The Shuffle: Revisit “1er Gaou”, Magic System’s eternal hit from your childhood

Posted on by The Native

One of the understated narratives in history of popular African music is the transformational global leap Francophone Afropop took in the late 90s. Championed by Awilo Logomba, Koffi Olomide and Papa Wemba amongst others, Francophone Africa created the first set of acts that tilted towards universal appeal, with select names in such ranks bagging international recognition, awards and nominations in process. Perhaps the strongest indication of how influential the Afropop of Francophone Africa got is “1er Gaou”, a piano-based Zouglou song by Ivorian group, Magic System, that became a continent-wide anthem, despite being primarily rendered in Ivorian-French patios

“1er Gaou” which loosely translates as the ‘First Fool’ is based on a true life experience of lead singer, Salif “A’Salfo” Traoré. Traore details a seemingly personal experience about a lover who left him due to his clumsy financial situation at the time. The catch however is that Traore doesn’t feel cheated for being left, instead “1er Gaou” he states clearly what would make him a fool would be taking his lover back for a second run at their problematic relationship.

The group’s former manager and official producer, Angelo Kabila, initially worked “1er Gaou” for a primarily African audience, with synths added to traditional Ivorian Zouglou music for a touch of modernity. The single was released in 1999 as the lead track off group’s sophomore album of the same name. However, the far-reaching success of “1er Gaou” bought Magic System their ticket to international acclaim. After over two years of touring the single across the continent, Magic System moved to France where the track was reworked to embrace more Soca elements. The move worked for the group, with “1er Gaou” landing Magic System spots on the French, Belgian, Swiss and Euro charts respectively. Today, Magic System are celebrated as one of Africa’s most successful contemporary musicians. A title duly earned by how they have continued to consistently chart across Africa, Europe and the West Indies with their unique style of traditional Zouglou music (which they have increasingly fused with electronic dance music in recent times).

African millennials however will remember “1er Gaou”, as a piece of nostalgia from every birthday party and pretty much celebration of any scale. Back then, If there is food and people in a good mood, you can also bet your ass the DJ would be playing “1er Gaou” till nightfalls.

Stream “1er Gaou” by Magic System via Apple Music below

Listen to “Taijitsu Jazz” by tGM featuring Bio and Wenger

Posted on by The Native

While Hip-hop fans can’t quite decide if they should call for a code blue or an autopsy, many agree that Hip-hop’s messiah is going to come from the underground. This essentially cuts out Kendrick and any other rapper signed to a major label—yes that includes Jay Roc. This logic has carried Chance The Rapper so far but he is also losing his underdog status with every industry accolade he acquires. In Nigeria, Ibadan isn’t the hotbed for Hip-hop but WeTalkSound is set to change that through their frequent releases on Soundcloud. The pop culture collective has been building a dedicated fan base by putting out singles showing the talented MCs in the community and if underground hip-hop is your forte, then you need to listen to their latest release, “Taijitsu Jazz” by tGM, Bio and Wenger.

“Taijitsu Jazz” starts with Bio’s singing over a somber piano led instrumental. The hunger for accomplishment in his lyrics are amplified by the grim in his voice and the horns in the beat that sound more emotional than harmonic. It accurately paints a picture of the point tGM is trying to make before he even says anything at all. tGM raps with a laid back flow though his lyrics are anything but; “I’ve been choking on the gases that the country got me breathing/ I’ve been sinning”. The haunting beats mixed by Gravity Bars switches to a more lively boom bap half way into the single but the jazzy piano and trumpet cuts mixed by Sorple ensures the somber ambience isn’t lost. tGM spits with a more assertive flow that allows deliver god level brags likes every rapper ever. Wenger’s outro to “Taijitsu Jazz” is even more of an downer saying, “When the reaper wants to take me/ I hope he doesn’t procrastinate”.

Ibadan’s hip-hop scene still has a lot to catch on forcing WeTalkSound releases to exist in a sort of cocoon. Unaffected by the mainstream’s saturation with showy  rappers, their music leans heavily on depth of lyricism and the conveyance of emotion.

Listen to “Taijitsu Jazz” below, if only to prove that talents don’t have to cross boarders to be successful.

https://soundcloud.com/user-833359593/taijitu-jazz-by-tgm-feat-bio-wenger

Featured Image Credits: Twitter/thegeekymidget

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

ICYMI: Check out Bio’s sleeper hit, “Melanin”

Odunsi The Engine swaps China Town for Beachside greenery in “Vanilla freestyle”

Posted on by The Native

Odunsi’s gravy train doesn’t seem to be letting off any time soon, and as he’s taking this new wave of attention, he’s seeing to revisit his seminal project, the Time of Our Lives EP and introducing us to some of its lesser known gems. Odunsi announced last weekend he was putting out visuals to “Vanilla Freestyle”, which was released last August.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWqqLjjBUDr/?taken-by=odunsitheengine

When an artist is ascribed the ‘alternative’ title, there are some expectations that his/her audience comes to expect. We expect alternative artists to push the boundaries of what is possible sonically and visually and tell stories that we can see ourselves in. So it’s unfortunate when strongly lauded projects fall short of this mark. Odunsi’s video for “Vanilla Freestyle” is directed by Kay-T and is pretty straight forward. The entire premise of the video revolves around  beach-side greenery and how the video team digitally manipulates the vegetation to produce vibrant purple lawns in which Odunsi frolics and preens.

