Laura Mvula Busts myths around anxiety disorders in her “Generation Anxiety” Documentary

Posted on by The Native

The British soul singer-songwriter asides being a known for her brilliant orchestra worthy voice, she is also known for being quite vocal about her panic attacks and anxiety disorder. She shares her experiences and how she copes with the ailment on her twitter any other platform that allows her relate with people going through similar problems to show them they aren’t alone. She was featured on Woman’s Hour, a BBC program primarily for women discussing health, education, cultural and political topics. The show turned out an inspiring documentary by Laura Mvula titled “Generation Anxiety” where she examines anxiety disorders and looks at why women and 35 year olds and under are prone to the ailment.

Laura’s “She” plays subtly as she explains her fears and how she has survived. The goal of the documentary is to increase the awareness of mental health challenges so that people suffering from it are confident enough to seek the help they need.

Watch the inspiring documentary below.

https://youtu.be/pSq746E43fI

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/lauramvulaofficial

Hear Tiwa Savage’s first official single of the year “All Over”

See Nigerian-born Hollywood actor, Yetide Badaki In Steamy Teaser Trailer For “American Gods”

Posted on by The Native

Words by Fisayo Okare

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSKmNnygYtp/?taken-by=yetide

Nigerian born female actor, Yetide Badaki has come under spotlight for her role in upcoming Starz series, “American Gods”. “American Gods” is an adaptation of a best-selling Neil Gaiman novel of the same name and Yetide bagged the role after she was reported to have given a spellbinding audition for the part of Bilquis, an ancient goddess of love from the novel.

The scene Yetide re-enacted for her audition is one of the most talked about; Bilquis, Queen of Sheba swallows a man through her ‘Tunnel of love’ (aka, her vajayjay) during a sex/worship session. Bilquis is an African goddess in the novel and Yetide’s re-enactment of the role as a woman of African descent fits neatly.

Although having very few scenes in the novel, her role in the series is more elaborated upon. Yetide’s Bilquis is an expansion of the original and is going to play a more active role in the events, which lead up to the final war between the Old and New Gods in America.

It’s almost impossible to understand how the writings of Gaiman will be pulled off in the series, but speaking about this key scene, Bryan Fuller says “One of the most amazing sequences for me when I was reading it was the Goddess Bilquis eating a man with her vagina! I think it’s beautifully written in the novel … we’re going to do it exactly as written…lift that right out of the book and drop it right into the show”.

After teasing a snippet of the series with a mysterious visual earlier, Yetide Badaki is shown in character, the only one in a red room with candles lit, she gives a cry in a sultry, scratchy tone “Worship me, pray to me like I’m your god…your goddess.” This major project can either be made or broken but with the release of this teaser; it may be going steady on a captivating path. The series is set to begin airing on the 30th of April 2017.

Other TV shows Yetide Badaki has featured in include “Masters of sex”, “Aquarius” and guest spots on “Criminal” Minds and “NCIS: New Orleans”.

Watch Yetide in “American Gods” teaser below.

Tiwa Savage and the curse of the groupie efect

AV Club: Olu Ososanya tracks the growth of Nollywood through its cinematography

Posted on by The Native

One of the spill overs of technology and digital media democratizing the process of content creation and taking away the power of the former gatekeepers is that we’ve seen more independent film makers turn away from commercial film and into research and documenting the result of said research into easily accessible media. Documentaries have been the missing vertical in Nigeria’s media and film industries, long form news investigations, shedding light on often ignored aspects of our creative industries. This is why filmmaker Olu Ososanya’s new mini-documentary “The Evolution of Nollywood’s Aesthetics” is so fascinating.

Ososanya who is already a mainstream filmmaker and whose short film Honey was one of the most interesting short films we’ve reviewed in recent times takes on the history of Nollywood, tracking it through the changes in production values and a shift from seeing filmmaking as a short term commercial option to artistic expression. He manages to cover a lot in three minutes, referencing classic Nollywood, whose superior writing and acting managed to overcome its substandard production, the precision of current film making and how Nigerian returnees have helped push this shift.

