Hey Guys! I have written a new EP review for a new Nigerian artist called Ayra Starr. Ayra is signed to Mavin Records, one of the biggest record labels in Nigeria and has just dropped her debut EP. I thoroughly enjoyed this project and I think if she continues on this path, she could be pretty big!
Check out the review below:
Hello All!! I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years! Finally we are in 2021!! The first #TuneTuesday of the year is from Nigerian artists Olamide and Omah Lay.
The song was released along with Olamide’s recent album “Carpe Diem’ released in October 2020. I’ve recently gone back to the album and this song is one of my favourites from the project! I love the tone of both their voices on this track! It’s a catchy one!
If you haven’t already taken the album in, I recommend giving it a try! Olamide did an amazing job with this project!
Happy Independence Day to my home country Nigeria!!
I will forever be proud to be from this amazing country and Nigerians will forever be my favourite people ever. We have such a rich culture stemming from iconic music and films, wonderful food, iconic fashion, endless banter and amazing spirit!
While Nigeria has been independent for 60 years, unfortunately we still have a long way to go to show all our talent. I really hope the new generation within the next 60 years are able to help improve the country and right some of the wrongs some of the older generation have made. Myself included, it is up to us younger people to help show the world the beauty in my beloved country!
Have a listen below for Nigerians national anthem sung by some of the most popular Nigerian artists; Yemi Alade, 2Baba and Rema. I really loved this rendition of the iconic ‘Arise O Compatriot’.
OMO NAIJA!!!!
Happy Monday Everyone! Another new week and the last few days of September already! Today’s Music Monday entry is from new Nigerian sensation Tems!. Tems, a Nigerian singer, who may be known already for her song “Try Me” or her recent hit single ‘Damages’ follows up with a debut EP entitled “For Broken Ears“.
As a description and explanation of the projects Tems wrote;
-via temsbaby on Instagram
My favourite tracks from this EP will have to be ‘Damages’ and ‘Free Mind’. For me, Tems has a very unique voice that I feel touches on so many kind of genres; Afrobeats, Alternative R&B, Soul… it would be hard to box her into only 1. She reminds me of an African version of Koffee. Hopefully this is the beginning of more to come and it will be such a pleasure seeing her grow and shine.
Check out the video for Damages below and check out her EP which is out now.
Hey Everyone! Day 100000000 of quarantine, I hope you’re all doing well and keeping safe while following your government’s guidelines! Today’s post is dedicated to all the music I’ve been listening to and loving in the past 2 weeks! Some are from established artists and some from upcoming. Please give them all a try, there should be a song here for you!
I’ve got a few ideas for the blog that should be coming into effect within the next couple months so pleas stay tuned! If you enjoy the site, please share and pass on to friends. I’m grateful for all of you!
My top playlists picks:
Promise – Gara (2020) – Produced by Randsombeatz
I stumbled upon this guy and since then I have been addicted to his music! If you are an afrobeat fan, this is the perfect song for you, Even if you’re not, have a listen. The song is from a British Nigerian artist that goes by the name of ‘Promise’ hailing from London. His music is usually a fusion of afrobeats, dancehall and UK rap. Usually when I hear a British artist that does afrobeats, I sometimes get disappointed because on occasion I feel the actual African essence is sometimes missing from their sound. This is definitely not the case for Promise. His music hits the spot in terms of that special authentic African sound. I was more disappointed that he only had 3 songs for me to listen to! Hopefully this is the beginning of a long career for him! I will be first in line waiting to hear more great music from him. (Check out his song ‘Promise‘ too, another one of my favourites)
Chris Brown x Young Thug – Go Crazy (2020) – Produced by KanielTheOne
Chris Brown and Young Thug recently released their joint album called ‘Slime & B’. I was pleasantly surprised with this tape, I feel their voices blended really well throughout and I think they both were able to showcase their individual talents too. This particular song stood out to me as a summer track and has now even been made into a dance challenge! The beat is a perfect pick me up and I can see this being a big song this summer.
