Coca Goods is bringing back minimalist ‘Made-in-Nigeria’ design with the ‘Tebur’

Posted on by The Native

When people about the millennial creativity in Nigeria, they rarely consider industrial and product design. But in a world that has become increasingly technology reliant, finding that intersection between efficiency, beautiful optics and optimal user experience has become a discipline gaining popularity in the world. Intellectual greats like Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos have built multi-billion dollar empires and enduring fan bases based on the quality and efficiency of the products they designed for consumption.

Millennial Nigerians like Funfere Koroye have been preaching the gospel and patenting designs that seek to take every day objects and improve them for a more efficient life. But brand strategist Lanre Masha, and Nifemi Marcus-Bello are taking things a step further with their company Coca Goods, and their new product, the ‘Tebur‘. For the uninitiated, the word ‘Tebur’ is a Hausa corruption of the English word ‘table’. The duo take that base idea, and ‘corrupt’ it, dismantling the table to it’s component parts and reworking them so they are portable, mobile, and functional for small spaces. What they come up with what they describe as a ‘flat pack work desk’, and my is it beautiful.

The duo explain their motivation for conceptualizing and building the work desk this way.

“As we adapt to living in smaller spaces, we need products that are unobtrusive but at the same–‐time enhance our daily life. Tebur meets this crucial need, with the heavy consideration of emergence of upwardly mobile Africans who live in small spaces and are always on the move.”

It doesn’t hurt that the “Tebur” is made entirely in Nigeria, with material sourced from Nigeria and Nigerian workmanship (too many people skrimp on the details). Masha and Marcus-Bello through Coca Goods are designing the furniture of the future, right now and we’re here for it.

Read our interview with ‘Bfyne’ swimwear designer Buki Ade

Essentials: Show Dem Camp delivers high-life treats on ‘Palm Wine Music Vol.1’

Posted on by The Native

After the acclaim of their Clone Wars Vol. 3 (The Recession) tape last year, Show Dem Camp wasted no time before teasing a new project which has finally surfaced online for their enthusiastic fans and lovers of good music. The rap duo have managed to stand out from their counterparts with their laid back ambient themes that challenge all the preconceptions we already have about them. But it’s always nice to hear uplifting rap music as opposed to the throne hungry rap bars that have become as threatening as they are repetitive.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVkYlMOlK5p/?taken-by=showdemcamp

For their new project, Show Dem Camp are building off the success of their high-life infused “Feel Alright” single produced by Ghanaian producer Juls, they decide to take the plunge on a full on, all out project. Enlisting producer Spax to produce all 6 tracks on Palm Wine Music Vol. 1 proves a stroke of genius. Other regular features on Show Dem Camp releases—BOJ, Funbi, LadiPoe, Ajebutter — also feature plus Tomi Thomas and relative newbie Odunsi The Engine who have made their mark as biggest exports of the modern-day Nigerian pop sound-scape. They all add their distinct sound to the West African traditional beat samples but Ghost and Tec remain front and center as they orchestrate the playlist inspired tape.

Palm Wine Music Vol. 1 begins with “Up 2 You“ featuring Funbi and it listens like the opening performance of a reunion party. Funbi ensures that the track lives up to expectation with a signature cutesy hook that conjures images of a dance tutorial as he sings “Lemme show you how/ Catch you when you feel the vibe”. SDC’s laid back melodies are mirrored by the mid-tempo acoustic guitar riffs and piano harmonies primed to have hips swaying. “Threw dirt on our name but we laughed it off” they joke.

The relative ease with which they approach this project allows them include a skit in a seven track EP but it works for the feel good atmosphere they are trying to build. Ajebutter takes the hook on “Independent” giving heft to the skit to show appreciation to women but the humor keeps the topic light before it escalates into an argument as discussions often do at parties when the drink starts flowing. “She Wants More” follows the same narrative and Poe features delivering his story telling rap lines on his verse as well as chorus on the mid-tempo jazzy afro-beat.

Boj’s obvious chemistry with the rap duo has shown on previous releases but Palm Wine Music sees him work with new a artist he hasn’t worked with before. “Compose” is the 2nd track on the EP and he instantly leaves his mark with his unmistakable gruff vocals on the love song but it’s Spax’s production that really resonates as he fuses calypso palm wine guitar riffs, Caribbean piano harmonic concepts and jazz horn arrangements to build an Afro-pop vibe that can be heard almost all through the tape. Boj also features on “Popping Again” along side Odunsi on the mellow piano harmonies that snake around the gong riffs and guitar samples. The song is perhaps the most serious minded track that sees the artists reminisce on where they started from and how far they’ve come. It also serves as the perfect exit point for an album designed to provide a feel good atmosphere at parties while drinks go around.

Palm Wine Music has all the characteristic feels of party music. Their rap flows don’t disappoint and though the melodies are laid back, the production is far from spiritless. The tape may not convert anyone who didn’t already think highly of the group but the success of their Clone Wars trilogy leaves us confident they have no worries in that department.

Listen to Show Dem Camp’s Palm Wine Muisc Vol. 1 below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/showdemcamp

Find out how “Up 2 You” made it to our Best New Music

Listen to Lady Donli’s “Vibe” featuring Genio Bambino

Posted on by The Native

Let’s make some music, Let’s make a vibe. We’ll keep it grooving, all day, all night

The first line (also multitasking as the chorus) in Lady Donli’s new release with Genio Bambino, titled “Vibe” is pretty self explanatory. And true to its message, Lady Donli’s been making some music, teasing and releasing them on Soundcloud, keeping our playlists updated and our interest in her sound sated. “Vibe” is the latest in a string that includes March’s  “Kashe Ni“ and  “Ice Cream” featuring Tomi Thomas in May.  Free from the constraints of a major project, Lady Donli is experimenting, especially with male rappers and singers and running through her version of mumble pop with more urgent testosterone driven features. Genio Bambino, however is more her pace on “Vibe”.