Though there is a lot that he doesn’t even broach and we hope that Ososanya actually takes this idea and properly explores it to its logical end, expanding it into a proper longform documentary that actually asks the right questions and involves industry professionals. We’d certainly pay to see that.

P.S: Bimbo Akintola has always been head and shoulders above the competition, there’s less than 20 seconds of her in the documentary but we still were enthralled.

Watch ‘The Evolution of Nollywood Aesthetics’ here.

AV CLUB: Nasty C’s short film, “Bad Hair” is a relly pretty picture that lacks cohesion

YÖöfi’s “Road” is only 3 minutes long but it packs one hell of a punch.

Posted on by The Native

Listening to Ghanaian rapper YOofi’s new single instantly transported me back to May 2010, exactly where I was mentally when I first heard the Nas and Damien Marley collaborative album Distant Relatives. Sure Jay-Z’s collaborative album with Linkin Park which featured mash-ups of both of their songs from their last albums introduced Linkin Park to a whole generation of rock and rap fans and Run DMC and AeroSmith’s “Walk This Way” invented the rap-sung collaboration sub-genre, but it was the Marley/Nas collaboration that elevated the genre and had us off our feet. This is why YOofi excites us so much.

Produced by Jump Off (who also features on the song) YOofi enlists the help of Jump Off, Jordan Juma and Mac M to deliver a diverse litany of rap styles, all tied together with a sparse instrumental beat that features a simple but compelling base riff and aggressive percussions. There is some bilingual rap thrown in and a slick reggae hook and verse melds everything together, smoothing out the transitions between rappers and styles. Road is the kind of song that gets your blood pumping, upping the energy with every minute till you tip over the edge at the three minute, blissfully spent.

Add this to your workout playlist this very minute.

Listen to “Road” here.

Maka’s “Sinner” is a plea for redemption

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Words by Fisayo Okare

Maka writes her songs with the intent for listeners to find aspects they can relate to. Her latest single, “Sinner” talks on the weakness of individuals and the imperfections of humanity. We often fall into temptation and our vulnerability makes us inclined to fall into sin. Maka rips the band-aid off, exposing the deepest of her fears and bringing them to the light in “Sinner”.

The sound of the guitar serves as her anchor as she sings soulfully. She begins with a thought provoking “Who are you when no one’s watching? Are you pretending to be who you are not?”. Humanity’s toiling to be perfect or at least, just have a flawless public façade that masks who we really are is Maka’s narrative on “Sinner”.Sinner also houses bars from Hennessy Artistry headliner Boogey, who is haunted by his sins even though his intent is to seek some sort of redemption but rather raps in search of a release.

Tech-Zilla’s well-synthesized production captures aptly the switch between Maka’s crooning and Boogey’s rap. “Sinner” listens like a solemn cry for help doused in hip-hop and soul.

Listen to “Sinner” below.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/theofficialmaka

Saving the New Age from the sins of its predecessors

Tyson Noir’s “Can I” is afropop run through with strains of 90’s R&B

Posted on by The Native

Tosin Oki, or Tyson Noir has been in the Nigerian music industry for a minute. With a well received EP put out in 2015 and a handful of singles since then, Oki has managed to stay on the fringes of the New Age music movement while remaining relevant in the industry, even performing at the King Sunny Ade 70th birthday tribute concert in 2016. The singer has just put out his first single of 2017, “Can I” and it couldn’t be sooner.

Tyson changes genres again, this time looking towards the now distinct sounds of classic 90’s R&B for inspiration for the new sound. There is a flush of saxophones solos and adlibs, heavy electronic sounding bass beats and a vocoder is used to fray the edges of Tyson Noir’s very distinct voice, as he sings about consent and politely seducing a potential lover and the chase of wooing her. Vocally this is the best we’ve heard from Tyson, his delivery is crisp, his songwriting is less cluttered than in previous efforts and stripped down instrumental allows his vocal work remain the focus of the song.

