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Nigeria is home to multiple multi-talented artistes thriving in their respective genres while looking for ways to add modern spins and sounds to traditional genres to make them appeal to a wide range of audiences.
With an estimated growth of $44 million in 2023, the Nigerian music industry has come a long way from trying to appeal to the world’s taste to exporting genres and redefining them while infusing elements of other genres to push talents across Nigeria.
However talented these acts might be, the problem of reinventing previously successful genres are the gatekeepers. For listeners, an adulterated sound has no connection to them or the original sound itself. The sound either stays true to what it was, or redefined into a better version mutually beneficial for both genres.
The Cavemen make great music. In three years, the band has earned multiple awards and appealed to a range of music lovers while aiming to bring Highlife to a global audience with their newly reformed Highlife fusion sound. Not only have they managed to make a name for themselves with their ability to deliver well-put-together live performances, but they have also released highly acclaimed albums speaking in their indigenous language, Igbo.
Therein lies the problem. Their lack of fluency in Igbo has been interpreted by lovers of Igbo Highlife as a ‘mockery of the genre’. It raised questions as to whether Asake would appeal to many Yoruba listeners if he was an incompetent speaker of the Yoruba langauge. This is a valid question begging to be answered.
The narrative itself is not the issue; it’s the number of people that agree with the notion and how it could possibly affect the way their craft is critiqued in general. Their music being referred to as a ‘parody of the real thing’ is not a tag the duo band consisting of Benjamin James and Kingsley Okorie wants to stick.
Highlife is known for being an uptempo, synth-driven sound accompanied by jazzy horns and multiple guitars, a feature prevalent in The Cavemen’s music but not enough for music lovers who listened to veterans like Sir Victor Uwaifo, Celestine Ukwu, and more.
For Asake, it’s quite the opposite. Everyone, regardless of tribe, loves him for using his indigenous Yoruba language while delivering club bangers on his Amapiano-Fuji-Influence sound. His indigenous language has made him appeal to people of all classes while making good music, the very same feat that seems to be working against The Cavemen.
In eleven months, the rising star has released a record-breaking debut album, ‘Mr Money With The Vibes’ with over nine number-one hit singles, sold out multiple dates at some of London’s biggest venues, including O2 Academy’s 4,900 capacity arena. He achieved all this by masterfully infusing his local dialect with a trendy yet unique sound.
Jerry Chiemeke, a music and film critic, tells Netng that the music duo, The Cavemen, have done well in distinguishing themselves in a saturated industry with their distinct vocals and instrumentals.
“I’ve been listening to their music since I stumbled on Osondu in 2019 – they’ve released two albums. I would say I respect their musicianship, they have a trademark sound, and you hear it, and you know it’s them. Their vocals are very distinct, their instrumentals are very distinct, and they’ve done pretty well for themselves.”
This cannot be disputed as in their three years of emerging into the limelight with their hit single ‘Osondu’ in 2019, they have released a critically acclaimed album, ‘Roots’, which earned them the Headies award for Best Alternative Album.
Consequently, the brother duo released their second album ‘Love and Highlife’ in 2022, which also received praise from music critics and lovers worldwide. ‘Love and Highlife’ exude the playfulness of Sir Shina Peters and the uplifting spirituality of the Lijadu Sisters,” Okay Africa opined in their review of the Highlife fusion band.
There is, however, one of the many problems highlife purists and critics have raised, ‘their music lacks soul’ – a soul that somewhat relates to them tracing their musical roots back to their roots, a root they do not understand the language it speaks. But is it really a problem?
Grace Nwokike, a music enthusiast, does not care about the fluency of their Igbo – all she knows is that they make great music, and they are encouraging the culture and exposing the world to its sound.
“It’s not the best Igbo, but we understand it, and love it regardless. They’re encouraging the culture, and that’s what matters. Those fluent in the language aren’t doing half as much influence as they have, so they should sing on, we love it.”
The question lies in whether The Cavemen are trying to create a legacy as highlife artistes or as? are lovers of the genre who best express themselves with Highlife. Either way, critics still feel a disconnect between them and the spirituality the genre has to offer.
