Near-legendary singer 2Baba, is calling for Nigerians to take to the streets on February 5th, 2017 for a Nationwide protest. 2Baba, made a lengthy rant post on his Instagram this morning rebuking all the arms of government, demanding answers for why a variant of social issues still persist in Nigeria despite a change of government.
It is unclear if 2Baba was spurred by the series of social justice protests that have taken place all over the world recently, but we all know he has always been vocal about his opinion on society.
Besides, the lifespan of every career is characterised by different phases. For a man like 2face who has crossed all the milestones and set all the landmarks needed to leave a lasting imprint on the industry in his younger years, edging towards a politically vocal mid-life, makes perfect sense even though his intent seems skewered by perspective (I mean, we all heard about the cars and gift monies he got from a state Governor for his wedding).
Still, it may be childish to underestimate the power of a single voice in sparking real radical change. I’m just sipping tea, looking forward to 5th of February to see what happens. And if I’m permitted to dream, I am also looking forward to a free performance at the eventual rally and the release of a truly classic album.
Rapper AT, hit another year mark today and to celebrate her birthday, the rapper released visuals for a freestyle of Drake’s “10 Bands” instrumentation titled, “Call Me”.
With the industry finally shifting its ears to more mainstream sounds, AT is doubling up efforts to remain on our playlists. Two days ago, she released a heavy new single, “No Way Around That” via her SoundCloud, a follow-up appearance to her collaboration with BankyOnDBeatz for “Pensive “ earlier this year.
For “Call Me”, AT keeps it simple with clips of her in open woods edited on greyscale with a soft hazy blur. The execution is not without flaws, but it works perfectly for what it was intended.
A few weeks ago, Verge ran an article about a trend of surreal humour videos that require hours of physical work to create. These viral clips reveled in inherent oddity of concept; from skewered vocals layered over fx to shock art imagery animated into one hilarious mess.
Elsewhere, Young Thug’s label released an unusual music video for “Wyclef Jean” off his already controversial Jeffery mixtape. For starters Young Thug never actually showed up for the video shoot. After apparently demanding to be made co-director and giving a series of bizarre suggestions for a set design, he simply refused to go in front of a camera because his Instagram page was “hacked”. According to filmmaker Ryan Staake, despite the nightmarish shoot, Thugger’s label decided to put the video out anyway with a last-minute narrative tied to the rapper’s absence.
Odd as it that Thug didn’t show up to shoot a video he supposedly co-directed, it is easy to sweep under the carpet heap of all the times celebrities have done outrageous shit. What nobody—even director, Ryan Staake—anticipated was positive responses it received and instant sensation it became upon release.
Trolls will be trolls, but for “Wyclef Jean”, there seems to be a genuine internet-wide acceptance of its direction and execution. Words like “creative” and “ingenious” were thrown around on social media and over the weekend, Noisey UK tagged it an early contender for video of the year. And they just may be onto something.
On the surface, the video for “Wyclef Jean” highlights a crass celebrity culture in an age of self-publishing and social media boosted self-esteem. The eventual release of the video in itself is a triumph for the often underappreciated hands that work behind the scenes to make these new-age idols look worthy of worship. But looking beyond the narrative and the message it carries, a gaping hole of actual conceptualization still exists and the question of how absurdities like this one have become critical and commercial successes remains unanswered.
The lewd infinitely dark and bizzare underbelly of the internet has existed since the beginning of time itself; from dedicated goth-Satanist pseudo-S&M forums to websites where users masturbate while getting auto-erotically asphyxiated on live cam. Much of the mainstream web has run parallel of the internet’s shady corners, but the increasing impact of social media on our everyday lives has allowed some of these sub-cultures seep into creative media. Often, this is a direct implication of artistic desire to stand out from the crowd and (or) the obsessive need to be the topic of conversation by raising the bar for controversy. This is the world we live in now.
“Weird is the new cool” – unknown
Last year, the widely accepted notion that Nigeria is a ‘conservative’ society was unintentionally debunked by a social media that allowed Pretty Mike, Bobrisky and their half-done clones rise to fame for simply existing on the same interweb, with normal people. They way I see it, we’re in the end of days (or beginning of it, depending on where you stand) for what’s real and what’s not. What is deemed as popular is becoming stranger, the resistance for sanity has fallen and the trolls have won.