“Vibe” as a single doesn’t aspire to be anything more than a feel good song. It isn’t a song that relies heavily on a story line or even visual imagery, leaning heavily on ambiance and sonic undertones to get you in a good mood “through the hot summer night”. Probably why there are words having reference to some intimacy of some sort with one’s own lover. With a bit of word salad thrown in, that you may have to strain your ears to hear, and a splash dab of Lady Donli’s native Hausa, “Vibe” is catchy while being totally non-committal to genre tropes. Genio Bambino raps effortlessly on the track, bringing the necessary zing to keep things interesting.

Listen to “Vibe” featuring Genio Bambino via Soundcloud below.

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/Lady Donli

Read up: Ice cream may seem a cheesy way to describe love but it’s actually more elaborate than you think

The Shuffle: Revisit Burna Boy’s “Like To Party”, the only contender for African summer song of all time

Posted on by The Native

In this part of the world summer days are rainy and the nights are freezing cold. Evenings are also longer because dusk creeps in early and lasts forever. At this time of the year, the only respite are exceptionally bright sunny days when the wet floor soaks up the heat and the wind bellows coolly. On such seasonal oddities, the day is bright and optimistic but traces of stormy ones prior are still marked by flooded roads and mud pools. Burna Boy manages to capture this on “Like To Party”, complete with the emotional dialogue of a turbulent relationship, and a sense of enthusiasm that hints at making the best of the moment.

Unlike many typically Afropop turn-up songs at the time, “Like To Party” does away with the loose narrative, fast-paced arrangement and heavy thumps that built Nigerian party music. Instead producer Leriq settles for soothing synths and slow claps for ambiance, while Burna balances it all out with a gruff voice and high pitched layered vocals.

The thematic appeal of “Like To Party” is the contrasting string of emotions passing through Burna Boy’s mind. Even as he pleads to the African summer skies for the ‘rain rain’ to ‘go away’ so he can party, he also longs for a lover, and wishes the circumstances between them were different. Ultimately Burna feels as though he has put his best into whatever they had and hopes it won’t be too much of a sin that he’s out having a good time instead of moping.

The rest of this warped love story is left untold, but as Burna sings ‘and you talk say i no be human being’, the inherent softness hints words sometimes cut deeper than knives. And though he’s still hurting, he is also here in the moment to enjoy a bright day.

Stream “Like To Party” by Burna Boy via Apple Music below

Here are 7 burna boy songs you should get high to

Phyno tackles kidnappers in romantic “If To Say” video

Posted on by The Native

After starting his career as a producer and finally breaking out as a rapper, Phyno has refused to allow his talents be boxed by any genre lines despite the obvious success as a hip-hop artist. We’ve seen his aptitude with pop and soul on previous releases from the Pent Hauze Music artist especially on his The Playmaker album that recently threw the internet into frantic drama after one of its tracks got remade by American singer, Pia Mia. “If To Say” was released perhaps to ride that publicity wave he enjoyed but more obviously, to show off his vocal chops. The issues was eventually laid to rest and Phyno seemingly putting it behind him has released an adjoining video for his latest single.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVmlobFFaMh/?taken-by=phynofino

“If To Say” listens like a folk love song. There are several explanations for this including Phyno attempting to widen his commercial reach by accommodating other sounds but sometimes the answer is less complicated than we think. The romantic single has mid-tempo baseline with somber guitar riffs livened up by trumpet harmonies, drums and synth sounds designed by producer, I am Beatz to have heads bumping. While there are several love themed Hip-hop songs, the best ones usually features pop or R&B artists to emphasis the affectionate emotions that rap flows may be too aggressive to express.

Sticking to his Igbo and Pidgin English lyrics, Phyno sings about his feelings for a love interest with careless abandon. His lyrics on “If To Say” suggest that wedding themes with lines: “I no fit wait another day oh. To dey with you na blessing/ If to say the world na my own oh. I go make you the queen for my throne oh”. It’s Safe to say it won’t be too long before “If To Say” becomes a regular feature at weddings. But the video directed by Unlimited LA takes a darker route as it sets Phyno up against kidnaps who snatch his love interest from him. It’s not clear if it was his dark shades that fooled them into thinking they could kidnap one of the biggest artists in eastern Nigeria’s woman interest without consequence but needless to say, Phyno takes off his glasses, the kidnappers are overwhelmed and he rescues his damsel.

Enjoy Phyno’s video for “If To Say” below.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/phynoVEVO

Check out Phyno’s reaction to Pia Mia’s “I’m A Fan”

‘JT Mole’s “12AM With Ademola” dallies around hip-hop’s boundaries

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Nowadays the rapper/singer divide is blurring. Not only are genres being bent in different directions, so that it’s not uncommon to find an Apala influence (or high-life if it’s Phyno) in a rap song and vice versa but vocals are being bent as well. Since Drake’s “Best I Ever Had” took him from relatively unknown Canadian actor to celebrated artist, breezy pop influenced sung rap have become the calling card for aspiring new artists. ‘JT Mole is one of the rappers pushing the boundaries of sung rap experimentation, proving artists no longer have to be classically trained before they can hit high notes. Chances are you just need a touch of auto-tune. Some even get by without it.

His latest single, “12AM With Ademola” sees him take the helm of the campaign to make singing a staple in hip-hop because God knows it sounds cool as fuck.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BViS20iBCRe/?taken-by=gong_mole

“12AM With Ademola” is set to ambient synth piano harmonies propped up by a more traditional piano sample and drum riffs reminiscent of Future Hendrick’s “Shit” to mark the single as a trap song. ‘JT Mole swings rhythmically between rapping to soaring melodies on the mid-tempo song. The title brings to mind Drake’s similar aesthetic for shouting out cities as ‘JT Mole shout out’s friends and relatives showing how far their support has gotten him though he spends more time boasting.