“What I would say about The Cavemen’s music – this has nothing to do with their knowledge or lack thereof of the language – I would say there is a soul that is lacking in their variant of Highlife, they have the music, they have the rhythm, but the soul just isn’t there,” Jerry told Netng.
Despite the fact that they named their genre Highlife fusion, Jerry believes Highlife music stars like Umu Obiligbo, a Nigerian duo singer and Highlife musicians named Chukwuemeka Akunwafor Obiligbo and Ifeanyi Okpuozor Obiligbo, and Flavour have done a better job at modifying the genre without losing its spirituality and rhythm.
“If you ask any music enthusiast from eastern Nigeria who listens to actual Highlife, they would tell you, especially those born before 1995, they would have this cleared out, I would think that Umu Obiligbo does a better job of balancing the spiritual and musical aspect of Highlife.
“I mean you can do some adaptations as Flavour has successfully done over a decade and a half, you won’t really call it full Highlife, some people call it Hiplife. Flavour has sort of blended ancient and modern.”
Genres are usually defined after years of hard work and musical excellence, with adaptations leading to a newer sound. On the other hand, language cannot be twisted or adapted, you either know how to speak a language or you don’t.
“The Cavemen speak bad Igbo,” a sad but open secret. For years during interviews, they had mentioned that they did not know how to speak Igbo fluently, but they are learning. It’s great they are trying to learn, but it’s also a valid reason for Highlife purists not to like their music. Why? Their language is being misrepresented and butchered.
Jerry agrees with this statement but opines that there are factors beyond their culture that come to play here. “Their Igbo aren’t fluent, it’s not their fault, things happen, migration, inter-marriage are certain things that might lead to people not understanding the language. For me, it just turns out that they speak bad Igbo, I don’t think that it affects their music. If the music has soul, it has soul, it has nothing to do with that, but in this case, they do not even know the language so it’s just…
“I believe that language can be learnt when you put your mind to it, however, for certain dimensions, you can’t negate it. It’s like trying to do Fuji or Apala without knowing Yoruba. The rhythm might be there, the sonic might be there, but it just won’t translate or you’re trying to do an Oriki (Praise), it just won’t register.
“It’s not entirely impossible to translate music without knowing the language, but in this case, it’s kind of a letdown for them. If they were fully immersed in the music, the poor knowledge of Igbo would have been a small barrier, but here they are, they are actually struggling,” he added.
It has to be reiterated that they do not make bad music but to make better music, The Cavemen have to be able to stop struggling with their language and represent it correctly. This view is subjective, as Jerry opines that the band seems to make music for a certain demographic.
“Highlife purists would sneer at the sound, but I think the music connects to the younger generation, especially people who grew up outside of eastern Nigeria and do not really know much about Highlife. I think it draws them in and non-Igbos, and people who don’t care much about highlife at all.”
In 2019, there was an intense debate on whether 45-year-old American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, John Mayer was the next Jimi Hendrix, an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The answer is simple: no.
However, John Mayer is connecting a new generation of music lovers to the same sound, the same as The Cavemen.
“Yes, there is a disconnect with their music from the spiritual perspective, but I think they are sound musically, and their craft is necessary. An example from the US is John Mayer, he plays great guitar, but there are people who say that he doesn’t have the soul of blues guitarists like Jimi Hendricks or Steven Revon did, however, soul or not, his music is bridging a gap between an older generation of music listeners and a newer generation of guitar enthusiasts and basically pop or rock music.
“John Mayer is currently touring with Dead and Company, yes it’s not the same sound, but it’s connecting the newer generation. I think that’s what The Cavemen are doing. Spiritually they are flat, but their sound connects generations even though the depth is debatable,’ Jerry added.
The fact still remains that they are pushing a culture, lifestyle, and music, and they are doing it well. They do not need validation, but they also need to understand that to further connect with a larger audience, the best they can do is to learn to speak their language better. Till then, they remain kings doing what most have not attempted in decades and making a difference.
The post The Cavemen Are Keeping The Igbo Highlife Genre Alive. Here’s Why Purists Think Otherwise appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
Source: TheNet
