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{{Nigerianmusic}}
<center><font size="+3">ONLY '''[[Piss Christ|PISSCHRIST]]''' CAN SAVE YOU!</center></font>

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The '''music of Nigeria''' includes many kinds of [[folk music|folk]] and [[popular music|popular]] music, some of which are known worldwide. Styles of folk music are related to the multitudes of [[Demographics of Nigeria#Ethnic groups|ethnic groups]] in the country, each with their own techniques, instruments and songs. Little is known about the country's music history prior to European contact, although [[bronze]] carvings dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries have been found depicting musicians and their instruments&nbsp;<ref>Karolyi, pg. 4</ref>.
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[[Nigeria]] has been called "the heart of [[music of Africa|African music]]" because of its role in the development of West African [[highlife]] and [[palm-wine music]], which fuses native rhythms with techniques imported from the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]], [[Brazil]], [[Cuba]] and elsewhere. Highlife was an important foundation for the development of several popular styles that were unique to Nigeria, like [[apala]], [[fuji music|fuji]], [[jùjú music|jùjú]] and [[Yo-pop]]. Subsequently, Nigerian musicians created their own styles of [[United States]] [[hip hop music|hip-hop]] and [[Jamaica]]n [[reggae]]. Nigeria's musical output has achieved international acclaim not only in the fields of folk and popular music&nbsp;<ref>Graham pg. 598 <small>Graham claims that ''Nigeria is at the heart of African music'' and also cites the importance of highlife in Nigerian music, as well as its influence on other countries</ref>, but also [[European classical music|Western art music]] written by composers such as [[Fela Sowande]].
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[[Polyrhythm]]s, in which two or more separate beats are played simultaneously, are a part of much of traditional African music&nbsp;<ref>[http://www.africanchorus.org/Voam/Voam624.htm The Orchestra in the African Context]</ref>; Nigeria is no exception. The [[African hemiola style]], based on the asymmetric rhythm pattern&nbsp;<ref>Karolyi, pgs. 12 - 14 <small>Karolyi attributes this term to ''American musicologist and ethnomusicologist Rose Brandel'', specifically in ''The Music of Central Africa: An Ethnomusicological Study''</ref>, is an important rhythmic technique throughout the continent. Nigerian music also uses [[ostinato]] rhythms, in which a rhythmic pattern is repeated despite changes in [[Metre (music)|metre]].

Nigeria has some of the most advanced [[recording studio]] technology in Africa, and provides robust commercial opportunities for music performers. Ronnie Graham, an historian who specialises in West Africa, has attributed the success of the Nigerian music industry to the country's culture—its "thirst for aesthetic and material success and a voracious appetite for life, love and music, [and] a huge domestic market, big enough to sustain artists who sing in regional languages and experiment with indigenous styles". However, political corruption and rampant music piracy in Nigeria has hampered the industry's growth&nbsp;<ref>Graham, pg. 588 <small>''The music industry is well-developed, with numerous recording studios, a thirst for aesthetic and material success and a voracious appetite for life, love and music.''</ref>.

== Folk music ==
More than 400 [[Demographics of Nigeria#Ethnic groups|ethnic group]]s are native to Nigeria, and many more have immigrated there in recent years; the largest ethnic groups are the [[Igbo people|Igbo]], [[Hausa people|Hausa]] and [[Yoruba]] tribes. Traditional music from Nigeria and throughout Africa is almost always functional; in other words, it is performed to mark a ritual such as a [[wedding]] or [[funeral]] and not for pure entertainment or artistic enjoyment&nbsp;<ref>Titon</ref>. Although some Nigerians, especially children and the elderly, play instruments for their own amusement, solo performance is otherwise rare. Music is closely linked to [[agriculture]], and there are restrictions on, for example, which instruments can be played during different parts of the growing season.

[[Work song]]s are a common type of traditional Nigerian music. They help to keep the rhythm of workers in fields, river canoes and other fields. Women use complex rhythms in housekeeping tasks, such as pounding [[yam (vegetable)|yams]] to highly ornamented music. In the northern regions, farmers work together on each other's farms and the host is expected to supply musicians for his neighbours.

Musicians in Nigeria are typically not professionals, though there are some exceptions; the northern [[Muslim]]s in eastern [[Adamawa]], for example, do have groups of specialised musicians. The issue of musical composition is also highly variable. The [[Hwana]], for example, believe that all songs are taught by the peoples' ancestors, while the [[Tiv]] give credit to named composers for almost all songs, and the [[Efik]] name individual composers only for secular songs. In many parts of Nigeria, musicians are allowed to say things in their lyrics that would otherwise be perceived as offensive. <!-- examples? -->

The most common format for music in Nigeria is the [[call and response (music)|call-and-response]] choir, in which a lead singer and a chorus interchange verses, sometimes accompanied by instruments that either shadow the lead text or repeat and [[ostinato]] vocal phrase. The southern area features complex rhythms and solo players using melody instruments, while the north more typically features polyphonic wind ensembles. The extreme north region is associated with [[monody|monodic]] (i.e., single-line) music with an emphasis on drums, and tends to be more influenced by Islamic music.

[[Epic poetry]] is found in parts of Nigeria, and its performance is always viewed as musical in nature. Blind itinerant performers, sometimes accompanying themselves with a string instrument, are known for reciting long poems of unorthodox Islamic text among the [[Kanuri]] and Hausa. These, and other related traditions, may be descended from similar [[Maghreb]]ian and European traditions<!-- Requires a brief explanation -->. ''[[The Ozidi Saga]]'' found in the Niger Delta is a well-known epic that takes seven days to perform and utilises a chorus, a narrator, and percussion, [[mime]] and dance.

