Yemi Alade expands ‘Mama Africa’ archives with ‘Mama Afrique’ EP

Posted on by The Native

Earlier this month, Yemi Alade teased the album cover and tracklist to her third project Mama Afrique which is a French, Swahili & Portuguese extension of her lauded sophomore LP, Mama Africa: Diary of an African Woman, with few new added tracks.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV9VnuLFStF/?taken-by=yemialade

In what seems like an album to maximise profit off songs that didn’t quite make the grade off her previous LP, Yemi Alade’s Mama Afrique, repurposes some of older projects tracks in alternate languages. This is strategic aim for wider reach to Anglophone countries and beyond the African continent -Portugal and France. Out of 10 tracks on the EP, Mama Afrique lists only  4 original tracks from her 2017 releases, namely: “Want You”, “Charliee”, “Gucci Ferragamo” and “Go Down”. “Nakupenda” the lead single off her old album gets three new versions in Swahili, Portugese and French while “Ferrari”, “Na Gode” and “Africa” only get French do-overs

This isn’t the first time Yemi Alade has tried to expand her tentacles to reach other African countries. For her debut album in 2014, Yemi Alade had also pinned a French version as a bonus track to her hit and lead single off the album, “Johnny”

Which isn’t to suggest that if this were truly her intention for the album –to spread her music’s wings– it isn’t a smart move. For someone who has enveloped herself as the epitome of what an indigenous African woman in music could be by branding herself as the ‘mother of Africa’, this is also strategic in asserting her claim to the seat.

Lend ears to Yemi Alade’s “Mama Afrique” Extended Play below via Apple Music

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/Yemialade

Fisayo is a journalist who thinks writing is hard and reading too. But her journey somewhere reveals, words are like pawns on chessboard when writing. She wants to see, create and share with the world, experience & communicate these experiences. Tweet at her @fisvyo

 Read up: Johnny is back to marry Yemi Alade

Ayo Jay “The Vibe” is high-school musical re-imagined as a bad sci-fi dance movie

Posted on by The Native

There is an actually hilarious scene from Ayo Jay’s new video where a priest and two nuns whip the ‘Nae Nae’ with reckless abandon. But that’s just one oddity in a series of disjointed clips from Ayo Jay’s “The Vibe” . Elsewhere there are allusions to Neo from the Matrix, high school classroom scenes that later transition into a club and a break-dance closing scene at night shot in a parking lot.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV8OR6yDb3B/?taken-by=iamayojay

Is there an implied story here? That question seems as unimportant as the opening sequence where a spaceship jettisons Ayo Jay onto the face of the earth with the sole mission to spread the vibe to the world.

Though much of the video plays like a cocktail of ideas from similarly themed Chris Brown videos, the actual music is unbothered by the confusion of its adjoining video. Ayo Jay is still keeping much of his Nigerian drawl, his attention however, seems to be focused on waxing melody primed for the dance floor. “The Vibe” is Ayo Jay’s second single of the year since “Want You” dropped earlier in the year, and the singer has managed retained a certain level of texture consistency.

This video however, seems like an unintended misstep, an especially major fail considering he is credited to the story at the start of the video.

See the video for “The Vibe” below.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@iamayojay

Fisayo is a journalist who thinks writing is hard and reading too. But her journey somewhere reveals, words are like pawns on chessboard when writing. She wants to see, create and share with the world, experience & communicate these experiences. Tweet at her @fisvyo

ICYMI: Maleek Berry has “Been Calling”

Boogey taps Tay Iwar for “Liquor Nights”, an ode to alcohol

Posted on by The Native

When it comes to the future of Nigerian hip-hop, there are few rappers to look forward to. But only a hand full have consistently impressed with their releases and Boogey is one of those rappers. He has steadied his craft with impressive single releases and mixtapes, hinting a dedication to his art that has little or no regard for industry politicking. Boogey continues his hot streak with a Tay Iwar assisted new single, “Liquor Nights”.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV10JW-lQLb/?taken-by=boogeythat

Boogey’s authenticity stands him out because his lyrical narratives create an instant connection between listeners and the man behind the music. On “Liquor Nights” he paints a vivid picture of his night life filled with references to his trust issues around people he meets when drunk and blaming bad decisions on alcohol. He manages to slip in a few brags, showing off his extensive vocabulary in English and some French as well. Tay Iwar only features on the two chorus slots but he still manages to deliver an unforgettable performance exemplifying the struggles of alcohol addiction with his rendition of “I swear I’ll never ever sip again/ I’m on to the next one”.

The smooth horn driven instrumental for “liquor Nights” is produced by Sencosonic with a baseline that fluctuates from mid-tempo to upbeat at the base drop. The thumping beat has an urgency to it which is where Boogey makes his bread switching from breathless to an almost conversational pace.

Stream Boogey and Tay Iwar’s “Liquor Nights” below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/boogeythat

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

Watch boogey rap about bad-belle on his new video, “Matiasma”

Watch “Baby Na Yoka” the first video off Flavour’s ‘Ijele’ album

Posted on by The Native

Flavour’s Ijele album dropped earlier this week and the high-life singer is already rolling out videos from the LP to signal boost the project. “Baby Na Yoka”, the first video off Ijele is a palette of bright colours, the sunny outdoors and of course Flavour’s whining waists. “Baby Na Yoka” is as typically Flavour as any song can get, given that we’re all aware the only thing Mr N’abania likes more than making food related analogies of beauty, is coming up with a multiplex of ways to describe the female body.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV9nBx6DxcU/?taken-by=2niteflavour

Ijele has succeeded in restating Flavour’s purpose as connoisseur of the kind of organically built African music electronic sounds and auto-tune have replaced. Despite the Caribbean influences “Baby Na Yoka”, Flavour retains his cheeky demeanor, and subtle tendency for sensuality.

As more visuals from the album get rolled out, perhaps there will also be a glimpse of some of the album’s even stronger points.

See the video for “Baby Na Yoka” below.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@2niteflavour

Fisayo is a journalist who thinks writing is hard and reading too. But her journey somewhere reveals, words are like pawns on chessboard when writing. She wants to see, create and share with the world, experience & communicate these experiences. Tweet at her @fisvyo

Essentials: Flavour’s ‘Ijele – The Traveler’ should scare your favorite Afropop artists

Mannywellz inverts stereotypes on new single “Watermelon”

Posted on by The Native

Stereotypes are a double edged sword because while they help us identify with our society, it also dismisses the complicity of individual experiences. Nigerian born artists, Mannywellz walks the tight rope with a balance induced by his sense of humor or perhaps his Nigerian upbringing that allows him watch the American society he’s currently based in from a third person perspective. Either ways, his generalizing on his latest single, “Watermelon” works.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV2m_fJjfah/?taken-by=mannywellz

Mannywellz grew up in the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia)—where Nigerian born rapper, Wale was also discovered—but he sounds nothing like the average rapper because as he claims in an interview with Huffpost, he still draws inspiration from Afro sounds; “I think being a Nigerian in United states shaped my artistry more than just being in the DMV”. True to these word, “Watermelon” opens with a very Nigerian “Yeah yeah” reminiscent of Fela’s catch phrase. The jazzy funk beats combined with Mannywellz’s joyous rapping however listens like a lost track from Chance’s Acid Rain tape.

But instead of drug induced trips, “Watermelon” focuses on another sort of happiness brought on by good food. He uses stereotypical black people meals; “Watermelon, Chicken and Rice” as metaphors for favors done by friends. The umbrella message of the song is that he’s ready to forgive those that betrayed him in the past, “As long as (they) bring (him) that watermelon”  and it’s in line with the thumping beats that depicts a good time with friends.

Listen to “Watermelon”, expected to feature on Soulfro, his debut project expected to be released later this year.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/Mannywellz

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

Listen: Wizkid taps dj group, Major Lazer for new single “Naughty Ride”

Listen to Wurld’s sexy new single “All I Need”

Posted on by The Native

Since DJs like David Guetta, Calvin Harris and Diplo proved that electronic dance music excels with lead vocals, more and more artists have been turning to EDM for a spot on music charts. A few years ago, Wurld’s music might be classified as R&B but times have changed and genre lines have blurred to the extent where it’s common place to find soulful R&B singing over electronic beats. Previous released singles, “Show You Off” and “Mother’s Prayer” were delicate balances between soul and electronic sounds but the peppy beat of his latest single, “All I Need” see him venture further into EDM territories than ever before.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV7a_h2FCPz/?taken-by=thisiswurld

The song starts off slow with whining and echoing noises that serves as a layer of ambient sound for an upbeat drum pattern held by horns and piano riffs and encouraging lyrics. Wurld begins the song with an urgent confession of desperation; “One more taste is all I need”. All through the song, he constantly seems unsatisfied but he’s ready to go any length to satisfy his desire for more. The subtle sexual undertone isn’t lost on listeners as he belts: “The danger makes it fun/so put it on me”. But that could just as well be another encouraging line from a PG perspective.

Wurld’s “All I Need” shows how soul music has evolved into dance numbers without losing their essence.

Listen to Wurld’s “All I Need” below

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/thisiswurld

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

Wurld’s “Mother’s Prayer” is an ode to adulting

DJ Tiz taps Tay Iwar, channelling lover boy vibes on “Phone up”

Posted on by The Native

Words By Ehimenim Agweh

Love’s got different shades, different strokes. The clinging, the longing, the needing phases which take you from emotional to crazy in seconds. But what makes each phase special is the knowledge that someone somewhere might just feel the same way. But what happens when you mess up and need to get back?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVrnSWVDnoW/?taken-by=dj.tiz

On the heels of last month’s “Call U” comes a collaboration with DJ Tiz. Tay Iwar is covering all the bases of apologetic affection in “Phone up”. Crooning wistfully, Tay Iwar and DJ Tiz navigate the trials of a lover on the giving end who wants to be back in his lady’s good graces. Self realization creeps in with his pleas to the girl to call him up when she’s ready. It’s a heartfelt tune with an age old theme.

DJ Tiz works a number on Tay Iwar’s voice, lacing it with African drums to give a traditional feel. A streak of electronic sound works its way in the guitar rhythms which flow over the lyrics. The mood is overall nostalgic and perfect for a rainy afternoon.

Tay Iwar is expected to feature on Boogey’s upcoming single, “Liquor Nights” to be released next Thursday.

Meanwhile, listen to his feature on DJ Tiz’s “Phone Up” below.
https://soundcloud.com/jizluwajiz/phone-up-feat-tay-iwar

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/DJTiz

A journalist by training, Ehimenim is a lover of history, good books and Game of Thrones. For her, the real world is just another Westeros and everyone is a supporting character. Read and repeat is her motto. Give her a wave on Twitter @EAgweh.

Relive the finer points of Tay Iwar’s magic: Breaking down the art of Tay Iwar’s poetry

Olamide is bringing the holiday with “Summer Body”

Posted on by The Native

Words by Ehimenim Agweh

Up until recent years, the theme of summer has not been in the Nigerian mainstream consciousness. It was just called ‘rainy season’ or more formally, ‘Long/3rd term holiday.’ But with the Afropop wave making landfall this June, summer songs are here and Olamide is pushing the sound.

Olamide has come to the point where he needs minimal effort to push a sound to the mainstream. With six studio albums to his name and a record label, the man is riding his own wave of success. To ring in the summer holidays, Olamide has collaborated with Davido to deliver “Summer Body”.

The song which was recorded and shot in Miami, U.S. is set to be released on July 4 with an accompanying video. Prior to the announcement, Olamide had previously shared clips of himself and Davido working together on his Instagram. Art for the track was also released on Tuesday via his Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVxLDs4jPra/?taken-by=baddosneh

‘Summer Body’ can be preordered on iTunes before the 4th of July.

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/Baddosneh

A journalist by training, Ehimenim is a lover of history, good books and Game of Thrones. For her, the real world is just another Westeros and everyone is a supporting character. Read and repeat is her motto. Give her a wave on Twitter @EAgweh.

ICYMI, Read Up: How Olamide’s “Letter To Milli” Defines Millenial Fathering

Listen to PayBac’s “Lagos On My Mind” and get ready for his Solo debut album

Posted on by The Native

PayBac understands the way of the world and his music reflects this too. Although he’s been influenced by both the Nigerian culture and western culture, he’s new release “Lagos on My Mind” is dedicated to the city he was born and grew up in.

Lagos is where dreams are made of and many have thought it to be so, coming from their various origin states to build a life in the city of hustle. It’s no wonder the Surulere born-rapper from Akwa-Ibom sings “Lagos on My Mind, It got me always on my grind, Drop me anywhere for lagos and I swear I will be fine” PayBac prides himself on his honesty.

He never fails to use truth telling as a tool on his songs. On this track which is off his upcoming solo debut album, The Biggest Tree, PayBac makes shout out to Lagosians including the Agberos and policemen. The lines he sings shows he’s so grateful for his experiences and the life he’s lived in Lagos, so much so that if if he were to die and reincarnate, he’d want to be brought back to Lagos again.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVe-aDbgFIv/?taken-by=lookatpaybac

Above is a short promotional clip released for “Lagos On My Mind” and shows Hanson “PayBac” Caleb walking the streets of Lagos across it’s landmarks.

PayBac does’t rap much on the track and he remains laid back across Synx production with added vocals by Tizzy Tunes and Malyna. Although The Biggest Tree will be PayBac’s debut solo project, he’s worked with other artists and released three collaborative projects The Broken Speaker Symphony in 2014, The Other Side Of The Radio in 2015 with producer Charlie X and “Face Off” under the collective The lost and Found with boogey and Charlie X, in 2016. PayBac has also put out a solo mixtape in 2014 The IBoro Tape, and a solo EP last year titled Frank Ocean Type Beats.

While we anticipate The Biggest Tree, listen to PayBac’s “Lagos On My Mind” produced by Michael Synx below.

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/lookatpaybac

Fisayo is a journalist who thinks writing is hard and reading too. But her journey somewhere reveals, words are like pawns on chessboard when writing. She wants to see, create and share with the world, experience & communicate these experiences. Tweet at her @fisvyo

Read up: 5 Underrated Nigerian Rappers They Don’t Want You Listening To

Essentials: PatricKxxLee’s, ‘Diary Of An Arsonist’ is an impressively creative debut album

Posted on by The Native

PatricKxxLee’s edgy trap-hop combines elements of gangster rap’s lyrical pacing with experimental spacey production and of course moodiness inspired by his interest in punk-goth themes. On his Disco Utopia EP, the rapper/producer realized where his bread is buttered and keeps that sound close by for Diary Of An Arsonist, his debut album. Be it increase in confidence or just the growth of trap and EDM on radio, he has found a way to stay true to his sound while also exploring new found sound and lyrical territories.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVh9qxfFZn-/?taken-by=patrickxxlee

Of the 18 tracks on Diary Of An Arsonist, only lead single, “Broken Boys Break Toys” released last month features a guest artist. The collaboration with Saint Klaus served as a teaser for an album steeped in pain and emotional confessions that emphasizes Drake’s corniness. PatricKxxLee follows the same rhapsody of strive through most part of the album, offering refuge from the fusillade of showy narratives sweeping through hip-hop. “Inferno Born” sets aside conventional boastful lyrics for a sorrowful moan over a piano heavy baseline but there is an upbeat quality to it as he hoots; “Hell ain’t got nothing on me”. Melodrama is a part of Patrickxlee’s multi-layred charm and though it’s entrenched in personal strife, he conveys his feelings (though  sometimes petty) as important as if to mirror the privacy of a diary.

