Hallelujah Challenge fever and the rousing of a country

Posted on by The Native

Words by Ehimenim Agweh

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVYDCXRlgLf/?taken-by=nathanielblow

11:50 pm. The WiFi comes on and an alarm begins to ring violently. 10 minutes left until the live broadcast. Phones are coming on, live streams are coming alive. Nathaniel Bassey is ready and so is Nigeria.

The month of June is seeing a wave of religious consciousness sweep Nigeria in a way that few could have predicted a decade ago. Twitter timelines have gone into overdrive documenting what must be perhaps the largest gospel concert ever in the country. But there’s nobody there. Or is there?

Web hacking his way to ubiquity is the gospel artist Nathaniel Bassey. Armed with the power of the Internet and a holy mandate, he set out to pull the nation together in a frenzy of praise and worship. For one hour everyday between 12am and 1am, Bassey leads a praise and worship session using Facebook and its sister site Instagram’s live streaming tools. The kicker? This goes on everyday throughout the month of June.

Tagged the ‘Hallelujah Challenge’, thousands of Nigerians have been logging into Instagram every night since the 1st of June to see the show and participate in it. Some come to check it out, have a feel of the atmosphere or read the messages that scroll past in real time. Others come in to be lifted in praise. In the time the challenge has been running, many celebrities have joined in, often getting recognized and called out by their fans. One memorable appearance was Dbanj’s when he went ‘Suddenly!’ as Nathaniel Bassey launched into a song with ‘suddenly’ in it.

This is not the first time Nathaniel Bassey has proposed an online challenge. His previous one, the #OneHourTongueChallenge was created to inspire Christians into praying in tongues more. The challenge ran all through April, an inclination for 30-day months which shows itself again in the Hallelujah Challenge. Although publicity for this challenge was not much, the challenge took and concluded as planned with enough people participating to make it a thing.

Recently featured on CNN, Nathaniel Bassey’s Hallelujah Challenge has asserted its importance as a marker of advances in Nigeria’s use of technology. What starts off every night as a man on a microphone with camera trained on him ends as a concert with thousands of Nigerians in virtual attendance. It’s the ultimate hack and he’s winning at it.

The Hallejuah Challenge works for several reasons. For one it harnesses the power of the Internet to connect people to one central event. Second, it is unobtrusive, not requiring Millennials to leave the relative comfort of their homes, and thirdly (and probably inadvertently) it plays to the millennial ego, which prods us to always situate ourselves at the centre of every popular zeitgeist.  Day after day, The Hallelujah Challenge trends on Twitter and gets people talking. Raking in between 40 – 70, 000 people per night, the live-stream is filled with watchers commenting testimonies and observations in real time. The hastags -#Hallelujahchallenge and #Olowogbogboro (The outstretched hand of God)- go hand in hand with the live-stream and make the rounds all day. Nathaniel Bassey has awakened the public consciousness and he isn’t easing up anytime soon.

Despite critics coming out to decry Nathaniel Bassey for capitalizing on Nigeria’s penchant for religion to get viral fame, Nathaniel Bassey is still able to push his agenda and get people to come together. The Hallelujah Challenge might be a genuine service, a scam or a publicity stunt but one thing is for sure: Nigeria isn’t sleeping on it.

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/NathanielBassey

ICYMI, Read up: Timi Dakolo & Mr Eazi join campaign to help you quit smoking

YinkaBernie’s falling headlong into chillwave with “Palmwine Chills”

Posted on by The Native

Yinkabernie has proven himself one of the more cerebral of the ‘New Age’ movement, carefully understudying greats like Fela Anikulapo Kuti and Black Magic and creating his sound influenced by their styles and their politics. After a number of singles, Bernie is consolidating the attention he’s gotten and work put into perfecting his sound; bettering himself as he prepares to put out his first proper body of work, an EP that he’s tentatively calling 19 and Over. But first, he’s teamed with with Musmah, Lady Donli and Bris B of the LOS for the first single off the upcoming project “Palmwine Chills“.

Anyone who’s followed Yinkabernie’s career would have easily foreseen that at some point he would dabble in the Chillwave movement. All the signs were there, his predisposition to slow tempo instrumentals, his slightly baritone drone and his monotonous delivery. “Palmwine Chills” is an amalgam of all these elements, with an extra bare instrumental with a simple synth riff and percussions that come and go as the song needs. YinkaBernie stays front and centre though, even though he is a gracious host, letting his featured artists shine. Bris B has the strongest verse on the song and Lady Donli is really in her element here, having fun with adlibs and accenting the verses of the song’s other co-collaborators. It’s chill and fun, and at no point takes itself too seriously.

The Chillwave movement is gathering steam, and if Yinkabernie’s album is anything like this single, he’s about to become its evangelist.

Listen to “Palmwine Chills” here.

