Imade iN Truth

When I watched Les Nubians’ latest video, “Museba BOM BOM BOM”, I experienced a stunning revelation: I need more African pop music with the right mix of classy and rachet.  I was able to find another in the Nigerian dancehall hit, “Gud Gal” by Sound Sultan.  Thanks to notjustOk, I found the perfect trifecta.  There’s a deep voiced brotha with a catchy hook (“Gud gal…you be gud gal o….why you wanna getta bad mahn like me?), whine-able music produced by Jay Sleek, and a leading lady who holds it down for African queens everywhere (and is my inspiration for when I cut my locs off).  

Visually, director Janelle Abraham sprinkled in unique elements with the video’s Brooklyn backdrop and motorcycle crew. But ultimately, “Gud Gal” has the paint by numbers club scene that makes the video not stray too far from the beaten path.  

After releasing a less polished version in August, I’m glad that Sound Sultan & Co put in the extra work to make “Gud Gal” reach its full potential.  I may not agree with the entire song concept (I’m not about that ‘bad mahn’ life), but I absolutely love a sleek video that celebrates African beauty.  Twitter  Facebook                   

No matter what you do, you can never deny where you come from.  When I started listening to Nigerian music, I had grand ideas of a pristine culture devoid of the mindless rachetry of American music.  Unfortunately, three million “shake your bodies” later (that I may or may not have danced to), I had to accept the sobering truth that Nigerian music is just as commercial as American music.  Within the mediocrity however, there are musicians who take a more cerebral approach to their artistry.  Bez has long been synonymous with this group, but now, we have another male artist to add to the list.  

Mystro came out of nowhere when Nigeria’s music hub notjustok released three songs by the music impressario.  Playing the talking drum since he was four and the organ since he was 8, Mystro’s strongest musical gift is his eclectic compositions ranging from jazz to traditional African music.  One of my favorite songs is One Kain Love.  It’s infectious highlife feel along with sparkling keys and catchy lyrics is practically begging to be on a wedding reception playlist.  At only 21, it’s amazing to see an artist already discover his sound and identity.  His debut album iAmMystro shows the promise of redefining Nigerian soul music.   Twitter   

Mystro One-Kain-LOve.wav-MASTER by imadeborha