Here at the Native Mag we know first hand that great music starts from a great instrumental and that great instrumentals don’t necessarily need vocal work to make their mark. So we are all for celebrating artists who strike out and focus entirely on the instrumental genre and make magic.
Ghanaian American multi-genre produce Kwame Obimpe otherwise known as DBM (Dope by Mania) is on to somehting amazing with his debut LP, ‘Strangers Have the Best Candy’. Following the path forged by alternative Chillwave producers like Ta-Ku and Sango who meld a world of influences and elements into something wholly original. DBM is untethered to any instrument, style or genre, sometimes switching up the entire sound two or three times in the same song. Vocal samples as percussion, subtle tempo changes for thematic effect, minors to ramp up emotion, Obimpe does it all. The kind of thought that must have gone into this album is such that we rarely see from African artists in this pop-heavy numbers driven race for streaming relevance.
Trying to condense the complexity of ‘Strangers Have The Best Candy’ seems like doing the album a disservice, there are no fillers, no missteps, just twelve concept driven songs with hard to forget titles. We won’t prosyletize anymore, we’ll just let you make your own conclusions.
The first thing you need to know about Ghanaian hip-life singer is that ace producer Kuvie worked his magic on the song’s production. Kuvie has not yet had a bad song in 2017 and we doubt he’ll have one any time soon. At the crossroad between Nigerian and Ghanaian sounds, Kuvie takes a unique perspective and one he employs heavily on “Tomorrow”. But he is subtle enough to never outshine Darko who is an all out revelation.
The themes for “Tomorrow” aren’t all that rare in contemporary African music, there seems an almost manic preoccupation with the complexities and dynamics of sex and relationships and how both influence our lives. Darko focuses on a particular subset of women on “Tomorrow”, women who use of social media platform Instagram has earned them the often derogatory term ‘Instagram Girls’. He used to be formerly enthralled by them, the seeming perfection of their lives, the careful marketing of the image they try to sell to their followers and paramours, and the perceived emptiness that lies beneath the veneer. Darko suggests he’s seen this darkness and is no longer impressed with the facade. He is now looking for the proverbial good girl, the one who shuns social media and is ‘real’. He’s found his one true girl and now that the lure of the unknown no longer seduces him, he needs to convince her that he’s changed.
Realness is subjective and what is not on “Tomorrow” is Darko’s command of the sound, the simple keyboard loop and athletic guitar solos that runs through the entire song will instantly remind you of the hip-life greats and Darko’s meaty growl will instantly remind you of the earnestness with which Fela Anikulapo did the same. Like Fela, he switches easily between Twi, Ga and Pidgin, spinning the most enthralling yarn, urging you to your feet.
Instagram Girls might not impress Darko, but they inspire him, and that’s good enough for us.
DJ Consequence tapped Ycee for his last major single “In a Benz”. This time around, the vibe machine tapped Achievas Music’s Attitude and Mavins up and comer, Reekado Banks for “Banging”. Both singers tap into their earlier chemistry from “Mo Le Nu” for DJ Consequence’s Afro-trap single produced by Altims.
“Banging” has a groovy mid tempo beat that stays true to the song’s title with base heavy beats interrupted by flutes at intervals.
The video is directed by Avalon Okpe who took shots of a party scene set inside a mansion. It draws inspiration from the mannequin challenge, a viral video trend popularized by brother-duo, Rae Sremmurd.
Time has a surprising way of making one realise his wants no longer have that glittery appeal they once had. This realisation usually triggers a paradigm shift, causing one to question his values and beliefs. For Darkovibes, the realisation that “Instagram girls” no longer appeal to him came with the need to preserve his relationship with the woman he loves.
On “Tomorrow”, he tries to convince his woman she’s the only one who does it for him while begging her to stay with him through thick and thin. He slips between language barriers, inserting choice lines of Twi and Ga while trying to convince her. Kuvie’s near pure acoustic production coupled with Darko’s language choice makes it impossible not to notice the influence of Ghanaian Highlife, one of the forerunners of the genre in West Africa.
Santi’s second single of the year was destined for greatness from its inception. With a credit roster of DJ Yin, Tay Iwar and producer BankyOnDBeatz, by design only few things can go wrong. “Beat It Up” is a less corny version of every love-sex song you have heard. There is less talk of love, but more about sex and everything else involved: smoke clouds, commitment issues and the desperation of a lover who wants to hold on to the dysfunctional relationship.
