone trod on (and is still treading on), growing her a fan base and reviews from publications like Huffpost who have even called her “the new Nina Simone”. Female genital mutilation, colorism in the African continent, the brunt of genocide borne by women and children of slain soldiers and the pervasive sex trafficking trade are all touched on with an empathy that wells eternal.
If you listen closely enough, you’ll see that Somi is one of those opening doors to indeed show the world all about Africa. So when we speak of that Africa (music) to the world movement her name is equally worth mentioning along side any others. Her song “Four African Women” is a cultural signifier and compels persons to pin ears on the African truth.
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
We cannot be speaking of building inclusive workplaces for women (who bear the brunt of majority of sexual harassment cases) when we are still contending with such rudimentary issues as ensuring that offices are free of harassment. – Angela Kabari, a former capacity development officer with Ushahidi
Just this week, news resurfaced about R&B singer, R.Kelly and his history of abuse against women over whom he has great influence. As a long established, old establishment musician, many of us swiftly dismissed his history of abuse as something that was an intrinsic part of the old school, the structure that our ‘New Age/New School’ establishments are trying to dismantle. We however don’t seem to realize that we have absorbed much of the damaging social culture of the old order and are perpetuating them.
The last place you’d expect to hear of sexual assault, coercion, a cover up and a major sex scandal is Kenyan tech startup Ushahidi, but that was exactly played out over the weekend. Angela Kabari, a former employee of the company set the ball rolling when she put out an article on Medium alleging she had been pressured by the executive director, Daudi Wére, to have sex with a colleague, presumably for his own titillation.
Angela went with it, afraid to lose her job but fall out from the event left Angela in a psychosomatic state. But Angela herself wouldn’t know this yet, two weeks into the happenings of that night Angela falls physically and mentally ill, she seeks the help of both a doctor and a therapist but of course they both can’t succinctly account for all that’s wrong with her, Angela begins working remotely from home, Angela reports the sexual harassment happenings in an official document to the board at Ushahidi, after figuring her sexual harassment case isn’t the first from the same man, Daudi Wére. For details of what happened, see the nitty gritty of the events of that night in the official statement to the company or Angela’s reporton Medium after months of rarefied silence.
After Angela came forward, many women sexually harassed by Daudi Were also spoke out, telling their own stories and why they had chosen to stay silent until now: Were’s superior position in the company, the certainty that they would not be believed without overwhelming evidence, and to avoid something so potentially scandalous that is associated with being a victim of rape. The behavior told by these women varies from inappropriate and/or suggestive text messages to sending of pictures of male genitalia and pornography. In one incident Daudi allegedly exposed his genitals to a woman in the middle of a conversation about her work. After months of soul searching and conversations with these other women, Angela figured she was the only one with a tangible evidence –a voice note– of what had been done by Daudi as well as an employer-employee relationship.
Angela sought legal advice and learnt that, Daudi’s comments qualified as sexual harassment by creating a hostile environment (based on the provisions of Ushahidi’s HR Manual, as well as Kenyan and Florida Law). She was advised to file a court case but that it would be prudent to first give the company an opportunity to address the issue internally as the court should be a last resort. Unfortunately, the other women, who had also been recipients weren’t willing to come forward, excluding one of them on the basis that she be kept anonymous.
it would not be a stretch to call Daudi’s alleged behaviour predatory. Such predation is enabled by a culture of silence and secrecy that encourages victims of harassment to “not make a fuss” or “persevere” or “just ignore him until he gets tired or bored and goes away.” This culture leads many, many victims to not call out predatory behaviour and report it as the violence it actually is. This culture feeds into the victims’ fears that there is no point in speaking out against the harassment they face and leads them to feel like they have no option but to suffer in silence. This must stop! We cannot expect victims of harassment to speak up if they are (rightly) afraid that public opprobrium will follow. – Angela Kabari.
Angela didn’t know she was about to become the poster child for all the negative repercussions that make victims of harassment afraid to speak out. She was shamed, slandered in internal memos, her petition was delayed for 74 days before an official response came from the office Board. Nothing except enthusiastic letter writing was done for the first 60 days. And even the letters from the Board’s counsel seemed to be sent by literal snail mail, an opaque process —Ushahidi kept matters hidden, even to Angela. The Ushahidi board attacked Angela’s character during the inquiry, used her private life as cannon fodder for the argument that she had somehow brought Were’s unsolicited attention upon herself. They went as far as insinuating that since Angela had used the word ‘fuck’ in conversations with Were, she had turned the conversation to sex and thus invited Daudi’s sexual overtures, and finally, the refusal to listen to, let alone address her concerns.
Only after Angela’s independent Medium post went viral did Ushahidi get off their asses, fire Daudi and publish an apology to Angela Kabari.
Helping people raise their voice and those who serve them to listen and respond better. – Ushahidi mission statement.
We don’t know what this will mean for Ushahidi. It has definitely tarnished their reputation in the eyes of their more progressive western investors. We don’t know what will happen to Kabari as well; only time will tell. What we do know is this: If not for the power of the internet, Daudi Were would have gotten away sexually assaulting dozens of women, forcing them to quit tech for more traditional industries, perpetuating the myth that women are not tech inclined. But more importantly, The Ushahidi incident is a stark reminder that as the New Establishments set up their own power structures, they must root out the pernicious rape culture that targets and victimizes women. Otherwise, we might as well not bother.