‘JT Mole’s “12AM With Ademola” is as appealing as any hip-hop song can be and he does this with his vocals more than his lyrics though the lyrics aren’t bad either.

Listen to “12AM With Ademola” by ‘JT Mole’s below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/gong_mole

Best New Music: SDC tap Funbi for high-life inspired track “Up 2 You”

2047 Collective’s Deoba’s “One Dance” is a new wave return to alt hip-hop roots

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It wouldn’t be quite right to talk about British-Nigerian rapper Deoba without referencing in-demand singer Fasina. In 2013, the duo worked together under the stage name Tribeqa and started the 2047 collective as a way of  blending their unique styles and navigating the rapidly changing Black British music landscape as Nigerians with a unique point of view. In 2017, they parted ways amicably, with Fasina leaving to start a solo career as an afropop singer and Deoba taking on the mantle of managing the collective and sticking to purist alternative hip-hop roots.

The rapper is properly reintroducing himself and the Collective to the world with his new single “One Dance”, and it is an intriguing experiment in mixing different influences and styles to produce something entirely new and cohesive. The song’s title is taking from the Drake song of the same name, and Deoba samples the chorus, a mystery woman lending smooth jazzy vocals. Deoba also samples  90’s piano driven renaissance jazz/folk for the song’s instrumental, a tack that was incredibly popular in the 90’s and helped artists like Janet Jackson cross over from pop to trip-hop at the height of their fame.

Blunting the entire thing with a vocoder, for that dreamy, underwater vibe, Deoba’s bilingual bars stay the focal point of the song, the complex instrumental complementing instead of drowning the rapper. “One Dance” ticks all the right boxes, in advance of the rappers’ forthcoming short film/EP Chillogy, which is expected to launch next month, and will feature various artists and producers including Toronto-based singer Culture ’95 and Egyptian Art.

We can’t wait.

Listen to “One Dance” here.

Best New Music: SDC tap Funbi for high-life inspired track “Up 2 You”

Sir Victor Uwaifo Crowned Unesco’s Living Human Treasure

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Sir Victor Uwaifo has done a lot of things right. In college, he was the best graduating student, with a major in the art of sculpture. Picking an interest in strumming the Guitar at the age of 12, Sir Victor grew from being a child prodigy into lord and master at age 75. Even if his fingers get hurt, its no worry cause Sir Victor Uwaifo can play the Guitar with both his tongue and feet. Beyond that wonder, Sir Victor Uwaifo has even encountered a mermaid at the beach. He is also an inventor —Sir Victor Uwaifo developed the Akwete rhythm sound, launched a beat called shadow and a dance of the same name.

Sir Victor Uwaifo made history in Nigeria when he won the first Golden record for his song “Joromi” in 1966. The song itself has a Legendary status of it’s own. He was also the first to be given a National Honour in Nigeria thirty one years ago, hence how he got the title “Sir”. Sir Victor Uwaifo is listed in the Groove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Considering all the skills he has at the tip of his fingers, Sir Victor Uwaifo is sometimes regarded as a Jack of all trades. And henceforth, Sir Victor Uwaifo will go by the moniker of a “Living Human Treasure”.

To be a “Living Human Treasure” is to be an invaluable gem. Nothing could possibly equate to the thing’s worth(or “his worth” when you think of Sir Victor Uwaifo, a living Legend).

For this reason he’s been venerated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation) as one who posses to a very high degree the knowledge and skills required for performing or re-creating specific elements of the intangible cultural heritage”. In three words, a “Living human treasure”.

To congratulate him, the Governor of his home state, Edo, Governor Godwin Obaseki, made a post to him on Twitter, as a man who has enormously improved on the benin-edo culture.

Overtime, there are many things that gradually wear out from culture, some of our inherent values are not preserved, the knowledge about a lot of things are forgotten. And man has overtime tried to document some but not all. Sir Victor Uwaifo is a man filled with rare gem, with wisdom of many many years apart.

Feature Image Credit: Victor Uwaifo Music Cover Art

The Shuffle: Before there was trap music made for twerking, Lagbaja had “Konko Below”

Listen to Manuel Cole’s daring debut, “Wavy”

Posted on by The Native

Trap and drill music—adopted from communities riddled with gang ties and drug money—are often dismissed for lack of substance. But once you get past their drug, women and violence markers, there is a rich vein of content buried deep in their boastful bars. Take the undying paranoia and spells of depression generously sprinkled over Future’s releases for instance, it’s proof that Trap songs can be much more than just debauchery.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVXQ3kMHCA7/?taken-by=manuelcole_

Manuel Cole’s debut release, “Wavy” does nothing to remedy Trap music’s stereotypes with his catchy drug induced hook over the super-hero synth beat produced by Johnson IP & D.H.P. The rise and fall of the dark sinister beat gives the song an urgency that serves as the perfect platform for Manuel Cole’s introduction into the Nigerian soundscape and he doesn’t disappoint. In the same vain, his lyrics support fantasizing about money and violence with cartoon-like imagery that requires no parental advisory sensors.

Though “Wavy” is his first released single, Manuel Cole raps about how his hard work is being slept on. We expect Manuel Cole to have more singles to be released soon and we are looking forward to them. Wavy’s bland showy theme, his Call Of Duty and sport metaphors displays a mastery of rap that would serve him well on other subjects.

Listen to Manuel Cole’s “Wavy” below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/manuelcole_

Listen to Mr Eazi on Magnom’s “Over Feed Me”

Listen to LIFEOFMYPARTY and Mayhem’s squelchy ballad on “Bring Your Love”

Posted on by The Native

LIFEOFMYPARTY is a UK based Nigerian singer and his new single, “Bring Your Love” tells of two love stories, one more obvious than the other. Like most singers, LIFEOFMYPARTY is never too far from an emotional confession of his undying affection for a love interest on his releases but the untold story here is his bromance with featured artist, Mayhem on the single. Both artists have worked together on all of LIFEOFMYPARTY’s releases from “Church” to “Benzo” and their latest collaboration highlights the duo’s remarkable chemistry.