And preen Odunsi does, for the entire 3 minutes 30 seconds of the video. It is visually appealing, but ultimately unimaginative. After the preen fest that was the Desire video, the lack of any discernible storyboarding or attempt at telling any cohesive stories or interpreting the song’s lyrics literally or figuratively  becomes glaringly obvious.

The problem isn’t that Odunsi’s videos have thus far been small budget, it’s that they are clearly lacking creative/artistic initiative. Independent artists like Bjork’s who often shoot one-(wo)man music videos prove that a little money and a lot of imagination can go a long way (her “Venus As A Boy” is a typical example) “Vanilla Freestyle” just pales in comparison.

Take a moment and peep Odunsi the engine’s “Vanilla Freestyle” visuals below.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@Odunsitheengine

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

ICYMI, Read Up: Essentials: Here are five of the most definitive tracks by Odunsi

AV Club: Olu Ososanya’s takes through Hollywood’s stereotyping of Africa.

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In the late 2000’s writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie put into words something that had only begun to coalesce in the minds of Generation Y’ers; the niggling doubt that the Africa we saw beamed into our homes through our precious cable network channels was less than accurate. In the TED Talk “The Danger Of A Single Story” now played over 2 million times on Youtube, Adichie explains how her early influences from Western Literature might have sparked her interest in literature but it also gave her the strong impression that her own lived experiences and realities were not as valid as Western ones. Finding writers like Chinua Achebe, Flora Nwapa and Buchi Emecheta helped change that provide an alternate reality for her, permission if you will, to tell stories that closely mirror her own lived experiences.

Film maker Olu Ososanya is coming to this realization and expounding on it in her latest Youtube, mini-documentary. Ososanya reviews many ‘classical’ Hollywood films about Africa and dissects the common  tropes that define these films. Classics like Out of Africa that had no three dimensional characters and treated the continent as a an untamed, savage paradise instead of a complex network of 57 sovereign countries in various states of development, the exploitation films like Leonardo Di Caprio that takes an African crisis and centres a White person as a saviour in the heart of the conflict. He postulates that these tropes have become so deeply ingrained into the ethos of Hollywood regarding films made in or about Africa, that even African filmmakers, when given the opportunity to tell a different, more inclusive story cannot divest themselves of these tropes.

It is interesting to see an indigenous filmmaker introspectively explore these historical injustices and learn from them.

We can too.

Watch “Africa Vs Hollywood” below.

Edwin eats his rice and cabbages. Tweet at him @edgothboy

AV Club: Episode One of Lagos Big Boy is basically a showreel for IG celebs

7 emojis that ruined the innocence of smileys forever

Posted on by The Native

Show me someone who’s never used an emoji before and we’ll show you the rock they’ve been living under. Over the past few years, the yellow  anthropomorphic heads conceptualized from messenger smileys have largely shaped interaction in today’s digital age. Though initially created by Japanese developers as a way to add a more personal touch to everyday digital communication, we have since incorporated it into our daily lives, changing how we relate. Emoji’s have come to imply other meanings, beyond what was initially intended for them. While a rose remains a rose, and cake remains cake, in honour of world emoji day, here are some of the smileys that have taken on a life of their own.

The smile

Beyond the genuine happiness it’s intended for, the smile emoji is just used as a soft blush that may indicate more sinister reality. From the “just withdrew the last penny in my account 🙂” to “Been waiting at the ATM for an hour and counting 🙂”, the smile has made rounds with social media posts as a misomner for how humans internalise chaos by putting up a smiling face.

The Egg plant

Sexting is a pastime for many with and the egg plant is often used to denote the male penis due to its phallic shape. In 2015, the American Dialect Society actually declared the eggplant to be the ‘Most Notable Emoji’ in their Word of the Year vote. For an emoji to gain that kind of traffic, it means millennials’ talk a lot about sex , because the big question remains how an innocent vegetable inadvertently became an emblem for our collective perversions.

The Peach

Coming in second to the eggplant, is the peach emoji, also used in the same context with the former. While the eggplant represents the male genitalia, the peach emoji is symbolic of the backside. The peach usually prevails in conversations about exchanged nudes and thirst traps.

