What is Afropolitan Vibes?
Afropolitan Vibes is a monthly live music concert which exists as a platform for alternative music: a place where music lovers congregate to watch contemporary singer-songwriters and musicians perform mostly original works that are firmly rooted in African musical origins of Afro-beat, Afro-funk, Afro-hip-hop, Afro-pop and Highlife music. A host of talented artists gather each month to rehearse and then perform with Bantucrew on stage at Freedom Park’s Amphitheatre. The show is held every third Friday of each month. Show starts promptly from 8.00pm-10.30/11.00pm.
Bantu
Bantu aka Brotherhood Alliance Navigating Towards Unity is a 12-piece Afro-funk-Afro-hip-hop-Afro-beat musical collective founded by NigerianGerman brothers Adé Bantu and Abiodun. The band features multiinstrumentalists and singers who perform as a collective.
Palm Wine Tradition
Palm wine is now available at all our shows. As our palm wine is always freshly tapped in Badagry in the early hours of the morning of each show, this luscious white liquid is guaranteed to be sweet and only mildly intoxicating as it is yet unfermented. Our palm wine is served the traditional way: the wine is available to buy per gourd (to share with friends/family) or in individual calabashes. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are also available for purchase at the Freedom Park bar area where we encourage you all to come join us after the show for a drink, chat and photographs.
Official After Party Spread the Word
After each show, we have an after party gig at the Freedom Park bar area. Your DJ for the night will be Raymond Bola Browne aka DJraybeeBrowne of Igroove Radio. Join us at the Freedom Park bar for past, present and future dance music all in the mix. If you love Afropolitan Vibes, spread the word – Tweet about or follow us: @afropolitanvibe Join our Facebook page: facebook.com/Afropolitanvibes, and invite your friends and family next time.
Next Afropolitan Vibes show will be on July 18th 2014. See you then! Afropolitan Vibes Magazine credits: Editor: Abby Ogunsanya
Printing: John Bola
Contact and advertising enquiries:
Copy Editor: Kolade Arogundade
Cover art photograph: Aderemi Adegbite
afropolitanvibes@gmail.com
Guest artists Interviews: Adebola Rayo
Guest artists’ pictures: Courtesy of subjects
Tel: + 234-816740-1016
Graphic Design: Graeme Arendse
Show pictures: Aderemi Adegbite
Issue 9 // June 2014
Editor’s Notes
In this issue
In Nigeria, June 12th is known as Democracy Day. On June 12th 2013, the date took on additional significance because it marked the passing of the legendary musician Fatai Rolling Dollar. In our work as Co-Producers of the upcoming music documentary Elder’s Corner, Ade Bantu and I got the opportunity to work very closely with Dollar and he left an indelible mark on us musically and through the sheer force of his charismatic personality. In this edition of Afropolitan Vibes Magazine Siji Awoyinka, the Director of Elder’s Corner writes a tribute to Fatai Rolling Dollar to mark the one-year anniversary of his death. There will also be a musical tribute to Rolling Dollar at our live show. We feature pictures from the May 18th edition of Afropolitan Vibes. Adebola Rayo interviews Salawa Abeni, Afrikan Boy and Nosa. Afrikan Boy features in the June edition of Afropolitan Vibes courtesy of British Council who generously agreed to sponsor his trip from the UK. We would also like to thank British Council for choosing to partner with us by utilizing our platform to help train ten Nigerian Sound Engineers who attended their Live Music Show Production Masterclass run by Sam Jones of SoundThread.
Contact us
You can email us with your thoughts at afropolitanvibes@gmail.com. We also read all comments and respond to questions on Facebook and Twitter. We have a limited number of back issues of Afropolitan Vibes magazine. If you would like a copy, please contact us via email or on +234-816740-1016.
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Issue 9 // June 2014
Spreading the message
one song at a time Some years ago, Nosa came into our lives with ‘Always Pray For You’. Besides having a soulful tune that one couldn’t help loving, it also had a message. When as a 7-year-old, he followed in his mother and siblings’ steps by joining the church choir, he had no idea he would one day be a professional musician. In 2004, while learning to produce music, Nosa decided to try his hand at writing and singing his own music. Over the next five years, he took time to hone his craft as a writer, singer and producer and in 2009, he released his first track. “I decided to put a lot of work into learning how to make good music,” he explains. “Because of what I wanted to come out with, I had to learn a lot, write songs… I was developing myself.”
