Motolani Alake

<h1>A lot of Nigerian artists got their start in the choir. Music is synonymous to church culture and the choir is central to that. </h1>

<p>It helps young Nigerians hone their music capabilities either intentionally or unintentionally.</p>

<p>Some have benefitted from it more than others, but here are some Nigerian artists with church backgrounds that you need to know.</p>

<p>Veteran Nigerian artists and street music maven,<strong> Gabriel 'Terry G' Amanyi </strong>got his start in the choir as an instrumentalist and vocalist. Then, he found <em>lamba</em> and never looked back.</p>

<p>The son of a pastor, KCee<strong> </strong>got his start in the church choir and met his former bandmate, <strong>Presh </strong>in church. Their first album was even a Gospel album before they moved into Hip-Hop.</p>

<p>The son of a pastor and a military man, D'Banj was a church boy who then learned the accordion from his late brother. He has since gone on to become a rapper and a global superstar.</p>

<p>Anyone who knows Don Jazzy knows he was a multi-instrumentalist in church. This informed his dexterity at music production.</p>

<p>During a 2020 interview, Olamide<strong> </strong>told Pulse Nigeria, <em>"My parents loved music a lot. My popsy was steady blasting it (laughs): Barrister, Obey, Sunny Ade and all that. Then, our neighbours attended different churches, but they were all members of the choir, I swear (laughs). Till today, I don’t understand how that was possible (laughs)</em>.<em>"</em></p>

<p>Every day in Olamide's childhood surrounding was like a choir session.</p>

<p>During a January 2019 interview, Nigerian singer-rapper hybrid, Terry Apala,<strong> </strong>told Pulse Nigeria he got his start in the CAC church choir before he discovered Apala music on the streets of Lagos. Seeing Apala vocalise will blow anybody’s mind.</p>

<p>By age eight, Cobhams joined the choir and started playing for St. Charles Iwanga Catholic Church, Ikeja, St. Christopher’s Church and the Protestant Church. He learned the piano by himself. By age 13, he found a PSS-51 piano where he could record multiple tracks at the same time.</p>

Pulse Interview: The constant evolution of a legend. (Instagram/Olamide)

A lot of Nigerian artists got their start in the choir. Music is synonymous to church culture and the choir is central to that.

Here are 7 Nigerian artists who started from the choir

<p><strong>Song Title</strong>: Owo Nla </p>

<p><strong>Genre</strong>: Woro, Afro-pop</p>

<p><strong>Video Director</strong>: TBA</p>

<p><strong>Date of release</strong>: April 17, 2020</p>

<p><strong>Details/Takeaway</strong>: The song takes <strong>Terry G </strong>back to his Pastor and The Bell Era. The beat is cut straight from a Cherubim and Seraphim Church setting. Topically, <strong>Terry G </strong>wishes out loud for copious amounts of money. 'Owo Nla' is Yoruba for 'A lot of money.' </p>

Terry G releases new single, 'Owo Nla.' (TGP)

The song takes <strong>Terry G </strong>back to his Pastor and The Bell Era. The beat is cut straight from a Cherubim and Seraphim Church setting.

Terry G releases new single, 'Owo Nla'

<h1>At 10 pm on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, Nigerian producers, Terry G and K-Sol will face off in  'Sound Clash' on Instagram Live. </h1>

<p>What is now called 'Sound Clash' started off as 'Battle of The Hits,' which sees Nigerian producers face off on <strong>Instagram Live </strong>to play some of their biggest hits. It started off with <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/music/wizkid-davido-olamide-wande-coal-dominate-as-sarz-and-shizzi-battle-with-hits-review/bv46dfe">Sarz vs. Shizzi.</a><strong> </strong>Since then, we have seen <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/music/olamide-tekno-flavour-wizkid-and-all-the-songs-masterkraft-and-pheelz-played-during/lk7047e">Pheelz vs. Masterkraft,</a><strong> </strong><a href="https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/music/naira-marley-zlatan-burna-boy-niniola-dominate-rexxies-and-kel-ps-battle-of-hits/6kknbv4">Rexxie vs. Kel P</a><strong> and</strong> Leriq vs. Chopstix. </p>

<p><strong>Terry G </strong>is the Nigerian producer known for producing hits for himself, <strong>Timaya, Durella, 2shotz </strong>and more while <strong>K-Solo </strong>is known to have produced for the Agege, Lagos contingent of his time. In a 2019 article, <strong>Pulse Nigeria </strong>named as architects of the <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/music/the-evolution-of-the-indigenous-nigerian-street-sound/jeed6eq">first wave of shepeteri</a> sounds. </p>

Terry G and K-Solo to face off in 'Sound Clash.' (Twitter/SpecialSlim)

<strong>Terry G </strong>is the Nigerian producer known for producing hits for himself, <strong>Timaya, Durella, 2shotz </strong>and more while <strong>K-Solo </strong>is known to have produced for the Agege, Lagos contingent of his time.

