Much Ado About Jollof
My parents where quite strict and protective about a lot of things but thankfully, exposure to music wasn’t one of those things. Maybe it was because we had older cousins living with us then but for whatever reason, I’m extremely thankful I got to grow up with music. And that’s the best way to describe it because back then, it wasn’t just about knowing who and what was hot, lyrics delivered in music served as a window to worlds I knew very little about. The occasional glimpses of music videos were like journeys to destinations I could only imagine.
I caught a glimpse of Jamaica through Shabba Ranks and Petra, I fell in love with young Toni Braxton, Boys II Men taught me what to do when in love, R.Kelly and Aaron Hall made sure I knew how to translate emotions into actions and Michael Jackson made sure I never stopped dreaming. As I grew older and began to form my character, music took on yet another meaning for me. It wasn’t only my teacher but a form of expression for me.
My love for music was strong, so strong I began to go about with my music and I had my father to thank. Well, maybe not him directly, but his 90 and 60 minute tapes of Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Ade and the likes certainly proved useful. The teenage me didn’t just want to know about music or casually listen to it, I wanted to have mine; I wanted to be able to call on my teachers, my friends – En Vogue, Milestone, Tevin Campbell, All for One, Notorious B.I.G whenever I wanted. It certainly wasn’t easy. Several radio presenters known for talking mid-music during their radio shows were lavished with all kinds of curses. How dare they soil my music with their cultivated hybrid accents?
Kehinde Ogungbe and Dayo Adeneye, Kenny and D1 changed all of that for me. Access to my beloved music was easy on their weekly radio countdown show and for this I was beyond thankful. But with unlimited access comes all kinds of ‘other’ things – some good, some bad. In their quest to promote and develop local acts, they encouraged participation from young upcoming local acts and in no time they were averaging about three local artists on their weekly top ten-countdown show. I had been exposed to local music while growing up. I used to think of them as the ‘cheaper’ versions of the foreign artists they all tried to copy. The Sunday Rendezvous show was hardly ever missed at our house. NTA had introduced me to Alex O, Alex Zitto, Danny Wilson, Mike Okri, Esse Agese, Blacky, Ras Kimono and so many more but none of them sounded like the young acts that made it to the Kenny and D1 countdown.
The new acts didn’t sound better, if anything at all, most of them sounded almost ridiculous in their attempts at copying some of the foreign artists just like the older local artists had done. But whether they were trying to rap as fast as Bone Thugs ‘n’ Harmony or harmonizing in high pitches like Michael Jackson, one thing stood out in their music and that thing was the difference between the local acts of then and now, it was rhythm. There is almost always rhythm to all forms of music but rhythm can differentiate Kwaito from Highlife, Salsa from Makossa and Soukous from Juju.
As much I tried to fight the ‘intruders’ in my world of music, I found it hard and in no time, some of these local artists began to make it on to my tapes. What did this new crop of local artists do differently? What was it about their music that just made it so easy to identify with? When the Plantashun Bois sang Knock me Off, The Remedies did Sade, it wasn’t just the adoption of recognizable and danceable rhythm that could be easily committable to memory, which might have been accidental, it was also because of their demonstration of Nigerian lingual dexterity. This proved to be the base of the resurgence of the Nigerian urban music industry somewhere between 1996 and 1998.
Needless to say, it has been a successful revolution. Several young men and women much like myself, who had spent several years while growing up, digesting music from the western world felt like they finally had a shot at creating their own blend of music solely for their own people. Some may disagree but as far as I’m concerned, Kenny and D1 started this revolution. From radio, they went to TV with the famous AIT Jamz show. The show helped put faces to some of the rising local acts and in no time, followership for local acts like Azadus, Alariwo, Tony Tetuila, Ruff Rugged & Raw, Paul Play soared. I remember attending a party in 2003 and for an entire night, the DJ didn’t play one foreign song.
A few more years down the line and many more joined the revolution. Local record labels sprung up everywhere, producers, radio shows designed strictly for Nigerian music, TV shows – we are Nigerians, when we go in on a trend, we throw in the kitchen sink and with our numbers, the world was bound to notice. And notice they did, frontrunners like D’banj, Tuface, PSquare reeled in the international acclaim. The KORA, Channel O, MOBO, EMTV and even World Music awards. The media world went crazy; the artists of the Nigerian music industry were finally catching up with their Nollywood counterparts.