Explaining his reason for choosing that style, he says: “I don’t believe in being religious – Jesus wasn’t religious. Jesus broke the norms and traditions. He went to the streets, interpreted the message of God and made it simple to digest.” “If you have a message, you should speak the language the people understand so that you can communicate with them while you retain the authenticity of your message,” he says. “The truths that I’ve discovered through the message of Jesus Christ are the things I want the world to see through my eyes. I want the world to see my opinion about God, life and love. If we’re sincere as Christians, the message should be easy to digest because it is a message of love.” It took Nosa 5 years to put together ‘Open Doors’, his debut album, and he describes the release of the album as the most defining moment of his career so far.
In a country with a lot of mediocre pop sounds, good music stands out. It wasn’t long before Nosa’s next door neighbour, Jeffery Daniels, heard and loved his music and introduced him to the CEO of Chocolate City record label, Audu Maikori.
“Through ‘Open Doors’, people got to see the total package,” he says. “Many people had judged me by ‘Always Pray For You’ and created a genre for me in their heads. The album, to a certain extent, paints a broader picture of who Nosa is.”
“We had a meeting. Audu Maikori listened to my music, fell in love with it and said let’s work together,” Nosa recalls.
I wonder what it is like for Nosa, as a person whose heart and art shines through his musical creations, to work in a music industry where more value seems to be placed on empty pop songs.
Despite signing on to one of the biggest record labels in the country, Nosa ensured that he kept his identity, style and message. In conjunction with other producers, he continued to work on his debut album. “I like to express myself through other people’s music as well,” he says. Although he doesn’t play any musical instrument, Nosa describes himself as a computer musician, explaining that he has relative pitch, so he can recognise music notes by ear and easily represent and arrange any sound in his head. Nosa is often described as a gospel artiste, but he is one with a difference. His songs spread the message of love, a relationship with God and humans while avoiding proselytizing thus appealing to a wider audience.
“Some people go into music for the fame or material gains but I’m into it for a purpose,” he starts. “ For me, the music is just a tool. The message is more important and when you see that people are getting the message then it’s encouraging.” He recognises that there is a bias against musicians like him who make music that deviates from the norm, but he is confident that it’s an opportunity to be a pioneer and fight against the trend. “I’m on that path, by the grace of God,” Nosa, who describes himself as a pastor but not a Pharisee, says. He ends the chat with a list of musicians he’d like to work with in the country, naming King Sunny Ade, Bantu, Ebenezer Obey, Waje, Omawumi, 2Face and more.
twitter: @Nosaalways // facebook: facebook.com/nosaomoregie // www.chocolatecitygroup.com
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Issue 9 // June 2014
Four Decades
of Ruling Waka Salawa Abeni started her music career in 1974, at the age of 12. She released her first album ‘Late General Murtala Muhammed (Memoriam)’, a year after. It is surprising that she became a professional musician at such a young age, but what is even more interesting is her account of how she decided to start making music. “I used to listen to King Sunny Ade, Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, Commander Obey and Efunsetan Aniwura on radio then,” she starts. “They called the programme ‘La laale’. And whenever my age mates and I were playing ‘boju boju’ under the moonlight, I would leave them as soon as it started. I used to go and stay by the window of a house to listen. Later, when the owner of the house and his wife discovered that I used to listen at their window, they started leaving it open.” At that age, she began nursing the desire to become a musician but had no idea how it would happen. “I didn’t know that it was my destiny,” she laughs. How was she able to cope with the demands of performing at shows and making music as a young girl? I ask her. “Then, we had someone we called Baba Egbe and we used to rehearse in his house. I was so young and I didn’t know anything. They would just call me to come and sing and then we used to go to events to perform and they would give me some money and tell me this is your portion,” she says. She was lucky to have guardians who supported her, even though her father did not like the idea of his daughter being a musician at first. “My daddy did not want me to sing because he believed that being a musician would be very challenging and dangerous,” she says. “But it had been written that when I get to this world all I’d do is make music. At the end of the day, he started supporting me.” From the days of her little beginnings in 1973 till now, Salawa Abeni, the famous ‘Waka Queen’,