Featured Image Credit: Ushahidi.com
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
Wizkid has lived off the underdog narrative since his Superstar debut. But as he grew older and won over the hearts of music lovers with his songs, he transformed from being marketed as a high school aged heartthrob to adored Nigerian superstar right before our eyes. Perhaps inspired by Nigerian’s mixed reactions to his sophomore album, Ayo, Wizkid quickly realized he couldn’t keep milking his humble beginnings in an industry already saturated with his music. Fortunately, Wizkid partnered with Drake for “One Dance” and they crafted a collaboration playbook that worked perfectly for both artists and continues to work for Wizkid today.
To date, Wizkid has retained international artist status with his RCA recording deal, his international debut tape, SFTOS and other news worthy appearances. On his hunt to cement his place in the American music industry as other dancehall artist like Sean Paul have done, he joined Future, one of Atlanta’s biggest artists on his “The Future Hndrxx Tour”. However, their time on the road wasn’t limited to just stage performances, Future recently announced that they have recorded a single together, expected to be released shortly. And even if Wizkid’s more recent releases have peaked just shy of the top sport, a Future feature is a sure way to ensure positive audience growth.
But asides the increase in his audience, Wizkid and Future working together has other implications. First of, Future’s work ethic could rub off on him and maybe he releases a new album just weeks after his SFTOS like Future did with his Future and Hndrxx tapes. He already said he considered the album as a mixtape anyway.
Future and Wizkid’s releases tend towards discussing the grit and grime of growing up on the streets. Their biggest songs, “Mask Off” and “Ojuelegba” respectively portrays the realities of street hustling being the foundation for their successful careers. But while Future seems proud to embrace the thug life, Wizkid almost sounds like he’s glad to be done with that part of his life. It would be interesting to hear where both artists meet and find a balance on their expected collaboration.
Future has cashed in on his collaboration in the past with his Drake assisted What A Time To Be Alive. Going by how much his relationship with Wizkid has grown from mere tour listing to leisure rides and Snapchat features to joint studio track, perhaps we could expect a joint album from the Starboy and Future in the near future.
Though Future leans on a darker aesthetic than the Starboy is used to, his collaboration with Drake on tracks like “Jumpman” worked beautifully. And it’s not as if he’s a saint, most of his releases are just more laid-back and relaxing than Future’s. His preference of dancehall emphasizes this while Future’s trap music is all about the violence of flipping rocks and such. That being said, we really look forward to a Wizkid verse over Metro Booming or Mike Will Made It beat.
He has come a long way since his cover of “Turn On The Lights” in 2012. He finally gets a chance for an actual feature to prove just how much of a talent he is and establish a firmer foot in international music scenes.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@wizkidayo
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 peaks and pitfalls of love and sex often serve as foundational inpsiration for artists, a twist adds love into the same addictive class with drugs. They both share qualities to make you feel on top of the world but also potentially plunge you into the deepest pits of depression. They can both be disorienting, maddening, even ruinous; satisfying and quieting your internal demons but also cause you to make terrible decisions and question your identity. And perhaps most importantly, it’s often in short supply when you need it the most. So it’s not particularly surprising to hear BiddySings attribute drugs to love on his latest single, “Purple Trees” featuring Culture’95 and BarelyAnyHook.
BiddySings’ melodies anchored in R&B as the rest of the song coolly branches out to funk with the electronic guitars and synth sounds and Hip-hop through BarelyAnyHook’s rap verse. BiddySings takes the chorus and first verse in soft R&B melodies while Culture’95 sings on the 2nd verse and BarelyAnyHook gets on third. His Hip-hop strut melts into a psychedelic waltz-timed coda adorned with melodies from BiddySings as they all deliver lines that celebrates the hippie lifestyle. The psychedelic feel of “Purple Trees” is amplified by heavy bass guitars and piano riffs that trail off till the groove becomes into a spacious harmonies.
Numerous artists and songwriters over the years have penned songs that liken love to drugs, or drugs to love, or both. Biddy Culture’95 and BarelyAnyHook’s “Purple Trees” is just the latest in a long and intoxicated tradition.
Influenced by the recent surge in dancehall-infused tracks on America pop charts, more rappers are showing a soft spot for dance melodies. Traditional Hip-hop fans might frown on pop and quote Q-Tip’s line; “Rap is not pop. If you call it that then stop” but ever since Drake cheated his way to the top of Billboards charts with “One Dance”, aspiring rappers have started to realize that perhaps the quickest way to radio is hidden in a dance record. Of course Drake has to share the blame with radio and all the summer themed parties ever but El Renz’s new single, “Why They Hate On Me” owes more to Drake than most hip-pop songs.
El Renz weighs in on all his experiences for his production on “Why They Hate On Me”. The Chicago based Nigerian DJ, producer and rapper’s latest song is primed for dance floors with a piano harmony famous from Drake’s “Hotline Bling” that many believe was originally sampled from D.R.A.M.’s “Cha Cha”—which D.R.A.M. in turn built around Super Mario World’s theme music. There’s just no hating the joyously melodious number.