Listen: Yinkabernie gives sublime storytelling on “Silhouette”

Omagz and Genio Bambino are all about that easy loving on “Óshó free”

Posted on by The Native

The industry can be unfair to unsigned artists, often burying their work in a tidal wave of new content from amateur singers and rappers looking for a big break. Only the most pre-emptive of artists, escape the cycle of releasing individual singles and promoting them, hoping for each consecutive single to be the one that ‘blows’ and focuses on releasing a larger more cohesive body of work. After a series of collaborations (including one with Lady Donli) singer Omagz did just that with his 2016 EP Young Magazine, before he disappeared from the scene, perhaps to pursue other interests. Now he’s back a year later, with a new single “Óshó Free”.

Tapping underground darling Genio Bambino to feature on the first single from what will eventually  become Omagz’s second EP Aurora, Omagz revisits the basic tenets of what has become known as classic afro-pop, only with a few individual flourishes. Traditional percussions are jazzed up with Xylophone accents, a bass heavy synth plucks out notes for a simple riff, samples of wildlife situate the song in a slightly otherworldly place. The lyrics aren’t nearly as experimental as the instrumentation, but then again, the best love songs are the most straight forward, and both men are decent vocally so the song never suffers.

“Óshó Free” would be a decent addition to a weekend chill playlist and does a good enough job of drumming anticipation for the EP, but we have our fingers crossed that hopefully this isn’t the best song on the coming EP. Omagz definitely have a few tricks up his sleeve.

Listen to “Óshó Free” here.

Essentials: Mich Straaw debuts with ‘Collage collection’ reissue

Timi Dakolo & Mr Eazi join campaign to help you quit smoking

Posted on by The Native

You know how some artists, creatives, workers generally and maybe even you, smoke either as a past time or as a way to destress? Timi and Eazi are not the type. Yeah they are cool like that. As role models for the youths, smoking and non-smoking beautiful people of Nigeria, Timi Dakolo and Mr Eazi have been charged with the task to get people to beget a habit of seeking good health and a clean environment by quitting Tobacco in-take.

They have been newly appointed alongside Fallyhamu as ‘goodwill ambassadors’ for the Tobacco-free Nigeria campaign and champions for the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Control agenda.

N.C.D’s like cardiovascular disease, diabetes meillitus, cancer and chronic lung disease are becoming increasingly significant causes of disability and premature death. Globally, NCDs, primarily cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes are responsible for about 63 per cent of all deaths. Though, in Nigeria, CVD (such as hypertension, coronary heart diseases and stroke) is the leading non-communicable disease, next to cancer, diabetes mellitus, sickle cell disease and a host of others.

We’ll see the concerted efforts to be made by Timi, Eazi and Fallyhamu to help you quit smoking. So make life easier by doing just that.

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/Mr Eazi

Revisit the Native Mix 002: featuring UK-based Producer, SMOKING INDOORS

NATIVE Mix 008: featuring Addy Edgal

Posted on by The Native

Guest DJ Addy Edgal returns with the eighth NATIVE Mix, featuring cuts from the respective undergrounds of Lagos, London, Toronto, and more. Gems from Daniel Caesar, Lady Donli and Ray BLK are mixed with bangers from DAP The Contract, Lil Uzi Vert and J Hus. The set also includes a great Jaegen & Arnold remix of a Ramriddlz heater.

Listen here and peep the tracklist below.

Get You- Daniel Caesar
Save You – Kodak Black
VSVSVS – 24 Hrs
EYE – Cryface Jordan
Mexico – DAP The Contract
Link- K Forest
Buy It – Lil Uzi Vert
Malibu (feat.Post Malone) – 24 Hrs
Redbone- Childish Gambino
Closer- Emma Jensen
Whippin- Kiara Ft Felix Snow
Fools- EMI
Kashe Ni- Lady Donli
Closed Doors- J Hus
Phone Down- Erykah Badu
Lonely- Nav
Chill Out – Ray Blk
P2P (iii) (Jaegen & Arnold Dick-a-ting Remix) – Ramriddlz
Lose U – Odunsi The Engine
Lagos City Wave – Daramola

Listen to the Native Mix 007, featuring Dj Wayne

WAFFLESNCREAM x The NATIVE R/W ’17 Editorial

Posted on by The Native

As recently announced, WAFFLESNCREAM will partner with The NATIVE and Red Bull NG  to host the first skate jam in Lagos, in celebration of the growing skateboarding scene. The skate jam will also feature showcases from similarly popular extreme sports in the city, as BMXers will be invited to join the festivities.

In anticipation of Go Skate Day, WAFFLESNCREAM has put together an editorial in collaboration with The NATIVE to highlight the local scene in Lagos. The editorial features tees and hats from the latest drop, pictured by Leonard ‘flowers’ around the streets of Lagos.

