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There’s so much new music being released that it’s hard for even the most loyal fans to wade through the trash to find the gems. That’s why we’ve created #BumpThis – a Friday series that features new songs, by and featuring Nigerians, that you absolutely need to hear.
Joeboy — “Call”
2019 was a year filled with impressive breakout stars, and Joeboy still managed to stand out with his consistently great songs. He’s carried that energy into 2020 with the fantastic “Call”.
On the supremely catchy song, Joeboy sings to the woman he loves, promising to be there for her whenever she needs him. As the lead single from his upcoming debut album, “Call” is a truly exciting effort.
Mayorkun — “Of Lagos”
After scoring one of the biggest Nigerians songs of 2020 so far, “Geng”, DMW star, Mayorkun is already back with another certified banger, the infectious “Of Lagos”.
Even though he spends most of the song repeating “Of Lagos”, the track miraculously never feels grating or boring. It just ends up being further proof that everything Mayorkun touches turns to gold.
Ladipoe — “Know You” ft. Simi
Even though he rarely gets the attention he clearly deserves, Ladipoe never stops delivering quality. His latest single, the Simi-assisted “Know You” is just the latest reminder.
On the track, Ladipoe raps about feeling inexplicably drawn to someone he doesn’t really know that well. It’s an instantly likeable track with the potential of being his biggest song yet.
2019 has delivered some really great Nigerian songs, accompanied by equally impressive music videos. So, with the year coming to an end, we decided to ask 10 of our favourite directors to pick which Nigerian music video stood out to them the most.
Meji Alabi on Fireboy DML’s “Jealous”
Meji Alabi, the genius behind Tiwa Savage’s career-best “49-99”, picked the video for Fireboy DML’s breakout hit, “Jealous”, which was shot by Director K.
About why he likes it:
“I like the feels it puts you in. Those relatable moments mean a lot to me in music videos.”
Seun Opabisi on Burna Boy’s “Dangote”
Seun Opabisi, one half of the directing duo behind Ladipoe’s “Jaiye” and Rema’s “Bad Commando”, picked the video for Burna Boy’s “Dangote”, which was shot by Clarence Peters.
About why he likes it:
“In so many ways, this video is a depiction of what ‘Hustle’ means in present-day Nigeria. We do a lot of finger-pointing when we’re all playing a role in its demise.”
Kewa Oni on Prettyboy D-O’s “Pull Up”
Kewa Oni, one half of the directing duo behind Ladipoe’s “Jaiye” and Rema’s “Bad Commando”, picked the video for Prettyboy D-O and Santi’s “Pull Up”, which was directed by Ademola Falomo.
About why he likes it:
“D-O’s presence on and off stage has always been very intense, and it’s so great that Demola made a grimy video that captures that.”
Prodigeezy on Tiwa Savage’s “49-99”
Prodigeezy, the director behind Falz’s Headies-nominated “Talk” and Burna Boy’s “Killin Dem”, picked the video for Tiwa Savage’s “49-99”, which was directed by Meji Alabi.
About why he likes it:
“Meji is easily one of my favourite African directors, but his work on “49-99” was just exceptional and flawlessly executed.
I particularly like it because of the audacity and scale of the idea. From my experience, it’s very difficult combining social messaging and entertaining visuals, but he pulled it off.”
TG Omori on Tiwa Savage’s “49-99”
TG Omori, the director behind Naira Marley’s “Am I A Yahoo Boy” and Teni’s “Billionaire”, also picked the video for Tiwa Savage’s “49-99”, which was directed by Meji Alabi.
About why he likes it:
“Honestly, I think the art direction is just beautiful. It’s really close to my kind of vibe.”
Ademola Falomo on BOJ and Tiwa Savage’s “Your Love”
Ademola Falomo, the director behind Rema’s “Dumebi”, Tems’ “Try Me” and Prettyboy D-O’s “Pull Up”, picked the video for BOJ and Tiwa Savage’s “Your Love”, which was shot by Director K.
About why he likes it:
“Director K is easily my favourite director at the moment. The cinematography of “Your Love” is everything.
I love the minimalist approach and the attention to details. Every single frame in that video can be used as a picture”
Chukwuka Nwobi on Lyta’s “Monalisa”
Chukwuka Nwobi, the director behind the videos for Sarz and WurlD’s “EGO” and “MAD”, picked the video for Lyta’s “Monalisa”, which was shot by Director K.
About why he likes it:
“The camera movements are so smooth and cinematic. I loved the idea of isolating two individuals in a huge space and focusing on them, all while telling a love story.
I also really liked the wide frame shots. I think it’s good to take a step back and appreciate everything that makes the frame what it is.”
Seyi Akinlade on Ladipoe’s “Jaiye”
Seyi Akinlade, the director behind Prettyboy D-O’s manic “Dey Go Hear Wehh”, picked the video for Ladipoe’s “Jaiye”, which was directed by Seun Opabisi and Kewa Oni.
About why he likes it:
“A lot of the elements were just so well-though-out and put together, without ever outshining the artist.”
The Alien on Ladipoe’s “Jaiye”
The Alien, the director behind BOJ, Ajebutter22 and Falz’s “Ronaldo”, picked the video for Ladipoe’s “Jaiye”, which was directed by Seun Opabisi and Kewa Oni.
About why he likes it:
“The video was amazingly executed. From idea and production design to cinematography and colour grading, everything was just excellent.
It made me feel sooo good. No jokes, I remember watching it more than 100 times the week it came out.”
Daniel Vintage on Ladipoe’s “Jaiye”
Daniel Vintage, the director behind Kizz Daniel’s ode to Lagos, “Eko”, picked the video for Ladipoe’s “Jaiye”, which was directed by Seun Opabisi and Kewa Oni.
About why he likes it:
“The aesthetics and visual direction were pretty dope. From the locations to the styling, you can tell they did a lot of proper mind mapping.”
Your favourite musicians also have favourite musicians, and that’s why we created #MyLoop — a weekly series that asks Nigerian stars who they like to listen to when they’re feeling any type of way.
Ladipoe has been one of 2019’s most quietly impactful rappers. He not only dropped one of the year’s best songs, the criminally underrated “Jaiye”, but he’s also been soaring as a featured act on a number of phenomenal deep cuts (Bella Alubo’s “Summer’s Over”, PsychoYP’s “ViBES”).
Granted, he didn’t drop as many singles as we might have liked, but the year wasn’t devoid of his stellar penmanship. So, we reached out to learn which songs the gifted rapper has been jamming, specifically when he’s feeling any major emotion or doing something seemingly mundane.
From Wizkid to Tems, here are the artists that made Ladipoe’s loop:
