The Toronto Raptors' NBA Win Was a Two-Fold Historic Moment for Masai Ujiri
Not only was it the team's first ever championship win, the Nigerian-Kenyan General Manager is the first African to lead a basketball team to NBA championship victory.
Last night, the Toronto Raptors went in hard and emerged victorious over the Golden State Warriors with a score of 4-2 in the best of seven NBA Finals. Now, while everybody is talking about how the team finally managed to get rid of Drake's dreaded courtside "curse", the Raptors' taking home the championship (historic in itself) is also a historic moment for the Canadian team's General Manager, Masai Ujiri.
The Nigerian-Kenyan former basketball player, named the 2012-2013 NBA Executive of the Year, is now the first African General Manager to ever take home an NBA championship.
Ujiri is smiling from ear-to-ear after his team dethroned the Golden State Warriors to become the NBA champions. If that weren't enough, Ujiri has been approached by the Washington Wizards who want him as their President of Basketball Operations according to the Bleacher Report. "
"Wizards owner Ted Leonsis is expected to reach out to Toronto ownership soon to request formal permission to meet with Ujiri and offer a staggering financial package that would include running the Wizards' basketball operations and, perhaps, taking on a larger leadership role in the Monumental Sports and Entertainment company that oversees the Wizards and NHL's Capitals."
It's no surprise that the Wizards would do pretty much anything at this point to get Ujiri in their camp. The team hasn't won an NBA championship since the 1977/1978 season. They'll certainly need all the help they can get and if anyone can expertly take on that mammoth task, it's definitely Ujiri.
Nigerian music newcomer Khaid comes through with a new love song.
Khaidshares "Jolie," an Afro-infused love song that marks his first music release for the year. The record is a rhythmic and melodic offering that is complete with an infectious hook and Khaid's captivating vocals. In the song, Khaid describes his admiration for a girl that he is pursuing, but equally expresses the challenge that he is having getting her attention.
At the age of 12, Khaid, who was born and raised in Ojo in Lagos, Nigeria, began to freestyle and shoot videos in the streets of Ojo, which is where he was eventually discovered and signed by Sydney Walker, the owner of Neville Records, and a prominent Nigerian comedian.
At the beginning of 2022, Neville Records announced Khaid as a new signee, and since then, he has continued to make waves in the Nigerian music industry. His debut single "With You," was released only eight days after the announcement, and went on to become a commercial success. The song became one of the country's top hits, which now has over 3.7 million views on YouTube and 5 million Spotify streams.
Khaid went on to a release a 6-track album called Diversity and continues to push the envelope at only 17-years-old. The young talent has an EP on the way in the near future, and was recently featured on Okay Africa's 12 Nigerian Artists To Watch In 2023.
We highlight Nigeria’s best emerging talents set to make their mark this year.
Nigeria is in many ways at the forefront of the global African music movement. The country has given birth to Africa’s biggest stars, and continues to do so year on end. However, this isn’t limited to the globally-known, such as international artists like Burna Boy and Wizkid. Every big artist starts from somewhere, and every established act once had their breakout moment.
Every year Nigeria churns out a handful of potential stars in the early phases of their journey to stardom, who make their mark with singles and projects that establish them as talents to watch. From greenhorns making their official debuts to budding talents attempting to establish their first hit single runs, we’ve highlighted a number of emerging Nigerian acts with amazing potential that wield a solid chance of breaking out this year.
Check out our list of 12 Nigerian artists to watch in 2023 below.
Khaid
Sulaimon Abiola, better known asKhaid made his debut in January 2022 at only 17-years-old. He had a hit straight out of the gate with his debut single “With You.” Khaid was announced as a Neville Records' signing on January 20, 2022. He released “With You” eight days after the announcement, and the song went on to become one of the country's top hits. Currently “With You” has over 3.7 million views on YouTube and 5.6 million streams on Spotify. The afrobeats and afro-fusion act is definitely an artist to watch, and we’re looking forward to more from him in 2023.
Odumodublvck
Odumodublvck is a boisterous Nigerian rapper known for two main things — his audacious, aggressive lyrics and style, and his fusion of afrobeats, grime, and drill. The outcome is his very own personal blend of hip-hop. In 2022 he signed a record deal with NATIVE Records, in partnership with Def Jam Recordings. Odumodu raps mostly in Nigerian Pidgin English, telling stories about his community and everyday experiences in a witty, vivid fashion. His latest release is “Picanto,” a punchline-heavy afro hip-hop cut featuring Zlatan and Ecko Miles.