Terry G and K-Solo to face off in 'Sound Clash'

<p><strong>Date</strong>: February 12, 2020</p>

<p><strong>Song Title</strong>: Inspiration</p>

<p><strong>Artist</strong>: Terry G features Prettyboy D-O</p>

<p><strong>Genre</strong>: R&amp;B, Pon Pon</p>

<p><strong>Producer</strong>: Terry G</p>

<p><strong>Video Director</strong>: San and Tse</p>

<p><strong>Label: </strong>Terry G Entertainment</p>

<p><strong>Details/Takeaway: </strong>What's special about this one is that, an ode to marijuana and the need for freedom is built on an R&amp;B beat - astonishing.</p>

<p><strong>Thoughts: </strong>For the longest time in Nigerian music, the criticism of alté-related acts has been their elitism and seclusive tendencies from the Nigerian mainstream. At the height of alté productivity and notoriety in Nigerian pop culture, the warning from culture enthusiasts in Nigerian music was that altéis not a sustainable movement and that it was not a genre of music. </p>

<p>Members of the alté demography were adamant and ever-so-slightly egotistical. On one part, one couldn't blame them - they had to to believe in what they were doing. More so, the criticism from certain Nigerian culture enthusiasts sometimes felt like cynicism towards the upper-middle class background of members of the alté demography.</p>

<p>But on the other hand, these culture enthusiasts had been on ground before most of the alté acts and they had a better understanding of the soundscape. Even if they were cynical towards <em>alte</em> background and elitism, all of them couldn't be wrong at the same time. Thus, their clamor for the seclusive tendencies of 'alté' which was embryonic at the time is now a living, breathing adult. </p>

<p>While alte is exemplary for its proof that collaboration within a demography can advance a demography and a conversation, for too long it kept to itself and stunted the growth of its proponents. </p>

<p>Even if it's not about stunted growth, but about the natural order of growth and realization for alté proponents who simply came of age and advance in understanding, then it means they were unnecessarily juvenile and adamant. </p>

<p>Nonetheless, as alte proponents are coming of age, they are breaking out of what was previously a convenient enclave of creativity. What they hoped - alte as a genre of music - has not materialized. Now, they are making music with more mainstream appeal. </p>

<p>Terry G featuring Prettyboy D-O is exactly the type of collaboration and brand of music that Nigerian culture lovers were calling for in those days. It is effectively the unification of mainstream and alté. While <strong>Prettyboy D-O </strong>always had <em>shepeteri </em>in him, this moment effectively certifies the death of alté as a genre of music. </p>

Terry G featuring Prettyboy D-O on 'Inspiration' proves 'alté' is dead. (Instagram/IamTerryG)

What's special about this one is that, an ode to marijuana and the need for freedom is built on an R&amp;B beat - astonishing.

Terry G featuring Prettyboy D-O on 'Inspiration' proves 'alté' is dead

<h1>In 2010, Durella was about to release his sophomore album, 'Reconfigurated.' He had released a song titled, 'My Life' and it was making rounds on the airwaves. Then, all of a sudden, Durella dropped a remix to the song and titled it, 'My Life Pt. 2.'</h1>

<p>It was produced by Nigeria's hottest artist of that time and his name was <strong>Terry G. </strong>What Terry G was doing at the time was cementing his legacy as the progeny of the current era of street-hop that Nigeria is currently obsessed with. The journey was started by fellow Ishaga, Lagos native, <strong>K-Solo. </strong></p>

<p>On a good day, when artists do remixes to already successful songs, those remixes tank in the face of the original song. However, that was not '<em>My Life Pt. 2</em>.' The song was not only better than its original, it surpassed it in virality and commercial success. On it, two artists known for their vocal experimentation in beautiful gibberish collided for a masterpiece.</p>

<p>On it, Terry G who is also a multi-instrumentalist with the creative essence of a Bronx, New York street artist continued to blaze trails. He is one of Nigeria's most influential acts of the modern era. In himself, he was a cultural movement with a lot of moving parts and dreaded locs.</p>