has released a staggering 39 albums. Her genre of music is often described as Waka, but she says that everyone who sings, whether they sing Juju, Fuji or Sakara, sings Waka. “The meaning of Waka is music. Mama Basirat Alake, Mujeeda Oniwaka were all women singing like that before I was born. I had been hearing their songs and I liked them. But whenever they were singing they used to sit down. I chose to stand and sing mine. I wanted to look different.” The rest is history, as she made the style of singing very popular. However, her four-decade long career has not been without challenges, some professional and the greater ones personal. About 14 years ago, upon the death of one of her children, she fell ill and was infirm for about four years. However, she pulled through and returned to music. “It had been written, however, that I would do music and I would be successful,” she says. “But there were challenges. And there are still challenges. You cannot conquer everything in life except you’re dead.” The new grandma goes on to tell me that her three other children are all in the music business. “My first born, the one that just had a baby, she’s 32. She wanted to be a musician but at the end of the day she went into music producing and management,” she says. “One of my boys is in Canada. He loves singing too.” Perhaps the most well known of her kids is Big Sheff, a hip-hop musician. “Everyone of them has music in their blood,” she says of her kids and the pride in her voice is evident. Her last words during the interview are for young musicians. “Be patient, be prayerful and respect your elders,” she says. “You can do gospel, hip-hop or anything but whatever you sing, let it be meaningful so that generations to come will still appreciate it and sing along with you.”
facebook: facebook.com/salawa-abeni
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Issue 9 // June 2014
A Tale of
Grime and Roots Olushola
Ajose,
popularly
known
as
Afrikan Boy, is a Nigerian-English Grime MC. He took a break from one of his rehearsals to chat with me about his music, his life and his Nigerian roots. “Music started as a hobby for me when I was in secondary school,” Afrikan Boy says. “As certain opportunities to work with more established artistes came along, I began taking it seriously.” At 16, he wrote a song titled ‘One Day I went to Lidl’ and to hear him tell it, “The song pretty much travelled around the world via people’s phones. Then, I got the opportunity to go to America with M.I.A.” Nine years later, at 25yrs old, Afrikan Boy describes the journey as a growing experience, saying: “I began music as a boy, I’m still continuing it as a man, so me sef I’ve learnt different things about life, how to make music and I’ve worked with musicians from different part of the world. I have broadened my horizons. I’m more business-minded, more grateful for my gift, and more responsible for the gift that God gave me.” So far, he’s worked with Tinie Tempah, M.I.A, DJ Shadow, Seun Kuti, Nneka and Tony Allen. Tony Allen, a world famous drummer, one of the creators of Afrobeat and a former member of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s band, is no doubt a legend. As a huge fan, I’m especially curious about how Afrikan Boy got to work with him. “I was part of this tour called Africa Express. It had about eight artistes that travelled on a train all the way north of the UK and back down. Tony Allen was part of that. I also played with him at the Felabration in London. He’s a great man.” Although Grime music is indigenous to the UK, even a short listen to any of his tracks reveals his Nigerian/ African roots, betraying a deep affinity to the nation and continent. I ask him if it is a deliberate move.
“It’s who I am and who my parents raised me to be. Being born in the UK, the task of remembering one’s culture is a huge one for the parents. When I go to school, I’m in England but when I get back at home I dey for Lagos,” he explains. “The culture has never left me. There’s no food that can replace iyan (pounded yam) for me. I’m in a unique position because I’ve been able to find my music here in the UK, understand the business here but I’m still toning it back to where the root is, which is Africa for me.” He describes Grime as the popular underground music of the UK when he was growing up, so it was a natural path for him to take. “I called my music Afro-Grime, because it was still kinda Grime, but it was a UK beat and I was bringing my own African character into it.” Afrikan Boy has full intentions of breaking into the Nigerian music industry, he reveals. “All my music points back to Africa, so for me to really break in, I need to come back and soak in the sounds of Nigeria, not just the ones I’m hearing which are crossing the border. I really need to get the real indigenous sound so I can fuse it.” For him, the purpose of making music is to raise awareness on certain issues, build confidence in African youths across the world, whether they’re in Malawi or Yugoslavia, to give them the image of someone of their own doing something positive. “The purpose of my music is also to raise awareness about the things going on in Africa, and to give a sense of awareness of the things going on in the industry to young Africans,” he adds. “Part of the need to raise awareness comes from doing a lot of reading. I recently became a father – my son, Remi, is about 6 months old. So, I think about how I’ll teach what I’ve been able to learn. “When I pass, I want my music to continue, like how Fela’s music continues to live on. My passion is to teach and give back,” he concludes.