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“Bring Your Love” starts with a bouncy acoustic harmony spiced up with throbbing drums and occasional horn samples that give a laid back ambience for LIFEOFMYPARTY’s melodic vocals. He praises his muse’s dance moves in a coaxing purr before Mayhem joins in with a singing rap flow that ends in a frenzy of sexual jives in the most charming way possible. The single listens like an allegory to being in a relationship with an attractive woman as both artists seem uncertain of how long they can keep their love interest, begging “Please don’t leave me” though “She’s moving like she wants” them.

The single makes you wish they would just become a group or at least work on a joint tape in the near future.

Listen to “Bring Your Love” below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/lifeofmyparty

Listen to Mr Eazi on Magnom’s “Over Feed Me”

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Best New Music: Rock with the SDC and Funbi on the high-life inspired “Up 2 You”

Posted on by The Native

“You now rocking with the SDC, Show Dem Camp ọmọ yes indeed”

Over the past five years or so, Show Dem Camp’s tongue-in-cheek tag has become eponymous with a forward-thinking sound and eloquent lyricism. One blinding streak of light in the group’s underground glimmer is the ability to add creative tweaks of old ideas for sprawling new concepts. You’re probably already familiar with the Afrojuju-inspired “Feel Alright” featuring BOJ or “Happy Weekend Sah”, a shout-out to rhythm infused street hip-hop of the early aughts. This time around, the group reinvents the high-life genre with “Up 2 You” featuring Funbi, the first track off Palmwine Music Vol. 1, their latest EP since last year’s Clone Wars Vol. 3.

High-life is a precarious type of music for any one to make. The genre’s reliance on guitars, means the baseline melody must be built with everything else from ground-up without losing any organic detail essential to the markings of a live recording. Perhaps this is why “Up 2 You” opens with unintelligible background chatter that could as well be a man yelling over the static for his bandmates to align themselves in place for the set. This airy moment doesn’t linger for long on “Up 2 You” before it eases into cheery mid-tempo guitars and soft drums for Funbi to breathe life into the arrangement.

“Up 2 You” thrives on the only thing you can do with high-life music: make feel good music about having a good time. But SDC does a bit more. Tec does well to shout-out the squad, sharing a bit of before and after contrasts in the group’s come-up story. For Ghost, it’s Friday night, he’s got a wonder woman looking like ‘blue flames’ and together they’re about ‘to paint the town rouge’, because that’s what you do when you find someone you can have a good time with.

Listen to Show Dem Camp’s “Up 2 You” via SoundCloud below.

D’banj reinvents himself as a high life crooner on “It’s not a lie”, named Best new music

Here’s our definitive ranking of the first batch of blind auditions from The Voice Nigeria Season 2

Posted on by The Native

After what will probably go down as the most talented season of reality tv music since Idols West Africa (which gave us Jodie, Timi Dakolo and Omawumi) and a whole year of waiting, The Voice Nigeria is back. The second season premiered on the 16th of June 2017, with a new judge, Yemi Alade and a fresh batch of talent. We’ll say this right out of the hatch, so far it seems like the second season of The Voice Nigeria is having a serious case of the Sophomore Curse. Season one’s blind auditions easily had better, more vocally versatile singers, many of whom came fairly polished.

This season’s hopefuls are surprisingly rough around the edges, with a good number of them unable to enunciate properly the complex songs they choose to tackle. Weird considering the acts who eventually make it to the live blind auditions, pre-audition in Nigeria and are thinned out to a manageable cache that can then be flown to South Africa. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves because this is only the first of four rounds of blind auditions but things are not looking good so far.

Here’s our ranking of the auditions from sunday’s show.

8. Jahnonso – Fly Like An Eagle(Seal).

Everyone knows you have to give it a lot of thought before you tackle a song by Seal, and you come correct if you’re going to tackle Steve Miller’s iconic ‘Fly Like An Eagle’, covered with great dexterity by Seal. Jahnonso, one half of the Ilem sibling duo, literally butchers the song, screaming his way through the high notes and barely squeezing through with his pronunciations. His performance convinced only Yemi Alade, which we guess say more than anything else, we could.

7. Afolayan – I’ll make love to you (Boyz-II-Men)

Another singer tackling an iconic song, Afolayan who works as a singer in real life, tried to jazz up his performance, ditching the song’s sultry origins for a more noble delivery. But it didn’t quite work and even though he got Patoranking to turn for him, the other judges seemed unconvinced. He has a lot to prove in the coming season.

6 Zorah Julius – Dangerous Woman (Ariana Grande)

Ideally, Zorah’s performance should be at the bottom of the list, but she got three judges to turn for her based on the force of her raw talent. However there really are only two people who can do justice to Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman”. Ariana herself and Mariah Carey. Zorah’s rendition stretches the limit of her abilities, and show she doesn’t have control for complex songs, and that ending was disappointing as hell. Let’s see if Waje can whip her into shape.

4. Olarenwaju – Stupid Song (Bez ft. Praiz)

Jazz singer Olanrewaju was one of two blind audition that chose music from Nigerian singers, and she had one of the better auditions, actually eliciting physical responses from the judges. However things went progressively south when she decided to switch to scat singing, a skill she evidently isn’t proficient at. She got Yemi Alade, to turn for her, so she has a lot to prove as the show progresses.

4. Jahtell – Fucking Perfect (Pink)

Jahtell has some got some serious pipes on her, and as a plus size woman with a message of body positivity, she was only one of two singer to audition with songs that ideally suit their talents and personalities. However, Jahtell, like her brother Jahnonso, has a huge enunciation problem, the kind that some vocal runs can’t mask. Once the competition gets underway proper, it will come back and bite her in the ass.