The pieces from the latest collection can be picked up at the WAFFLESNCREAM skate shop.

WAFFLESNCREAM Skate Shop

234 Muri Okunola Road,

Victoria Island,

Lagos State. Nigeria

Photos by Leonard ‘Flowers’

Documenting Nigerian skate culture with slawn, leonard & onyedi

Afrobeats is the future and Wizkid is its ambassador

Posted on by The Native

Words by Ehimenim Agweh

In an interview and photoshoot published today by Hunger Magazine, Wizkid is making his stand on the Afrobeats/Afro-pop scene clear.

Photographed in urban fashion and donning 90s sunglasses, Wizkid distinguishes between what is Afrobeats and Afrobeat and how he interacts with both genres. Citing Fela and Bob Marley as two of the greats who inspire him, Wizkid paints a picture of himself as an emissary of fun times and good music, an ambassador to the world.

Throughout the interview, Wizkid continually emphasizes on the universality of music. Despite his being the most recognizable face of the Afrobeats genre, Wizkid extricates himself from that view and places himself firmly at the center of things: a man of the world and for all. The article further goes on to cite Wizkid’s various international collaborations and the impact they had on the world. In spite of his worldwide success, he has no plans to remove himself from his African fanbase.

The article was published today on Hunger Magazine’s site and featured Wizkid wearing a range of designers from Stella McCartney to Topman Premium. This comes as a part of Wizkid’s appearances before he releases his album, Sounds From The Other Side in early July.

See excerpts from the photo shoot by Charlie Cummings for Hunger magazine below.

Feature Image Credit: Charlie Cummings for Hunger Magazine

Tekno, Wizkid, Mr Eazi and Davido up for BET Award

Watch Uzo Aduba mimic her mum, talk family and embracing her birth name

Posted on by The Native

It’s no easy feat being different in a world where the norm is what’s expected of everyone. While some may slink into what is acceptable by the status quo, others stick up for who they are, gradually shine through it and eventually stand out for it, while making themselves a role model for others to follow. As a little girl growing up in elementary school, Uzo Aduba was somewhat of the former but her mother was there to nurture her and instill values in her, of which she continues to remain grateful for. The actor says her mum is a strong woman, “She’s lived 10 lives”. Her mum made her embrace her name Uzoamaka Aduba, of which she says when she asked her mum if she could call her “Zoe”, she said to her -now imitating her mum’s Igbo persona- “if they can learn to say Tchaikovsky and Dostoevsky…then they can learn to say Uzoamaka.“

This was Uzo’s reply to a question from Tracy G of Sway’s Universe during an in-studio interview, saying: “A lot of people in hollywood, they’ll tend to change their names, and I also have a lot of Nigerian friends who have changed their names to make it easier for people in America to say aloud. Was that ever Something that you considered or was it easier for you because of your Nigerian pride?“. Regarding this, Uzo narrated her experience as a child, saying never again since then has she considered it as an adult.

She also spoke about the new season of Orange is the New Black (OITNB), the American comedy Drama Web series, where she plays the character of “Crazy Eyes”. Coincidentally, Uzo donned a similar hairstyle to that of Crazy Eyes when she went to audition for a role (not for Crazy Eyes, but another character) in the series. She was told a No, but called back for the role of Crazy Eyes, which she has gone on to win several awards for including the Emmy’s. The hair did it.

Uzo talks being an immigrant, being Nigerian, schooling, keeping up with about eight teachers from her school days including the Kindergarten ones too. To wrap up the interview the broadway actress sang in an operatic voice with its strained vowels, the scream of the high and strangulated sound in the soprano’s throat over a hip-hop beat (“hip-Opera“), suggested by Sway.

Enjoy the interview below.

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/Uzoaduba

ICYMI, Watch: Orange is The New Black Season 5 keeps fans on seats’ edge

Listen to Odunsi’s attempt to debunk the Yoruba Demon myth on “RnB Odunsi”

Posted on by The Native

There is a new focus on critical reverence in pop music and indie artists are making bold statements and no longer restricted to using whimsical covers as branding devices.

For Odunsi, his reputation as a firebrand for progressive Afropop runs almost parallel to a culture whose ruling metaphor is the network within which every connection is seemingly equal. It’s also reflective of a music generation that grew up with better access to good music that has allowed blending of different sounds at the heart of their creative process, through sampling and verbal interpolations. Odunsi is quite apt at this and his latest unofficial release on FridayCruise, “RnB Odunsi” shows why he so celebrated for it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUFdQOvh3N8/?taken-by=odunsitheengine

Set on a guitar and mid-tempo drum baseline spiced up with rattling riffs, “RnB Odunsi” is a smooth evocative R&B journey that transports listeners into a vivid sonic fiesta. Odunsi delivers a pseudo-philosophical ballad about stereotypes and how gossips can ruin a good relationship. While he admits he isn’t perfect, he promises to treat her as best as he can. The narrative of love and its trials and tribulations aren’t new to the soundscape but his alluring vocals, vivid imagery and his nostalgic reference of Kas’ “Omo Yoruba ni mi oh” from “Fi Mi Le” strikes a chord.