The other way to look at this, however, is to allude the growth of troll culture to how performance art morphed from being a running joke of the art world to becoming a respected craft exhibited in theatre, music and dance. Who knows, there just may be a final thesis on Young Thug’s dresses of many colours waiting to be written many years from now. In the meantime though, you probably should stop feeding your neighbourhood troll all those retweets and comments.
The 89th Oscar Academy Awards nominees have just been announced and we can not be more excited about this. The movies last year had superb Original Soundtracks and we’ve all been rooting for our favourites to get nominated. On the list of nominees for Music (Original Song), we have:
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from La La Land
Emma Stone truly captured the life of struggling artists in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts (Read Lagos. And Los Angeles). This musical explores the joy and pain of going after your dreams especially when everything seems to go awry. The score was composed by Justin Hurwitz and written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
“Can’t Stop The Feeling” from Trolls
This ultimate feel-good song by Justin Timberlake was also nominated for the Academy Award. It’s hard to fight the feeling to bust a move when this song comes on. Although Justin Timberlake has won several Grammies, this is his first Academy Award nomination. It’s a first for Maxin Martin and Karl Johan Schuster–the other contributors, too.
“City Of Stars” from La La Land
Back on this list is another song from La La Land. “City of Stars” captures the story of a glittering ideal Ryan Gosling (and every other struggling artist) is trying to reach. Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul put the song together and made a masterpiece.
“The Empty Chair” from Jim: The James Foley Story
This sober song drove the message of longing and self-awareness far deep into our hearts. Sting’s vocals combined with J. Ralph’s songwriting skills made this perfect Academy Award nomination-worthy song. This is the 3rd Academy Award nomination for J. Ralph and the fourth for Sting.
“How Far I’ll Go” from Moana
This song about longing for the forbidden struck a chord with us and apparently, it did with the selection board at the Oscars. This beautiful song was originally by sung by Auli’i Cravalho and was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Alessia Cara also made a cover of this song and we love it too.
The 89th Academy Awards will take place on February 26th.
The 2017 Oscars nominations just got announced and I have never been more in my feels. After the outrage and backlash over the best actor and actress nominations at the 2016 Oscars and the #OscarsSoWhite campaign that followed, not only did more films with central black characters and ensemble black casts get made, we also saw some of our favorite black actors give the performances of their lives. And this year’s nominations recognized that, by God they did. From Barry Bandry’s Moonlight and Denzel Washington’s Fences, to Hidden Figures, Loving and surprisingly Arrival. These are all the nominees we’re rooting for.
Ruth Negga
Most people know Ruth Negga from her phenomenal role in AMC’s Preacher, but Negga is as versatile as she is talented. In Loving she brings to life the controversial story of Mildred Loving, the face of the fight to legalize interracial marriage. Negga is almost avian in the film, head slightly cocked, taking the world at angle. She is mesmerizing to watch in the film and I’m glad that she at least gets the recognition even though the film itself was snubbed.
Viola Davis
With this Viola Davis becomes the most nominated black actress in history, amazing considering she started her career on the wide screen in her forties. Fences was a film with an ensemble cast giving some of the best performances we’ll see in a long time, but Viola as Rose Maxson was pure lightning. All I had to see was one minute of the trailer for this film to know that no one else was winning that Oscar. Go home folks, Viola has it in the bag.
Mahershala Ali
Mahershala Ali has come a long way from his beginning as teenager converting to Islam in New York. After a decade as a comedian and actor and several powerful roles, joining the cast of Netflix’s House of Cards legitimized him as a bankable actor and gave him the freedom to choose the roles he wants. After a great year that includes another role as the unforgettable Cottonmouth in Netflix’s Luke Cage adaptation, and supporting roles in oscar nominated films Hidden Figures and Moonlight (for which he is nominated) Ali might be the first openly black Muslim American actor to win an Oscar, important in these volatile times.
Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer suffered the sophomore curse after winning her first Oscar for her supporting role on The Help (Emma Stone who got her second nomination for La La Land was lead on that film) and segued into television for a season of Red Band Society. Hidden Figures marks her triumphant return to the big screen, telling the important story of the black women who sent the first man to space. Alongside Taraji P Henson (who was cheated out of a nomination, I love Meryl Streep but goddamn) and Janelle Monae (who has become this year’s acting revelation) Spencer delivered a stellar role. Glad to see her recognized for it, sad that its the year where Viola is definitely going to win.
Naomie Harris
It’s near impossible to tell that Naomie Harris is British the first time she comes on screen in Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight. Harris completely inhabits the role of a drug addled, slurring southside mother set adrift by her addiction, unable to care for her struggling child. Harris shot the entire thing in less than a week, between shooting for the bond film Quantum of Solace and man is it a masterful performance. I want everyone in Moonlight to win everything, so I’m stoked, STOKED to see her performance didn’t fall through the cracks.
Denzel Washington
If there’s any justice in the world, Denzel will win this and tie with Daniel Day Lewis as one of the best actors in the world. Casey Affleck’s rape charge has seriously dented his chances of winning this so Denzel better come through yo and tie that record.
Barry Jenkins
There have been so many think pieces and interviews on Barry Jenkins that I practically feel like I know him. But all words pale in comparison to a scene in Jenkin’s auto-fictive Moonlight. adapting the work of critically acclaimed playwright Tarell Alvin Craney’s In The Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. Through music that applies contemporary hip-hop production techniques to classical music, gorgeously sparse sets and deliberate colour schemes and superb acting from Ali, Naome and veteran Andre Holland, Jenkins creates one of the most beautiful pieces of black cinema. Moonlight should win everything if there is any justice in the world.
Dev Patel
Dev Patel got thrust into the limelight with Slumdog Millionaire, British filmmaker Danny Boyle’s oscars winning Opus. It was the kind of film that was so stereotypically Indian that it took a few years for Dev Patel to shake off the stereotypical roles that were offered to him and prove himself as an actor in any capacity. So when he returns as a supporting actor in 2016’s adaptation of Lion, he does so on his own terms, fully inhabiting the role and forcing us to consider questions of identity and the far reaching effects of migration. He might not win, but it is great to see him finally recognized at the Oscars as an actor in his own right.
Ava Duvernay
After the oscars snub for Selma, Ava Duvernay has gone on to produce critically acclaimed tv series Queen Sugar and the documentary 13th for which she has been nominated for her second Oscar. 13th which looks closely at the United States’ Thirteen Amendment and how it skewers in against African Americans, increasing conviction and incarceration rates. It is an important film in light of Trump’s America and deserves to win an Oscar for the important work it shows, and also as a salve for that Selma snub. Fix up Academy.
Bradford Young
Now Bradford Young’s nomination for Best Cinematography is especially important to us at Native because of how much he has done to promote films that specifically tell Nigerian stories. His first film was 2011’s Pariah with Adepero Oduye and 2013’s gorgeously shot Mother Of George that explores Nigerian values around marriage, ethnicity and fertility. Arrival sees him finally get recognized on the highest of stages, and with all the snubs that the film received (they replaced Amy Adams with Meryl Streep, Ugh!) it would be fantastic to see Young win. We are all rooting for him.
Riding the buzz of last year right into this one, Naomi Zeichner of The FADER spoke to Migos about their hunger for recognition and being a definitive voice for the younger generation. During the interview, they explained their close bond as a family and how the attention from the media could be distracting even when it’s positive.
Migos were vocal about their influence on popular culture, using the widespread use of “The Dab” and “Bad and Boujee” as examples of their impact on a wider audience. Takeoff said:
“All the groundwork we put in added up to people finally putting their eyes on us. We’ve been putting out hits. It’s been like “Bad and Boujee.” But the attention wasn’t focused on us how it is now. Now, they actually opening up their ears. The girls, they was on fleek. But now the girls feel like they’re bad and boujee.”
After the much publicised performance clip from their headline show in Lagos, the Atlanta trio also spoke about the reception they received, and touched on the stereotype that Africa as a continent may not be culturally and musically exposed. Quavo explained:
“That was our first time ever being in Africa. The red carpet they laid out for us while we was out there — they showed us so much love, it felt like we were still in the States. They know music, they know our songs, and they’re hip to what’s going on. It’s not like they behind or anything.”
