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Sound Sultan is a singer, rapper, song writer and comedian but perhaps his finest talent lies in his ability to craft timeless melodies. His 2014 hit with Wizkid, “Kokose” was a classic match up of his 90’s sound with a modern Afropop singer without either artist compromising their impact for effect. His latest single, “Ghetto Love” reverses that concept by bringing together all our favorite artists for a nostalgic cypher-type rework of all of their old hits.

Sound Sultan’s tuneful intro reminds listeners of the legendary status of himself and The Kings Of The Ghetto who have all made timeless music despite their low budget sound productions. The classic Sound Sultan guitar strums plays over piano chords and the bouncy reggae beat rhythm 90’s Nigerian songs thrived on. He starts with a chorus that sets the melodious tone for the rest of the song and African China delivers a truly harmonic sounding verse that revives his 2011 song “If You Love Somebody”. He shares the spot for first verse with Sound Sultan who ups the tempo of the song with his quicker flows.

Marvelous Benjy gives his early 2000’s track, “New Dance” a modern reggae upgrade for his verse as if to remind us where new singers like Pantoranking get their inspiration from. Baba Fryo joins Benjy on the second verse and works his late 90’s hit song “Dem Go Dey Pose” into the reggae verse wearing his signature star eye patch.

The last verse features the Danfo Driver duo of Mad Melon and Mountain Black who pull up in their signature yellow Lagos bus. Mad Melon sings the Sound Sultan’s hook with his more ghetto voice while Mountain slightly tweaks their “Danfo Driver” hit song to fit the “Ghetto Love” theme. Daddy Showkey is given the last verse to drop his punchy wisdom tips.

Sound Sultan’s “Ghetto Love” plays like a pleasant trip to the past when self publishing street artists were able to create music the whole country could relate to. For The Kings of The Ghetto, music was a way out of the struggle but when they got out, they found it difficult to stay relevant due to the industry’s poor structure at the time. Notwithstanding, Sound Sultan’s strategic link between the two generations brings us a slew of songs that are as Nigerian as the national anthem while giving us a somewhat existential look at life after artists reach the peak of their fame then fall from grace.

Watch video for Sound Sultan and The Kings of The Ghetto’s “Ghetto Love” here.

Featured Image Creates: Instagram/@soundsultan

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