=== The Hausa ===
''Main article: [[Hausa music]]''

The Hausa of the north are known for complex [[percussion instrument|percussive]] music, the one-stringed [[goje]] [[fiddle]], and a strong [[praise song]] vocal tradition. Under Muslim influence since the 14th century, Hausa music uses free-rhythmic improvisation and the Arabic scale, melding them with West African elements such as polyrhythms and call-and-response vocalisation&nbsp;<ref>Arab World Information, "Traditional Hausa Music of Nigeria"</ref>. Music is used to celebrate births, marriages, circumcisions, and other important life events. Hausa ceremonial music (''[[rokon fada]]'') is well known in the area, and is dominated by families of praise singers, including, most famously, [[Narambad]]&nbsp;<ref>Graham</ref>. The Hausa play percussion instruments such as the [[tambura]] drum and the royal, elongated [[kakakai]] trumpet&nbsp;{{ref|AfricanChorus}}, which was "originally used by the [[Songhai]] cavalry and was taken by the rising Hausa states as a symbol of military power"&nbsp;<ref>Graham, pg. 90 <small>''The most impressive of the Hausa '''state instruments''', however, is the elongated state trumpet called '''kakakai''', which was originally used by the Songhai cavalry and was taken by the rising Hausa states as a symbol of military power.''</ref>. Kakakai trumpets can be more than two metres long, and can be easily broken down into three portable parts for easy transportation&nbsp;<ref>Karolyi, pg. 43</ref>.

Rural Hausa music includes dances such as [[asauwara]] (for young females) and the [[spirit possession]] dance [[bòòríí]]. Hausa folk music has produced popular entertainers, including [[Dan Maraya]] (known for his one-stringed [[lute]], the [[kontigi]]), [[Audo Yaron Goje]], [[Muhamman Shata]] and [[Ibrahim Na Habu]] (known for his [[kukkuma]] fiddling)&nbsp;<ref>Graham</ref>.

The Hausa [[bòòríí]] cult is especially well known outside the country, and has been brought as far north as [[Tripoli]], [[Libya]] by [[trans-Saharan trade]]. The bòòríí cult features a kind of hypnotic, trance-inducing music, played on the [[calabash]], lute or fiddle. During ceremonies, women and other marginalised groups fall into trances and perform various dramatic behaviours, such as mimicking a pig or engaging in human sex. These people are said to be possessed by a character, each with its own litany (''kírààrì''). Similar trance cults (the so-called "[[Mami Wata|mermaid cults]]"), can be found in the [[Niger Delta]] region.

=== The Igbo ===

The [[Igbo people]] live in the south-east of Nigeria, and play a wide variety of folk instruments. They are known for their ready adoption of foreign styles, and were an important part of Nigerian highlife&nbsp;<ref>Graham, pg. 589 <small>Graham describes both the receptvity of the Igbo to foreign influences, as well as the use of the ''obo''</ref>. The most widespread instrument is the 13-stringed [[zither]], called an ''[[obo]]''. The Igbo also play [[slit drum]]s, [[xylophone]]s, [[flute]]s, [[lyre]]s, [[udu]]s and lutes, and more recently, imported European [[brass instrument]]s.

Courtly music is played among the more traditional Igbo, maintain their royal traditions. The ''ufie'' ([[slit drum]]) is used to wake the chief and communicate meal times and other important information to him. Bell and drum ensembles are used to announce when the chief departs and returns to his village&nbsp;<ref>Graham</ref>.

=== The Yoruba ===
''Main article: [[Yoruba music]]''

The [[Yoruba]] have an advanced [[drums|drumming]] tradition, with a characteristic use of the [[dundun]] hourglass [[tension drums]]. Ensembles using the dundun play a type of music that is also called ''dundun''&nbsp;<ref>[http://www.africanchorus.org/Voam/Voam624.htm The Orchestra in the African Context]</ref>. These ensembles consist of various sizes of tension drums, along with kettledrums (''gudugudu''). The leader of a dundun ensemble is the ''iyalu'', who uses the drum to "talk" by imitating the tonality of [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]]&nbsp;<ref>Graham</ref>. Much of Yoruba music is spiritual in nature, and is devoted to the [[Orisa]]s of [[Yoruba mythology]].

Yoruba music has become the most important component of modern Nigerian popular music, as a result of its early influence from European, Islamic and [[Brazil]]ian forms. These influences stemmed from the importation of [[brass instrument]]s, [[sheet music]], Islamic percussion and styles brought by Brazilian merchants&nbsp;<ref>Graham, pg. 589 <small>Graham claims the source of the Brazilian influence was the ''influential Brazilian merchant community of the early 19th century.''</ref>. In Nigeria's largest city, [[Lagos]], these multicultural traditions were brought together and became the root of Nigerian popular music. Modern styles such as [[Salawa Abeni]]'s [[waka music|waka]] and [[Yusuf Olatunji]]'s [[sakara]] are derived primarily from Yoruban traditional music.

=== Theatrical music ===

Nigerian [[theatre]] makes extensive use of music. Often, this is simply traditional music used in a theatrical production without adaptation. However, there are also distinct styles of music used in Nigerian [[opera]]. Here, music is used to convey an impression of the dramatic action to the audience. Music is also used in literary drama, although its musical accompaniment is more sparingly used than in opera; again, music communicates the mood or tone of events to the audience. An example is [[John Pepper Clark]]'s ''[[The Ozidi Saga]]'', a play about murder and revenge, featuring both human and non-human actors. Each character in the play is associated with a personal theme song, which accompanies battles in which the character is involved.

Traditional Nigerian theatre includes [[puppetry|puppet]] shows in [[Borno State]] and among the Ogoni and Tiv, and the ancient Yoruba [[Aláàrìnjó]] tradition, which may be descended from the [[Egúngún]] masquerade. With the influx of road-building colonial powers, these theatre groups spread across the country and their productions grew ever more elaborate. They now typically use European instruments, film extracts and recorded music.

