It’s 2am in a popular Lagos
nightclub. There’s a DJ in the middle of the dance floor, playing a
random Ghanaian song, which clearly is something he picked up from the
Hiplife scene in underground Accra.
But we are
currently in Nigeria, and it’s 2am in a club in Lagos. People are
reacting to the music in the manner they do when the alcohol hits the
system, but the music isn’t exactly inspiring; They move slowly, and
sluggishly, waiting for the next round. A couple break up their dance,
and grab a seat. This DJ does not know his work.
But
suddenly, something happens. The DJ pushes some buttons, loops in a
siren, and cues in a new record. This record is different. It possess
the same Ghanaian Alkayida drumbreak and sirens, but ity is different.
There’s energy in the production, the bounce is on point, and everyone
begins to slowly react. And the the voice pops out the magic lyrics:
“Fresh hobby butt, bad girl looking like a roller boat…”
And
everyone lost it. The song blaring from the speakers has a strong hold
on everyone, the type of hold that only big hits from superstars can
have. But this isn’t a song from some of the usual suspects (Wizkid, Davido, Olamide, Tekno). Instead it came from Skuki.
Brothers Peeshaun and Vavavoom
aren’t new names. Since 1999, the Afro fusion duo have been together,
working on new music. They have had considerable success at it.
Their debut single, ‘Fire’
stayed on the Africa Edition of the Channel O Top 10 Chart for four
months and was number one for four consecutive weeks. Other singles ‘Stamina’ featuring Mo'Cheddah and ‘Banger’ featuring DJ Zeez brought them awards and prominence in the Nigerian space.
And
although they have been consistently releasing music, other songs have
yet to hit the levels of their earlier singles. But with ‘Pass the
Agbara’, they have scored another.
A thumping club
single, Skuki worked with a very popular and accepted template in
creating the hit. Piggy backing on production from DJ Mo, the duo go
sexual in their lyrics, soliciting sex with the most catchy lyrics,
while the Alkayida siren and scattered drum kits accompany them. It
worked.
“There is something they say about a hit,” Skuki tells Pulse via email. “When its gonna happen, it’s gonna happen and nothing can stop it.”
Recording
the song was simple. The two brothers were in the studio with producer
DJ Mo, working on, and testing different sounds. Over several hours,
they made nothing that they could work with. But inspiration struck
Vavavoom, who canceled all of their work, and started a new one.
“Guys let’s make a hit.” Vavavoom said.
It was funny to everyone at first, but it then caught on. With Peeshaun joining in excitedly and screaming “Let’s make something lit! Let’s give the clubs and street the biggest jam of the year.”
VJ Adsms, Skuki - 'If you don't mind'
A few friends were in the studio, and DJ Mo dropped a few drum notes. “Fresh off the boat…” the opening line came instantly to Vavavoom, and it flowed until the song was done. ‘Pass the Agbara’, which is threatening to be the biggest club single of 2017 was in the bag. Or rather, on the hard drive.
‘Pass
the Agbara’ is currently one of the leading songs in the streets, with
Lagos embracing and exporting it to different markets. Much of this is
fan driven, as people organically listen and share the song with friends
and family.
“You can't deceive the masses,” Peeshaun says. “At the end of the day, people know what they want to hear. They recognize any smash hit when they hear it.”
“The
reaction/feedback has been positive. Normally you will have some
section of people to give their odd opinion, but overall it’s been
wonderful. The beat, the lamba 'Pass The Agbara', the sequence of
activities is too superb to go wrong,” He continues.
Radio spins for the
single isn’t at the top, with the song failing to crack the Playdata
Charts, which monitors radio play for every song in Nigeria. But its
main drivers and disrtibution channels are club DJs and peer-to-peer
sharing over social media and beyond. There’s also the video by Clarence
Peters, which has helped its circulation on TV.
Skuki
intends to drop an album by the final quarter of the year, utilizing
the momentum gotten from this as an inspiration for bigger projects.
“It’s not just the start of something bigger,” Vavavoom says. “It’s also a result of how consistent we have been over the past few years, so ‘we would say it’s a timely hit.”
