AFROPOLITAN VIBES - AUGUST 2016 by Afropolitan Vibes

Issue 34 // August 2016 // Complimentary Issue

Issue 34 // August 2016

NEXT AFROPOLITAN VIBEs SHOW WILL BE ON FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2016 SEE YOU THEN! 1

Viewing Time Tuesdays 23.30 Wednesdays 7.30 & 15.30 Saturdays 23.30

AFROPOLITAN VIBE ON TV IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GETTV The shows will be available to view on our Youtube Channel at www.youtube.com/afropolitanvibes

Channel 129 on Startimes

Issue 34 // August 2016

There is no doubt that the eyes of the world have turned towards Africa for inspiration and excitement in the creative arts. Music, particularly Nigerian music, is now a huge export for the country at a time when we are producing very little else for export. The Guardian UK is currently publishing its Gateways project - a music project in collaboration with Boiler Room. The project explores the spreading strands of Nigerian music with the world-renowned Afrobeat drummer, Tony Allen as their chief guide. The Guardian asserts that "If you want a city that’s a modern musical powerhouse, you don’t need to think of London or Los Angeles or New York. Think instead of Lagos, the biggest city in Nigeria. The West African nation is arguably the fulcrum of African pop, and increasingly a world leader in culture." We couldn't agree more. We are happy that with Afropolitan Vibes, we are at the forefront of the revival of live music culture in Nigeria and that we are part of what has made Lagos the latest music capital of the world. This global inuence is further demonstrated by the news from British Vogue that Afropolitan Vibes will be featured in its upcoming November issue. We look forward to bigger and better things and we are especially excited as we inch closer to our rst ever music festival which will take place on the 16th & 17th December 2016. Enjoy the show!

We prole our three guest artists: Blackmagic, Ycee and Maka. We feature some of our favourite pictures from the 39th edition of Afropolitan Vibes, which was held on July 15th, 2016.

Editor: Abby Ogunsanya

Cover Image: Nyancho NwaNri

Guest artist proles: Tobi Alaaka Oris Aigbokhaevbolo

Guest artists' pictures: Courtesy of subjects

Graphic Design: Ayomidotun Freeborn

Show pictures: Nyancho NwaNri

Contact and advertising enquiries: info@afropolitanvibes.com Tel: + 234-803-4937094

Issue 34 // August 2016

BlackMagic Enter the Music, Release the Magic by Oris Aigbokhaevbolo Oris lives in Lagos and tweets from @catchoris

“BlackMagic,” said Mrs Mukoro to her surprised son. “Your fans want to talk to you.” Until this conversation, Mrs Mukoro had never quite accepted that her son, christened Efemena Mukoro, was a musician. But at this point it was impossible to ignore his success. Like many parents of artists, Mrs Mukoro and her husband needed to see evidence of success before embracing the artistic ambition of their oﬀspring. BlackMagic was luckier than most: his own success arrived before long.

released. The album featured production work by his old King's College mate IKON. The listening event for Version 1.0 had performances by Bez, Tiwa Savage and Vector. Unfortunately, there were problems and Version 1.0 didn't quite make it. As the artist put it later, he “didn't have much buzz back then.” Luckily, the song that would make the artist's reputation was not on that album. It would be a couple of years before 'Repete' showed up. But once it did, there'd be no argument concerning what BlackMagic was up to. Outside of the music, BlackMagic and his record label Syndik8 Records parted ways after a disagreement about an executive position on the label. His own quasi-label Based on Belief now releases his music. The problem with Syndik8 was obliquely mentioned on his sophomore album Version 2.0. But the album itself addresses a wide range of issues—some personal, others

he singer-songwriter was born in the '80s, attended King's College, Lagos, and began tinkling with music in 2001. He got admission into the University of Benin to study Computer Engineering. There he continued with his childhood affair with rapping and singing. The style he is now known for—the use of colour, a peculiar visual element to his videos and his distinct sound—was uncovered in 2007. Three years later, BlackMagic, who used to be called Ejay, released his first single. That single, titled 'Tomorrow', alerted his then smaller audience to the possibility of a different sound, one based on a blend of hiphop, soul, and perhaps most strongly, afrobeat. A second single 'Rainbow' followed in 2011. Continuing with his play on genres, 'Rainbow' was a disco tune. The straightfaced hiphop song 'Foreigner', done with the rapper Saeon, was released a few months later. At the end of 2011, BlackMagic's debut album, Version 1.0, was

Issue 34 // August 2016

socio-political. It also featured a number of popular artists including rapper MI Abaga and Oritse Femi. (The latter, coincidentally, preceded BlackMagic at the Afropolitan Vibes monthly concert.) Among the singles on Version 2.0, 'Repete' became the most popular, setting up the man for acclaim, attention and awards. Its video was striking in its use of black and white photography and three demure beauties as video girls. The Headies rewarded the song's brilliance with a Best Alternative Song trophy in 2013. It seemed like an award that was only half correct because with 'Repete' somehow BlackMagic had moved from the music industry's margins to a spot closer to its centre. In any case, two more nominations for 'Body' featuring Banky W and 'Pass You By' featuring Oritse Femi—both from Version 2.0—followed in 2014. BlackMagic released the song 'Wonder' in 2016. Once again, the video was striking. BlackMagic had returned to the news. But then he never quite left. He released Black Friday, an EP with the producer Kid Konnect, in 2015. Mind you—for his fans, BlackMagic never leaves; his music plays on. Little wonder Mrs Mukoro came around ﬁnally. Twitter & Instagram: @ejayblackmagic

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Issue 34 // August 2016

Maka

The Afrocentric

Soul Queen Born Nwamaka Sam- Ejehu, MAKA is an eclectic singer and songwriter whose signature 'Afrocentric soul' is, she says, a mix of trance, hiphop, RnB, metal, rumba, highlife and traditional gangan sounds.

which won Beat FM's FreshBeats' competition for March 2012.

er singing career started the age of three when she became a member of the children's choir led by her mother at their church. It was before the church congregation that she gave her ﬁrst solo performance at age six. Her love for singing expanded into song writing at age 12, which went on to help her build a professional music career that is heavily inﬂuenced by artists such as the Everly Brothers, Sade Adu, Lauryn Hill, Pharell, Robin Thicke and Asa.