Migos went on to discuss the making of “Bad and Boujee”, their individuality and their short term gratification from awards and plaques.
One of the pleasant surprises from the 2016 Lagos Fashion and Design Week was the return of Elite Model Look Nigeria winner and budding international model Mayowa Nicholas to Nigerian runways. Walking for select designers alongside home favorite Uju Marshall Nwobodo, Nicholas proved over and over why the international fashion world was so in love with her. We were sated with having her walk for home grown brands but it turns out she still had one more ace up her sleeve. Irene Ojo Felix of international e-zine Models Dot teamed up with Nigerian photographer Lakin Ogunbanwo and both models to create a lush editorial of the most interesting looks from the Spring Summer 17 showcase.
Shooting at luxury retail store Alara Lagos, Ojo-Felix taps old faithfuls Lisa Folawiyo, Lanre Da-Silva, Washington Roberts, Tsemaye Binitie, Loza Maleombho and Bridget Awosika beside alt labels Kenneth Ize, Re Lagos, IAMISIGO, Ladunni Lambo, Rayo by BLS, Nkwo and Grey Projects. The styling is edgy but wearable, the models resplendent in the Lagos sunset, and the clothes world class. Ogunbanwo even abandons his signature minimalist aesthetic of bare walls and heavy staging for a more organic feel, allowing the models a certain ease. Each shot feels like you could just walk into the frame and share a glass of wine with them.
I’m particularly stoked to see Uju finally getting international attention, for years she’s stood heads and shoulders above everyone else, walking a record number of shows each season and inspiring a new generation of girls each season. Holding her own beside Nicholas was a walk in the park.
Top – Sophie Zinga, Pants – Bridget Awosika, Left earring – Tsemaye Binitie, Right earring – Orange Culture
Dress (worn underneath) – Washington Roberts, Dress – Nkwo, Bag – Lolita Lorenzo (from OXOSI)
Mayowa: Striped Tunic – Kenneth Ize, Top – Tsemaye Binitie, Skirt – Bridget Awosika, Choker (work as bracelet) – Loza Maleombho, Hat – Ugo Mozie (from OXOSI) Uju: Shirt (worn on top) – Nkwo, Top – Re’, Skirt – Tsemaye Binitie, Box clutch – Zashadu, (from OXOSI), Hat – Ugo Mozie (from OXOSI)
Hat – Orange Culture, Top – I.Am.Isigo, Jumpsuit (worn underneath) – Re’
Indie artist BOJ is starting 2017 making a play for the mainstream with his first single for the year “Wait A Minute” with a feature by YBNL boss Olamide. “Wait A Minute” marks a definite shift from the stream of independent singles the rapper released last year, each one featuring an underground or indie rapper or singer.
The new single is produced by Magik and already has a video, shot and directed by Moe Musa, in line with BOJ’s digital media roll out. BOJ doesn’t really step out of what we already know him for, neither does Olamide but together they prove a pleasant listen.
2016 was the kind of year where we sorely needed protest music. We needed someone with the fervor of Fela, the angst of African China, the rage of Eedris Abdulkareem to document our fear and disappointment at the government we’d democratically elected into power. We needed protest music we could march to, songs that we could weep to, proclamations of hope that to which we could dance and sweat away our worries. But no one would step to the plate, forgo a cushy cheque and a couple of island gigs. It was so bad that there wasn’t a single protest song recorded by a high profile Nigerian musician in 2016. This is why it’s amazing that our spoken word artists are taking charge and filling the void. None quite like Titilope Sonuga.
As far Nigerian spoken word poets go, there are few as accomplished as Titi Sonuga. The unique honour of being the only poet to perform at presidential inauguration, invited to speak at TEDx Edmonton, international awards for poetry in Canada and Nigeria and an ambassador for ‘She Will Connect’, Intel Nigeria’s female empowerment CSR scheme are just notches on a tableau of achievements that are pages deep. But Titi really comes alive when she performs, and she finds opportunities to do it often. At the Ake Festival, where I first saw her take a stage in person, she wove stories of the girls and women, speaking for their rights, telling of their inner lives, issuing the challenge that we see them as more than the two dimensional stereotypes we are taught to believe.
