It’s 2017 and StyleVitae has stepped up to the plate

Posted on by The Native

In December 2016, what was arguably one of Nigeria’s biggest and most vocal fashion feuds played out in lifestyle e-zine StyleVitae’s Instagram Feed and the Instagram feeds of uber fashion brands Maki-Oh Lagos and LisaFolawiyo Studio. The main confrontation happened between Sike Saro, sister of Lisa Folawiyo and Ada Osakwe sister of Maki Oh’s creative director Amaka Osakwe, both women acting as proxies for their designer siblings.

As part of their coverage of the 2016 Lagos Fashion and Design Week showcases (arguably Nigeria’s biggest fashion platform) StyleVitae decided to highlight similarities between individual pieces in the showcasing designer’s collections and local and international contemporaries. Brands like Nuraniya Studios, Andrea Iyamah and Maxivive were all referenced, citing with receipts the brands with whom these designers had one too many ‘creative coincidences’. Then there was the Lisa Folawiyo/Maki Oh post.

 

Andreah Iyamah and Spanish designer Delpozo.

Up and comer Nuraniya Studios and Lisa Folawiyo

Maki Oh and Lisa.

Lisa Folawiyo’s Spring 17 line up (sat on for a whole year) had a dress that had far too many design similarities to a piece from Maki Oh’s Fall 16 collection. The design specificities were so much that StyleVitae felt obligated to point them out formally. Understand, before this, no major fashion platform (other than the now defunct The Other Style) had gone all out and put up anything but glowing, boot licking reviews on Nigeria’s ‘big’ fashion brands. The implied threat of ostracization and blacklists to events is enough to deter anyone. But StyleVitae went there, as diplomatically as you can given a matter of this nature. No one could have anticipated what happened next.

It wasn’t the first time that feuds like this spurred by accusations of plagiarism were playing out in public spaces, but this was the first time that it was between two of the most influential and internationally successful brands on the continent. Plus this was the first time that the brands were choosing (via proxies) to directly weigh in. Amaka Osakwe’s detached responses to Sike Saro’s indignant and somewhat underhanded suggestion that Osakwe was crass for humoring StyleVitae set social media on fire. A big brand was affirming suspicions we’d already made but didn’t feel big enough to speak on. Before long the fashion and lifestyle blogs were writing long ass treatises on who was at fault and spurring conversation on the pervasive plagiarism that has come to define our fashion industry. The rest of the feuding was passive aggressive, with both brands hauling out their portfolios and reminding us just how many influential people have worn their clothes and become long time clients.

By the second week of January the noise had died down but the point was made. Sometimes a public call out is just what we need to get everyone to sit up. Neither brand is effusive with it’s design process (rightfully so considering the subject matter of this post) so we can’t really say if the similar dresses were really a creative co-incidence or something more. But it did bring up an important point. Until the traditional and contemporary fashion press takes it’s job seriously and begins to name and shame, we really won’t progress as an industry. There are important conversation to be had, and the press has to initiate them. Good thing StyleVitae has taken up the gauntlet, we hope they don’t drop the ball.

 

5 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Kah-Lo

Posted on by The Native

Last year, The Recording Academy rolled out the nominees for this year’s  Grammy awards with two Nigerians; Wizkid and Kah-Lo announced alongside other international acts. Wiz’ nomination for his contribution on Drake’s “One Dance” didn’t come as a surprise, but singer Kah-Lo—a relatively unknown artist—stunned most Nigerians with her inclusion. Kah-Lo’s nomination came via a feature on  “Rinse and Repeat”, where she collaborated with veteran British DJ, Riton. For those like many, still wondering who Kah-Lo is, here are five quick facts you should know.

OLUWA DID IT! @ritontime has all the swag sauce!

A photo posted by Kah-Lo (@thatkahlo) on

Her real name is…

Kah-Lo’s offstage name is Faridah Demola Seriki. If the name sounds a little familiar, it might be because of her father, Chief Demola Seriki, a former Minister of Defence in Nigeria. Also, her stage name might just be a suffix drawn from the renowned artist, Frida Khalo.

She is…

She’s an Alumna of Hofstra School of Journalism. She graduated in 2013.