3. Favour – Kilo Poppin (Ms. Jaie)

Favour’s cover of Ms. Jaie underrated Nigerian debut Kilo Poppin’ helped cement her not just as a talented singer, but also one that will probably succeed commercially in Nigeria, which makes sense considering she sees Yemi Alade (a successful touring artist herself) as her music idol. Favour got all four judges to turn, a rarity this season thus far. Her performance was saved by it’s bright spots, but there is still some work to be done before Favour finds her place as an artist.

2. Emmanuel – Survivor (Destiny’s Child)

School teacher Emmanuel brought the house down, getting all four judges to turn with his stellar interpretation of Destiny Child’s ‘Survivor’, he was also the first contestant the judges actively campaigned for, but he eventually chose Timi Dakolo. Emmanuel however still has some control issues when he goes for power notes, which is why he stops just shy of our favorite act for the first episode.

1. Ifeoma – When you believe (Prince Of Egypt OST)

31 year old Ifeoma couldn’t have chosen a better song, than one Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey both lent their vocals too. Incredibly technical and always moving, Ifeoma literally sails through the entire song, never missing a note, never pitchy, almost always in control. Perhaps too in control because only two judges turn for her. She goes with Yemi Alade, whose fervor as a stage performer, might help her find her on-stage gingah!

Here is a ranking of the greatest ‘so you think you can dance’ performances

Idris King is angling to make the bilingual ditty a thing with “Cruise”

Posted on by The Native

Idris King, co-creative head behind retro-collective 90’s Baby has always been on some other shit. There are many definitive quirks in his music; he favours a decidedly electronic vibe in his music, he incorporates French and pays homage to contemporary French legends, leans towards complex story telling and prefers single word titles for his songs. All of this has helped distinguish him as the vanguard for a more cosmopolitan sound that doesn’t co-opt elements of Afrobeats or highlife as a way to appeal to the masses. His last single “Squad”  was a proper capsule of everything King represents as a recording artist, and now he’s loosening up and having some fun with new single “Cruise”.

Clocking out at one minute, twenty two seconds, “Cruise” will probably be the shortest, fully actualized song that will be released this year, and King makes excellent use of those precious seconds, offering us the swaggiest sixteen bars we’ve heard in a while. Switching between french and English with ease and enough context that the listener can simply coast without having to figure out exactly what’s been said. King also playfully hints at a crush on Lady Donli, a line both of their fanbases will latch onto and probably ship them on. We’ll be watching the both of them closely too, who knows we might be getting a collaboration soon.

“Cruise” is fun, but also carefully orchestrated, and this is why Idris King is one of the most intriguing stars of the New Wave.

Listen to “Cruise” here.

Listen: Bankyondabeatz works a madness on idris king’s “squad”

Astro’s “Lean In My Sprite” featuring TenaTenpo speaks to just one side of luxury

Posted on by The Native

There are few artists as musically versatile as dancehall virtuouso TenaTenpo and that’s just what Astro needs if he’s going to break into the mainstream as a rapper. Though he isn’t new to the industry, Astro’s releases have failed to make it all the way to radio. This is probably why Astro’s taking a hard left, and riffing off the consummate acceptance of recreational drugs in music entertainment today with his new single “Lean And Sprite”.

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You never hear Nigerian hip-pop artists expressed vague existential dissatisfaction, or warned their fans that the “baller” lifestyle comes with tragic burdens—even when they say “ball to you fall” there’s no explanation for what the fall means. Most of what these enthusiastic rappers preach can be described as night bar stories among friends reveling in reckless alcohol and drug use and wanton sex. “Lean And Sprite” employs all these genre tropes, dressed up in a beat and delivery that screams radio friendly.

“Lean And Sprite” is a party driven rap song, but that doesn’t deter Astro from delivering a bleak attempt at a confrontational take on street rap that is both urgent and unsettling. TenaTenpo features on the first verse and chorus with a singing rap flow that follows his genre blending aesthetic. Astro takes on the second verse layered with snarky hype-man ad-libs over the synth heavy trap beat. Their collaboration adds to the pool of rap songs that glamorizes the hedonist but fails to mention the darker sides of the habits—A dark side artists like Kid Cudi, The Weeknd and most pop stars have explored for their chart topping singles.

That being said, “Lean And Sprite” works for what it is; a perfect theme song for those mischievous car rides around town.

Listen to Astro and Tenatenpo’s “Lean And Spirit” below.

https://soundcloud.com/astrorb/lims

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/astro_rb

Genre blending ain’t nothing but a thing on Tenatenpo’s “Apartment 15”

AV Club: Dare Olaitan is helming Ndani’s new show ‘Lagos Big Boy’

Posted on by The Native

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Nigerians genuinely curious about a young director’s Nollywood debut. But Dare Olaitan’s debut film Ojukokoro utilizing the all encompassing power of social media created a furore and had everyone trooping to the cinemas to his debut oeuvre. When the film finally debuted on March 9th, it had critically acclaimed reviews across the board, and good numbers for a debut film solidifying Olaitan’s position as a critical and commercial success. It was only a matter of time before someone stepped up to finance his next project, and now Guaranty Trust Bank owned media company, Ndani has just announced that he directed their new webseries Lagos Big Boy and put out the first wave of promotional content for the series. 

The premise for the new show is simple, albeit a little too similar to the basic premise of Ndani’s biggest success Gidi Up. It follows four twenty something millennials, trying to find success in Lagos while they juggle the usual constraints of Lagos living, posturing to fit into the right circles, circumventing nosey parents, juggling romance and career, you know everything Gidi Up already covered. Only difference is that this time, they’ve taken out all the female leads and changed them up with male ones. Lagos Big Boy seems like compensation for Skinny Girl In Transit and Rumour Has It, both with predominantly female leads.

