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Naija Artists Who “Covered” Their Way To The Top

2014-11-06T04:28:00.002-08:00

Before we start first of all, what is a “cover”? A cover version or cover song , or simply cover is a new performance or recording of a previously recorded , commercially released( or unreleased) song, by someone other than the original artist or composer.
That said we all know in this our fast growing naija music industry which is choked with many talents it is hard to get recorgnition easily even if you’ve got the talent and all. One of the easiest ways is by doing covers to popular songs. It is a way to show skill as am artist either to do it better or to do it differently .it is a fast way to grow your fan base and also means for creative expression. Many have taken this advantage mostly rappers which is part of the scheme of work lol..so without taking much of your time here is a list of naija artist that we think made god use of this concept and covered there way to the top

M.I ABAGA
MI
MI
The chairman himself ever since he came on the scene has dropped a couple of covers in his mixtapes (illegal music 1&2), tracks like I’M HOT where he sampled Dbanj’s Gbono Feli Feli and Snoop Dogg’s “Drop it like it’s Hot” and many more. He has also jumped on Lil Wayne’s 6foot 7foot with phenom on Illegal Music 2. The thing with M.I is because he is a also a good producer, he touches the beat a bit before adding a whole new sound to it. Mr incredible definitely is a master of covers and samples

YUNG6IX
Yung6ix-
We all remember how he came on the scene back in 2010-2011 where he did a cover to Ice Prince’s Oleku with his warri version. Afterwards he got mad buzz and shortly after was signed to then one of naija’s top label (storm records). The cover brought a different feel to the monster hit which brought him the recognition and fan base required. He also went ahead to do a couple of more covers on his mixtape

SAUCE KID
Sinzu
Sauce kid or sinzu as we know him now also came on the scene back in 06-07 with a track SAMBORIBOBO which was a cover to Remy Martin’s Conceited. Shortly afterwards his rap career too off and he was on fire for a bit. His Money Long mixtape also boosted a couple of covers to him name.

KHEENGZ
Kheengz
I call him the king of covers ,thou he is relatively not blown yet but he is definitely on the right path. His most notable covers to date are Ice Prince’s Aboki, and Di’Ja’s Yaro. He’s gotten props from the original artist themselves like M.I Iceprince and recently sarkodie. His cover of Dija’s Yaro was considered one of the best and most recently just dropped a viral video of Sarkodie’s illuminati which got Sarkodie himself impressed.

BANKY W
Niyola-Love-To-Love-You-ft-Banky-W-BTS-Video-Shoot-1-333x500
This EME boss first came on the scene also with EBUTE META a cover to Rihanna’s smash hit Umbrella. You can call it a cover or remake but that song actually helped him launch his career in naija before he went on to release his other original songs. The rest they say is history.

VECTOR
Vector1
As a rapper I think it is part of your duty to drop mixtapes in between albums just to show your lyrical ability and I think vector did a couple of covers in his barracks mixtape that showed us what he’s made off. He also at one time did a cover to Ice Prince’s oleku that jam also Aded a little to his CV
So all said and done, covers are a way of adding to your CV and increasing your fan base. It’s a good way to show the audience what u can do given an already popular song. if you know how to do the right one, it can work wonders.
Please endeavor to share your thoughts below and remind us if there is anybody we omitted.

New Video: Lynxxx – My Place

2014-11-06T04:18:00.002-08:00

Check out the new video from Lynxxx for his single, My Place. The video features TV presenter Stephanie Coker, and *cough*… they are getting pretty comfy in the video. The song is about expressing love feelings for a new found lover so it’s allowed.

M.I takes a simplistic approach in his comeback album

2014-11-06T04:02:00.001-08:00

"Actor no dey die" goes a popular phrase among Nigerians. The saying underlines the cinematic attribute of the movie's hero coming out victorious no matter how dim his chances are.
The hero in an action film (pun intended) might be on his knees, with the villain about to give the death blow, but thanks to fate the actor is able to snatch his hand from the jaws death and come out unscathed.
Critics, bloggers, and some fans (myself inclusive) started tagging M.I as a 'has been' after failing to drop an album in four years. The abominable 'King James' (which I now refer to as King Judas) didn't help M.I's ratings.

