How Street-Pop is Rebelling Against the Status Quo in the Afropop Tapestry.
Shallipopi
2023 marked the year when Streetpop, the garish offshoot of Afropop subverted its more suave antithesis, signaling a pivotal shift in their long-running rivalry. Odumodublvck emerged as a central figure, reshaping the landscape of Nigerian Hip Hop upon joining the burgeoning Native Records. Right from the start, he charged headfirst into the scene, unleashing a torrent of effervescent singles and features, culminating in the release of his seminal debut album, Eziokwu. Within the paradigm-shifting project, he niftily fuses two seemingly contradictory elements—seductively slippery melodies and gritty off-kilter raps—creating a blend that straddles the delicate balance between nostalgia and novelty.
In parallel, fellow collaborator and friend Shallipopi traversed a similar trajectory. Fueled by a viral indictment from Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, he followed through with a kaleidoscopic EP brimming with club-ready anthems. A few months later he’d return with his debut album President La Pluto, a gauzy, winsome cache of club smashes perfectly capturing the zeitgeist of his hometown, Benin. Meanwhile, Seyi Vibez, notorious for churning out projects at a pace that rivals most artists' single releases, contributed three offerings to the pop tapestry: two albums and an EP—Each release surpassing the last in inventiveness and refinement. Helmed by these three men, Streetpop asserted a never-before-seen level of dominance, relegating other sonic variations to the backseat. Parties and clubs would lull with listlessness until injected with the frenetic pulse of their music. Their collective prowess not only dominated charts across the country, but their very existence served as fodder for bitingly polarising social media discourse.
Whenever a cohort of disruptors attempts to challenge the established ideas of their time, they invariably encounter staunch resistance. This is an enduring theme well documented in art. When a swashbuckling cohort of artists in the 19th century pioneered impressionism, an art movement popularised by artists like Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Cézanne, they were met with interminable hostility from the traditionalists at the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Undeterred, they banded together and set up their society sparking what is perhaps the most exciting period in art history. Similarly, the birth of Hip-Hop in the 1970s, led by African American and Caribbean immigrants in the Bronx, faced institutional barriers preventing its mainstream penetration. Criticised, denied radio and TV access, and struggling for acceptance beyond ghetto neighbourhoods, Hip-Hop persisted. Today, it stands as an unrivalled, dominant force shaping popular culture. The age-old motif reprised itself in the 2010s when a younger generation of hip-hop started reshaping the genre to dovetail with the nuances of the contemporary era culminating in the Trap subgenre.
In the come-up of the triumvirate helming the current wave of Streetpop’s dominance, the enduring theme of staunch resistance to change once again took centre stage. These artists, propelled not by a deliberate intent to subvert the status quo but by fully embracing the beauty of their unique lived experiences, paradoxically gave rise to the most captivating movement the local scene has witnessed since the emergence of Wizkid, Davido, Burnaboy, Olamide, and other enthralling acts in the early 2010s. This paradox lies in the fact that their sounds, widely considered avant-garde, embody the most uniquely Nigerian perspectives and inclinations.
Odumodublvck
Odumodublvck, for instance, faced ceaseless criticisms from rap traditionalists for his distinctive approach to the genre. Merging Drill music, saccharine Highlife melodies, and bombastic verses in Nigerian pidgin, he crafted a novel sound that harkens back to the vivacious soundtracks of early Nollywood movies—an intersection between Hip-Hop and Afrobeats that he aptly dubs Okporoko music. This inventive quality both garnered him a fervent following and made him a target for detractors. Similarly, Shallipoppi, anchored by the substrate of Benin hype lingo, seamlessly incorporates Amapiano, Hip-Hop, Afrobeats, and traces of Traditional Edo Music into his sound. Initially met with fierce criticism upon his debut, he has since amassed a devoted following, with critiques against his sound gradually waning. Seyi Vibez, perhaps the most unorthodox of the trio, frequently becomes the subject of online squabbles between his zealous supporters and critics. His artistic style revolves around disrupting the fundamental elements of music, akin to orchestrating controlled chaos. The result is a compositionally challenging blend, walking the tightrope between order and chaos. Listening to him evokes the sensation that the composition might unravel at any moment. Reminiscent of watching a skilled driver careen towards an obstacle, holding spectators in suspense until deftly swerving into clarity at the last possible instant.