=== Children's music ===

Children in Nigeria have many of their own traditions, usually singing [[game]]s. These are most often call-and-response type songs, using archaic language. There are other songs, such as among the [[Tarok]] people that are sexually explicit and obscene, and are only performed far away from the home. Children also use instruments like un-pitched raft-zithers (made from cornstalks) and drums made from tin cans, a pipe made from a [[pawpaw]] stem and a [[Jew's harp]] made from a [[sorghum]] stalk. Among the Hausa, children play a unique instrument in which they beat rhythms on the inflated stomach of a live, irritated [[pufferfish]].

=== Traditional instruments ===

Although percussion instruments are omnipresent, Nigeria's traditional music uses a number of diverse instruments. Many, such as the [[xylophone]], are an integral part of music across [[West Africa]], while others are imports from the Muslims of the [[Maghreb]], or from [[Southern Africa|Southern]] or [[East Africa]]; other instruments have arrived from Europe or the Americas. Brass instruments and woodwinds were early imports that played a vital role in the development of Nigerian music, while the later importation of electric guitars spurred the popularisation of jùjú music.

==== Percussion ====

The xylophone is a tuned [[idiophone]], common throughout west and central Africa. In Nigeria, they are most common in the southern part of the country, and are of the central African model. Several musicians sometimes simultaneously play a single xylophone. The instruments are usually made of loose wood placed across banana logs. Pit- and box-resonated xylophones are also found. Ensembles of clay pots beaten with a soft pad are common; they are sometimes filled with water. Although normally tuned, untuned examples are sometimes used to produce a bass rhythm. Hollow logs are also used, split lengthways, with resonator holes at the end of the slit. They were traditionally used to communicate over great distances.

Various bells are a common part of royal regalia, and were used in [[secret society|secret societies]]. They are usually made of iron, or in Islamic orchestras of the north, of bronze. Struck gourds, placed on a cloth and struck with sticks, are a part of women's music, as well as the [[bòòríí]] cult dances. Sometimes, especially in the north, gourds are placed upside-down in water, with the pitch adjusted by the amount of air underneath it. In the south-west, a number of tuned gourds are played while floating in a trough.

Scrapers are common throughout the south. One of the most common types is a notched stick, played by dragging a shell across the stick at various speeds. It is used both as a women's court instrument and by children in teasing games. Among the Yoruba, an iron rod may be used as a replacement for a stick. Rattles are common, made of gourds containing seeds or stones are common, as are net-rattles, in which a string network of beads or shells encloses a gourd. Rattles are typically played in ritual or religious context, predominantly by women.
Drums of many kinds are the most common type of percussion instrument in Nigeria. They are traditionally made from a single piece of wood or spherical calabashes, but have more recently been made from oil drums. The hourglass drum is the most common shape, although there are also double-headed barrel drums, single-headed drums and conical drums. Frame drums are also found in Nigeria, but may be an importation from Brazil. A rather unique percussion instrument is the [[udu]], a kind of vessel drum.

==== String instruments ====

The [[musical bow]] is found in Nigeria as a mouth-resonated cord, either plucked or struck. It is most common in the central part of the country, and is associated with agricultural songs and those expressing social concerns. Cereal stalks bound together and strings supported by two bridges are used to make a kind of raft-zither, played with the thumbs, typically for solo entertainment. The arched harp is found in the eastern part of the country, especially among the Tarok. It usually has five or six strings and pentatonic tuning. A bowl-resonated spike-fiddle with a lizard skin table is used in the northern region; it is an import from [[North Africa]], and is similar to central Asian and Ethiopian forms. The Hausa and Kanuri peoples play a variety of spike-lutes.

==== Other instruments ====

A variety of [[brass instrument|brass]] and [[woodwind instrument]]s are also found in Nigeria. These include long [[trumpet]]s, frequently made of [[aluminium]] and played in pairs or ensembles of up to six, often accompanied by a [[shawm]]. Wooden trumpets, gourd trumpets, end-blown flutes, cruciform whistles, transverse clarinets and various kinds of horns are also found.

== Popular music ==

Many African countries have seen turbulence and violence during their forced transition from a diverse region of folk cultures to a group of modern nation states. Nigeria has experienced more difficulty than most African countries in forging a popular cultural identity from the diverse peoples of the countryside&nbsp;<ref>[http://www.afropop.org/explore/country_info/ID/5/Nigeria/ Afropop Nigeria]</ref> <!-- brief explanation? -->. From its beginnings in the streets of Lagos, popular music in Nigeria has long been an integral part of the field of African pop, bringing in influences and instruments from many ethnic groups, most prominently including the Yoruba.

The earliest styles of Nigerian popular music were [[palm-wine music]] and [[highlife]], which spread in the 1920s among Nigeria and nearby countries of [[Liberia]], [[Sierra Leone]] and [[Ghana]]. In Nigeria, palm-wine became the primary basis for [[jùjú music|jùjú]], a genre that dominated popular music for many years. During this time, a few other styles such as [[apala]], derived from traditional Yoruban music, also found a more limited audience. By the 1960s, Cuban, American and other styles of imported music were enjoying a large following, and musicians started to incorporate these influences into jùjú. The result was a profusion of new styles in the last few decades of the 20th century, including [[waka music]], [[Yo-pop]] and [[Afrobeat]].