Odunsi’s emotional rendition on “RnB Odunsi” could become a modern day R&B classic and if not, it hints at a need to counter indie prejudices by adjusting how we listen.

Listen to Odunsi The Engine’s “RnB Odunsi” below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/odunsitheengine

Check out Odunsi’s Five Most Definitive songs

Hear Waje’s deadpan delivery on her take of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You”

Posted on by The Native

Words by Ehimenim Agweh

When Ed Sheeran released his hit song, “Shape of You”, he couldn’t have foretold the number of remakes and cover that would come out of it. From frisky musical.ly videos to a Terry Apala spin on the tune, Ed Sheeran has no doubt shaped playlists all over the world. In line with this global phenomenon, the latest spin on Sheeran’s Billboard-topping single come is by singer and songwriter Waje.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVUWF4-jW4x/?taken-by=officialwaje

Waje who is known for her high hitting, deep chested style of singing gave the song a different treatment than it must be used to. Substituting a female for a male in her version, Waje gives an impassive performance. The song is devoid of highs and lows, just a mid-point which she sustains by not raising her voice beyond a certain level.

The cover is a speech given to a love interest just as Ed Sheeran did his but emotion seems to have taken a holiday and Waje is only telling it as it is, in tone and in word: ‘Look, I’m interested but don’t push it.’ It’s an excellent interpretation and different from the over flogged romance which seems to follow the song around. The cover was released as a video of her in the studio and an audio version was made available on SoundCloud.

Check them out below.


Featured Image Credit: Instagram/Waje

ICYMI: Watch Waje Charge Women To The “Mountain” In New Girl-Power Video

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is honoured with the Mary McCarthy Prize

Posted on by The Native

Words by Ehimenim Agweh

Dressed in a striped green Zohi Taglit jumpsuit and her curls in full bloom, celebrated Nigerian author and feminist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie took to the podium of Bard College, New York to accept the Mary McCarthy Prize for her work as a novelist and a public personality.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVAlcC1lxZ7/

Attending as a special guest, Miss Adichie’s honour comes at a time when women, African literature and women in literature are being celebrated. The award in short fiction which comes with a cash prize, publication of a collection of ‘short stories, novellas, or a short novel,’ and a standard royalty contract is in honour of late Mary McCarthy, a former faculty member of Bard College and a celebrated author.

The Mary McCarthy Prize is one of the latest in a line of honours for the writer since 2003 when she first won the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize. She was recently conferred honorary degrees from two institution, Williams College where she gave the commencement speech this year and Haverford College.

Congratulations Ms Adichie.

ICYMI: 23 year old Tomi Adeyemi earns a deal with Fox 2000 and Macmillan for her debut novel “Children of Blood and Bone”

Essentials: Mich Straaw debuts with ‘Collage Collection’ reissue

Posted on by The Native

Every couple of years, a new artist comes around with enough talent to re-purpose the sound. But it’s 2017 and Nigerian hit songs are still stuck on beat driven radio pop. The few exceptional gems that surface shine even brighter as a result and Mich Straaw’s releases have spelt hope for the indie scene. With just a handful of self written releases and covers of songs like “Jungle Book – Wanna be like you” by Louis Prima and “Meanest Man” by Labrinth, he was able to draw enough attention to feature on the the line up for GidiFest earlier this year. Seemingly ready to build off this hype, he has finally released his debut project and with Collage Collection, he takes on the self-limiting sin all indie artists battle with.

Most of the 7 tracks on Collage Collection are old releases with “Long Way” featuring Rubunu being the newest. The project starts with “F.I.N.E” released nearly a year ago when Mich Straaw’s sound was more conventional less snobbery. He sings for a love interest on the mid-tempo beat produced by DoozyBeatz to double as a dance number though the piano chords and Mich Straaw’s vocals tend towards a serenade. The next track “CTRL” follows a similar narrative but this time, he sings over an haunting piano baseline. He delivers a rap performance as well trying whatever it take to convince his muse but his confidence won’t allow him fuss much and that attitude is one of the pitfalls of his Collage Collection.

The third track, “Long Way” is the most enjoyable listen on the project with the R&B beat produced by Tey Chaplin. Poly-synth harmonies and bouncy mid-tempo drum patterns deliver a perfect platform for Mich Straaw’s subtle singing with his guest feature, Rubunu. Their combination is reminiscent of the glory days of 90’s R&B. The love song brings to mind the Ashanti R. Kelly feature we never got and that’s a win for Collage Collection by all standards.