Bloody Civilian
Bloody Civilian is an Abuja-based producer who just began her journey as a recording artist. She was selected to contribute music production to the soundtrack of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, discovering she would be a key part of Marvel’s latest blockbuster ever before she had released her debut single. She was signed by Def Jam CEO Tunji Balogun, the same name responsible for signing Tems, SZA and Kendrick. She released her debut single “How To Kill A Man” in October 2022, a satirical tutorial to women on how to reclaim their agency, wrapped in an afropop package.
GreatMan Takit
Greatman Takitis a singer, songwriter, and gospel artist from Kwara state, Nigeria and yes, Greatman Takit is actually his real name. He stepped out in earnest in 2020, after breaking out from renowned Nigerian gospel choir The Gratitude to be a solo act. Since then he has established himself as one of the leading faces of Nigeria’s afro-gospel movement. He’s responsible for “Commando,” a colorful and infectious afro-gospel tune made in collaboration with Ko’rale.
Pawzz
Emerging afro-fusion artist David Dekor, better known as Pawzz released his debut EP titled Press Play this month. The 5-track EP is an exuberant display of vocal dexterity, floaty melodies, and positive energy. On “Body Language,” Pawzz expresses desire and longing, issuing a sensuous fusion of afro and R&B, while on “Koma” we see Pawzz live out his afropop star potential with confidence and charisma. Pawzz is a Port Harcourt city native, the same city that birthed Burna Boy and Omah Lay, and if Press Play is anything to go by, we trust that Pawzz is well on the way to matching up to the legacy of his predecessors.
Boy Spyce
Boy Spyce is a singer, songwriter, and performer, and a native of Benin city in Edo state. The 21 year-old signed to Mavin Records in 2022 after having the underground buzzing with a number of freestyle videos. He dropped his self-titled debut EP the same year, a 5-track offering of solo songs by the talented vocalist. “Nobody” is an age-appropriate love song, a midtempo afrobeats cut that sees Spyce candidly express his affections to the apple of his eye.
Somadina
Somadina is a highly-talented vocalist who made her initial debut in 2018 with her singles “IHY” and “Lay Low” and began to build a following, particularly among Nigeria’s alternative music scene. The 22-year old considers herself a genre-fluid artist, with her discography laced with pop, rock, R&B, and alternative sounds. Her latest release is “an EP that feels like an album” titled Heart of The Heavenly Undeniable. The 11-track EP is an alchemy of sounds that features alté scene heavyweights Zamir, The Cavemen, and Odunsi the Engine, and was released under Warner Music Africa.
Berri Tiga
Agada Blessed Obotu, known as Berri-Tiga is an afropop singer and native of Benue State, Nigeria. He made his debut in 2021 with afrobeats number “Fire” before rising to national attention in 2022 as a result of his hit collaboration with Carter Efe “Machala,” an ode to pop superstar Wizkid which topped Apple Music’s Nigeria Top 100 chart shortly after release. His latest release is titled “God”, an upbeat tune that sees Berri sing praises to his Maker for his many victories over a highlife-inspired afropop instrumental.
Kémi Lopez
Kémi Lopez is a Nigerian R&B and soul singer and songwriter from Maiduguri, Nigeria. Kémi's sound embodies a blend of contemporary R&B, alternative R&B, indie soul and afro-soul. Her unique vocal texture and delivery coupled with her ability to fluidly switch between English and Yoruba gives the young singer a distinct edge. Her latest release is titled “Love,” a sultry R&B ballad that narrates the story of a woman thinking out loud about her ideal love over an intimate and emotive R&B soundscape.
Kold AF
Also joining the class of newcomers in Nigeria’s music scene isKold AF, a singer and songwriter who deals in afro-fusion with a distinct style and sound. In December 2022 she dropped a 2-track EP titled Kold SZN, a brief but impressive offering that’s just a taste of what’s to come from the talented vocalist and performer.
L0LA
L0la is a 21-year old Nigerian singer and songwriter, based in London. She’s a bit of a mystery, with limited info about herself available aside her very many Instagram photos, but one thing we do know about her is that she’s well embedded in Nigeria’s alté scene. She’s featured on songs with the likes of Cruel Santino, and on Somadina’s EP along with the likes of Zamir and Odunsi The Engine. L0la has already began to grace live events in the UK and Europe, and she has an EP out, her debut project titled Love, L0la. Her latest release is “Conceited,” an alternative rock fusion that reveals L0la in her element.
Bayanni
Bayanni is a Nigerian singer and songwriter, and a new signing announced by Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records in August 2022. Joining the host of talented young artists on the label such as Johnny Drille, Ladipoe, Rema, Ayra Starr, Magixx and Boy Spyce, he was introduced with the release of his self-titled debut EP Bayanni, featuring four solo singles. One of his standout tunes so far is “Ta Ta Ta,” a vibrant afrobeats single laced with sexual innuendo.
