Culture & Society

An Art Exhibition Speaks to History and Nigeria’s Multifaceted Reality Image Impressions and the Expansive Possibilities of Nigerian Aesthetics

Joseph Omoh NdukwuDecember 16, 2023

Image Impressions, an exhibition of photographs, paintings, and collages curated by Faridah Folawiyo, aims to trace Nigeria’s visual history and embrace the multitudinous aspects of the country’s reality.

December 23/January 24Nigeria

The Age of Afrobeats Editor’s Foreword: The Republic V7, N4

Wale LawalDecember 8, 2023

Afrobeats has come of age. Our latest issue, The Age of Afrobeats, invites audiences into the lesser known histories and cultural impacts of some of their favourite Afrobeats musicians.

December 23/January 24Nigeriavol7-no4

The Meaning of Aṣa Understanding the Ascension of a Singular Artist

Saratu AbiolaDecember 8, 2023

Aṣa released her eponymous debut album in 2007 and has been a favourite of many Nigerians ever since, with fans across generations. Her most enduring feature has been the singularity, not only of her music, but also of the ways in which she has always held herself apart, even when the spotlight was at its brightest.

December 23/January 24Nigeriavol7-no4

The Devil Works Hard but Asake Works Harder The Assiduous Ethic of Afrobeats Superstar Asake

Dami AjayiDecember 8, 2023

YBNL Records latest signee, Asake, has proven to be a sure bet and Afrobeats fastest rising superstar. In less than two years, he has released two outstanding albums, sold out London’s O2 Arena and earned a Grammy Award nomination. Yet he shows no signs of slowing down.

December 23/January 24Nigeriavol7-no4

Ayra Starr’s Transcendental Vision for Afrobeats How the Nigerian Superstar Is Blurring the Lines between Music and Global Pop Culture

Emmanuel EsomnofuDecember 8, 2023

Emerging into the African pop scene two years ago, Ayra Starr’s immersive records have won her the adulation of a constantly expanding fanbase. She is now embracing a wholesome experience of what it means to be a pop star in this age, branding and all things considered.

December 23/January 24Nigeriavol7-no4

Narcissism and the Aggrieved Art of Burna Boy How Burna Boy Represents Afrobeats’ Growing Individualistic Ethos

Olasubomi OlumofinDecember 8, 2023

Burna Boy’s discography and lived attitude to Nigerian audiences presents a local-global dialectic. His irreverence towards local fans and the narcissism that pervades his latest musical offering, I Told Them, are suggestive of a growing individualistic ethos within the Afrobeats collective.

December 23/January 24Nigeriavol7-no4

A Cat With Nine Lives The Many Sides to Davido’s Longevity

Olajide SalawuDecember 8, 2023

The trope of grass to grace is not Davido-esque. Instead, Davido’s run so far has been from grace to grace. His interluding humbling moments cater in part to his resilient spirit, his persistence in the face of multiple adversities, and his eventual solid status in the arena of African creatives, and hordes of them, each one striving to assert their voice in Africa, America, Asia, and Europe.

December 23/January 24Nigeriavol7-no4

Mr Incredible The Resounding Verses of M.I Abaga

Carl TerverDecember 8, 2023

In a time when rap music in Nigeria was almost in a state of inertia, M.I Abaga, with a cohort of ‘Jos boys’, gave it life once again, this time, introducing an original aesthetic that transformed the sound of Nigerian rap.

December 23/January 24Nigeriavol7-no4

You Had To Be There The Beautiful Thing About P-Square

Ernest NwekeDecember 8, 2023

Twenty years since the Nigerian twin band, P-Square, released its first studio album, the beautiful thing about P-Square’s songs is how they take you back to where you were when you first heard them.

December 23/January 24Nigeriavol7-no4

From Moral Panic to Water and Garri Tiwa Savage within a Globalized Afrobeats Climate

Zainab KukuDecember 8, 2023

Against the backdrop of a misogynistic society, Tiwa Savage’s long-term success—as a woman who creates Nigerian popular music—is an anomaly, and such success has not been without backlash.

December 23/January 24Nigeriavol7-no4