The ado about “Rinse and Repeat”

Her single, “Rinse & Repeat” has been streamed 5 million times on Spotify and played 1.5 million times on YouTube less than a month after its release.

The inspiration for “Rinse and Repeat”

Faridah revealed “Rinse and Repeat” is about Christmas time in Lagos. In a recent interview, she said, “Yeah, it’s basically Christmas in Lagos, because when we recorded that, I had just come back from Lagos for Christmas.  You know how Christmas in Lagos is, you wake up, you go to your party or your wedding, then you come back really late, and then you wake up and you do the same thing. You rinse and you repeat. Over and over.”

Music style

She doesn’t consider herself a rapper but a singer who raps. She describes her tone as monotonous. When she was asked about being monotonous, she said: “I really think if I’m telling a story, and I’m just talking, and I’m just being me, that’s what it sounds like. It sounds like just talking—monotone.”

Check out her SoundCloud page below

Featured Image Credits: Instagram

BBC names UK-Nigerian singer, BLK as Sound Of 2017

Posted on by The Native

UK-based Nigerian singer, Ray BLK, was recently awarded the winner of BBC Sound Of 2017. The ‘BBC Sound Of’ is an annual poll collected by music critics and industry figures geared towards finding the most promising new talent. A 15 act longlist is usually released every December before artists are ranked in a shortlist with a winner announced in the following month.

RayBLK was shortlisted alongside Nadia Rose, Rag’n’Bone Man, Jorja Smith, and RAYE. The singer also beat favourites like Dr. Dre’s Protege, Anderson .Paak, Drake collaborator Dave, Grime rapper AJ Tracey, and more who were also listed on the prior-released longlist.

In a recent interview, Ray commented: “Winning the BBC sound of 2017 has to be the most surprising thing that’s happened to me thus far”

“I feel so honoured to have topped the list this early in my career and join such an incredible alumni of winners. Thank you so much to the BBC and all the voters! I’m particularly proud to be a part of this year’s list as it’s full of so much talent, some of whom are independent artists like myself which I really hope inspires the next generation of artists.” She added.

Past winners include Adele, Sam Smith, and Haim, who have gone on to be nominated for GRAMMY awards. We’re tipping our hats off for Ray BLK to join their ranks too.

Take a look at her SoundCloud to get a feel of her music.

Featured Image Credit: RayBLK/Instagram

Must See Pictures from the Iconic Louis Vuitton x Supreme Collaboration

Posted on by The Native

Earlier today in Paris, Louis Vuitton presented their Fall-Winter 2017 menswear collection which was designed in collaboration with New York streetwear giant Supreme. Although we have seen an increasing number of of collaborations between luxury brands and high street stores (see H&M x Balmain, Versace and Margiela), this is a watershed moment between two leaders in their respective markets. “You can’t have the conversation of New York menswear without Supreme right now, because it’s such a massive global phenomenon,” were the words said by Louis Vuitton menswear artistic director Kim Jones when previewing the monumental collaboration.

 

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Wizkid hints at Collaboration with Vybz Kartel

Posted on by The Native

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

Wizkid took to his twitter account this afternoon for the first time since the unceremonious leak of an incomplete track with Drake. Rather than addressing this controversial incident, Wizkid took his time to reply to his adoring fans. However, in the middle of this, Wizkid alluded to a potentially massive future collaboration with Vybz Kartel.

 

Despite Kartel being behind bars, he has blessed the streets with regular releases since his incarceration, so it is very likely that this collaboration is entirely possible. Wizkid has always flirted with dancehall since his debut album Superstar, and more recently on the the GRAMMY nominated “One Dance”. We hope this comes out sooner rather than later (and does not leak).

Check out Vybz Kartel’s latest release, “Half Way Tree”, below.

 

Thanks Ric Hassani, for proving public speaking isn’t for everyone

Posted on by The Native

Giving a Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) talk is on the bucket list of most public figures. TedXTalks became a thing in my second year in University because literally every law student was back-packing hours of its video clips on their laptops.  Alluvasuddin, giving a TED talk became equivalent to winning the ‘great person’ Nobel prize (We’re so sorry Bob Dylan). It’s the kind of honour that really can’t be bought and increases your profile for the rest of your life. Even Chimamanda Adichie, famous as she was, never really found global fame till she gave her TED Talk. So yeah, super big deal.

