Top 10 Nigerian Hit Songs
In Nigeria, the rhythm is as important to the
composition as its melody. The rhythmic bed of each song is constantly shifting
from song to song, although the songs all tend to be fast—closer to current
high-energy pop in tempo than the slow booming hip-hop sound of Atlanta. At the
same time, the image and style of the artists are reminiscent of American
hip-hop—full of cool cars and clothes, and general video swag closer to rap
than any other pop form.
The underlying rhythms, rather than a straight
four-on-the-floor beat, work on what is called, in Latin music, a clave
rhythm—the 2-3 or 3-2 pattern around which the beat is syncopated. It often
gives the groove of each record a slight canter or gallop, a feel like the song
is about to take off without you.
It's this rhythm that explains why Nigeria feels like
popular music's future, which is why Jay Z's sudden interest in Nigeria's music
scene is so exciting. Here's hoping the U.S. music industry, should it look to
Nigeria for popular music's future, recognizes the breadth of Nigeria's
potential within the U.S. Meek Mill has already recorded a song with Nigerian
artist Davido; WizKid reportedly has songs with Chris Brown and Rihanna. But
time will tell if America is willing to look not just to Nigeria's stars, but
to its entire musical universe.
Here
are five records that are hot in Nigeria right now.
WizKid
"Ojuelegba"
Video via YouTube
Davido
“If”
Video via YouTube
Kiss
Daniel "Woju"
Video via YouTube
Maleek
Berry “Kontrol”
Video via YouTube
Runtown
“Mad Over You”
Video via YouTube
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