But her poetry isn’t limited to women’s issues. On Icarus, recorded for Badilisha poetry, she immortalizes the victims of Nigeria’s litany of airplane disasters, asking that we remember them, asking that we don’t become complacent and look away while incompetence continues to take lives. She reminds us one day it will be us, in those seats. A protest call, if I ever heard one.
Here are few more of her more popular poems.
On I AM, she traces her roots, celebrating them in the face of her status as an immigrant in Canada.
Her TEDx talk, Speaking Into The Void chronicles her history as a poet and how it has changed her life.
And of course, a medley of poems from a poetry festival in Calgary.
There are voids to fill, and Titi is speaking into them, one heart wrenching poem as a time.
Edwin eats his rice and cabbages. Tweet at him@edgothboy
With Tiwa Savage distracted by motherhood and Yemi Alade too cautious to rattle her current fan base with the fact that she has sexual urges, we’ve been starved for a new pop princess in control of her sound and her image and unafraid to embrace her sexuality. Turns out Ezi Emela is the girl we’ve been waiting for.
The first time most people came in contact with British Nigerian singer Ezi Emela, it was on her official debut single under her new label All About the Melody, No Lele and the video put out to promote it. It was obvious that Ezi was literally dripping sex appeal, but the business of the instrumental and the lack of a discernable hook all but ensured that the song made little headway, . It was the kind of first misstep that ends other careers, but Ezi had other ideas.
She went underground and refocused, collaborating with British producer P2J. Together they streamlined her sound, tuning out all the extraneous noise. Stripping down the sex pot vibe she’d played around with on No Lele, Chineke Meh’s premise is simple, a woman in control of her sexuality and unafraid to speak on it. Braggy lyrics about sexual prowess are something we’ve come to expect from male singers, but to hear it from a relatively new artist is refreshing.
There is never a point in the song where Ezi is not in control as she rides the synth heavy afro-trap wave turned mainstream by Drake and Wizkid and hopped on by everyone from Davido to Yemi Alade, peppering the song’s trap break down with sultry adlibs. What really sells Chineke Meh is that chorus, layered in places for effect and never not sexy.
Who ever it is that crowns Nigeria’s pop princesses needs to get it right away because Ezi Emela is READY!
Maleek Berry’s Last Daze Of Summer EP as a whole may have snaked through many playlists mostly unnoticed last year, but fans will not forget “Kontrol”, a Spotify-chart topping hit off the tape that literally came out of nowhere. As with “Kontrol”‘s pastel-colour themed video, Maleek returns with a chromatic tint and fun animations for “Eko-Miami”—,another highlight from an EP that deserves a lot more credit than we all like to admit.
“Eko Miami” is directed by Tshiz Nelson and it features British rapper Geko. Watch the official video below.
The world saw an unprecedented number of women from all races and sexualities over unite to protest injustice and fight for their rights and liberties 2 days ago. Different women used different mediums; many held up signs, some chanted, some made remixes of popular songs and others sang. Among these singers, one anthem stood out- “Quiet”. A video recording of this song went viral when MILCK, a Chinese-American singer performed this song acapella with a group of other singers at the Women’s March in Washington.
MILCK said that she wrote this song as a way to heal from battling physical and sexual abuse, as well as depression and anorexia. She thought the song would resonate with listeners as most women were hurt with Trump’s election and she felt the song would convey the true emotions behind the march.
“Then I thought it would be really powerful if there was a group of women singing it together.” She said in an interview.
She reached out to several people and quickly heard back from a cluster of singers from different cities, including DC, Los Angeles, and New York, who were going to the Women’s March main protest in Washington DC. They practiced online through Skype and only met in person two days before the march. Even in the face of possible missteps that could make everything fall apart, everything came together when she started performing with the choir behind her.
Alma Har’el, a Los Angeles-based director who happened to come across the group as she was trying to leave a crowded spot, posted the video that went viral. When she was interviewed about the video, she said her phone had died hours before, but miraculously turned on when she heard the women singing.