Diary Of An Arsonist is a clever name and it affords PatricKxxLee the opportunity to really get in his feelings about people that complain that he’s always in his feelings. “Hollow Man 2” listens like a response with his sing rap flows over the vibrant electronic baseline and bass drum patterns designed to make heads bop. “Good Girl Gone Bad” does the same, calmly offering “I’ll never think that there’s such a thing as too much love”.

PatricKxxLee’s calling card is his ability to fuse the abrasive and the beautiful without selling either short. “Love Is Rage” builds from marching band drum riffs to more conventional hip-hop drum patterns fused with piano accordion harmonies as he speaks to his addiction to love despite the shame and misery it often brings. He flaunts his vulnerability to endear him to fans who have been through similar struggles, chanting “Lose your life! You ain’t scared to lose your life” on “Lose My Life” that picks up from where Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Life” left off. The groovy trap beat for “Pocahontas” also offers comfort from PatricKxxLee’s dark narrative with drug infused comfort and his vulnerability to his own self destructive tendencies.

Diaries are incomplete without insecurities showing here and there. “Frenemy Enemy” and “Die Alone” are ambient hip-hop numbers conjuring feelings of uncertainty towards both the known and the unknown.

At its worst, Diary Of An Arsonist is a long listen with over an hour listening time that dampens its replay value. But even at its best, PatricKxxLee’s music requires complete immersion on the murky journey he implores listeners on before it can be appreciated. Nonetheless, Diary Of An Arsonist is a strong debut album for experimental hip-hop. After all, melancholy is nearly impossible to sell for a mass audience in this part of the world, but you only need to hear the pop-infused “SNST BLVD” to realise how wrong that assumption is.

Listen to PatricKxxLee’s Diary Of An Arsonist below.

https://soundcloud.com/patrickxxlee/sets/diary-of-an-arsonist

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/patrickxxlee

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

We broke down PatricKxxLee’s “Broken Boys Break Toys” and why he’s comfortable wearing his heart on his sleeves

Documenting Funmi Iyanda’s return to Talk Show journalism, through New Media

Posted on by The Native

All through Funmi Iyanda’s “New Dawn” producing and presenting years, she never watched a single episode of the inspiring, in-depth breakfast talk show. “New Dawn” was an embodiment of what TV support can do for a viewer. It aired on the local cable network, NTA at the time. Even when a self imposed short break turned into a long hiatus and an eventual cancellation of the show, Funmi still never sat down to watch any of the clips. This she explains recently as she seats casually in a room that looks a tad vintage-y, like most of her Instagram pictures are. She dons a burgundy turtleneck top with flattering slacks, a stylishly cut kinky fro, and a face that hasn’t really aged since her “New Dawn” years.

It was the thought of having to explain or talk to people about New Dawn everywhere she went to, however, that proved most vexing. Videos from the legendary “New Dawn” archive, Funmi discovered will bring back buried memories to then morning watchers and realizations like “Ohh my God, uhrghh, [did I do that] whattt!” To “what were you thinking”. And so, in March this year, Funmi Iyanda decided she’d upload a video on YouTube every Thursday Morning. As she explained, comments to the video made clear she was a wisecracking Talk show host, with plea for her to come back to the screens. From 2000-2008 when the show aired, she changed perceptions through the people she interviewed and the way she interviewed them. She was vulnerable on the screen and even children in the segments for the young allowed her see them at their least guarded. She loved talking with children; she sees them as people with like minds of their own, which they are. Funmi had the ability to make people feel connected, so, both the young and old could relate with her.

It’s 2017 –almost a decade after Funmi left Nigerian terrestrial television. She needed things to be perfect, and it took time to figure out what perfect was. But what are perfect places anyway, when you have fans willing to see you on screen talk to them again. This time it’s not by looking for a way to get back into broadcasting the 3 hour, later 1 hour, talk show on TV, but reintroducing a new generation of Nigerians to her evergreen show via her YouTube channel, “New Dawn Stories”, where every episode begins with a short clip from present day Funmi to introduce the viewing of the old-fashioned videos. She’s also returned to talk show journalism, through a vlog she’s tagged “Ask Funmi”. Where for a change Funmi Iyanda isn’t a passive interviewer looking to quell the nervousness of a first time guest, but an active participant, answering your questions.