Olaitan also serves as head writer for the show, and if the promotional material is anything to go by, he is already leaning heavily on his Guy Ritchie-esque aesthetic, labelling the characters as monolithic stereotypes and leaning heavily on them.  He is also bringing back a handful of actors from his film, fast rising entertainer and comedian, Gbolahan ‘Bollylomo’ Olatunde and Charles Etubiebi Oke. Chukwuebuka ‘ChueyChu’ Okoye, who made his name doing snap reaction videos for Pulse Nigeria is also making the jump on Lagos Big Boy and relative new comer Tosan Wiltshere rounds out the characters.

A little apprehensive about how the show will work, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

See the promo material below.

 

AV Club: Taiwo Egunjobi’s satire, ‘Amope’ has quirks, but doesn’t really fulfil

Listen to OluAndTheCoconut’s “Call Me” featuring Skipper, Remy Baggins and BlackseidTheDJ

Posted on by The Native

Electronic based genres are starting to gain mainstream acceptance among Nigeria’s music audience with the emergence of producers like Sarz. More producers are experimenting with the sound by fusing it with other conventional genres and though this isn’t new, more people embracing the synthesized harmonies could lead to the birth of a new genre in Nigeria just as America made Dubstep out of Reggae.

OluAndTheCoconut already showed his proficiency with experimental music with his iteration of Daft Punk’s signature cyborg vocode on “Crusin”. His latest single sees him venture into the Afropop scene with Skipper, Remy Baggins and Blackseid as featured artists on “Call Me”.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVUetsNgQIb/?taken-by=oluandlecoconut

The love song is driven by ultra-minimalist xylophone riffs that are reminiscent of 90’s adventure video game soundtrack. He indulges in chopped-and-looped rave vocals that gives the beat a crowd pleasing touch, as a swirling acappella diva shrieks into an ambient abyss and looping the words “Yeah”, “Oya” and “Come On” over the groovy drum patterns.

Featured artists all deliver melodic renditions promising to always be there for their lovers on the dance-hall number. However, like most new artists, there’s very little individuality in their vocal work aside from the rap verse. OluAndTheCoconut’s debut release was too auto tuned to tell what his voice sounds like for sure but with the more releases he puts out, we hope he’ll step out from behind the digital wall of sound.

OluAndTheCoconut is joining the campaign to fuse Afropop with electronic sounds to birth a new genre in Nigeria and his “Call Me” supports that claim. The single might never break into the mainstream but it goes a long way in defining the DJ turn producer turn artist’s sound.

P.S: We love, love, love the vintage style Japanese film poster inspired cover art. Brilliant.

Listen to OluAndTheCoconut’s “Call Me” below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/oluandlecoconut

Listen: Oluandthecoconut’s “cruising” appeared on the Native’s Bumplist

How Olamide’s “Letter To Milli” defines millennial fathering

Posted on by The Native

We often neglect how much technological accomplishments has influenced how we engage the world. Evolution has gifted us with abbreviated conversation skills and an absurd talent for picking the perfect emoji to express our emotions. But it’s not all bad. At least now it’s easier to find people who relate with our struggles using a clever hash tag, which by the way, has proven—beyond any doubt—that all men have a lot of work to do.

Yet countless heterosexual women get married every weekend as if someone is secretly telling them that fatherhood is the cure for scum. Most kids will tell you it’s not and their fathers are still terrible human beings who seem to only care about their own happiness. We took a survey to find out what people’s relationships with their dads are like and if it improved as they matured.

Here’s what we found out.

He treats me like a driver now. Then, he treated me like a houseboy

-A

More intellectual. It isn’t just ‘Whooo bobo, pikaa boo’- that he’d be throwing me up and down that happened some years back. We can relate on various topics that I couldn’t some 3-5 years ago

-M

My relationship with him is like a brother to brother relationship. My father is awesome. Growing up, he had all the time for us even though he was busy. Occasionally came to take us home from school. Weekends he cooked, listened and taught us like a lesson teacher, especially Maths. I feel more comfy with Popsy than my mum at everything. My mum hasn’t been around for a very long time and growing up from an all boys family, we all leaned towards my dad. He created time for us. That’s why we turned out well

-J

I couldn’t lie to him about girl [sic] now I can lie better about girl to him

-D

I could ask for money without thinking twice then. Now, I have to calculate and think like an ‘adult’ before asking for money

-M

Mostly ‘welcome’ and ‘good morning’

-U

He used to change channel when they’re kissing before but now he leaves it

-W

I could not go and talk to my dad like that but now he’s more understandable

– Y

There’s no difference between then and now. The only little difference is that then, he could tolerate my mistakes but now I have to own up to every mistake I make

-Y

My relationship with my dad has definitely changed over the years. It’s kind of moved to a comfortable place now. Now, I can say, oh I actual have a “relationship” with my dad i.e more than just biological. When I was younger I revered him. I still do though, then it was more like a fear thing cause he seemed to be very imposing, and he’s a confident person. But that did well for I and my siblings discipline. I definitely felt closer to my mum growing up. But as I grew older, (also with me just becoming more confident, -I used to be a really really shy kid) I could open up more to him.

-O.

Going to a boarding sch and doing A levels outside the [home] country also fostered the need to just be closer to my parents in general. As I turned 18, my dad also sorta felt ‘now I can open up to you, now I can relate with you on a level like other adults’. So my relationship with him flourished at a point that I can pretty much talk to my dad about pretty much almost everything. Maybe not everything totally, cause my dad is pretty much out of touch with the millennial age and can be very embarrassing sometimes, another thing that kept me away from him when I was younger, he was just super embarrassing. But now I can take it cause I know it’s like in good touch. It’s nothing malicious, it’s just him being a DAD, you just have to tension your kids. Yeah. I love my dad, I love everything he does for me.

-O.

My Dad is one of the most selfless people I’ve met in my life. I always tell people that, if I could be half the dad that he is, I think I’ll be like his success. He’s a great father. It’s one of my aspirations in life to be a father too. I look forward to having children of my own and if I could be the father that my dad is, I’ll be super proud of myself.