Young Thug x Future – Help Me Breathe (2020)
This outro from Chris Brown and Young Thug’s joint album happens to be my second favourite on the tape. This time it features Young Thug collaborating with the toxic king himself, Future. We already know that Thug and Future make good music together based on their joint tape released in 2017. Personally one of my favourite joint songs from them was from Thug’s album ‘Beautiful Thugger Girls’, the song being “Relationship”. With this song “Help Me Breathe”, I feel it is actually quite a sweet one. Both of them talk about the importance of their partners in question indicating that they are giving them life. Check it out below;
Shana – Crush on You (2020) – Produced by Jiffthegeneral
Moving to an RnB theme, this is a new song from a new artist! This debut song is from London RnB singer Shana. With this being her first single I am hoping we hear much more from her in the future. I’m pretty sure this song will have you singing “I’ve got a crush on you” over and over and doing some kind of shuffle. I like the freshness that I get from this song, no gimmicks, just pure good vibes and excellent production. The female (even male) Rnb scene in London isn’t as big as it can be and it’s refreshing to hear more and more newcomers. Have a listen to the song below and enjoy:
Kehlani Ft Jhené Aiko – Change Your Life (2020)
Following on from the RnB theme, I had a listen to Kehlani’s new tape this week and this song for me was one of my stand outs. Jhené and Kehlani on the same song makes complete sense, both queens have the perfect sensual voices to blend with each other. I love Jhené’s verse in the second verse as she sings to the person in question hyping them up while also pointing out that they would be even better together. In verse 3, Kehlani lays it all on the table and when I first heard this verse I replayed it multiple times. “Used-to-be models, IG honeys all shaped like bottles but now you seein’ that it’s more than body, face, and smile. You see me, and you look beyond it, you feel inspired…”. So beautiful. Check it out below;
CE – Who Am I? (2020) – Produced by DCQBEATZ
Another one from CE! I’m a fan of this track for sure, it has a nice vibe to it, the beat is great too. CE raps less on this particular track and lets his singing do all the talking! This will have you singing “Everytime you find me, you try to remind me of who I am” like it’s been doing to me! The artwork is great too! Have a listen below:
Russ Ft Ty Dolla $ign – 3AM (2020)
If you haven’t checked it out already, I have a Russ album review out https://musicandlifeblog.com/2020/02/18/album-review-russ-shake-the-snow-globe/ . Russ has now brought out a deluxe version of the album including this new song featuring Ty Dolla $ign. He teased the song earlier this week and I had a feeling it was going to be a good one. Ty Dolla on any song is always a joy to listen to and you will not be disappointed with this track. Ty’s verse is such a pleasure to hear, the harmonies and rifts as perfect as always. I’m gonna have to dive into the extra tracks Russ has blessed us with but for now, have a listen to this song below;
Some other songs I’ve loved:
October 1st 2018 is my country and hometown, Nigeria’s 58th independence day. Nigerian music is a part of me and has contributed to a lot of great songs. As a tribute I have enclosed a link to a very good soundcloud link I came across..
Omo Naija!! 🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬
Today’s feature is from Nigerian legend D’Banj. The song is called “Fall In Love” and was released in 2008. The song is based on D’Banj telling a lady that she is the love of his life and she has made him a different person.
The first line always gets me; “Don’t get it twisted, love is a beautiful thing!” which is a warning before he proceeds to tell us how the woman he is directing the song at has changed his life. Personally this song is a great example of the way Nigerians compliment; “My sweet potato i wanna tel u my mind….Wanna tell u my mind o i no understand o”. Nigerians have a way of using dramatic metaphors that will have you smiling or certainly laughing! Before “Afrobeats” became popular and a mainstream market, D’Banj used to be the King of the genre. This song is definitely considered one of his classics.
Have a look below:
Afrobeats are considered a style of music incorporating African music. Over the past few years it has become more mainstream and more popular.
“Woju Remix” released in 2005 is a song by Nigerian artist Kiss Daniel featuring fellow Nigerian singers Tiwa Savage and Davido. The song mixes Pidgin English with Yoruba language as well as English.
My favourite line is by Davido when he sings “She look my neck and say odikwa bright” meaning his neck is shining because of the gold around it. The song is a great song to play in the weather and the video is great. Take a listen and watch below.