twitter: @AfrikanBoy // facebook: facebook.com/afrikanboy // www.afrikanboy.com
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Issue 9 // June 2014
Hip, resplendent and
the epitome of Faaji cool I first stumbled upon Fatai Rolling Dollar’s music whilst listening to a pile of well-worn and rare 45” singles from Nigeria’s golden age of highlife and Agidigbo music. I’d gone to visit a childhood buddy, Osita Anienewelu, himself an audiophile and unrepentant crate digger who’d just returned to New York from one of his many jaunts in Lagos. My timely visit turned out to be a fortuitous encounter for it unveiled to me a world I’d long forgotten about and in some way amongst many others, ultimately proved to be a catalyst for my eventual return back to visit Nigeria after several decades away. There we were on his living room floor taking in some of the fruits of his latest sojourn when he dropped the needle on one of the many well-worn 45” singles he’d just found. BANG! Like a blast straight from the past, the guitar strains to “Won Kere Si Number Wa” filled the room and I was smitten. My childhood past literally came flooding right back to haunt me; Jollof rice, fried meat, dad’s 404 Peugeot, Danfo Gedegbe, Lagos, NIGERIA! I eventually returned back to Lagos in Dec 2009 and sought out some of my childhood musical heroes for my forthcoming documentary project, Elders Corner. As fate would have it, my producer and friend Ade Bantu had recently worked in collaboration with Rolling Dollar and knew exactly where he resided which happened to be a short distance from where I was staying at the time. There he was, hip, resplendent and the epitome of Faaji cool. Well into his 80’s, I found him deeply fascinating to be around, curious and free spirited. His eyes lit up as I played him a few of his rare and timeless classics some of which he hadn’t heard in decades. Astonished, he sang along and swayed as he reminisced over his musical past and then proceeded to ask where I’d found those records.
To me, Rolling Dollar was one of those hip uncles who got ‘It’. That fateful afternoon we spoke for hours as he passed around a joint, opened a few bottles of beer and shared some of his wisdom, endless wit and humour. In spite of his age, he was still very much in touch with current trends and eager to grow as an artist having gained another shot at stardom following decades of neglect marked by bitter struggle and painful loss. I finally got a chance to watch him up close at work during rehearsals for the Goethe Institute 50th year anniversary celebration for which Ade Bantu and I had been tapped to put together a musical event for the festivities which we named “Tiroro”. We proceeded to call upon a few of the music statesmen we’d been collaborating with for the Elders Corner documentary and ended up with a line up which included Fatai Rolling Dollar, Paulson Kalu and Orlando Julius. Ade Bantu, myself and the ace Bantu rhythm section anchored the band. It was a magical and hugely successful night, which further confirmed the status and credibility of these long forgotten, yet iconic titans. I had to pinch myself several moments whist onstage to make sure it wasn’t all make believe. Here I was sharing the stage with a few of my childhood music heroes and we’d merely scratched the surface of things as it were. For both of my forthcoming music and documentary film projects, I got a chance to tap into a treasure trove of the nations rich and colourful musical past among them the life and work of the incredible Fatai Rolling Dollar. For this I’m far richer and eternally grateful. Rolling Dollar represented one of the remaining few of his generation and that of a bygone era. His persona and true self were perfectly reflected in his work, which I find to be endlessly entertaining and pure. His untimely and sudden passing a year ago remains a huge loss for all, but his spirit lives on in the incredible body of work he left behind. “Alujonu Oni Guitar” lives!
www.sijimusic.com // Elder’s Corner: www.elderscornerfilm.com
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MAY 2014 Edition
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