-O.

My dad never thinks twice when it comes to his kids and his family. He’ll put anything on the line for his family. He’s just an amazing person. I wouldn’t say my only regret is that I got to know this late (cause it’s not like he’s dying). Nonetheless, he’s been the same. He hasn’t really changed and I’m grateful for him. For everything he does for my sisters and my mum. Him just being there.  I’ll say he’s literally my rock. Without my dad, I don’t know where I’ll be today. He’s just kind of provided a spring board for myself and my siblings. I love my dad. I love him.

-O.

My dad and I only used to talk when I need money. But now I’ve learnt it’s important to build a relationship with him. And we call more often now. But when I was younger, I can’t remember having any strong relationship with him.

-F

My dad and I have always been close. We dance together sef and joke and stuff. He’s a family guy.

-S

I always call my dad like everyday from school. Though when we were younger I used to dislike him. Even now, I still do. I feel like on my wedding day I’m going to have my first dance with my mum. Not my dad. Cause he’s annoying.

-A

My father has always been akacious with money. Without my mum I don’t know where I would be. Though I love both of them very much. I may have disliked my dad a little bit while growing up, but now, I can tolerate the old man.

-T

Fathers realizing that it’s easier for them to use shame as a training tool, destroy the self esteem of their kids. They resort to all kinds of manipulation to guilt kids into behaving in a manner they see as fitting of someone who bears their name. Children are taught to internalize their insecurities to please their fathers till they end up just like them.

Fortunately, we’ve seen some indications of hope for millennial fathers though they are just very much a product of the generation they were born into. 2 Face is still the poster boy for the notorious baby mama reputation of men in the Nigerian music industry today and no amount of pseudo-conscious lyrics and wedding anniversary releases will make that go away. Meanwhile no one even mentions it now when the new artists have kids out of wedlock. Perhaps it’s the adjudication that all men are scum or something else but now it seems okay to bring babies into the world without a proper family to help them socialize. Olamide, Run Town, Wizkid, Davido—to name a few—are single father but at least they seem to really care about their kids and that’s a step in the right direction.

Olamide’s “Letter To Milli” is a great example of millennial parenting. The track, off his 6th studio album Glory, is an heart to heart conversation between a father and his son but instead of the usual bashing, down talking and outrageous brags about good grades, Olamide’s words are encouraging as he admits his own insecurities and mistakes in hopes that his son won’t make the same mistakes too. Olamide isn’t a saint  but conceding to his flaws makes him shine in a society where men like to think they are infallible. It’s also a giant leap from an industry that previously only used their kids as a marketing tool for their craft.

“Letter To Milli” spells hope for fatherhood among millennials but Olamide isn’t alone in this trend of positive fathering. DJ Khaled is another one. The hip-hop DJ is constantly showering on his son, Asahd. Their father/son bond has already gifted him an Instagram account, his own memes and even his first executive producing gig before his first birthday. That’s extreme but it just goes to show how much we’ve changed as men. The times when one man would have double digit number of kids are past and men are finally appreciating the life they bring into the world.

So this one is to those fathers who actually care about their kids. Happy Fathers’ day.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/Baddosneh

Revisit Christy Essien Igbokwe’s revolutionary motherhood anthem, “Seun Rere”

Watch Cassper Nyovest’s tribute to fatherhood on “Superman” featuring Tsepo Tshola

Posted on by The Native

Cassper Nyovest’s Thuto album released in May is not just another boastful hip-hop album. It demands a lot from listeners as it touches on socially conscious subjects that will sound tame or passive in the hands of other rappers. But the pay off is worth it because he manages to express complex ideas in simple manner. One of the hit tracks off his album, “Superman” has gotten an adjoining video and it follows the same narrative of singing praises to fathers.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVZOK9PlZ9b/?taken-by=casspernyovest&hl=en

Cassper Nyovest realizes how fortunate he is to have grown up with a father who cares enough to take care of him and protect him in this era where most men are regarded as scum of the earth. “Superman” is written in  appreciation of what his father did despite the pressures of the world on the male figure. His video release is timely too with Father’s day just around the corner and he taps Tsepo Tshola who himself is a father of two as they both dedicate their talent to fathers who put in effort to make growing up as fun for their kids.

The video features celebrities such as Kwesta, Major League, Riky Rick, Oskido, Carpo as well as graduation pictures of daughters and their dads.

Watch Cassper Nyovest’s “Superman” video below.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/FamilyTreeWorld

Watch Cassper Nyovest stunting with money bills in “Tito Mboweni”

Iyanya’s “Hold on” is an advice to women looking for perfect Men

Posted on by The Native

“why struggle with love when you can create your dream partner at buildYourPartner.com”

The above is a message written on the door-mail poster delivered to the central female persona in Iyanya’s “Hold On” video.

In what plays out like an episode of the satirical Anthological series, “Black Mirror”, Iyanya and Ogo Okpue , the director of his new single “Hold On”, convince us with a narrative that taps into the collective unease about the modern world and unanticipated consequences of new technologies. “Hold On” sets the scene of a near future, fast forward to June 2025, where the endless possibilities of Artificial Intelligence (A.I) comes to play.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVZoZX5AJpm/?taken-by=iyanya

The video tells the story of a young woman (Sara) who is miffed at her boyfriend for his cheating habits, they are having a typical couple’s fight when in that moment, they split. As she mourns him with her house-mate/friend (Esther) — who’s one in the other females her ex presumably cheated on her with too — soon a mail/poster is delivered to her doorstep. Obiter Dictum: There should be no such thing in 2025 anyway, I mean, common if we can get a digitally built man, why can’t we get messages digitally appearing in the air?

