No Autotune, no programmed loops, no fronting, fancy cars or gyrating girls. This is "classic" Motown (with a nod to Memphis and Stax Records by way of The Staple Sisters), but updated to bridge the gap between the Lagos of today and Detroit/Memphis of yesteryears, and between nostalgia and our post-modern sensibility. It's done with wit and a wink, and comes with a video to match courtesy of Nigeria's busiest music video director, Clarence Peters.
What a fun shoot this must have been. You dey mad, you day craze, you day gbongbola cigar. That alone will bring back memories for many Nigerians (well, Yoruba ones, at any rate).
The video which was premiered on BET’s 106 & Park, and we suspect both song and video will start appearing on award shortlists very shortly.
That Stupid Song was written by Cobhams Asuquo and Praiz (who also performs on the track and in the video), and appears on Bez's debut album Super Sun.
Bez felt like a breath of fresh air when he released the lead single from that album just over a year ago, but it was too early to tell if it was a one-off or a statement of intent. As more songs followed it became clear it was the latter. So it makes perfect sense for him to team up with Cobhams Asuquo. If all you know of Nigerian contemporary music is the 'Naija sound', then Cobhams deserves your attention. He's been steadily extending the boundaries of contemporary "Nigerian" music by tapping into jazz, classical music, classic soul, and more, and it's working. You've probably already heard some of his work - he produced Asa's international debut album and wrote or co-wrote several of its hits.
CNN recently published a piece about him, topped with this video in which he talks, among other things, about how someone who trained to be a lawyer ended up in his position, and how difficult it was as an A-grade student to choose music when that is generally considered the option of last resort. Check that piece.
That Stupid Song is now rotation on This Is Africa hit radio.