El Renz sing raps with a casual grace; smooth but just weathered enough to give the doped up effect on his vocals as he spins lines questioning why people hate him when he so rich. His rhymes are painfully predictable but it makes sense for a song meant for the laid-back filler party-songs and car rides.
If the flutes on D.R.A.M.’s summer’s hit, “Broccoli” from last year was too annoying for you to get into, stream El Renz’s new song below and find fulfillment.
The EDM explosion of this decade still continues to permeate the pop music soundscape and Nigeria isn’t going to be the exception. While the genre has always had its place in our popular music, it remained mostly niche asides producers like Sarz who manage to explore the EDM sheen for their Afropop productions. But lately, dedicated producers like Bankyondbeatz are emerging to fill the gap that Skrillex and Diplo fill in America.
Novagotthhatheat may have ear-marked himself through different eras—“Your Girl” released 3 years ago falls under Afropop and “The Team Freestyle” is hip-hop. His latest single, “One Time” however listens like a lost track from Zedd’s True Colors thanks to EDM beats produced by Bankyondbeatz. Morphing the jagged lasers and militarized thumps of dubstep, electro-house, and trap-rave for the squealing neon curlicues and understated fluidity of tropical house, he adds in vocal samples you might remember from Kanye’s “Waves” and ambient white noise for a rainfall imagery.
Nova delivers a romantic dance number over the carpet of head bumping ambient sounds on “One Time”. He’s laid-back and lets the beat do all the heavy lifting for him which isn’t a bad idea. Especially when he’s working with a producer he’s so familiar with and who has shown a remarkable aptitude with EDM. “One Time” is the first single from their expected joint EP.
You can stream Novagotthatheat and Bankyondbeatz’s “One Time” below.
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/novagotthatheat
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
Record: Kamaru Usman (born in 11/05/1988, 28y/o, 10-1-0)
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has grown tremendously over years, with the recent $4.5bn sale to WMG now solidifying its status as a global sporting empire. Now televised in over 150 countries with 45% of their viewership stemming from the millennials.
The new breed of fighters flocking into the UFC have as much to do with this boom, as the legends from Bas Rutten to the Nogueira brothers or Randy Couture. For a lot of the newer viewers, there’s the instant attraction of loud-mouthed Irish showman, Conor McGregor. Through a combination of WWE style promos at press conferences, backed by knockouts and title wins at two weight divisions, it’s likely we’re at the crest of the UFC’s current wave.
This being said, not all of the fighters within the company are known to have talked their way into notoriety, with some, a dying breed, perhaps having let their game, speak for them. Cue in one of the most promising current rising fighters, Kamaru Usman.
Emerging through a tough welterweight division, Kamaru’s journey into the UFC has been quite colourful and his story, starts out of Nigeria.
Some eight years after birth, in Benin City, a young Kamaru Usman relocated to Texas in the middle of a rare snowy season. Owing to his father’s involvement in the US military, the remainder of his childhood was spent in Arlington. It was here, he recalled for me his early attempts at wrestling. “In the group we had a girl, and she was little like me and we started wrestling and training. I knew nothing, and this girl just embarrasses me, she beats me up bad! And at this point I didn’t know who she was, I didn’t know she was already a two-time division state champion.”
A month into training and much of the same results, he described the mentality behind going back and eventually scoring wins over his opponents. Learning of his resilience – a trait at the core of his very persona today, a fighter was born. Deciding to stick with the discipline at the end of junior year, Usman would go on to train meticulously into his senior year (ranked #4 in the state). A scholarship from William Penn University and a transfer to the University of Nebraska, Usman had now found home with competitive wrestlers, sharing the the same goals.
In the process of conversation, we’re often halted by sounds of Usman’s young daughter playing in the background, securing pauses to give her demanded attention – in any event, Usman doesn’t lose a beat from wherever he stops. Unaware of the proceeding irony, he continues “I was always taught when adults or grown folk are talking, be quiet. When someone’s talking to you, you listen before you speak”.
This reflective impulse to consider the gravity of words and advice seems to have held Kamaru well in his formative years and now appears tenfold, in his actions, “my dad always told me, only a foolish person is gonna run their mouth when they know they’re not capable of doing what they talk about.”
At UofN, Usman ranked #1 going into the national tournament but an injury-hit campaign saw him compete to finish third at the tournament, returning as a favourite the following year. Close but not quite, yet again, as Usman reached the final and lost out to the two-time defending champ, a man he’d beaten three times during the season. The tale does correct itself the year after, as he would go on to win the championship.
And it was in a brief sombre moment following the win, flanked by his girlfriend in the hotel lobby, Usman recalls, the question he posed to himself. “What next?”. “I chased that for so long, I wanted to feel this feeling and now I have it….what next?”
Through a stint of Greco-Roman training, Usman’s dreams of making the Olympic team were dashed on account of more persistent injuries, and on the brink of walking away from the sport, opportunity arose as pro-MMA fighters began contacting Kamaru, for his training expertise. “I would go to a tournament in Russia and wrestle, if I won or place, I’d get 1500 dollars and these guys I train with, hold down or do whatever I want with, go into a fight knock a guy out and earn a hundred thousand. I’m thinking I’m in the wrong sport!”
