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15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) - Culture (5) - Nairaland

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Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by niyifour(m): 9:29pm On Jun 12, 2015
I disagree W̶̷̩̥̊͡Hε̶̷̲̣̣̣̥̩̥̊͡Яε̲̣̣̣̥ I̶̲̥̅̊s̶̲̥̅̊ Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister

2 Likes

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by modskiller(m): 9:32pm On Jun 12, 2015
And where is [size=25pt]Haruna Ishola??[/size] That list is kinda incomplete bro

1 Like

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by samueld0(m): 9:51pm On Jun 12, 2015
Chukwutobi:


Have you ever listened to any of his songs?
from there you will know whether he is internationally known or not

Yes I have done mAny times. Infact my dad love his records and usualy play them from night till morning in his bedroom everyday. But the germe of his music is only ment for the Yoruba locals.
The late Baba is a music Lengend no doubt but he's popularity is only limited in Nigeria and maybe Ghana, abi did have any of his clip pulling huge croud in Europe like Baba Fela and KSA?

1 Like

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by lordkay10(m): 10:04pm On Jun 12, 2015
teetee123:

1. Fela Anikulapo Kuti
2. Tunde Baiyewu (Formerly of Lighthouse family)
3. Angelique Kidjo
4. Sade
5. Ayo
6. Asa
7. Seal
8. Lagbaja
9. King Sunny Ade
10. Ebenezer Obey
11. Femi Kuti
12. IK Dairo
13. Beautiful Nubia
14. D'Banj
15. Orlando Julius

However there are many other musicians who are of Yoruba heritage but these 15 are the ones acknowledged as the most popular ones outside Nigeria and Africa. Some are already subject of Masters and PhD dissertations in universities around the world.
The only reason I agree with the list is that OP placed Fela number 1 on the list, take it or leave it, Fela is the greatest musician to have come out of Africa, sad he's not appreciated here in Nigeria. Fela is the first black musician to be on Broadway!
The guy is miles above anyone else, for those who know what music is all about, you'll agree with me

2 Likes

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by joshrare(m): 10:09pm On Jun 12, 2015
Seal.. Wow... My real guy ..I like bopping...
Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by Nobody: 11:06pm On Jun 12, 2015
The list is incomplete without Zaynab.
Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by basille(m): 11:33pm On Jun 12, 2015
King Sunny Ade.
Fela kuti.
Asa.

Legends!

1 Like

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by stinggy(m): 11:42pm On Jun 12, 2015
teetee123:
....

Sorry, no place for Sir Shina Peters and Barry Wonder? I think they deserve to be there.
Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by Tomeseen(f): 12:03am On Jun 13, 2015
Did somebody forgot the guy who brought down the rain. Abi na only naija Majek Fashek. Take popular nii?!

1 Like

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by Nobody: 1:48am On Jun 13, 2015
Tomeseen:
Did somebody forgot the guy who brought down the rain. Abi na only naija Majek Fashek. Take popular nii?!
majek is quite popular overseas too especially among fans of his genre of music.
I wonder about Nel Oliver (from benin republic) too. Omon mi baby girl, I wo ti mon feran oh, To fe lo si ilé oko Adouwa mon gba
foun e, K'oloroun mi ma

2 Likes

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by Mapletraks: 1:53am On Jun 13, 2015
teetee123:
The Yorubas are one of the largest African ethnic groups south of the Sahara Desert. They are, in fact, not a single group, but rather a collection of diverse people bound together by a common language, history, and culture. The Yoruba homeland is located in West Africa. It stretches from a savanna (grassland) region in the north to a region of tropical rain forests in the south. Most Yoruba live in Nigeria. However there are also some scattered groups in Benin and Togo. During the four centuries of the slave trade, Yoruba territory was known as the Slave Coast. Uncounted numbers of Yoruba were carried to the Americas. Their descendants preserved Yoruba traditions. In several parts of the Caribbean and South America, Yoruba religion has been combined with Christianity. There are also many Yoruba descents/ diaspora who are living in North America and Europe.