Black moon

The Black moon smiley has got to be one of the most suggestive smileys ever. The very cynically dark deceptive looking face, is expressed as the playful look you give to a friend when they are guilty of a crime. Butthe Black Moon has come to be associated with emphasizing sexual suggestions, usually common in morning after texts between two people who just had sex hours prior.

Three droplets of water

Just maybe we shouldn’t question the corruptible human mind but the creator(s) of these emoji’s instead. I mean people couldn’t have begun alluding to any raunchiness, if not for such picturesque symbolisms why should anyone think of anything beyond raindrops. One can still innocently assume these three droplets as simply water related inferences but that’s only if you can get past what the idea of ‘wetness’ or ‘thirst’ it unambiguously connotes to two people coyly propositioning each other for sex.

Tongue

Of a billion emojis sent worldwide, a million are the Tongue emoji sent through smart phones for raunchy reasons. This emoji has gone from an innocuous human tongue 👅 to sexting’s favourite shorthand to play pool, fellatio and foreplay involving wet kisses and sticking tongues in strange places.

The eyes

Among the most notable of the smileys is the eyes emoji glancing slightly to the left— and almost certainly the most important signifying a deceitful act or used to indicate pervy eyes. The eyes emoji 👀 is  a go-to way to describe uncomfortable or provocative social situations to unmannered, reflexive reactions. It’s also used for questioning, it says “See what I did there?” It’s interesting not just cause it suggests emoji convo can be truly intimate but also because emojis play on ambiguity in a way that implies an altered mental state.

Feature Image Credit: Twitter/@moonemojii

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

ICYMI, Read Up: World population day: Do millennials already have overpopulation figured out?

Get into “Weekend Vibes” with Seyi Shay and Sarkodie

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Two months after the release of her very sensual single, “Weekend Vibes”, Seyi Shay links up with Ghanian rapper, Sarkodie for a melodious remix and for maximum airplay of course.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWp8bK-g_8K/?taken-by=iamseyishay

In the video directed by Moe Musa, the first scene sets the tone for the rest of the video, reclining in sexy lingerie in bed, clothes scattered on the floor from the night before, all suggesting a significant other. This shot captures the already raunchy lyricism of the song and the following shots show Seyi Shay in the club and later in a garden with Sarkodie, where he delivers his verse in Twi slightly bridging the language gap with some bits of English when he utters phrases like“You be my medicine,…nobody should come between me and my baby”. 

With lines like “Every weekend baby, kpansh kpansh kpansh”, Seyi Shay tells all of it, albeit she does so discreetly. Producer Krizbeatz who we’ve been very familiar with on Tekno’s tracks, does his usual magic.

Just in case you’re wondering why bottles of Martini miraculously appear in every possible frame in the video, here’s the tea.  The video stars the three Martini ambassadors, Seyi Shay, Brian Okwara and Sarkodie, making this “Weekend Vibes” a thinly veiled Martini ad. As a reminder that whatever weekend vibes you’re going to be having, whether it’s with the bae in bed or a night out at the club, as shown in the video too, they want you to party with a bottle of M too. We’re not complaining though, we’ve seen way worse marketing strategies.

Check out Seyi Shay’s “Weekend Vibes” remix featuring Sarkodie, starring Brian Opara below.

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/@seyishay

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

ICYMI, Read Up: Fasina teams up with Higo for “5 Star”, a meta afropop experiment

Best New Music: Bucie and Wizkid are an SA House power duo on “All For Love”

Posted on by The Native

Ayodeji Balogun’s had the kind of year any Nigerian musician struggling to make it into the mainstream global market would call a perfect one. A year in which he was vital to helping create the biggest song on the planet in 2016 and being nominated for a Grammy long before anyone thought he was due, signing with RCA records and becoming the unofficial avatar of Nigerian Afro-pop. In 12 short months, Ayodeji Balogun went from part of a class of contemporaries to being bested only by himself. And if the events of 2017 are any indicator, Wizkid is determined to continue besting himself.

First he put out “Come Closer” featuring Drake but with him finally at the helm and steered it into becoming an international hit; necessary considering the backtalk that had swirled that his input on “One Dance” had been minimal.  He followed with a handful of singles and international performances, the apex of which was headlining 2017’s Wireless Festival, the final spot before the promotion for Sounds From The Other Side, his debut mixtape under RCA began in earnest.