Because TED, the non-profit behind the talks, can only hold so many events in a year, they franchise the idea out to individuals, giving them the right to host independent talks (called TEDx events) in their cities under the umbrella of the parent TED platform. The popularity of the event has allowed independent teams in Nigeria to hold events. That’s how TEDx Port Harcourt happened. Great Idea. That’s also how Ric Hassani ended up on a TEDx stage. Bad idea.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Ric Hassani is a fantastic musician. He has managed to find that sweet spot that straddles the jollof music that we deride but can’t do without and meaningful lyrics with longevity. And as he says in his TED talk, he has the awards and nominations to prove it. However, the fact that you are a talented musician with lived experiences doesn’t translate to you being a talented public speaker. Public speaking requires practice and a fundamental understanding of human nature, not to mention a proper grasp of your subject matter, and the best way to convey this subject matter without losing your audience. Ric’s not-so-“Gentleman”-talk, was just the opposite.

Hassani definitely looks the part in the recording of his talk on TEDx’s Youtube channel. Snazzy blazer, sleek pants cut exactly at the ankle, patent leather shoes. But everything falls apart the moment he starts to talk. He rambles for six of the nine minutes of his talk, giving tepid analogies about lions and goats and glibly painting a story of his father as the stereotypical educated, but rigidly traditional Nigerian parent. Then he finally mentions mid-speech that he was invited to give a talk on domestic violence because of the music video for his hit single ‘Gentleman’, that depicts an abusive relationship. He launches into another story of his ‘friend’ who was in an abusive marriage, laughing and entertaining jokes that called into question the nature of his relationship with this ‘friend’. He never actually condemns domestic violence or elaborates on it. He treats the entire issue with levity and then launches into an accapella plug of “Gentleman”, singing a line that suggests that domestic violence can be stopped simply by swapping one man for another.

We’ll file this away as one of those missteps every musician makes, but Ric Hassani is this close to being cancelled.

This close.

Featured Image: Gif/Youtube

AV CLUB: The Shade corner is heavy on the corny and wanting for shade

808 CR: GolddrumMachine’s about to make Naija Chillwave a thing

Posted on by The Native

As part of duo To Name A Few, GolddrumMachine gave us some seriously lush music in 2016, owning the niche of raspy torch songs, brought firmly into the present by progressive electronic melodies. But as a solo artist experimental Chillwave pioneer GoldDrumMachine debuted as an instrumental artist and has always returned to the genre, sampling his inspirations and creating instantly recognizable but completely original music. Perhaps this is because of his work as a producer. His first instrumental EP, Africa in Technicolour leaned heavily towards abstraction and employed steel drums, and woodwind instruments and traditional chants, spliced with modern synths and electronic sounds for percussion. It was an insightful introduction into the way GolddrumMachine sees the world and the kind of music he wants to make.

 

So when he announced out of the blue that he was releasing a second instrumental EP called ‘Days of 808CR’ and was actively encouraging Nigerian rappers and singers to jump on the instrumentals and make them their own, I had to hear it for myself. Days Of 808 CR is nothing like Africa in Technicolor but it has enough that you can immediately tell that both albums are from the same artist. The name itself references the classic Drum machine and the electronic percussion sounds it makes. It is a simple premise, but G.D.D builds lofty sounds on it.

The opener Ultra Spectrum references Ultra, GolddrumMachine’s debut EP as a vocal artist and replicates the EP’s cinematic soundscape. Ultra Spectrum is somewhat misleading though, as it is completely devoid of percussion save for tinkling synths that remind you of wind chimes. A guitar riff gives the necessary complexity to the otherwise pretty chill intro. Which is why the abrupt start of Gambino Flip takes you completely unawares. Golddrummachine takes a signature line from the Childish Gambino song ‘Sober’ and builds a lush 90’s R&B vibe around it, layering a loop of staggered staccato snare loops over reams of synthesizer tinged single notes. The song dips in and out of minor notes and sails along, ending as abruptly as it began. Think Daft Punk but with a side of trap.