Streetpop is no stranger to impressive runs of form, but this particular streak stands out for its almost militant dedication to individualism. Here, art becomes the embodiment of the self, and the self becomes the very essence of art. While it's customary for artists to construct personas or create music about topics beyond their immediate reality—an entirely valid artistic endeavour—this Streetpop resurgence accentuates the profound connection between the artist's identity and their craft. Here, the varnish between the essence of the art and the personality is non-existent.
To fully understand the ascendancy of this wave of Streetpop hegemony buoyed by militant individualism, it’s imperative to understand the context out of which it arose. The story traces back to the inception of contemporary Nigerian music or Afrobeats as it’s commonly known. In the wake of a transition from military to democratic rule in 1999, a multi-faced cultural renaissance fanned across the nation, leaving its imprint across all strata of culture, from film to music. Within the music landscape, the birth of Afrobeats marked the zenith of this movement that had been quietly unfolding for years. The Plantashun Boyz (comprising 2face Idibia, Blackfaze & Faze), P-Square, Eedris Abdulkareem, D banj, and Daddy Showkey, were early pioneers. What’s most interesting and yet often overlooked is how from inception the genre has always existed along an eclectic spectrum.
On one extreme was the gruff music disparagingly labelled StreetPop. Street pop, like Afrobeats or Altè, isn’t any one genre but a style of music. It was championed by street icons like Daddy Showkey, Baba Fryo, and African Chyna. On the other was the more “refined” mainstream sound—pioneered by acts such as Styl Plus, Plantashun Boyz, P Square and a spate of others—deeply influenced by American Pop, Hip Hop and RnB. Every now and then there was sonic overlap or an unusual crossover, but for the most part, both expressions of the genre ran parallel, with institutional barriers reinforcing their divorce. Things would largely remain unchanged until the mid-2000s.
Only a handful of music scenes have evolved as dynamically as Afrobeats did in the mid-2000s. From the coming of age of mainstream Afropop to the austere consolidation of Streetpop, the nascent genre was forming the core identity of a sound that’d go on to captivate the world in the years to follow. In the churn, the sensational acts of the now-defunct Mohits Records (D Banj, D Prince, Wande Coal) emerged, existing acts like Tuface and PSquare blossomed, and artistes Flavour and Timaya gave new expression to older genres like Highlife. Across the fence, the Street Pop aficionados were adapting the sound to harmonise with mainstream sensibilities.
In 2007, Olu Maintain hacked the cheat sheet with his immensely successful hit Yahooze. While preceding street artists had scored massive hits, none had quite done it on the level and in the manner he did. Delivering a salacious paean to Internet fraud on an archetypal Afropop production, he spawned the first true commingling of the polar ends of the genre. The impact was staggering. It achieved ubiquity almost instantly. The subsequent year witnessed its dominance on award stages, clinching the prestigious Song of the Year award at The Headies and a concomitant accolade for Hottest Single of the Year at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards. Today it’s ensconced in an uber-exclusive circle as one of the few songs Nigerians born before 2001 can effortlessly recite word for word.
Following the pervasive success of Yahooze, 9ice made a resounding entrance with his seminal Gongo Aso album, which would spawn generational hits like Street Credibility, Gongo Aso and Party Rider. Loosely compositionally akin to Yahooze, these tracks merged Street and mainstream elements, and the results were remarkable. He would go on an award spree that year, claiming the MOBO Best African Act, MTV Africa Music Awards Best Hip Hop Artiste, Hip Awards Revelation of the Year, and a spate of others. The subsequent year witnessed a triumphant sweep at The Headies, Nigeria’s premier award show, where the album secured the coveted Album of the Year prize, Song of the Year award for the titular Gongo Aso & the Best RnB/Pop album. He emerged as both the most nominated act and the highest winner at the event that year.
