Much ado about dance style-oriented songs. It started with Disco dances of the 70’s & 80’s, evolving into the addictive Break-dances of the 90’s/early 2000’s – made popular in the United States.

Nigerians/Africans have since gone on to begin writing their own dance rules.

Olamide looks to be the latest in what is rapidly becoming a long train of artistes peddling songs in a view to creating new dance moves with the release of his Young John-produced single, ‘Bobo‘.

The song sees Badoo continue with his deviation from his once signature ‘pure-rap’ style. It leaves little to be desired in content(except maybe for his core followers), but so are most dance-oriented music being made. It is however, his bid to wanting to coin/create a dance style from the song, that catches our attention.

From short clips of the ‘shakiti-bobo’ dance enthusiasts going viral on social media, and also from the music video of the song, there seems to be no ‘wow’ factor as the dance looks uninspired. But then it is Olamide, who anything he does at the moment turns to gold(he knows it too) due to a hugely dedicated YBNL fanbase.

Reflecting on numerous dance moves that have had blistering impact or influence, the Daddy Showkey, Baba Fryo era of Galala was a viral, contagious disease anybody found it hard to escape from. It was truly a unique and fascinating dance style that ruled the ‘ghetto’ for years.

Then there was Makossa in the early 2000’s made popular by the Awilo Logomba‘s and Magic Sysyem‘s. This had originated from neighbouring francophone countries, Congo, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and the Benin Republic, as a slew of entertainers marveled their audiences with the most catchy dance routines you could think of. The rhythm in their songs complemented the highly addictive, waist-breaking moves, so much that men gave women a real run for their money.

The Makossa spread to this part of the world like wild fire and trust Nigerians, who sure know how to promote or over-elaborate on trends. It was such a monumental period that the originators, our neighbours, had to move their crafts and performances to the biggest stages in the country. Indeed, if you missed this era, you unfortunately missed the most exciting dance machine ever!

At this point, dance-themed music had started to gain wide recognition and acceptance, that our own Olu Maintain seized the opportunity to create the ‘Yahooze‘ dance. Boy did this become a disease of some sort, as old, young, rich, poor, physically challenged, all did their best impresario of being a ‘big boy’ by throwing their hands up while in a static position. Any corner you turned at a banging party and there’s a sight of girls isolated with almost no rub-a-dub touches -quite unusually- from their male counterparts, as they are all busy doing the ‘yahoo’ dance. It had so much significance, that the brothers who hustle through their computers using their brains -effectively or ineffectively- in fattening their bank accounts, felt they had to lay claim to the anthem as theirs…..it was quite appropriate.

After Yahooze, the game was on!

Entered Artquake with ‘Alanta’, the wild duo as at that period had little recognition and acceptance for their studio efforts, somehow they managed to come up with the song ‘Alanta’, and the madness began. You somehow simply had to display a sort of uncomfortable reaction to a gulf of fire burning through you, and there was indeed no limit to the contagious nature of the dance.

The birth of more dance-origination songs continued afterwards with the smoothness of ‘Azonto‘, the indigenous-influenced ‘Ettigi‘, the Iyanya moment of ‘Kukere’-ing, and also the comedic nature of ‘Sekem’ by MC Galaxy.

Total shut-down and madness however, resumed with ‘Shoki‘ ….it is still the biggest/viral dance today as a flurry of music lovers make their best impresario of the dance style at every slight opportunity.

Lil’ Kesh, coincidentally Olamide’s protege, undoubtedly owned the dance-move(Orezi had done his own version) with a descriptive, technical know-how of the dance with his song and video of the same title, and it remains the biggest song he is associated with.

Safe to say it is no coincidence that these dance-oriented songs became arguably the biggest hits of these originators/artistes, as they haven’t been able to replicate or match the frenzy with subsequent releases.

Olamide Badoo however, has already made an enormous statement of his name in the entertainment industry, where a dance propaganda would do little to elevate or tarnish his status. It is left to be seen how viral and accepted(it is rapidly beginning to, thanks to his utmost dedicated fanbase) Daddy Miliano’s new dance-move gets, and the direction it takes him from there.

Source:http://nexthop.com.ng/olamides-shakitibobo-hit-or-miss-next-big-dance-style/

cc: lalasticala

Oya shakiti bobo