Tomorrow – Darkovibes
We have all had that moment where the things that motivated us to try to better our lives start to mean less and less when our dreams start to come true. That’s why Darkovibe’s “Tomorrow” is so potent. On Tomorrow, the Ghanian singer talks getting over Instagram girls he used to yearn for in the past and his dedication to loving his girl. The trueness of his experience is highlighted here in relatability of a familiar story and the emotiveness of his melody.
Banana Island – Viva Eze
Viva Eze’s “Banana Island”, is set on a room atmosphere trap beats as the rapper interpolates between a sing-song melody and raps about quitting his 9-5 while dreaming-out-loud about buying his mother a house in Banana Island.
Silhouette – Yinka Bernie
Yinka Bernie has mastered both the laid back tint of Blackmagic ‘s voice and Ajebutter’s casually cheeky descriptions. On “Silhouette” he marries his influences for a story about meeting a girl, told across Afrotrap drums and killer trumpet solo.
From Our Pot of Jollof
Trouble (feat. Myst)- Blackmagic
Blackmagic is stripping things back to basic dance floor music these days, but it’s not for a lack of concept. His latest single, “Trouble” features newcomer songbird, Myst, who opens the song for Blackmagic to return with an up-tempo twist to the same iconic auto-tuned laced vocals that made him favourite over the years.
If – Davido
Davido’s “If” is our Best New Music for this week and that’s about enough said.
Banging (feat. Reekado Banks, Attitude) – DJ Consequence
“Banging” is a near-perfect song if we all collectively ignore Attitude’s last verse. Reekado brings the sly melody of his “Link Up” collaboration with YCEE for DJ Consequence’ smooth Afrotrap EDM number. ”Banging”. It sound like something you have heard before, you won’t be able to tell when that reverbed vocal sample sets in on the bridge.
Overseas
“Idols Become Rivals” – Rick Ross
Rick Ross makes a triumphant return on the raw and honest standout from his latest album, Rather You Than Me.
“Home” – Obongjayar
Nigerian born singer-songwriter announced himself with the stunning debut “Creeping” last year. Another standout from his EP is the title track, “Home”. Combining piercing vocals and jarring bars, he is someone we are watching.
As far as Nigerian films made primarily for a cinematic release go, Ojukokoro had a lot riding on its shoulders. For one, it was written and directed by Dare Olaitan, who many know more for his Starwars inspired twitter alias DarthCoal and his often unconventional point of view. Olaitan studied film abroad and in 2014 returned to the country with a very vocal ambition to change how the Nigerian film industry is perceived. There were a few false starts before Ojukokoro was conceptualized, written and filmed. Veteran new nollywood film maker Femi Ogunsanwo of FemmyD films (best known for his boarding school YA drama ZR-7) came on to produce and finance the film in partnership with Singularity Media. It took a year and a half, but on March 17th 2017 the film will open to the public.
So what is Ojukokoro, past the hype and the ambition? I’d dare say the best written Nigerian script that has managed only barely to circumvent a system that punishes originality and celebrates mediocrity to make it into cinemas.
To understand Ojukokoro, you have to understand how the Nigerian film industry has worked for the last two decades. Rapid advances in film technology opened the medium to literally anyone with a good enough canon and a hastily cobbled script. Nigeria quickly rose to the become the second largest producer of feature length films in the world, outstripping the US, but the repetitive storylines, stereotyped actors and hasty production and post-production meant most of these films had no longevity and little contemporary influence. But it made a lot of money and continues to, provided the film producers can rope in a ‘big name’ to headline their film.
Ojukokoro breaks all the rules; its headlining actor Charles Etubiebi is completely unknown, its big name characters (Somkhele Idhlama, Wale Ojo, Ali Nuhu, Linda Ejiofor and Saka) are all supporting characters and some barely get a scene. The film is set in a facsimile of Nigeria, the film’s directors never commit to a particular location. With that many executive risks, Ojukokoro was going to be interesting no matter the final verdict.
The film, ‘inspired’ by the 2015 fuel crisis under ex President Goodluck Jonathan follows in the veins of classic films like the 1995 Francis Duru helmed RattleSnake, tackling the near impossible to pull of crime heist genre. The stage is a fuel station money laundering front, and the film’s roster of characters lives all intersect actively or indirectly as Andrew the station manager, Mad Dog a thug and contract killer and Mr Senator all push their personal agendas with hopes of cashing out.
