Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the wordpress-seo domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/bcm/src/dev/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6121 lyrics | Zikoko!
When Ayra Starr called herself a sabi girl on Rush, she knew exactly what she was saying. And she’s gone ahead to prove it in numerous ways, from her fashion sense to incredible music videos, and now, her latest single, Sability.
The song is a self-hype anthem. Ayra spends two minutes 47 seconds reminding everyone that she didn’t call herself “sabi girl” just because.
But while the general public has fallen in love with the song, people keep asking what the lyrics actually mean.
looks like everyone knows the “shinji kagawa” reference in Ayra Starr’s Sability, but me.
please, help an elderly person, what does it mean? 🤲🏾
As members of the Sabi Nation, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to break them down and clear all the confusion in your minds.
E le oh
Dey greet everybody for here oh
Padi jo sé sé pele oh
Mo ti so fun won tele oh
Ayra starts by introducing herself to those who might not be clear who exactly she is, warning them of what’s to come.
Belle oh
Deliver like I get belle oh
Them say I Dey go cele oh
Them say I Dey go cele oh
A literary queen, Ayra is simply here to let us know that, like a pregnant woman in labour, she has no choice but to deliver smash hits the way she does. Then just because she can, Ayra reminds us about all the times people said she attends the celestial church simply because she calls herself a celestial being.
Espiritu Fortuna
I go make you jo dada
Shey you getty the power
Sweet passi, amala ketu
She warned us before, but just in case we thought she was joking, Ayra serves one last warning: the song will be sweeter than amala from Ketu and will make us dance the night away.
Shinji kagawa
Jesu kristi loba wa
Gat dem falling yakata
You know as e sabi girl dey do
Now, for the part that really shows the sability of our Sabi President. Ayra Starr compares herself to football legend, Shinji Kagawa, then gives all the glory to Jesus for making her the sabi girl with the ability to make everyone fall yakata on the dance floor.
Sability is a bop and a half. And after rinsing this song like thick jeans, we’re convinced Ayra Starr’s sabi girl title isn’t just by mouth because, Ayra, why do you cook like this?
Have you ever listened to an old Nigerian song and thought to yourself, “If only the artist could see the future back then?” You’re not alone. These artists thought they made mad points when they penned down these lyrics, but looking at them now, we can’t help but shake our heads. It is well sha.
1. “Four years don waka, we still dey carry go. Nobody waka, nobody go solo” — Four Years, Styl Plus
If only they could see the future. Guys, quick question: where is Tunde? Did he step out or something? That being said, this song was a bop and it still manages to pop up every time Nigerian students are about to graduate (even if the course plus ASUU strike made the process 10 years).
2. “Stay relevant like BlackBerry charger” — Amorawa, Burna Boy
Can anyone remember the last time they saw a Blackberry, much less an actual BlackBerry charger? We can’t blame Burna though, because when this song dropped in 2013, we were still on a “what’s your pin?” and “let me ping you” high. Fun times! Now we’re out here buying chargers and earphones separately from a new phone, all because Steve Jobs tricked us into joining a digital cult.
3. “Don’t doubt me, I go bring home Grammy” — Street Credibility, 9ice
You know what? Let’s not say anything. At least, we now have Nigerian Grammy Nominees and winners and that’s what matters. Good job, 9ice. At least you saw the future, even if it didn’t include you.
4. “Your beauty make me to realise say Nepa don bring light” — Duro, Tekno
Where’s the light, Tekno? Where? We would’ve ignored this lyric but despite all the fine babes in Nigeria, the national grid still collapsed like Goliath. We’re not finding this lyric funny at all. Where are we queuing for petrol today?
5.”But nobody contest we, my brother make you try abi you done smoke weed” — Me & My Brother, PSquare
Peter and Paul really sang this song with their full chest confident that they’d be ride or die forever. But, alas over the past few years, they’ve shown us that sometimes water is thicker than blood o. But when you really look at it, they were right. No one tested them, they simply tested themselves and stressed all of us out.
Everybody’s sugar mummy, Asa, is back with a new album, V, and while we’re still learning the lyrics, we’ve decided to test your knowledge on her older songs.
Have you ever listened to a song and thought to yourself, “Can never be me?” Yes, we’ve done it too. While we bop to all the songs on this list, their lyrics are a little bit extra, if we’re being honest — it’s just small love, let’s all be calming down.
