Once again, Oliha couldn't get to the cybercafe! I am ruthlessly putting him to work when he returns next week so that I have some writing relief!So it's me on Nigeria again...hmmm. What shall it be? I think a little musical interlude, because at cacao's preview last week and Grand Opening last night we had two great dj's playing African music, but neither played my favorite Nigerian musician, Lagbaja.
I first heard him when I woke up one morning in Lagos, still assessing the temperature, the Mosquito Index, and whether I wanted to get up just yet to hit my broken-seated toilet, which often gave me a wicked pinch. An infectious song was on the radio, its pidgin a hilarious give-and-take between an older man and the young object of his affection. "I no be your uncle, your uncle dey for your village," he said indignantly. "I might be 40-something, I might be 50-something, but in my heart, I'll 2o-something" (or was it 20-something?). Anyway, I got up laughing, a good way to start any day.
And Lagbaja was the toast of Lagos! When I returned to Benin that week, he wasn't yet as well-known, but it didn't take long for him to catch on there, too, and everywhere. I bought all his CDs, but when I came back to the US, they weren't yet on iTunes--but many are now! Many of his videos are also on YouTube, and I love showing them on the big screen to Saminaka visitors, who universall
y love him.
y love him.Lagbaja doesn't have a great voice. What he has is tremendous verve, talent in lyrics and songwriting, a genius in assembling talent, and highly skilled saxophone playing. His physicality makes him perfect for video, and his personality beats as brightly as the sun in the Bright Continent, radiating humor, intelligence, wry observational skills, and a will to make you the listener happy. He's tall and lanky, a kind of Dave Chapelle build, but his face and body are all but hidden by an invented masquerade costume of Yoruba cloth. "Lagbaja" means somebody/anybody/everybody in the Yoruba language, its multivalent interpretations appropriate to this embracer of all.
Why does this Everyman wear a costume? He was an accountant when he broke into show business, and didn't want his employers to punish him for moonlighting or think he was an accounting lightweight. When his career exploded, he kept it as his trademark--it also was a handy way to allow him to lead a normal life, because none but him intimates know what he looks like.
He tours both Europe and the U.S. now, along with other Nigerian greats. Like the lat great Fela, his songs often include sharp criticisms of social or political foibles, but t
hey also include paeons to God or hilarious explorations of unusual song themes--Feyin e asks listeners to "show us your 32"--that is, smile and show your teeth. The infectious beat of Yoruba drums and his hooks force you to your feet, and if you can resist showing the 32....well, perhaps you just need dental help!
hey also include paeons to God or hilarious explorations of unusual song themes--Feyin e asks listeners to "show us your 32"--that is, smile and show your teeth. The infectious beat of Yoruba drums and his hooks force you to your feet, and if you can resist showing the 32....well, perhaps you just need dental help!Try these YouTube videos and try not to chair dance!
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