His sophomore, The Playmaker, was a career switch into Oliver De Coque-esque singing style that brought him continental smash hits and superstardom.

While he released the unifying collaborative 2 Kings, alongside his brother, friend, and collaborator, Olamide, his third album, Deal With It was where he truly crowned himself.

As the window of his superstardom slightly slowed down, Phyno released an impressive album, which merged his famed gritty Rap side with his Oliver De Coque-esque side to produce some timeless bops.

Sadly, the album was slept on outside the South-East. But Ezege never stopped cooking.

He quickly moved to consolidate two things: a more contemporary sing-songy style, drenched in Afro-swing and more experimental dabbles in traditional Igbo pop genres like Ogene, Egedege, and Ekpili.

The result of his journey so far has resulted in his fourth solo album, which comes with yet another impressive album title, Something To Live For. 

In a lot of ways, that title reflects Phyno’s current standing in Nigerian music: a young OG on the fourth of his nine lives in the Nigerian music industry. Money is not an issue anymore, neither is a thirst for stardom.

He is not as acclaimed as a superstar as he once was, but he keeps going; buoyed by a natural love for music and an appetite to chase new horizons and additional successes.

When you’ve been the dancer and then the music producer from Enugu, who came to Lagos and became a superstar, you don’t see impossibilities.

The astounding number of Afroswing records (6) on this album, as well as Phyno’s D Smoke feature, might suggest that Ezege has his eyes on the UK and/or American markets/appeal with this one. More so, he blends more English with his Igbo deliveries.

 His fourth solo album is an exercise in grown topics around gratitude, his journey, love, loss, braggadocio, and more.

His demeanor is grown, confident, affirmative, and sometimes contemplative.

Across 16 tracks, Afro-swing forms the bedrock of most tracks, sprinkled with one or two hard-hitting rap records, some Highlife, one Ekpili, and one Amapiano – which is quite amazing, to be honest.

More than anything, this album showcases Phyno’s already documented range.

Ratings:

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Production quality

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Tracklisting

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Songwriting

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Intro

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Outro

 70%

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70%

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80%

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80%

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70%

Mid = 0.00

Average = 0.01

Good = 2.5

Excellent = 2.5

Conclusion:

Mp3bullet gives the EP 75% (Good) general rating

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You may be surprised that Africa harbors some of the biggest musicians in the world and that’s why we list the top 20 African greatest musicians of all time.

Who are the African greatest musicians of all time?  

Many of these musicians were pioneers of music genres that are made in Africa.

The authentic sound that comes from these men and women can only be envied by other musicians from around the world.

Over the years, the music collections of these musicians have never ceased to inspire people.

We have a list that has explored the legends Africa has ever produced in the music industry.

Top 20 African greatest musicians of all time

1. Fela Kuti

Fela Kuti is famous for his high-octane musical performances.  Kuti is argued to be the African greatest musician to have lived.

He was a political activist, instrumentalist, composer, musician, and pioneer of the Afrobeat.

He sang in a tone that was electrifying and inspiring in Pidgin English.

2. Miriam Mkeba

Mama Africa, aka Miriam Makeba has been called a true legend who used music in fighting for the rights of her people.

She was known for her stage performances and signature sound. She won a Grammy and lived her life to make South Africa music more powerful.

3. Ali Farka Toure

Ali Farka Toure is a Malian guitarist and singer, who fused the Malian local music with African American jazz.

He is a multilingual singer who made the languages in Mali popular with his music.

4. Yousssou N dour

Youssou N dour  is a Senegalese singer  and also a percussionist.

He got this flair in his music that changed the music industry in the country, blending hip hop, Mbalex, Cuban, and elements of pop.

5. Brenda Faisse

Brenda Faissie was that voice that never stopped ringing sweetly in your ears after listening to her music.

She was called the Queen of African Pop.

The songs of Faissie were powerfully written to pass a message to the South African oppressors and also to tell lovers that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

6. King Sunny Ade

King Sunny Ade is still making waves after decades in the Nigerian music industry.

He has toured around the world and he was the first person who made use of the pedal steel guitar in his country.

He sings juju music and has never stopped winning the hearts of his fans.

