My friend Jeff M. turned me on to a whole scene I was barely aware of. The Nigerian music industry has recently boomed and is now the biggest in Africa as well as one of the most dynamic in the world. As I think we all know, Western popular music (encompassing jazz, blues, rock, soul, funk and hip-hop, and all their permutations) is rooted in African music brought over to the New World by enslaved people, as well as through trade and immigration to the Caribbean. Now, African musicians are taking the sounds and instrumentation of Western popular music and recombining them with traditional African folk and tribal music.
I’ve previously included work by artists from several African countries in my folk-rock and folk-metal posts, but nothing from Nigeria. So, with big thanks to Jeff, here are a few of the artists he recommended.
Tiwa Savage: “Lova Lova”
Born in Nigeria, Savage spent her teen years and early career in the UK and US, before being drawn back to Nigeria in 2012 by the booming recording industry there. She graduated from Berklee College of Music, and performed with a variety of big name pop, rock and soul artists before heading out on her own. She sings in English and Yoruba, and covers a lot of ground both stylistically and topically.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Qbx3UNcoC1Q
Burna Boy: “Wonderful”
Born Damini Ogulu, Burna Boy is one of the most commercially successful young Nigerian artists. He mashes up African sounds from all over Africa (not just Nigeria), with dance pop, reggae and rap. He has broken through to an international audience, and was a Grammy nominee. He knows how to roll a lot of ideas into one song, as you’ll see here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=k33o1IgtUEM
Niniola: “Designer”
Niniola Apata came up the through the talent-show circuit, which is apparently how it’s supposed to be done these days. She combines African beats and melodies with a Caribbean swing, and instrumentation that sometimes sounds a bit like house or trance. From the buzz, it appears her biggest fan base is not in Nigeria, but in South Africa. She was nominated for a Grammy as part of the team that scored the Lion King. This song is a fun but sardonic take on consumerism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ib7YN4jK-oM
No comments:
Post a Comment