Ma Lo by Tiwa Savage ft. Wizkid x Spellz

Ma Lo (My Love) is a definitive club banger sung by two iconic African artistes from Nigeria: Tiwa Savage, self-described as Number 1 "African Bad Girl", and WizKid. Spellz joins them in this memorable do.

Click to watch the video

The song has a mellow beat, with a laid-back tone which the singers sustain from the beginning to the end. It's a haute gig, this, wrapped in a fine definition of cool. Indeed, Tiwa isn't boasting when she proclaims herself the baddest. Her rivals know it, but will not cease challenging her with each new song that they release. And that's how it is. No one gets to sit on their laurels as years come and go. Each year demands a re-constitution, as I see it. 

WizKid? Well, he's Starboy! He is in full command of his consistent voice, and his tempo, and there's not a hint of affectation. He is not averse to being the Clyde of this love duet played out in so 'public' an outing -- in which he, Starboy, and Tiwa are the orbital point of reference for all the goings-on. 

But, contrary to Tiwa's insinuation, there's no similitude here with the Bonnie and Clyde matter. There's no re-run here of that saga across vast and violent spaces -- on Earth. Starboy's displaying maximum restraint. All there is is fine swaying and posturing. And a super pleasant slice of Time served to all of us.

"Ungowami" by Uhuru feat. Wizkid x Donald x Speedy

Ungowami is a lovely song sung passionately by four of Africa's stand-out artistes. And even though two, Uhuru and Wizkid (icons both), are given pride of place in the credits, the other two are comfortably in the mix of things. 

Click to watch the video

Right from the get-go, in fact, it's super-confident Donald who takes the definitive lead in voice and posture -- and 'most' of the imaginary sweet-talking. He's the 'foot-soldier' who becomes the default star. 

Ungowami, abbreviated in the song for the Zulu phrase "Wena ungowami", means "Baby, you're mine". Gotta have 'silent' Baby in there! In the song, then, we're all aptly 'enmeshed' in the superb surround of a soul-stirring beat, and funky (declarative/wooing) melody. Great love lyrics, too. What sights!

MUSIC: 'Leg Over' ~ Mr. Eazi's Uneasy Confession

You don't want to lose, to get over, the spell that Mr. Eazi's Leg Over casts over you when you first hear it; and even when you hear it the second and third time. This is consistent with what will be said in the days and months ahead, I think: that Leg Over was one of Africa's truly mesmerizing songs of early 2017 -- and perhaps the year as a whole. 

Sooner or later, however, critics will weigh in, and may want to temper the early impressions. But 'sooner or later' does not always extinguish the all-too-frequent magic of first impressions. The greater danger to the continued appeal of an artistic expression, I think, is the dulling -- the corrosive -- effect of familiarity.

As an aural-visual expression, Mr. Eazi's Leg Over is a duality of quite asymmetrical narratives. Aurally speaking, it has a wonderful tune, played with the fine and seamless accompaniment of his incomparable voice. It is as if the played tune and the singer's voice are conjoined twins. The melody that lurks in the background, putting everyone on notice, is irresistible and all-conquering -- with its persistent and lulling charm. Credit for all that goes to the songwriter, the instrumentalists and the singer. 

What we get is at once even-keeled and totally consonant with the narrator's despondent, yes despondent, account of the deeds and (spoken) thoughts which now put him down and which, even in the confessional, he cannot quite escape.

The song has a somber and foreboding beat, which (if you follow the inconsistent words) reflects the confusion in the protagonist's head and telegraphs his conflicted search for salvation; a salvation which he hopes will not be incompatible with the continuation of Leg Over -- and all it connotes.  

Visually, we can tell from body texts that what the priest has to hear is a horror. But what he hears can only be a fraction of what we ourselves (the spectator-audience) hear -- and see. He must nevertheless endure all of it -- his only solace the calming effect of the holy cross in his hand, and his solemn calling. 

In the end, the priest must, perforce, deliver a verdict of forgiveness. This despite the hints in the repenter's own words that the remorse, however deeply felt in spirit, is not (given the frailty of the social 'body') quite total -- nor quite likely to last. 

The one who watches the video knows, but the priest (ingrained in it) doesn't, that the dancing girls continue to dance, and thus embody the continuation of the very things that the confession is supposed to bring an end to. The temptations persist.