And I can’t help but come back to the saxophonist and the magic he brings to the song. The solo saxophone was a huge trope of the 90’s with instrumentalists like Kenny G and Yanni gaining crossover popularity from it. Many older music lovers will glom onto “Can I” because of this, and that, any way you slice it, is a good move.

Listen to “Can I” here.

All the essentials from Ycee’s ‘first wave’ EP

Essentials: HeadBridge’s ‘At The Moment’ Debut EP is a new classic

Posted on by The Native

Ever since the failings of 90’s hip-hop crew, REMEDIES, we’ve grown to look at reincarnations of rap groups with skepticism. The startling number of failed Nigerian rap duos/groups mean that when one emerges we engage with equal parts skepticism and hope.

However the HeadBridge music collective has us stoked with their debut project, At The Moment. HeadBridge consists of Realtalk, Soto Nwobi and his cousin, Chuba. All three have been into music for a while but despite the obvious talent and drive to succeed, their music, individually and collectively have remained underground, until now.

Soto’s music group in university, ‘GSC’ split-up and left him to pursue a solo career in music but the solo gig didn’t work for him after singles like “Hustle” got little recognition. Soto and the rest of the team formed The HeadBridge music group in 2015 and with Reflex Soundz, Kay X and Jabz production, their debut project, At The Moment could turn out to be the springboard that launches these rappers to public acclaim status.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPkVdbFAvqG/?taken-by=soto_eon

At The Moment is a mixture of 90’s hip-hop, trap and a bit of urban Afropop. They pull this off masterfully with since their rap draws inspiration from legends like Nas, Jadakiss and 50 Cent and their producers have worked on Afropop songs. The EP plays like a literal first time introduction of the artists first to each other then to the listeners. The have a lot of recorded conversations spread across the 11 track EP.

The first song “Ride Round Music” was the first song the trio ever recorded together but you could never tell with the coordinated and almost conversational flow they display on the track. Kay X takes production credits for the song spiced up with disc scratching noises that takes listeners back to the Nas and Jay Z days of hip-pop. The synth guitar and piano baselines are also straight out of Dr. Dre’s handbook and Realtalk, Chuba and Soto give hard bars that reminds us of the TDE rap group from Compton. “Ride Round Music” embodies the current aesthetic of the group as Soto raps “You don suppose to blow. I hear it everywhere that I go” “I’ve been on this gig forever” “2016, We ride this year. We put a bullet in a dream”.

“Konsono” is the 4th track on the EP and it starts off like your regular jollof-rap song that the YBNL crew have made commercial. The up-tempo beat and designed by producer, Reflex Soundz to get people dancing was used by The HeadBridge to pass a politically conscious message. Rappers like Joey Badass have used beats that sound like they belong in the dance clubs to deliver lyrically conscious verses on songs like “Devastated” and that’s what Soto, Realtalk and Chuba do on the urban-Afropop beat that switches from Afropop to Trap without missing a beat. They rap about the backward economic position of the country and blame corrupt politicians.

Jabz produced “Abeg”, the 6th song on the EP and he gives the group their most somber track using the flute instrument that has gotten very popular lately thanks to D.R.A.M’s “Broccoli” and Future Hendrik’s “Mask Off”. The slow tune works for The HeadBridge’s emotional verses written to address moms, ex lovers and “new friends”.

Despite the Afropop hip-hop mash-up attempt in At The Moment, the EP is still plays like a niche 90’s hip-hop playlist that only rap-heads would enjoy. Also, the EP is limited by it’s lack of visual representations for the three voices who are relatively new to a lot of listeners. All that being said, the talent in The HeadBridge group is tremendous and with proper management, could become take Chocolate City’s place as Nigeria’s TDE.