At this point, there is no genre that the Starboy hasn’t dabbled in. Afrobeats, Afropop, Hip-hop, R&B, Dancehall, even Hip-life; Wizkid has done them all, putting his voice and charisma to the test and coming through for his fans. But on his debut LP under international label RCA records, Wizkid has had to reach into places otherwise unexplored and push even further. South African House seemed the next natural progression for several reasons. Artists like Yemi Alade helped championed a new model for albums that reference all the major music hubs on the continent and a major part of RCA’s push will be in South Africa, where an established music distribution network will greatly ease his entry into their market/industry. SA House singer Bucie, also an entry point for Yemi Alade, lends her svelte vocal work and ineffable charm to “All For Love”. 

It is an excellent duet, marrying their very distinct styles and paying homage to the House scene. The song’s horns remind of Afrobeat and Wizkid is more earnest than we’ve seen him in years, spurred to keep up with Bucie’s almost effortless delivery. It almost makes us wish Wizkid would properly explore House on an EP or at least a few more songs.

Wizkid is bent on world domination, but first he’ll take South Africa.

Listen to “All for love”.

Edwin eats his rice and cabbages. Tweet at him @edgothboy

ICYMI, Read Up: Essentials: Of “Sounds From The Other Side” and the place of Wizkid in African music

Hear Straff’s new single, “Trounce”

Posted on by The Native

Trap music has become more popular with African producers over the last few years. However, much like the mumble rapper distinction in American hip-hop circles, trap artists weren’t exactly taken seriously because they usually get too lost in their showy narratives to have much substance. But lately more artists are emerging with a proficiency with the ambient genre. Even more mainstream artists like YCee and Falz have tried their hands on the niche genre to prove that genres don’t necessarily dictate an individual’s tastes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWnzNuhFrP-/?taken-by=straffitti&hl=en

Straff’s debut EP, Vanilla Sky already marked him out as a rapper with as much confidence as any boastful rapper. His new single, “Trounce” however sees him venture into trap music with the spacious synth harmonies on the beat produced by GCL3F. The drums introduces a bouncy rhythm which Straff uses to deliver two verses telling everyone who would listen how good he is and what he thinks of those who call him “wack”. Though it might be hard to defend a lot of Straff’s words; “Ain’t a man/I’m a god” his flows bare a remarkable resemblance to the Drake.

“Trounce” features nobody as if to emphasize Straff’s confidence to defy the established norms. Only the Travis inspired ad-lib chants serve as additional vocals as he performs both hook and verse with a slightly auto-tuned effect. Here Straff is cheeky and asking critics to step up to him and say how they feel to his face but it’s not exactly clear if he wants a fight because he follows up with lines like “Not my fault/ Don’t fight me”.

Listen to Straff’s newest single, “Trounce”

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/straffitti

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

Watch Straff’s trippy hipster love story in his video for “Cherry Game Girl” here

Fasina’s “Tomorrow” proves affection is a vital means of survival

Posted on by The Native

If ever we need proof that affection is a vital means of survival, surely we could find it in music. When you’ve listened to quite a number of songs, you’ll easily bond with the told narrative, especially when love lies underneath the story. And even when it’s told with different perspectives, it remains a universal experience because there’s this emotional necessity to connect with other people. Here on Native, we’ve spoken of a number of love songs, a few are Eugy’s “Prize”, Kyrian Asher’s “30,000 ft”, Ric Hassani’s “Marry You”, Vanessa Mdee’s “Kisela”, BankyOnDBeatz’ “Good Loving”,and Daramola‘s “So Good”. Fasina’s new release “Tomorrow” is also tied around the theme.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWfqfemAFZd/?taken-by=fasina28

Fasina chronicles his relationship with a lover he implored never to let go on “Tomorrow”. He sings softly, “Said you’ll call when you’re alone, I’ve been ringing off your phone, second time I’ve rang you know but I’m not calling you anymore, feelings change you know the drill, I’ll still call you then tomorrow.” While Fasina may still be living in the past, it seems his lover’s moved on and he is left longing for her love because he is seeing better days at last.

It takes Fasina roughly 3 minutes and 30 seconds to tell of his emotions on “Tomorrow”. He recently created a playlist on his Soundcloud Orange Juice, which he intends to update regularly through the last days of summer. “Tomorrow” is the second track on Orange Juice, after  “5 Star” released in May.

“Tomorrow” is produced by Yinoluu, have a listen at it below.

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/@fasina28

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

ICYMI, Read Up: Fasina teams up with Higo for “5 Star”, a meta afropop experiment

Hear a remix of Daramola’s “Traffic” featuring Nonso Amadi

Posted on by The Native

Hills Music Group who put out Nonso Amadi’s remix of Tchella’s “Traffic” has released another Nonso Amadi remix, this time, for Daramola’s “Traffic”.

Not many Nigerian artists can go note to note with Daramola’s falsetto but Nonso Amadi isn’t your average Nigerian singer. His releases have earned him the respect of critics even despite his tendency to drift dangerously close to candy-coated teen-pop.