Seeing the poster and thinking about the riff-raff of a boyfriend she dated, she orders for her “perfect lover”, her “Ideal” man. And this is when Iyanya’s music finally! begins. Baby girl’s digitally built boyfriend (Cyborg) is delivered, she activates it and their supposed-to-be-perfect relationship begins. Not until the human robot deems it worthy to cheat on her with her friend, Esther. Sara of course gets angry and likewise, she breaks up with Cyborg by deactivating the damned machine of a heart-breaker.

It’s underlining point, if you deign to say, is that even if a man is digitally built, they’ll still end up being a scum. So in Iyanya’s words, “just take it one step at a time…hold onnn”. All couples argue, but it’s the way they argue that determines if their relationship will go the distance.

Though fans may not be at ease with the 2 minutes 45 seconds of movie screening prior to the beginning time of the actual song, why watch a music video with no solid narrative when you could just go on and stream the songs audio? “Hold On” is absolutely worth the watch, grab your popcorn if you may. The Project Fame alumnus seems to be settling in just fine at his creative head quarters and new management, Mavin Dynasty.

Watch Iyanya’s “Hold On”, off his Signature Ep below.

Feature Image Credit: Youtube/Iyanya Hold On

ICYMI: Cup a comprehensive review of Iyanya’s “signature” Ep on our Essentials post

Watch CKay and Dremo party like cool kids on “Gaddemit”

Posted on by The Native

What producers can’t express with words, they do with their sounds and in Afropop, the weight of the groovy music can sometimes render words needless. However, in spite Afropop’s dependency on good beats, the music producers responsible for the hits tend to get sidelined by the artist’s fame. CKay who is responsible for a large chunk of Chocolate City songs comes with a new single latest single, “Gaddemit”  featuring Dremo.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVZ5siYAA1r/?taken-by=ckay_yo

CKay produced the beat for “Gaddemit” using catchy drums and spacey piano chords layered with funk riffs. The vibrant beat threatens to drag the single to the dark place where noisy songs go to die but with the Tekno-inspired minimalist beat movement, it levels the arrangement and waxes strong on melody. Ckay layers his melodies with an auto tune filter that helps him show his enthusiasm for catchy lyrics and dance tunes. The pseudo-romantic number features a verse from Dremo who delivers his classic dark humor bars referencing the popular Kemit meme this time. But he still managed to throw in a few regrettably backward lines like “Now your bae gone like the one that flit”.

“Gaddemit” hints at a singer/songwriter career with a lot of potential. The Chocolate City producer now recording artist’s sophomore single if pushed to the right corners can finally give CKay the credit he undoubtedly believes he deserves. He has promised more releases before the year comes to an end and if “Gaddemit” is any indication of what’s to come then we have our ears tuned in.

Though the song is okay, the video directed by Unlimited L.A is a bit difficult to follow. It’s set like a day in the life of a music star who wakes up with hot models around him but feels too generous to keep them to himself. So he does the gentlemanly thing by ordering drinks and calling his bro to join the party. Asides the distracting scribbles bouncing across the screen, the video also managed to prove that as drab as parties with more guys are, parties with more girls are even worse. But don’t let that stop you from having fun this weekend.

Watch CKay and Dremo chill out on “Gaddemit” video below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/ckay_yo

Listen to Dremo’s “Next single”

This post has been updated with the video.

Essentials: Jinmi Abduls’ debut EP, “JOLAG” is the come out party for neo-afropop

Posted on by The Native

Watered down dancehall music is always big in every soundscape. Something about tapping to the rhythm makes it comforting through periods of confusion, anger, sorrow and outright bliss. Great pop songs can jolt you into emotional and psychological realms only music can reach and this makes it so attractive for new artists trying to gain acclaim in the industry. Jinmi Abdul’s releases have gotten the attention of music blogs with his indigenous aesthetic but his debut project JOLAG shows where his real talent lies.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVZNTLZB_hp/?taken-by=jinmiabduls

The 7 track EP has guest features from Foresythe, Remy Baggins and DMW’s Mayorkun. All three artists are relatively new to the soundscape which gives the EP a coming-out party feel for tomorrow’s Afropop. The lack of A-list features may reduce the impact of such a bold statement but Mayorkun’s DMW co-sign has allowed him cress the soaring height of commercial acclaim, and given the way Mr Eazi emerged from obscurity years ago to releasing smash hits consistently, maybe Jinmi Abdul just needs a bit more time.

JOLAG starts with “Mowadupe” a strong opener with piano samples and traditional drum riffs typical of Nigerian gospel songs. It mixes the nostalgia of Paul Play Dairo’s “Mo Wa Dupe” with alternative melodies to show off his sampling proficiency, an essential skill for all aspiring Afropop artist if Davido’s “If” is anything to go by. Jinmi Abdul is only 19 but that doesn’t stop him from addressing the bad decisions that can come out of being in love on “Linda Highlife”.

“Prada” is an instant favorite from the EP though like every other single off Jinmi Abdul’s collection, it stubbornly sticks to traditional drums. But the synth piano harmonies hint at an Afro-EDM fusion on the love song. Remy Baggins’ production and feature on “Slowly” is also enjoyable as they combine to deliver a Caribbean dancehall number with Remy Baggins’ best Rasta flow impression and Jinmi Abdul’s melodies reminiscent of Justin Bieber’s on Major Lazer’s “Cold Water”.

Mayorkun features on “Scum”, a music equivalent of how men react to misogynist accusations. The dance number makes light of the shortcomings of men and their inability to stay loyal. Both artists promise they are the exception to the rule and in a playful turn of events manages to conclude that everything—including Lagos—is scum.

Jinmi Abdul leans heavily on traditional drum samples as homage to his high-life influence but the sound works better as effect than eccentricity. Though we’ve seen Adekunle Gold soar to commercial success with a similar rhthym, it’s hard to imagine the industry can accommodate another Adekunle Gold.

Listen to Jinmi Abdul’s JOLAG EP below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/jinmiabduls

Jinmi Abdul talks to Native on his music influences and more