Her young career has seen her perform backup roles for notable artistes such as Jesse Jagz and Dipo, and earned her credit for her backup vocals for BlackMagic's 'Confam' and 'Shakara' oﬀ his Vision 2.0 album. Maka also featured on rapper, Naeto C's“Day 1” album. Notable live performances include regular stints at Freedom Hall as well as a performance at the Badagry Diaspora Festival sponsored by UNESCO and most recently at Felabration in 2015.

A Lawyer by profession, MAKA began her recording career when she was still an undergraduate of the University of Lagos by recording her first song 'Angry' for the DonJazzy Enigma Freestyle Competition. While the song gained momentum as one of the Top 50 best entries, MAKA continued to make in roads on the Nigerian music scene by releasing her first official single, 'Coming Out'. This was followed by campus audience pleasers such as 'No Dull', 'Oya,','Malera', and 'Loving You' featuring RnB singer, Byno

She recently released of the music video for her song 'Mu Na Gi (you and I)' - one of the songs in her 7 track EP album 'The Truth'. All social media: @theoﬃcialmaka

Issue Issue 34 33 // // August July 2016 2016

Issue 34 // August 2016

Y Cee

The Jagaban by Tobi Alaaka Tobi is an armchair culture enthusiast

A little known artiste had just self-acclaimed as the Jagaban, thus appropriating the biggest title in Lagos politics. But instead of horror in the face of poorly veiled contempt, the public responded with wild jubilation, and sings along to the music of a daredevil with dreadlocks. For the uninitiated, this is likely the ďŹ rst thing to catch your attention about YCEE: self-assuredness and braggadocio common to street culture, and the matching skills to deliver possessed by only a few. YCEE, that OmoAlhaji Way that I be balling Won ma n pe mi Jagabani

Issue 34 // August 2016

The song, Jagaban, attracted the attention of YBNL boss, Olamide, who asked on Twitter to be featured on the remix of the song. There would be more hit singles with the release of the retrospectively eponymous OmoAlhaji. YCEE, often called Jagaban and Omo Alhaji, had developed a knack for gaining new nicknames with his every hit song. His next release, Su Mi, would buck that trend; but Su Mi's hi-octane, and impeccable delivery further established him as one of the most sought after young artistes on the Nigerian music scene and he as become a particular favorite of people who want indigenous music with American flavor. YCEE is known for gritty, often aggressive vocals, delivered in a sing-song style, an obvious nod to Southern trap music influence. Versatile to boot, YCEE is not a singer or a rapper in the strict sense of both terms: he belongs instead in that postgeneric class of artistes whose music defies existing boundaries. Like most contemporary artistes, YCEE's music explores themes of street culture. The song, Jagaban, was a boastful claim to being the leader of the underworld, in partial allusion to a popular godfather of Lagos politics. YCEE's charisma, unhinged flow, and his distinctive hairstyle make him an attractive prospect for corporate brands. Only in 2016, YCEE has bagged two endorsement deals with a hair product company, KUI Care and telecommunications giants Samsson Group. He is expected to release his first album titled 'The First Wave' before the end of 2016.

ludemilade Martin Alejo (born on January 29, 1993), known professionally as YCEE, is a Nigerian hip hop recording artist from Festac Town, Lagos. Since its historic role as host of the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture in 1977, Festac Town had emerged as a hotbed for creative minds, with several contemporary musicians from 2 Face Idibia to Solid Star cutting their teeth from singing along its narrow boulevards. It is no surprise, then, that YCEE, who also grew up in this quaint part of Lagos mainland, lists his uncles' interests in rap music as part of his biggest early music influence. YCEE would soon go from an onlooker to picking up a pen and pad. The young rapper, then known as Young Carter, later acronymized into YCEE, developed his music skills by recording cover versions of popular hit songs at the time, among which was Kanye West's Clique and, even more recently, Designer's Panda. In a real-life example of the street maxim, fake it till you make it, YCEE mentioned in an interview how he got his first record deal: “Luck shone on me when a friend played some of my covers for his elder brother who had just founded a record label, Tinny Entertainment”. In 2012, YCEE started a professional music career when he joined Tinny Entertainment as a pioneer signing. He released his first official single 'Smile On Me' produced by Jay Sleek, but soon take a brief music hiatus to concentrate on pursuing his Marine Biology degree in the University of Lagos. In May 2015, YCEE who had already recorded several mix tapes gained public attention with the release of his critically acclaimed single 'Condo' which features reggae dancehall artiste Patoranking. Condo would earn YCEE nominations for Best Collaboration of the Year and Best Music Video of the Year at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. On 20 July 2015, YCEE released another song titled 'Jagaban' which earned him even more award nominations and the Rookie of the Year award at the 2015 Headies.

Twitter: @iam_Ycee

JULY 2016 Edition