musicblog

[The Music Blog]: Much ado about One Africa Music Fest exporting ‘African time’ to London

Post-event press for the London leg of One Africa Music fest has mostly been awash with details of shoddy performances, and the inability of Nigerian acts to carry an audience. The biggest bone op-ed writers had to pick with the organisers of the event was timing. According to revelations that came after the show, fans... Read More

African time, artists, One Africa Music Fest

[The Music Blog]: Tekno, Runtown and the life span of a sound wave

Last year marked the beginning of an unprecedented rise for Tekno and Runtown. Both artists have steadily remained in rotation with mildly successful singles for the past three years, but Tekno did as they say, hit the goldmine with “Pana”, a mid-2016 release that coincidentally tied with release and success of Runtown’s “Mad Over You”... Read More

Mad Over You, Pana, Runtown, Tekno, The Music Blog

[The Music Blog]: Does anybody still care about who Forbes ranks as Africa’s most bankable artist?

It’s really hard to tell if Forbes Magazine’s infamous annual evaluation of the most bankable artists in Africa still has the same relevance it used to. A few years ago, a roll-out of all the biggest artists worth an investment on the continent would have sparked social media conversation and industry chatter about the state... Read More

artistes, Bankable, forbes list, musicians

The Music Blog: What artists can do to end the menace of free music downloading in Nigeria

NotJustOk is currently one of the most influential music platforms in Nigeria. The platform was founded in 2006 by blogger Ademola Ogundele as a music download site with very little editorial save for reviews and occasional listicles. Its model has not only influenced a series of copycat music download sites, it is also quoted to... Read More

free music, notjustok, Piracy, The Music Blog

The Music Blog: OAP Dotun’s list of “Nu-School” sounds shows how much the industry has changed

The internationally mapped successes of Wizkid, Davido, Yemi Alade and a host of others over the past few months has opened new landmarks for African music. Somewhere in the background of celebration of their achievements, bets are being edged on a slew of young new underdogs who have been touted as the next generation of... Read More

More, The Music Blog

The Music Blog: #AsaEncore and the importance of concert theatres to the industry

This weekend, Bukola ‘Asa’ Elemide, Nigeria’s most celebrated singer returned to Eko Hotel’s convention centre for the second time following last year’s first. Over the past few years, Eko Hotels, Victoria Island has become the only worthy venue for concerts and major music events. The hotel’s auditorium has housed both local and international events hosted... Read More

Asa, concerts, eko hotels, Live Shows

[The Music Blog] Buzz Review: Burna Boy’s Afro-Carribean mastery continues on “Rock Your Body”

For a mainstream artist in a relatively conservative society, Burna Boy is quite edgy; too edgy even. References to sex and a well documented roadman (criminal) life in the UK are often made in his music with the airy nonchalance of a man who already figures looking like a badass outweighs the consequences of his... Read More

Burna boy, Buzz Review

The Music Blog: Get a feel of the much talked about “War” EP by Nonso Amadi and Odunsi

Less than two years ago, Nonso Amadi, an Abuja-based singer and producer released Alone, a debut project that catapulted him into SoundCloud playlists and mixes, especially after the success of “Tonight” and “Radio”, two stand alone single releases. About the same time, singer Odunsi began releasing music off his SoundCloud account, before the eventual drop... Read More

Asa

[The Music Blog] Asa Encore: 3 mistakes from last year that should not be repeated

Asa’s first live concert experience happened last May, but despite an electrifying performance from the singer, the event was not unmarred by organisational flaws that could have been better handled. Asa would be taking the stage again this weekend and fans who didn’t get the Asa on stage treatment would get a second chance to... Read More

Asa, Asa Encore, concert, live show

Tay Asa

[The Music Blog] Asa Encore: What opening for Asa should mean for Tay Iwar

Asa’s Encore concert is coming up this weekend and all eyes are already on the look out for who the artists on the line up will be. There is no need to re-enforce all we have probably assumed about the importance of an opening set for Asa in a young career. And so, it came... Read More