“I started filming and I was just standing there crying, I couldn’t stop… It’s beautiful, the sentiment of the song aligns with what so many people have been feeling for years, but especially during this election,” Har’el said. “The most important thing for [the Trump administration] to realize is that we’re not going to go away and we’re not going to keep quiet.”
This video caused such a stir that choir groups in Australia and Belgium started sending in requests to perform the song. MILCK has said she is getting ready to post the lyrics and recordings online for others to use. She also decided to join forces with director and editor, Sammi Cohen to create the music video for “Quiet”.
Whether this is a perfectly executed well-timed promotion for MILCK or purely coincidental, this new resistance anthem could not have come at a better time.
If you believe that people above twelve who watch cartoons are immature and need to grow up, this post is not for you. But If you’re into absurd misadventures with good plots and surprisingly complex characters, welcome to the dark side and we’ve got cookies. We’ve been trawling Tumblr theory sites and twitter threads and have made a compilation of the best and largest cartoon fandoms today.
Steven Universe
Steven Universe is one of the few cartoons that has found that sweet spot between massaging egos of adult audiences, yet managing to keep all the quirks that make it appropriate for younger viewers. The show’s creator, Rebecca Sugar used to write for Adventure Time and she was inspired by her brother Steven Sugar to create the show’s main character. Steven Universe pays homage to pubescent motions and early teenage angst, an important theme for everyone who wants to see the innocence of a coming of age story. If you need anymore incentive to get in on this show, you should know that Steven Universe’s voice cast includes British singer Estelle, and occasionally Nicki Minaj who voices Sugilite a special fusion gem character.
Adventure Time
Adventure Time is the story of an almost normal 13-year-old human boy named Finn, and his magical dog Jake (voiced by John Di Maggio). They live in the enchanted land of Ooo and have many strange adventures exploring dungeons, saving princesses (most commonly Princess Bubblegum of the Candy Kingdom)and meeting many strange inhabitants of the world, some friendlier than others. The plot sounds simple enough, but Adventure Time is one of the most surreal kid’s shows to come out of Cartoon Network for a long time. And we love every minute of it. On a side note, Marshall Lee is voiced by Donald Glover (Childish Gambino).
The Amazing World Of Gumball
Let’s face it, “Courage the Cowardly Dog” and “Cow and Chicken“ were probably the most terrifying and inappropriate shows on there that were supposedly made for kids. Luckily, they hit a goldmine with The Amazing world of Gumball, a surreal humour show centered on The Watterson Family. There is Richard, a Peter Griffin-esque character who is a stay-at-home dad with good intentions but little intellect. Nicole, his wife, is a workaholic mom with a short fuse who deeply loves her family. Gumball and Darwin are your average pre-teen boys who have all sorts of weird interests and misconceptions on girls, adults, and life in general. And their sister Anais who is a child prodigy at four years old. Together they get into all sorts of unbelievable situations around their house, school, or city in general.
https://youtu.be/XkEgUf-Sd00
Teen Titans GO
For clarification, Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go are different. For die-hard DC fans that grew up watching Spiderman, Teen Titans were the younger crew of Justice League. Like Batman but not quite. Teen Titans Go on the other hand compared to the original is super bright and colourful and not as serious. Teen Titans airing on Cartoon Network now wasn’t the one most people grew up with though the voice cast is the same. It’s about a group of young justice seekers, headed by Batman’s sidekick Robin. Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg are the other main characters.
Regular Show
Regular Show is centered around 23-year-old best friends, a bluebird and a raccoon who live and work in a park. They’re slackers who ignore their chores and the resulting consequences are grave.The characters, which are way more layered than the typical “trouble-makers” tropes that tend to appear in most of the animated shows from the recent years made them a whole lot more likable. Sure, the two main characters, Mordecai and Rigby, aren’t exactly role models, but they have many positive characteristics that make them more complex, instead of being one-dimensional stereotypes. That’s the greatest virtue from this series and something that makes this show pleasant, despite all the strangeness of it.
The second edition of the Big Brother Nigeria kicked off today to a social media frenzy always expected for the reality TV franchise and Twitter has already crowned a winner.
