Music played a huge role during the #EndSARS protests of October 2020 in Nigeria. Across protest grounds, music boosted the morale of the crowds, inspiring the masses to demand changes in Nigerian policing.

A video posted on Twitter of a man, later identified as Joshua Ambrose, being thrown out of a moving vehicle by SARS (or Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a unit of the Nigerian police force) officers in Ughelli, a rural town in southern Nigeria, prompted the protests after it went viral.The now-defunct SARS — created to combat the widespread robbery and kidnappings of the 80s — had become notorious for harassing, brutalizing, and extorting young Nigerians for their appearance or for the gadgets they carried, sometimes even profiling them as internet fraudsters.

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MUSIC

Beyoncé Brings Afrobeats to Mainstream Audiences with "Lion King: The Gift"

"Lion King: The Gift" may be a Beyoncé album, but she's not the standout in her own collaborative production.

Beyoncé in all her glory.

Columbia Records

Beyoncé's Lion King: The Gift is in direct competition with the live-action remake's 2019 soundtrack.

It's difficult to imagine Disney allowing any other artist to challenge the success of their latest production, but Beyoncé has surpassed celebrity—she is a movement, an icon, and a spokesperson for a generation, and her name being associated with the movie can only mean good things for the company, even if her Lion King-inspired album is separate from the movie in which she stars. After all, Disney's remakes have received criticism from the get-go. What was the need for a live-action remake of a movie conceived by a bunch of white executives who referred to the project as "Bambi in Africa?"

Still, Beyoncé's involvement loaned the project credibility, and clearly the artist saw the potential to reclaim the Africa-set narrative to create what she calls "sonic cinema." She worked with "some of her favorite artists [and] the most talented and important African artists of the day to both pay tribute to the iconic film and bring the authentic sounds of African music to the world." Although how authentically and accurately the star's achieved this goal is up for debate, there's no question that Beyoncé was able to use her influence to shine a spotlight on the diverse range of artists, some who even outshine her.

The album begins with James Earl Jones, backed by a soft violin, repeating Mufasa's iconic lines to Simba: "Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. You need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures. From the crawling ant to the leaping antelope. We're all connected in the great circle of life." This sentiment, that all African people are connected, is emphasized throughout the rest of the album. The interlude is followed by "BIGGER," Beyoncé's lyrical build up to the message,"If you feel insignificant, you better think again / Better wake up because you're apart of something way bigger." It's another reminder that every person is connected to each other and to the earth.

Columbia

Another poignant interlude spoken by James Earl Jones introduces "FIND YOUR WAY BACK," an R&B, Afrobeat version of Lemonade's "Daddy Issues." Unlike the original, "FIND YOUR WAY BACK" is a filler song with an infectious beat—it seems to exist just to add to the story of The Lion King. It has nothing on the songs that follow: Tekno, Yemi Alade, Mr Eazi, and Lord Afrixana's "DON'T JEALOUS ME" and Burna Boy's "JA ARA E." Both tracks are danceable but in distinctly different ways. The gritty and visceral "DON'T JEALOUS ME" produces a teeth-clenching, head-bouncing effect—it's captivating and mystifying, while "JA ARA E" is a hip-swinging, sexy summer anthem.

The Nigerian Afro-fusion artists highlight exactly what the Western world is missing out on, musically. The variety and simple good vibes could create a cultural moment for Afro-fusion in Western mainstream music, similar to what "Despacito" did or Latin Pop (minus Justin Bieber, thankfully).

Columbia

Next, "NILE" and "MOOD 4EVA" keep the album's soulful momentum going, despite the many interludes beginning to bog down the bops. Kendrick Lamar's classic rap delivery on "NILE" sets up another one of his iconic beat-drops. But, in the last thirty seconds of the track, Beyoncé's textured vocals end too quickly, making "NILE" feel incomplete. "MOOD 4EVA" captures all that was successful about The Carter's EVERYTHING IS LOVE album. Beyoncé's voracious performance and enchanting, oozing confidence outperform Jay-Z's. Beyoncé outdoes him with lyrics like, "Piña colada-in' / you stay Ramada Inn," and concluding with, "I be like soul food / I am a whole mood." Unfortunately, the song's low-point is Childish Gambino's feature, which only makes a minor contribution to the already electrifying mood.

At the album's halfway mark, the majority of the noteworthy tracks have already passed. "BROWN SKIN GIRL" and "MY POWER" are the only tracks left that stick in the mind of listeners. The sweet-natured, empowering "BROWN SKIN GIRL" begins with Blue Ivy Carter's first singing performance. Then Nigerian artist WizKid aids the celebratory track, which speaks directly to the brown skin girls of the world. The song separates itself from the rest of the album as an easier, mellower, lullaby-inspired song, while still positioning black people at the center of the celebration.