Much like everything else in life, Nigeria’s socio-cultural landscape defies easy categorizations. Yet, it's undeniable that the music taste of denizens often intricately correlates with their socio-cultural roots. As such, this occurrence holds enormous significance as it marks a pivotal moment when individuals from certain demographics witnessed the type of music they appreciated not only attain ubiquity but also garner universal acclaim.
Asake
Olamide is the next protagonist and perhaps the linchpin of this story. These days he assumes the role of a reticent record executive. Actually, he’s more than that, he’s an uncanny kingmaker, and a co-sign from him usually portends an ascendence to stardom. Renowned for his myriad acts of magnanimity, he helms an impressive roster of acts including Fireboy and Asake, another key player in this story. Additionally, his legacy extends to having nurtured some of the most significant stars from years past.
He arrived in 2011, just at the dawn of a new chapter for the genre, with the Wizkid-assisted Omo To Shan. In this track, Olamide blithely weaves cheeky Yoruba raps while Wizkid contributes an earworm hook over a boisterous production. The record swiftly became a club smash and would provide a template with which he’d dominate the industry that has endured for well over a decade. His rise came in the wake of the untimely passing of Dagrin, a prolific rapper who delivered verses in his native Yoruba and had amassed a cult following in the street. Naturally, Olamide earned frequent comparisons to him and oftentimes they were disparaging. But it didn’t take him long to stamp out the aspersions and assert his unique identity. Merging Street-Pop with rap, he offered a counterpoint to Dagrin’s conservative Hip-Hop inclinations, eventually gaining widespread acclaim. In the next few years, he’d cement himself as one of the era’s preeminent figures, delivering a succession of hits and an unimpeachable discography.
By 2018 Olamide, having elevated the Street Pop scene to stratospheric heights, had shifted focus to his role as a label owner. Like his icon Jay Z, he’d successfully vaulted to the top as a rapper and minted an impressive spate of acts. During this period, artists like Slimcase and Idowest pioneered a fleeting albeit explosive era defined by an ebullient sound colloquially referred to as the Shaku Shaku music. They instantly became avatars of club-music revivalism, combining blustery beats with cheeky club-hype verses—A style that’d foreshadow the emergence of Shallipopi, a subsequent player in this story.
Across the pond, interesting events were also unfolding. In 2015, Wizkid’s Ojuelegba, a wistful ode to his childhood city, captured the ears of Drake and Skepta, who joined forces for the remix—an early harbinger for the Afrobeats to the World Movement. The following year, he was tapped by Drake for One Dance, an intrepid experiment with a lurid genre introduced to him by one of its prominent voices. The gambit paid off handsomely, as the track went on to attain universal acclaim, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and various charts in 14 other countries. It swiftly became the most streamed song globally on Spotify and currently holds the esteemed 8th position on that list
While a handful of artists had attempted to crossover to America and Europe before Wizkid’s success with “One Dance,” none had achieved significant traction. In 2011, D’banj signed with Kanye West’s GOOD Music, a venture that ultimately faltered. Simultaneously, the dynamic duo P Square inked a deal with Akon’s Konvict Musik, yielding moderate success but failing to make a groundbreaking impact. Then, in 2016, “One Dance,” an Afrobeats anthem, dominated the global music scene. The impact was immediate and profound, as international labels flocked to Nigeria to capitalise on the burgeoning market. Wizkid and Davido secured deals with Sony’s RCA, while Burna Boy joined forces with Atlantic and its parent company, Warner Music. This triumvirate, commonly referred to as the “big three,” achieved unprecedented levels of global success, inspiring countless others to follow in their footsteps.
