"Ni Ojuelegba, dem know my story..."
I am doing this writing at a riverside car wash under a
bamboo shade. Beneath the bridge, a teenage girl in
swimsuit is dancing seductively. I hope this review gets
finished.
Ojuelegba is the "rags to riches" story of Ayo Balogun
aka WizKid. In defiance of his known and loud musical
style, the beat to Ojuelegba is soothing to the ears. It is
vintage Wizzy and the song reminds one of "Holla at ur
Boi." With chart-topping songs, surplus money, exotic
cars and teeming fans, reality seems to have hit the
young man. The song is an ode to his meteoric rise in a
competitive music industry. The same theme (Then and
Now of entertainers - music and movie) is perhaps very
dear to the heart of the Nigerian fan and her artist. It's
the same reason Dr Sid's "Surulere" was not just a
musical hit; it was and still is our reality. It is a
universal story of resilience and triumph in the face of
grinding poverty and under-development in the wider
continent of Africa.
The Spiritual Element
"This tin gat me thanking God for life,
I can't explain..."
The "God factor" in Ojuelegba makes the song very
appealing to a wide range of audiences (in a religiously
divided country.) We eat, breath and die for religion in
Africa but there are very few gospel artists (in the
limelight.) With a deft mix of the themes of personal
suffering and the quantum intervention of God (through
Adura,) Mr Balogun literally killed this song. Of course
Adura or Prayer or Meditation or Yoga is a universal
constant in all religions. However, it remains to be seen
if "Adura" alone will solve our national problems.
The God-Mother
In Sophocle's Oedipus Rex, the theme of mother-child
relations was significantly explored (and given a new
meaning.) In Ojuelegba, Wizkid croons:
"e ba mi kira fun mummy mi o
Ojojumo l'on s'adura..."
Not everyone will be fortunate to be so influenced and
attached to a biological parent, but one thing stands
out in the verses from Ojuelegba. It may sound cliche,
but a good mother (and of course the nuclear family) is
the building block of civilization.
Advocacy
Majority of Nigerians daily live in hell. We are a helpless
lot and our rulers are indifferent to our plight. I doubt
the King of Surulere is a politician but he digs into his
roots to keep the afro-beat goal of holloi-polloi
advocacy in view. Wizkid sings:
"Ni Ojuelegba o
My people dey there
My people suffer
Dem dey pray for blessings
Ni Ojuelegba o..."
This song sounds like a street anthem. It may not buy
us food or put money in our pockets, but Ojuelegba
reminds us that somebody shares our pain and anguish
(even if na Wizkid.) For instance, if Jimi Agbaje, the
opposition guber candidate for Lagos adopts Ojuelegba
as a campaign song (especially the verses above,) there
is no telling what the response would be from the
streets of Ajegunle to Makoko, Isale Eko to Tarkwa Bay.
Critique
The opening montage for Ojuelegba (as directed by
Clarence Peters ) missed the casting for a "real" lagos
bus conductor. The production team were trying too
hard to be cool. A really rugged conductor with a coarse
voice, blood-shot eyes and missing tooth would have
cut the story and make the video more watchable.
Again, if say you hustled at a music studio, we would
love to see a re-make of it on video. Wizzy also
mentioned a friend on this song but in the video, he was
just acting solo, through and through.
Also, "chop-alone" is a vice with Nigerians. In one
shoot, we see Mr Balogun and friends doing a staple of
Amala (Then) and in another scene, he is alone on a
posh dinning table (Now.) Wizkid is known to dash his
fans (as in showing them the money.) What happened
to him in the video for Ojuelegba? Is that how it is with
our celebrities?
Finally, there is just a thing left to make Mr Balogun's
story resonate with the skeptics like me and the older
generation. He should get married before he does a
remix of Ojuelegba (or any other "grass to grace" stuff.)
Danke!

I jus wanna comment

Nice review.
The part about him being alone on the large dining also caught my eye. Would have been more appealing if he was feasting with friends and family.
But its really cool what he did wit the beat & theme