1. “Your lips like poison, I’ll take my chance with you.” — Lojay & Sarz, Monalisa
Poison? Poison? Somebody’s mother is praying for them everyday and they’re out here saying they want to chop poison because of knacks? Nah, we can’t – we won’t — relate. Na only one life wey person get
2. “See the way I dey beg you, shey bambi allah mo je ni?” — Ayra Starr & CKay, Beggie Beggie
Begging a man in this millennium? Sis, is Nigeria not tough enough for you? You want to drag your bad bitch cred in the mud? We don’t beg in this household, we collect applications, periodt.
3. “She making me bark a like a bingo” — PSquare, Alingo
Something about a woman making me bark like a dog just doesn’t sit right with my inner spirit. Is she a witch? Peter and Paul, please come out and explain to the class what this means because, whattt?.
4. “Dance and sweat like say na fight. We must to settle this thing tonight” — Tiwa Savage, All Over
Tiwa, sis, it’s not that deep. Are you in a relationship or Maltina Dance All?
5. “I will cross all the seven seas, just to give you what you need.” — Ric Hassani, Police
God forbid! What kind of pick me behaviour is this? Let’s not forget that Ric did all these things and the babe still showed him pepper. No wonder he’s now singing “Thunder fire you”. It is well.
6. “I don fight uniform men” — Omah Lay, Understand
LOL. Fighting uniform men because of love? When we’re not on crack? The answer is no. The crazy part, after all of this, his love interest still slept with his best friend and stole his pendant. In this life, it pays to be wicked.
7. “And I’m all up in your face like pimples” — Omoakin, Talosobe
Ewwwww.
8. “All my ego na for you” — Teni & Davido, For You
Imagine giving all your funds to someone after being a slave to capitalism five days (six or seven days in some offices) a week. Why the hell would I do that? Love? I don’t recognise that emotion.
9. “See you broke my heart but I wish you well” — Dwin, The Stoic, Ifunanyam
If you break my heart, it’s only God that will punish you. It’s not only “well”, it’s Wellington. Please, shift.
10. “She say make I dey choke her” — Ajebo Hustlers, Solace
So she can die and the police will arrest me? If anyone wants to be choked during coitus, they should please choke themselves. After all, we both have hands.
11. “You don’t need no other body” — Wizkid & Tems, Essence
As a Yoruba demon, I’m inclined to decline this suggestion. So Tems wants us to put all our eggs in one basket? What if they cancel on us? In this life, it’s important to have multiple backups.
12. “You should know I got you, but you don’t need to get me too” — Chike, Running
It’s all recipocrity in 2022, chief. Can’t be out here dying for someone who doesn’t care about you. Please, jazz up and move on. Life is short.
Selecting a picture for your Instagram feed is hard. But you know what’s harder? Picking the right caption to go along with it. To make it easier to stunt on your fantasy haters, we’ve compiled some lyrics from Nigerian songs that also double as badass Instagram captions.
1.Ayra Starr – “This bad bitch bad every day.”, Bloody Samaritan
It’s not easy being one of the biggest pop stars on the continent, and Ayra Starr knows this. On the standout track from her debut album, 19 & Dangerous, she reminds us that being a bad bitch is a full-time job.
2. Olamide – “Ma lo fe broke niggas, fight for your life.”, Rock
This caption works for two types of people: people with rich boyfriends asking everyone else to step up, and rich boyfriends reminding everyone else that they’re poor as shit. If you are publicly broke or dating a broke man, please refrain from using this.
3. Buju – “I’ve never stopped in my life so tell me why would I stop now?”, Never Stopped
This caption works when you’ve just gotten a big win and want to announce it to your followers. It’s basically a calmer way of reminding everyone that you’ve always been (and will always be) a bad bitch. Periodt!
4. Bella Shmurda – “Ice on my neck. Ice on my wrist.”, Cash App
This caption works at the end of the month when it’s salary week and you’re rich AF!
5. Tems – “Don’t call my phone you’re not a madman.”, Damages
Channel your inner Temilade and remind that guy that you’ve stepped up. As a Nigerian man, he’ll probably still call you, but at least you’ve warned him sha.
[newsletter]
6. Davido – “Love is sweet o! When money enter love is sweeter.”, Assurance
If there’s one thing Davido will do, it’s give us mysterious lyrics of wisdom. From seeing people’s waists in their eyes to “shuku shaker, aya shoemaker”, Shakespeare no do pass Davido. This caption works for when you’re at an expensive restaurant doing “his view, my view.”