Daramola’s Last Time I Tried debut album houses “Traffic” as a pseudo-religious interlude before the outro. While Daramola’s hook listens like a praise chant singing “Glory be to God”, his focus remains very much on his love affair finishing the song with “I’m stuck in a cell but I’m looking for heaven/ The last time I tried it was harder than heaven”.

Nonso Amadi’s remix also embraces this religious undertone. Nonso sings over a layer of soft vocal melodies that darts and wraps around the instrumentals, disappearing into itself. He gives an hymn-like anthem for the down-tempo number showing off his faith in God; “If it means me losing all I’ve got/ Hope you notice how I show you off”.

Nonso’s remix to Daramola’s “Traffic” is impressive and grandiose and it’s barely even a real feature. One can only imagine what an actual collaboration would sound like but in the meantime listen to “Traffic” remix below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/nonsoamadi

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

Check out Daramola’s impressive ‘Last Time I Tried’ debut here

Davina Oriakhi is an uptown girl in the visuals for F.S.L.S

Posted on by The Native

Since singer Davina Oriakhi put out “F.S.L.S“, we’ve been hoping she’d take the plunge and give the single the video treatment. With its subtle homage to Beyonce’s Lemonade album and a message of self love and the healing power of forgiveness and community, it seemed the best way to showcase the persona Oriakhi was building away from her career as a spoken word artist. Well we didn’t have to wait long, cos after teasing for a few weeks, she has finally dropped a music video for the single, her first from the cache of singles put out in anticipation of her debut album,  Love To A Mortal, slated for released in late July 2017.

Produced by Gabriel Ryder, Oriakhi forgoes a more comprehensive narrative in the music for a ‘vibe’. This vibe is part afrocentric, part bohemian, and she channels it surprisingly well, her look and demeanor heavily referencing Lauryn Hill’s debut project. She prances through an inner city project being as we watch her from the POV of the person shooting her. It helps that she is almost impossible to look away from, and the video never strays from its primary focus, her. As far as first videos go, this is pretty well thought out, you come away knowing exactly how Davina Oriakhi sees herself and her music. And really that is all an artist can ask for from a music video.

Enjoy.

Edwin eats his rice and cabbages. Tweet at him @edgothboy

ICYMI, Read Up: Fasina teams up with Higo for “5 Star”, a meta afropop experiment

Michael Jackson’s music will be front and center in new animation by his estate

Posted on by The Native

Words by Ehimenim Agweh

What do “Thriller”, “Beat it” and “Billie Jean” have in common? Michael Jackson of course and the late artist’s estate is not letting you forget that in a hurry.

This October, Optimum Productions which was owned by the singer in his lifetime is bringing an animated adventure feature to the big screen. Tagged ‘Michael Jackson’s Halloween,’ the story follows two millennials and a dog who end up in a hotel on Halloween night. The story is expected to be full of magic, adventure and of course, a finale with an animated Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson’s Halloween is slated to be an hour long production with Michael Jackson songs taking up the entirety of the soundtrack. The feature is the latest in a long list of projects aimed at honouring the memory of Michael Jackson and will be aired on CBS when it premieres.

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.

The world’s most prominent Michael Jackson impersonator stars in Michael Jackson’s Biopic

Essentials: Of “Sounds From The Other Side” and the place of Wizkid in African music

Posted on by The Native

A guitar thrumming amidst shakers and wooden drums is how “Sweet Love” opens. As Wizkid breathes ‘All I Need Is One Love’, the arrangement is transformed with a drum roll and a bass guitar humming sweetly along the set piece. The sway is not implied but as it is with African music, even as themes run in circles, the draw is melody, and the magic is finesse.

Wiz masterfully does both, re-purposing Bob Marley’s infamous call for global peace for vainglorious self-celebration like only Baba Nla can. To say expectations for Wizkid’s third studio album was high, would be to undercut the pressure on the 27-year-old to pull off a successful major-label debut and re-state his claim as Africa’s top act. What therefore makes for a better re-introduction than to demand for love? Sweet, sweet love.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWgziyMg40f/?taken-by=wizkidayo

Like Superstar, Wizkid’s ground-breaking 2011 debut, “Sounds From The Other Side” comes at the epoch of African music rising on a global mainframe. With an RCA imprint deal closely marketed alongside collaborations with some of the biggest artists in the world, SFTOS was expected as Wizkid’s seminal album for the modern African sound. However, between 2014’s Ayo and singles leading up to the project, Wizkid’s shift has been incremental, craft-wise and extensive, sound-wise, leaving fans at a loss for what to expect from SFTOS.