Columbia

Conversely, up-and-coming rapper, Tierra Whack, leads "MY POWER" with the declaration, "They'll never take my power / They feel a way, oh wow"—celebrating all black women and what they're capable of. On the track, South African artists—Moonchild Sanelly and Busiswe—gloriously sing African praises, injecting the song with an emboldened, unwavering verse.

The rest of the album has its individual, exceptional moments, like Beyoncé's almost holy vocals on "OTHERSIDE" and Jessie Reyez's ingenious verse on "SCAR." But, still, only six out of the fourteen main tracks succeed in creating something new, inspiring, and other-worldly. The other interludes strip Lion King: The Gift of cohesion and flow. But still, with The Lion King: The Gift, Beyoncé has cemented her legacy of celebrating black experiences and art by bringing African musical influences to Western, mainstream audiences. If there was any doubt left that Beyoncé is more than just an indomitable vocalist, surely it's been dispelled once and for all by this album. Lion King: The Gift demonstrates what is possible when collaboration occurs across borders to create cross-cultural, truly globalized music.

Columbia


The Lion King: The Gift

Rising Star

Mannywellz "SoulFro" Real

INTERVIEW | D.C.'s latest contribution to R&B and soul bears his on debut release.

Soulfro 5/7 - "Watermelon"

D.C.-based artist/songwriter Mannywellz is well on his way to being one of the most sought-after talents in music. The Nigerian born troubadour is already building an impressive catalog of music and has had experience rocking packed houses while on tour with fellow Nigerian crooner Jidenna.

His singles "Wrong Place" & "Watermelon" (which he just released a video for) are sonic gems and commercial successes accumulating millions of plays on various streaming platforms. Mannywellz has used this momentum and experience to his advantage to craft and release his debut EP "SoulFro".

The 7 song self-produced project is an eclectic fusion of soul, pop, and afrobeat that'll satiate any music connoisseur's pallet. In a short week of its release, "SoulFro" reached number 4 on the iTunes R&B charts. We sat down with Mannywellz to get more in-depth into the mind of the man behind the soul.

Deascent: Tell us the meaning behind the title of your EP "SoulFro".

Mannywellz:"SoulFro" is music from the soul with Afro elements. It's more so a style of music that allows me to merge various genres from Hip-Hop to Soul to R&B to Folk to Trap and Pop or whatever genre I want to touch. Also, whatever genre I do touch always has "SoulFro in it.

D: How do you feel about the Nigerian influence in today's popular music and the success that Nigerian artists have seen in the American market?

M: I love it! I like how a bunch of us are moving in different spaces creatively, musically, and when it comes to business. I like seeing collaborations between us. I also have/love relationship with people's opinions & perceptions of the sound. I love it because the music has reached the masses but I hate the confusion it's caused. It also falls on people not wanting to do their research and dig deep. People just see things from the surface. They mistake the sound for being "Caribbean" but it's Afro AND African. No one wants to pick up that first layer and look up where the influences are coming from. But, it's cool! I'm not hating it and saying "No, it's not Afro so I don't like it". I like all types of sounds that come from these various artists whether they're African or not.

WATCH | "Watermelon"


D: What was the initial reception from not only you fans but some of your colleagues when they 1st heard the project?

M: They were shocked, but in a good way. I'm the type of person that break rules and I can back up what I say I'm going to do. When I fused so many various sounds together people were like "Woah, this is amazing". People didn't know what to call it or classify it as. Prior to uploading the project, I didn't know what (genre) to upload it under. You have to pick whether it's R&B soul, World Music, or Afro. I just told my management to do whatever (laughs), but the reception was great and people loved it. We're having a home show coming and I'm excited to see people's faces. Everyone has a favorite (song). All 7 tracks fit differently with different people. That's why I created the project because I wanted each song to speak to different demographics.

D: How important do you think culture representation of people of color is in today's society when it comes to entertainment?

M: It's super important! Entertainers are a source of education. I know a bunch of kids who only go to school and don't do their own research to educate themselves about anything. But, they listen to music and follow entertainers. I think it's very important for creators and creatives to hold themselves accountable to make sure they represent whatever they stand for properly. I think it's important that people represent the culture properly because we're all educators of some sort.

D: What's next for Mannywellz now that you have put this amazing body of work out into the universe?

M: Oh man, We got some stuff cookin'! We have "The Anthology" coming out. It's a body of work created by my business partners, House Studios. It's a collective of films inspired by my music. We collaborated with a group called Yacht Club on this. We have some remixes coming out. We have the home show coming up March 5th here in D.C. at Union Stage, we're hoping to sell it out.

"SoulFro" is now available on iTunes & Spotify.

Follow Mannywellz: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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