Music. It is.

By Muhammed Moshood

My childhood memory is filled with days when loud music blared from sound speakers around our home in Ifo, Ogun State, Nigeria.

We had a bar just by the house – owned by ‘Dad’ to all the street kids. ‘Olympic’, we called him. He was a super friendly man and very tough when he needed to be.

Whether or not your dad was around, he was always available to set you straight. When you come from my place, you’ll be nurtured by everyone. Africans are prominent in communal living and, contextually, crowdsourced parenting.

The belief is that a child duly groomed by a community will hardly go wayward. As a child, it was tough, but looking back, it was enjoyable. I digressed…

Apart from Olympic Bar, businesses that specialised in the sales of music videos and films were our sources of entertainment: they littered every corner of the town. How do you listen to glaringly loud music without picking verses and, by extension, names of artists and histories, amongst others?

I learnt many verses and knew many artists across all genres of music – mostly Fuji and Apala. And some bits of Afropop. All circa the 2000s!

Top of mine those days were Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, Pasuma Wonder, Saheed Osupa, K1 the Ultimate, Beautiful Nubia, Abbass Akande Obesere, Dewale Ayuba, Ayinla Kolington (Kebe n Kwara), Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Ade, Ayinla Omowura, Epo Akara, amongst high ranking Yoruba musical legends.

Even though the musical landscape has changed significantly over the years, music remains a significant part of human existence.

So far, I’ve come to love Afrobeats and other sub-groupings that have emerged, thanks to the fabulous scores of prominent actors flagging the banner of interesting Nigerian genre(s) so highly globally and then the explosion of the internet and socials.

In no particular order, shout out to Davido, Wizkid, Rema, 9ice, Teni Makanaki, Adekunle Gold, Simi, Flavour, Tiwa Savage, Arya Starr, Olamide, Fireboy DML, Burna Boy, and rave of the moment, Asake for the fantastic works they are doing! The list is, of course, endless. Check the space; you’d be amazed at what these guys do to the dynamic beats of Africa.

Away from what I grew up to know, I have come to enjoy salsa, some R ‘n’ Bs, and occasional Blues and Country Music.

Nothing beats a good sound, more prominently, a blend of good beats, a talented act, a great blend of both, and a listener’s momentary thirst – or, more expansively, a choice of tunes.

However you may see it, and regardless of your belief about musicals, the acts and the representation of the industry players, you can’t but laud what music represents.

Whether it comes in handy during parties, you listen in passing, or you clutch to it during quiet times, music is bae.

You don’t have to understand the lyrics before you move your body.

Indeed, I agree with Fuji Meastro Saheed Osupa, who, in one of his tracks, said, “Music is a universal language that the whole world understands.”

What does music represent for you?

What genres do you prefer, and which artists should I listen to?

Photo by Namroud Gorguis on Unsplash