Contemporary Nigerian Music
The last three posts have been dedicated synopses of Nigerian music from the early 20th century. You would agree that Nigerian music has come a long a way, evolution-wise.
Two cultural elements serve as unity enablers, namely: music and football. It has been said that during the Nigerian - Biafran War which lasted from 1967 - 1970, Pele was in Nigeria, in 1969, for a friendly match. Due to his legendary status, there was a ceasefire for two days and a holiday was declared by Samuel Ogbemudia, the governor of the mid-western region, a part of Nigeria, to enable a peaceful game between Brazil and Nigeria. The border between Benin, in the mid-west, and the Biafran region (in the south-east) was allegedly opened to mark the event. For 48 hours, normalcy and tranquility was restored because of football.
What about music? I could write a thesis on case studies involving music and societal harmony in history, but I have no such intention. However, I would refer you, dear reader, to peruse the comments posted by music listeners under Nigeria’s Kizz Daniel’s latest song “Cough” on YouTube, and you would be mesmerized by music’s power in forging unity and understanding among tribes and nations of varying tongues and belief systems.
Some years ago, during my graduate studies in Germany, I attended a seminar on Metaphors and Cultural Conceptualizations in World Englishes. It was a seminar with mostly foreign students in attendance. And we were required to bring love songs from our respective countries for analysis. As the only black student, and Nigerian, I chose the sublime song, "Aye", by our dearest Davido. His songs were on rotation in German, and European night clubs, at the time.
The unanimous response of positivity, excitement and love that song received on that day, left me perplexed. For a slight millisecond, I wanted my Davido back. I felt like my co-students had ripped me of my beloved possession. I felt like being selfish, just for a minute. But I wasn’t! I was excited, moist-eyed and appreciative of the love and solidarity generated by a Nigerian song among students from multi-racial extractions outside Africa. And in that minute, I envisaged a world without hate, prejudice, bigotry, racism. And I felt deeply in my heart that a world of truth, justice and reciprocity is attainable. Dear Reader, this is my strongest desire, that humanity would realize that we are one and can transcend the box of separation which divide and limit us. Music offers that possibility and like Barry White, once sang, let the music play.
Generally, the beauty of music is framed around the melody, lyrics, instrumentation and the video, in some cases. And I have mentioned elsewhere that in contemporary times, music creation has since transitioned from organic vocals and instruments to digitalized or artificial vocals and instrumentation. Today, talent is no longer required to be a singer or instrumentalist. Artificial Intelligence can do the job. Now, while I would forever remain a diehard fan of vintage music, I still pay attention to contemporary musical offerings. They may, to a large extent , suffer from a deficiency in lyrical and inspirational integrity, in comparison to previous decades, but the instrumental concoctions, especially from the Nigerian end, are sonical temptations. They are simply hypnotic!
This Playlist is a highlight of my favourite contemporary songs, made in Nigeria. These are the songs I would keep on rotation, if I owned a radio station. The music genres are a conglomeration of all the genres previously identified. Despite societal evolution, Nigerian artistes in contemporary times have memorialized Afrobeat, Highlife, Soul, Reggae,Hip-Hop/Rap influences, etc, in their adaptations. The lyrics mainly centralize everyday living and are apolitical. Enjoy!
Adekunle Gold - "Pick Up".
Brymo - "Down" .
Burna Boy - "On The Low".
Chike - "Out of Love".
Coco Benson - "Taxi Driver".
Davido - "Skelewu".
Duncan Mighty - "Obianuju".
Falz (The Bahd Guy) - "Currency".
Flavour - "My Sweetie".
Iyanya - "Like".
J. Martins - "Oyoyo".
Jennifer Eliogu - "Onulu Ube".
Kizz Daniel - "Madu".
Mish - "Akwa Ibom Ayaya"
Niyola - "Toh Bad".
Olamide - "Criteria".
Omawunmi - "Serious Love Nwantinti".
Patoranking - "Daniella Whine".
Phyno - "Financial Woman".
Rude Boy - "Audio Money".
Sinach - "For Me".
Skales - "Shake Body".
Seyi Shay - "Irawo".
Simi - "Duduke".
Tekno - "Pana".
Tiwa Savage - "Love Me Love Me Love Me".
Wande Coal - "Bumper 2 Bumper".
Waje - "Oko Mi".
Wizkid - "Sweet Love".
Yemi Alade - "Deceive".
DISCLAIMER: All the music links on this post solely serve the purpose of enlightenment and entertainment. Please, support the creators of the music. Thank You!