The music stayed the same; localized foreign content with that ‘special‘ rhythm but as time went on, it became obvious that the people were more drawn to the rhythm than the content. This was possibly borne out of the fact that the average African is rhythmic. It’s something that stems from our core and this is very visible even in other African musical cultures. Place an average African and a Caucasian side by side and ask them to dance with no music playing and you’ll almost notice a rhythmic pattern in the way the African moves. The common African musical genres were formed on this premise and so it was understandable when the content began to give way for the rhythm.
Popular music as we have it in Nigeria today is more or less devoid of content. Gone are the days when a younger me could learn important life lessons from music. Today we don’t even bother with lyrics; cheap pirated production software has helped to produce tonnes of cheap music producers. As thankful as the adult me is, for the simple fact that this helps keep young people off the street, the young boy in me mourns the slow demise of his childhood friends.
The revolution that started over a decade ago has birthed a genre we now simply refer to as ‘Jollof’. Jollof music is dance music, it is party music that simply makes you want to get on the dance floor and shake your behind. It is very rhythmic and cares little for content. With ambassadors like Terry G, Timaya and Wizkid, artists with enough energy to engage their fans, who needs lyrics? A few ‘iye ye ye’, ‘sangolo’ and ‘chai’ laced with enough auto tuned vocals on recycled beats and you have another hit record.
Perhaps it’s a global disease. The Western world seems to have caught on to the trend and globally there’s an ongoing merger of musical genres. HipHop, r’n’b and artists from other genres are slowly finding expression in ‘pop’ or popular music with high paced rhythmic instrumentals and loud, repetitive shallow vocals. No wonder these songs have returned to our local social scenes. At another party I attended recently, there was a healthy mix of similar local and foreign music.
Unknown to some, there is on-going debate about the origin of the term ‘jollof’ which is a form of rice meal common in West Africa. Ghanaians claim to have invented the meal and refer to it as ‘jelof’ but Nigerians disagree. I really don’t care about its origin. I just can’t wait till we eat it all and perhaps go back to the days when music meant more than ‘whining’ or ‘shaking’ something.
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I’d like your thoughts on this. Who or what do you think is to blame for the slow demise of our music? Do you see it getting better anytime soon? You know the drill, use the comment box and speak your mind. Cheers.
Aha Music, My Fave Topic, Lemme go & Prepare my Speeesh.
lol.. we are waiting..
I LOVE music. GOOD music (no Kanye West). Lol. Really. I love music. I love soul, jazz. Music that speaks to my soul. When people look through the music folder on my phone, you'll see Etta James, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Micheal Jackson and the likes. I like music that has content. Music that makes me feel. Music I can relate to. There are few Nigerian artistes that I actually like. Darey is one. Asa is another. To me there is a difference between MUSIC & SONGS. Music = Etta James them. SONGS = the crap being released now. Music speaks to the soul. Songs are just “danceable”
Soulmate comment
wait, no Kanye? but but…
LOL.
Is music really degrading in quality or is it just our perception of it? some would argue that not much has changed. Every generation thinks that the music of yesteryear is better than the music of present day.
Some people…
I personally have no opinion on the matter.
Maybe the downward spiral isn't just in the music industry then. Little wonder why our generation is, for lack of a better word, as 'shallow' as it is…
2nd!!! Imma take a quick nap and be right back!
Still napping?
The demise of music with good Lyrical content started when the focus was on making money, blings and flashy cars rather than making sense.
We have loads of "musicians" that dont understand a note or key.
Going commercial has done damage to music.
But who is to blame? Buyers of the songs or Makers of the song?
I was born by a 25 year old Dad(in his prme), we rocked Bongos Ikwe, Kenny Rogers, Don Williams, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley, Haruna Isola, Paul Revere & the Raiders etc. I still rock those albums and my Son is picking on them.
