Simi, Kiss Daniel, Skales: 5 songs released in 2017 which sample old Nigerian records
From Simi to Kiss Daniel, we have identified new mainstream music which have sampled from the past.
Nigerian music is rich. From the 50’s down to the 90’s, our country produced impressive records across genres. Everything and anything were in Nigeria. You could hear the distant isolation of country music in Christy Essien-Igbokwe, feel the tumble of reggae in Evi Edna Ogholi, and get lost in the interactive Afrobeat of Fela Kuti.
As the years go by and our influences broaden, new generations of musicians continue to update their music making process; finding new sounds and elements to fuse for new music. Afro-pop is a mash-up of influences, from Nigeria’s core sounds such as Highlife to drums from Atalanta’s Trap scene, and Caribbean Dembow, it’s all in there.
But in 2017, we have seen artists look back to the past in creating records for the future. These artists are scanning the rich tapestries of Nigerian oldies, finding records and adapting them for this new age. From Simi to Kiss Daniel, we have identified new mainstream music which have sampled from the past.
Sampled: Chief Osita Osadebe - ‘Osondi Onwendi’
Teni is a special talent. Following teeming request from her fans and industry folks alike since her freestyle on Osita Osadebe’s soundtrack went viral on instagram, Apata Teniola, or Teni as she is fondly called, releases the much-awaited studio record of the song. ‘Fargin’, an adaptation of the English word ‘virgin’, is a song that addresses the issue of rape and sexual exploitation. Teni employs her great story telling ability in crafting the lyrics to this hit bound single on a Mystro produced highlife beat.
Simi – ‘Joromi’ (Sir Victor Uwaifo’s Joromi)
Sampled: Sir Victor Uwaifo – ‘Joromi’
Uwaifo made history in Nigeria when he won the first Golden record in Nigeria, West Africa and Africa (presented by Philips, West Africa) for his song ‘Joromi’ in 1996. The song has legendary status among his fans and his performances are characterized by his ability to play the guitar with both his feet and also his tongue.
And now Simi is giving that song new life by using it as inspiration for her new single. Simi is currently flying high with her single ‘Joromi’. The record which was released last week. The song, which is a new expression of love, borrows a title and style of Sir Victor Uwaifo’s ‘Joromi’.
“I was trying to think an angle, I just sang the chorus and really liked the way it sounded, so I just built around that,” She tells Pulse.
“One thing I did in my entire album is that I try to get inspirations from the work of legends. Not too long before I created the song, I was listening to ‘Joromi’ by Sir Victor Uwaifo, and I really liked the call-and-response thing he did, and it was inspiring. It makes the song more interactive. That’s one of the main reasons why I did the call-and-response in the song inspired.
“I also wanted to use the name. I have not heard that name in any other song before, so I thought it was going to be nostalgic and all.”
Sampled: Sunny Bobo – ‘Old School’
Kiss Daniel is out with a new single ‘Yeba.’
If singer’s activities on social media for some time now is anything to go by, you would be forgiven for thinking the G-Worldwide Entertainment act has left the music scene and adopted comedy as his art.
His recent comedy skits has shown that he has a flair to experiment with art and succeed; a fact reinforced in this beautiful attempt with highlife music ‘Yeba’.
The track which is reminiscent of 90s highlife music is heavy on percussion and horns with relatable lyrics. Although it hasn’t been admitted from the singer, you could find parallels between the record and Sunny Bobo’s ‘Old Skool’ record.
Simi – ‘Aimasiko’
Sampled: Chief Ebenezer Obey – ‘Aimasiko’
One of the most nostalgic cuts of Simi’s “Simisola” album is the track ‘Aimasiko’. It’s a simple sample of Chief Ebenezer Obey’s evergreen classic ‘Aimasiko’. The record was released in 1987, along with a few others.
Obey however, is also renowned for Christian spiritual themes in his music and has since the early-1990s retired into Nigerian gospel music ministry.
Skales – ‘Temper’ remix ft Burna Boy
Sampled: Fela Kuti – ‘Fire, tears and blood’
One of the sleeper hits of 2017 is Skales’s remix of ‘Temper’, which features Burna Boy. The song is housed on his 2017 “The Never Say Never Guy” album. And it has grown to be one of the LP’s shining cuts.
Produced by KrizBeatz, the ‘Temper’ remix which was reworked and sampled Fela’s “Sorrow, Tears & Blood” and 'Roforofo Fight', had Burna Boy and Skales dovetailing to good effect. The song has a strong Afrobeat sampling with the composition and lyrics riffed in the creation of the new work.
Where Fela sang "Hey, yeah/Everybody run, run, run/Everybody scatter scatter/Some people lost some bread", Burna and Skales replaced it with "Hey, yeah/Everybody run, run, run/Everybody scatter scatter/Hey, yeah dance don catch fire/Hey, yeah boys don start to maya."
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