An homage to Tarantino-esque film making; the film is divided into three acts, letting the audience in on the film’s twists long before the characters themselves stumble on to their epiphanies. After a less than stellar first act that included unnecessary voice-over narration and scenes that seemed written to showcase the actor’s second and third languages than advance the plot, the film finally picks up in the second act. Once the characters have been acquainted with each other, and the voice over is thankfully discarded, the film turns away from exposition and gets to work building on the suspense and anticipation that carries through into the third act and washes out into an oddly satisfying finale.
The true glimpses of how great Ojukokoro’s writing is comes from the unlikeliest of actors. Shawn Fuqua outdoes himself as Rambo, a thug brought into the orbit of mess of counter heists by the lure of easy money. Switching easily between vernacular, Bini and English, he is sibilant, persuasive and electrifying in each scene. Seun Ajayi, however is the film’s show stopper, completing dominating the screen in the third act as Sunday, the gambling agbero, turned desperate by one too many personal losses. This is scene stealing AMVCA worthy acting, and we expect to see his performance rewarded with nominations from all the major acting bodies.
Ojukokoro grazes perfection, but doesn’t quite manage it for two reasons.
First, the film could have easily passed the Bechdel test, but it doesn’t. Instead the film’s five female characters (all supporting and with ample opportunity to interact with each other) are used as two dimensional props to explain away the motivations and ambitions of the film’s male characters. Perhaps ten years ago, we wouldn’t have even noticed but now, it stands as a glaring misstep. It is incredibly lazy writing about women that offers scenes like Linda Ejiofor’s character asking her husband played by Kunle Remi to ‘Be safe’ while going to ask for directions at an empty filling station because she has a ‘woman’s intuition’.
Second, the film makes the mistake of assuming that its audience is too stupid to follow the interwoven storylines of the film and often goes out of its way to lead the viewer to its zingers, twists and loose ends. An after guiding the audience through the entire film, writers try to throw in a final post credits twist surrounding State C.I.D Officer Jide aka Monday, the Taxi driver and murdered couple that is framed so ludicrously and requires such suspension of belief that the viewer is forced to discard it as impossible.
Ojukokoro shatters our perceptions of what a great Nigerian film is and proves a foundation of superior writing will always shine through. It is the closest we’ve come to a perfect film we’ve come as an industry and suggests perhaps, there isn’t much further to go.
With two thirds of Our Best Friend’s wedding behind us, we’re starting to wonder if they’ll ever manage to tie up all the messy loose ends they’ve managed to rack up. We still don’t know if Charles’s mother was talking about having cancer or not, we don’t know what the hell is wrong with Kemi and her husband and we most certainly can’t see how Charles is supposed to find a wife after one date. OBFW is stressing me out. But Wale Adetula (showrunner) and Oreka Godis are perennially in the youtube comments assuring us that the finale will be worth all this key points episodes. So we wait.
SPOILER ALERT
There’s a whole cache of episodes to watch on RED TV’s Youtube channel so catch up before you get on the new episode, or just skip that and get on here.
Episode 8 starts with Onome on Charles’s bed after their their second round of knacks. Wait is it just me or does nearly all episodes on this show either start or end with someone in someone else’s bed?
If only all this sexiness was attached to a moving storyline.
Well Onome and Charles are now bedfellows, a fact he conveniently is keeping away from Jade and Kemi, for the time being. Jade on the other hand is deep in the throes of ‘New Girlfriend’ syndrome and for only God knows whatever reason, Jade shows up all dolled up to the office of his start up to ‘see’ him. When the receptionist rightfully asks her if she has an appointment, homegirl literally closes in on her and conspiratorially whispers “He doesn’t know I’m coming but I’m his ‘girlfriend’ so cut me some slack.”
Of course the receptionist makes her wait, like everybody else.
Meanwhile on OBFW Charles is at the office, chatting up Onome when his boss (yeah the asshole boss) shows up to inform him that contract that they were trying to win from the company that Onome worked for has paid for the contract in full, and even better, sent Charles’s a decent commission. That’s the same commission that Charles promise Onome in exchange for the opportunity to keep his job. The boss asks about Onome, raising all our red flags about their relationship, because the showrunners behind OBFW don’t believe at all in subtlety. Charles pretends not to know where she is. Will this end well?