We had to alter the lyrics to this song because Amaka can’t be the only banging babe in town. This post works whenever you feel like the shit! Leaving the gym, going out for a night out in the town or just launching a new fit, best believe hot eba has nothing on you.
8. Wizkid – “Lagos today, London tomorrow.”, Jaiye Jaiye
This is for team #CatchingFlightsNotFeelings. Get into it.
9. Ladipoe – “Life gettin’ sweeter, no use water dilute my Ribena.”, Feeling
Every line on Feeling could work as an Instagram caption, but for some reason, this is our favorite. When you really think about it, there’s nothing sweeter than undiluted Ribena.
10. Tiwa Savage – “I no come this life to suffer.”, Koroba
When Ms. Kele Kele said this line, we all felt it in our souls. This caption works every time you decide to spend your last cash on enjoyment. Last last, this life is just one, so buy that Shawarma with double sausages today.
There are some international hits that got so much airplay during the 2000s that they might as well have been made by a Nigerian. We want see if you can identify 11 of them by their lyrics alone.
About the importance of the project, Oxlade told Zikoko:
“This project means everything to me. It’s the first time I putting out a thing of my own. It’s a way for me to share a part of myself to the world through my singing.”
So, instead of a traditional review — which would have us praising Oxlade’s killer voice and instinctive songwriting — we decided to have him pick and breakdown 5 lyrics he believes best represent this body of work.
“Machala for your love/Mezewu for your love/Go loco for your love” — “Hold On”
Machala is slang for a don, and in this context, I’m saying I’ll become the top of the crop for love. Mezewu means going crazy on drugs, so that’s about me being high on love. I’m sure everyone knows what going loco means.
The entire song is just about me being selfless and letting go of my ego for love. A lot of people get the impression that I’m a hoe, but this is the real Oxlade — a soft loverboy.
“Let us go far away, miles away, far away/ To a place where no one can dictate how we play” — “Away”
“Away” is really personal to me. I got raped when I was 10 years old, and I went through that for 3 years. I kept wishing I could run away because I felt like a captive.
In this context, however, it’s about me trying to run away from all the negativity with my babe. The song is ultimately about seeking freedom, and this lyric is the juice behind the entire thing.
“And if I tell you move, you must to jabole” — “Kokose”
“Kokose” is my jam, and I love it because it makes no sense. It was a template record that I made so I wouldn’t forget the melody. Then when I went back to the studio, Spax said I should leave it like that.
It’s really just a feel-good song, and this line is me saying that I won’t allow anyone to be dull around me. Honestly, I think this song is going to bang. I just need the world to return to normal so clubs can shatter it.
“You be my weakness and you be my sickness and I don’t wanna cure myself from you” — “Weakness”
“Weakness” was inspired by my ex. Actually, most of the love songs on this project were inspired by her. She broke my heart one day, and I just decided to write a stack of love songs.
This song is me letting her know that she is my weakness, but I don’t mind if she kills me — just as long as I have her in my life. It’s fake deep, I know, but it’s honest.
“Tables turn oh/ It fit be your turn today, tomorrow make it be my turn oh” — “Tables Turn”
“Tables Turn” is a true story, and it’s really just me reminding niggas that karma is a bitch. I was raised in the slums, and the type of songs they made there were not the type I wanted to make. So, I was an outcast.
The line is about being good to people. You don’t know what the future holds for anyone you come across, so always try to be as kind as possible to others.
How well do you know songs by Nigeria’s biggest and most beloved stars? Can you tell which artist sang (or rapped) which words? Well, if you’re feeling confident, this quiz is here to test your knowledge.
If you are anything like me, January has gone on for 80 days already. I was listening to FireBoy’s album the other day and I thought that some lyrics make a good cry for help. Here are some that resonated with me.
1 From the song Vibration – *”Egba mi, o pari oh”
*Someone save me, it is finished.
This was my reaction while checking my balance throughout December. I kept on asking: “who spent all this money?” Somebody send help!
2) Gbas Gbos from the song Gbas Gbos
Friend: How is your bank account like?
Me: Gbas Gbos. The usual.
3) “We go go America on a midnight train” – From the song What if I say
This is a financial red flag. Firstly, we don’t have a functional railway system in Nigeria. Secondly, we don’t have trains that go to America from here. Thirdly, if you enter midnight train in Nigeria, what you see is what you get.
