I was having a conversation with rapper A-Q
who was explaining 2017 in Nigerian music from the eyes of an artist.
As one who is constantly thrown in the deep end of recording music, he
is studying the climate and trends in Nigeria, and tuning his music
accordingly.
During the conversation, we talked about the dominance of ‘Pon Pon’ sound and how long it would last.
“People only followed that direction because three or more artists have had hits,”
A-Q says when I ask him about why the sound is popular. “Just wait,
when 1 or two other artists can create hits with another style,
everybody will move on and continue.”
This
got me thinking. Where is the next Nigerian sound coming from? To
understand this, we need to look at how ‘Pon pon’ came to dominate.
Since
2015, Nigerian music has undergone a reduction in speed. Moving away
from the energetic pace of sounds which Terry G championed, and the
dancehall of Timaya, the industry had begun to embrace mellow Highlife.
When Kiss Daniel’s ‘Woju’ and ‘Laye’, became hits, and it was swiftly
followed by Tekno’s ‘Duro’, the music was never the same. Trends in
Nigerian music arise from hit songs, and if Kiss Daniel and Tekno could
do it, anyone could.
Olamide on set for the video shoot of new single 'Wo!!"
(Instagram/Baddosneh)
“There’s no specific reason why it is popping, it’s still part of the Ghana bounce,” says Ayzed, a producer based in Lagos. “Every year we get a new sound for the Nigerian music industry. This one just happens to be the sound of 2017.”
Mr
Eazi came in 2016, crossing over into Nigeria with ‘Skin tight’, a song
heavily influenced by Ghanaian Highlife and synths, supplied by the
British-Ghanaian producer, DJ Juls. Eazi would go on to greatly
influence the sound, with the infusion of the melodic, relaxed,
vibes-oriented, Highlife tune, defined by the ‘Alkayida’ synth. By
December 2016, such was his meteoric rise, that he scooped up the
Headies Next Rated Awards and won the Best New Artist trophy at the
Soundcity MVP Awards.
"Skin tight’
basically changed my life,” Mr Eazi said during a pop-up show on Apple
Music’s Beats 1. “I feel like in the next 20 years they’re still gonna
be playing this song."
Things
hit a new height after the success of Tekno’s ‘Pana’. Released in July
2016, the song produced by Krizbeatz became hugely popular across the
continent. So huge was its influence, that Columbia Records signed a
deal with Tekno and his representatives to re-release and distribute it
in the US.
From there the situation went
uphill (or downhill) depending on your viewpoint. Runtown scored ‘Mad
over you’, which catalysed a number of songs to be created from this
formula, utilising the style of music to make records.
So
it became popular because a couple of people scored hits with it, and
so it was proven that the heart of the people can be bought utilising
the sound. ‘Pon Pon came to be dominant because of the hits.
That means, it can be phased out if two or more people score hit songs with another style.
And
that maybe what Small Doctor and Olamide has done. The duo have scored
huge hits in 2017, utilising the intensity of ‘street music’.
Small Doctor.(Press)
Small
Doctor’s ‘Penalty’ is a hit. His music comes from a genre that is both
simplistic and raw. He speaks from his heart and sings about topics that
are far removed from mainstream Nigerian music.
In
a way, he is from the same school of thought that produced Olamide and
Reminisce, only deeper. The two dialectical rappers have adapted the
influence from the streets for a wider market, by fusing it with
mainstream elements.
Small Doctor is
still a member of the core street movement. His most reliable fans are
low-income earners, who hang around street corners, visit local dingy
stores, and drinking the cheapest of alcohol. These are the people he
speaks to, and they respond back with adoration.
In
a way, he is from the same school of thought that produced Olamide and
Reminisce, only deeper. The two dialectical rappers have adapted the
influence from the streets for a wider market, by fusing it with
mainstream elements.
Small Doctor is
still a member of the core street movement. His most reliable fans are
low-income earners, who hang around street corners, visit local dingy
stores, and drinking the cheapest of alcohol. These are the people he
speaks to, and they respond back with adoration.
Olamide and Young John make it coint in 'Wo'
(YBNL)
Olamide’s
‘Wo!!’ is a relatively new song, but it has already spread through the
internet like wildfire. The record was produced by Young John, and it
contains elements from the street. Delivered in Yoruba, with an
intensity which drives listeners to dance, it is one of the huge records
disturbing the peace already.
The street
is still in fashion, and any mainstream act who can deliver on that is
almost sure of a hit. Young John appeared to have plateaued with the
coming of the ‘Pon pon’ sound, but ‘Wo!!’ is still proof that he
possesses a chemistry with Olamide, which can still do damage. The video
has already been shot, in the streets of course.
Olamide on set of 'Wo' video shoot(Emily Nkanga)
And
let’s not take away the fact that Olamide marketed the song with a
dance competition which gifted N3 million to the people with the best
dance videos. It’s a tactic that also contributed to the growth of the
record, and pushed it through social media. Already fans are tipping it
to knock off Small Doctor’s ‘Penalty’ as the prominent street record of
the year.
The two records by Olamide and
Small Doctor have become hits, but they aren’t enough to tweak the
current sound structure of pop music. If before the end of the year,
another artist with clout such as Davido makes a ‘street record’, which
becomes a huge hit, then we will have a shift in the pop sound.
Until then, it’s ‘rinse and repeat’ for Nigerian pop music.
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