{{listen|filename=BabatundeOlatunjiTheInvocat.ogg|title=Babatunde Olatunji's "The Invocation"|description=Olatunji became well-known in the United States and Europe after the 1959 release of ''[[Drums of Passion]]''}}

=== Palm-wine and the invention of jùjú ===
''Main article: [[Palm-wine music]]''

By the start of the 20th century, Yoruban music had incorporated brass instruments, written notation, Islamic percussion and new Brazilian techniques, resulting in the [[Lagos]]-born [[palm-wine music|palm-wine]] style. The term ''palm-wine'' is also used to describe related genres in [[Sierra Leone]] and [[Ghana]]&nbsp;<ref>Graham</ref>; these varieties are more well known than Nigerian palm-wine. However, ''palm-wine'' originally referred to a diverse set of styles played with [[string instrument]]s, characteristically, [[guitar]]s or [[banjo]]s) with [[shaker]]s and hand [[drum]]s accompanying&nbsp;<ref>[http://www.afropop.org/explore/style_info/ID/18/Juju/ Afropop Juju]</ref>. This urban style was frequently played in bars to accompany drinking (hence the name, which is derived from the alcoholic [[palm wine]] beverage).

The first stars of palm-wine had emerged by the 1920s, the most famous of whom was [[Baba Tunde King]]. King probably coined the word ''jùjú'' — a style of music he helped to create — in reference to the sound of a Brazilian [[tambourine]]; alternatively, the term may have developed as an expression of disdain by the colonial leaders (any native tradition was apt to be dismissed as 'mere ''joujou'', [[French language|French]] for "nonsense")&nbsp;<ref>Graham, pg. 590 <small>Graham claims that the word ''juju'' was a ''mild expression of colonial disparagement -- musical mumbo jumbo -- taken up by juju musicians themselves to subvert it. And ''jojo'' also happens to be Yoruba for ''dance''.''</ref>. By the early 1930s, British [[record label]]s such as [[HMV|His Master's Voice]] had started to record palm-wine, and more celebrities emerged, including [[Ojoge Daniel]], [[Tunde Nightingale]] and [[Speedy Araba]]. These artists, along with Tunde King, established the core of the style&nbsp;<ref>[http://www.afropop.org/explore/style_info/ID/18/Juju/ Afropop Juju]</ref>, which was called [[jùjú music|jùjú]], and remained one of the most popular genres in Nigeria throughout the 20th century.

=== Apala ===
''Main article: [[Apala]]''

Apala is a style of vocal and percussive Muslim Yoruba music. It emerged in the late 1930s as a means of rousing worshippers after the fasting of [[Ramadan]]. Under the influence of popular [[music of Cuba|Afro-Cuban percussion]], apala developed into a more polished style and attracted a large audience. The music required two or three talking drums (''omele''), a rattle (''sekere''), thumb piano (''agidigbo'') and a bell (''agogo''). [[Haruna Ishola]] was the most famous apala performer, and he later played an integral role in bringing apala to larger audiences as a part of [[fuji music]]&nbsp;<ref>Afropop: Apala <small>Afropop cites this claim as ''(m)usicologist Chris Waterman suggests that the influence of Afro-Cuban percussion recordings was also formative in refining the music's presentation, although not its rhythms and forms''. Afropop further specifies that, though the other instruments mentioned are common throughout Nigerian popular music, the use of the ''agidigbo'' is unusual and peculiar to apala</ref>.

=== The 1950s, '60s and '70s ===

Following [[World War II]], Nigerian music started to take on new instruments and techniques, including electric instruments imported from the United States and Europe. [[Rock and roll]], [[soul music|soul]], and later [[funk]], became very popular in Nigeria, and elements of these genres were added to jùjú by artists such as [[I. K. Dairo|IK Dairo]]. Meanwhile, highlife had been slowly gaining in popularity among the Igbo people, and their unique style soon found a national audience. At the same time, [[apala]]'s [[Haruna Ishola]] was becoming one of the country's biggest stars. In the early to mid 1970s, three of the biggest names in Nigerian music history were at their peak: [[Fela Kuti]], [[Ebenezer Obey]] and [[King Sunny Ade]], while the end of that decade saw the start of [[Yo-pop]] and [[Nigerian reggae]].

Although popular styles such as highlife and jùjú were at the top of the Nigerian charts in the '60s, traditional music remained widespread. Traditional stars included the Hausa [[Dan Maraya]], who was so well known that he was brought to the battlefield during the 1967 [[Nigerian Civil War]] to lift the morale of the federal troops.

==== The modernisation of jùjú ====
''Main article: [[Jùjú music]]''
[[Image:IKDairo.png|thumb|right|180px|I.K. Dairo]]

Following World War II, [[Tunde Nightingale]]'s [[s'o wa mbe]] style made him one of the first jùjú stars, and he introduced more Westernised pop influences to the genre. During the 1950s, recording technology grew more advanced, and the [[gangan]] [[talking drum]], [[electric guitar]] and [[accordion]] were incorporated into jùjú. Much of this innovation was the work of [[IK Dairo & the Morning Star Orchestra]] (later ''IK Dairo & the Blue Spots''), which formed in 1957&nbsp;<ref>[http://www.afropop.org/explore/style_info/ID/18/Juju/ Afropop Juju]</ref>; these performers brought jùjú from the rural poor to the urban cities of Nigeria and beyond&nbsp;<ref>[http://www.scaruffi.com/history/african.html Scaruffi]</ref>. Dairo became perhaps the biggest star of African music by the '60s, recording numerous hit songs that spread his fame to as far away as [[Japan]]. In 1963, he became the only African musician ever honoured by receiving membership of the [[Order of the British Empire|Order of the British Empire]], an [[order of chivalry]] in the [[United Kingdom]]&nbsp;<ref>Graham</ref>.

