Music
The Lijadu Sisters: Nigeria’s twin voices of 1970s Afro-funk
Twins Taiwo and Kehinde Lijadu recorded sharp, harmony-driven Afro-funk and Afro-rock in 1970s Lagos. Their records, long hard…
nigerian music
Music
Kollington Ayinla: the fuji star whose rivalry with Barrister defined a genre
General Kollington Ayinla, one of the pioneers of fuji music, became famous in the 1970s and 1980s for…
Arts + Culture
Shaku shaku: the Lagos street dance that shaped Nigerian pop in 2017 and 2018
Shaku shaku, a dance from the streets of Lagos, took over Nigerian music in 2017 and 2018. Its…
Music
Haruna Ishola: the father of apala who kept Western instruments out of his music
Haruna Ishola, widely regarded as the father of apala, began recording around 1955 and became one of Nigeria's…
Music
Orlando Owoh: the carpenter who became Nigeria’s “King of Toye”
Orlando Owoh, born Stephen Oladipupo Olaore Owomoyela in Osogbo, started out as a carpenter, joined Kola Ogunmola's theatre…
Music
“Fall”: the Davido love song that became Afrobeats’ slow-burn American hit
Davido's "Fall", produced by Kiddominant and released in 2017, became the longest-charting Nigerian pop song on Billboard and…
Arts + Culture
South Africa banned “Fire in Soweto”. The townships played it anyway: Sonny Okosuns and the songs against apartheid
In 1977, Nigerian musician Sonny Okosuns released "Fire in Soweto" and "Papa's Land", attacks on apartheid South Africa.…
Arts + Culture
One album changed juju music in 1989: Sir Shina Peters, Ace and the Afro-juju craze
Sir Shina Peters and his International Stars released Ace (Afro-Juju Series 1) in 1989 on CBS Records Nigeria.…
Arts + Culture
The Elegant Stallion: Onyeka Onwenu, singer, journalist and politician, who died in 2024
Onyeka Onwenu, known as the Elegant Stallion, was a Nigerian singer, actress, journalist and politician. She made hit…
Arts + Culture
“Seun Rere”: Christy Essien-Igbokwe, the Lady of Songs who sang in Yoruba, Igbo, Efik and English
Christy Essien-Igbokwe, known as the Lady of Songs, was one of Nigeria's most popular singers of the 1970s…