Then there is Titanium, sampling David Guetta’s monster hit with Sia and layering the vocals with adlibs from the artist himself and returning to that sublime mix of 90’s R&B synths, vocal adlibs as percussion and 808 drum solos. It’s a song that is so interesting on its own that it’d almost be a shame to add anything else to it. And what Chill wave inspired instrumental EP would be complete with an homage to its it-girl FKA Twigs. GolddrumMachine goes deep into her archives, sampling EP2‘s most ambitious song, Papi Pacify. He doesn’t add much to it, he just chops and screws arrangement of the song, adding an occasional flourish of synths and letting FKA do all the heavy lifting. It shouldn’t work, but it does.

You think you’ve figured the EP out then Gully God Flip comes right of nowhere and upends you. A breather from the Chillwave movement dives deep into Jamaican dance hall, sampling Mavado, one of its most controversial stars. The steel drums from Africa In Technicolor make a reprise here, conjuring images of island cruises and suited steel orchestras. With it, GolddrumMachine shows he’s not just interesting, he’s versatile too. Fries On The Side, the EP’s closer returns to familiar haunts for the artist; gothic, moody torch songs with strains of melancholy woven into every errant note. Violins form the dark underbelly of Fries of the side which conjures images of wistful suburban life and the endless boredom that drives young people to do dangerous things. If there’s any justice in the world, this instrumental would end up a song on some upcoming EP, it’s too good to exist only in this form.

808 CR is ambitious, and after the noise over the holidays about who’s copying whose sound between Nigerians and Ghanaians, it’s a relief to see people look outwards for inspiration. GolddrumMachine makes a huge case for Naija Chillwave, and if this is anything to go by, it should definitely become a thing.  

Listen to the whole thing here.

Watch Sampha perform his heart-wrenching single “(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano”

Posted on by The Native

Sampha’s vacation from behind the scenes has been long overdue in our opinion, and the live studio audience at Jimmy Fallon would probably agree with us. This unbelievably raw performance of “(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano” makes you wonder what took him so long to enter the spotlight. Dedicated to his late mother,  Sampha lets it all out on the third single from his debut album, Process. 

 

Process is out Feb. 3rd on Young Turks.

Art Whoring in Lagos

Posted on by The Native

Ibadan is where I call home and typically, I have been involved in the one or two twitter arguments about the backwardness of the city in comparison to Lagos. I’m a visual artist and regardless of anyone’s emotions and feelings, Ibadan is still a very culturally influential place with historical reverence—I mean, you can take everything away, but this is still the largest metropolis in West Africa. However, it took moving to Lagos to realise it’s no place for a struggling artist.

One of the first things you learn in Lagos is that someone always knows a link up. I got this experience first hand after a call hooked me up with a spot at an art exhibition. This was barely two weeks into my stay in Lagos and after many years of only getting retweets and likes for my art in Ibadan. The intriguing part about the exhibition is the fact that it was being organized by a young person like myself.

I was so inspired by his matter of fact way of saying he wanted to do something that I had only dreamt of doing cause in Ibadan, finding artistic success is something only older, more established artists who own all the art galleries and control the art scene. This young lad who called himself Ife was about to organize an art event and wanted me to be a featured artist. The arrangements were made for me to attend and what art pieces I was to display. I got to the venue earlier because I was nervous and barely got any sleep the night before. It was going to be the first time my art would get featured at an actual exhibition.

I arrived at the venue at 7 and decided to make myself useful by joining Ife on his graffiti design. I had never done any art on graffiti or even on such a large scale before and it was also a new experience drawing while people watched cause most times I draw without knowing what the drawing would look like when I’m done and it was nice having people experience that with me. The drawing took a while to finish and as people trooped into the venue, they saw us working but did not seem to mind because it added an artsy feel to the exhibition as music and side performances like photo shoots continued.

Previous exhibitions I had attended were at Ibadan and there were a lot stricter and rigid. Lagos art lifestyle is more flexible. Its unheard of in Ibadan to have an art exhibition double as a party. The theme of the art exhibition was Art+Gin( I know, kickass concept right) Artist were given the opportunity to communicate with other artists and guests and ideas and pleasantries were exchanged.