Here's the 'Leg Over' video (in which you hardly see, or hear much from, the other singers who supposedly feature ~ Wizkid, Eddie Kadi and Maleek Berry): Leg Over Video 

Wizkid's Ojuelegba

Ojuelegba, I think, is the song that made music fans and connoisseurs, first around Africa and then other parts of the world, sit up and take note of one Wizkid -- as literally a new kid on the musical block. And it wasn't that the song had a soaring melodic (or declarative) start, or red-hot tempo -- or that the video had mind- imprinting optics; far from it. Nothing in it asked us to dance, or to get off our seats at the very least. If anything, the expectation was that we'd just sit back and take it all in at our own pace. But the video, it turned out, had a secret and beguiling and perhaps subliminal charm with delayed-effect, and I don't think anyone (not even famed Director, Clarence Peters) pre-scripted that. But he, CP, will just have to have the final word on that. 

The video had this wonderfully unobtrusive beat, this sort of slow-motion and off-handed posture in the vocals and the instrumental accompaniments, that was so powerfully disarming. There was no star posturing -- not by this self-proclaimed but elf-effacing Starboy domiciled in his own song (in that very Ojuelegba) inside Lagos, inside Nigeria. 

And it was mostly in black and white -- or shall we say grey, as it is grey megapixels that do crowd the remembering of it. Except for Wizkid's red-pink half-boots just as possibly made of soft leather in the upper parts as of 'brushed' canvas, that really stood out. And for the truer-red cap and juicy water melon we saw at 3:09-3:22 as the Wiz sang in final despair: 
"I can't explain,
I can't explain." 

In hindsight, what we saw was the image of a young man not simply ambling into a public combi -- by definition a Matatu, if you live in East Africa -- for a short ride to somewhere in his hometown. We were witnesses to a magical moment of due transformation -- the starting point of a teleportation of one aspiring artiste into a future (which is, already, now) of enormous but at the time quite unanticipated fame. In the end, I hazard the thought, it was in fact our gaze -- we, 'tough' customers, who are kings -- that did the trick. It was how we watched Wizkid, through the camera's gaze, enter that Matatu, and how vaguely we heard him say those things that he said in the song, that propelled him into that future I'm alluding to.

READ: The various meanings and allusions embedded in the word Ojuelegba. 

READ: A summary of early critical reviews of the song Ojuelegba


If I can sum it all up in a few words, the song is essentially about the singer's desperate inability to explain on his own why he might be "feeling good" (tonight), given his life-story -- in which his "people suffer". Thus, it is the expression, at once, of a conquering and conflicted humility. 

It so happens that Ojuelegba was not in #TheYamboSelection of Africa's top 40 pop hits of 2015. Instead, it was that lovely Soweto Baby -- serenaded by Wizkid, legendary DJ Maphorisa and DJ Buckz -- which was deservedly ranked, at 15. And so the story goes.

Click here to watch the Ojuelegba video:



HERE: A Link to The Ojuelegba Lyrics

Net Worth: Top 20 Richest Musicians in Nigeria ~ September 2015

The video is shared on a need to know basis only, whatever that means here. One needs to know this? Then one will just have to construct a method for 'reading' and misreading the pictures and the numbers. Some surprises, OK? Sum 'em up.

The Headies, 2015: Deciphering Nigeria's Latest Music Awards

Nigeria's 10th Annual Music Awards Event, The Headies, took place in Lagos on January 1, 2016. A number of heavyweight artistes won, or lost, in various categories. Only artistes with works published between July 2014 and June 2015 qualified for consideration (see Linda Ikeji, "Headies 2015 Nominees List, September 30, 2015). The full list of winners by category and genre appears in the text to which a link appears immediately below.

READ (Also): Full List of Nominees at This Year's Headies
READ: Full List of Winners at This Year's Headies

In summary:
- Olamide, the indefatigable, won two awards: Artiste of the Year and Best Street-Hop Artiste.
- Don Jazzy (leader of the Mavins group) won the Special Recognition Award.
- Legendary Beatz won Best Music Producer Award (for Wizkid's popular song Ojuelegba)
- Wizkid won Best Pop/RnB Album Award (for his AYO album),
- M.I. won Best Rap Album Award (for his Chairman Album)
- Vector (of King Kong fame) won Lyricist on a Roll Award
- Reekado Banks (of Mavin Records) won, mostly on the strength of Katapot, the Next Rated Award -- which somehow was among the most coveted -- against Lil Kesh (a member of Olamide's YBNL Nation) and Korede Bello (of Mavin Records).