Take a look at an episode of “Ask Funmi” and “New Dawn Stories: ft P-square” below.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ozvKW4wIUJE

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3zD23R42fP0

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/Funmi Iyanda

Fisayo is a journalist who thinks writing is hard and reading too. But her journey somewhere reveals, words are like pawns on chessboard when writing. She wants to see, create and share with the world, experience & communicate these experiences. Tweet at her @fisvyo

 Read up: Uber Vs Okada Vs Danfo: Where Productivity meets Convenience, meets Comfort

Twitter reacts to the first look at the art for Wizkid’s ‘Sounds From The Other Side’ album

Posted on by The Native

Since Drake’s “Ojuelegba” remix, we’ve anticipated what shape Wizkid’s third studio album would take. His RCA imprint deal made the release even more attractive and after “Daddy Yo” was released at the end of last year, we were ready to settle for his promised album, Sounds From The Other Side even though the title clearly suggests it may not be intended for Nigerian audience. Regardless, the releases from the album have gotten mixed reactions from Nigerian fans who wonder if the Starboy can really pull off  a global campaign. But none of the released singles have received the amount of blatant disapproval his proposed album cover is getting on twitter.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV457n5A-jw/?taken-by=wizkidayo

Earlier today, Wizkid shared the first look at his album cover on Instagram. While Wizkid fans have rallied around Daddy Yo tweeting praises, some “Industry expert” have declared the cover art a failure and perhaps a sign that RCA isn’t paying a lot of attention to how the Starboy is represented.

https://twitter.com/africamind/status/880118479403220992

https://twitter.com/OsaGz/status/880103173423288320

https://twitter.com/OsaGz/status/880102867889246211

It’s still not quite clear why some parts of the internet don’t like the art. Thematically however, the cover art fits the motif of African barber shop graffiti as seen in a tweet below.

If Wizkid is truly following through with the ‘Bringing Africa to world’ narrative he has repeated consistently in his press rounds for the album, then some of this makes sense. More so, while criticisms have poured in from different ends on the internet, there are no pointers to why  Wizkid’s animated cover is unacceptable. Surprisingly, even Wizkid poked fun at the art with a wry joke about how it should replace a similarly conceptualised art on Nigeria’s beloved Oxford Cabin Biscuit.

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

Wizkid taps dj group Major Lazer’s new single “Naughty Ride”

Essentials: Flavour’s ‘Ijele – The Traveler’ should scare your favorite Afropop artists

Posted on by The Native

Masquerades come in different shapes and sizes and while some are regarded more highly than others, they are not on the same level with mere mortals. Flavour may be mortal but in a world where oldtime genres have become a fancy tool for so-called alternative artists to sprinkle on electronic production, Flavour has remained a living tribute to the music of our parents. His latest album, Ijele – The Traveler tilts him even closer to godly status than ever before because it sees him embrace the pop sheen in a way only skilled artists can.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV0WyxVDpwy/?taken-by=2niteflavour&hl=en

‘Ijele’ is the biggest masquerade in Igbo culture and it only appears on rare occasions to infuse more life into festivals. Flavour uses this cultural references to describe his music’s tendency to impress and with 17 fresh new tracks (including a skit), there’s bound to be a shuffle on music charts—especially with production credits from industry juggernauts, Tekno, Del’b, Jay Stunt, Young John and Masterkraft. Ghanaian rapper, Sarkodie also joins Phyno, Terry Apala, Zoro, Semah G Weifur and Chidinma to add vocals on Ijele – The Traveler

Flavour’s archetype romance theme that makes him so popular among feminine audience is instantly recognizable on the album with track titles like “Virtuous Woman”, “Sake Of Love”, “Nnekata” and more. He also retains his high-life melodies on tracks like “Ukwu Nwata”, where he once again proves that indigenous genres can sound just as wavy as any pop genre with the laid back guitar riffs and Afro drum samples produced by Jay Stunt. He sings primarily in Igbo for the track praising a love interest vivified by whistling and cat calling in the background to conjure images of romance in a traditional setting. But Flavour ups the pace on the bridge and it makes you wonder what the high-life artist would sound like on a Travis Scott beat.

While we wait for a forward thinking DJ’s refix to make our dreams come true, Flavour ticks off a Tekno collaboration off our bucket-list with “Catch You”. Since his cameo appearance in Tekno’s “Yawa”, we’ve anticipated their joint work and as it turns out, we were right to. “Catch You” demonstrates just how versatile the new Afropop wave—popularized since Tekno’s Krizbeats produced “Pana”—is. Tekno produces a mid-tempo layer of ambient piano, guitar and wind harmonies held by tin pan drum patterns for the romantic dance number. The minimalist beat emphasizes vocals and Flavour’s serenade caresses the beat as he references Fela’s “Lady” chorus to show his vocal range screaming “She go say she be baby. You no go call am woman oh” without missing a beat.

“Body Calling” listens like the trap fusion we wanted and it’s better than R. Kelly’s similar attempt with his 2013 Black Panties album. “Body Calling” features the spacey EDM infused trap beat along with Terry Apala who has shown his aptitude with Apala trap on previous singles but even his auto-tuned vocals can’t outshine Flavour’s. Despite the Igbo lyrics, “Body Calling” will feature at strip club turn tables without raising any eye brows as Flavour touches all the appropriate subject.