Music is part of the Yoruba's culture and tradition. Many musicians of Yoruba heritage had made their mark on the world stage. Although some of them did not sing in Yoruba but they all acknowledged their heritage. The following 15 artistes were selected based on the following inclusion criteria:
a. Yoruba parentage (either father or mother)
b. Nominees or recipients of major global or African musical awards
c. Performing on the global stage
d. Being on US or European top charts
e. Popular beyond Africa

1. Fela Anikulapo Kuti
2. Tunde Baiyewu (Formerly of Lighthouse family)
3. Angelique Kidjo
4. Sade
5. Ayo
6. Asa
7. Seal
8. Lagbaja
9. King Sunny Ade
10. Ebenezer Obey
11. Femi Kuti
12. IK Dairo
13. Beautiful Nubia
14. D'Banj
15. Orlando Julius

However there are many other musicians who are of Yoruba heritage but these 15 are the ones acknowledged as the most popular ones outside Nigeria and Africa. Some are already subject of Masters and PhD dissertations in universities around the world.



FELA ANIKULAPO-KUTI
Drummer, Pianist, Civil Rights Activist, Songwriter (1938–1997)

Early Years

Musician and political activist Fela Kuti was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti on October 15, 1938, in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Kuti was the son of a Protestant minister, Reverend Ransome-Kuti. His mother, Funmilayo, was a political activist.

Activism Through Music

In 1963, Kuti formed a band called Koola Lobitos. He would later change the band's name to Afrika 70, and again to Egypt 80. Beginning in the 1960s, Kuti pioneered and popularized his own unique style of music called "Afrobeat." Afrobeat is a combination of funk, jazz, salsa, Calypso and traditional Nigerian Yoruba music. In addition to their distinctive mixed-genre style, Kuti's songs were considered unique in comparison to more commercially popular songs due to their length—ranging anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour long. Kuti sang in a combination of Pidgin English and Yoruba.

In the 1970s and '80s, Kuti's rebellious song lyrics established him as political dissident. As a result, Afrobeat has come to be associated with making political, social and cultural statements about greed and corruption. One of Kuti's songs, "Zombie," questions Nigerian soldiers' blind obedience to carrying out orders. Another, "V.I.P. (Vagabonds in Power)," seeks to empower the disenfranchised masses to rise up against the government.

http://www.biography.com/people/fela-kuti-21215355




^^^^^^

GREAT post!
Thanks to the OP. grin

PS: @OP @All

The original post SHOULD include:

1. Ade Bantu [Nigerian father and German
mother just like Nneka].

2. Keziah Jones aka Femi Sanyaolu [The iconic international star who has sold
more than 6 million albums].

3. Charmillionaire [Nigerian-American Grammy
Award winner just like the iconic Sade and SEAL].

4. Wale [Nigerian-American rapper and Grammy
Award winner as well, making 4 Nigerians of
SW ancestry that have won the Grammy. Angelique Kidjo who has won the Grammy Award is part Yoruba-Nigerian and part Fon.
Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by SIRANDREWS: 1:54am On Jun 13, 2015
Why isn't Majek Fashek on the list?

2 Likes

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by Deejaygold(m): 2:28am On Jun 13, 2015
Rainmaker69:
Funmi Adams
ℓ wonder why they didn't include her name FUNMI ADAMS. All we need ᶤ̲ˢ love

1 Like 1 Share

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by Mapletraks: 2:30am On Jun 13, 2015
naptu2:
You left out two Grammy Award winners (and master drummers).

Babatunde Olatunji
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babatunde_Olatunji

and

Sikiru Adepoju.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikiru_Adepoju

^^^
Thanks for sharing this info @Naptu2.