The Nigerian director saw a vision of Mami Wata, then made a film that became the toast of Sundance and won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography.
C.J. Obasi’s third feature length film MamiWata has taken Sundance by storm. The mesmerizing fable, which marks the first time a home-grown Nigerian film scores a competition prize at the Sundance Film Festival, delves into the myth of the Mami Wata folklore, a terrifying mermaid goddess popular across West Africa. Obasi’s MamiWata tells a simple enough story of good versus evil, and the importance of maintaining balance while hurtling towards societal change. But Obasi is not your basic filmmaker, and his interpretation of this well-known folklore is a startling cinematic achievement that advances his singular vision.
Shot in dazzling black and white, and envisioned as an expressionist exercise, MamiWata tells the story of a beach-side community that must interrogate previously held beliefs when a stranger washes up ashore and forces a reckoning. At Sundance, Mami Wata impressed jury, critics and audiences alike. The film won the special jury award for cinematography for Brazilian DOP Lílis Soares’ striking work.
OkayAfrica spoke with Obasi from Park City, Utah about the seven-year process that brought Mami Wata to life.
Interview has been edited for length and clarity.
C.J. "Fiery" Obasi took seven years to make 'Mami Wata,' which he started writing in January 2016.
Photo: The Sundance Institute
You really saw a vision of Mami Wata and lived to tell the tale?
After the lackluster reception of my 2015 film, O-Town, I was at a place where I was worrying about what to do next. I have had three or four encounters all through my life where even though I am awake, I kind of zone out and recall no presence of time. I went to this beach where I saw this vision of a goddess whom I believe to be Mami Wata. If you see a giantess standing in the ocean with red glowing eyes staring at you, you kind of assume she is Mami Wata. She was beckoning on this young woman who was walking into the ocean. I said to myself that I am going to make MamiWata as my next project. That began a process of figuring out what kind of Mami Wata movie I wanted. I envisaged an emotional narrative that speaks to individuality and our identity as (West) Africans. Instinctively I realized that to go on that path I would need to follow the journey of the young woman and not necessarily Mami Wata. Who was this woman? Where was she coming from? If I could find the journey of the young woman, then that would lead me to Mami Wata.
Guitar Boy, the classic song by Sir Victor Uwaifo about his encounter with a Mami Wata readily comes to mind.
Of course. And to my credit when I saw Mami Wata I did not run away…
Sir Victor Uwaifo’s music appears in the film also. This was deliberate?
Absolutely, those who know, know. I did not want to use Guitar Boy because that would be too on the nose, but I also feel that Victor Uwaifo’s style of music imbibes the style and aesthetic of the film. And if you notice the scene at the bar, we call the bar Joroma but it is obviously a node to this Joromi genre which he created.
Pidgin language, which is native to various communities in Africa, and the diaspora even, is central to the film’s narrative.
For me it is about the history of Pidgin and how the language came to the West African region. Before even the slave trade, the West African coast was a commercial hub and people had to find a common language. Then we had the Europeans colonizing this region for hundreds of years. There had to be a common language and Pidgin morphed out of that necessity. There is a misconception that Pidgin is derived from English - and there is Pidgin English - but Pidgin is not necessarily a broken form of English. It is a mash up of several local languages including English. If you go to Delta state in Nigeria, the Pidgin is different from that spoken in say Ghana or Liberia. The idea of Pidgin as culture is what I wanted to reflect in the film, which is why as a Nigerian you will understand the Pidgin but will not necessarily call it Nigerian Pidgin.
Even when the film is specific to the West African region, it travels because there are versions of Mami Wata in several cultures that people can connect to.
We hope that it translates. You start from Nigeria, Benin Republic, rest of West Africa, Africa, the diaspora and beyond, because, like you observed, even non-Africans have a mermaid story. But they also have stories about their folklore, about spirituality and tradition. So, whether the mythology is Greek or Nordic or Celtic, you will find common themes.
You mentioned spending five years on this project…
That was just for the writing process. It took seven years to complete the film. I started writing in January 2016, and we premiered at Sundance in January 2023. I wrote about eight or nine drafts, maybe even 10. It started as a traditional genre film because I am a fan of genre and that was easy for me to do. But I soon realized I had put myself in a box. Looking back, I guess this maybe could have worked but that isn’t the direction I was going for. I wanted to do something that had more layers of meaning. After trying and failing multiple times, I decided to destroy all those drafts and start from scratch. And this led me to the development labs like Ouaga film lab and Less is More.