Phyno gets a feature on Ijele – The Traveler through “Loose Guard”, another love song that allows Flavour show just how wild his food metaphors can get. The album contains enough sexual food innuendos to make you question the reason Flavour is called Flavour and “Loose Guard” has a few of those. Young John produces the beat with a similar flute sample heard on Olamide’s “Love No Go Die”.

“Sake Of Love” also features the trendy tin pan drum we’ve heard from Davido, Run Town and everyone riding the new Afropop wave. Masterkraft produces the beat adding synth sounds with the guitar riffs. Sarkodie delivers a rap verse in Twi and English on the love song that listens like the perfect cross between the P Square and Tekno era.

Flavour shows his versatility on Ijele – The Traveler by immersing himself into the pop scene without tainting his high-life style. This allows him expand his already wide spread fan base and really challenges Afropop artists to do better or before all their fans change camp.

Stream Ijele – The Traveler via Apple Music below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/2niteflavour

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

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

Listen to Jesse Jagz and Vector’s “Shook Ones” freestyle over hardest hip-hop instrumental ever

Posted on by The Native

Hip-hop’s romance with violence makes it attractive for rappers to take on a dark personae with their lyrics. However, these hard guy bars come off as corny in the hands of most rappers who don’t have real stories to tell. Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones” off their The Infamous album is regarded as one of the hardest rap songs ever and as it should; they dedicated the song to “real niggas who ain’t got no feelings”. The song’s sinister haunting beat has been recalled several times since it’s release in 1995 by hip-hop heads and perhaps Eminem’s B-Rabbit character in his 8 Miles film has the most famous freestyle. Nigeria rappers, Jesse Jagz and Vector have earned their place as Nigeria’s biggest rappers and as if to establish that claim, they take on the daunting task to freestyle over “Shook Ones” instrumental.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV0EOG5BXvf/?taken-by=vectorthaviper

Jesse Jagz goes first delivering lines about being a bad ass as he switches casually from violent talks to his sexual exploits and being high. His confidence allows him sing an outro for both his verse and Vector’s but by Jagz’s standards, his freestyle left a lot to be desired. Vector on the other hand came prepared to battle and even goes as far as name dropping Fela Kuti and Wole Soyinka while shading Michael Jackson; “This is not the Neverland ranch, we don’t like boy”.

The collaboration could easily be an opportunity for either rappers to make a bold statement not to mention the historical significance of a beat The Game, Fabulous, J. Cole, Crooked I and other highly rated rappers have also jumped on. But Jesse Jagz and Vector seem comfortable with their positions on Nigeria’s hip-hop hierarchy. They end up bragging about their jewelry and other insignificant hip-hop talks, which ironically is still an insult at their competition.

Listen to Vector and Jesse Jagz’s “Shooke Ones” below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/vectorthaviper

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

Hear “Best in you”, another single expected to usher in jesse jagz’s upcoming album

Watch Show Dem Camp’s music video for “Up To You”

Posted on by The Native

Blue skies, beach houses, palm wine cups, gourds, and beach mats paint perfect visuals to SDC’s “Up To You” music video directed by King Davies and Shot by Shakes. The video captures the essence of the group’s Palmwine Music Vol. 1. EP ;
“Up To You” shows the crew in casual outdoor wears with cameos from their music counterparts and camaraderie including BOJ, Odunsi, Avala, Poe, Tomi Thomas and others who equally have some part on the music duo’s Extended Play.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV2yd5SANag/?taken-by=showdemcamp

“Up To You” plays out like a Palm wine beach house party with nothing less than good vibes. The video marks the entrance of the kind of visuals to expect off other tracks on the EP, which is themed as Palm Wine music.

Get a comprehensive overview of the duo’s Palm Wine Music Vol. 1 Ep here while you peep the video to “Up To You” featuring Funbi, below.

Fisayo is a journalist who thinks writing is hard and reading too. But her journey somewhere reveals, words are like pawns on chessboard when writing. She wants to see, create and share with the world, experience & communicate these experiences. Tweet at her @fisvyo

ICYMI: Check Out Last Week’s Best New Music: Rock with the SDC and Funbi on the high-life inspired “Up 2 You”

Breaking down Dbanj’s Game of Thrones inspired album art

Posted on by The Native

Words by Ehimenim Agweh

As the penultimate season of Game Of Thrones approaches, we must look back at how much the award-winning tv series has influenced pop culture. From baby names to European elections, the books and show series are consistently turning the world on its head. Now D’banj is resurrecting classic Game of Thrones imagery in the art for his upcoming King Don Come album.

Let’s set the scene: a befurred Dbanj is seated on a throne with dragon headed armrests, a spiky crown on his head and a dragon on his arm. He is laughing, surrounded by dragons flying about him while the sigil of House DKM blows in the wind on a tattered flag in an ashy battle field. In the top right corner are the words, ‘KING DON COME’ written in Game of Thrones font style. The middle word is pierced by a sword resembling Jon Snow’s Longclaw.

Either this is a shade or Dbanj is just really in love with G.R.R.M.’s epic saga.