Mich Straaw goes back to rapping on “IWLU” with a take on the vulnerability of the male sexuality. He samples Bob Marley’s “Is This Love” for the chorus and gives an R&B refix that would have made the late legend proud. Love is a deafening running theme on the Collage Collection; whether it’s on a chill-wave song like “Fallen” and “Yours Sincerely” or any of his pop, blues and R&B tracks. It serves as a reminder love can be freeing as underground discernment for indie artists.

One thing this reissue confirms is that emotional turmoils will always be a relevant subject and we are long due for an actual album from Mich Straaw.

Listen to Mich Straaw’s Collage Collective below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/michstraaw

ICYMI: Mich Straaw has been dropping gems for quite some time

Watch Koker ride the summer wave while it’s still hot on “Wavy” video

Posted on by The Native

Though it may go unnoticed, Koker has quite the track record for radio-worthy singles. He has managed to release one hit single per year since his breakout single, “Do Something” in 2015. His first attempt at another hit single this years comes through “Wavy” released over the weekend. Though it has all the markings of another sleeper hit from Koker, it’s more underwhelming than his previous efforts

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVUysGMlwNg/?taken-by=iam_koker

“Wavy” is produced by Rhyme Bamz and Reinhard Tega from Chocolate City. They put together a mid-tempo beat with tin-pan drums and 808 machine chord progressions with a synth baseline. Koker sings about his love interest on the thumping beat but as he often does, he manages to find a comical angle to the serenade. “I can’t come and go and kill myself” isn’t his best material ever but it didn’t need to be since his flows on the beat already put “Wavy” on such a groovy wave.

With the recent trend in song titles and themes, “Wavy” is a strong contender for word of the year as far as Nigeria music is concerned. Ycee, Olamide and now Koker have used the word and it’s beach connotation to depict their summer party music themes. The video directed by Director Q is set on a perfectly bright summer day for Koker and his love interest to go on a beach date. Conveniently, the lovers are the only ones on the beach but their detour to the games park has a few people in the shots.

Watch Koker’s “Wavy” video below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/iam_koker

Check out the ‘First Wave’, Ycee’s debut EP

Forget Hillary Clinton for a minute and meet Chocolate City’s first female President, DJ Lambo

Posted on by The Native

After teasing a picture on Instagram telling followers and supporters to anticipate a big announcement a day ago, DJ Lambogini sent out a video of herself donning a presidential Black suit and tie, supposedly making an appreciation and announcement speech as the newly commissioned President of Choc Boi Nation, the flagship label under Chocolate City Music.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVSA0fdFDHG/?taken-by=choccitymusic

DJ Lambo joined  CBN in 2013 after M.I Abaga’s privately owned record label, Loopy Music merged with Chocolate City to become The Choc Boi Nation in the same year, making Lambo the official DJ of the group. Lambo started out as an On-Air Personality, hosting shows on Ray Power,  Rhthym and  Love FM till she eventually found bearing and purpose in DJ-ing. Following the year she joined CBN, she featured on M’I’s The Chairman album, going on to play at events and more recently, season two of Big Brother Nigeria at one of their Saturday night vibes.

M.I has been CBN’s president for the longest time. It’s a little uncanny to see him step down from the position but who knows what he’s got stacked up ahead under his sleeves. Consequently, DJ Lambo will be the first female president under the group treading on the heels of her male predecessors, M.I, Jesse Jagz and Ice Prince.

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/DJ Lambo

Watch Yung L, Chocolate City’s latest signee, in video for his latest single “Cheers”

Adey’s “Cigarette” defines the direction this pop era is going

Posted on by The Native

Pop is a quick study. If there’s one hit with a catchy snare sound, by the end of the year there will be a couple more with the same feel, either by the same producer or some up-and-comer picking up a few tricks and running with them.  Sounds travel fast, and a good one will often filter down. Krisbeatz’s production on “Pana” was refreshingly different because though it was primed for dance floors, the laid back beat embraced minimalism in a way we weren’t used to. It allowed for more attention to vocals and song writing that went on to inspire other enjoyable songs like “Mad Over You” and “If”. Producers can either create a new sound or figure out what’s trending quickly and Adey who has worked with several taste makers in the industry knows the mainstream sound.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVS21QoFqfN/?taken-by=itsadey&hl=en

Blurring the line between producer and artist, Adey has released a new single titled “Cigarette” taking center stage with his own vocals. Though his work as a producer on YCee’s “Juice” and Olamide’s “Wavy Level” are more prominent than his own releases, his new single is set to change that. Set on a mid-tempo drum baseline combined with Spanish guitar riffs, the beat makes for a dance song with enough ambiance to make listeners pay attention to the vocals. Adey sings praises for a love interest while confessing his undying love and despite his par the course vocal work and atypical lyrics, he does enough on the production to give the song heft.