Listen to HeadBridge’s At The Moment EP below.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram:@soto_eon

Saving te new age from the sins of its predecessors

The Isomers’ “I No Get” is a demand for love in spite of the recession

Posted on by The Native

Words By Fisayo Okare

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSn2JraAO2f/?taken-by=theisomersmusic&hl=en

Loving imperfections is easier said than done, but the hankering for a lover who will do this is what has inspired Isomer’s “I No Get”. On “I No Get”, Isomer presents love as accepting though not entirely blind from flaws.

The story is told through the eyes of a man, who is trying to prove himself as a worthy lover. He hides his true emotions behind a sense of humour that is decidedly quirky as he chants “I still eat akara, no fancy shoes, I pick my nose, rumpled clothes, that’s how it goes.” However, he believes she can accept him through his “hustle days” because he isn’t lacking where it counts. He goofs around about all he doesn’t have but the goal is to show that he’s honest about being in love.

The Isomers band have a laid-back delivery on “I No Get” making the song play like an Indie-folk song with plucky acoustic guitar crisscrossed with light clap-rhythm gong beats and vocal harmonies. The lead singer strings together witty expressions on “I No Get” down playing the somber mood of the instruments. It is a free release from the quartet’s 2nd EP, tagged The Valentine.

The EP is intended to narrate the different emotional love story of each of the band member and judging by “I No Get”, the individuality of each member would be expressed on each track.

Listen to “I No Get” below.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/theisomersmusic

The New Age needs to throw away the outdated rule book

Zilla’s “Hot Hot” Is Hardcore But Smooth

Posted on by The Native

Rodzilla’s debut EP, NEG:RO was released last year and it defined the rapper’s sound as an hip-hop and Afro fusion artist. Lately, the Abuja based rapper has been on a row, releasing new music consistently and delivering on guest verses. His latest single, “Hot Hot” a similar multi genre aesthetic heard in the rapper’s prior releases.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BStD4jdgmVk/?taken-by=zilla__oaks&hl=en

The Kanaty produces a mid tempo beat hanging on a piano baseline but the beat picks and drops for a more pacy beat on the chorus. Synth sounds and guitar strums appear at different intervals on the beat and they tie together to form a nice platform for Zilla to show how adapt he is to any type of beat. He switches between rapping with Grime flows and Afropop singing with practiced ease. “Hot Hot” discusses the subject of sex using coy metaphors but his delivery makes the song play like a dancehall jam instead of a hardcore rap song, even though his preference for the latter is evident.

“Hot Hot” sounds like a perfect blend of everything pop and could very well be his break out single to the Nigerian mainstream music.

Listen to Zilla’s “Hot Hot” below.

Featured  Image Credit: Instagram/zilla__oaks

The New Age needs to throw away the outdated rule book

All The Essentials From Ycee’s ‘First Wave’ debut EP

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BSk1VwTjtYO/?taken-by=iam_ycee&hl=en

Most relatively new artist would crumble under the pressure but considering YCEE’s Sony distribution deal, First Wave was never in too much danger with regards distribution. He still got more than a substantial amount of attention with the assistance of the videos for “Juice” and “First Wave Documentary”, a short film explaining the process that went into making the EP. First Wave emphasizes the YCEE’s artistry as a versatile rapper that can handle different genres of music. He convincingly branches out to RnB, trap, grime, Afropop and rap on the 8 track EP which featured artists like Reekado Banks, Calibrii, Seyi Shay, Falz, Maleek Berry and Ghanaian Kly.

The EP starts with “Wavy”, an hip-hop track produced by Thai. The beat is bouncy and bass-heavy with. YCEE continues his braggadocios rap theme that made “Jagaban” a hit. He makes all the right brags, from reminiscing on how he went from ‘Nothing to something’ to stealing everyone’s girl.

“Bubbly” features fan fave, Falz who joins YCEE to gloat about how they still buy expensive drinks at the turn up in spite of the recession. Karma beats produces the track with a synth piano baseline. YCEE raps with his Porsche English but that doesn’t hinder Falz’s Baba Taju alter ego from slipping a few Yoruba infused lines into the mix.