{{listen|filename=IKDairoMoSoriIre.ogg|title=I. K. Dairo's "Mo Sori Ire"|description=I. K. Dairo was one of the first famous Nigerian musicians}}

==== The spread of highlife ====
''Main article: [[Highlife]]''

Among the Igbo people, Ghanaian [[highlife]] became popular in the early 1950s, and other guitar-band styles from [[Cameroon]] and [[Zaire]] soon followed. The Ghanaian [[E. T. Mensah]], easily the most popular highlife performer of the 1950s, toured Igbo-land frequently, drawing huge crowds of devoted fans. [[Bobby Benson & His Combo]] was the first Nigerian highlife band to find audiences across the country. Benson was followed by [[Jim Lawson & the Mayor's Dance Band]], who achieved national fame in the mid-'70s, ending with Lawson's death in 1976. During the same period, other highlife performers were reaching their peak. These included [[Rocafil Jazz]] and [[Prince Nico Mbarga]], whose "[[Sweet Mother]]" was a pan-African hit that sold more than 13 million copies, more than any other African single of any kind. Mbarga used English lyrics in a style that he dubbed [[panko]], which incorporated "sophisticated [[rumba]] guitar-phrasing into the highlife idiom"&nbsp;<ref>Graham, pgs. 596 - 597 <small>Graham explains the importance of both Benson and Lawson. Referring to "Sweet Mother, Graham explains: ''(b)ut it is an infectious song and its potent appeal was concocted from Mbarga's use of pidgin English (broadening his audience enormously) and a style he called ''panko'' -- for the first time incorporating sophisticated rumba guitar-phrasing into the highlife idiom.''</ref>.

After the civil war in the 1960s, Igbo musicians were forced out of Lagos and returned to their homeland. The result was that highlife ceased to be a major part of mainstream Nigerian music, and was thought of as being something purely associated with the Igbos of the east. Highlife's popularity slowly dwindled among the Igbos, supplanted by jùjú and fuji. However, a few performers kept the style alive, such as Yoruba singer and trumpeter [[Victor Olaiya]] (the only Nigerian to ever earn a platinum record), [[Stephen Osita Osadebe]], [[Sonny Okosun]], [[Victor Uwaifo]], and [[Orlando "Dr. Ganja" Owoh]], whose distinctive [[toye]] style fused jùjú and highlife&nbsp;<ref>Graham</ref>.

{{listen|filename=PrinceNicoMbargaSweetMother.ogg|title=Prince Nico Mbarga's "Sweet Mother"|description="Sweet Mother" was a best-selling single across Africa}}

==== The birth of fuji ====
''Main article: [[Fuji music]]''

[[Apala]], a traditional style from [[Ijebu]] in [[Yorubaland]], also became very popular in the 1960s, led by performers like [[Haruna Ishola]] and [[Ayinla Omowora]]. Ishola, who was one of Nigeria's most consistent hit makers between 1955 and his death in 1983, recorded apala songs, which alternated between slow and emotional, and swift and energetic. His lyrics were a mixture of improvised praise and passages from the Koran, as well as traditional [[proverb]]s. His work became a formative influence on the developing fuji style.

The late 1960s saw the appearance of the first fuji bands. Fuji was named after [[Mount Fuji]] in Japan, purely for the sound of the word, according to [[Sikiru Barrister]]&nbsp;<ref>Graham, pg. 593 <small>Graham does not cite a specific source for the claim by Sikiru Barrister</ref>. Fuji was a synthesis of apala with the "ornamented, free-rhythmic" vocals of ''[[ajiwere]]'' devotional singers&nbsp;<ref>Arab World Information, "Popular Fuji Music of Nigeria"</ref>, and was accompanied by the [[sakara]], a tambourine-drum, and Hawaiian guitar. Among the genre's earliest stars were [[Haruna Ishola]] and [[Ayinla Omowura]]; Ishola released numerous hits from the late '50s to the early '80s, becoming one of the country's most famous performers. Fuji grew steadily more popular between the 1960s and '70s, becoming closely associated with [[Islam]] in the process.

Fuji has been described as jùjú without guitars; ironically, Ebenezer Obey once described jùjú as [[mambo]] with guitars&nbsp;<ref>Graham, pg. 593 <small>Graham does not cite a specific source beyond Ebenezer Obey, and explains that fuji is only ''sometimes glibly described as jùjú music without guitars''</ref>. However, at its roots, fuji is a mixture of Muslim traditional [[were (music)|''were'']] songs with "aspects of apala percussion and vocal songs and brooding, philosophical sakara music"&nbsp;<ref>Afropop: Fuji <small>''Barrister, who remains on the leading edge, started out in 1965 singing were-songs used to rouse Muslims early in the morning during the holy season of Ramadan. He went on to mix in aspects of apala percussion and vocal songs and brooding, philosophical sakara music and emerged with a new style of music he dubbed fuji.''</ref>; of these elements, ''apala'' is the fundamental basis of fuji&nbsp;<ref>Afropop: Apala <small>Afropop cites this claim as ''typically considered the most important precursor'' of fuji</ref>. The first stars of fuji were the rival bandleaders [[Sikuru Ayinde Barrister]] and [[Kollington Ayinla]]&nbsp;<ref>[http://www.afropop.org/explore/style_info/ID/8/Fuji/ Afropop Fuji]</ref>. Ayinde started his fuji career in the early 1970s with the ''Supreme Fuji Commanders'', although he had sung Muslim were songs since he was 10 years old. Ayyinde's rival was Ayinla "Baba Alatika" Kollington, known for using social commentary in his lyrics. He was followed in the 1980s by burgeoning stars such as [[Barrister Wasiu]].

