Afro Sounds & Nigerian Music: How Far Do They Go?

Africa a continent blessed with good people, and good music harbors Nigeria a country somewhere in West Africa, known for its oil production and its robust entertainment industry mainly the movie-Nollywood and Music-Naija industries. 

Naija music is widely known in Africa and beyond, in Ghana, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, South Africa, from East to West, South to even North Africa Naija music artists are household names in those countries.

All over Africa and beyond from the streets of Lagos to Accra, Pretoria to Lome is either Hip hop or Traditional, Azonto or Etighi, Mucosa or Kukere, Ghanaian music or Naija music. The truth is there are many genres of music in Africa, some known some unknown, in the midst of many emerges a modern, more entertaining, fresh type of music-Naija Music.

From the drums of the Yoruba’s to the Goje of the Hausa’s down to the flute of the Igbo’s, each of this tribes has it own personalized genre of music, the Yoruba’s are known for their juju music where drums are heavily used, the Juju music was pioneered by the late Fela Kuti. The Hausa’s are known for their skillful use of Goje an instrument producing a metallic sound, they have personalized that sound as theirs too. The Igbo’s produce a type of music known as High-life, where flute and especially the Guitar feature heavily. This sounds has combined well to produce the first generation of musicians like King Sunny Ade, Osita Osadebe down to Onyeka Owene and others.

2face and Sir Victor Olaiya: Two Different Generations Come Together

The late 90s saw a music revolution lead by artists like rappers Ruggedman and Idris, Pop Singers 2face and D’banj producers like Don Jazzy and record labels like Kennis Music, hence Naija music was born making the above listed the elite of Naija music that is the modern music produced today.

From the 90s to 2013, Naija music has produced many artists, many producers and songwriters, the industry has grown from a humble background to become the best music industry in Africa, from a “stipend” industry to a multi-million naira industry and still growing.

As such Nigeria especially their own brand of music- Naija music or Naija sounds can be said to be everywhere in Africa, its tentacles is very long and wide, its reach in Africa is massive, thumbs up to those artists that made it happen- Nigeria truly the giants of Africa.

Artist like Banky W, Ice Prince, Flavour, Omawumi, Asa down to the elites like Peter and Paul Okoye of P.square, D’banj, Ruggedman are the ones making it happen, they have sold many millions of their albums, their music can now be heard in all nooks and crannies of many African countries. Can’t mention names without 2face and Faze of the defunct Planteshun Boiz they are still in the game, but Blackface the third member his story is quite interesting.