Afrer allowing Jade dry out in the reception waiting room Tunde’s ‘efficient’ assistant shows up, on her way to run an errand. She stops to ask Jade if she can be of help, and Jade rudely asks if she is Tunde’s PA. Tolu, la P.A. says she is happy to hear any feedback on her work since Tunde apparently never tells her anything and ‘pulls some strings’ to get Jade past the receptionist. Jade of the big head with her visitor tag in tow literally barges into Tunde’s office to meet him in the middle of a work meeting.
Hasn’t this idiot girl ever heard of knocking?
Anyhow sha Tunde comes out and tears into her, dragging her thoroughly and suggesting that she attend to her ‘busy life’ that she wont let us hear word about. She flees the office and slams the visitor pass on the receptionist desk to the laughs to Tolu le P.A. Talk about Karma.
Jade predictably returns to Kemi (who also supposedly has a busy life but seems to always be at home) to complain about Tunde. Tunde calls at about the same time as Charles and since Jade is undecided about baby boy, Kemi takes Charles’s call instead. It turns out that Charles has been doing some baby girl elimination of his own and now there are only two women left on his ‘find me a wife’ master list; Bukola and Eyang.
Bukola gets literally two minutes of screen time where all they iterate to us is that she is the ‘Materialistic girl’ stereotype. Like she literally asks Charles to buy her a boat and points to one that is sitting on the Marina. I didn’t even bother, just hit the skip button till the scene was done. Awon OBFW WYD?
The OBFW episode finale scene returns to Onome, who has only seconds long cameos all episodes. She is in a cab on the island and ends up at the Maison Farenheit, where she meets up with no one else but Charles’s boss. The whole commission scam is apparently his idea. It was an interesting twist, but not all that surprising. I’m at that point where I just want them to finish everything.
I have gone through the comments and I keep seeing Wale Adetula (showrunner) and Oreka explaining away that the episodes are as short as they are because they are trying to save our ‘data’. Well I call bullshit. We have explained severally that the short episodes aren’t doing anything for the show or us the audience and I for one, am getting really tired of watching two second vignettes that are supposed to pass for character exposition.
Masterclass West Africa, a satellite masterclass of the World Press Photo Foundation sought out to create a workshop for emerging visual journalists to work with masters of photography and hone their skills. This year’s edition held in Ghana over a 5-day extensive training for 12 of the region’s most talented emerging visual journalists. Following the end of the program last weekend, the participants shared some photographs from their ongoing projects.
The show of affluence has also been a prominent part of the hip-hop culture and this is why Chi Modu’s ability to capture Hip-hop in its most relaxed, unpretentious element is phenomenal.
Born in Nigeria and raised in New Jersey, Modu was a young photographer whose parents had been part of the first wave of immigrants who moved due to a nearly two-year long Nigeria vs Biafra civil war that almost tore the country apart in the late 60s. As fate would have it, the rise of hip-hop came in the 80s and Modu was a twenty-something-year-old photographer who found himself surrounded by artists set to define hip-hop (probably unknown to him at the time). His greatest legacy till date is how he set out to capture the musicians in candid moments, revealing them as real persons instead of the one-dimensional celebrities.
Chi Modu started his career at The Source, the definitive magazine on hip-hop culture at the time and slowly rose the ranks to become director of photography in the ’90s. Over the long run of his career, he has gathered quite the impressive portfolio, chronicling the rise of hip-hop from a budding subculture in South Bronx to becoming one of the most pervasive music genres in the world. To highlight his impact, see some of his works below
His first shot of Tupac wasn’t exactly hitch-free. He revealed his equipment failed and he had to reschedule the shoot for the next day. Tupac invited him to his yard after the shoot and ended up taking pictures of him in his most relaxed state ; without his shirt on. He commented on the series of iconic photos, saying “The nice thing about having him shirtless or in a tank top is that it’s universal. It never gets dated. The pictures I took of him don’t look dated, because he could be wearing that same outfit today. I think leaning towards simplicity is leaning toward longevity. I never wanted to be that hot photographer, because I always knew that was fleeting.” 20 years after his Tupac’s death, Chi released a book titled Uncategorized, a collection of unreleased snapshots of Tupac.
He also captured a few shots of Long Beach’s very own in the early days of his career. After flying out to meet Snoop Dogg and his crew (Death Row), he shot the album cover for DoggyStyle. In an interview with Complex Chi Modi says “As you know from his song “Deep Cover” 187 is police code for homicide. So Snoop and them knew about this sign and wanted to find it and take a photo. They told me about it and I was like “Let’s go!” And we caught that late afternoon California sun on his face.”