I read that Lagos is the 7th largest economy in Africa and this really settles that argument; Lagos is the city to be if you’re trying to become a mainstream artist. Visual or otherwise. Lagos provides you with a wider market because here, the young people are more involved in the industries. Lagos is willing and ready to accommodate the dreams of young talents and make it a reality.

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

Meet Five Nigerians Who Have Claimed To Be God

Watch Davido and Mayorkun in “Prayer”

Posted on by The Native

Davido ended 2016 looking as strong as ever. Coming off the release of Son of Mercy, the DMW leader dominated airwaves and dance-floors going into the new year with hit singles “Gbagbe Oshi” and “Coolest Kid in Africa” (feat. Nasty C). He starts off this year with a new single from the yet to be named DMW album. Joined by “Rookie Of The Year” Mayorkun, the Unlimited LA directed video was shot in Lagos, depicting a traditional owambe.

Keeping up with Everybody’s Snapchat Stories

Posted on by The Native

 

Do you know that every time you get a new text, the brain secretes a substance called dopamine? This substance is responsible for the feeling of happiness we get when a new notification pops up. That’s why you always get so angry when your phone lights up and it’s another annoying text from MTN.

The modern rave that is Snapchat allows you broadcast videos across the internet in seconds as well as stream the videos that others put up. Artists like Bryson Tiller will be grateful for the SnapChat videos from Kylie Jenner whose influence on the Snap helped turn ears to his music. And that’s just an example of how major deal Snapchat is, they totally changed the game. They designed each post last for only a specified period of time, and for anyone who uses the app, this really works two ways.

You get the impression that the day you aren’t online, you might miss something important and you keep coming back—even though 90% of the time, your timeline is just full of pouting faces and people doing random shit.The second way that works is that those who are somewhere between too cool and too insecure to have hundreds of posts online at once would be rescued from their literal “social insecurity”. Everything that happens on Snapchat only stays on Snapchat and you will be notified when conversations saved. Now instead of going back to delete drunken tweets in the morning after you can sleep easy knowing even if you created a stripping alter ego, they will only live until the twenty-four-hour period clocks at 0:00.

This revolutionary app has woven its way deeply into our DNA, tricking us all into thinking our lives are interesting enough to have a reality show. We have gone from watching other people’s lives on TV, to creating our own lives on the internet, and to the greatness of our generation, we’re all living to see snow white angels like Bobrisky literally descend from heaven to become Nigerian pop culture icons.

Snapchat knows how our brain works. We have gotten high on our own need for validation and the need to know about other people’s lives and addiction has slowly crept up on us. Those quick and seemingly harmless highs have made us slaves to our phones. We can barely stand radio silence for longer than a day before the withdrawal symptoms start to take over our minds. You won’t agree now, but you will remember this when you catch yourself checking every hour to see how many new people have watched your  snap story.

 

Featured image credit: thenextweb.com

Meet David Uzochukwu, the photographer behind the new Nike campaign

Posted on by The Native

The new FKA twigs campaign with Nike is exactly what we have come to expect from the two respective brands: innovative, sublime and well-executed. With an ensemble carefully curated by twigs herself, we saw one of the most breath-taking ads that Nike has produced in quite some time.

Upon posting the video, Twigs took to her personal Instagram to post stills from the shoot, all shot by a young man named David Uzochukwu. David was selected by twigs herself to bring her vision to life, and he did just that. While he may be unknown to some, Uzochukwu’s work has been featured in Vogue and he has shot some stunning portraits of artists such as Benjamin Clementine and Raleigh Ritchie. Check out some of his best work below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPIF0FtBinP/?taken-by=daviduzochukwu&hl=en

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Yagazie Emezie gets featured on New york Times and Vogue Italia

 

Best New Music: Skales and Burna Boy connect on “Temper”

Posted on by The Native

‘Best New Music’ is a new column we will be publishing every Monday to bring you a review of our critics choice-pick for music released in the last 7 day period.

Best New Music: Skales Temper Video

Skales’ “Temper” comes as his first official statement of the year after a chaotic 2016. For those who were probably living under a rock,  Skales made headline rounds mid-last year after getting arrested and sued by his record label on charges of mismanaged funds. Against the backdrop of this career blip, “Temper” comes pre-prepared by a Skales looking for a calmer side of things.