{{listen|filename=SikiruAyindeBarristerFujiLo.ogg|title=Sikiru Ayinde Barrister's "Fuji London Garbage" |description=Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was a very popular fuji musician}}

==== Diversification: Ade and Obey ====
[[Image:KingSunnyAde.png|thumb|left|250px|King Sunny Ade]]

[[Ebenezer Obey]] formed the ''International Brothers'' in 1964, and his band soon rivalled that of IK Dairo as the biggest Nigerian group. They played a form of [[blues]]y, guitar-based and highlife-influenced jùjú that included complex [[talking drum]]-dominated percussion elements. Obey's lyrics addressed issues that appealed to urban listeners, and incorporated Yoruban traditions and his conservative Christian faith. His rival was [[King Sunny Ade]], who emerged in the same period, forming the ''Green Spots'' in 1966 and then achieving some major hits with the ''African Beats'' after 1974's ''[[Esu Biri Ebo Mi]]''. Ade and Obey raced to incorporate new influences into jùjú music and to gather new fans; [[Hawaiian slack-key]], [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]] and background vocals were among the innovations added during this rapidly changing period&nbsp;<ref>Graham, pgs. 591 - 592 <small>Graham discusses at length the rivalry between Ade and Obey that spurred so much innovation</ref>. Ade added strong elements of Jamaican [[dub music]], and introduced the practice of having the guitar play the rhythm and the drums play the melody&nbsp;<ref>[http://www.scaruffi.com/history/african.html Scaruffi]</ref>. During this period, jùjú songs changed from short pop songs to long tracks, often over 20 minutes in length. Bands increased from four performers in the original ensembles, to 10 with IK Dairo and more than 30 with Obey and Ade.

{{listen|filename=KingSunnyAdeMaJaiyeOni.ogg|title=King Sunny Ade's "Ma Jaiye Oni"|description=King Sunny Ade was a major star of 1960s and 70s juju}}

{{listen|filename=EbenezerObeyafienioluwakoyo.ogg|title=Ebenezer Obey's "A Fi Eni Oluwa Koyo"|description=Obey rose to fame in the mid to late 1960s}}

=== The 1980s and '90s ===

In the early 1980s, both Obey and Ade found larger audiences outside of Nigeria. In 1982, Ade was signed to [[Island Records]], who hoped to replicate [[Bob Marley]]'s success, and released ''[[Juju Music (album)|Juju Music]]'', which sold far beyond expectations in Europe and the United States&nbsp;<ref>Graham</ref>. Obey released ''[[Current Affairs]]'' in 1980 on [[Virgin Records]] and became a brief star in the UK, but was not able to sustain his international career as long as Ade. Ade led a brief period of international fame for jùjú, which ended in 1985 when he lost his record contract after the commercial failure of ''[[Aura (King Sunny Ade album)|Aura]]'' (recorded with [[Stevie Wonder]]) and his band walked out in the middle of a huge Japanese tour. Ade's brush with international renown brought a lot of attention from mainstream record companies, and helped to inspire the burgeoning [[world music]] industry. By the end of the 1980s, jùjú had lost out to other styles, like [[Yo-pop]], [[Nigerian gospel|gospel]] and [[reggae]]. In the 1990s, however, fuji and jùjú remained popular, as did [[waka music]] and Nigerian reggae. At the very end of the decade, [[hip hop music]] spread to the country after being a major part of music in neighboring regions like Senegal.

==== 1980s: Yo-pop and Afro-jùjú ====
''Main articles: [[Yo-pop]] and [[Afro-juju]]''

Two of the biggest stars of the '80s were [[Segun Adewale]] and [[Shina Peters]], who started their careers performing in the mid-'70s with [[Prince Adekunle]]. They eventually left Adekunle and formed a brief partnership as ''Shina Adewale & the International Superstars'' before beginning solo careers&nbsp;<ref>[http://www.afropop.org/explore/style_info/ID/18/Juju/ Afropop Juju]</ref>. Adewale was the first of the two to gain success, when he became the most famous performer of [[Yo-pop]]&nbsp;<ref>Graham</ref>.

The Yo-pop craze did not last for long, replaced by Shina Peters' [[Afro-juju]] style, which broke into the mainstream after the release of ''[[Afro-Juju Series 1]]'' (1989). Afro-juju was a combination of Afrobeat and fuji, and it ignited such fervor among Shina's fans that the phenomenon was dubbed "Shinamania". Though he was awarded [[Juju Musician of the Year]] in 1990, Shina's follow-up, ''[[Shinamania]]'' sold respectively but was panned by critics&nbsp;<ref>Graham, pgs. 592-593 <small>Graham describes the origins of Peters' Afro-juju, the importance of ''Afro-Juju Series 1'', the term ''Shinamania'' and the critical and commercial performance of ''Shinamania''</ref>. His success opened up the field to newcomers, however, leading to the success of [[Fabulous Olu Fajemirokun]] and [[Adewale Ayuba]]. The same period saw the rise of new styles like the ''[[funky juju]]'' pioneered by [[Dele Taiwo]]&nbsp;<ref>Afropop: Juju <small>Afropop refers to the time period for ''funky juju'' as around the same time as 1989 or 1990</ref>.

{{listen|filename=ShinaPetersOmoEniyan,LoSora.ogg|title=Shina Peters "Omo Eniyan, La Sora"|description=Shina Peters was very popular in 1980s Nigeria}}

==== Afrobeat ====
''Main article: [[Afrobeat]]''

Afrobeat is a style most closely associated with Nigeria, though practitioners and fans are found throughout West Africa, and Afrobeat recordings are a prominent part of the [[world music]] category found throughout the developed world. It is a fusion of American [[funk]] music with elements of highlife, [[jazz]] and other styles of West African music. The most popular and well-known performer, indeed the most famous Nigerian musician in history, is undoubtedly [[Fela Kuti]]&nbsp;<ref>Graham</ref>.