The man who took the only clear picture of Wu Tang’s ODB
His impressive catalogue also includes shots of the Wu-Tang clan before their prime. He revealed it was incredibly hard to pin down Ol’ Dirty Bastard, highlighting the late rapper’s inability to stick to time. While describing this shot, he explained he was to shoot a series of portraits for the Wu-Tang clan and make a nine-person grid. So he had them all stand in front of his camera one by one. He also made a remark about how rare it is to find a clear shot portrait of ODB. “That’s just a straight-up shot of ODB’s face, and there aren’t a whole lot of them. So I’m glad I have it.”
Also included on the inexhaustible list of hip-hop’s greats are Bad Boy, Common, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Wycleff Jean, Bone Thugz, The Hit Squad and much more.
In addition to The Source, his photos have graced the covers of Rolling Stone Magazine and Jazz Times, Chi will also be remembered for shooting iconic album covers for Snoop Dogg, Method Man, Mobb Deep, Mad Lion, and Christian McBride. His work has appeared in numerous exhibitions, including the Hutchins Gallery, Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville NJ, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn NY, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland OH.
March has already more than its fair share of interesting alternative events happening around the country and while we’ve left you in the dark for a bit as to where to go and what to do if the mainstream really isn’t your thing, we’re taking our L and fixing up.
The last time Adekunle Gold performed at Afropolitan Vibes, he was on his way to becoming the humongous pan-african superstar he is now. With an album and several successful hits behind him Adekunle Gold will be returning to Afropolitan Vibes as a far more experienced artist. Cynthia Morgan and wild child Tomi Thomas are also on the set list, and if that isn’t enough incentive to check it out, this is Afropolitan Vibes’s 4th anniversary. Four years bruh! It’s going down this friday.
Bantu Sessions.
Bantu Sessions is to Abuja what Afropolitan Vibes is to Lagos. Started by the Iwar brothers and the collective of artists, musicians and creators they’ve brought into their fold, the Bantu Sessions have hosted talent like Lindsey Abudei and Kyrian Asher and continues to introduce the Abuja crowd to new, unconventional music. Abuja folks, don’t say we didn’t do anything for you. The March Bantu sessions are happening on the 25th of March.
Find out About Flora Nwapa in Onyeka Nwelue’s documentary.
Heard the documentary has already screened in a number of places and it is screening again (for free, you cheapskates) this weekend at the IREP Docufest this Sunday at Freedom Park in Lagos Island. It’s about time someone started looking retrospectively at the lives of our great female writers and creatives, and it is important that a young filmmaker is the one taking on the project. Check it out, so at least next time you’re not just nodding enthusiastically next time someone brings Nwapa up.
There aren’t that many Nigerian artists whose music is a proper representation of the genre to which they swear alliegance. Perhaps the problem is that our music is largely driven by sonic trends and in-demand producers whose distinct styles lose and gain momentum. Having to depend on the whimsy of another person’s creativity can be a daunting thing. Thankfully, not every artist is subject to these conditions, some find a way to ensure their creative visions rise above any other external influences. Afro-fusion singer Cheso falls squarely in that category.
His new song ‘Feels’ which features emerging Rapper Bibo, has all the tropes of the genre, fela-esque electric and bass guitar runs, onomatopoeic scat adlibbing and a preference for pidgin. But that doesn’t mean Cheso is in anyway hindered by the decidedly African sound his music has, instead he uses it as fulcrum with which he swings contemporary elements into his orbit, creating pleasant music that is marketable on any continent. If there are any criticisms for ‘Feels’, they would be that the song themes are painfully familiar, the very tropes that every African artist returns to when they want instantly relatable content. Even the featured rapper Bibo, offer safe cookie cutter rap. Love songs should transcend familiar platitudes and the same retinue of rhymes.
British Nigerian singer Kemi Ade’s new song “Third” is quite simply neo soul greatness.
Repping South London and with pipes that instantly remind you of the neo-soul greats, India Arie, Jill Scott and Chantell Moore, Ade’s preoccupation with Afro-futurism helps separate her sound from the genre, and elevates her songwriting to reflect her personal experiences and beliefs. She’s already been cited by Complex and Fame for her first single ‘Then’ and her first EP ‘The Coffee Shop’ was an impressive showcase of her songwriting skills. Now she’s taking her sound back to its roots with her new single ‘Third’.