<p>Before that song, <strong>Terry G </strong>had crafted hits for <strong>AY.Com </strong>and helped <strong>2Shotz </strong>gain a foothold post-<strong>Da Trybe. </strong>He had also markedly influenced <strong>Timaya</strong>'s sophomore album, <strong>Gift and Grace</strong> all on his own. Ladies and gentlemen, even <strong>9ice </strong>couldn't help but tap <strong>Terry G </strong>for his third album, <strong>Tradition. </strong>By himself, he didn't only influence our soundscape with his insane artistry, he also did it with sound.</p>

<p>Thus, comparing him to <strong>Naira Marley </strong>who has had an impressive two years is ridiculous. If we are being honest, <strong>Naira Marley </strong>has only had one year as a member of the cream of the crop in Nigerian music. To match Terry G, he would need two to three more consistent years in and around this level.</p>

<p>However, we do give Naira Marley credit for being a cultural figure that now transcends music in fashion, language and reach. Nonetheless, <strong>Naira Marley </strong>is a product of the Terry G school of music. The weird part is that it's too early to have that conversation about Naira Marley.</p>

<p><strong>Pulse </strong>noted in a previous article that, "<em>Terry G was always a student of history. Before&nbsp;</em><strong><em>Naira Marley&nbsp;</em></strong><em>and&nbsp;</em><strong><em>Zlatan&nbsp;</em></strong><em>who didn't care about rules and political correctness, it was&nbsp;</em><strong><em>Terry G.</em></strong>"<strong> </strong>Like Terry G did, Naira Marley is just carrying the torch of creating his own rules. Asides how it's too early to make such comparisons, why can't we just enjoy the both of them?</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ</strong>: <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/music/top-5-songs-by-terry-g/d15jy1d" rel="noopener noreferrer">Here are the top 5 songs by Terry G</a></p>

<p>Here are the top seven times Terry G produced for other artists;</p>

<h2>AY.Com featuring Terry G - Pass Me Your Love Remix</h2>

<p>In 2008, AY.Com basically came out of nowhere with a number that even this writer's mother knew. The song wasn't just one of the biggest songs of that year, it was the biggest street song of that year. Interestingly, it was also a love song now colloquially known as 'wash.'</p>

<p>On it, <strong>Terry G </strong>introduced himself to people who hadn't been taking notice. The beat was a high-grade afropop song caught in the lower embers of familiar pace.</p>

<h2>Timaya featuring Shayo Pisanta - I Don Blow</h2>

<p>Ladies and gentlemen, <strong>Terry G </strong>was on fire in 2007/2008 as a producer. It was also just before people knew him as a bonafide artist. On it, <strong>Terry G </strong>merged <em>konto</em> with <em>galala</em> and the essence of the afropop of that period.</p>

<p>Guys, asides <strong>Shayo Pisanta</strong>'s absolutely insane, fleeting verse, <strong>Terry G</strong>'s strings for that song went mental.</p>

<h2>2Shotz featuring Timaya - In Case You Never Know</h2>

<p>In 2008, this writer was a first-year Law student. Everyday as he passed his school's motion ground, a stand which belongs to photograper/videographer, <strong>Feliday </strong>would play that song every blessed morning. Within two weeks, he found himself randomly mumbling what he didn't realized was, "<em>In case you never know..."</em></p>

<p>One day while playing Playstation two with his cousin, he began mumbling it again. Then, his obviously irritated cousin asked what he was mumbling. The game was paused and he innocently mumbled the words to his cousin who asked, "<em>Guy, na 'In Case You Never Know' you dey sing</em>?' His cousin picked his Nokia phone and played the song.</p>

<p>Within the hour, this writer got the song on his Nokia 3110c. It was around 6:30 pm in the evening. For the next two hours, this writer stepped on the space outside that house and played that song on repeat for almost two hours, dancing so much that he took a bath after. On the cultural side, the song was a hit which set the tone for <strong>2Shotz'</strong>s<strong> </strong>third album, <strong>Music Business. </strong></p>

<p>That era coincided with the rise of <strong>Clarence A. Peters. </strong></p>

<h2>Durella featuring Terry G - My Life Pt. 2</h2>

<p>As said above, <em>"In 2010, </em><strong><em>Durella </em></strong><em>was about to release his sophomore album, 'Reconfigurated.' He had released a song titled, 'My Life' and it was making rounds on the airwaves. Then, all of a sudden, </em><strong><em>Durella </em></strong><em>dropped a remix to the song and titled it, 'My Life Pt. 2.'</em></p>