[The Music Blog] #DearArtist: When to dump your first manager

“Have you heard from Chilly”, a text from Chilly D’s unceremoniously dismissed first manager, Bestman read one late night. I was in between jobs last year when an A&R job for a small Lagos based label Chilly D was signed to, swept onto my plate. Immediate fears of an unstructured work environment first underwhelmed the... Read More

A&R, Dear Artist

[The Music Blog] Buzz Review: D-O’s “Peter Piper” is how to make an obscure pop song from your childhood

Sex songs always have that thing. It’s unexplainable really, but it’s that thing that happens when you keep wondering if you’re supposed to take the song seriously, or just chuckle at the cliches, knowing even the artist must have thought them ridiculous before breathing the exact words into a microphone. In today’s pop music scape,... Read More

The Music Blog: On the rise of streaming and death of the album format

With the release of More Life, Drake became the first major label mainstream artist to release a playlist, effectively marking the beginning of previously speculated eventual death of the album format. This is another win for digital streaming barely months after Billboard began accepting stream equivalents for sales certifications. Over the last few years, media... Read More

albums, Drake, More Life, Streaming

The Music Blog: What will happen after Afropop goes global?

2016 marked the year of landmark leaps for African music. Particularly, the globally mapped success of Afropop following a spillover of attention the sub-genre gained in the previous year. First came Davido’s global distribution deal with Sony, then Wizkid’s feature on Drake’s first Billboard-topping, “One Dance”, and by the end of year several artists with... Read More

[The Music Blog] Ice Prince vs Davido: When to put ‘veteran’ artists in their place

Recently, Ice Prince and Davido were reportedly involved in a near-brawl at a Delta-Alive concert in Warri. According to reports, the scuffle was initially because a luxury G-Wagon had been used to convey Davido from the airport, while Ice Prince was shuffled to the hotel in a saloon car instead. Eye witness reports further revealed... Read More

Davido, Ice Prince, Lil Kesh

dagrin

[The Music Blog] Review: DaGrin’s “Ghetto Dreams” is a conflicted heart’s longing for heaven

Here is an odd but chuckle-worthy question that should keep you up at night: What if DaGrin’s signature laugh was intentionally made to sound like the bleat of a goat, because he knew he would be the G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time). It sounds corny, but humour me. Afterall, Nothing makes a martyr out of... Read More

dagrin

[The Music Blog] Seven years gone: What is the best way to pay respects to the late DaGrin?

Yesterday, April 22nd, marked the seventh year since the death of late Yoruba rapper, Dagrin. As usual, the day was highlighted with another round of annual tribute think pieces and listiscles that attempted to compress his eccentric life into one single medium. One oddly tactless The last five years of DaGrin’s lifetime marked the beginning... Read More

C.E.O, Dagrin, dagrin's death

The Music Blog: Why Tekno should be more like Drake

Yesterday, Tekno released “Be”, his latest single since the release of his late 2016 pseudo-political number, “Rara” and “Yawa”, his first release of the year. Over the past 23 months, Tekno has evolved both a distinct style and remained consistently at the top of Afropop royalty with hit after hit, since the release of “Duro”... Read More

Drake, More Life, Tekno

The Music Blog: 3 quick essential picks off the Legendury Beatz ‘Afropop 101’ mixtape

“Ojuelegba” bought production duo Legendury Beatz a place in the history of modern Nigerian music and earlier this year they sealed their impact in a body of work titled Afropop 101. And because we understand that many producer-only albums sail under the radar of everything else I decided to share 3 quick essentials off the... Read More

Legendury Beatz, Maleek Berry, Simi, wizkid

chemistry

The Music Blog: On Simi, Adekunle Gold, Falz and the love triangle from hell

It’s not hard to imagine Nigerian Gossip blogs having a field day after a fan gave Adekunle Gold the perfect set-up to make blog headlines, with a question pertaining to his 2015 single “Orente”. You see, yesterday was Simi’s birthday and to celebrate, she gave herself a birthday shout out on her Instagram page where... Read More