With a cash prize of N25 million, this season of Big Brother will see twelve contestants live out 90-days under the same roof while dramatising their lives on screen and plotting shenanigans to get each other evicted. Usually, the hotties are the first eye-catchers for every season, but this year social media has triumphed again as it would appear the entire internet is already rooting for viral comedienne Bisola.
Bisola, started off by participating in the first season of Project Fame West Africa in 2008 before she began appearing in small comic roles for independent Nollywood productions. But the young actress didn’t hit limelight until her funny shorts on Instagram on Twitter made her viral sensation, eventually landing her a role as a supporting cast on NdaniTV’s acclaimed webseries, ‘Skinny Girl In Transit’.
The Big Brother house may have unveiled eleven other contestants—none of whom seem honestly, truly very interesting—but Twitter has already crowned Bisola winner. There are 90 more days to go and we hope the young actress can live up to expectations from fans who by default already expect her to bring her slapstick humor and all-round realness to the Big Brother house.
Read tweet-reactions to her unveil below.
Omg!!!! Bisola is in the house yay!!!!!!!! #BBNaija
2Chainz has finally linked up with Gucci Mane and Quavo to give us the music video to one of the best songs of last year, “Good Drank”. The Mike Dean produced single off Hibachi For Lunch saw three of the most consistent artists of 2016 trade bars for the first time, and the video doesn’t disappoint. The black and white video takes us back to a simpler time where a great suit isn’t complete without matching suspenders. Vintage cars, illuminated purp, phenomenally dressed women and a fire Quavo hook. What more could you ask for?
Tonight we watched Trump’s inauguration and it felt like watching an accident happen in slow motion. Like most socially aware people, we’ve imagined the worst but fortunately, there’s more to the future than bad news. For Tunji Ige, the future holds more creative ideas waiting to be tapped. Last year’s EP, Missed Calls gave us a hint of his playful, exciting sound and saw him recognized as one of the most inventive young producers in Hip hop right now.
His new video “Why Don’t You?” directed by longtime collaborator Glassface, juxtaposes the imagery we’ve come to expect from contemporary R&B and hip-hop videos with footage from contemporary America; anti-Trump graffiti, violent policemen, women with bubble butts, a guy in a gas mask throwing money, while Tunji questions the place of the artist as a voice for social change. His video is heavy on contradictions and when he was asked about it, he explained:
“I want to give the people what they want and show them what’s really going on. My reality of being an artist in an age where you’re more bound to win with streams and viral parodies, click bait to distract from the message at hand. Especially within my beloved genre of hip hop that is evolving into a scape of Auto-Tune 808s. How does one stand out and how can one still get the message across? I feel like this piece of art gives the people everything they want and more, maybe a little more than they can handle, through my eyes.”
Check out the video for “Why Don’t You?” below and look out for the full song, co-produced by Tunji and Heaven in Stereo, his long-time partner to be released tonight.
2016 was a great year for underground music. Especially for the upcoming artists who chose Soundcloud as their primary medium for sharing their work. With the collective might and interest of record labels behind them, Soundcloud was able to overhaul it’s distribution format, reworking them to make the platform more financially viable for artists. With the likes of Nonso Amadi (“Radio”), OdunsiTheEngine (“Happy Hour”) and Tay Iwar (“The Box”) already edging out of the underground, here are five, even more unique artists that deserve a spot on your playlist.
AT has been sailing the underground waters for a couple years. In 2012, her debut mixtape, The Climb, garnered her enough attention to score a cosign from BellaNaija’s music critic Onos. YNaija curators have also described her flow and lyrical ability as a fusion of ASAP Rocky’s swagger, Azeila Banks’ brazen boldness and Wiz Khalifa’s chill. Just last year, Chocolate City boss, M.I commended her skill, dubbing her “a star and one of the most vicious rappers out right now”. The rapper recently returned to the spotlight after getting featured on “Pensive”, a track off Bankyondbeatz’ acclaimed Fuego Senoras mixtape, but you can follow up this short introduction by burying your ears into the gems on her SoundCloud page.
https://soundcloud.com/thisisat
Mafeni
20-year-old Mafeni was a child poet who started writing rap lyrics at the age of 14, but the internet didn’t start buzzing about him until last year, following the release of single, Gold Grillz. Mafeni is a newbie with the cheeky confidence and flow of a veteran. His debut EP, enjoy as the name implies, is a light-weight project but its dedicated crafting and composition sets its apart from the numerous underground projects released last year. Mafeni’s identity as an artist might not have fully coalesced, but this wunderkind is definitely onto something. Listen to enjoy below.
