funnyx:

Sunny is great with lyrics also no doubt but Obey beats him hands down just as he's better than Obey in beats and stage entertainment.
The track you posted above (eri okan) can only be composed by a genius no doubt but for any one of Sunny track like this there are at least 4 or 6 of such tracks composed by Obey, from the very old one like; Ore mi ye se pelepele, eni ri nkan he, oro awa eda nile aye, to not very old ones like gbeja mi o, orisirisi ore lo wa, mo ti pinu, generation to generation and many more.

I think we all tend to dismiss Sunny's philosophical lyrics because they are often accompanied by up tempo beats, the immediate reaction to Sunny's music is to either dance or listen to his unique use of instruments to the detriment of an appreciation of his deep lyrics. I didn't appreciate Sunny's lyrical prowess until I was older myself, however, I always listened to Obey's lyrics because he's often telling stories which I found fascinating even as a child because his style is quite mellow in comparison. LPs like 'The Child', Merciful God, Conscience are just as deep as as philosophical as any Obey album.

Obey's mellow's style kinda make you listen and introspective anyway which in my opinion is the reason why people think he's better at composition.

gratiaeo: Me play Yoruba music? God forbid

You dont have to, people that matters do, if bill clinton does, then who are you?. If they keep winning grammies and being inducted into Hall of fames all over the world, you think they care if you listen or not?

It is a matter of choice. Both are good. But i think obey's didactic focus should make him a stand out.

naijababe:

I think we all tend to dismiss Sunny's philosophical lyrics because they are often accompanied by up tempo beats, the immediate reaction to Sunny's music is to either dance or listen to his unique use of instruments to the detriment of an appreciation of his deep lyrics. I didn't appreciate Sunny's lyrical prowess until I was older myself, however, I always listened to Obey's lyrics because he's often telling stories which I found fascinating even as a child because his style is quite mellow in comparison. LPs like 'The Child', Merciful God, Conscience are just as deep as as philosophical as any Obey album.

Obey's mellow's style kinda make you listen and introspective anyway which in my opinion is the reason why people think he's better at composition.

Bros you've said it all. Whilst Obey is one way traffic, KSA is multi dimesional. He is versatile!

The messages and thankfulness in The Child, Merciful God and Conscience were delivered with skill.

Another of his lines that gives me goose pimples everytime goes:

Mo de o Baba mowa sope ore nla
Baba gba mi lowo iku o ati omije
E ba mi dupe f'lowa to ran mi lowo...

Both are definitely masters in the field, but I personally prefer Obey. A lot of people have summed up why really. His songs are really uplifting, especially for those of us whom are not at home.

and when i remember Obey's songs like "ara mbada owo oje o, owo owo o, ape ka nu ko", I miss home

wonlasewonimi:

Bros you've said it all. Whilst Obey is one way traffic, KSA is multi dimesional. He is versatile!

The messages and thankfulness in The Child, Merciful God and Conscience were delivered with skill.

Another of his lines that gives me goose pimples everytime goes:

Mo de o Baba mowa sope ore nla
Baba gba mi lowo iku o ati omije
E ba mi dupe f'lowa to ran mi lowo...

Bros bawo?

The Child!!! That LP is the bomb. It was the first of Sunny's album I bought with my own money. It was apparently recorded when one of his younger wives gave birth in the 90s.

naijababe:

Bros bawo?

The Child!!! That LP is the bomb. It was the first of Sunny's album I bought with my own money. It was apparently recorded when one of his younger wives gave birth in the 90s.

I dey o madam naijababe..

E ba mi ki iya olomo olomi shiri yami yami yami

Olomi shiri ti o kun won loju njosi

Lyrics so deep and danceable. That guy is a true King.

The truth is we are conditioned to prefer either of this 2 greats by our parents.
The choice we had growing up was limited by the taste in music of our parents: what music our parents loved, we loved.
That they despised, we grew to jettison.
Muslim parents forced Fuji down their children throat without even knowing it.
Xtian fathers that were funky, party loving and outwardly loved SUNNY while the reserved type parents played OBEY at a subdued mellow tune to the enjoyment of the family.
These seemingly insignificant part of our past have a long term bearing on our taste that refused to leave till date.
There are few departures from this trend if you look well.