A few years ago, producers backing up their beats with their own vocals would have been seen as a novelty but lately, more and more artists are taking up beat making to avoid the legal brouhaha around song credits. Adey joins the prestigious line of beat makers with enough sauce to step behind the mic and deliver a good song.

Listen to Adey’s “Cigarette” below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/itsadey

Best New Music: D’Banj reinvents himself as a high-life crooner on “it’s not a lie”

AV Club: Genre-ly Speaking with Olu Ososanya

Posted on by The Native

If you have walked into any cinema in Nigeria in the last 5 years desiring to see a Nollywood film, you likely discovered that 90% of the options were, Comedies of the Fish out of Water and Romance variety.  Anything else finds a hard time being picked up by distributors or even made in the first place. But it wasn’t always this way. There was a time when some of the most popular titles were Nneka the Pretty Serpent, Karashika, Brotherhood of Darkness, Diamond Ring, Blood Money, Igodo  all dark themed ,somewhat horror films. Then there were Silent Night, Issakaba, Rattle Snake, movies playing in the crime drama, genre.

So why the domination of comedy to the exclusion of other genres . Most people would say, “the country is hard, Nigerians just want to laugh and forget their problems”. True the most basic things in the country don’t work and a lot of un-necessary bureaucracy, laughter is a great escape for 90 minutes. But, those titles and genres were popular in the 90s,when the country was under a Head of state who summarily executed dissenters and enemies and most of the nation was living in fear.

Is life in 2017 really harder than the 90s were under military rule.  With 10x more entertainment options  is there more need for escapism now?  Was there no need to laugh and forget a dictator was calling the shots, literally and metaphorically? Or have our tastes changed so significantly since then?

Now, there will always be a place for the comedies, fish out of water tales because they have a faithful audience. But what about the others, where are the films for those who don’t like those genres?  Do Nigerians not like horror? The urban legend (madam koi koi etc.) kept alive via word of mouth for several decades would say otherwise.

Do Nigerians not like Action? Clearly we do, the Fast & Furious and MCU films easily clear the N100m mark in the cinemas. Nollywood classics, State of Emergency and Silent Night are fondly remembered by fans.

Understandably there is a financial factor as a majority of filmmakers are still working with micro budgets, so that limits certain types of stories.  You can’t build sets, hire consultants and send actors on martial arts/ firearms training for 3 months when the whole budget is under N20m. But a few filmmakers in spite of these limitations have managed to play in these genres. C.J Obasi with Ojuju and O-Town, Eric Aghimien with A Mile from Home and Slow Country.  Dare Olaitan with Ojukokoro, James Omokwe with The Awakening, and Stanlee Ohikhuare with Kpians.  Some of them didn’t get distribution after being screened at film festivals for various reasons stated by distributors.

Is this genre/story limitation good for the industry? Are there detrimental effects in the long run with a generation  only watching films which are laugh out loud; but none to engage them, put them on the edge of their seat, scare them silly or make them think? Where is the room of historical stories? Where is the space for stories which explore real issues in an engaging manner? The films which sink on a subconscious level and inspire them, make them reflect?

There are many engaging stories in our novels which readers decades later still hold dear . Think of the cultural impact of Things fall apart, Forest of a thousand demons, Death & the King’s Horseman, Jagua Nana ,The Trials of Brother Jero ,Anthills of the Savannah ,Man of the People etc

While not all novels have the same impact once adapted, it’s clear those types of stories resonate with Nigerians or is it a generational thing? Are millennials not interested in those types of stories? .

I don’t have any of the answers but with films like 93 Days, A place in the Stars, 76, October 1   and the upcoming Queen Amina telling more expansive and larger stories, there is hope; even if it starts with only one of those scale of films a year.
ABOUT: Olu Yomi is  a film culturist, screenwriter & director with a Masters in Creative & Cultural Industries. He has written for television; drama, sitcoms, web series & telenovelas. Short films which he has directed or written have screened at the BFI, Cannes, AFRIFF and other film festivals. He has worked on talk shows, talent hunts and documentaries.

AV CLUB: Olu osonsanya tracks the growth of Nollywood through its cinematography

Listen to President Zik and C4 on “You Don’t Know”

Posted on by The Native

Blame Drake, but gone are the days when rappers were shy of showing off their vocal range. President Zik isn’t just a post-Drake artists; he a post Take Care artist, possibly the best Nigeria has seen in a while. On that album, Drake drifted lazily from rapping to singing over lush but sparse electronic soul samples that still sounds good every time it plays. President Zik does pretty much the same thing on “You Don’t Know”. He’s a singer/rapper but instead of obsessing over his relationship drama, he delivers a somber number to establish his imminent come up.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVKZ9WahE-U/?taken-by=presidentzik

Discussing his struggle to get into the limelight while also being skeptical of the industry politics, President Zik references 2 Face and his Grass to Grace story that turned sour after his various scandals. He’s confident that he can get by with just his musical inspiration as he raps; “never listen to my teacher/tell me who rhymes deeper than the bars wey dey inside speaker”. He features C4 on “You Don’t Know” and she follows that narrative as she sings about surrounding herself with only people she can trust.

