At the just concluded Africa Music Awards, PSquare’s Shekini earned them a nomination for songwriter of the year to my utmost shock. When it dawned on me that there was no sarcasm or irony intended with that nomination, I was visibly relieved when someone else won the award to the chagrin of some members of the audience who believed their Nigerian brothers deserved it.

Before you call me a hater, please note that I love PSquare. I mean, I have followed their career, bought and listened to every album of theirs.

Shekini is a song that I have danced to at every party and thoroughly enjoyed. It is rhythmic, with a tempo that very easily draws out the dancer in you, especially if you caught the “Shoki” bug early on. Well, it still has that effect on you even if you are not a “Shoki” person. Like a good-looking fellow whose hotness you deny at your own peril, there is just something about the song that calls you out to dance. But that’s where the love affair ends. Good beats aside, it is not deserving of an honourable mention, and it certainly should not have earned PSquare a nomination for songwriter of the year as far as good songwriting is concerned.

[img]http://www.olisa.tv/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/P-Square-Shekini-Video.png[/img]

So when it got that nomination, I wondered how they earned it and what markers were used to determine the songwriter of the year. I wondered if Shekini was really the finest we had to offer as far as skillful songwriting goes on the continent. No doubt, Shekini is a song of its time, energetic – an attitude that defines the age; hypnotic and powerful; rhythmic. It is a well-packaged emptiness definitive of the music of our time. Shekini is the stuff of dance-floors, of overly loud nightclubs with music that chokes logic and drowns the sound of one’s saner chambers responsible for questioning the meaning of the content being enjoyed.

PSquare’s Shekini is, in fact, a metaphor for songs that fall under the category “Hot Nigerian Songs” that we are inclined to listen to and enjoy either because we do not know better or because there is a genuine lack of alternatives.

Carefully consider the lyrics of Shekini below:

P-Square eh eh

Yahn ahn

(Alen [4x])

Yahn ahn

Lets go

Otu de oya sare wa gba kekere kerewawo

Atu ti de oya burukutu make e sarabara owey

(Oya shekini ni ni ni ni [3x])

Oya shekina na na na na

Ehn ehn

I get power eh

Me I no dey bother yeh

I no be footballer but I sabi budey Ronaldo (lets go)

I get power (ah) me I no dey bother (ehn ehn)

I no be footballer but I sabi budey Ronaldo



Take it (slow)

Take it (free)

Alhaji (ehn ehn)

Ehn ehn (listen)

Take it (ahn)

Take it (orijo)

Alhaji (okay)

Ehn ehn (hmm)

Oya show no wahala (hala)

You dey make enemy go madder (madder)

Baby go, go hala (ehn ehn)

You dey make me wanna craze (oya now)



Otu de oya sare wa gba kekere kerewawo

Atu ti de oya burukutu make e sarabara owey

Oya shekini ni ni ni ni [3x]

Oya shekina na na na na

Ehn ehn



(We don go with another (yes)

Wey go take una further (yes)

Na we be the brothers

Wey dey scatter all over the borders (alen) [2x])



Take it (slow)

Take it (free)

Alhaji (ehn ehn)

Ehn ehn (listen)

Take it (ahn)

Take it (orijo)

Alhaji (okay)

Ehn ehn (hmm)

Oya show no wahala (hala)

You dey make enemy go madder (madder)

Baby go, go hala (ehn ehn)

You dey make me wanna craze (oya now)



Otu de oya sare wa gba kekere kerewawo

Atu ti de oya burukutu make e sarabara owey

(Oya shekini ni ni ni ni 3x)

Oya shekina na na na na

Ehn ehn



(Burukutu) Hey [2x]

Burukutu

Yahn ahn



P-Square

(Alen [4x])

Yahn ahn



Take it (slow)

Take it (free)

Alhaji (ehn ehn)

Ehn ehn (listen)

Take it (ahn)

Take it (orijo)

Alhaji (okay)

Ehn ehn (hmm)

Oya show no wahala (hala)

You dey make enemy go madder (madder)

Baby go, go hala (ehn ehn)

You dey make me wanna craze (oya now)



Otu de oya sare wa gba kekere kerewawo

Atu ti de oya burukutu make e sarabara owey

(Oya shekini ni ni ni ni [3x])

Oya shekina na na na na

Ehn ehn

Now, imagine for a split second someone reciting this lyrics without the accompanying music. What sense does it make? What is the story in the song? Is this strong/fit enough to earn the writer a songwriter of the year nomination? What does Shekini even mean (or Shekinini as is emphasised in the song)?