Finally the question, had an answer. Six pro-MMA fights (with five knockouts) Usman landed himself in popular MMA TV series, “The Ultimate Fighter 21”, pitting his fighting gym, ‘The Blackzilians’ against rival stable, ‘American Top Team’ in 2015. Accelerating his rise tenfold – dominated competition over the series, landing a spot in the final of the TUF21, winning by submission in two rounds.
“For the title, I’ll fight anybody…I’ll fight my brother!”
“The question now arises, once more” he explains “what next?” Currently on an impressive win streak in the UFC, after besting Warlley Alves in Brazil, he infamously called out Demian Maia. “A lot of people get in there and just call people out, I’ve gotten four and dominated all four, don’t think I’ve lost a round”. A slight rise in tone and out comes the fighting talk, “Maia says he’s the best grappler, he’s proved that but he’s also fought a lot of guys that can’t really wrestle the way I wrestle”.
As we’ve all come to find out time and time again, where boastful breakdowns of an opponent are concerned, the theory is quite often very far from the reality that emerges. Certainly in comparison to the pugilistic variation of combat, this has in part helped facilitate the UFC’s remarkable explosion over the last decade. As a true stand and deliver sport, the best will always meet the best, and after that, they’ll probably always meet better. All being said, there’s a noticeabe aura, an added assuredness to Usman’s words here – he continues, “I’ve seen DMs fights, I’ve studied him. When he can’t get the takedown that’s it.”
And in the event of failing to land this fight? Former marine, Jake Ellenberger, a name I’ve recently heard floated, unaware of the pair’s affinity for each other stemming from their roots in Nebraska. Usman explains “I would rather not fight since we are close but if it was for the title, I’ll fight anybody…I’ll fight my brother!” I ask who else he’s interested in taking on, after running through a number of the top tier options, he aptly summarises with “I’m a bad matchup for ANYBODY!”
Switching away from fighting, I’m eager to learn about his life outside of MMA, outside the the chaos of training for huge MMA fights, Usman is the process of completing a Sociology degree. Describing himself as “family oriented” Usman lays forward his relationship with family member from siblings to parents and daughter – “I don’t watch a lot of TV but I have a number of shows that I watch, between that and (on cue, his daughter coos away in the background)…my daughter keeps me busy!”
The chime of musical toys, segue into our next topic, one that has steadily become a huge part of the fight game. With increasing numbers of artists tagging along to big-money shows, walking fighters into their ring, serenaded by their biggest hits. Either to ease nerves or pump adrenaline, these anthems all play their part but with Usman, he’s become known to dance to some distinct tracks on the road to the Octagon. “My music taste is so diverse, it’s crazy. A lot of people won’t believe I’m an old soul. My personal favourite is old school jazz and elevator music, bit of an old soul, I listen to everything, hip hop rap old school new school. I think a lot of the new school is trash but occasionally I’ll listen to Young Thug, Chris brown, all those guys”
The ‘trash’ comment being one I’m particularly eager to expound on, time constraints and a waiting daughter wisely signal now probably isn’t the time to go down that rabbit-hole of discussion, I let it gently slide. Instead digging into his interest in music of the motherland and Usman doesn’t miss a beat. I’m mostly into Nigerian songs now, more so because older brother is into it now, there’s a lot of talent coming out of there so most of my fights I come out to Afrobeats”
Mentioning the usual suspects, Wizkid, Phyno, Davido, P-Square as well as MC Galaxy, who he’s been seen vibing to =, over on the ‘gram, Usman also credits his access to new music to his older brother who keeps him abreast. Further evident that family is important to the champ elect, we also touch on his much-awaited trip to Nigeria, to visit extended family, “all in due time”.
“A lot of talent coming out of there, so most of my fights I come out to Afrobeats”
Inadvertently, I’m keen to find out what he believes the prospects of MMA in Nigeria may be with a number of notable MMA fighters of Nigerian heritage are competing across the globe. King Mo Lawal (a former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champ he’s grown up with in Texas), Anthony Njoudokani and Jimi Manuwa, a brit of Nigerian descent fighting in the Light Heavyweight division, all names rising up the rank but what’s Usman’s take on the current state of play? “I think it could grow, it just needs the right people to bring attention to it (in Nigeria),of course, there is a lot more to the athlete which we perhaps do not get to see:
“Well hopefully I have a little business set up where I can pay the bills cos this fight game is not forever, people see this on TV fifteen or twenty minutes but nah, it takes months and months of preparation. There it is! Right, before I leave, the last signifier of Usman’s Nigerian upbringing surfaces without any real provocation, the holy grail of long term financial stability.
What’s next for Kamaru Usman? The title bid! If you’re not already aware, remember the name.
It really does feel like 2017 is the year of the Nigerian music star. Our music is inspiring everyone from Drake to Rita Ora to Frank Ocean and many of our local afropop stars are scoring their first and second collaborations with international stars. But it isn’t just our contemporary pop stars that are reaping this benefit of the sudden interest in Nigerian music. Many of our vintage disco and funk stars from the 70’s and 80’s are seeing their music see a new resurgence. Take for instance the Lijadu sisters, William Onyeabor and now Steve Monite.
Move aside afropop, you’re not the only african genre making waves in 2017.