We still got some good ones, Florence and the machine, Tubaba, Coldplay, Chris Brown(listen to him without prejudice).
One legacy i'm passing to my Son is Quality music…some of the lessons I learnt in Life came from the Loud speakers
well, you really dont have to understand notes and keys to be able to make good music.. sometimes, raw talent can take you through but I certainly understand your point.
Jollof actually originated in Senegal, amongst the Wolof people.
Music has changed, in content. Beat is arguably better but the content has been highly watered down. The type of appreciator of music that a person is determines whether they think music has evolved in a good way or a bad way.
Being a lover of Lyrics myself, I listen more to the Older artistes and some few contemporary ones like Donell Jones, Neyo, Chrisette Michele, India Arie, Musiqsoulchid etc.
But doesnt mean I dont appreciate the likes of Chris Brown, Pitbull, Rihanna, Beyonce who give us something to dance to and be happy about. Every hour isnt deep hour so we should appreciate all sides to the music of now.
Thanks for the input on the origin os Jollof.
I agree with you that every hour isn't deep hour but in the Nigerian context, when last did you listen to our radio stations playing local music? If you listen to current Nigerian music at a stretch do you walk away with any sense of 'depth'? You can probably only 'finger' pick the Nigerian artists that still make that type of music you spoke about.
I dare not speak about Nigerian music or else I’ll thrash them all.
Its is true what you say, many( read as most) do not make music with depth.
Haha. This is interesting. I think you can't blame anyone per se. People these days want to party and have fun and chill, they don't care about love (as portrayed in Soul/Rn'B) or social issues (as sometimes portrayed in rap.) The artists releasing the so-called party songs do it because they know they have a large market for their garbage, and frankly they do. You can't blame them for wanting to make a living, even if that has to happen at the demise of music. We can go on trying to place blames but it can only get deeper and deeper. One thing I've learned is that young people these days would rather talk about trivial issues than issues like the garbage we listen to (and watch) and how they affects our psyches.
So it all boils down to making a living? Our artists and 'celebrities' no longer hold any sense of responsibility to the society that made them?
Do you not see how people have been brainwashed by the media? (by media, I really mean MTV and Hollywood.) It's easy to tell, I think. The art (music, film, writing) a person puts out portrays his/her sense of responsibility to society. In this case a singer could argue that they put out their music to make people happy but we are not fools (I for one am not.) The content of your music is what determines whether I'll be happy when listen to it or not. I know you are no stranger to the contents of Nigerian music these days.
Are there some singers who are in it solely for the sake of the art, sure, definitely. But you can tell that those singers are not the majority. As far as I am concerned, it’s a get rich quick affair. If it wasn’t, Nigerian music would have more reasonable content.
Also, you have to understand that I think these singers are victims of capitalism. In other words, I really don’t blame them.
I think I get what you mean when you say our music has depreciated… but then again, the 'crap' that we listen to these days sell. People listen, people hype, and so these artistes continue releasing the same thing.
To be honest, I doubt that people care about the lyrical contents of many tracks. If it's danceable and doesn't sound like noise, we will listen and bob our heads to it.
Personally, I have found lyrical solace in songs from musicals like Rent, Moulin Rouge, Jekyll and Hyde. Half of the songs I listen to are from musicals but I doubt that they would top the charts in this day and time.
The taste of the people has evolved and seeing as music is the source of livelihood for some people, what the people want, the people will get.
So to answer your question… No, I don't think music will go back to what it used to be.
I feel like I wrote this article. It echoes my thoughts on music as I experienced it growing up and what obtains now. So, so far apart. I do have an eclectic music taste but I still miss the 'music' so much that I seek consolation in Jazz and Soft rock. *sigh*
Exactly what he said… :)
I love music, it something that anyone can apprecite. This post mirrors myy thoughts exactly. Music isart, and I think the problem these days is that these new 'musicians' (if we can call them that) have no passion for music, all they want is to make money, and luckily for them, a large population of the presnt generation cannot really apreciate music for its beauty. All the want are club bangers. I doubt that the music will ever be what it once was, the best we canhope for is an improvement
To refer to the music that is being made today as 'crap' is some serious generalization and I take offence. The correct term is 'different'. I love me some jollof music, infact a lot of jollof music keeps a nigga fit.