Game of Thrones readers and viewers would recognize the dragons and ashy landscape as something out of a Daenerys fantasy. Lots of burning involved and only her Targaryen sigil left to rule the land. Even Dbanj’s laughter follows the signature description of Daenerys’ father, Aerys the Mad King. He’s just laughing away, at his enemies maybe but we can only guess. The crown on his head aligns with Aerys’ rippling dragon motif crown. His might resemble the spikes on a dragon’s back but it is clearly a theme of domination all through.

The swords and battleground are reminiscent of Season 6, episode 9 of the show. The Battle of the Bastards which ended in a critical win for Jon Snow and the Starks. Dbanj is fighting for something and he is unleashing all his forces to get it. But the real kicker comes in the way the sword goes right through the DON in the title. It’s suspicious and brings a hint of coming battles between him and his former friend, Don Jazzy.

It is, however, no surprise if the pointy end is aimed at Don Jazzy. Dbanj this weekend, was up and at it in a reply to a fan on Twitter. Calling out to Don Jazzy and implying that Don Jazzy regrets their split, faith in House Dbanj was coasting away like Gendry in season three. It was a call to arms of a sort and it seems now that Dbanj might be heading to knock on the gates of House Mavin for a Lannister vs Stark style showdown.

King Don Come comes out on the 7th of July, 2017.

Feature Image Credit: Twitter/iambangalee

A journalist by training, Ehimenim is a lover of history, good books and Game of Thrones. For her, the real world is just another Westeros and everyone is a supporting character. Read and repeat is her motto. Give her a wave on Twitter @EAgweh.

 ICYMI: D’banj’s “It’s not a lie” Was Once Our Best New Music. Read a Comprehensive View here.

Watch Poe’s debut video as a Mavins recording artist, “Man Already”

Posted on by The Native

Questions were raised about what could come out of Poe getting signed into Mavins. Don Jazzy has a large portfolio of managing hit making artists but until now the veteran producer seemed to be wary of rappers actually doing rap. The turn around of D’Prince and Dr Sid whose genre classification should be hip-hop, but have since gone on to do anything else raised fears that Don Jazzy may lord over Poe’s sound. However, Poe dropped his first single under the label, “Man Already” and it must be said that all our fears were instantly allayed.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV46XqyBJ32/?taken-by=ladipoe&hl=en

“Man Already” is the exact kind of statement you’ll expect Poe to make after a record deal with one of Nigeria’s successful record label owners. He delivers brash punches on the fast-paced instrumentals, remaining as vocal as ever on what he thinks of dumbing down lyrics for commercial success while shutting down possible claims that he’s signed to Don Jazzy because he ran out of ideas to take himself out of the underground.

Poe’s “Man Already” gleans a rapper that knows what he’s doing. A record deal with Don Jazzy may seem like a big break for those who have followed Poe’s career from a distance, but the rapper remains jaded as ever, treating fame and its constituents with derisive indifference, as if his cross into the mainstream was always a given regardless of circumstance. The video on the other hand doesn’t make any statement; just Poe performing his verse while models and dancers entertain viewers.

Watch Poe’s debut video “Man Already” below.

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

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/MavinsRecord

Revisit Poe’s “Lifelines” where he officially addresses his haters

Dáramólá is no longer longing for love because he has it “So Good” already

Posted on by The Native

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV2MhSbhi0G/?taken-by=itsdaramola

If you’re familiar with Dáramólá’s voice and style from “Lagos City Wave”, “Lotto”,  or any other song from his debut album Last Time I Tried, you probably already recognise his high-pitched falsetto and sub-romantic musings about (lost) love.

“So Good” is his second post-album release since the debut of his Last Time I Tried album. Although he mostly sings RnB and soul, when he chooses to stay out of this box, the main difference between the genre and Dáramólá is not always cut-and-dry because the soul of his voice still lingers near. This is why when he sings a faster paced Yoruba in the bridge of “So Good”, –“Baby girl they go blow your phone, your phone, O bo lo wo won, mo ti de mo ti lo mo ti la gun gan mo ti blow”– it sounds atypical to how the song began, but the sound peculiar to him remains there.

Also, this same bridge of the song bears such limpid notes as though Dáramólá intended not to overuse the goodness of such composition and alter its beaut state. But after all of this is stripped away, what you hear is still very Dáramólá. Sonically, “So Good” is undisturbed by it’s instrumentation. Lyrically, it is not complicated or abstract either, Dáramólá speaks of Love like he just found it and he’s willing to do anything to keep it.

Dáramólá now finds himself in a position other artists too have often found themselves. With much of his catalog filtered through Afro-folk themes and low to mid-tempo melody progressions, one may presume Dáramólá a one trick pony.  But as the chorus for “So Good”  croons in with composition similarities with “Lotto” and “Lagos City Wave”, Dáramólá’s voice is heard balanced on thinly veiled emotions, an elemental draw his music has always borne at its core.

