If you not a Nigerian and you don’t know what pidgin language is then this song will make you love the unknown language. There were three songs on my table to write about but the fusing of the lyrics and epic highlife sound of the guitar made me drop all the songs and face the scripts of this song. A song made with the ever sweet ponpon and highlife sub-genre of afropop music will have you giving some shakuku and alkayida dance. The music is a love song and if the promotion of this song is put on a very high level then it will kill the weight that “fake love” by Wizkid and Duncan mighty is making and put it in old song categories. This song made my day and Tiwa Savage is giving me reasons every day to name her as the hottest female music act in Nigeria. Duncan mighty on the other is still telling the world that he is the best lyricist among Nigerian dancehall male Singers.
This song tells a story of two individuals getting into a relationship who are setting the rules of relationship straight. You can relate with me that many at times we get into relationships with our lovers without stating some rules which may end up hurting us. Duncan mighty who has been on a Tour round Nigerian Music artist moving from Vector to Wizkid, Reekado Banks and now Tiwa Savage. And just like Santa clause he is giving out good gift in terms of redefining the sounds of those featuring him in their songs. I feel mavin should have allowed Johnny Drille’s song to last one week before releasing this song. This is like choking a baby to death; releasing this song a day after an up and coming label mate released his song is a bad call from the mavin boss DonJazzy
THE MESSGAE
The first verse has Tiwa taking a character of a lady who is trying to make sure her man is on the same page with her. She makes him know that she is a person with no problems and she is willing to do anything for him provided he does not bring up any negative issues. She declares what she needs from him as a man stating that he should promise to treat her well, loving her and staying with her. She used some very real simple but expensive pidgin words to fuse her lyrics. “ Wahala, Palava (meaning problem or discomfort)”, “treat me well and not kiss and tell”, “Nor be say after I whyne am well make you go leave your girl for inside well (it is a proverb meaning don’t break my heart after I have sacrificed a lot for you )”.
Duncan Mighty get on the beat after the chorus taking the character of the love seeker in the story. He does this giving some of the best lyrical fusion I have heard this year in Nigerian music. The radio effect vocals had him appreciating the ladies body. He states that it makes a man shiver. He declares to the lady that his love is true because her love is sweet like a Nigerian rice called “Ofada”. He states that he must be in paradise and if anybody or hater who tries to break his love for her, he will paralysis. He added by making the lady understand that he can’t go on and make it in his life without her. Duncan continues to swim in his vocal stream by stating that the lady can ask a lady called Bolale about him while he will go wait for her in Obalende (a major commercial and transit center in Lagos Island Nigeria). He continues by telling her to play him her “samankwe” because for her love he will ”Jinkole” (meaning agree for me my lady because I am down for you). He finally kills of the verse adding some Niger-Delta vocal to it. He states that if he breaks her heart that will be an oil spillage. He declares that she need not worry because he has studied this her love in Freedom College declaring her love and personality to be sweet like Nigerian Yam porridge. Tiwa comes back on the mic agreeing to the professed love telling him to keep their relationship private because they don’t need people being referees in their love issues.
THE BEAT
Spells went into this production knowing that he was sure to have a good song from the two artist in his studio hence he gave his best. The major area of strength is his use of the electric guitar, toms and background hymn sound. The empty bottle sound used in most Nigerian Gyration song is another defining instruments used while using some choir harmonic keys to back it up. He tweaked the sound of the Bass-tom to sound in a baseline making percussion the major element in the sound. There is this particular baseline used whenever a new line of a sub-verse is been started that really caught my ears. It is most evident in the Duncan Mighty verse. This particular baseline my fellow music producers and beat makers are very important because those four bars connecting the base line makes a difference. This is because when it blends with the drum roll, crash and effects it equal a complete sound progression. Spells killed the beat because even though it is a known beat, he rearranged it and made this two adorable people on the mic look fly. The audibility of the vocals is much appreciated to honest because the vocals was very very clear if you ask me. Sound Engineering for a good song that will keep people partying for the next three month.
POSSIBLE VIDEO
I feel the Mavin Boss and Tiwa should keep the video of this song from being released till November, very close to the festive season. This is to make this song a festive song because it has all the element to be like the Tiwa’s and Wizkid’s collaboration “malo” last year. Same video idea should be adopted because even though the song is a love song, I can tell you that it is more of a party jam.
