There are songs you hear and their melodies fill your heart and resonates through your very soul that you wish your body movements could express what your heart feels but most times you can’t and you just end up FLAPPING your arms and moving your head to the beat of the song because YOU CAN’T DANCE. I mean, I CAN’T DANCE.
Call me your average Nigerian JESUS CULTURE GIRL, HILLSONG, NEWSBOYS, CASTING CROWNS lover. I’m sure you’ve already figured out the category of music I’m talking about.
I have never particularly been a lover of Nigerian music, simply because, THEY DO NOT SING.
They simply sexualize females and talk about “BOM-BOM” only. And even the females themselves are nothing to write home about. I’m not going to mention CYNTHIA MORGAN.
They lack ORIGINALITY. Do I need to remind you of BANKY W’s EBUTE META? They try to copy ndi obodoyibo when they don’t even sound like them.
*mscheeew*
But these people came. They came into my life and changed it.
Olamide. Phyno. Flavour.
They changed me forever.
I remember the first time I listened to Phyno. I had never heard so much IGBO In RAP MUSIC before.
Nigga Raw did so well, but believe me when I say PHYNO is the BEAST from the EAST. He makes Igbo language sound so beautiful. And for once I don’t want to even understand what he says. I just listen, FLAP MY ARMS and SHAKE MY BODY. His collaborations and features are out of this world.
FLAVOUR! Another Igbo brother. He has truly brought his own flavour to the Nigerian music industry. He has won the heart of everyone – Old. Young. Children. The way my mum loves “ADA ADA“, words can’t explain.
No Igbo boy and girl sleeps on FLAVOUR. If you’re planning to get married to an Igbo lady, you have to make her believe that you intend to bring Flavor (even though you know he’s not available). This is my way of saying, FLAVOUR is going to perform live on my wedding day. I will dance to his melodious voice as he sings:
Ada ada (adanwa)
Ada ada (chei asanwa)
Ada ada (hey ada)
Ada n’idi ora nma
Everybody dey wait (dey wait you)
Puta kene na ogbo
Ife di m mma amaka
Better soup na money kill am o
Adanwa ngwa pekem pekem ya
Ada ada (hey adanwa)
Ada ada iyo..ooo
Did I forget to mention my Ring tone is Keneya by flavour? It means THANKFUL. THANK YOU. THANKSGIVING.
He is to the YORUBAS’ what PHYNO and FLAVOUR are to the Igbos. I had my reservations about him at first. I had no idea what his songs meant and people said they didn’t have meaning. No be me talk am o. But despite the whole dirty talk, Olamide still has a way of telling his story through his music. He can go all emosh to party level in two minutes. He came from literally NOTHING and he has done so well for himself. Olamide has been there even before Phyno. He started the whole cultural consciousness in music. I mean people have composed culturally conscious music, but, Olamide brought it to a whole new level by SPITTING rap in Yoruba, hence, bringing a whole different ball game to the music arena in Nigeria. He does it so well.
I still remember the first time I heard SHAKITI BOBO…The rhythm. The beat. The flow. The language. EPIC. He didn’t stop there. Before I knew it, he released MELO MELO and LAGOS BOYS SNEH. These songs are my JAMS.
These are my favorites – with regards to cultural flow. But since we are still talking about THE ORIGINALS, I would love to mention ASA, TUFACE and even the young KISS DANIEL. I also think STOMREX is doing well for herself. Love the way she features PHYNO AND OLAMIDE. I think these guys are AMAZEBALLS!!! They make me want to become a BETTER IGBO RAPPER.
Lest I forget, can someone help me tell DAVIDO to stop singing about how he came from the streets and all those grass to grace gist? I mean, we all know his story. Just saying.
Anyways, that being said, even if I get married in the year 2060, I must dance to PHYNO, FLAVOUR AND OLAMIDE on my wedding day!
N/B : If you are reading this and you have not listened to Phyno, Olamide, Flavour and Stomrex features of Phyno, please go and listen to them. Buy or download.
Love xoxo
Adriel©2015
August 7, 2015 at 8:32 am
I stopped listening to Nigerian music when noise makers took over; but I still respect the Original families-Tuface, MI, Styl plus, Djinee, Dare, MI, Jesse Jags, a bit of PSquare, Naeto C and 9ice. But I think rap in indigenous Nigerian languages started with Nigga Raw and Dagrin (Dagrin still remains the best Yoruba rap artist for me anyway though I didn’t listen to most of his songs)
August 7, 2015 at 9:27 am
Noise makers… Hahaha! I’m telling you. Speaking about Dagrin, I never knew about him until he died. And I don’t think I know any of his songs. Nigga Raw was so good too. He paved the way for Phyno and others in IGBO RAP.
August 7, 2015 at 1:20 pm
Nne you are doing good. Picture scaling issues..adjust.
August 7, 2015 at 1:21 pm
Thanks Mai. Will work on them.
August 7, 2015 at 8:03 pm
Thank goodness you didn’t mention wiz…the talentless kid 🙂 Flavour has done well for the industry. Phyno too. Olamide…well all in all our Nigerian artists really need to up their game. Have no comment for the actors…lol
August 7, 2015 at 9:56 pm
Funny! The talentless kid. They really need to up their game big time. Even the so called reality shows aren’t helping matters. Project fame and others to be precise. All in all, these three I’ve mentioned have a place in my heart. ESPECIALLY PHYNO. Let’s leave the actors for now. Story for another day.
October 10, 2015 at 11:23 am
May I correct some impressions. Olamide did not start the whole cultural consciousness thingy in Nigerian music. He was not even the first Yoruba rapper to rap in Yoruba for that matter. There was Dagrin before him(He remains the best lyricist in Indigenous language that Nigeria has seen) and there was an effort by Yemi Sodimu circa1997/98 titled “love me jeje”.
Also, I disagree with your criticism of Banky W’s “Ebutte Meta”. That song was from Banky’s CAPABLE ALBUM and came at at the time when Nigeria’s hiphop/R&B scene was not as developed as this. The song had its own definite lyrics sung to the tune of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” R&B international hit. It was a most welcome development at the time, the industry was just growing with references to P Square and Tuface’s hits prior to that time. Real influences of the R&B genre in Nigeria were few and far in between. P Square’s 2004 release, GET SQUARED had its hit track parody Usher’s Grammy award winning hit of that time as produced Lil John.
October 10, 2015 at 12:36 pm
I know there have been rappers before him. Just like how there was NIGGA RAW before PHYNO and FLAVOUR. Olamide is the face now. Face of modern Yoruba rap if I should put it that way. Most folks have no idea who Da green and others are. It’s through Olamide those people would be traced.