This, the first-ever ‘overground’ UK festival of Naija Beat (contemporary Nigerian popular music), brought to you by well-known promoter and manager Kayode Samuel and DJ John Armstrong as part of their longrunning AFRIKLUB concert series, sets out to correct the imbalance with a panorama of contemporary Nigerian stars whose joint talent is matched only by the amazing diversity of their musical roots. Although a couple of these artists have previously made lowkey, ‘Nigerian-posse-only’ concert appearances in the UK before, this is the first time that all have appeared on the same bill- and in two top London venues, at that.
Hip hop/naija-pop artist Tony Tetuila is recognised as one of the two or three top Nigerian stars of this generation. Albums like ‘My Car’, ‘He Go Better’, and his 2006 smash ‘First Soldier’ and MTV hit video ‘Two Women’ (with Ghana’s hip hop crew VIP) are inescapable on the Lagos airwaves.
Dr Saheed Osupa –aka Vadisco The Genius Fuji Wizard – takes tradtional Fuji talking-drum beats places they’ve never been before on tunes such as ‘Gbedu Hip Hop’ – the dancefloor pick from his 2008 album ‘Endorsement’, which garnered a million copies in pre-sales alone when release in January this year – an unheard-of feat for a Fuji album.
Still on the immensely popular Fuji tip – but from a different angle – comes Remi Aluko, who performed to a couple of rammed expat shows in the UK last year (including Afriklub in November 2007). Remi’s current tunes ‘Omo London’ and Ibadan Rumour’ are favourites for those who prefer their Fuji uncut, hard, rough and political.
9ice - The sensation of Nigeria's Hip Hop awards 2008 in two categories - Vocal performance of the year for 'Gongo Aso' - and new revelation of the year for the now album. Abolore Akande, aka The Nigerian Hook Man, but best known as 9ice, is set to take over the naija hip hop scene for the foreseeable future - not just a great lyricsman, also a fine vocalist and performer: 'Da Hook' has it all!
But every Nigerian show of this kind pays homage to what has gone before, and what is rich enough still to be with us – in this case, the mighty, legendary King of Palmwine blues, Nigerian mambo and adgidibo – the one and only Fatai Rolling Dollar. Fatai was playing Lagos club gigs 7 nights a week when the Stones and Beatles were in short pants, and he’ still doing it now, at 82 years of age.
DJ John Armstrong will be supporting with an exclusive set of current recent and unreleased Naija tunes – Olu Maintain, P-Square, Tu-Face, D’Banj, Jeremyah, 117 Krew, Daddy Showkey, Basket Mouth, and more!
LIVE: TONY TETUILA + DR SAHEED OSUPA + REMI ALUKO + 9ICE+ FATAI ROLLING DOLLAR
DJS: DJ JOHN ARMSTRONG
£12 adv
8-1