Steve Monite, The 80’s Disco star who released an EP in 1984 called “Only You”, enjoyed moderate success internationally but fell into obscurity in Nigeria and elsewhere, that is until the label under which he released music decided to do a digital reissue in 2017, which is probably why reclusive pop singer Frank Ocean discovered him. However, Ocean liked the album so much, he did the rare cover/performance of the song at the 2017 FYF Festival, one of the few he has done since he released his latest album, Blond.
https://youtu.be/0186aUzIZSw
Talk about star quality.
To check out Monite’s EP for yourself and maybe even buy a digital copy, go here.
Edwin eats his rice and cabbages. Tweet at him@edgothboy
Ghanaian rapper Idahossa (yeah the name sounds Nigerian, we know) has a very specific world view in his music and delivery that experience way beyond his years. In an industry full of self taught artists green at the ears and full of entitlement and inexperience, Idahossa stands out as worthy of the attention he wants to command and willing to do whatever needs be done to take it. His first single, “Declaration of God” referenced rap greats like Jay-Z and Nas, marking out his territory in the industry and alerting the old guard that a new one is stepping up. And on his new single “Captain Fantastic” produced by 404WAVE and Dicebolt, Idahossa is making good on that claim to the throne.
It is obvious this man puts a lot of thought into his work, starting from the album art that references vintage painted film posters and casts him as the protagonist in a one man film. The song itself rides on a frenzied grime instrumental, full of industrial bass sounds, glitzy synths and an urgency that makes you sit up and listen. Idahossa speeds up the tempo for the single, rapping the rapid fire delivery that has come to be associated with the British Grime scene. He is already aware that comparisons will be made, and directly addresses early. The rest of the song is one uninterrupted litany of who Idahossa is, why he is doing this and where he wants to go.
As far as manifestos go, this is pretty compelling.
Listen to “Captain Fantastic” here.
Edwin eats his rice and cabbages. Tweet at him@edgothboy
It feels like a lifetime ago when Nigerian born wunderkind DAP The Contract dropped his latest EP, Two Roads to global acclaim – just this April, actually. Since then the days have become longer, the drinks have become stronger, and we’ve welcomed sundress szn with open arms. One thing has held though: DAP’s insatiable work-rate, following the seven-track odyssey with a series of singles dropping on your new favourite day of the week: Thursday. No freestyles, no covers, no gimmicks – just solid new music that’s got something for everybody.
Documenting his post-college, pre-law school musical journey in the self-directed docu-series JRDN Yr, the rapper/producer offers insight into the camaraderie and good energy behind the weekly drops, aptly titled Contract Thursdays – kicking off in Episode 7 if you’re impatient, but it is well worth watching from the beginning if not for snippets from the story of a young black man on the come up in Trump’s America, then a peek into the life behind DAP’s own Twitter updates.
With a penchant for the melodic dialects and joie de vivre of Latin America, he sets the pace for Contract Thursdays with a dance track titled “Ven Y Baila, Mamacita”; a dead giveaway that you’re in for a Latin-inspired bop, this time of the Afro-Cuban variety that demands swaying hips and bopping heads from even the most rhythmically challenged. Swooning and wooing his cosita linda over brass and percussion, DAP captures the heart and soul of summer’s fleeting romance in between Puerto Rican violinist-cum-rapper Sebastián Otero’s affirmations in Spanish for added authenticity and sabor.
“Some Things Never Change” lets you catch your breath with its smooth nineties production as ego takes centre stage. Slick bars about the state of Generation Y come at you fast amidst references from 2005 Kanyeto 2014 Ab-Soul, with singer SHE’s dulcet tones bringing up the rear with what might just be a sneaky play on Melonie Fiona’s hook from “Beautiful Bliss”.
The last three songs come with visuals directed by the man himself, their low-budget production lending itself to the DIY mindset of this generation of slashies – you know the ones: the DJs-slash-fitness trainers-slash-beauty gurus who still somehow find time to edit vlogs for their budding YouTube channels. On “Das Mine”, DAP keeps up the ego strokes with assists from DIASPØRA members SO4P and Tone to brag about new whips whilst having a little too much fun on a roof, flexing the chemistry we’ve come to love on previous collaborations like Sailor Moon.
Blending a scholarly approach to innovative production with streetwise lyricism, from referencing Kanye in his Late Registration heyday to addressing the significance of the three-dot thought bubble in modern-day iPhone relations on the fourth installment “Details”, DAP has cemented his place as one of Nigeria’s finest musical exports. His storytelling skills shine in the track’s culturally relevant narrative as he circles back to matters of the heart to close out the series.
But in honing his unique style of genre-bending, DAP now stands apart from the new class of Nigerian artists – Tay Iwar, Nonso Amadi, Odunsi the Engine et al. – drawing from his multicultural origins to catapult Nigerian music in all its flavours into the limelight, no cosigns necessary. Take “IDK Interlude”, the latest release for example. Already being touted (by this listener, anyway) as this year’s sad-boy anthem, DAP tackles loneliness and relationships on the decline as he sits on the receiving end of the savagery in “Details”, with production assists from New York natives, EZÉ and Warner Meadows, and directing assists from Austin Deery in its trippy one-take music video.
Whether he’s dropping knowledge on social issues or serving up unadulterated beach vibes with no chaser, there’s a certain malleability in the twenty-four-year-old’s influences which, when coupled with his commitment to coming out with music that’s fresh and entirely his own from whatever genre(s) he’s experimenting with, gives his art an increasingly complex but altogether refined sound that’s perhaps less discernibly “African” than his aforementioned compatriots. Whatever you’re in the mood for, DAP’s probably got you but if not, you need only stay tuned.