<p><em>"On a good day, when artists do remixes to already successful songs, those remixes tank in the face of the original song. However, that was not 'My Life Pt. 2.' The song was not only better than its original, it surpassed it in virality and commercial success. On it, two artists known for their vocal experimentation in beautiful gibberish collided for a masterpiece.</em></p>

<p><em>"On it, Terry G who is also a multi-instrumentalist with the creative essence of a Bronx, New York street artist continued to blaze trails. He is one of Nigeria's most influential acts of the modern era. In himself, he was a cultural movement with a lot of moving parts and dreaded locs</em>."</p>

<h2>iLLBliss featuring Terry G - Enuf Space (Aiye Po Gan)</h2>

<p><strong>iLLBliss </strong>had just come back from the UK. He had also embarked on a solo career away from the <strong>Thoroughbreds. </strong>When his peers were trying to be 'real' and not 'sell out' - whatever that means as they sold himself a fugazi - iLLBliss took the highway to success. He tapped the hottest key to a hit in Nigeria at the time. His name, Terry G.</p>

<p>Guys, that song basically took <strong>Dat Ibo Boy, </strong>what many of us call <strong>iLLBliss</strong>' first album from C to A in terms of commercial appeal. The beat was something in the range of what Terry G on 'I Don Blow,' but it was lighter in terms of drums, but it had a better background on bass riffs.</p>

<h2>9ice featuring Terry G - Charging Charger</h2>

<p><strong>9ice</strong>'s third album, <strong>Tradition </strong>gets unfairly judged, but it is a beautiful album. On its own, it was fine without <strong>Terry G, </strong>but it underlines Terry G's standing that 9ice found a way for him on that album. The result was the madness of 'Charging Charger.'</p>

<p>The way 9ice, a superstar of that time screamed Terry G's name in the closing stages of that song speaks a lot.</p>

<h2>Jaywon featuring Terry G - Gbon Gbon</h2>

<p>Although of lesser importance, it was the defining moment of <strong>Jaywon's </strong>second album, <strong>Meet Jaywon Reloaded </strong>and an important moment<strong> </strong>in 2011.</p>

Here are the top 5 songs by Terry G. (Instagram/IAMTerryG)

Terry G was always a student of history. Before&nbsp;<strong>Naira Marley&nbsp;</strong>and&nbsp;<strong>Zlatan&nbsp;</strong>who didn't care about rules and political correctness, it was&nbsp;<strong>Terry G.</strong>

Here are the top 7 times Terry G produced for other artists

<h1>Over the past few hours, Nigerian singer and producer, Terry G has been a trending topic on Twitter NG. </h1>

<p>The root of it seems another case of <a data-link-role-code="none" href="https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/music/wizkid-olamide-naira-marley-rema-and-reverse-influencer-marketing-in-nigerian-music/c82wjxl" rel="noopener noreferrer">influencer promotion</a> that has inevitably spilled into original conversation. That was always going to happen because <strong>Terry G </strong>and <strong>K Solo </strong>are the architects of the modern Nigerian street sound. </p>

<div class="embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I need a whole day just for Terry G. Y’all really forgot. I will focus on you people soon. Because when that <a href="https://t.co/N9FdaxFTFV">https://t.co/N9FdaxFTFV</a> pass me your love dropped, it was never the same. Y’all don’t even know when Terry G was singing and Kemistry was rapping. Hmmm</p>&mdash; Mayowa A. Balogun (@Sweeegu) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sweeegu/status/1193993118481371137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>In an article that documents the <a data-link-role-code="none" href="https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/music/the-evolution-of-the-indigenous-nigerian-street-sound/jeed6eq" rel="noopener noreferrer">evolution of Nigerian street sounds</a>, <strong>Pulse </strong>noted that, <em>"Some will argue konto as progeny to the less distinctive </em><strong><em>Pangolo</em></strong><em> era of the late 2000s, championed by acts like</em><strong><em>, K-solo, Klever Jay, Terry G </em></strong><em>and</em><strong><em> Timaya </em></strong><em>and from the Iju-Ishaga and Agege areas of Lagos, Nigeria.</em><strong><em> </em></strong><em>Those claims won’t be farfetched - the Yahooze era basically just wiped the floor for the more impactful and durable pangolo.</em></p>

<p><em>"Pangolo was basically a more uptempo and more melodious offspring of galala, konto, makossa/soukous and reggaeton with heavy drums and snares to replace toms of reggaeton and the repetitive drums of galala or konto. It also replaced the light guitars on galala and konto with melodious bass guitar riffs - inspired by the makossa/soukous.</em></p>