#Gidifest2017 Review: Not quite yet a festival, but certainly not just a concert

Music Festivals in the incarnation that we recognize now are a relatively new thing. Before the inaugural Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in the 1969, the only people who performed music outdoors were travelling renaissance faires and folk singers eking out a living. You either went to the musician indoors in theatres and auditorium halls,... Read More

[The Music Blog] Music for the pain: 5 pro-tips to help you curate the perfect playlist to combat anxiety

Music they say is the ultimate form of empathy. Presumably, this is why sound therapists have spent years of researching music to evolve a methodology for restoration of health and relaxation. Personally I became aware of the ability of music to help ease stress and anxiety after discovering Brian Eno’s ambient albums, a sound specifically... Read More

anxiety, depression, mental health, Music

Fela

The Music Blog: The Fela you never knew is not who you’d expect

As Afropop and all other African sub-genres continue to battle the generic defination of every African sound as Afrobeats, we are reminded that Fela was inherently so larger than life that easy to attest him as the father of modern African music. During the singer’s extraordinary lifetime, Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s Afrobeat, a Jazz upgrade of... Read More

The Music Blog: GidiFest 2017 and what music festival organisers are doing wrong

Over the weekend, Lagos state hosted American DJ, Diplo, who was billed as headliner for this year’s edition of Gidifest alongside Nigerian acts Davido, Tiwa Savage, Simi,. Adekunle Gold and others. Gidi Fest 2017 is the music festival’s third edition since the first concert held at Eko Atlantic nearly three years ago. But while following... Read More

Kendrick

The Music Blog: What Nigerian artists can learn from Kendrick Lamar’s dedication to Aesthetics

At the heart of pop royalty rapper, Kendrick Lamar has made a place for himself as both messiah and revolutionary for hip-hop and all its defining aspects for black culture. Over the weekend, the Compton MC released his fourth studio album DAMN., ending a two year wait for a project since the release of his... Read More

Kendrick Lamar, Nigerian Music

The Music Blog: Wizkid on BBC Channel 4 is every Nigerian at a job interview

Until now, it would have been safe to assume Wizkid in the same class of celebrities above our the wrath of our share and like buttons. But earlier this week, the singer’s interview with BBC culture reporter, Jasmine Dotiwala, became the source of a rare Wizkid drag, with a social media mob wielding pitchforks and... Read More

The Music Blog: How Asa silently became the Nigerian queen of reclusive art

A few weeks ago, a rare picture of British-Nigerian singer, Sade Adu surfaced online with Canadian rapper, Drake and his mum in the same snapshot. By all definitions, nothing especially stood out about the image, except Sade’s rare presence which brought back conversations around the singer’s under-the-radar brand despite a cult-level following built on years... Read More

Asa, Frank Ocean, Harper Lee, Sade

The Music Blog: John Mayer’s “Age of Worry” and the key to adulting [Toye’s Playlist I]

“Close your eyes and then clone yourself/ build your heart an army/ to defend your innocence while you do everything wrong” John Mayer croons in the first moments of “Age of Worry”, a tribute to the anxiety of youth off his 2012 album Born and Raised. Like many of my favourites hidden in John Mayer’s... Read More

John Mayer, soft rock.

Yemi Alade

The Music Blog: Yemi Alade is doing the sex thing and it’s quite exciting

There is a thing that happens with women in Nigerian music who reach a moderately successful level of popularity. They seem to always wait out the glory of their highest peaks before petering into irrelevance, never trying anything new, or doing anything differently. There are two plausible explanations for this phenomenon. The first is what... Read More

Mama Africa, Yemi Alade

Femi Kuti says Obasanjo is a bad leader and a failure as President | YNaija.com

The Music Blog: The man from Shrine

It’s hard to miss the energetic atmosphere around The New Africa Shrine whenever heir to Afrobeat throne Femi Kuti is in the building. The transplanted Kalakuta Republic is the new symbolic location of Fela’s original Mushin home and recording studio raided and destroyed by the soldiers from Surulere barracks in 1977. In the last four... Read More

afrobeat, fela, Kalakuta Republic, New Afrika Shrine, The Shrine

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