Great stuff...I've never heard of them
despite being in my 40s.
Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by Lucasbalo(m): 5:11am On Jun 13, 2015
Mapletraks:



^^^^^^

GREAT post!
Thanks to the OP. grin

PS: @OP @All

The original post SHOULD include:

1. Ade Bantu [Nigerian father and German
mother just like Nneka].

2. Keziah Jones aka Femi Sanyaolu [The iconic international star who has sold
more than 6 million albums].

3. Charmillionaire [Nigerian-American Grammy
Award winner just like the iconic Sade and SEAL].

4. Wale [Nigerian-American rapper and Grammy
Award winner as well, making 4 Nigerians of
SW ancestry that have won the Grammy. Angelique Kidjo who has won the Grammy Award is part Yoruba-Nigerian and part Fon.


Nice.

1 Like

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by bashydemy(m): 5:29am On Jun 13, 2015
I swear this OP is mad, Where is Barrister?

1 Like

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by naptu2: 5:32am On Jun 13, 2015
Mapletraks:


^^^
Thanks for sharing this info @Naptu2.

Great stuff...I've never heard of them
despite being in my 40s.


My pleasure.

1 Like

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by iamord(m): 7:11am On Jun 13, 2015
Correction Angelique Kidjo is from Benin Republic
Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by teetee123: 8:36am On Jun 13, 2015
I am sorry for leaving Alhaji Agba out of the initial list. As the Fuji music front-liner and a legend beyond the coast of West Africa he deserved the honour

hannysur8:
This list is incomplete without Dr Sikiru Ayinde Barrister

SIKIRU AYINDE BARRISTER PROFILE

One of Nigeria's best-known singer/songwriters,
Chief Doctor Sikiru Ayinde Barrister (born: Sikiru
Ayinde) has played an essential role in the evolution
of the music of his homeland. The leader of a 25-
piece band, the Supreme Fuji Commanders, and a
smaller group, the Africa Musical International
Ambassadors, Barrister has continued to be one of
the leading purveyors of fuji, an exciting, amplified
dance music combining juju, apala, and traditional
Yoruban blues that he introduced in the late-'70s.
Barrister has been singing most of his life. By the age
of ten, he had mastered a complex, Yoruban vocal
style that was traditionally performed during the holy
month of Ramadan. Although he briefly attended a
Muslim school, Yaba Polytechnic, in 1961, financial
difficulties prevented him from continuing. Leaving
school, he found employment as a stenographer.
During the Civil War that swept through Nigeria
between 1967 and 1970, he served in the Army.
Signed by the Nigeria-based Africa Songs, Ltd. label,
Barrister recorded many groundbreaking singles
during the 1970s and '80s. With his heartfelt vocals
set to a rhythmic mix of talking drums, claves, bells,
shekere, drum set, and Hawaiian-style guitar, he laid
the foundation for fuji, which he named after Mt.
Fuji, the Japanese mountain of love. The style has
been described as "juju without the guitars" and a
"percussion conversation." The website
www.rootsandrhythm.com described it as a "high
speed assault by 12 wild percussionists." Barrister
renamed the musical style "Fuji garbage" in 2000.

1 Like

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by teetee123: 8:38am On Jun 13, 2015
The list is not for only Nigerian descents but Yorubas and this include other countries with Yoruba population

iamord:
Correction Angelique Kidjo is from Benin Republic

1 Like

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by teetee123: 8:42am On Jun 13, 2015
I agree with you to a large extent but not everyone can be on the list. However it is really educative getting to know others who were nor listed in the original list.

Mapletraks:



^^^^^^

GREAT post!
Thanks to the OP. grin

PS: @OP @All

The original post SHOULD include:

1. Ade Bantu [Nigerian father and German
mother just like Nneka].

2. Keziah Jones aka Femi Sanyaolu [The iconic international star who has sold
more than 6 million albums].

3. Charmillionaire [Nigerian-American Grammy
Award winner just like the iconic Sade and SEAL].

4. Wale [Nigerian-American rapper and Grammy
Award winner as well, making 4 Nigerians of
SW ancestry that have won the Grammy. Angelique Kidjo who has won the Grammy Award is part Yoruba-Nigerian and part Fon.