Fela Kuti began performing in 1961, but did not start playing in his distinctive [[Afrobeat]] style until his exposure to Sierra Leonean [[Afro-soul]] singer [[Geraldo Pino]] in 1963&nbsp;<ref>Graham</ref>. Although Kuti is often credited as the only pioneer of Afrobeat, other musicians such as Kuti [[Orlando Julius Ekemode]] were also prominent in the early Afrobeat scene, where they combined highlife, jazz and funk&nbsp;<ref>[http://www.scaruffi.com/history/african.html Scaruffi]</ref>. A brief period in the United States saw him exposed to the [[Black Power]] movement and the [[Black Panther Party|Black Panthers]], an influence that he would come to express in his lyrics. After living in London briefly, he moved back to Lagos and opened a club, [[The Shrine]], which was one of the most popular music spots in the city. He started recording with [[Africa '70]], a huge band featuring drummer [[Tony Allen (musician)|Tony Allen]], who has since gone on to become a well-known musician in his own right. With Africa 70, Kuti recorded a series of hits, earning the ire of the government as he tackled such diverse issues as poverty, traffic and skin-bleaching. In 1985, Kuti was jailed for five years, but was released after only two years after international outcry and massive domestic protests. Upon release, Kuti continued to criticise the government in his songs, and became known for eccentric behaviour, such as suddenly divorcing all twenty-eight wives because "no man has the right to own a woman's vagina". His death from [[AIDS]] in 1997 sparked a period of national mourning that was unprecedented in documented Nigerian history&nbsp;<ref>Graham, pg. 595 <small>Graham is the source for the "vagina" quote, as well as the details of Kuti's career and the significance of his death</ref>.

{{listen|filename=FelaKutiAfricanWoman.ogg|title=Fela Kuti's "African Woman"|description=Fela Kuti's Afrobeat sound made him the most famous musician in Nigerian history}}

In the 1980s, Afrobeat became affiliated with the burgeoning genre of [[world music]]. In Europe and North America, so-called "world music" acts came from all over the world and played in a multitude of styles. Fela Kuti and his Afrobeat followers were among the most famous of the musicians considered world music.

By the end of the '80s and early '90s, Afrobeat had diversified by taking in new influences from [[jazz]] and [[rock and roll]]. The ever-masked and enigmatic [[Lágbájá]] became one of the standard-bearers of the new wave of Afrobeat, especially after his 1996 LP ''[[C'est Une African Thing]]''. Following a surprise appearance in place of his father, Fela, [[Femi Kuti]] garnered a large fan base that enabled him to tour across Europe.

{{listen|filename=FemiKutiSorrySorry(OldScho.ogg|title=Femi Kuti's "Sorry Sorry (Old School Afro D)"|description=Femi Kuti, son of Fela Kuti, is one of the major performers of modern Afrobeat}}

[[Image:FemiKuti.png|thumb|right|200px|Femi Kuti]]

{{listen|filename=LagbajaIluReO.ogg|title=Lagbaja's "Ilu Re O"|description=Lagbaja is a modern Afrobeat performer}}

==== Waka ====
''Main article: [[Waka music]]''

The popular songstress [[Salawa Abeni]] had become nationally renowned after the release of ''[[Late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed]]'' in 1976, which was the first Nigerian recording by a woman to sell more than a million copies. In the 1980s, she remained one of the nation's best-selling artists, creating her own unique variety of music called waka; she was so closely associated with the genre that a royal figure, the [[Alaafin of Oyo]], [[Obalamidi Adeyemi]], crowned her the "Queen of Waka Music" in 1992. Waka was a fusion of jùjú and fuji with traditional Yoruban music.

==== Reggae and hip hop ====
''Main articles: [[Nigerian reggae]], [[Nigerian gospel]] and [[Nigerian hip hop]]''

Nigerian reggae was popularised by stars such as [[Majek Fashek]], whose 1988 [[cover version|cover]] of [[Bob Marley]]'s "[[Redemption Song]]", became an unprecedented success for reggae in Nigeria. Like many later Nigerian reggae stars, Fashek was a part of the long-running band [[The Matadors]], who toured and recorded incessantly during the mid to late 1980s and early '90s. Later prominent reggae musicians included [[Jerri Jheto]], [[Daddy Showkey]], [[Ras Kimono]] and the London-based [[MC Afrikan Simba]].

Nigerian [[gospel music]], based on [[African American music]]al models, grew in the 1970s when church-based performance groups and individuals moved to public exhibition. Gospel became very popular in Nigeria throughout the last part of the century, especially singers like [[Sammie Okposo]], whose 2000 hit "Welu Welu" was one of the most popular songs in Nigerian history&nbsp;[http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/celebrityfashion/2005/may/21/celebrityfashion-21-05-2005-001.htm The Sun News Online], and the long-time performer [[Onyeka Onwenu]].

[[Hip hop music]] was brought to Nigeria in the late 1980s, and grew steadily popular throughout the first part of the 1990s. The first acts included [[Osha]], [[De Weez]] and [[Black Masquradaz]]. Mainstream success grew later in the decade, with attention brought by early hits like [[The Trybesmen]]'s "Trybal Marks" (1999) and the trio [[The Remedies]]' "Judile" and "Sakoma". One of The Remedies, [[Tony Tetuila]], went on to work with the [[Plantashun Boiz]] to great commercial acclaim. The 1999 founding of [[Paybacktyme Records]] helped establish a Nigerian hip hop scene. Other prominent Nigerian hip-hop musicians include former member of The Remedies [[Eedris Abdulkareem]], who had a well-publicised spat with the American star [[50 Cent]], [[Deshola Idowa]], [[JJC]] and the [[419 Squad]], [[Modenine]] and [[Terry tha Rapman]].