7.  Lucky Dube

Lucky Dube was known for his rejuvenation of African reggae music.  The music of Dube was so powerful that it didn’t stop giving hope to the people of South Africa.

He was legendary and a tour of the world.

8. Ladysmith Black Mambazo

The group is from South Africa, an award Grammy-winning group that has sand for the liberation of the country during the apartheid.

They became famous after they sang with Paul Simon on his album, Graceland.

9. Angelique Kidjo

She is an activist and Grammy Award winner from Benin. She is influential and supports the cause of women.

She is diverse and creative when it comes to creating great music.

10. E.T Mensah

Emmanuel Tettey Mensah, who is mostly referred to as E.T Mensah came from Ghana and was called the “King of Highlife” music.

He has played for the President of Ghana and toured the world to display his dexterity.

11. Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe

Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe often referred to as just Osadebe, was a Nigerian highlife musician from Atani.

During his career spanning over four decades, he became one of the best-known musicians of Igbo highlife.

His best-known hit was the 1984 single “Osondi Owendi”,

12. Oliver D Coque

Oliver Sunday Akanite better known by the stage name Oliver De Coque was a Nigerian guitarist and one of Africa’s most prolific recording artists.

De Coque was awarded an honorary degree in music from the University of New Orleans

13. Bright Chimezie

His music style became known as Zigima Sound, It is a genre that became popular in the Eastern part of Nigeria in the early 1980s.

It is a mix of traditional Nigerian music and Igbo highlife fused with chanted vocals.

Bright Chimezie used it to revolutionize the musical structure in Nigeria with lyrics that focused on social issues of the country in a rather funny way

14. Ebenezer Obey

Ebenezer Obey (born 3 April 1942 as Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu Olasupo Obey-Fabiyi, MFR in Idogo, Nigeria), nicknamed the “Chief Commander“, is a Nigerian jùjú musician.

15. Koffi Olomide

Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba known professionally as Koffi Olomidé, is a Congolese Soukus singer, dancer, producer, and composer.

He has had several gold records in his career. He is the founder of the Quartier Latin International orchestra with many notable artists, including Fally Ipupa and Ferré Gola.

16. Onyeka Onwenu

Onyeka Onwenu is a Nigerian singer/songwriter, actress, human rights activist, social activist, journalist, politician, and former X Factor series judge.

Dubbed the “Elegant Stallion” by the Nigerian press, she is a former chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture

17. Hugh Masekela

Hugh Ramapolo Masekela was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer, and composer who was described as “the father of South African jazz”.

Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for writing well-known anti-apartheid songs

18. Yvonne Chaka Chaka

Yvonne Chaka Chaka is an internationally recognized South African singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, humanitarian, and teacher.

Dubbed the “Princess of Africa” (a name she received after a 1990 tour), Chaka Chaka has been at the forefront of South African popular music for 35 years

19. Vusi Mahlasela

Vusi Sidney Mahlasela Ka Zwane (born 1965 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a Sotho South African singer-songwriter.

His music is generally described as “African folk” and he is often dubbed as “The Voice” of South Africa. His work was an inspiration to many in the anti-apartheid movement.

20. Majek Fashek

Majekodunmi Fasheke, popularly known as Majek Fashek (March 1963 – 1 June 2020) was a Nigerian singer-songwriter and guitarist.

His 1988 album Prisoner of Conscience included the single “Send Down the Rain”, which won six PMAN Music Awards.

Notable Mentions (New Generation musicians paving the legendary way for the Africa culture)

• Wizkid
• Davido
• Mafikizolo
• Burna Boy
• Diamond Platnumz
• Shatta Wale
• Sarkodie 

Top 20 African greatest musicians of all time

Fela Kuti

Lucky Dube

Miriam Mkeba

Ali Farka Toure

Yousssou N dour

Brenda Faisse

King Sunny Ade

Angelique Kidjo

E.T Mensah

Chief Stephen Osadebe

Oliver D Coque

Bright Chimezie

Ebenezer Obey

Koffi Olomide

Onyeka Onwenu

Hugh Masekela

Yvonne Chaka Chaka

Vusi Mahlasela

Majek Fashek

Oris Wiliki.