The setting is such that the film appears timeless and could be happening anytime in the past, present or future.
This was always there from the beginning, even when it was still in the genre drafts. We had this line in the script where the description was, “set in a West African village frozen in time.” I did not keep that line but that allowed me get into that world, and I think that is intricate to the story. I love period pieces, but I did not want to make one because I think there is something about them that can put up a chasm, and prevent the audience from going fully into the experience. The mind engages with stuff it finds relatable. We didn’t want that for this film, and one way we went about this was with the symbols that are related to the present. And also, with conversations around modernity, such as wanting schools and hospitals, that are present in the film.
The performances are great but also framed and delivered in a certain stylized way. The lead, Evelyne Ily Juhen, is a revelation, and Rita Edochie who is a Nollywood veteran has such a strong presence.
I have always been a huge fan of Rita Edochie, from just watching her in stuff. She is someone who elevates whatever she is in. But I always felt like she could do a whole lot more. When MamiWata presented itself, and she agreed to do it, I was excited to try. It is actually the first time she is doing a project that is cinema and she is very proud of that, which makes me very proud. I remember when she first came on set for her costume and makeup test. She put them on and everyone on set went crazy, and this was just the screen test. In terms of the framing and the stylistic choices, these are things that were already rudimentary to the storytelling. How do you capture the intermediary between the people and the water goddess? How do you capture the people themselves? This is all rooted in the cinematography and the conversations I had with DOP Lílis Soares. We wanted a specific gaze to capture Africans, one that is more empathetic rather than sympathetic, which is usually the go to style whenever rural Africa is represented on film.
Not only is the cinematography amazing, but also, everything from production design to costumes, hair and makeup is stunning.
I am glad you said this because the cinematography is great, but it works because of all these other elements. They had to come together to make it work.
What were your influences for Mami Wata?
We watched a lot of stuff, I must say, but mostly to understand what not to do for our film. We did not have a lot of direct references for what we were trying to do so we were watching things and consciously eliminating them. On the other hand, we watched things that inspired us in terms of innovation, but even those were not directly related. We would watch western genre films and classics from Asia. There are a lot of African filmmakers that inspire me, and my favorite film of all time will always be Yeelen. It is a very different film from MamiWata but the thing I love about it is Souleymane Cissé’s unabashed way of telling African folklore. That kind of audacity will always be influential to me.
You mentioned at the premiere that it was tough convincing people to back a MamiWata story because of the spiritual dimensions.
It was hard convincing investors. We actually had one who was interested in investing in my film but as soon as we said MamiWata, she actually said, “Holy Ghost fire,” and sent us packing. This is not a joke. But with the actors, there was no push back. They had questions certainly, concerning what I was doing but they were mostly excited. The job as a director is to constantly reassure your collaborators that they are in good hands, and I am pretty good at that.
Renowned dancehall artist Popcaan has released his album Great Is He, via OVO Sound, and it features none other than Burna Boy.
Jamaica's Popcaanhas shared his anticipated album Great Is He, and the body of work features Nigerian superstar Burna Boy on the track "Aboboyaa."
The album showcases the Jamaican musical giant's signature dancehall sound, while also exploring the depth of genre's versatility. In addition to featuring Burna Boy, Great Is He includes features from OVO Sound's boss Drake, Jamaica's Chronic Law, and Toni-Ann Singh, among others.
On "Aboboyaa," the two musical powerhouses merge their signature rhythmic melodies and intonations in a way that is both compelling to listen to on the first listen, and in turn inspires a second and third listen.
Ever since he released his debut album in 2014, Popcaan has become an international dancehall sensation, and his repertoire includes a list of impressive features.
His album Forever, which was released in 2018, debuted at number two on Billboard’s Top Reggae Albums. Commercially, Popcaan has made a mark on the music scene too. His last project FIXTAPE — which included “Twist & Turn,” the mesmerizing dancehall hit featuring Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR — has garnered over 191 million streams and continues to receive accolades from outlets like Pitchfork, who described the body of work as “a testament to his place at the forefront of the genre.”
"Aboboyaa" is not Popcaan's first international collaboration. In the past, the Jamaican icon has worked with several international music acts including Davido, Jamie xx, Young Thug, Gorillaz, Kano, Jorja Smith and a host of others. He also founded Jamaica’s annual Unruly Festwhich brings stars across the globe to experience Jamaican culture.
The Nigerian American director has long used the tools of his multi-hyphenate trade to expand the ways Africans are seen. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, 'Bravo, Burkina!' gives him a larger canvas on which to paint.
Nigeria's renowned Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, scored a nomination at the 2023 Oscars for co-writing ‘Lift Me Up’, one of the songs on 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.'