This demonstrates how much our artistes give to perfecting all the nuances of their acts- the beats, the dance, the costumes and everything else, but the content of the songs in themselves. Imagine an iPhone6 with a sleek design and all of its features sans iTunes? Yemi Alade’s Kissing was also nominated in this category and it is not very different from Shekini in all fairness. But, that is a story for another day. I strongly suspect that the song of the eventual winner (Joseph Chameleone from Uganda) in this category is just as guilty, and I would very easily have shared the lyrics, but the song, Wale Wale, was largely written in his local language.

In addition to recognising and rewarding the hard work of artistes in the country and on the continent, I expect that award bodies should also act as umpires of what standards should govern quality in the industry. But if these bodies do not play this important role well enough, then we might as well not have them because awards for award sake will not give music produced on the continent the global reckoning it deserves.

I think that the AFRIMA organisers put together a good award show last weekend at Eko Hotel (read my review here). However, I challenge them as I do all other award bodies, including the Headies (the self-acclaimed Grammy of Africa), to actively work towards raising the bar of excellence in the African music industry.

The world is hooked on Adele’s Hello at the moment and we have seen covers of the song from the U.S. to Alaba International Market. If there is any magic in that song, it is clearly the lyrics. (I am aware of the fact that Adele’s Hello and Shekini do not belong to the same genre by the way).

Now imagine this: What if PSquare’s Shekini and all the other songs on this side of town actually bothered to combine great lyrics with their undisputed great beats?

Dear PSquare and every artiste in this category, whatever underscores great music/songs surely recognises the importance of good musical content, I suppose. Get to work.

source: http://www.olisa.tv/2015/11/24/i-am-relieved-that-psquares-shekini-lost-in-the-afrima-songwriter-of-the-year-category-heres-why/

The lyrics doesn't make any sense without beats....

Smh... Ishilove, I'm happier!

adebayo201:
Smh... Ishilove, I'm happier!

I'm happiest!

This is Naija where anything goes.


A country where some home videos are shot within a space of 1 week and 8 weeks at most.

A country where a supposedly music star comes on stage and sings nonsense (listen to the lyrics and one wonders, na music be this).

Like the op's post puts it, the lyrics in the song *Shikina* is meaningless.

I only pity our teenagers who get carried by these songs.

Viktor1983:
The lyrics doesn't make any sense without beats....

Most of the songs from our musicians do not make any sense without the beats.

uboma:
This is Naija where anything goes.


A country where some home videos are shot within a space of 1 week and 8 weeks at most.

A country where a supposedly music star comes on stage and sings nonsense (listen to the lyrics and one wonders, na music be this).

Like the op's post puts it, the lyrics in the song *Shikina* is meaningless.

I only pity our teenagers who get carried by these songs.

A country where a person is the writer, producer, director, distributor and marketer of his songs.

A country where one features himself in his own song.

Ishilove:

I'm happiest!

you ehn. How's work now Quite an age on nairaland front page o

Tallesty1:
A country where a person is the writer, producer, director, distributor and marketer of his songs.

A country where one features himself in his own song.

Its really a sad phenomenon indeed.

uboma:
This is Naija where anything goes.


A country where some home videos are shot within a space of 1 week and 8 weeks at most.

A country where a supposedly music star comes on stage and sings nonsense (listen to the lyrics and one wonders, na music be this).

Like the op's post puts it, the lyrics in the song *Shikina* is meaningless.

