There has been quite significant musical output in Nigeria. And ever growing industry, videos are getting more relevant by the day, for a host of reasons, most notably aesthetic and commercial. We present to you, some of the best of the month which, particularly, fulfills these functions. Here some of October’s finest Nigerian music videos.
NONSO AMADI – What makes you sure?
The visuals for this song off the “Free” EP is a calm depiction of Nonso’s tumultuous relationship, as through perfectly weighed scenes and choreography, Seyi Akinlade (the director) captures the pessimistic emotions of the song.
DJ CUPPY – Gelato (feat. ZLATAN IBILE)
This Frizzle and Brizzle films–directed visuals boasts of playful scenes, and balloons and colors. A vibrant sense for the outlandish, it accurately mirrors the overall fun vibe of the record.
BOJ – Your Love (feat. TIWA SAVAGE)
Cast in adorable romantic scenes, BOJ and Tiwa Savage’s duet was given the calmly lush visual experience and how warm! It was directed by Director K.
ZLATAN IBILE – Yeye Boyfriend
Zlatan’s songs tend to take humorous precedence. His latest, “Yeye Boyfriend” is a treatise on incapable male partners – in casual Pidgin lingua, yeye boyfriends.
It’s visuals (directed by Visionary Pictures) is delivered on the humor of the song itself. Taking the premise from the travails of a problematic couple, Zlatan is revealed in a tush office as a family therapist. In its drama-laced scenes, he advises female partners to discard their unbecoming male counterparts.
PHYNO – Ojimo
The Patrick Elis–directed visuals for Phyno’s “Ojimo” is a colorful affair. Featuring fiery dancing from Didi Emah, Beyoncé’s dancer. The video is practically a back and forth between Phyno’s crooning and Didi’s spirited dancing; Elis, however, sets the simple scenes in breathtaking places, achieving a well satisfactory aesthetic experience.
REEKADO BANKS – Rora
For a song which begins on a sexual note, the Dalia Bias visual is less direct, instead, through careful chronology, casts Reekado Banks as a young man in love. In these scenes, there are flagrant depictions of avantgarde fashion, and the seemingly cool. Warm treatment for a warm Afrobeats jam, surely.
PATORANKING – Open Fire (feat. BUSISWA)
The video for this anthemic Sarz-produced banger is a product of Pan African affiliations. Several articles hint at a utopian African setting, while there are amidst over festive activities, expert freestyle and choreographed dance moves. Little wonder the Simon Coleman video has been described as “a collage of quirky, colourful outfits and energetic dance moves.”
REMA – Bad Commando
The 19 year-old Nigerian superstar describes this song as “a sound of [his] identity.” Much of his music forcefully captures his teenage indulgences, braggadocio, sexually charged, or whatever else.
Seun Opabisi and Kewa Oni’s video for this one plays into the warm dream-like quality reminiscent in “Dumebi” – presents the perfect artistic contrast as he sings of his infamous persona, as, in his words, a bad commando.
ADEKUNLE GOLD – Young Love
A scene that perfectly captures the mood of this video is that where, in an ice-cream van, he gleefully hands out cones to people, young people.
“Young Love” is a carefully curated cool from the world of the youth, and Adekunle Gold settles quite comfortably in this world throughout the video. It was directed by Fred Focus.
KING PERRY – Jojo (feat. SOFT & TERRI)
The sugary Afrobeats–driven track gets a steely appropriation by David Anthony, who casts the trio of artistes in scenes that suggests urgency. Say, burning tyres. Say, enchanted dance movements channeling the pace of the song’s production.