Seyi Shay comes in for “Need To Know”, the lone RnB track on the album. It plays like a R. Kelly classic thanks to the pianos and horns in the song’s instrumental produced by Adey.  YCEE does his best singing impersonation with a druggy vocoded effect. Seyi Shay delivers a beautiful sonic RnB verse and that inspires the rapper to hit high notes for the bridge that followed. The raunchy chemistry they share on the track brings out a more emotional side to YCEE that hasn’t been seen prior to the First Wave.

The First Wave EP won’t disappoint YCEE fans and could even earn the rapper more fans with the wider appeal in multi-genre EPs.

Listen to YCEE’s First Wave here.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/iam_ycee

 

 

Best New Music: Brush your vibe-out playlist with Ycee’s new squad anthem, N.O.U.N

The Shuffle: Throwback to Durella’s ultimate turn up anthem, “Shayo”

Posted on by The Native

After D’banj made head way with a flamboyant style of Afropop inspired by his inherently larger-than-life personality, Nigerian music saw the rise of uber-confident artists whose style was a direct reflection of their innate charisma. Durella falls into this time and category, for obvious reasons. The singer came into limelight in 2008 guns-blazing with the same bashful self-validation D’banj brought to the game. Direct comparisons with D’banj would later cause Durella to diversify his sound, but only after the singer charted with three solid hits; “My Life”, “Zanga” and the all time turn-up favourite, “Shayo” based off the same style.

You don’t need to look too closely to understand the M.O for strong”Shayo”. Durella chants with an alcoholic’s conviction about how much his life is improved because of his ability to keep the drinks coming. The bass-heavy instrumental produced by I.D Cabasa is a bit of a wonder work. Pianos and violins set tone for riotus baseline peppered with back-up vocals, and a single note guitar riff thrown in the mix for pizzazz.

“Shayo” is reminiscent of the early years of self-absorbed pop celebrity, a testament to an era where the artist’s swag and hardest brags came off the portrayal of an extraordinary lifestyle. There have been great turn-up songs ever since Durella’s “Shayo”, but none of will have the same delivery or focus on subject matter. Because for Durella the art of “Shayo” is more than just a song, it is reflection of his life.

Listen to Durella’s “Shayo” below

Best New Music: Brush up your vibe-out playlist with Ycee’s new squad anthem, N.O.U.N

Kendrick Lamar reveals DAMN. album artwork and tracklist

Posted on by The Native

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSvcjL3BZDY/?taken-by=kendricklamar&hl=en

 

Kendrick Lamar has confirmed the details of his new album. Titled DAMN. the record will be released on April 14. It features the Billboard hotshot single, “Humble” in addition to particularly intriguing collaborations with Rihanna and U2 on the tracks “Loyalty” and “xxx,  respectively.

With production credits for bonafide sound-smiths such as Mike WiLL-Made It, DJ Dahi, Sounwave, 9th Wonder and the Alchemist, DAMN. on the surface appears like it may be a departure from the critically acclaimed, jazz-influenced To Pimp A Butterfly. 

Here is the tracklist for DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar

1. “Blood”
2. “DNA”
3. “Yah”
4. “Element”
5. “Feel”
6. “Loyalty” f. Rihanna
7. “Pride”
8. “Humble”
9. “Lust”
10. “Love”
11. “xxx” f. U2
12. “Fear”
13. “God”
14. “Duckworth”

Gillian Baci’s “Nothing” echoes sentiments of a sinner who still gets to live in Love

Posted on by The Native

Words of Fisayo Okare

If you don’t already know Gillian Baci from his two last releases “If You Break My Heart” and “Fool’s Gold”, you would want to check-out his latest heartbreak single,“Nothing”.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSmDdq1DKSl/?taken-by=gillianbaci

His upcoming 5 track EP, Journey To Heartbreak, is taking a more defined form with this new single. “Nothing” explores the emotions of a lover who is undeserving of his partner because he has “Nothing” to offer.