Funnily, despite a multiplex of R&B and Pop influences bearing mark on “Come Closer” and ” Dirty Wine” featuring TyDollar $ign, Wizkid never veers into hip-hop or the nether regions of trap. SFTOS, retains Wizzy’s flirtations with Caribbean patois and EDM, an indication his continental responsibility does not directly reflect a fixation for Africanness without innovation. “Naughty Ride”, his shining collaboration with Major Lazer sets pace for more electronic work on “Nobody” and the dancehall-inspired “Gbese”, Wizkid’s strongest album-closer ever.

Though an unintended misnomer for the album, Sounds From The Other Side, packs some of its heaviest punch into its second-half. On “Picture Perfect”, Wizkid returns to R&B basics fans have sorely missed since earlier material like “Gidi Girl”, off Wizkid’s Superstar debut. “All For Love”, the best track on this other side, comes prepared with Latin-inspired steel pans and groove. Producer DJ Mariphosa, (“Soweto Baby”, “One Dance”), reinvents his infamous Afro-house fusion with singer, Bucie who Wizkid features for a silky duet about the limits of true love.

Fans who expected a critically African album, may only have Sarz produced stand-outs like “Sweet Love” and “Sexy” to serve their palates, but SFTOS holds Wizkid right where he needs to be. As a convener for modern African music, the project cements all of Wizkid’s influences well enough to overshadow the fail of lukewarm cuts like “African Bad Gyal” and “One For Me”. As an emerging artist transcending sound and cultural barriers, Wizkid’s craft is streamlined to easy-to-consume pop and the universal language of love.

After a couple of replays it’s still hard to tell who exactly is on the “other” side of the sound, Wizkid brings forth. A great pop quiz for the Starboy would be to definitively say if he’s taking African music to the other side of the world, or riding the new school Afro-wave to distant lands. But perhaps, it should have been obvious Wizkid did not expect to be taken literally since Efya sleepily implored him to make us dance on lead single, “Daddy Yo”. Because he rises to the occasion and delivers without question.

Stream Wizkid’s Sounds From The Other Side via Apple Music

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@wizkidayo

Toye is the Team lead at Native Nigeria. Tweet at him @ToyeSokunbi

Essentials From Wale’s ‘Shine’

Here’s some good news, Max Go has launched

Posted on by The Native

It’s crazy how quickly your day can go south once you get stuck in traffic. Even after dedicated yoga exercises, quick work out to get the blood flowing, a rushed but satisfying breakfast and positive music playing, all it takes to flip the day on its head is an innocent drive on the streets of Lagos. It’s ironic how the abundance of opportunities in Lagos is the same reason for the traffic that for most people is Lagos’ Achilles heel.

After Uber debuted in Lagos back in 2014, Lagos’ biggest issues seemed to be have been checkmated but boy were we wrong. Not only were the rides still affected by traffic, the rates were too and it just made for a very unpleasant ride, despite the apparent comfort of the vehicles. But Lagos citizens are too resourceful to just sit back and watch traffic continue to ruin their lives forever. Metro Africa Express’ “Max Go” just launched their Motorcycle transit app to take on the traffic challenge that yellow buses, taxis, BRTs and Uber services couldn’t.

While the motorcycle might not be the most comfortable ride, it’s a transport system that could be really useful because every Lagos road user knows that unless you can work from home, sometimes the fastest way to work isn’t the most convenient. Before bikes were banned on highways, they managed to navigate the maze of traffic jams. But armed with GPS technology, it’s easy to imagine Max Go will do an even better job of avoiding traffic.

Oh and get this, the drivers obviously go through a vetting session that begins with psychometric tests because safety comes first. So while your hair might not be in place when you get to your destination and take off your helmet, at least you’ll get there in one piece and on time.

Featured Image Credits: Twitter/maxdotng

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

ICYMI: Uber Vs Okada Vs Danfo: Where productivity meets convenience meets comfort

Listen to Duzzy’s “Call My Line” featuring Zilla Oaks and Ayuu

Posted on by The Native

The handy inventions of this era have made life easy for everybody. Discovery of new music is easier than ever before because of the internet and sometimes, it’s at next to no promotional cost from the artist. With this freedom, independent artist can attempt more niche genres and flex the range of their music’s influence by attempting multi-genre career paths. While this comes at the sacrifice of building any form of viable fan base that will push their releases into music charts, it has worked to expand the outer limits of what constitutes Nigerian music.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWVerYoAWI_/?taken-by=_duzzy&hl=pa

Duzzy may only have three singles available for listens on his Soundcloud, but he just as many genre tags with the latest, “Call My Line” categorized as “hip-hop & rap”. Zilla Oaks and Ayuu feature on the love-song (sort of) and their presence further emphasizes the genre blend as Zilla Oaks sings with a rap flow (or the other way around) and Duzzy follows suit with a similar flow. Ayuu verse is more conventional hip-hop style as he embraces the thumbing bass of the instrumentals.