It truly looked for the short black boy who re-wrote Nigerian rap history in 2008 that his days were numbered. But since art mirrors life, I guess it is safe to say "actor no dey die" as M.I defies odds and produces a comeback album of sterling quality.
17 tracks long, The Chairman is based on the concept of opposites (poor/rich, desire/fulfillment, brotherly love/betrayal, zero/hero), accompanied with a haunting hum at the beginning and at the end of the album.
M.I is conscious to know that he has made some mistakes along the way, and addresses his flaws on the centre-piece song on the album 'Human Being' featuring a brilliant 2face (that we hardly hear these days) and Sound Sultan who is the Ryan Giggs of Nigerian music.
On 'Yours' featuring Milli and Debbie he raps about fans tearing him down, when they were the ones who made him a successful artist in the first place. He also wonders why his first manager is criticizing him on the Internet when he made him a star.
The introspection continues on 'Brother' featuring Nosa and Milli. The Choc City exec comes to spill his thoughts on Jesse's exit from the label, and how he is trying to steer Ice Prince into becoming a better man and rapper. He apologizes to Ice if he offended him while trying to look out for him, and tells Jesse that the door is always open if he wants to come back.
These moments of vulnerability have never been seen from M.I on this scale. He opens his closet and cleans house which makes this album honest and refreshing to listen to. Gone are the grandiose concepts that littered his previous album. You get a hint of subtle brilliance when you listen to the album as the songs are solid and easy to digest.
M.I achieved this by primarily doing away with over the top lyricism for simple, direct and effective writing. On the album opener 'Monkey' featuring Chi Gurl, he uses pop references (Patience Goodluck Jonathan's infamous "there is God" rant on TV, and phrases from the comical Nigerian athlete's 'I never experered it' YouTube interview) to remind people of his humble beginnings and how he overcame adversity.
He goes inspirational on the next song 'Rich' featuring Koker as he recollects his rise to fame, while the hook serves as a prayer to those on the come up. The sermon excerpt at the end was a tad bit unnecessary but the song in all is an inspirational song.
While M.I's simplistic writing helps make his comeback album a success, his 'easy-does-it' approach bites him in the ass a few times. The most notable one occurs on 'Mine' featuring Wizkidwhen he remarkably says "did you smoke something? 'Cos hi (high) girl." Luckily this embarrassing line doesn't mar the song as Wizkid's mature chorus helps keep the song afloat. The opposite of this song 'Yours' featuring Seyi Shay is another remarkable love joint from M.I.
Production wise this album is well layered, constructed and organized. The cool sax on 'Bad Belle' featuring Moti Cakeswhich sounds like it came out from a Sin City movie is one of my favourite production highlights on the album. It helps you not notice that M.I jacked Drake's 'Worst Behaviour' vibe.
M.I also borrows a 2 Chainz line for 'Millionaira Champagne' which should be a club jam different what we hear in these parts. Apart from Ice Prince's verse, Sarkodie's machine gun flow, andM.I's chairman raps makes this song a radio friendly song without sounding too commercial.
A song like this shows that M.I is aware of what is happening in contemporary rap. It's no wonder that he features the lords of Yoruba rap, Olamide and Reminisce on the album. On the Sarzproduced joint 'Shekpe', Reminisce delivers a street-worthy chorus on the song. His verse could have been slightly better judging from his long track record of stealing the spotlight. 'Shekpe' is a humorous song that is opposite of Kendrick Lamar's 'Swimming Pool' in the sense that it embraces alcoholism.
'Middle' featuring Olamide sees M.I dissing those who make up rap lists without having the credentials. It's the standout song on the project literally because it has no opposite track.
There are 19 guests acts on this album. Such a high number of guest artistes can derail an album, but because M.I sticks to his core concept, it works. The guest artistes fit like round pegs into round holes. This is illustrated well on 'Enemies' featuringPatoranking, and 'Bullion Van' featuring Phyno and Storm Rex, the latter being M.I's way of assuring he remains relevant in the Eastern bloc.
The thematic approach has its drawbacks. 'Wheel Barrow' featuring Emmy Ace and Beenie Man is a baffling attempt at creating a Dancehall jam. It doesn't work at all, and should have been left in the Loopy Studios hard drive. 'Beg' featuring Loose Kaynon and Morell doesn't add or remove the track. It does nothing for the project.
These blots are not enough to spoil M.I's comeback work of art. By retracing his steps, being honest, and opening himself to new ideas, he has regained his lost energy.
M.I's new album 'The Chairman' is that moment of inspiration that pushes the hero into the zone where he defies death. OnJude Abaga's third studio LP, he repays for his sins, and less than stellar releases within his barren spell.
Chairman is an inspiring, entertaining and a brilliant body of work from a master who has regained his magical touch. Rap is big business these days, and M.I is back as the chairman of the board.

Dr. Dre Legendary Hip Hop Producer To Release New Music In 2015 The perfection possessed producer has scrapped his infamous Detox project

2014-11-06T03:50:00.000-08:00

Iconic Hip Hop producer Dr. Dre will be releasing new music materials next year. According to a longtime collaborator DJ Speed, the Aftermath boss will put out new songs in 2015.
"Right now, he’s really motivated. People are going to be surprised. He got some sh*t coming out" says DJ Speed during an interview with Hip Hop website Hip Hop DX. DJ Speed who worked with Dr. Dre in the 1980's when they were tied to Eazy E's Ruthless Records, says that the new songs coming out will not be from Dr. Dre's mythical album Detox. "You guys can let that go. Detox has been dead for two years. But he’s definitely been in the studio. He's definitely releasing music. Not this year" he says.
Dr. Dre's last studio album was The Chronic 2001 released in 1999. His next and final album was called Detox. Detox became one of the most highly anticipated albums in Hip Hop history. Unfortunately Dr. Dre kept shifting the album's release. In 2010, and 2011 he released two singles from the project 'Kush' featuring Snoop Dogg, and Akon, and 'I Need A Doctor' featuring Eminem and Skylar Grey respectively. Dr. Dre pulled the plug on Detox after the release of these singles.

Jennifer Lopez Singer's Ex Husband Marc Anthony Is Engaged

2014-11-06T03:40:00.001-08:00

Marc Anthony and girlfriend Shannon De Lima engaged

Jennifer Lopez can be rest assured her ex husband Marc Anthony isn't coming back!
The 46-year-old Latin American super star is engaged to girlfriend Shannon De Lima who is 20years younger than himself!
According to Us Weekly , Marc proposed back in March and are both planning a wedding in the Domincan Republic later this month [November].
Marc began dating the Venezuelan bombshell in January 2012, just six months after his split form J-Lo but reports claim they broke up a year later. Later in March Shannon was spotted with a huge rock on her finger but gave no comments why she had it!
Meanwhile ex wife Jennifer Lopez recently revealed in her new book that Anthony told her "you will be my wife" the very first day he met her!
Do you guys think J-Lo will be jealous?

Peejaypaul ft ruthney

2014-11-03T03:04:00.000-08:00

Peejay Paul a songwriter, worship leader and recording artist is a member of the Believers' LoveWorld Nation music team of Christ Embassy. He started singing at a very young age after he gave his heart to Jesus. He sang in the Teens' Choir and later moved on to the adult choir.
He has recently been working on several musical single projects

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