From the get-go, Baci’s lyrics are simmered in despair and as he ponders, “I wanna know why you love me so”. The emotion in his voice builds and peaks at each chorus. Thanks to Baci’s sentimental delivery, the imagery of despair rings loud in the single and it’s easy to imagine the expressions on his face as his voice soars where he chants, “They told me that my love was nothing”.

“Nothing” is the second single off the EP. Listen to it below.

https://soundcloud.com/gillianbaci/nothing

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/gillianbaci

Best New Music: Brush up your vibe-out playlist with Ycee’s New squad anthem, N.O.U.N

DAP The Contract bares his soul in an “Open Letter”

Posted on by The Native

The music industry is infamous for being a cut-throat business over passion world, and hip hop artists often find themselves on the wrong end of the guillotine. Whether it’s Frank Ocean wasting away on the shelves of Def Jam pre-Nostalgia, Ultra, or 6LACK finding himself in label purgatory, counting down the years till creative freedom: the road to stardom is a difficult one to navigate, even more-so with shady record execs and fake friends.

DAP learnt this the hard way, in a year which saw peaks such as jam sessions with Mark Ronson at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios, and lows that saw him splitting from longtime management turned friend turned stranger. He bares it all in the wonderfully composed “Open Letter”, built on an iPhone vocal recording of some friends and some subtle piano keys.

Two Roads EP is out April 28th.

Watch the video for “Open Letter” below.

Featured Image Credit: Marianna Carvalho

 

Best New Music: Brush up your vibe-out playlist with Ycee’s new squad anthem, N.O.U.N

Using Animation to tell the African Story: Annecy is coming to Africa

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Words of Fisayo Okare

Comic books and animations help keep our inner child alive. Animated adaptations of beloved comics like Super Strikers have helped to build pop culture in Nigeria but ever since Disney bought the rights to air the animated series, the Nigerian names and themes have gradually been filtered out. Thankfully, the Annecy Festival, an international animated film festival usually held in France, is coming to Africa. Organisers will partner with African Animation Network to set up an animation competition within and outside Africa. This gives Nigeria another chance to influence the animation pop culture.

This collaboration will create the first-ever Pan-African animation pitching competition called “Annecy – MIFA Pitches Animation du Monde”. Nick Wilson, Project Manager of AAN describes Annecy as “the animation equivalent of participating in the Olympics”.

In Africa, we’ve long held that we have beautiful and unique stories to tell the rest of the world. This a knocking opportunity for the African animation industry to come together to tell stories that matter and to present the best of African animation projects alongside counterparts like Pixar, Disney, Dreamworks etc. The competition is open to animation producers from all African countries.

“Animation du Monde” targets projects from countries where animation is emerging and provides a unique way to discover a different creativity and awareness. The competition will comprise 2 rounds of semi-finals; the first at DISCOP Abidjan (May 30 – June 1, 2017); and the second at DISCOP Johannesburg (October 25 – 27, 2017).

The deadline for the competition is on the 9th of May 2017. See more information here.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/annecyfestival

Read the first issue of ‘Anikulapo’ a new comic by vortex

Hear Yemi Alade’s sultry new single, “Charliee”

Posted on by The Native

Yemi Alade’s flirtations with the African aesthetic came as part of the campaign for her sophomore album, Mama Africa. The resulting album, though critically panned, had an Africa-wide appeal, thanks to alternate language cuts of the album that eased Yemi’s style of  Afro-pop into markets outside of Nigeria and Africa.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSoqxaBFp7i/?taken-by=yemialade&hl=en

For her latest single, “Charliee”, she is using the same Ghanaian themed concept that worked so well on “Koffi Anan”. The Afropop hiplife fusion is produced by Fliptyce who has scored credits with P-Square in the past and is rumoured to have worked with Dr. Dre in recent times. “Charliee” is Yemi Alade’s first single of the year and the shift in sound is evident in the lower volumes of vocals and the lesser focus on acoustics.