The public are to blame for the slow demise of our music. Nigerians are very shallow individuals, we're professionals at criticizing. If someone comes with Beyonce swag, we say they're swagger jacking, we need to realize that every 'swag'( I hate this word) has been jacked and just appreciate our own.
Everyone loves good music with credible lyrical content, but we fail to recognise those artistes who actually have potenitial and just go with the jollof vibe. It's not that our generation lacks talent, it's just a situation of misplaced priorities, the industry see's that the people appreciate this kind of music, they don't think about the content and so it just keeps coming, plus everyone wants to get rich quick.
Side note – I was feeling depressed today, Wizkid came up on my ipod and I came alive, Etta James will not have helped me. Times are hard, depression and suicide rates are high, only God and jollof music can save us. :)
The System is to a great part, at fault.
All my points listed & otherwise insinuated in their own way contribute to my premise.
I. Our Psyche needs to be adjusted with regards to the purchase/getting of music.
I’m always of the opinion that ‘You get what you pay for’. Although it’s the norm dat N150 is the official 9ja price for a C.D, it’s poor. Some people for example are known to buy Cd’s & Vinyl for the sake of the Album Art and extremely well-Packaged Designs/Limited edition Box sets.
*Reference: Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, U2, Idibia?, Nas.
II. In ‘the’ Abroad, the wealth of various experiences they’ve been influenced by are extremely vast. They absorb various genres that ultimately mould their identity & give their lyrical content much deeper meaning.
*Reference: Oasis; The Killers, ColdPlay, Maroon5. Fela; Idibia, Blackmagic, W4?
III. Learn your trade – A friend of mine was once in the studio & a popular musician was having a studio session and actually said and I quote ‘Put more Auto-Tune’ whilst with a JD in his hand. Such behaviour would have been discarded if he went thru all the rudiments & scrutiny his ‘Master’ might have taught him, of maybe drinking like 200 cups of water + no Talking for 2 weeks.
*Reference: Adele (my Sweerie), Beyoncé, John Legend, La Roux.
IV. I guess sensitizing these upcoming Musicians & encouraging them to see the bigger picture (of whether in 10 – 20 years time, their songs would still be relevant in homes, clubs, offices et al) and embrace the total abandonment of the
‘I must to Hammer from this music Business’ psychology.
*Reference: Sing for the moment lyrics
“That’s why we sing for these kids, who don’t have a thing
Except for a dream, and a fuckin’ rap(rock) magazine
Who post pin-up pictures on their walls all day long
Idolize they favorite rappers(Bands) and know all they songs
Or for anyone who’s ever been through shit in their lives
Till they sit and they cry at night wishin’ they’d die
Till they throw on a rap(or rock) record and they sit, and they vibe
We’re nothin’ to you but we’re the fuckin’ shit in they eyes
That’s why we seize the moment try to freeze it and own it, squeeze it and
hold it
Cause we consider these minutes golden
And maybe they’ll admit it when we’re gone
Just let our spirits live on, thru our lyrics that you hear in our songs”
In Summary, Do it well & carve a niche 4 yourself.
Reference: 2 cents from Piggy bank. :)
Yeah, you should have just written the story :)
our artists shud find a way 2 fuse elements of timeless music wit that of today-positive message, harmony, ability to be performed, not just recorded in the studio etc. if you listen and observe reggae, highlife, afrobeat and some of the old school hip-hop,soul,jazz,funk,country,rock n roll etc. you will find that they have a message and melody that sticks to your memory and has stood the test of time..Nigerian artistes should emulate that..2cents*
im carrying last mehn i should read this blog more often! amazing post toolsman!!!
quite an interesting piece. i could have sworn the title was 'much ado about jollof rice' :D. perhaps thats why it took me so long to read.
on the jollof music, i think its what works for us right now. who wants to go to a party and start miming lyrics? we all want to shake our behinds and have a good tym. this is not to say that i dont appreciate music with deep lyrical content. my advice to artists is that they should not get too carried away and forget to include some uplifting and inspiring songs on their album