1 Like 1 Share

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by teetee123: 8:59am On Jun 13, 2015
@ Naptu, thanks for the link, it is really educative. I never knew of their existence. I got to know some of the people on the original list while on intercontinental flights and reading their profiles.
The intention of this thread is to educate ourselves on our heritage. Many of us in diaspora and our children already have alternative identity beside Nigeria/Benin in terms of our country of birth/country by naturalization but our children and grandchildren must know they are from a group with rich culture and can excel against all odds.
Every where I go nowadays, people now know there are Yorubas, Igbos and Hausas in Nigeria and they want to know what makes your ethnic group special. We need to educate ourselves and let our children have good models to look up to.

naptu2:
You left out two Grammy Award winners (and master drummers).

Babatunde Olatunji
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babatunde_Olatunji

and

Sikiru Adepoju.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikiru_Adepoju

1 Like

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by teetee123: 9:04am On Jun 13, 2015
I totally agree that the list should include other top artiste. You are free to add to the list with a good short profile. We are all here to learn. Thank you

1 Like

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by BabaEleko(m): 10:45am On Jun 13, 2015
Any list like this without "Late. Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Agbajelola Barrister" in it should be in the trash bin.

1 Like

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by Nobody: 10:59am On Jun 13, 2015
iamord:
Correction Angelique Kidjo is from Benin Republic

Yorubas extend beyond Nigeria - learner

2 Likes

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by naptu2: 11:05am On Jun 13, 2015
Mapletraks:


^^^
Thanks for sharing this info @Naptu2.

Great stuff...I've never heard of them
despite being in my 40s.




teetee123:
@ Naptu, thanks for the link, it is really educative. I never knew of their existence. I got to know some of the people on the original list while on intercontinental flights and reading their profiles.
The intention of this thread is to educate ourselves on our heritage. Many of us in diaspora and our children already have alternative identity beside Nigeria/Benin in terms of our country of birth/country by naturalization but our children and grandchildren must know they are from a group with rich culture and can excel against all odds.
Every where I go nowadays, people now know there are Yorubas, Igbos and Hausas in Nigeria and they want to know what makes your ethnic group special. We need to educate ourselves and let our children have good models to look up to.


Do you guys remember that absolutely wonderful group called Osibisa (they sang "Sunshine Day", "Hello Little Children" and "The Coffee Song" )? One of their members was a Nigerian. I think he was Yoruba. I heard that he was shot dead in the US a few years ago. I've been trying to remember his name, but I can't.

1 Like 2 Shares

Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by coolebux(m): 11:10am On Jun 13, 2015
Oya this boy, move no.9 to no.2 fast!!
Sir Shino Peters is not even on your list

You're indeed a small boy.
Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by coolebux(m): 11:16am On Jun 13, 2015
walexy30:

Yorubas extend beyond Nigeria - learner
Where's Yoruba's headquarters
We should at least know our root.
Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by omaji53jeremiah: 11:41am On Jun 13, 2015
ok now we don see am
Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by Madawaki01(m): 11:45am On Jun 13, 2015
dckng16:
I read some people asking to include Olamide. That dude is becoming Noise maker nowadays. His song is too noisy and razz for my liking.
pls listen to Melo Melo
Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by raphok1(m): 11:46am On Jun 13, 2015
[quote author=Ayus34 post=34710180]
you touch my heart bro.....and the yoruba race appreciate this statement....God bless you.....God bless igbo land because of you........and bless nigeria because of all tribes that build the country![/quote/]

thats the truth bro. I've lived with the yorubas for long n its crystal clear. if only we can appreciate the good in others , tinz would be well. Thanks a lot.
Re: 15 Top Rated International Musicians Of Yoruba Descent (Old and Contemporary) by raphok1(m): 11:48am On Jun 13, 2015
Ayus34:

you touch my heart bro.....and the yoruba race appreciate this statement....God bless you.....God bless igbo land because of you........and bless nigeria because of all tribes that build the country!

thats the truth bro. I've lived with the yorubas for
long n its crystal clear. if only we can appreciate
the good in others , tinz would be well. Thanks a
lot.

1 Like

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