Produced by KrissBeats (the same man who gave us “Pana” last year), “Temper” is set on a simple chord progression, with soft kicks and Afro-inspired synths. Burna Boy’s foray into the trap music genre has been documented over the last few months, but the singer stuck to basics for this feature, sampling lyrics from Fela’s 1977 album “Sorrow, Tears and Blood” for a hook and adlibs used by late Afrobeat king as vocal refrain.

Best New Music: Skales Temper and Burna boy, Temper video

“Temper” may play almost too similar to what you’ve probably heard from Burna Boy on “Soke” and “Jealousy“after a couple replays, but this clean-cut appears to be Skales attempt to tap into the neo-afrobeat wave, a trend nearly the entire industry caught on to last year (No, thanks to Mr Eazi).  Both Burna and Skales don’t bring their snazziest songwriting to paper here, but the laid-back output of the collaboration, along with its subject’s intent makes this just about the right message—going forward. If you had a dodgy 2016 like Skales, which (was probably everyone anyway), “cool cool temper”.

On side note, as Fela’s estate continues to let samples mooched off the late Afrobeat king’s catalogue slide without any royalty claims or lawsuits, we hope artists are in their rooms saying silent prayers for that dark day not to come.

Tiwa Savage returns to GRAMMY Week

Posted on by The Native

So we got the scoop that Tiwa Savage has been announced as a performer at the 8th annual Essence “Black Women in Music”—an official GRAMMY Week event – this February and we are so excited for her. While this is huge, this isn’t her first involvement with The GRAMMYs.

It has been well documented that early in her career Tiwa sang backup vocals for a variety of artists including the late George Michael, Mary J. Blige and Andrea Boccelli (yeah, even we had to fact-check the last one). However, what many don’t know is that Tiwa Savage is actually a GRAMMY nominee already for her contributions to Fantasia’s sophomore album, “Back To Me”. Tiwa co-wrote the third single from the album, “Collard Greens & Cornbread”, which was nominated for “Best R&B Album” in 2011.

 

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After a 2016 played out on the tabloids and blogspots, Tiwa Savage seems to be getting her career back on track. Savage ended the year with a string of critically-accalaimed shows all over the continent, building on the hype of penning a management deal with Roc Nation.

Now we’re in 2017 and she’s performing at the Grammy’s this February. Here’s to more Ws this year for the former Queen of Afro-Pop.

Falz exhibits his best form on “Wehdone Sir”

Posted on by The Native

Falz has released the video for his latest single “Wehdone Sir”, and just like most of Falz’s videos, it is expertly executed. It has enjoyed a lot of positive reviews and comments from both lovers of his music and music critics. He doesn’t disappoint day one fans with his infamous brand of comical rap. As his fame has grown, Falz has started to tackle the kind of issues that his activist lawyer father made his name on, using his unique delivery to subtly get his socio-political message across.

The video was directed by Clarence Peters, who once again was able to capture the public’s take on a social concept video. Falz has shown time and time again that his talent doesn’t just revolve around music. Going from rapper, to talk-show host, to comedian and back again, all in the space of a year. This latest video shows he may have added choreographer to his already lengthy skill-set.

4 Things You Missed At The First NATIVELAND Festival

Posted on by The Native

Skepta’s Performance

Skepta's performance at the first edition of Nativeland music festival
Niyi Okeowo

We intended our first edition of NATIVELAND to make a powerful statement and that’s just what we did with headliner Skepta’s Homecoming. The Boy Better Know leader hit Natistage with some of his most enduringly energetic tracks to an audience already super-hyped to watch him perform. In particular, his performance of Konnichiwa standout “Man (Gang)” was a moment to remember, with Skepta and the crowd (which included his parents!) chanting the lyrics in unison. From “Shutdown” to “No Security”, Skepta’s performance was a fitting climax to a crazy day.