Musically however there is no standard set yet to measure which one of then sang better. Appeal is subjective.
But, success is measurable. and by that count, SUNNY ADE thumps Obey

naijababe:

I think we all tend to dismiss Sunny's philosophical lyrics because they are often accompanied by up tempo beats, the immediate reaction to Sunny's music is to either dance or listen to his unique use of instruments to the detriment of an appreciation of his deep lyrics. I didn't appreciate Sunny's lyrical prowess until I was older myself, however, I always listened to Obey's lyrics because he's often telling stories which I found fascinating even as a child because his style is quite mellow in comparison. LPs like 'The Child', Merciful God, Conscience are just as deep as as philosophical as any Obey album.

Obey's mellow's style kinda make you listen and introspective anyway which in my opinion is the reason why people think he's better at composition.

I do not dispute Sunny's ability to compose philosophical lyrics but like I stated above for every one composed by Sunny there are at least 4 to 6 composed by Obey.
Lets just agree that these 2 great singers are legends but if they have to be rated on each aspects of music there will be areas where one will be better than the other. Apart from that there's no way individual preferences and bias will not always come to play.

For the final time on this thread let me educate some younger NL members about a thng or two concerning music.In yoruba music parlance there is what we call "alujo" meaning 'danceable/funky music', there is also what is known as "alugbo" meaning 'philosophical music/music for easy listening. Obey, being a man who is naturally quiet knew he couldn't do well if he sang alujo hence his decision to settle for alugbo. Sunny on the other hand, being a good dancer and a more versatle musician decided to combine the two. Those who say sunny's songs are not philosophical have never listened to his music

shadrach77: For the final time on this thread let me educate some younger NL members about a thng or two concerning music.In yoruba music parlance there is what we call "alujo" meaning 'danceable/funky music', there is also what is known as "alugbo" meaning 'philosophical music/music for easy listening. Obey, being a man who is naturally quiet knew he couldn't do well if he sang alujo hence his decision to settle for alugbo. Sunny on the other hand, being a good dancer and a more versatle musician decided to combine the two. Those who say sunny's songs are not philosophical have never listened to his music

There are several 'alujo' tracks of Obey as well albeit not as much as Sunny, may be you've not listened to them.
Obey tracks like:
Aimasiko
To ba je tere
Eniyan ti mo feran ju
Orisiriso ore lo wa
Mo ti pinu
Nigeria yi si ma dun
Are great alujo tracks which people rocked very well especially in parties in the 80's and early 90's.

funnyx:

There are several 'alujo' tracks of Obey as well albeit not as much as Sunny, may be you've not listened to them.
Obey tracks like:
Aimasiko
To ba je tere
Eniyan ti mo feran ju
Orisiriso ore lo wa
Mo ti pinu
Nigeria yi si ma dun
Are great alujo tracks which people rocked very well especially in parties in the 80's and early 90's.

Do you know the meaning of Alujo?

wonlasewonimi:

Do you know the meaning of Alujo?

I am beginning to wonder myself o . None of the tracks listed are 'alujo' at all.

wonlasewonimi:

Do you know the meaning of Alujo?

Of course

naijababe:

I am beginning to wonder myself o . None of the tracks listed are 'alujo' at all.

How do you mean?

funnyx:

How do you mean?

Those are not alujo bros. Those songs are easy listening!

Go and listen to Sunny wella to understand alujo.

funnyx:

How do you mean?

None of those Obey tracks you listed are 'alujo' nau

naijababe:

None of those Obey tracks you listed are 'alujo' nau

Ok mam, I dance to them very well though, I also remember how we danced in parties to track like Aimasiko and Eniyan ti mo feran ju. However, there is no denying the fact that KSA is the king of alujo.

To ba je tere
Eniyan ti mo fe ju
Nigeria yi si ma dun

Obey used lots of western instrumentations in those songs and they are truly danceable.

wonlasewonimi:

Those are not alujo bros. Those songs are easy listening!