“Call My Line” details the trials of being in a relationship with a girl whose attitude is tough to deal with. The apparent solution is one of the most useful inventions of this era, the cell phone(now smart phone). Now fixing misunderstandings is a breeze regardless of ego. With emojis, memes and several other conversation starters, make ups are just a dial away.

Listen to Duzzy, Zilla Oaks and Ayuu on “Call My Line” below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/_duzzy

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

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Olamide On Cleaning the Streets and Raising Awareness

Posted on by The Native

Asides entertaining fans and supporters by recording hit songs and performing at live shows, a lot of musicians also like to give back to society in whatever way they know how to. Chance the Rapper, for instance, is no stranger to philanthropy in his hometown in Chicago, JayZ (and Beyoncé) make charitable contributions in his hometown in New York as well, and similarly, over here in Lagos is (arguably) the state’s biggest rapper Olamide giving a free performance to extend his support to the STEM community.

Just a month after his endorsement as brand ambassador for Sterling (Bank’s) Environmental Makeover (STEM) series, Olamide is seen at Lagos state’s landmarks on Thursday, shooting a music video as part initiative to protect the environment and its people. He dons the neon orange overalls alongside mob dancers skating and performing stunts around him, while he sings and raps highlighting the mission and vision to keep Lagos clean.

Giving back to the society is a mutual thing for Olamide seeing as his career’s profit partly comes off rapping and singing about the streets. JayZ is very peculiar with greyscaled videos, but , “Empire State of Mind” his collaboration with Alicia keys’ is a classic that captures New York the same way Baddoo often tries to capture Lagos: the grand hustle city, for a grand master hustler like Olamide.

We should get the full video recorded on Olamide for the STEM initiative outed soon. Meanwhile, peep the snippets beneath the #STEM2017 tag below.

https://twitter.com/lazywrita/status/885479162491940864

https://twitter.com/lazywrita/status/885447696911183872

https://twitter.com/lazywrita/status/885066350418415618

https://twitter.com/lazywrita/status/886149416343805954

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

ICYMI, Read Up: On Environmental Day, The Place of Celebrities and Climate Change

Ugandan singer, Bobi Wine wins a seat in parliament

Posted on by The Native

Words by Ehimenim Agweh

If you are an African millennial and have an interest in seeing more millennials in politics, look no further than Uganda. Reggae singer, Bobi Wine was recently elected into the parliament and officially stamped the place of millennials in shaping the future of Uganda.

https://twitter.com/mgsugSBReview/status/885373533404246016

Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu a.k.a. Bobi Wine hit the news after news of his win broke. The singer who ran as an independent candidate first announced his intention to run in April 2017 and represent Kyaddondo East constituency in Wakiso District, in Uganda’s Central Region.His tenure as an elected official began on the 11th of July, 2017.

The 35-year old singer’s line up is not just limited to music and politics. He is also an entrepreneur, motivational speaker and philanthropist. His political journey so far has generated attention, both in his country and overseas and reviving an age old discussion about young people’s involvement in politics.

Congratulations Bobi Wine, please do more for your people and the culture than just winning at the polls

Featured Image Credit: AFP, trtworld.com

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.

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50 days abduction, 6 students, 50 days of watch dog silence

Posted on by The Native

Today marks the 50th since six high school students were kidnapped in Igbonla, a city on the fringes of Lagos, somewhere close to Epe. One would easily expect that an incident of such gravity (concerning the lives of young children) will herald excessive broadcast, but even a Google search of “6 kidnapped boys in Lagos” will leave you with out-dated news articles of the day they were abducted. One would also expect that News sites and stations give constant updates of the case’ happenings and demand the return of the poor kids but half the world is left with citizen journalists and active updates from twitter users to keep updated pending their release.

The six students were taken from their school’s vicinity, Lagos State Model College. Initially, they were 10 held captive till the kidnappers asked about their parents’ occupation. Those who told them they’re orphans, have no knowledge of their parents’ phone numbers, or that they have parents as farmers, were let loose, while the remaining 6 haven’t been heard from since May 25th. The Kidnappers remain silent as well.

As more people discover the insouciance from the government and the media, they’ve begun to publicly sympathize; the sympathy snowballing into the hashtag, #Igbonla

Below are some pleas, declaration and demands by twitter users:

https://twitter.com/poabaje/status/885758881317695488

One user even tweets to popular media outlets

A user highlights that the nonchalance results from them being children of the underprivileged in the society

We may have to agree with this last tweet. But then again, with news, the death of a thousand persons in a country only heralds equal effect to the death of 10 in a small locality.