- Song of the Year Award: Ojuelegba, by Wizkid
- Best Pop Single: Godwin by Korede Bello (Mavins Group)
- Best RnB Single: Wish Me Well by Tim Dakolo
- Best Rap Single: King Kong by Vector
- Best Ragga/Dance Hall Single: German Juice by Cynthia Morgan
- Best Music Video: Katapot by Reekado Banks
- Best Alternative Song: Sade by Adenkule Gold.

It is the Next Rated Award, somehow among the most coveted, which generated the most intense emotional jostling, pre- and post-, and resulted in the one-sided use of unbelievably raw language, via Twitter.

READ FOR YOURSELF: Olamide's Expletives Against Don Jazzy
MORE DETAILS: Olamide Goes...
READ ALSO: Joey Akan "Olamide vs Don Jazzy: This beef is good for the music industry"
NOTE: Olamide has since apologised to his fans

COMMENT:
Concerning the public spat between these two giants, Olamide and Don Jazzy, more's the pity given that their collaboration only a year ago produced, under Olamide's YBNL label, the wonderfully iconic song, Skelemba, which many across the continent continue to enjoy and to pay them for -- handsomely, one supposes.

Concerning awards to the best singles, the Headies clearly sought to please as many industry players as possible, but in the process fudged musical categories and genres. Put that another way: it opted to "split hairs". Thus, Wizkid won the Song Of The Year accolade with his minimalist and very popular song, Ojuelegba. Now, Song Of The Year is, should be, the apex award for all song genres. There there must be clarity, and broad consensus, about what elements of singing constitute it, before awarding even starts.

So the Big Question is: What genre does Ojuelegba belong in? Pop? RnB? Alternative (like Sade)? It must surely be in one of these. In which case, what separate considerations made it -- and not Godwin, Wish me Well or Sade -- the Song Of The Year? Is it, perhaps, the way questions were inadvertently constructed and/or posed to the respondents, and/or how their responses were subsequently analyzed? More specifically: if pop, how come Ojuelegba did not first edge out Godwin for the pop award (though in reality, as reiterated below, Godwin is Gospel)? If RnB, how come it lost to Wish Me Well there? And if alternative, for what reasons is Sade the better alternative song but not Song Of The Year?  By the same reasoning, on what grounds does Ojuelegba, placed head-to-head against Vector's King Kong or Cynthia Morgan's German Juice, win the coveted prize? After ten years of operation, the Headies shouldn't be getting these kinds of questions, or should already have watertight, persuasive, answers.

In #YamboSelection2015 (see also #YamboSelection2014), the list of Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of The Year, (January-December) 2015 covered Sub-Saharan Africa and focused on the song, not the singer; and, moreover, lumped all the songs considered under the category of POP -- broadly meaning contemporary, popular and secular (that is, not Gospel) [Click here for definitions and criteria]. The Top 10 Songs were:
1. King Kong Remix by Vector ft. Phyno + Reminisce + Classiq + Uzi
2. Nana by Diamond Platnumz ft. Mr. Flavour
3. Reggae Blues by Harrysong ft. Olamide + Iyanya + Kcee + Orezi
4. Fakosi bySun X ft. Timaya
5. Never Ever by Vanessa Mdee
6. Muita Areia by C4 Pedro ft. Big Nelo + Kaysha (Video ft. Rlynda)
7. Chekecha Cheketua bt Alikiba
8. Kanyauka by Chege + Mh Temba ft. DJ Maphorisa
9. Melo Melo by Olamide
10. So Good by Eddie Kenzo.

Ojuelegba, which is a special kind of song, is not among Africa's Top 10, or Top 40 for that matter; but King Kong Remix is in the Number 1 spot. Nor does Godwin, whose lyrics, sugar-coated with pop visuals, are distinctly gospel rather than pop. In Wish Me Well (with its quaint visuals and all) the Headies have awarded a song which would not feature even in Africa's Top 200. Orente and Sade are a much finer RnB pieces, if an alternative to 'Wish Me...' were to be given -- but they are cynically labelled "alternative". So are Simi's Tiff and Jamb Questions. Incidentally, she appears in this year's Top 40, with Open and Close, which of course is a different kind of music!

Given the stellar performance of Vector and his team in King Kong Remix, the Lyricist on a Roll Award given to him is a fuzzy and even meaningless accolade which only serves to deflect unfocused attention.

CONCLUSION:
A concluding point: If a musical awards group wishes to adopt the categories akin to the Oscars of the movie industry, there is no philosophical reason to stop it. However, it must first fully understand the rationale for the awards, as well as the workings of the Academy which awards the Oscars. Only then can it domesticate those Academy processes to its own world of music, and to the conditions of the local market(s) in which it operates.