Tunji Ige is not a newcomer to the game, in fact, save for his obscurity from the Nigerian audience he shouldn’t be listed here. At 16, the young rapper released his self-produced EP, Missed Calls to instant critical acclaim. Plus, his debut album The Love Project was featured on Fader, Pitchfork upon release. If he’s not on your playlist already, you can start with his latest single, “Why Don’t You”
Lady Donli was one of the most talked about underground acts on social media last year. She currently has 2 projects to her name—What Is Perfect and Wallflower. In recent times, the songbird was tapped for “Fale Comigo”, a single offBankyondbeatz’ Fuego Senoras mix-tape. You can check out her SoundCloud below
Deena O describes her sound as a fusion of Neo Soul and Neo Funk. Her warm sultry voice on BankyOnDBeatz “Take Over” melts into the back of your mind and stays there. Deena’s SoundCloud page is mostly bare but the Nigerian-German recently announced an upcoming project and we’re already hyped for that. You can listen to her 80’s disco-themed single “Rockin’ The Boat” below, for a taste of what’s coming.
Whether you want to admit it or not, Mr. Eazi dominated 2016. With release after release, Eazi’s strategically aggressive marketing campaign saw him everywhere, and more importantly, you could hear him everywhere. This all started with breakout hit “Skin Tight”, which took on a life of its own having already been on Soundcloud months prior.
Every month there seemed to be a new rumour with different artists appearing on the remix of the smash single. Whether it was Wizkid, JHus or Justine Skye, anticipation was hot as to who would attempt to take this club anthem to the next level.
Today, your boy Eazi has finally dropped off the UK Remix to “Skin Tight” featuring Stefflon Don and Haile of WSTRN. This is the first release off of Mr. Eazi’s mixtape, AccraToLagos.
Ycee just announced a multi-city UK tour, but before that commences, he’s dropped the first single off The First Wave, his debut EP under Sony Music. “Link Up” features Mavin poster-boy Reekado Banks, and sees the two young men get the year started with a strong release that is sure to dominate the dancefloor in the coming weeks.
The track “Link up” is from the Ycee’s debut E.P, “The First Wave” released under the umbrella of Sony Music Entertainment. The video, directed by MEX Films was is his first release from the Tinny Entertainment rapper’s new deal with Sony. The video was set in Lagos
Ycee going on tour has not distracted him from releasing his works as fan anticipate the release of his E.P.
Migos have been on an incredible, drawn out run since early September, following the release of “Bad and Boujee” (feat. Lil Uzi Vert). Raucous shows in Nigeria and Los Angeles further added to the hype for their upcoming sophomore album, Culture. Building on the success of “The Revenant”-inspired visual for “T-Shirt”, they drop off their 4th single from the album, entitled “What The Price”.
Producers are increasingly being recognised across the continent in the same light as artists for their contribution to the creation of a song, and this is a realisation that is long overdue.
Consistent hit-maker Sarz has just announced plans to start a two day camp for ambitious and aspiring producers looking to learn directly from a pro. Sarz has the kind of practical experience many only dream about. He has produced hits for artists like Wizkid, Reminisce, 2Face, Naeto C and Wande Coal, just to name a few. And he does promise his producer friends will also be in attendance at the bootcamp to provide insight and tips into music production, sound design, mixing + mastering, amongst other things.
Click here to sign up, and to view a full schedule of what to expect on the two day course.
Whether you want to admit it or not, Mr. Eazi dominated 2016. With release after release, Eazi’s strategically aggressive marketing campaign saw him everywhere, and more importantly, you could hear him everywhere. This all started with breakout hit “Skin Tight”, which took on a life of its own having already been on Soundcloud months prior.