<div class="embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Never forget that Terry G was once one of the biggest and baddest producers in Nigeria. Man made his own beats into hits. Feel this Terry G  flow drumming to Reekado Banks new single Rora.<br>This is epic<a href="https://t.co/Dm6bh83ITg">pic.twitter.com/Dm6bh83ITg</a></p>&mdash; Klaus ~nodejs (@Nick_k1aus) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nick_k1aus/status/1194124276649082880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p><em>"For better or worse, this era also cemented the dearth of lyricism that had been brewing for a few years before Terry G dropped the monster hit, "Free Madness."</em></p>

<p><em>"The short reign then led directly into what was the infamous virality of </em><strong><em>Zee World, Damoche </em></strong><em>and</em><strong><em> Skally Mental</em></strong><em> with their very transient vaunting of vulgarity on wax that encapsulated Nigerian youth firmly within its grasp for the better part of 18 months and sadly sent well-meaning but fun-loving youth spiraling out of control on dancefloors across the nation.</em></p>

<p><em>"The major dance that accompanied this era was alanta."</em></p>

<p>Every major Nigerian street sound since then can be traced to his era of calculated madness that sold an avant-garde gimmick. He was a master of his own universe which he ruled with a iron fist of freewheeling creativity and the might of resonance with the Nigerian mainstream. He was always criticized, but he was the one that even the most conversative Nigerian loved to hate. </p>

<p>His career comes in three phases; Pre-Free Madness, Free Madness era and Church Bell era. For that reason, here are the five best Terry G songs from each era. These songs are not necessarily Terry G's biggest songs. They are songs that either marked any of Terry G's biggest phases as an artist or represent a core part of his evolution and/or notoriety. </p>

<p>An underrated song that encapsulates his third era. It comes with an obsession with church bells and represents the commercialization of a mock Church service. Terry G was always a student of history. Before <strong>Naira Marley </strong>and <strong>Zlatan </strong>who didn't care about rules and political correctness, it was <strong>Terry G. </strong></p>

<p>The song is the first track off <strong>Terry G</strong>'s fourth studio album, <strong>Terry Gzuz. </strong>Coming from Cherubim and Seraphim background, he put it into good use for a rebrand that the church wouldn't have liked. The album see Terry G as the Christ of his own multitude of beautiful musical lunacy. On the album cover was Terry G bearing dark wings - what a man. </p>

<p>Another underrated song on this album was, '<em>God Guide Me.'</em></p>

<p>Sitting on Terry G's most commercially successful and best-acclaimed album, <strong>Ginjah Ur Swaggah </strong>was a song titled, '<em>Sangalow.</em>'</p>

<p>It was Terry G's hottest streak in Nigerian music. The album dropped in the latter parts of 2009 and Terry G had the midas touch. His production was marked with a signature of well-constructed drum arrangement filled with a unique flute-sounding string pattern. But this song was only about the drums and a brand of madness that only Terry G could conjure. </p>

<p>If Terry G's madness on this song was to be quantified, it might take the form of the disaster from the movie, <strong>2012. </strong>As he the 'prophet' he was to become a few years down the line, as the song started, he says, "<em>This one na nonsense, wey go make sense."</em> Well, it did make sense. We danced and almost killed ourselves.</p>

<p>We might hail all the versions of '<em>Free Madness' </em>or '<em>Charging Charger' </em>which <strong>Terry G </strong>produced for <strong>9ice</strong>'s third album, <strong>Tradition, </strong>but '<em>Akpako Master'</em> might be the best beat Terry G ever made. The beat was one Terry G produced for <strong>Side One </strong>in 2009. It was used for a song titled, 'One By One.'</p>

<p>All of a sudden, <strong>Terry G </strong>jumped on a freestyle and it became <em>'Akpako Master.</em>' Ladies and gentlemen, it also blew more than anything <strong>Side One </strong>did. More importantly, Terry G also fastened the pace of the beat than its initial version and added bells. What ensued was a fight between Terry G and <strong>Side One </strong>after Terry G started making money off Side One's beat. </p>

<p>The song came during Terry G's third act which I earlier '<em>Church Bell Era</em>.' During that era, bells became a core part of both Terry G's artistry and production. Anytime he decided to show up for one  of his many shows at Universities across the country, students bought bells and waited for him. 'Akpako Master' is no different. Like we will say now, the song entered. </p>