Go and listen to Sunny wella to understand alujo.

Okey dokey bros

ZACHIE:
To ba je tere
Eniyan ti mo fe ju
Nigeria yi si ma dun

Obey used lots of western instrumentations in those songs and they are truly danceable.

Yeah danceable to someone on a wheelchair.

Apparently, kids are prowling here

wonlasewonimi:

Yeah danceable to someone on a wheelchair.

Both are gud,but baba Miliki all d way...

Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey and King Sunny Ade : The Story of Two Rivals
April 5, 2011 at 6:13pm
THE decade of the '70s was characterised in Nigeria by Afro-fusion music, with the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti as the major inspirer. But alongside this revolution, juju music was also flourishing with Ebenezer Obey and Sunny Ade as major exponents who were perceived at the time by their numerous fans as archrivals. An intriguing aspect of this development was that the two musicians had their different styles, backgrounds and approaches, a situation which made this perceived rivalry a healthy one that added value to the emerging juju music of that period. It was not the type of rivalry that engendered bad blood but that of competition, motivating each exponent into releasing records that were capable of out doing the other persons output. The situation forced both men to work harder on their lyrics and instrumentation, all of which in the end turned out great hits that have become evergreen The music which made it for Obey in the '70s was Board Members recorded in 1972 upon the band's return from Britain; and board members has been his best selling hit over the years. Other hits of the 70s include Iwa ika kope (1974), KeteKete, Epo ila (1973), Ota mi dehin lehin mi (1976), Eto Igbeyawo and Madele (1974) amongst several others. Some of the hits with which Sunny Ade competed with Obey include Esu biri biri, Ekilo fomo ode, Nitori awa, and Synchro system, a performer that was inspired by the emerging Afro beat influence of that period, among others. Even though they were not enemies, each made statements and claims that tended to portray the one as superior to the other. For example, they both re-introduced multiple guitars which were used as far back as the 1940s by the Jolly Boys Orchestra into their instrumentation, but Obey claimed responsibility for introducing these guitars Western drum kits, and the transition of the music from a neo-traditional form to an urban social type. Said Obey who made his first record in 1963, "I noticed that people like to stick to their own ways, especially old people. They don't want to compromise. But the younger ones always want freedom from the old system. "They want new things; and knowing that, I modernized the music, and created my own fashion in music, the miliki system. And I happened to be the one who started the modernisaiton of juju music. The fathers of juju music only played one guitar. I introduced three guitars and arranged it in such a way that would catch the attention of the youth and cross to the older folk, so as to have both ears of listeners, and it worked. The three guitars are tenor, rhythm and lead." In order to keep the competition aflame, Sunny himself would not only lay claim to the introduction of these multiple guitars, he emphasized the innovation of the tenor guitar which Bob Ohiri, who was exposed to it in Fela's Africa 70 later played in Sunny's African Beats aggregation. As a way of massaging his superiority, he began to pontificate and pronounce on the origin and actual essence of juju music, saying: "The name, juju music, was given to the particular music by the colonial people." Continuing, the king of juju music said, "In the olden days, any black African medicine was called juju, any music played around there they called it juju music. But now it is a different type of music entirely and we still want the name to remain." Even though this explanation is not in consonance with the more credible story of the' origin of juju music, Sunny Ade was granted audience by a foreign interviewer who reckoned with his views because they were coming form one of the major exponents of juju music. The more credible story is the one told by Ambrose Campbell and Fatai Rolling 'Dollar who spoke from empirical evidence because they participated in the ebb and flow of the music - from the 30s. Their version of the story 'links the origin of the name, "juju" to the 'tambourine', an instrument which was thrown at will by its exponent whenever excitement and inspiration took over. The perceived rivalry between Obey and Sunny in the 70s inspired a lot of followers in a trend which enthroned juju music as mainstay in Lagos and the Yoruba speaking States of the West at the end of the civil war in 1970. The music flourished because of the absence of highlife, which had declined and gone with the war. The two have become legends. In a sense they can be referred to as innovators because they had the greater number of followers- musicians whose music became steeped in the system of Obey and Sunny, artistes they saw as their mentors. This was despite the fact that there were such individual styles by I.K. Dairo and Orlando Owoh, which could broaden the scope of juju music. As it turned out, the rivalry that took place between Obey and Sunny was the making of their different fans, some of whom were so fanatical and loyal, they were prepared to antatogise anyone who did not worship their idols or records because they preferred one to the other. The musicians themselves were friends but they fuelled and manipulated the situation to their own advantage. It helped to boost the sales of their records which they released one after the other, in quick succession. However, as a show of solidarity and friendship, the two made an effort to dispel the rumour and perceived feeling that they were antagonists. The venue was "Obey Miliki Spot" at Olonode, Yaba, Lagos, a night club which was previously patronized by Fela Ransome Kuti's Koola Lobitos when the place was called "Crystal Garden". The date was August 16, 1973 when Sunny Ade went to join Ebenezer Obey on the stage to play guitar solos and accompaniment to Obey's music. The audience screamed with excitement. In order to convince their different fans that as musicians, they were friends in the same profession, Sunny released an album which had in it Oro tonlo, meaning "what people are saying", where he further asked their fans to stop insinuating that the two of them were enemies, warning them to stop fanning the embers of hatred and antagonism where they did not exist. The perceived rivalry, which existed only in the imagination of the artistes' fans, was obviously a gimmick of circumstance made out to drive the talents of the two great musicians. And it worked perfectly. Sunny Ade's image and popularity since the 70s have reached tremendous dimensions. He has become one of the biggest stars not only in Nigeria and Africa, but also across Europe and America. In 1981, for instance, Sunny Ade blazed into global prominence when Island Records signed him on. On the other hand, his rival, Ebenezer Obey has since become an institution and big influence across West Africa. Even though now an evangelist, he is a successful entrepreneur and still comes out of semi retirement to perform ground- breaking gospel music.

