The year 2004 and 2005 saw a turning point in our music industry, things were changing, a new crop of musicians were getting on the scene. There was Kush with the album “The Experience” Rymzo with “take mediocres off the stage” and 9ice with the “Certificate” (yes, I got that too). People were coming back home from outside the country and we were seeing more university graduates and under graduates becoming musicians. Them Daddy Showkeys and Father U-Turns were being kicked out. Don’t get me wrong, these group of artist did their own share and we thank them for it. They showed us it was okay to be razz...no, no, that’s not the right word. It was okay to be you, yeah, that’s it. Because if you didn’t dance or attempt to dance Galala or didn’t even at least hum to “If you see my mama hozanna, tell am say o, hozanna, I dey for gate e, I no get problem...” then you were leaving somewhere in Siberia.
When our Nigerian brothers “JJC and the 419 squad” who were based in London dropped “Naija Atide” it was crazy. The album had the national anthem “Gbao” and other songs like “Kilonsele” and “See me see Wahala”. It was gradually becoming cool to be Naija. So, when Marvellous Benjy taught us the brand new dance “Swo” off his album “Take Control” it was an instant hit. It was the very first attempt at a Naija type of dancehall and boy, did I rock that c.d. there was no party you went to that you didn’t hear: “Attention! Old dance gone, new dance come...Is a brand new dance fe all raga fans wey Mr. Bengy bring come... Oya sing, Galala no dey do dem again, Konto no dey sweet dem again o, Makosa no rule dem again, Swo na dey new dance wey dey reign...” Even the so called big boys and girls were learning it. I still remember how many girls I got just because I could dance “Swo” well. “Please teach me” they would beg (allow me to remain for a moment in the past).
It was also around this period that the awards came pouring in. Tuface Idibia was making us proud and also getting shot at the same time (A real gangster right?) Naija music was on a high but we didn’t know it was only the beginning. By the time artists from outside Lagos started taking centre stage things were on a whole new level. Psquare from the University of Abuja dropped “Last nite” and even though they suffered a lot of criticisms, them twins got us nodding along to their songs. Those boys suffered o, I know how many pure water bags hit them while performing on stage. But by the time these good looking brothers from Anambra state dropped their second album “Get squared” with their videos, they had “Bizzy bodied” their ways into our hearts. It was no contest, there was no artist on this side of the globe that danced half as well as they did or had videos as good as theirs. For everyone that called them “copy copy” back then, guess you’re asking for autographs now.
Stylplus was the next big thing Abuja had to offer and all I’m ma say is “Olufunmi” (yeah, I know you all remember that one) that particular song was a monster classic. Between you and me, that very song got me a girlfriend. Her name was Funmilola and all I had to do was sing that song over and over to her (amongst other things). Shit! how could I have forgotten the very first Abuja export “Age Beeka” (forgive me) please tell me you remember the song “Angelica” and “Girl of my dreams” Age was the very first soul brother this country had to offer even before Asa, Excetera and Bez. Yes, I’ve got that album too, (that’s one of my rarest collections) these boys from Abuja told the Lagos peeps that we-also-can-do-this-shit-too.
On the rap scene things were also changing when the Lyrist Mode 9 dropped “Malcom IX” Mode 9 killed it, his punch lines and metaphors were right on point, there was no real hip-hop head who listened to that brother without going “Damn!” Punch lines from my favourite song off the album “Elbow Room” are: “Without there fingers in my toilet they’re feeling my shit” and “...You’ve got the lemon and the torch I’ve got the limelight, read the sign right, before you battle MOD coz when I’m done I’m ma sign right on your POP...”
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