“Charliee” is a slightly racier Yemi Alade than we’re used to. There is a sleek build up, from flirtation to sex following the logical progression of the song’s sexual undertones. She sings about never letting go of her love but the story is never fully told because drums and synths are there to remind you this was intended for slow whine on the dance floor not for deliberating lovers.

Her habit of sacrificing good lyrics for decent flows once again renders her Mama Africa claim questionable. But this is a noticeable upgrade from her usual inability to tie a song around a cohesive subject matter. Nonetheless, after last year’s wins, including a charting album and an endorsement deal with Shell Oil, Yemi Alade is no doubt on a winning streak. If “Charliee” is hint of anything to come from her third studio album, the self-proclaimed may have another gold record in the pipes.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/yemialade

Tiwa Savage and the curse of the groupie effect

Ycee Taps The Maleek Berry Sauce For “Juice” Video

Posted on by The Native

After “Jagaban” put Nigerians on to YCEE nearly two years ago,  his debut project became one of the more anticipated music projects in Nigeria.  To fulfill fan expectations, YCEE released his First Wave EP earlier this month. The 8 track EP features lead single “Link Up” featuring Reekado Banks and  follow-up single, “Juice”, where he features Maleek Berry. As part of promotions for his new tape, YCEE released the visuals for his latest single over the weekend.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSoeTKgj3KK/?taken-by=iam_ycee

Teekay directs the colorful video starring Ycee with his classic dreads, Maleek Berry in his usual dark shades and a couple popping models so you already know what kind of party it would be. YCEE raps with a loose singing flow on the piano heavy beat produced by Adey. Maleek Berry delivers a clean vocoder influenced verse that Nigerian music lovers can’t get enough of.

Watch the Video for Ycee’s “Juice” video below.

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/YCeeVEVO

Best New Music: Brush Up your vibe-out playlist with Ycee’s new squad anthem

Essentials: Tadé’s ‘Omo’ pays homage to Nigeria’s contemporary greats.

Posted on by The Native

TadeDoes it get any more ambitious that opening your debut EP with a cover of an impossibly successful Nigerian’s best loved song? Well that’s exactly what Toronto based Nigerian singer/songwriter Tadé does on his debut EP ‘Omo‘. He opens the album with a stretched out acoustic reinterpretation of Asa’s dearly beloved “So Beautiful”, and does it moderate justice, though his version nary holds a candle to Asa’s. But it does set the tone for the rest of the album which has a surprising amount of self awareness and little inside jokes and asides. This is how Tadé describes the album.

Conceptually, it is a 4-song project that touches on life, love, family and growth. Embedded within the EP is a story of a boy coming of age, from birth to discovering love, his idea of life and its meaning, and then building a family so he too can pass down the knowledge he has picked up on – both from the teachings of his mother and of life.

But “Beautiful” is where the World Music references end, the rest of the album is firmly contemporary, we’d even dare go as far calling it Afropop with strains of R&B, especially on the album’s second single “Motions”. He delivers a droning tale of love stuck in the rut of complacency, with uptempo guitar licks and an isolated piano loop that works like an adlib, adding flourish to the dips in the song’s melody. But the mix of Aubrey-esque confessional lyrics, monotonous delivery and the occasional electronic manipulation seems to work to make everything cohesive.

“Donor”, the EP’s strongest song has strong soul roots and Tadé tries his hand at Rap, evoking vibes of contemporary British soul that gained prominence on the 90’s. Guest vocals by Magalie are an unexpected boon to the song and the chemistry between the two is undeniable.

Omo is an interesting debut, with a lofty press packet and decent song, but it seems as though Tadé is still finding himself as an artist. Vocal classes and a little more focus will do wonders for his next project.

Listen to Omo Here.

 

https://soundcloud.com/tadecloud/sets/omo

Tiwa Savage and the curse of the groupie effect

#TedXSurulere is happening this weekend, here’s why you should attend

Posted on by The Native

TedXSurulereUnless you don’t have access to the internet and you’re living under a metaphorical rock, you’ve probably heard about the TED Events and know of at least one TED talk. Technology Entertainment and Design (TED) was founded in 1984 as way to discuss change and innovation from all kinds of perspectives by inviting innovators and changemakers from different fields to come network and give talks about their insights, achievements and research.

Because TED saw they simply couldn’t organize enough events to reach all the people who wanted to attend and accommodate all the speakers who had something to say, they decided to license the franchise, creating TEDx (the x standing for independent) as a way for small communities to celebrate their own innovators and inspire others.

There have been quite a number of TEDx events in Nigeria, TEDxPortharcourt, TEDxLagos, TEDxUnilag, TEDxGbagada. There has even been a proper TED event in Lagos, February’s TED Lagos event. And now there’s TEDxSurulere.

A group of Nigerian Millennials has come together to organize the first ever TEDxSurulere talk to unveil Africa, the Motherland in its true, rich light. The African narrative to the rest of the world is a mash up of untold and fairly accurate stories and they want to write a new one with TEDxSurulere. The theme of this year’s TEDxSurulere talk is “Ibosam”, which is an Okirika (a tribe in the southern part of Nigeria, West Africa) word for “welcome”.

I am definitely interested in the line up for this event which features A LOT of young people who have made a name for themselves in their fields. There’s Haneefah Adam whose Hijarbie Instagram challenged religous stereotypes around the iconic doll, Kola Tubosun one of the country’s foremost Yoruba translators, Itua Iyoha the Naija Vegan Chef who is trying to encourage us to eat healthier, treat the planet better and get super buff while we’re at it. Add to that Amanda Iheme, a clinical psychologist who advocates for mental health and recently partnered with Bailey’s for a phenomenal mother’s day ad and several others and you have a truly diverse roster.

The talk will hold on Saturday, April 15, 2017 at Princeton Schools, 9/33, Olatunde Onimole Street, Surulere. It starts by 10:30 am and you can register to attend the event here. Registration and attendance is totally free. Visit tedxsurulere.com for more information.

 

Website: Tedxsurulere.com

Facebook, Twitter, Ig: TedxSurulere

Phone number: +234 818 527 8173​⁠​

 

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Davina Oriakhi’s Silence (Father Have Mercy) is a stunning comeback single

Posted on by The Native

Singer and spoken word poet Davina Oriakhi is the kind of consummate creator often gets overlooked for more flashier, short fused pop starlets because she is so focused on the craft. Oriakhi has been in the industry for a very long time, her name occasionally popping up in the most unexpected of places. Her last single “Content” was produced two years ago by Nonso Amadi (the one you’re thinking of) and she lent supporting vocals to Tim Lyre’s debut EP as well as an EP of her own, made up entirely of spoken word poetry.

Seeing Oriakhi pop up on our Soundcloud feed with a new song was a surprise, but even more unexpected was that the song was a ska/rocksteady style reggae song.

After a two year musical hiatus, Ska/rocksteady seemed the last genre where Oriakhi would turn up but she makes light work of the beat, heavy with simple synth melodies, the occasional wash of unintelligible electronic sounds and a persistent four count. By layering her vocals, she beefs up her decent vibrato, creating minor harmonies and she sings of an unforeseen love interest and the gradual disintegration of their relationship. But we doubt this “Silence” would be this lush without the production work of Mfonobong “Nobong D’Synth” Inyang whose predilections for synths and synth work shines through and gives the song that extra oomph.

As far as comebacks go, this is as solid as they come and I want to see Davina Oriakhi explore this sound and genre more thoroughly, her voice is definitely suited to it.

Listen to “Silence(Father Have Mercy)” here.

 

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