We all agree that LKT was (or is) a one-hit wonder. But, he was the first of his kind. And, the man lived ahead of his time, in all ramifications, with his “Alaye Mi” hit. From doing shaku shaku, to doing that Fuji-Pop sound a lot of people are jumping on now to putting on a unique street vibe that infuses lot of slangs, he was just doing things nobody then thought of doing.
The year is 2012, and it’s still very fresh. Very fresh, in that, there’s not yet too much new music from new artists disturbing the streets. So, everyone practically had a chance. Yeah, there was Wizkid, Davido and Olamide shutting the whole country down with their music. D’banj is just beginning to recover from his international “5 mins fame,” just as new crops are emerging from all sides. And, then came, a guy out of nowhere named LKT. Even the name was weird.
Before everyone knew what was happening, his banger had taken over the streets and airwaves. Everybody was practically singing “Ma lo woju alaye mi oh,” in 2012. You meet a kid and then you wonder how and why he can sing “Alaye Mi” from A-Z. Think of the fact that, it has an alienated fuji vibe, one wouldn’t have expected such jam to be a big hit. But, it was. The uniqueness had hit everybody, because nobody though street music and fuji has a way of getting infused on club songs. LKT did it!
“Alaye Mi” is not an average song, nor is it a song you get on a normal day. Little wonder, LKT himself couldn’t re-work the magikk. It is just awesome. He also employed the use of a catchy hook, that hooked everyone on, from the start. “Ma lo woju Alaye mi oh//Oo ni fe gba oju alaye mi//LKT lori TV ati Radio…,” must have been the best chorus of 2012. Lines like “Won wa mi l’Ame gan//Mo ti pe bi Sonekan,” also lets us into what a good lyricist a Fuji artist can be. And then the vamp that has, “Let me see you get down low,” is everything! It couldn’t have been better.
The song was an instant hit, and though LKT had done a Remix with Davido, the original track remained his only hit to date. Thanks to the unique vibe.
Remember it was 2012, nobody knew Terry Apala who is now infusing local sounds with pop. Destiny Boy was probably in kindergaten. It was that year LKT did what nobody had done. He picked up fuji and mashed it up with Afro, then made it a club-worthy song. “Alaye Mi” remains unbeaten, till now. And, when you listen to it now, you still enjoy it. It’s definitely a classic!