Maleek Berry’s tribute to Lagos

Maleek berry's tribute to lagos
Niyi Okeowo

Maleek Berry’s breakaway from his behind-the-scenes days mainly as a producer came to an end earlier this year with the release of his Last Daze of Summer EP and the international success of its lead single, “Kontrol”. On the same EP is a mid-tempo neo-Afrobeat tribute track, “Eko Miami” featuring UK artist, Geko. The hook of “Eko Miami” was another goosebump-inducing moment as fans echoed Maleek Berry’s nostalgia of a night lived without worries for tomorrow, a perfect message for the end of what has been a year of many surprising events

DRB Reunion

Niyi Okeowo

With BOJ’s continued rise out of the alternative underground into the mainstream, there have been questions about his allegiance to his collective, DRB. However, while on stage, BOJ used this time to clear the air doubts rumors that he left the group. He denied ever leaving the group, just before bringing the rest of the DRB crew on stage to perform cult-classics “Toyin” and “3 Kingz” 

Moshpits (yes, in Nigeria)

Niyi Okeowo

Because Nigerian concert-goers are often too busy trying to look ‘cool’ to actually enjoy a good show, fans rarely get the full concert experience of energetic fans bouncing to one uniform or irregular pattern.

https://twitter.com/Shopsy_S/status/812300735740309504

However the festival-goers at NATIVELAND set an atmosphere that has been missing at Nigerian live events for years. With JHus, Ycee and Skepta (shoutout his energy crew) all stating on stage how shocked they were at the raucous crowd.

Make sure you don’t miss out next year.

Featured Image credit: Manny Jefferson

 

Watch Rotimi escape New York for “Paradise”

Posted on by The Native

Power may have been snubbed for this year’s Golden Globes, but the diverse range of talents the show houses continues to prove the premium quality of the series. One of those stand out talents, is Nigerian-American singer and actor, Rotimi.

Born Olurotimi Akinosho, the multidisciplinary artist, continues to extend his reach into the R&B music scene with the release of “Paradise”, a mid-tempo bonus single off a post-summer mixtape titled Summer Bangerz.

In a video that flirts with familiar tropes of a relationship’s honey-moon phase as depicted by Nollywood, Rotimi journeys to Bridgetown, Barbados to chase his love-interest through bright outdoor locations and stunning landscapes.

The rest of his mixtape (which is lit by the way), is a hybrid of conventional R&B and the auto-tune inspired psychedelia of the genre’s new wave. Summer Bangerz also cleverly features tracks with samples from classic 90’s hits like Like Mya’s “Movin On”, LL Cool J’s “Doin It” and an ingenious sample of Black Rob’s “Whoa”, laced on the biggest highlight on the tape “Have You”.

Listen to  Summer Bangerz below.

Welcome to NATIVELAND, Our First Annual Music Festival

Posted on by The Native

Nativeland music festival

This Thursday, an idea we have silently nurtured for many years will be brought to life to you in the form of a Native, a music, pop culture, and lifestyle magazine especially styled for Africa’s boisterous metropolitan youth.

Our arrival comes in style with the first official NATIVELAND Festival, at the Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, Lagos on the 22nd of this month. Festival-goers will be treated to a diverse set of performances and music genres from UK’s gritty Grime to the best of Nigeria’s alternative underground.

Strengthening the formation of sub-cultures that exist within the mainstream is one of our core values at The NATIVE and we have curated a set list that reflects that intent. The best of British Grime will be on-ground as our co-headliner, Skepta, alongside fast rising UK rapper, JHus are ready to thrill fans with energetic performances. On the native side of things, our other co-headliner Burna Boy will do what he has been doing all year, and is definitely not to be missed.  Other acts billed to perform include producer-turned-artist Maleek Berry, Soundcloud prince Odunsi The Engine, and Mark Ronson co-signed DAP The Contract. 

Tickets are now available at venues around Lagos, and online exclusively here. You can also stand a chance to win free tickets just follow our Instagram @TheNativeMag and our Twitter @NativeMag for more information.

Six Struggles You Face As A Sneakerhead In Lagos

Posted on by The Native

FUGAZIS

For every pair of original Yeezy 360’s there are at least a 100 fakes. For a sneaker head like me, who actually checks the forums and knows all the little details that an original is supposed to have, going out to TPL or Mente De Moda is like starring in an episode of Myth Busters. And they’ve gotten so good at the dupes, so good.