“Third” is as classic Neo-soul as they come at first, a heavy bass thumps, layered with bass and rhythm guitar licks and a synth piano, slinking across the notes. But Ade is well into the future as she puts her own metaphysical spin on the conventional love song, weaving in elements of a metaphorical third eye and a love so strong it connects her with a hitherto unknown spiritual sphere. Ade is so deft that ‘Third’ feels immersive, much shorter than it’s four minutes. It’s the kind of song that can only be really enjoyed on replay, as the soundtrack to your day.
Ade’s graciously allowed free downloads on her Soundcloud, don’t be a slacker, get to it right away.
DJ Spinall’s album from last year, Ten featured artists like Wande Coal, 2Face, Ice Prince and a host of others to make a ten track full-length sophomore project for the budding DJ. To cap his climb from last year, Spinall started this year with the video for his pre-released track with Niniola titled, “Ojukokoro”. “Olowo”, his latest single and video, features Wande Coal and Davido. The video is directed by Adams Gug who uses shots from DJ Spinall’s The Cap Tour around South Africa, the UK and America while Davido and Wande Coal are shot hanging out with sexy models.
After last year’s Disco Utopia EP, we couldn’t wait to see what else Zambian-born South African rapper, PatrickxxLee had in the bag. The video for “Dark Paradise” off the EP is a smokey representation of the rapper’s description of his psychedelic and mildly violent lifestyle. It’s a bit heavy on the use of kaleidoscopic effects but there’s nothing wrong with a fun experimentation with dark lit rooms and mirrors.
Patience – Ray Blk
Ray Blk’s “Patience” was first released as a freestyle earlier this year. It’s accompanying video is a series of panned shots inside a salon. The video showcases black women and black hair while drawing on a the nostalgia of 80’s cinematography with a faded hue.
Smile For Me – Simi
The trip back in time is slowly becoming a norm for alternative artists in Nigeria. Asa’s “Be My Man” and Bez’s “You Suppose Know” have retro-themed videos and Clarence A Peters delivers another nostalgic video for Simi’s “Smile For Me”. The video is set in a time where record players and bicycles are still relevant. Simi has to depend on the little clues left behind by her lover to find the romantic surprise he has prepared for her in this romantic video where she also can’t seem to stop blushing.
You Suppose Know – (feat. Yemi Alade) Bez
Clarence A Peters’s visual company, Capital Dreams Pictures turn Bez and Yemi Alade’s love duet into a nightclub scene from the 80’s where shiny clothes, thick frames and telephones with rotary dials are the cool gears. Bez features Yemi Alade for “You Suppose Know”. Theyboth sing about removing any doubts from the mind of their lovers concerning their feelings. The retro theme is a bit overdone but if anyone can pull off an Afropunk 80’s, look it’s Bez and Yemi Alade.
Lavender – Snoop Dogg
Only few rappers can release a music video and get a response tweet from the leader of the free world. Snoop Dogg’s satirical video for his latest single “Lavender”, is a rework of BADBADNOTGOOD’s song with the same title. The video is set in a universe filled with clowns. One of the scenes in the short clip features a clown dressed as Donald Trump clown getting shot with a prank gun. As it is with the reaction of the American presidency to a lot of things, Donald Trump was quick to twitter finger a diss in response saying the veteran rapper’s career is failing.
Very few things will fleet into mind like DaGrin’s death and the dark mask of sticky glum that fell upon the country on Saturday, April 22, 2010. Did Nigeria just lose the only hope for music from the gritty underground slums? Who would take the place of a man who held a torch for hip-hop so bright, many of his fans didn’t care what language he spoke? How does a man even die at the edge of his peak with nothing but greatness behind him?
The answers came in the following months.
An underground rapper called Olamide had been silently but effectively widening margins of a cult-like support growing solely via Bluetooth shares and word of mouth. By the close of that year, Olamide came out of relative obscurity through an accompanying video for “Eni Duro”, a cheeky street freestyle so phenomenal, it crawled out of the underground into the ears of 9ice collaborator, ID Cabasa, who took him in. Olamide signed a contract with Cabasa’s CodedTunes, and the duo worked together on his debut album, Rapsodi.
Olamide’s rise over the years has been incremental. Before the release of his sophomore album YBNL Yahoo Boy No Laptop, Olamide took his matters into his own hands. He left the cradle of CodedTunes, opting to work with a handful of relatively unknown producers and rappers for what became YBNL, and the official statement for the birth of his own independent label. This culminated the success of Olamide’s Baddest Guy Ever Liveth years, with the success of singles like “Durosoke” and “Turn Up”, being the height of his success.