<p><em>'Free Madness 2'</em> was mostly successful because of '<em>Free Madness</em>.' But God in heaven, it was huge. The song was not only a moment, it was a momentous yet risque experiment of superstardom that worked. Ordinarily, Nigerians have a short attention span and '<em>overdo</em>' <em>dey kill</em>, but Terry G pulled it off and his parade of madness worked. </p>

<p>This song was an accident. It was a beat Terry G made for another unnamed person. But as the person came late to collect the beat, Terry G decided to freestyle with it. After he was done, he realized he had gold on his hands. He kept the song and released it as a single off his then-upcoming sophomore album, <strong>Ginjah Ur Swaggah. </strong></p>

<p>Guys, that moment birthed the classic line, "<em>People wey get his beat eh, omo dem dey for outside eh..."</em> It also birthed a viral moment that impacted both Nigerian pop culture and music forever. It was a disruption that typified the immaterial nature of lyrics in Nigerian music. It also coincided with the existence of <strong>Timaya.</strong></p>

<p>Together, they created their own rules and made us go crazy. In every area of Nigeria, this was a hit and Terry G made his presence felt. After a beautiful 2008 producing hits for artists like <strong>Timaya, 2Shotz </strong>and <strong>iLLBliss, </strong>this song launched him straight into the limelight. His life never remained the same.</p>

Alongside K-Solo, Terry G can be credited as godfather of the current sonic riptide of street-hop with which Nigeria is currently obsessed.

Here are the top 5 songs by Terry G

<h1>The Nigerian street sound is a blanket description for everything we think soundtracks the inner-city soundscape and determine a culture behind it. </h1>

<p>Lagos is the nucleus of Nigerian pop culture. If things fly in Lagos, they will fly in other locations because, there’s a subconscious approval when it passes through Lagos. Asides that, the multiculturalism of Lagos promotes unique concepts.</p>

<p>That said, the Nigerian street sound is not just what people enjoy, it's a product of inner-city cultural inspiration by Nigerian lifestyles through music which define the industry direction for a particular time.</p>

<p>When it’s all said and done, nothing lasts forever; the baton is passed and trends change hands, giving way to new sounds which then rule for a while before expiring. The idea the Nigerian street sound is cultural as it is ephemeral.</p>

<p>In Nigeria, we seldom had definitive sounds that distinctively punctuate the soundscape. Out of the few we've had, the most distinctive remains <em>galala, </em>inspiring the <em>konto</em> culture.</p>

<p><strong>Galala </strong>is a lifestyle, representative of the Nigerian inner-city struggles with Ajegunle as the heart and soul - although, it also misrepresented Ajegunle as mostly impoverished and dirt-stricken when it had good, elite zones.</p>

<p>This movement was, however, as synonymous with bare-chested, dreadlocked men in music videos, speaking like the atypical Nigerian youth, who came from the struggle as it was with the dance of the same name.</p>

<p>In 2018, Pulse describes it as, <em>“Galala is the first true dance trend of the streets in the new millennium. The dance originated from the pseudo-reggae sound made popular by artistes like </em><strong><em>Ras Kimono</em></strong><em>, </em><strong><em>Blacky</em></strong><em>.</em>”</p>

<p>The <em>galala</em> sound was inspired by the reggae obsession that spread across Nigeria like a wild zombie infestation from the 80s till the early 90’s. <em>galala</em> was, however, more uptempo with faster, more fashionable disjointed drum arrangement to enable you dance.</p>

<p>In some ways, the dreadlock and beanie culture that accompanied <em>galala</em> were also brought from the reggae era, but <em>galala</em> was then like more radical offspring of the reggae with more African drums and arrangement.</p>

<p>It is the Nigerian version of dancehall culture that inspired dance moves, rhythms, birthed sonic waves and made livelihoods for ghetto people who must have been subjected to damning indictment on their lifestyles.</p>

<p>At mainstream inception, it had the likes of <strong>Daddy Showkey</strong>, <strong>Baba Fryo</strong>, <strong>Daddy Fresh, Father U-Turn </strong>and a few others as flag bearers.</p>

<p>During the 2000s haze, acts like <strong>Marvellous Benji, Blackface, African China</strong> and <strong>Original Stereoman</strong> were poster boys for the madness it inspired and they continued the galala movement with their own unique approach.</p>

<p>But sadly, the social consciousness and political commentary of <em>galala </em>was probably too underrated.</p>