4) “I am just trying to survive, I just want to win” – From the song Wait and See
This was my motto all through University.
5) *”If I say I should talk, where will I start my story from?” – From the song Energy
*Ti ba ni ki soro, melo ni mo fe so gan.
This is my reaction when people ask me anything about the situation of my finances. Where do I start from exactly?
Listening carefully to the Ojuelegba crooner – Wizkid, it is evident that most of his lines are answers to a lot of real life situations. Here are a few of them.
When your girlfriend is mad at you and locks you out.
Song: Scatter The Floor
When you attend an Owambe and the dance floor is popping.
Song: Pakurumo
When your friend keeps asking you how their face looks.
Song: Don’t Dull
“Are you sure you will be able to make it? I think there is traffic”.
Song: Shout Out
For those that keep saying “I think I am way too skinny”.
Song: Shout Out
When your visitors finally arrive after a long trip.
Song: Jaiye Jaiye Ft. Femi Kuti
When you get asked why your friend keeps going back to their ex.
Song: Ojuelegba
When you are trying to make it clear to someone you have been talking to what you want?
Song: In My Bed
When everybody finally understands what you have been going through.
Song: Show You The Money
Getting asked “How are you doing?”.
Song: Ojuelegba
When your friends ask if you can really pay for their expenses?
Song: Jaiye Jaiye ft Femi Kuti
When you are wondering what to do when you have a lot of money.
Song: Jaiye Jaiye ft Femi Kuti
And your wife asks what you are getting her as a Christmas gift.
You never listen to mainstream Nigerian songs for the content. If you need content, find Asa or Bez.
So get a banging beat and you’re good to go. But the fact that we don’t listen to the lyrics doesn’t mean there’s no limit. Sometimes, try. We are begging.
1. Check Up – DJ Mewsic POM ft. Skales, Vector, Hakym the Dream
This sounds suspiciously like he got this line from Ice Prince.
2. Export – MI ft Yung6ix
No. Ehn ehn. Nah.
3. The Game – Olamide ft. Phenom
This is just disgusting.
4. Icholiya – Phyno ft. Ice Prince & M.I
I’m hungry.
5. The Truth – Vector (Mode 9 Diss)
Smelling rap. You can do better?
6. RIP Drake & Meek Mill – Vic-O
Greatest. Rapper. Ever.
7. Prick No Get Shoulder – Brymo
What?!
8. Bullion Van – MI ft. Phyno and Runtown
Lyrical evangelist terrorist.
9. Freestyle – Davido
Well hello, Nigerian Iggy.
10. Thank You – Ice Prince ft. Choc Boiz
Dear Jesse, this is sad.
11. Kpansh – Yung6ix ft. MI
Now we know he can read the alphabet…wait!
12. Elbow Room – Mode9
Why in the name of all that is good and evil will I be holding a lemon and a torch?
13. The Infiltration Mixtape – Cyrus tha Virus
STOP!
14. 2Mussh – Reminisce ft. Sinzu & Ice Prince
How dare you, Ice Prince? How dare you?!
15. Comment Tu T’appelle – LeriQ ft. Burna Boy, Dammy Krane, Ozone, & Mojeed
Flying saucer ni.
16. Ta Lo Sobe – Omo Akin ft. Dotstar, IcePrince, Jesse Jagz, Shadow D Don
This. Is. Not. A. Good. Thing.
17. Too Much Money – Iceberg Slim ft. Banky W
That’s not even… Sigh…
18. Eziokwu – Lynxxx ft. Various artistes
This is why Glo dropped him.
19. Taxi Music – X.O Senavoe
We didn’t want to get it.
20. Ghostmode – Phyno ft. Olamide
Like a toolbox, I’ve got all your tools.
21. Omo Naija Remix – Reminisce
Baba Hafusa, what is spastic?
22. Back When – Davido ft. NaetoC
Are you done with that Masters yet? We hope not.
23. Anamachikwanu – Ill Bliss
The horror!
24. Naija Delta Money – Pryse
Just as well there’s no balcony. I would have pushed you off for this.
25. In My bed – Wizkid
LMAO!!!! What??? How???
Look at all these lines. Just see.
Just stop. Please.
So seriously, what are the worst Nigerian raps/lyrics you’ve heard?