Though NBC bans limited the success of some singles off Olamide’s next album Street OT , he had earmarked his presence enough to also benefit from the digital streaming and distribution age. Olamide the rapper and hustler, forged ahead a few months later with the release of two projects: His collaboration project with Phyno, 2Kings, and Eyan Mayweather , the album that solidified the success of 2015’s “Bobo” expanded Olamide’s career with new possibilities. From literally sold-out bookings to back to back hits, released in an attention deficient manner only comparable to Drake. But in a similarly Drake-like manner, his transcendence is tainted by a dedication to making pop music.
There has long been a debate about where pop music stands with hip-hop, but artists retain the free will to make whatever kind of music they need to make. Afterall, one can argue that Olamide is both a man and a hustler, who is to say he can’t pursue his dreams anyway he deems fit. The only flaw here is that Olamide rose to the top with the weight of DaGrin’s street legacy on his shoulders and pop music is not exactly what it stood for.
A bigger thorn in Olamide’s pop career, however, is the inability to craft a classic album. As it is with pop music of any subgenre in the world, none of Olamide’s seven studio albums have managed to maintain post-release relevance beyond a few weeks. The inherent oddity of this is highlighted when you realise that despite Olamide’s never ending reign, DaGrin’s CEO is still the only worthy reference for a good Yoruba rap album.
Baddoo’s save, however, is that he is a hustler and a dogged fighter first, then a rapper second. His decision to unwittingly score the most amount of single hits possible may forfeit his future relevance as an artist, but history will be kind to remember how he gave us the next generation of home brewed artists by investing smartly in Lil Kesh, Adekunle Gold, Chinko Ekun and Viktoh. It may be forever debatable that Olamide is the greatest Yoruba rapper to ever do it, but it will never be a question of his eye for talent, a quality many who have railed on his pop music formula often fail to mention.
Perhaps the most disappointed people will be old hip-hop heads who still don’t know how to let go of DaGrin’s grime and sharp storytelling, but such comparisons need to be stayed. Olamide has established himself as his own kind of artist and this should be just as noteworthy. Classic album or not, if a man can single-handedly turn the industry on its head in his local dialect then revolutionise the sound of the street, we should take a cue and just leave all trash talk for LAWMA.
The first edition of ROG Music Africa is to hold on this weekend as ROGMA teams up with Escape Nightlife to ‘celebrate masterminds of contemporary Music. This edition will hold at the Escape Night Club, Victoria, Island with Jagz Nation President, Jesse Jagz as the headliner.
Jagz will be taking the stage after a self-imposed three-year album break to give a first public preview of his upcoming Odysseus album as well as a few of his previously released hit singles.
Odysseus is expected later this year as Jesse’s third full-length project. The album had been announced as part of the releases lined up for Chocolate City’s ‘Phase II’ campaign last year, but no there has been no word of it until now.
A preview at ROG Music’s “Take Off” night, will re-ignite fan hopes for a possible release in the coming months. Fingers crossed.
YCEE is on his first international tour and during his stop in the UK, the rapper co-hosted the BBC Radio 1Xtra with DJ Edu where he freestyled on Runtown’s “Mad Over you”. The rapper is still making radio rounds, and his latest stop was at British radio DJ, Tim Westwood’s Crib Sessions.
Donning a Super Eagles jersey, YCEE gave insightful interview where he talks the idea behind “Omo Alaji” video and the funny shot in the clip involving a memory card many have disputed as a condom. Other topics YCEE bantered with Westwood included the Lagos struggle and how his rise to fame has impacted his life.
As is the tradition, Nigerian rapper was given the opportunity to spit on the mic and he did just that over xxxTENTACION’s “Look At Me” instrumentals.
There is a renaissance of contemporary spirituality. Spirituality outside of the conventional Christian and Muslim religions enforced violently through campaigns and crusades and offered as way of conforming to a changing world has never stopped existing, but it has hidden or mutated into shroud itself with culturally acceptable veneers, like the Santeria of Cuba and North America. But as millennial youth grapple with the inconsistencies of conventional religion and find them wanting, they are making their way back to a spirituality which does not acquiesce to one divinity, but rather cobbles one’s own beliefs from personal convictions and epiphanies.
This spirituality is finding its way into the creative work of young Africans, as metaphors in their fashion, and themes in their music and films. Mami Wata is once again celebrated, Orisas are super heroes, and water, once feared for its wildness and its ability to take a man’s soul is being explored again with the reverence it demands.