Listen to Dáramólá’s “So Good” produced by Juice Banger below.
https://soundcloud.com/daramola/so-good

Fisayo is a journalist who thinks writing is hard and reading too. But her journey somewhere reveals, words are like pawns on chessboard when writing. She wants to see, create and share with the world, experience & communicate these experiences. Tweet at her @fisvyo

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/itsdaramola

ICYMI: Watch Daramola in Visuals for “Lagos City Wave”

Watch the video for KLY’s “Scrrr Pull Up” featuring Wizkid

Posted on by The Native

KLY’s debut project, KLYMAX Reup made quite an impression in South Africa after it was released last year. Ycee features on the 12 tracked hip-hop EP and one of its biggest hits, “Scrrr Pull UP”  adds another Nigerian to the South African’s featured list. Wizkid was called to work his Starboy magic into the slow base-heavy trap beat produced by Wichi 1080.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVt0dIsDFjJ/?taken-by=klyofficial&hl=en

“Scrrr Pull Up Remix” retains the original track’s narrative of dealing with female drama and Wizkid revamps Travis Scott’s “Pick Up The Phone” for a mash-up of Daddy Yo from Nigeria and international Afropop singer. Ambitiouz Entertainment, KLY’s record label released the video for the remix last week and it’s set in a garage where KLY and Wizkid perform their verses solo till they are joined by models and friends that liven up the atmosphere. The video is directed by Blxckworx.

Watch the KLY’s video for  “Scrrr Pull Up” featuring Wizkid below.

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Ambitiouz Entertainment

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

Tiwa Savage and the curse of the groupie effect

Hear Mystro’s “Issa Vibe” featuring vocals from Davido

Posted on by The Native

The major feel of summer is tied around youthfulness; you want to hit perfect places with friends & hang out, take a walk in the waves & feel the sunshine or take a couple – actually, a lot – of drinks with them & chill out. So it’s no surprise to hear Mystro sing ‘I dun dey look you from a far, I know say you go want go party, I dun day look you for your eyes girl, I know say you go want drink Shayoo o’, .

There’s so much expectation for summer isn’t there? But like everything that ends, summer passes by and soon, we begin to await the next one. But just before that happens, Mystro’s “Issa Vibe” featuring Davido isn’t a song to give room to roll off your ears.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVxQ-cgANlU/?taken-by=mystroofficial

Mystro marked his entry into the industry as an artist, after a bit, he found a mainstay as a producer, working with artists like Waje, Iyanya and Harrysong among others. These days, a deal with Sony/ATV allows Mystro balance both parts of his artistry, which also led to the release of his first project titled Expressions of Mystro.

Mystro taps Davido for “Issa Vibe” and the two utter phrases and words similar to “Fall” and “IF”, which are not heavy on grand ideas but even Unlimited L.A’s video direction is just a simple concept and idea that captures the song’s essence: Vibes.

No in-depth narrative, no beginning, middle or end plot, just good music to move body to. So, “Oya dance, issa vibe”.

Watch “Issa Vibe” featuring Mystro and Davido below.

Feature Image Credit: Instagram/MystroOfficial

Fisayo is a journalist who thinks writing is hard and reading too. But her journey somewhere reveals, words are like pawns on chessboard when writing. She wants to see, create and share with the world, experience & communicate these experiences. Tweet at her @fisvyo

Best New Music: Get on the “Ghana Bounce” with Ajebutter22

Best New Music: Get on the “Ghana Bounce” with Ajebutter22

Posted on by The Native

At the rise of neo-Afropop thanks to the infusion of electronic dance music with African sounds in the 2010s came Ajebutter22. Ajebutter22 is not a man whose grand plan has never been evident to anyone. The rapper’s choice to tag his music “alte”, is a diminutive attempt to carve his own genre, away from industry square-pegging.

Despite sharing the same candid humour style as Falz, and the ultra-laidbackness of BOJ, it’s unlikely you would allude his delivery to anything you may have heard elsewhere. This is in part due to is use of imagery with a mix of social commentary and feel-good themes tied to cheeky one-liners. But mostly thanks to a artist-producer synergy like no other shared with production group, Studio Magic.

As the name implies, Ajebutter22, new single is hinged on the same Marimba-infused baseline bounce mimicked with steel pans on Mr Eazi’s “Skintight” and Runtown’s “Mad Over You” . It’s however not as distinctive as you would expect considering the entire song seems to have been built around the idea of an audio bounce. But the intended double etendre soon becomes evident in Ajebutter22’s raunchy delivery of verses and hooks where he repeatedly asks his lover to show him the “Ghana Bounce”, presumably with her butt cheeks.

Ajebutter22 has done well to consistently appear on the charts with at least one radio-hit every year, the most any one can do in an over-saturated soundscape like Afropop’s. Though “Ghana Bounce” leans slightly into Ghanapop, there is also a slight indication nobody could’ve possibly re-purposed the sexy drum-based sound like Ajebutter22 without reaching “Pana” level corny. As stated earlier, Ajebutter22’s grand plan may not seem evident to anyone, but he doesn’t seem to be on the same journey with anyone else either. And it may be unlikely he even needs a plan where he is headed.

Stream Ajebutter22’s “Ghana Bounce” via Apple Music below

ICYMI, Last Week’s Best New Music: Rock with the SDC and Funbi on the high-life inspired “Up 2 You”