“You Don’t Know” is produced by StevJazz with a specific sort of spacious electro-soul sustained on organs and sparse heartbeat drums. The sort of beat that would seem forced in the hands of other rapers but President Zik swings from rapping to buttery teen-idol singing making it feel organic and effortless. This gives the impression that he’s doing whatever makes the most sense at any given time and sometimes that’s all we ask.

Listen to President Zik “You Don’t Know” below.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/presidentzik

ICYMI: We figured out Tay Iwar’s creative process

Lord Vino’s “Something Light” is a ready made hit that doesn’t take itself too seriously

Posted on by The Native

You probably haven’t noticed, but the game has changed. The objective when artists put out music nowadays is not just to blow (that is implied at this point) but to be the first to start a new music trend. Everyone is trying to craft a new “Skin Tight” or stumble on the next “Mad Over You”, a slight deviation from the in-demand sound that turns an artist into a household name and inspires a new wave of copycat singles. Competition is good, but it can get unhealthy when it is spurred entirely by the prospect of quick fame. Rapper Vino isn’t at all about that life on his new single “Something Light”. He’s just here to have fun.

Capping just shy of three minutes, “Something Light” is practically a ditty but Lord Vino manages to pack a whole punch of playful punchlines and two full sixteen bars on a ramped up instrumental with understated synth melodies and a frenetic guitar riff. He channels the Black British grime scene, peppering his quick wit bars with British slang and quips, yet his Nigerian roots and influences are front and centre, complete with puns about the ‘Yoruba Demon’ urban fantasy and a casual mention of personal affiliations to Naija rap legend M.I.

But the song never gets too serious, and that’s why it works. Because you never expect it, Lord Vino’s genius hits you out of nowhere and leaves you amused and very impressed.

Listen to “Something Light” here.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/Lordvino

Best New Music: D’Banj reinvents himself as a high-life crooner on “it’s not a lie”

How 2face almost removed himself from an industry he helped build

Posted on by The Native

Reaching the apex of celebrity and social class may seem like the dream for many, but even that goal is watered down by the reality that status must be maintained. As the saying goes, the higher they climb, the harder they fall, hence the task for many who reach the peak of success is to etch a legacy that will justify their place in the game. A case-in-point is 2face who pursued a solo career after the Plantashun Boiz split. His solo career spawned the resulting acclaim of his debut and sophomore projects, Face 2 Face and Grass 2 Grace respectively. But a time came in 2Baba’s career when he came close to losing it all.

Following a series of baby mama debacles, 2face became the brunt of scrutiny by Nigeria’s conservative public. In the months that followed, the singer’s ratings dropped as his baby counts from multiple women rose. Thinking a Plantashun Boiz reunite would put him back in fans’ favor, Plan B was released as a reunion album. But the project was considered dead on arrival due to a mediocre quality and low public acceptance of the project. Out of options and desperate to regain the good grace he enjoyed in the previous years, 2face attempted a bold move of releasing a third studio album with an international outlook. This birthed the release of The Unstoppable, a first of its kind that boasted of foreign influences, features and production work.

This turned out to be an ill-fated move as the album went unnoticed in many parts of Nigeria, a rarity for a 2face who was steadily racking up awards and nominations in the years prior. But the failure of The Unstoppable was not a reflection of the quality of the project. 2face’s strategy at the time was seemingly to release an album independent of the Nigerian soundscape. However, the lack of tours outside Africa, or involvement of international publishers that could help promote the album curtailed how far into the media it got.

It took nearly two years, but 2face soon learnt from the failure of The Unstoppable. As a reaction, he went back into the studio to rework some of the earlier recordings on The Unstoppable, added some new materials to the lot and repackage the entire project to primarily serve a Nigerian audience (Though he ironically titled it the “International Edition”).

Adding just 5 new tracks, 2 Face released The Unstoppable (International Edition) exactly 7 years ago today to show he had learnt his lesson from the original album’s failure. He addressed his baby mama issues on tracks like “Implication” and “Raindrops”, reminding listeners why he is so highly regarded. The Unstoppable (International Edition) also housed radio hits like “Enter the Place” and album stand-out “Only Me”, where 2face showcased a strong suit for songwriting tied to themes of justice, spirituality and hope. 2Baba’s strong character afforded him the presence of mind to admit his mistakes on the new release and though he didn’t exactly ask for forgiveness, his humanity is sustained with soul-baring songwriting.