Ghanaian singer/songwriter Sutra, partners with film maker Edem Dotse to create #W, a short film for songs off her songs ‘Waves’ and ‘In the Water’ from her mixtape The Art of Being, using water as a multiple metaphor for cleansing, healing, reincarnation and faith. Shot in Legon’s Botanical Gardens and following in the path worn by fellow Ghanaian immigrant creator Blitz Da Ambassador, Sutra weaves a magical tale of a woman torn from familiar lands and thrust into an unforeseen situation, she grapples with dissociation and longing for her home, but grows to find identity in her new land. It probably draws from Sutra’s own experiences as an immigrant and how her travels have shaped her connection to Ghana, her home country.
Edetso and Sutra uses the Legon Botanical Gardens as a frame for some gorgeous shots and the video itself is ethereal, and its story important.
Some will draw associations between #W and Beyonce’s Opus, Lemonade, and that would be doing it a disservice. Sutra is a storyteller and the place from which she speaks is entirely her own.
MichStraaw must be tired of people being genuinely surprised that he’s only been a professional musician for a year. Few new age musicians have the kind of stage presence and artistry that Mich Straaw has shown or the enthusiasm with which he has embraced performing live, doing a number of small intimate shows across Lagos, earning his fan base one heartfelt performance at a time. It is even more impressive that Straaw only has one official single to ‘Yours Sincerely’ and performs a set list of self written but unreleased songs, and hardly ever leans on covers from other more established musicians. He’s the real deal, with dedication to the craft and respect for the listener.
But he’s changing that little bit about having just one single by releasing his second “CTRL”. Did your mind immediately travel to American singer SZA? That puts him in good company. He uses the voicemail intro, a trick she employs to set the scene for the song’s themes, drawing us in before the music drops. CTRL is heavy on the self introspection and a willingness to explore male sexuality and vulnerability around the kind of woman that inspires a man to ‘chase’. 90’s inspired synth chords hum like a carpet of sound, with simple 808 loops chasing light piano runs while Straaw switches between lush vocals and a throaty 16 bars, as he boasts about his prowess and her hesitance to give in to him.
There’s never any urgency, and there needn’t be, Mich Straaw is in control on every note, and he knows it.
Really great things are coming out of the Nigerian short film genre. Perhaps because there is less pressure to recoup financial investments and there is a higher standard for personal excellence among amateur film makers, short films out of Nigeria tend to impress and tell the important stories in ways that conventional film hasn’t quite managed. There was the excellent Bariga Sugarand subversive Rahman and the exultant Monochrome, all diverse short films that touch on black identity in vastly different ways. Now you can add to 2016’s great offerings, the short film ‘Honey’.
Right off the bat Honey is not your conventional short film. For one, the director Olu Yomi Ososanya forgoes dialogue entirely in the short film, trusting that his lead Jennifer Nneoma Onwuegbwu will carry the film based on the force of her personality and through nuanced method acting. Onwuegbu succeeds, and the film, at a modest five minutes, is one you’ll be hard pressed to look away from.
The premise is simple at first, our lead, is part of a network of high prospect sex workers, at the very heart of a complicated system of pimps and agents and long term johns. You are not sure if she is merely a victim or a willing participant in the exploitation of her body. But then you find out it is more complicated than that, as all situations involving young women with personal agency are. There are no obvious tells, no signs pointing you to the film’s message, you have to parse it all yourself.
Ososanya, who has written for more overt shows like Africa Magic’s The Johnsons is flexing his screen writing and directing chops with Honey, and it is a great case for why he should be given the adequate funds to the make the kinds of independent art films he so clearly is born to make.
South African rapper, Reason released his GIRLS album on the 10th of March to celebrate the International Women’s week. He has described the album as a concept album that shows him reinventing his image from being a flame spitting rapper looking for someone to murder on his track to a more laid back rap artist. GIRLS contains 12 tracks including his late 2016 single “All The Time” featuring Gemini Major.
“All The Time” is a perfect mix of a turn-up song and rap. Both rappers make good use of the bouncy fast paced beats and rap with lyrical poise despite the beat’s catchy dance rhythm.
“All The Time” is directed by Studio Space Productions who turned out a very impressive use of greenroom technology. The video features dim lights, Reason, Gemini, a model and just the right amount of geometric transition for a trippy effect
Watch the video for Reason and Gemini’s “All The Time” here.