 

LAGOS WEATHER

Lagos is a bastard, especially when it comes to the weather. I can’t tell you how many times I leave my house on a bright, sunny day only for some freak rain to turn Lagos into a swamp. If you see someone walking knee deep in rain with his pristine vintage Jordans in a cellophane bag over his head, that’d probably be me. Don’t be an asshole, say hi.

 

THE GOOD STUFF NEVER BEING AVAILABLE IN YOUR COUNTRY

In case no one told you, the first rule of being a sneaker head in Nigeria is furnishing yourself with decent internet from at least two providers and a personal Amazon/Ebay account. The good stuff never, NEVER comes to Nigeria. Have you been to the Nike stores in Lagos? They’re still selling shoes from 2012 (because your government won’t let them import the good stuff without ridiculous tax tariffs). And if a miracle happens and new sneakers do come to Nigeria, they’re almost always sold out before you get to the store. So be kind to yourself beloved, and pre-order that shit direct from the Reebok site.

 

COLOUR WHEELS
Hahahahaha! Forget that Nigerians don’t know the ultimate goal of a sneaker head is to have a pair of sneaks that match every obscure colour in your wardrobe. Good luck getting shoes that aren’t black or white (and if you’re lucky, all shades of blue). You won’t even find fake converses in a colour like maroon, let alone fuschia. Ogbeni, get your card, close your eyes and open Amazon.

 

ALL THE CELEB SNEAKER LINES IN NIGERIA ARE SO TACKY
I want to buy Nigerian, I really do. God knows it would be easier on my wallet, plus I’d be supporting a local brand. But have you seen these Nigerian celebrity sneaker lines? It’s bad enough that they’re merely clones of international sneaker lines, but why they gotta have so many colours though? What’s with all the logos everywhere (*cough* Sasha P, Rugged Man *cough*). I’ve bought clothes I knew I wouldn’t wear because #BuyNigerian but sneakers? Nah. Y’all need to do better. Funfere Koroye does do good work though, you should cop something from him.

 

FINDING FELLOW SNEAKER HEADS
I’ll gladly endure everything else Lagos throws at me, as long as I find my own community of sneaker heads who actually collect because they understand and appreciate the work that goes into the design of each sneaker, it’s pedigree and function, its exclusivity and accessibility, original year of manufacture and how many reissues have been made, all the geek stuff. But finding a fellow sneaker head who isn’t in it for bragging rights or doesn’t have his head wedged firmly up his ass is like finding a grounded Nigerian techpreneur.

But I’m nothing if not persistent. I keep searching.

Welp: Everyone is Leaving Their Record Labels

Posted on by The Native

 

😋

A video posted by TIA (@teknoofficial) on

2016 has had more than its share of upheavals but none as interesting as all the big name acts leaving their labels and striking out on their own. Tekno is finally, after much speculation, the newest recipient of a major distribution deal with Sony Music Africa (not to be mistaken for a record deal) for all his present and future music. We’re not quite sure the exact details of the distribution deal, but we know it will make it much easier for him to book international music festivals and have his music promoted properly on all the major music and streaming sites.

What you might not know is that Tekno is, (or used to be?) part of the Made Men Music Group (he hasn’t quite made this clear yet), the same Ubi Franklin led label that introduced Iyanya to the world. That was until Iyanya unceremoniously dumped them for Don Jazzy’s Mavin records. Losing your two biggest stars in the space of two months has got to hurt major. Now that is hurt is something K-Cee and E-Money of Five Star Records are very familiar with now that their own cash cow Harrysong has quit their label, taking his UAC Foods endorsement for Gala with him, and going on record to state that he, not K-Cee was the creative force behind the label’s roster of club hits. Strong stuff, but now that he’s started his own label, he gets to put his money where his mouth is.

Before everyone else starts chomping at the bit to leave their record contracts, perhaps it might be time to revisit the cautionary tales of Brymo and Vector the Viper. Now it must be said that Brymo and Vector are two insanely talented men, but neither have quite recovered from the fall out that followed them leaving their labels and defaulting on their record contracts. Brymo has definitely come out stronger as an artist and truly found his voice, but Vector is still struggling. Let’s not even mention Skales and that mess.

Do your homework kids, and get into contracts that you don’t feel pressured to get out of prematurely.