I only pity our teenagers who get carried by these songs.

But that's what sells in Nigeria. Doesn't that say something about us and our tastes??

'Share the gala share the booze' is what works in the music industry. If artists like Asa, Nneka, Beautiful Nubia whose songs have depth are always missing from nomination lists then there is definitely something, nay, many things wrong with our music industry.

adebayo201:

you ehn. How's work now Quite an age on nairaland front page o

Work's great

Yeah, quite an age indeed

Tallesty1:
A country where a person is the writer, producer, director, distributor and marketer of his songs.

A country where one features himself in his own song.

Which song is that?

Nice write up....in Timaya's voice..'' I concur".....thats another wack song with a good beat by the way.

Tallesty1:
Most of the songs from our musicians do not make any sense without the beats.

It's not supposed to be so. Take songs written and performed by John Legend, Adele, Alicia Keys, Asa, Sound Sultan, 2face and co and compare them with the forgettable trash being churned out by most contemporary artists and you will see that the difference is clear.

Folks just wanna dance like zombies. Garbage in

I don't even know who sang a particular song because I am not interested. I just wish I could block the music channels on my cable because of the consistent view of "twerkers" on music videos. #Spits.

Ishilove:

Which song is that?

"A badt guy" by Tha Suspect ft Tha Suspect is of them


http://9jabaze.com/music/view/11709515?get-file=Tha%20Suspect%20-%20A%20Badt%20Guy%20ft.%20Tha%20Suspect

Nicely written piece.

The panel or whoever suggested the song in that category need to be tied down and flogged 21 strokes. One wonders if they even read the lyrics before announcing the nominees.

T

Ishilove:

But that's what sells in Nigeria. Doesn't that say something about us and our tastes??

'Share the gala share the booze' is what works in the music industry. If artists like Asa, Nneka, Beautiful Nubia whose songs have depth are always missing from nomination lists then there is definitely something, nay, many things wrong with our music industry.

I agree 100%..

Ishilove:

Work's great

Yeah, quite an age indeed

Yh right.. still a long way to go -- music wise

Most things are senseless in this country buh we love them the way they are.
This thread is mtshewwww

Am sure even psquare would agree with this write-up

CC Ishilove



Congratulations on finally changing your profile pic...

Though still blurry,I'm sure that someday we will see you in all of your beauty,Deo Volente.

That said,to the topic itself.


I'm not a fan of P-Square,but there's no denying their talent and style.They've made a name for themselves with a plethora of dancehall songs like "Busybody","Alingo", etc. as well as the others like "Temptation","Beautiful Onyinye" etc..

However I think on this issue,the fault lies with AFRIMA.If I sing B.S,and it gets nominated,it sends the msg that singing B.S is the way to go.

But on the reverse side,AFRIMA obviously want to be on the good side of the big artists as it gives the awards more credence,so they pander to their whims,even when it is obvious that on merit,those songs don't deserve nominations.

This can easily be resolved i.m.o,by having one recognized award body doing the awards,an equivalent of the Grammys.It would give the awards prestige & allow nominations based on merit alone...

Sheikwonder:
CC Ishilove



Congratulations on finally changing your profile pic...
.

. As the spirit leads

I agree totally with this post, noticed the quality of lyrics of songs in Nigeria keeps decreasing day by day....Mschewwwwww Nobody wants to think anymore. Just enter the studio; spit rubbish, mix, master and sell.

micxwell:
I agree totally with this post, noticed the quality of lyrics of songs in Nigeria keeps decreasing day by day....Mschewwwwww Nobody wants to think anymore. Just enter the studio; spit rubbish, mix, master and sell.

Listen to Sanctum by Boogey . . . you'd be surprised. Naija artiste with a difference.

Ishilove:

I'm happiest!

I'm actually indifferent about all these awards. But who won?

Shekinini is a bang for parties but the lyrics is just wack.

when lyrics of songs from singers like Asa and Timi Dakolo dey there.... SMH for the Nigerian music industry