@mikeapollo:

You need to get your facts streaght before you say it, Alafin did not made Sunny Ade King of Juju music because he played at Alafin's coronation. Sunny Ade was crowned King of Juju music many years after Alafin was coronated as the Alafin of Oyo. The event where Sunny Ade was crowned as the King of Juju music was organised by because (Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State) and some organisations, Alafin was the Chirman of the Occasion, Alafin was giving the priviledge to crown Sunny Ade been the Chairman of the Occasion and the most senior Oba in attendant.

And if I may ask, what do you use to deternimg gratness?, I think it is achievement, and to be sincerer with ourselves Sunny Ade has greater achievement than Obey in the world of music both locally and Internationally.

@mikeapollo:

You need to get your facts straight before you say it, Alafin did not made Sunny Ade King of Juju music because he played at Alafin's coronation. Sunny Ade was crowned King of Juju music many years after Alafin was coronated as the Alafin of Oyo. The event where Sunny Ade was crowned as the King of Juju music was organised by because (Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State) and some organisations, Alafin was the Chirman of the Occasion, Alafin was giving the priviledge to crown Sunny Ade been the Chairman of the Occasion and the most senior Oba in attendant.

And if I may ask, what do you use to deternimg gratness?, I think it is achievement, and to be sincere with ourselves Sunny Ade has greater achievement than Obey in the world of music both locally and Internationally.

dayokanu:
Sunny Ade
Listen to to his music they are classics
Let them say, Surprise etc
Sunny Ades song had more International appeal with his use of instrument
Anjanu Oni Guitar
No wonder he was nominated for the Grammy TWICE

correct

Sunny is the best for me. The fact that he is a great dancer and instrumentalist shouldn't cloud his philosophical lyrics.

People often think King sunny ade made it to the top because of his dance steps but heck, sunny is a prodigious composer too and a better praise singer.

You have to listen to his track for MKO Abiola and name any Obey song that beats that. Also, Aye n reti eleya mi, Eri okan, Oba ogo....

End of discussion.