For now, we beat on: Bring back #Igbonla school boys

Feature Image Credit: Twitter/@newsnigerianna

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

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Unused Art Covers Created for SFTOS shows Wizkid values simplicity in Art

Posted on by The Native

The official release of Wizkid’s SFTOS heralds a lot of things ranging from Twitter comments, to appraisals, criticisms, and the release of unreleased works under Wizkid’s internationally packed EP. Few weeks ago, it was Wizkid’s unreleased video for “Come Closer” that got fans talking, many seem to have preferred the lush colors and exuberancy of the unreleased video to the concept used in the official video. The same now applies to Wizkid’s Album art.

When Wizzy released his album art via Twitter and Instagram as a precursor to his SFTOS release, he got tongues waging about how plain the cover art for the most anticipated album of the year looks like. While others liked the art regardless and thought it legendary, comparing it with the head of  a coin.

Now, those who don’t like the official  album art even have more reason to rave.

Earlier today, vvx creative group released four unused art covers for RCArecords, which was created by artist, Koby Martin for Wizkids’s Sounds From The Other Side.

The artworks definitely make a statement creating vibrant atmosphere with its bright colors. It’s clear that with each of the art covers, the artist was intently seeking to tell an African or Afrocarribean story.

While each of the artworks are very detailed, Wizzy needed to make a statement with simplicity, and the official art chosen couldn’t have done it any better for him. Similarly, his official “Come Closer” video is less complex to the concept used in the unreleased video -albeit, still visually appealing.

Visual artists always try to tie in a narrative into commissioned artworks, it’s a clear channel what Koby Martins had going for SFTOS EP. While some may see it as a dogged intent to tell an African story, others see it as the perfect creative expression for the album’s lyricism.

Koby Martins also worked on Wizkid’s “Sweet Love” cover art, which is similarly inspired by all things African.

Feature Image Credit: koby Martins 

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

ICYMI, Read up: Twitter reacts to the first look at the art for Wizkid’s ‘Sounds From The Other Side’ album

Johnny Drille is letting go of loss on “Romeo and Juliet”

Posted on by The Native

After listening past the first 33 seconds of Johnny Drille’s new release, “Romeo and Juliet” you hear a throaty grunt as if to clear the throat, but production works under-bed continues as if to make up for setting up any air of distaste. The RnB Soul singer then continues singing “It’s the hand of God, na him bring you to me”  to a lover, seeking to win her affection when he entreats “would you be my Juliet and I’ll be your Romeo, my love”. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWhcwKTgJi5/?taken-by=johnnydrille

Johnny Drille has often sung about love. His past releases “My Beautiful Love” and “Wait for Me” are equally tied around the theme, with each of them having their own perspective. On his last release, “Wait for Me” Johnny Drille is left painfully heartbroken after he looses his longtime lover to a damned illness and we watched him in such happy beginnings with her, cry his heart out at the song’s end. It’s been 4 months since then and well, they say time heals pain; Johnny Drille has healed and he’s now moving-on on “Romeo and Juliet”. But keep in mind he practices empathy in his music too.

“Romeo and Juliet” kicks off with a little drumming before the guitar accustomed to all Johnny Drille’s music begins strumming. All he wants right now is his lover’s affection, and that’s about all the artist, who just aged 30, narrates on the track.

Released, under his record label, Mavin records, “Romeo and Juliet” is that track you can only get from the only person who does it under the label. This track will remind you of old-time music and in Don Jazzy’s words, “Take your feelings to another Level”

Enjoy!

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@Johnnydrille

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

ICYMI: Try not to cry after watching Johnny Drille’s gloomy video for “Wait For Me”

With a hot dog, SnapChat gave the world a meme and half

Posted on by The Native

Words by Ehimenim Agweh

SnapChat is quite the innovator. With self-destructing texts, funky filters and interactive yet creepy maps, the company seems to be doing alright for itself. Except one recent invention of theirs didn’t exactly go down well with the Twitterverse and was the butt of its jokes.

In a recent foray into augmented reality, SnapChat released a human-like hot dog for the entertainment of the apps users. Basically, it’s a hot dog with legs and arms and a pair of lettuce headphones. The gag is almost reminiscent of last year critical comedy success, Sausage Party. Also, it’s breakdancing. Something this quirky should get people tickled and eager to know more about Augmented Reality, right?

https://twitter.com/ErinZirpoli/status/884953301619531776

The dancing ‘dog which is activated via front camera was taken to be a silly joke as users played with the weird creature in different situations. It simply picks a flat surface and bops on it. Get a moving object near it and it gets carried away. Memes have risen from the hot dog’s antics but another side fears it is a display of a SnapChat that is losing investors and going off the rails. It’s a funny yet weird day for SnapChat and here are the memes to prove it.

https://twitter.com/SnapHotdog/status/884636382542671872

https://twitter.com/comedyandtruth/status/886082923945963524

Feature Image Credit: Jailvian

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.

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