As the movement garnered widespread acclaim, it soon started to feel rapacious. Major international labels swooped down on the scene, signing the most promising talents and a lot of times the artistes would subsequently espouse an external-facing interpretation of the genre. Consequently, stagnation slowly started to set in. With the exception of the “big three” and a handful of equally prolific acts, the industry veered towards monotony. However, 2019 would offer a reprieve amidst this dreary trend. Prolific upstarts Rema, Fireboy, Joeboy, and Tems emerged, heralding the provenance of a new era. Additionally, Streetpop experienced yet another fleeting yet electrifying moment courtesy of acts like Zlatan, Chinko Ekun and Naira Marley. Nevertheless, save for a few isolated incidents of individual brilliance, the scene’s descent into prosaicness persisted with full charge.
In 2022, the music landscape witnessed a seismic shift with the arrival of Asake. His debut EP spawned chart-toppers like the Olamide-assisted Omo Ope and Sungba and by the time he’d enlist Burnaboy for the remix of Sungba, he was already a household name. He followed through with a spate of sensational singles, a run that culminated in the release of his pre-eminent debut album Mr Money With the Vibe, closing the year as the hottest act by a mile. At first glance, this looks all too similar to a familiar narrative—the ascent of yet another Afrobeats star. But if you look more closely, you'll notice a range of illuminating facts.
A crucial factor in his rise and the concomitant renaissance of Streetpop lies in the disconnect between Afrobeats and the Nigerian reality. Institutional pressures often nudged artists towards creating music tailored for international audiences, leaving a void for music that resonated with everyday Nigerians. “During 2018, 2019, 2020, I think that’s when Wizkid dropped Made in Lagos, and that album didn’t connect with those at home. We, the real Wizkid heads and those of us moving forward with sound, loved it but the streets couldn’t eat that album, they couldn’t” Jamz.FR, a burgeoning Afrobeats/RnB act, said in an interview.
Another crucial factor is that he arrived at a time when the industry was bogged down with monotony and listeners were earnestly craving something new. The perfect milieu for his inimitable blend of Amapiano, Fuji, Gospel & Afrobeats to blossom. “Before Asake, what happened was that the market was quiet” Jamz.FR continued. “We were recycling the same thing over and over again, and then Asake came with this style that was so exciting and he owned it so well and it excited the market. After that people started to see that authenticity sells”. Asake’s emergence filled this gap, providing music that spoke directly to the Nigerian experience. This shift underscored the hunger for authenticity in an industry veering towards global appeal. In 2023, acts like Shallipopi, Odumodu Blvck, Seyi Vibez, Tega Boi, and Zerry DL further amplified this movement, reaffirming the power of music rooted in local realities.
Seyi vibez
For Wonu Osikoya, a multi-hyphenate whose creative endeavours stretch between podcasting, A&Ring and culture critique, the 2023 surge of Streetpop signals merely the beginning. Unlike typical music movements primarily rooted in Lagosian popular culture, this wave boasts an array of influences. Odumodublvck, an Igbo artist who lived in Abuja before fame, is a quintessential example of this. His music, often delivered in Pidgin English, incorporates a spate of cultural substrates, from Port Harcourt slangs to Abuja references to Eastern melodies. Similarly, Shallipopi’s music is evidently imbued with the essence of his native Benin City. “It’s an eye-opener and a call for people to keep their eyes on the ground because Streetpop is beyond just Asake and Street pop it’s going to get bigger, in fact, there’s going to be another wave this year. For that to happen there need to be Street Pop artists from every culture, infusing that (their cultures) with what Streetpop should look like '' she emphasises
In her view, the rise of Street Pop was inevitable, reflecting the Nigerian reality in its rawest form. “It’s a reflection of the Nigerian reality and it’s the easiest thing to connect to as a Nigerian”, she explains. “Afrobeats had to grow to a certain point before subgenres could start to flourish ''.
It’s easy to take all the strides made in the past year for granted, but they were achieved through the bold actions of a cadre of artistes determined to shake up the industry. They broke rules, took risks, and pushed creative boundaries. Yet history warns us of a common pitfall: there’s a tendency for disruptors to succumb to the patterns of fading giants they once challenged. The only consolation is that disruption itself is cyclical. However, without a deliberate attempt towards innovation, we risk falling into a protracted period of stagnation.