Friday, March 31, 2017

FUNKY HIGHLIFE MUSIC


The old generation of Highlife musicians are 90% gone giving rise to the new generation of highlife artistes who have successfully funkified the music genre, which is very popular in West Africa.
Funky Highlife is a computer-generated music with a combination of danceable beats, scintillating guitar riffs and keyboard melody. The lyrics is based on contemporary issues, love and current affairs.      
Singers like Flavour N'abania, J Martins, Bracket and Wizboy have popularised funky highlife with their recording successes and acclaim for their renascent diverse styles which unlike the original highlife incorporated a wide range of neoteric influences outside of the West African music scene. These artistes exhibited more urban feel encompassing a mixture of hip hop, R&B, techno, reggae, dancehall, and calypso, making their music commercial success worldwide. In Nigeria and most Anglophone African countries, these artistes, especially Flavour N'abania has remained in high demand at concerts and on other social events.
With the genre's rise in mainstream appeal, many emerging MCs particularly from around the Southern Nigeria and other neighbouring areas began integrating local highlife sounds. Artistes like Mr. Raw (formerly Dat N.I.G.G.A. Raw), Slow Dogg, MC Loph and 2Shotz helped establish a much stronger link between indigenous rap, and the new funkified highlife by providing verses to several hit songs and would often hire Igbo vocalists to sing the choruses of their own songs. 
J Martins made headlines around the continent and beyond when he collaborated with Cabo Snoop from Angola and Fally Ipupa from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The songs titled "Good Tym" and "Kele Papa" drew plenty of attention that year, and would later go on to become fan favourites.
By 2012, J Martins had evolved into one of the most recognized West African, internationally known music stars. His soukous-tinged approach to record production further gained him additional fan following and respect.

In 2014, Phyno's introductory album No Guts No Glory was released. Featuring two high-profile appearances by Flavour N'abania contributing vocals to tracks "Multiply" and "Authe (Authentic)". The album has received generally positive reviews since its release. It earned Phyno a City People Entertainment Award nomination for Best Rap Album. Phyno's song "Fada Fada" was a smash hit!

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