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The Doodle, created by Lagos-based graphic artist and illustrator Ohab TBJ, pays tribute to the guitarist who died in June 2008 at the age of 61, following a heart attack. The creative inspiration was drawn from  De Coque’s love for the guitar, his energetic performance style, his unique music brand, and his love of tradition and culture.

“Oliver de Coque was a popular musician from the Igbo part of Nigeria. As a kid back in the 90s, I recall my late dad playing his songs. I will never forget watching my uncles and aunts dancing to his music; their happiness was contagious”, says Ohab TBJ.

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Born on this day in 1947 in the small town of Ezinifite in southern Nigeria, De Coque (whose birth name was Oliver Sunday Akanite) first took up the guitar at a young age. As a teenager, he studied the traditional Igbo music of the region, alongside  Congolese soukous. In 1970, at a performance by the popular Sunny Agaga and his Lucky Star Band, Akanite convinced Sunny to let him stand in as their guitarist – and was hired on the spot.

This provided a massive boost to his fledgling music career. Also a skilled player of the Nigerian board game okwe, the guitar genius became known as Oliver de ka Okwe, which he later adapted to become his stage name, Oliver de Coque.

Known for combining the modern West African highlife genre with Congolese-influenced guitar style, and the energetic dance elements of Igbo music with which he grew up, De Coque crafted his own unique music style which he called Ogene.

From his first solo release in 1976, De Couque’s music grew in popularity at home and abroad, and he released album after album featuring his masterful guitar work and fresh take on Africa pop. His unforgettable songs, including Biri ka Mbiri, People’s Club of Nigeria, and Elete Aghara (Tolerance), continue to resonate in the hearts of millions of music lovers in Nigeria and across the world.

In 1994, De Coque was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by the University of New Orleans, in recognition of his prodigious music achievements.

“I believe that Oliver de Coque paved the way for so many African artists of this generation and that there’s still much more we have to learn about this highlife artist. History has not done enough to honor his memory, so I hope this Doodle will help highlight his incredible story,” Ohab TBJ concludes.

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Google Doodle’s posthumous birthday celebration for Nigerian music legend Oliver de Coque.

Highlife is back, and this time its refined, rebranded in quality form, The Cavemen is on the mission of restoring almost lost or forgotten genre.

Highlife is a music genre that began in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, in the time of a colony of the British Empire, It uses the melody and rhythmic structures of cultural Akan music, but played with Western instrumentals.

• RELATED: Nigerian Alte singers you should listen to
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Highlife gained recognition among the eastern people of Nigeria during the world war, as they combined and finetune it with their established music forming a contemporary musical genre known as Igbo highlife.

Highlife is a special genre that needs to evolve, we all grew up listening to particular highlife artists like Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, Oliver De Coque, Chief Dr Prince Morocco Maduka, Oriental Brothers, Dr Sir Warrior, Prince Nico Mbarga.

The Cavemen was officially created in 2018, the duo has sharpened the highlife genre by playing with esteemed popular artists such as Onyeka Onwenu, Asa, Bez, and alte star Lady Donli.

They Refined the usual highlife with infused modern elements, Sang in Igbo and Pidgin English to foster the grassroots reach, simply the modern ringleaders for highlife music.

• RELATED: Nigerian Female Rappers who once dominated the rap industry
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‘Roots’ Album revolves around the significant things in life such as happiness, love, and unpredictability of reality, easily connected to the roots and brawl of mankind, it is a sound with deep roots in the narrative of African music.

The combination of Guitar (esp. fingerstyle), horns, brass, drums, the gong, and the extra vocals that rely heavily on percussion instruments.

All tracks in the ‘Roots’ Album are highly rich with sounds and lyrical depth.

The ability to interpret and connect each track on a live band makes it quite uncommon and special, they are actually underrated and deserve more accolades.

Asaba was filled with so much energy 🌴🌴 pic.twitter.com/bsCqiMa0ZV

— The Cavemen. (@StayCavy) February 27, 2021

Nigerians and the world are unconsciously responsive-without persuasions to the highlife sound, especially for those that appreciate the purest form of sounds and the knowledge of the genre.

The movement has already begun as they are gradually gaining recognition across the nation and beyond.

‘Roots’ Album won Best alternative album award at the 2020 #14th Headies awards!

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