{{listen|filename=MajekFashekAfricanUnity.ogg|title=Majek Fashek's "African Unity"|description=Majek Fashek is among the most well-known Nigerian reggae musicians}}

== Music at festivals and holidays ==

[[Durbar]] festivals are held in many parts of south-west Nigeria; durbar is meant to honour the [[Emir]] during the culmination of the Islamic festivals [[`Eid Al-Fitr]], [[`Eid Al-Adha]], and [[Sallah]] for the well-known [[Katsina]] durbar, and is sometimes also used to honour visiting dignitaries&nbsp;[http://www.islamonline.net/English/ArtCulture/2004/05/article07.shtml IslamOnline]. Although the principal attraction of the durbar festivals is displays of traditional [[horsemanship]], performances by drummers, trumpeters and praise-singers are an important part of the celebration&nbsp;[http://www.africa-ata.org/nigeria_3.htm Africa Travel]. Other holidays in which music plays an important role include [[drumming]] and dances performed at [[Christmas]], [[Easter Sunday]] and [[Easter Monday]]&nbsp;[http://www.motherlandnigeria.com/holidays.html Motherland Nigeria].

== Classical music ==

In the 20th century, Nigeria produced a number of classical composers; these include [[Fela Sowande]], [[Joshua Uzoigwe]], [[Akin Euba]], and Godwin Sadoh. Sowande was a one of the first and most famous African composers in the Western classical tradition, and founder of the [[Nigerian art music]] tradition. Sowande was also an [[organ (musical instrument)|organ]]ist and [[jazz]] musician, incorporating these and elements of Nigerian folk music into his work&nbsp;[http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/Sowande.html Africlassical.com].

{{WestAfricanmusic}}

== References ==
* {{Web reference|URL=http://www.africa-ata.org/nigeria_3.htm|title=Nigeria: Festivals and Cultural Tours|work=Africa Travel Magazine|date=August 25|year=2005}}
* {{Web reference|URL=http://www.africanchorus.org/Voam/Voam624.htm|title=The Orchestra in the African Context|work=African Chorus|date=June 21|year=2005}}
* {{Web reference|URL=http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/Sowande.html|title=Fela Sowande: Nigerian Composer, Organist & Professor|work=Africlassical.com|date=August 23|year=2005}}
* {{Web reference|URL=http://www.afropop.org/explore/country_info/ID/5/Nigeria/|title=Afropop Nigeria|work=Afropop|date=June 21|year=2005}}
* {{Web reference|URL=http://www.afropop.org/explore/style_info/ID/18/Juju/|title=Afropop Juju|work=Afropop|date=June 21|year=2005}}
* {{Web reference|URL=http://www.afropop.org/explore/style_info/ID/8/Fuji/|title=Afropop Fuji|work=Afropop|date=June 21|year=2005}}
* {{Web reference|URL=http://www.afropop.org/explore/style_info/ID/45/Apala/|title=Afropop Apala|work=Afropop|date=June 21|year=2005}}
* {{Web reference|URL=http://www.arab-world-information.com/islam.htm|title=Islam|work=Arab World Information|date=August 25|year=2005}}, specifically the sections "Fuji Music of Nigeria" and "Traditional Hausa Music of Nigeria"
* {{RoughGuide|author=Graham, Ronnie|title=From Hausa Music to Highlife}}
* {{Web reference|URL=http://www.islamonline.net/English/ArtCulture/2004/05/article07.shtml|title=A Glimpse at Nigeria|work=IslamOnline|date=August 25|year=2005}}
* {{Book reference|Author=Karolyi, Otto|Title=Traditional African & Oriental Music|Publisher=Penguin Books|Year=1998|ID=ISBN 014023107}}
* {{Web reference|URL=http://www.motherlandnigeria.com/holidays.html|title=Holidays|work=Motherland Nigeria|date=August 25|year=2005}}
*{{Book reference|Author=Omojola, Bode|Title=Nigerian Art Music|Publisher=University of Ibadan|Year=1995|ID=ISBN 9782015385}}
* {{Web reference|URL=http://www.scaruffi.com/history/african.html|title=A Brief History of African Popular Music|work=Piero Scaruffi's The History of Rock Music|date=August 23|year=2005}}
* {{Web reference|URL=http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/celebrityfashion/2005/may/21/celebrityfashion-21-05-2005-001.htm|title= ADDICTED! Sammie Okposo says he’ll sing gospel until he can sing no more|work=The Sun News Online|date=August 30|year=2005}}
* {{book reference|Title=Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World's Peoples|Author=Titon, Jeff Todd (ed.)|Publisher=Schirmer Books|Year=1992|ID=ISBN 0028726022}}

== Notes ==
<div style="font-size: 85%">
<references/>
</div>

== Further reading ==
*{{Book reference |Author=Akpabot, Samuel Ekpe|Title=Ibibio Music in Nigerian Culture|Publisher=Michigan State University Press|Year=1975}}
*{{book reference|Author=Arom, Simka|Title=African Polyphony and Polyrhythm: Musical Structure and Methodology|Publisher=Cambridge University Press|Year=1991|ID=ISBN 0521616018}}
*{{book reference|Author=Graham, Ronnie|Title=Stern's Guide to Contemporary African Music|Publisher=Pluto Press|Year=1989|ID=ISBN 1853050008}}
*{{Book reference |Author=Veal, Michael E|Title=Fela. The Life of an African Musical Icon|Publisher=Temple University Press|Year=1997}}
*{{book reference|Author=Waterman, Christopher Alan|Title=Juju: A Social History and Ethnography of an African Popular Music|Publisher=University of Chicago Press|Year=1990|ID=ISBN 0226874656}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.nigeria-arts.net/Music/ Nigerian Music Directory]
*[http://www.motherlandnigeria.com/music.html Sound samples]
*[http://www.nigerianentertainment.com/ Nigerian Entertainment magazine]
*[http://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/board-3.0.html Nigerian Music Forum]

[[Category:Nigerian music|*]]

{{featured article}}

[[it:Musica nigeriana]]

Revision as of 22:27, 7 February 2006



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