<p>The era that followed <em>galala</em> was <strong><em>Konto</em> </strong> - basically a variation of <em>galala</em> that was even more radical sounding, and with more influences of East African dance music. But while <em>galala</em> mostly saw singing in pidgin English, <em>konto</em> majorly saw its proponents sing in Jamaican Patois - another English based creole.</p>

<p>Konto's timeline is slightly uncertain, but most people will agree that <em>konto </em>was strongest between 2001 and 2005.</p>

<p>Konto is also more melodious, not necessarily faster-paced than Galala with average beat per minute of about 110 counts and various string patterns, sometimes aided by guitar riffs and piano chords, depending on the what the artist wants to make the music sound like. <em>Konto</em> reigned alongside the dance, ‘swo,’ - which came a little while after <em>konto </em>debuted.</p>

<p><strong><em>Swo</em> </strong>is basically a rhythm performed by the legs with the hands raised up above the waist, and the palms in around the diaphragm while the elbow is used to make movements like you’re stretching an elastic rope with your thumbs and index fingers from both palms.</p>

<p><em>Konto </em>was got overshadowed by the <em>Swo </em>and <em>galala </em>eras, thus it is very difficult to separate <em>konto </em>acts. However, <em>konto </em>acts - strictly due to their sound - would be <strong>Junglist </strong>and <strong>Mad Melon and Mountain Black </strong>- the “Danfo Driver” crooners. A modern act that incorporates some <em>konto </em>sounds is <strong>Patoranking. </strong></p>

<p>Some will argue <em>konto</em> as progeny to the less distinctive <strong>Pangolo</strong><em> </em>era of the late 2000s, championed by acts like<strong>, K-solo, Klever Jay, Terry G </strong>and<strong> Timaya </strong>and from the Iju-Ishaga and Agege areas of Lagos, Nigeria.<strong> </strong>Those claims won’t be farfetched - the <em>Yahooze </em>era basically just wiped the floor for the more impactful and durable <em>pangolo</em>.</p>

<p>Pangolo was basically a more uptempo and more melodious offspring of <em>galala, konto, makossa/soukous </em>and <em>reggaeton</em> with heavy drums and snares to replace toms of reggaeton and the repetitive drums of <em>galala</em> or <em>konto</em>. It also replaced the light guitars on <em>galala</em> and <em>konto</em> with melodious bass guitar riffs - inspired by the <em>makossa/soukous.</em></p>

<p>For better or worse, this era also cemented the dearth of lyricism that had been brewing for a few years before Terry G dropped the monster hit, "<em>Free Madness</em>."</p>

<p>These either come at fast-paced 120-130 BPM as in <strong>Terry G</strong>’s “<em>Akpako Master</em>” or <strong>2shotz </strong>and <strong>Timaya’s “</strong><em>In Case You Never Know</em>” more slowed down 100 BPM as on <strong>2Shotz’s </strong>“<em>Kpef Dey Go</em>” or <strong>Timaya’s </strong>“<em>I Don Blow.</em>” These sounds are rich on the Galala/Konto influences.</p>

<p>The short reign then led directly into what was the infamous virality of <strong>Zee World, Damoche </strong>and<strong> Skally Mental</strong> with their very transient vaunting of vulgarity on wax that encapsulated Nigerian youth firmly within its grasp for the better part of 18 months and sadly sent well-meaning but fun-loving youth spiraling out of control on dancefloors across the nation.</p>

<p>The major dance that accompanied this era was <em>alanta. </em></p>

<p>Overall and for impact, we have had more dance waves than distinctive sounds to impact and punctuate generations and that's nobody's fault. Our evolution just hadn't caught up... Until recently.</p>

<p>The meteoric rise of street savvy acts like the proponents of the <em>pangolo</em> movement, Dagrin, Olamide -<em> </em>and his many minions and imitators - has culminated in and precipitated our most distinctive sounds since<em> </em>the <em>galala </em>movement was birthed.</p>

<p>The <strong>wobe</strong><em> </em>sound - credit to <strong>Young John</strong> and <strong>Pheelz,</strong> base for Olamide's hits liked<em> "Duro S'oke," "Owo Blow", "Wo"</em>, "<em>Story For The Gods"</em>, "<em>Bobo" </em>and so forth. The sound also aided the success of acts like <strong>Lil Kesh</strong>, who later aided the rise of the classic dance, <em>Shoki. </em></p>

<p>The sound is basically a more organized and reworked, but slowed-down version of traditional Yoruba music that soundtrack public traditional events like masquerade dances, heavy on drums, hi-hats, toms, bells, triangle and other forms of percussion for dance-worthy rhythms.</p>