When EFCC Nigeria drops a line on Twitter, you know it’s about to go down. The shade, the comebacks, the jokes have been nothing but classic Nigerian-isms; funny yet educating. All through the epic saga that is EFCC’s Twitter one thing remained constant: the secret of the person behind it. The mystery held until yesterday when EFCC pulled the curtains to reveal Mysterio’s face.
Presenting the man of the hour, Olufemi Olukayode Adeyemi, a career rapper also known as F.Shaw. The former handler who goes by the moniker, FShaw was the person behind the witty and engaging tweets EFCC was known for delivering on Twitter. His rapid fire, lecturer style quips have burnt many an unsuspecting person as he educated the public on the dangers of fraud and the joys of whistleblowing.
Upon revealing their mystery man, Nigerian Twitter exploded with joy and sadness as the news was a bit of a shock to even those who constantly pestered EFFC for Adeyemi’s identity. Reactions ranged from wishing him well
You did an excellent Job on Twitter. You informed, dragged, Lashed, Corrected, Ignored, Set Trends, Jammed, & inspired Nigerians. Good job! pic.twitter.com/SmPDdZKzVH
Olufemi Adeyemi has gone on to pursue his music career and hopefully do greater things with his mastery of words and humour. The EFCC now has another mystery handler but Nigerians are still very much in love with the old one. But never fear because EFCC says
Worry not. There is no vacuum. #TheEagle will serve you with the same zeal and purpose.
A man is from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. A man is Nigerian. There will be no division on this timeline. #BetterUnitedhttps://t.co/8ldEh1Vy9Q
1. Not a guy. I'm an Eagle. 2. The best schools in the world will not/cannot teach you self development. 3. Sexist comments are not nice. https://t.co/dfuAJZAimj
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.
Artists often make listening to their music worrisome and tiresome after crafting releases after releases with the same hackneyed phrases, themes, contexts and lyrics when some things needn’t be said for the umpteenth time and stacks of stories have yet been told. But here we have it, Seyi Shay gifts us with nearly 4 minutes of “Your Matter” with British Ghanaian producer-artist, Eugy and London-based Nigerian music duo, Efosa.
“Your Matter” may or may not be a first love on first listen, but it will probably get stuck in your head after a couple more airplays. As with most songs with a similar name, “Your Matter” is a love song with loose narrative of a lover the foursome are willing to die for. Production work is done by Team Salut, the same producer behind Rita Ora and Burna Boy’s recently released “Your Song”.
Soak up “Your Matter” for yourself below.
Feature Image Credit: Instagram/Seyi Shay
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
GMK’s budding production and recording catalog gleans two truths. The first truth is a definitive production work with Odunsi (“Uber”), Santi (“Gangster Fear”, “Jungle Fever”), two of the most progressive voices in the new incursion of African music who have worked with GMK at his infamous Monster House. The second is an affirmation of the popular belief that good producers make even better artists.
His affiliation with Nigeria’s crop of self-publishing millennial artists means he also benefits of the same strong community support, but GMK’s personal recordings always arrive with little or no pre and post-release effusiveness. Even as “OTB” (On The Block) is announced as the lead single off his upcoming project, a few shares on social media are all GMK has sold the track with. However, cuts like “Wasteman” and “Coconut Lips” released with the same freehand but to frenzied reception already prove GMK’s mettle as a producer who can thrive as his own medium and instrument.
“OTB” is not designed with grand ideas. “I just want to hang with the mans/ I just wanna hang mans/ with the man on the block” GMK lazily chants, setting his thought process on simple things from top to bottom. GMK repossesses chill-wave with a shrug, balancing his penchant for hardwired hip-hop with laid-back instincts induced by a spliff-set moment “with the gang on the block”.
Though uncredited, Odunsi’s uplifting vocal refrain, also adds an extra layer of smug chill to “OTB”, the same smugness GMK already implies by scaling down all of his concerns in the world, to a single activity: chilling on the block. Leave the rest to synths, drums and an inconspicuos guitar bass line, and what you get is the purest of vibes sustained on a track that doesn’t ring half corny.
This year, all of Africa’s biggest acts are expected to gather at the prestigious House of Blues venue in Dallas, Texas for the most inclusive African award ceremony. The African Muzik Magazine Awards popularly known as AFRIMMA is returning for its 4th edition on the 8th of October and artists who have had a great year are expected to attend the event to get honored for their remarkable efforts. Flavour, Wizkid, Davido, Tekno and Mr Eazi are vying for Artists of The Year along with Tanzanian singer, Diamond Platnumz, Fally Ipupa from Congo, South Africa’s Cassper Nyovest and Angolan musician, C4 Pedro.
You can vote for your favorite artists here and perhaps even widen your knowledge of African music because it caters to all African music genres including but not limited to: Afrobeats, Assiko, Bongo, Decale, Funana, Genge, Highlife, Hiplife, Kwaito, Lingala and Soukous.