Despite noted flaws, and the unanticipated disruption toward the end of this year's event when two elephants went at each other's sensitivities, we must congratulate the Headies organizers for keeping the spirit alive for all these ten years, and for giving us this prestigious annual spectacle. If Nigeria didn't do it, Africa as a whole would be the loser. One must simply keep fine-tuning this great meme -- and expanding it.


P.S: 1.  Spectators, at a safe distance all over the hills, be witnesses to a quick and brutal Battle of the Headies
   
       2. No Battle of Hastings, this.

Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of 2015 ~ #TheYamboSelection

I. INTRODUCTION

This is the second annual edition of #TheYamboSelection, presenting the full list of Africa's Top 40 Pop Songs of 2015. The same criteria have been used this year (2015) as were used last year to select and rank the best songs out of those released or published during the year. However, the final list has grown from 25 last year to 40 in 2015. 

There is just so much really good lay music out of Africa these days that you sense you are not doing anyone justice by listing less rather than more; but there is a limit to any leeway. The listing task requires more and more meticulous attention  because of growing complexity arising from a discernible and laudable burst of creativity up and down sub-Sahara, and with easier and faster online access to artists' creations, and 'the market'. Every region seems to be catching up with the 'pioneers' and demanding attention by sheer activity and flashes of brilliance. No one can sit on their laurels.

The focus of this list is the song, not the singer, with the added requirement that only songs in video form qualify. In addition, the song must broadly fit the standard definition of popular (or pop) music

CLICK HERE For the Full Introduction and Selection Criteria
ALSO READ: Africa's Top 25 Songs of 2014



II. THE LIST AND RANKS OF AFRICA'S TOP 40 SONGS 2015
[Click on a Song's title to watch the video]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the record, the latest number of YouTube views per song is given under each of the Songs numbered 40 down to 11. The data were captured during a two-hour period (2:20 - 4:26 p.m.) on December 31, 2015. This post was published just over one hour later, at 5:35 p.m. One can use the figures as baselines for the respective songs, which can be tracked over time for a number of reasons. The Top 10 have their own respective baselines, as shown above. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

40. Baby Don't Go by Muthoni The Drummer Queen and Khuli Chana (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 3,921

39. Boss Zonke by Riky Rick (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 699,074

38. Kisses by Fifi Cooper ft AB Crazy (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 201,302

37. Love Phobic by H_ART THE BAND (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 102,643
Click here to read comment

36. Okoro by Jowana (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 9,542

35. Say You Love Me by Leriq ft. Wizkid (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 372,697
Click here to read comment

34. Amarula by Roberto (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 293,999

33. Shake Yo Bam Bam by Sauti Sol (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 721,191
Click here to read comment

32. Come Around by Staizz ft. Cheddah (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 2,080


31. Sugar Baby by Reekado Banks (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 581,760

30. Open and Close by Simi (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 60,892
Click here to read comment

29. Game by Navy Kenzo ft. Vanessa Mdee (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 592,780

28. Ihale  by Susumila (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 30,374
Click here to read comment

27. Hitsakile by Skalled ft. Ziqo and Uhuru (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 8,184
Click here to read comment

26. Ebelebe by Tee tee (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 920
Click here to read comment

25. Baby Paulina by Ketchup ft. Uhuru (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 45,741
Click here to read comment


24. Sijazoea by AT (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 191,796
Click here to read comment


23. Celebrity Girlfriend by Falz ft. Reekado Banks (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 329,410

22. Fans Mi by Davido + Meek Mill (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post:  4,387,596

21. Make Am by Patoranking (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 28,391
Click here to read comment

20. Laye by Kiss Daniel (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 2,809,191

19. Don't Stop by Olamide (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 260,863

18. Bestie by D'Prince x Don Jazzy x Baby Fresh (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 250,361
Click here to read comment

17. Take it Slow by Zikki ft. Jaguar (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 146,973
Click here to read comment


16. She Need Am by Cheezy Chi (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 1,269


15. Soweto Baby by DJ Maphorisa ft. Wizkid (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 217,054

14. Sexy Rosey By Mr. Flavour ft. P-Square (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 3,245,677

13. Igbeyawo by OritseFemi (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 213,718
Click here to read comment

12. Soke by Burnaboy (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 1,043,602
Click here to read comment

11. Enemy Solo by Awilo Longomba ft. P-Square (2015):
YouTube views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 2,097,063