<p>The sound pretty much found itself a niche, but was appealing because it was basically bringing traditional Yoruba sounds to the mainstream, championed by a street king.</p>

<p>In a way, the sound can be argued as building off <strong>Reminisce’s </strong>smash hit, “<em>Too Mussh</em>.”</p>

<p>The Wobe Sound can also be credited as precipitating what can be the Nigerian version of Drum 'n Bass - perceivable on songs like “<em>Awon Goons Mi</em>” by Olamide, “<em>Cause Trouble</em>” by Lil Kesh.</p>

<p>While it came in variations of pace and beats per minute, the Wobe Sound generally featured influences of traditional, Yoruba masquerade festival music, Yoruba folk music and promoted Nigerian Street life, everyday hustle, lingering tit-bits of damaging debauchery and insights into lifestyles in inner city, Lagos.</p>

<p>Naturally, it resonated with the larger populace because it was understandable, relatable and most importantly, it represented early forays into documenting our contemporary culture, successes, downsides and buccaneering I misses as a generation.</p>

<p>Most importantly, it promoted enjoyment of indigenous rap music, and unshackled it from the pressures of living up to conventional rap, by American standards, taking a cue off the the “Boom-bap pop influence.”</p>

<p>The wobe sound has since become tilling ground and fundamental conception for what has become another viral, distinctive and widely imitated sound - <em>Shepeteri</em>, a variation between <em>Wobe</em> and the South African <em>Gqom</em> and <em>Kwaito</em>.</p>

<p>After a few forays trying copying Ghanaian <em>pon pon, </em>East African dance music and South African <em>gqom, </em>the new Nigerian inner city sound is the direct offspring of an advent popularized by<strong> Wobe</strong><em>.</em></p>

<p>However, it only made what seemed like saunters for virginal forays into sonic and cultural virality around June 2017-to-late-2017 from acts like <strong>DJ Real</strong>, <strong>Idowest</strong>, <strong>Small Doctor, Slimcase,</strong> <strong>Mr Real,</strong> <strong>DJ Enimoney</strong> and in no small part aided by the advent of <strong>Shaku Shaku</strong>, another dance step from densely populated Agege in Lagos.</p>

<p>In some ways, Bariga and acts like <strong>Lil Kesh </strong>also influenced what has now become the <em>shepeteri </em>sound. This era not only laced pop culture with a new word like <em>shepeteri</em>, it also gave us words like "<em>St. Sami Ganja</em>" and "<em>Oshozondi</em>."</p>

<p>A typical <em>shepeteri </em>sound can be identified as fast paced, danceable percussion running on at least 130-135 Bpm garnishment with heavy African percussion; gainfully arranged hi-hats, snares, snare drums, triangles, toms and other sound effects.</p>

<p>More often than not, <em>shepeteri </em>sounds have very little string attached to them, it’s all about the dance rhythms and the catchy hooks, which now heavily include auto-tuned hooks, riddled with special effect mixes as in “<em>Ogo Agege” </em>by <strong>Yung Effisy </strong>featuring <strong>Small Doctor. </strong></p>

<p>The sound is currently Nigeria’s version of American trap culture and mumble rap. The similarities are evident; celebration of crime, drug abuse, alcohol and sex overkill, adulation of extra-legal means of wealth, appropropriation of women, heavy radio plays, affinity with the younger generation and the ability to create stars almost out of the blue.</p>

<p>Equally, <em>shepeteri </em>is also similar to American trap for its ability to help underground acts create sufficient underground fanbase, from which they can make money from live shows, and negatively, the very ephemeral nature of some of the acts.</p>

<p>The <em>shaku shaku </em>dance was as synonymous with <em>shepeteri </em>as anything. </p>

<p>Shepeteri and the Agege movement have have a new crop since evolved with the of entry of acts like <strong>Danny S, Zlatan Ibile </strong>and others with a new dance move to boot, <strong>Zanku (Legwork).</strong></p>

<p>Equally like trap music, <em>shepeteri </em>sounds are Nigeria’s most distinctive Hip-Hop sound at the moment with Indigenous rhyme patterns, mostly Yoruba and street lingo ruling the airwaves. </p>

<p>Currently, the movement is being headlined by rapper, <strong>Zlatan, </strong>formerly called, <strong>Zlatan Ibile - </strong>he also created Nigeria’s current viral dance, <em>zanku.</em> Zlatan claims <em>zanku </em>means ‘Zlatan, abeg nor kill us.”</p>

The contributors to the Nigerian street sound

Terry G