Marketing the album in Nigeria was a smart choice that showed 2face’s maturity and an innate humility that has been lauded for in the past.
The Unstoppable (International Edition) also rescued 2face from falling into the class of the forgotten. His long-simmering issues had boiled over into a forgettable album but he quickly reconnected with the magic that made him a star in the first place. This album here is how 2face resurrected his career from drifting into oblivion.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/official2baba

ICYMI: Revisit the time when 2Face gave us timeless music on “Only Me”

The Shuffle: Revisit the socio-political bliss of K.U.S.H’s “Let’s Live Together”

Posted on by The Native

Words by Ehimenim Agweh

Nothing has changed. Twenty four years later, the band-Aids that held the country are beginning to rip and K.U.S.H’s “Let Us Live Together” has never been more relevant.

Yesterday was June 12, the anniversary of M.K.O. Abiola’s election in 1993. An election which didn’t live to see the next day and the country was plunged into chaos. Rising from it, we promised ourselves ‘Never Again’ but with the recent North-South ethnic tensions, it seems like we need a reminder of how we got here in the first place.

In 2003, music group K.U.S.H released their hit song “Let’s Live Together” as part of their album, The Experience. A much loved song, the video was a blend of black, white, grey and sepia. Yet, that wasn’t the the main attraction.

In between shots of TY Bello and Lara George doing their thing, were short clips of wartime scenes. From a starving child to a woman swearing to kill another woman and a shot of a dead body on scorched land, the theme was devastation, death and destruction, and Kush played it to maximum effect.

War is not pretty no matter the reason it was waged and if anything, K.U.S.H only wanted to promote unity and neighbourliness. “Let us Live Together” was their cry but it seemed to only bounce off the public consciousness. We liked the song but did we really learn from it?

In a time where the ‘major’ ethnic groups are threatening to rip each other part, the deep chasms in our relationship with each other are getting more pronounced. Turning differences into weapons and using them against the others is only making it worse. What better time than now to echo K.U.S.H’s recommendation for how to become a nation of united people. ‘Our strength is in our diversity.’ It’s a message for the ages and one we’d do well to heed.

Watch K.U.S.H’s “Let’s Live Together” below:

The Shuffle: How on God’s earth did Terry G get away with “Free Madness”?

Of rhymes and melody: Breaking down the art of Tay Iwar’s poetry

Posted on by The Native

Words by Ehimenim Agweh

A song comes up after the previous one ends. A soulful instrumental begins. It’s familiar and yet, each time it plays, it embraces the listener anew. It’s a song the listener knows well. The characteristic piano-like tones blending with a guitar make their way through the air pods and into the listener’s soul. The song begins and it never leaves.

The process of writing and building that story, fleshing it out and giving it life is an act of creation which, it seems Tay Iwar has mastered. What might be herculean for some, is somewhat spontaneous for him. In his words, “I’m not used to writing songs down so I’d usually think of a scenario, real or fantasy, recent or old and attach sentences to them and record them in directly. Overtime, those sentences may morph or not.“

The process itself is not really a process. It’s part inspiration, part word construction and part production effort. Think of a class of students engaged in a game of ‘Chinese whispers’, each one thinking up a fantastic scenario and putting their spin on the original idea. At the end of the game, the result is a complete narrative with a beginning and an end. This doesn’t mean that this is the rule every time. “Once in a while I change that process” Tay indicates.

Because each song is structured around a scenario, certain themes run through them which seemingly connects them in a loop to each other. Romance and sensuality give each other a run for their money, especially on “Renascentia”. The effect of this is a contrast of sorts between the two and how he plays with them creates an image of a person vacillating between two poles of the same emotion. Let’s not forget the relationship between the songs and the projects they are tied to.  For Tay Iwar, “Every song lyrically has its own story, but each project has its own theme sonically.” Ultimately, the idea of a theme runs concurrently with the story each song presents as they feed the composition.

Tay Iwar’s experience as a producer lends itself to the song production process in a big way. It revolves around multitasking and putting the pieces together as they come. For him, little to nothing is planned at first. All plans and arrangements are done afterward.

“I record, write and engineer myself most times and try to do all of it at the same time, like in the same session“. His production credits have been built up over the years with each song he worked on. One of his stellar qualities is his ability to interpose his own soulful vocals between the instrumentals and the lyrics. The effect is of an echo which comprises of the singer harmonising with himself. With a noticeable lean towards reggae and its accompanying sounds, the pulls and drags he employs to push the lyrics make them stand out more.

Tay Iwar paints scenes with words, immersing yourself into the narrative of the song. Songs like “Trust Me”, “Wuse II” play out like a movie. The scenery is clearly stamped in the mind, the characters playing their parts to perfection. Tay Iwar’s magic is the beauty of a poetic mind and it’s this haunting quality that makes his songwriting special.

Feature Image Credit: Terna Iwar

ICYMI: We let imaginations run wild for one of last year’s best projects: Tay Iwar’s ‘Renascentia’