10. So Good by Eddy Kenzo (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

9. Melo Melo by Olamide (2015):

Click here to read comment on this song

8. Kaunyaka by Chege + Mh Temba ft. Dj Maphorisa (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

7. Chekecha Cheketua by Alikiba (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

6. Muita Areia by C4 Pedro ft. Big Nelo + Kaysha (Video ft. Rlynda) (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

5. Never Ever by Vanessa Mdee (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

4. Fakosi by Sun X ft. Timaya (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song


3. Reggae Blues by Harrysong ft. Olamide + Iyanya + Kcee + Orezi 015)
Click here to read comment on this song

2. Nana by Diamond Platnumz ft. Mr. Flavour (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song
READ: Diamond Platnumz's bioinfo

1. King Kong Remix by Vector, Phyno, Reminisce, Classiq and Uzi (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

MUSIC: Leriq ft. Wizkid, a Winning Combination in "Say You Love Me"

For some perspective, here are three tweets I wrote in June this year about this collaboration between two Nigerian artistes -- Leriq and Wizkid. Wizkid, as keen observers know, is already popular across Africa and beyond, but he can do more and he can reach higher. I was highlighting multi-talented Leriq's value-addition to Wizkid's creative art, a contribution which is fairly obvious to me -- and, I hope, to Wizkid; and which I hope, not against hope, will last:

@Mauri Yambo: @YouTube Has #Wizkid gotten his #mojo back? Last time he truly shone was with #Ojuelegba. He's since been coasting & riding into creative...
7:06 PM - 7 Jun 2015

@MauriYambo  Jun 7: @YouTube ...into creative turbulence. Then #LeriQ steps in with a collabo & we're surprised 2 find that W has a wider vocal range than e...

‏@MauriYambo  Jun 7: @YouTube than even he (W) probably thought he had. I think "Say You Love Me" is a wonderfully crafted gem. Big up all around. 


DO ALSO READ: Iterview With Leriq

Click here to view the Ojuelegba video

Nigeria Just Banned Some 18 Pop Songs

The Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has just censored some 18 songs, many of them hits, on what it seems to perceive to be ethical/moral/legal grounds. More specifically, songs have been banned if deemed to contain or promote: vulgar lyrics, obscene scenes, violence, ostentatious lifestyle, drug trafficking and indecent exposure. They now cannot be played on TV or radio stations across the country.

But the degree of vulgarity, obscenity, violence or indecency (based on widely agreed-upon metrics) should matter when such decisions are made. On the other hand, promoting drug trafficking, inadvertently or otherwise, should always be discouraged, perhaps via rules of engagement crafted jointly with artistes and producers. Freedom of expression should always be doubly and even trebly ring-fenced against hollow zealots.

All forms of ostentation should be left to the public to judge and frown upon and jeer, in its own sweet time and time-tested ways; not a bunch of hyperactive public servants seeking, perhaps, to impress the party newly in power.

The specific songs affected include:

1. In My Bed - Wizkig (Puerile Wizkid shows his faults, is all. I prefer Ojuelegba any day)
2. Fans Mi - Davido ft Meek Mill (Davido did go overboard here. Remains a great artiste, sans this)
3. Shakiti Bobo - Olamide (Q: Is the fault in the words, which some of us can't quite get?)
4. Gift - Iyanya and Don Jazzy (Prudish NBC! I've seen a more self-adulating Iyanya in another vid)
5. Oyari - Dr. Sid and Tiwa Savage (NBC goofed by drawing attention to this ugly, harmless song)
6. Yayo - Phyno (What was Phyno thinking? Yayo's just too violent. Very vulgar too. Wasn't going to score big anyway)

READ: Why Nigerian Government banned Fans Mi, Shakiti Bobo, 16 other songs Bans

On Wande Coal's "The Kick" (ft Don Jazzy): Reply to Sylvester Odhegba

Sylvester Odhegba posted a comment on YouTube about Wande Coal's music video, "The Kick". Here's what I thought, in a brief moment earlier last evening (already), in response [I added the links an hour or so later, after midnight, for illustration]:


Wande Coal obviously displays super promise already; but when can/will "can easily be" be? The gr8 probl 4 any Naija artiste is that so many already r on an overdrive of creativity. 
Being n staying on top requires, will even mo urgently req in the future, relentless bursts of energy. Hope WC has the staying power and the versatility. Such as Wizkid has. Such as Olamide. Davido. Phyno. And the talent: such as Rayce's.


[See Rayce here too, in Tetela; and indefatigable Don Jazzy, so very often in the ackground of something that raises the musical bar, 'singularly' inspired here in Dorobucchi]