Best Male West Africa
Wizkid – Nigeria
Falz – Nigeria
Serge Beynaud – Ivory Coast
Mr Eazi – Nigeria
Toofan – Togo
Moh Dediouf – Senegal
Davido – Nigeria
Stonebwoy – Ghana
Tekno – Nigeria
Kedejevara DJ – Ivory Coast
Best Female West Africa
Tiwa Savage – Nigeria
Yemi Alade – Nigeria
Efya – Ghana
Adiouza – Senegal
Becca – Ghana
Josey – Ivory Coast
Mz Vee – Ghana
Simi – Nigeria
Almok – Togo Best Male East Africa
Eddy Kenzo – Uganda
Diamond Platnumz – Tanzania
Jacky Gosee – Ethiopia
Ali Kiba – Tanzania
Navio – Uganda
Bebe Cool – Uganda
Sauti Sol – Kenya
Dynamq – South Sudan
Nyashinski – Kenya
Darasa – Tanzania
Best Female East Africa
Victoria Kimani – Kenya
Vanessa Mdee – Tanzania
Ester Aweke – Ethiopia
Avril – Kenya
Lady Jaydee – Tanzania
Knowles Butera – Rwanda
Irene Ntale – Uganda
Akothee – Kenya
Dayna Nyange – Tanzania
Best Male Central Africa
Fally Ipupa – Congo
Hiro – Congo
Ferre Golla – DRC
C4 Pedro – Angola
Stanley Enow – Cameroon
Anselmo Ralph – Angola
Maitre Gims – Congo
Werrason – DRC
Mr Leo – Cameroon Best Female Central Africa
Laurette La Perle – Congo
Betty Akna – Equitorial Guinea
Syssi Mananga – Congo
Ary – Angola
Rennis – Cameroon
Arielle T – Gabon
Mani Bella – Cameroon
Nsoki – Angola
Daphne – Cameroon
Best Male Southern Africa
Donald – South Africa
Black Coffee – South Africa
The Dogg – Namibia
Jah Prayza – Zimbabwe
Nasty C – South Africa
Emtee – South Africa
Roberto – Zambia
Casper Nyomvest – South Africa
Aka – South Africa Best Female Southern Africa
Babes Wodumo – South Africa
Miss Lira – South Africa
Ice Queen Cleo – Zambia
Lizha James – Mozambique
Pah Chihera – Zimbabwe
Sally Boss Madam – Namibia
Zahara – South Africa
Chikune – Namibia
Bucie – South Africa
Best Male North Africa
Amr Diab – Egypt
Tamer Hosny – Egypt
Chawki – Morocco
Ahmed Soultan – Morocco
Douzi – Morocco
Ayman Alatar – Morocco
Khaled – Algeria
Saber Rebai – Tunisia Best Female North Africa
Samira Said – Morrocco
Ibtissam Tiskat – Morocco
Angham – Egypt
Sandy – Egypt
Amal Maher – Egypt
Latifa – Tunisia
Amani Swissi – Tunisia
Sarah Ayoub – Morocco Best African Group
Sauti Sol – Kenya
Radio & Weasel – Uganda
Toofan – Togo
Bracket – Nigeria
Mi Casa – South Africa
R2bee’s – Ghana
Best Life Music – Burundi
Yamoto Band – Tanzania
Forca Suprema – Angola Crossing Boundaries With Music Award
C4 Pedro – Angola
Wizkid – Nigeria
Young Paris – Congo
French Montana – Morocco
MHD – Guinea Conakry
Ayo Jay – Nigeria
King Kanja – Kenya
Wale – Nigeria
Jidenna – Nigeria
Maleek Berry – Nigeria Best Gospel
Frank Edwards – Nigeria
Uche Agu – Nigeria
Willy Paul – Kenya
SP Koffi Sarpong – Ghana
Icha Kavons – Congo
Ntokozo Mbambo – South Africa
Nathaniel Bassey – Nigeria
Sonnie Badu – Ghana Best Newcomer
Dremo – Nigeria
Medikal – Ghana
Ray Vanny – Tanzania
Preto Show – Angola
Maleek Berry – Nigeria
Mr Leo – Cameroon
Nathi – South Africa
Julz – Ghana
Niniola – Nigeria
Zani Challe – Malawi Artist of The Year
Flavour – Nigeria
Diamond Platnumz – Tanzania
Fally Ipupa – Congo
Wizkid – Nigeria
Cassper Nyovest – South Africa
Davido – Nigeria
Eddy Kenzo – Uganda
Tekno – Nigeria
Mr Eazi – Nigeria
C4 Pedro – Angola Dancehall Act of the Year
Timaya – Nigeria
Stonebwoy – Ghana
Jah Prayza – Zimbabwe
Burna Boy – Nigeria
Samini – Ghana
Patoranking – Nigeria
Shatta Wale – Ghana
Buffalo Souljah – Zimbabwe Best Video Director
Daps – Nigeria
Justin Campos – South Africa
Sesan – Nigeria
Clarence Peters – Nigeria
Patrick Elis – Nigeria
Shammack – Cameroon
Enos Olik – Kenya
Savy Filmz – Uganda
Avalon Okpe – Nigeria
Godfather – South Africa Best Dj Africa
Dj Spinall – Nigeria
Dj Joe MFalme – Kenya
Dj Black Coffee – South Africa
Dj Exclusive – Nigeria
Dj Kalonje – Kenya
Dj D-Ommy – Tanzania
Dj Paulo Paulo Alves – Angola
Dj Crème Delacreme – Kenya
DJ Nyce – Ghana Best African Dj USA
Dj Tunez – Nigeria
Dj Wagura – Ethiopia
Dj FreshyK – Nigeria
Dj Deemoney – Nigeria
Dj Silent Killa – Carribeans
Dj Akua – Ghana
Dj Fully Focus – Kenya
Dj Rell – Sierra Leone
Dj Poison Ivy – Kenya
Dj Mike Kiss- Carribeans AFRIMMA Video of The Year
Toofan – Terre (Togo)
Davido – If (Nigeria)
Wizkid – Come Closer (Nigeria)
Runtown – Mad Over You (Nigeria)
Casper Nyovest – Tito Mboweni (South AFrica)
Emtee ft Nasty C – Winning (South Africa)
Diamond Platnumz ft Ray Vanny – Salome (Tanzania)
Victoria Kimani ft Donald – Fade Away(Kenya/South Africa)
Fally Ipupa – Eloko Iyo (Congo)
C4 Pedro ft Sautisol – Love again (Angola/Kenya)
Wande Coal ft Dj Tunez – Iskaaba (Nigeria
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
We can’t say for sure if treats of government’s ban on foreign video sets has anything to do with it, but lately a lot of artists seem particular about shooting their videos outside the country. Sure, Flavour’s “Jaiye” video was shoot in Cote d’ Ivoire to celebrate the central African dance culture his song was influenced by but Patoranking’s video for “Halé Halé” didn’t have any particular need for its exotic location in Togo outside aesthetic.
Off his God Over Everything album, Patoranking has released the video for “Halé Halé”. The E-kelly produced mid-tempo dance track is among the last sets of songs on the album. And the romance narrative has inspired an Aje Films produced video that might as well be from a rom-com Indian film. The videos is filled with dramatic movie cliches; “Somewhere In Togo” intro, slow-mo camera shots, breathless pants close ups, unlikely romance and ridiculously ironic humor.
The atmosphere is light and the flash mob dancers emphasize that through their brightly colored outfits showing Togolese dance steps. But Patoranking stepping out of the bath—soap lethal and all to meet the potential love of his life tops it all. Instead of being an embarrassing situation for the reggae singer, it turns out to be quite an hilarious one. And at the end of the day, everyone is seen having a good time as is typical of romantic comedies.
Watch Patoranking’s video for “Halé Halé” below.
Featured Image Credits: YouTube/PatorankingVEVO
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
Yesterday’s rains took away one of Nigeria’s most beloved actors. Adebayo Faleti who made his mark in acting and directing classic Yoruba movies passed away at the age of 86. He died in his home early on Sunday, his son announced.
Pa Faleti who started his career as a lover of drama and worked his way up through various teaching and journalistic endeavours was part of the generation of pre-Independence Nollywood actors. He was a multidisciplinary actor who engaged in poetry, journalism as well as language translation. One of his notable works was the translation of Nigeria’s national anthem to Yoruba.
In his lifetime, he was a pioneer staff of what was arguably the first television station in Africa, the Western Nigeria Television station. He was recognised for his contribution to the dramatic arts and was awarded an Officer of the Order of the Niger (O.O.N.).
The news of his death has saddened Nollywood veterans, watchers and the Ministry of Information and Culture. Adebayo Faleti will be remembered for his life and the dedication he put into his craft.
Featured Image Credit: CBS
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.
Keeping his fans entertained is Flavour’s lifework and it has gotten him a fan base that is the envy of other Nigerian artists. His recently released album, Ijele – The Traveler is his 6th studio album and already, he has put out 6 videos from the album. “Jaiye” is the latest one and Flavour travels to Cote d’ Ivoire to shoot the video showing just how wide his audience is.
“Jaiye” leans heavily on Soukous influences with the fusion of Cuban and African harmonies on guitars, pianos and drums. Though the sound enjoyed a phase in Nigeria heralded by artists like Awilo Longomba, the sound is more popular in central African states like Congo. The dance number especially emphasizes how big Flavour is in Africa and Sesan directs a video following a similar narrative.
Flavour’s album lives up to its name because his video for “Jaiye” is set in Cote d’ Ivoire where Flavour is met by adoring young fans who chant his name in glee. He entertains audience at the market scene with dance moves till he spots an attractive love interest who steals him away to a beautiful remote beach. All the while, dancers perform the song making for a fun video to watch. Watch the video below.
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Official Flavour
You are meeting Debola at a strange time in his life. He wandered into a dream and lost his way back. Tweet at him@debola_abimbolu
Since Emma Nyra marked her entry into the mainstream with her feature on Iyanya’s “Ur Waist” in 2013, she’s successively released about 12 original singles, including remixes of her own songs. Her new single “Jamina” would be her 13th single and hopefully a pre-cursor to that debut album everyone’s been waiting for.
“Jamina”, is produced by Tekno collaborator, Krizbeatz. And like most of Krizbeatz’ songs, his signature synths and instrumentation are easily noticeable. If anything, Emma Nyra is an artist who rides easily on a slew of different genres, and so does she on “Jamina”, where she sings on the theme of love in a similar way you may just imagine Tekno singing it.
Stream “Jamina” via SoundCloud below
Feature Image Credit: Instagram/emmanyra
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
