Some call it new, some call it an adulteration of amapiano and others regard it as a desperate attempt by Kcee to remain relevant in the music industry. But whatever you may think it is, it doesn’t take away the fact that Ojapiano is the new cat on the block.
This sound of music is a new subgenre under the umbrella body of Afrobeats. Kcee is no stranger to the Nigerian music industry as he has been in the industry for over 20 years from his early days as a member of the music group Kc Presh.
He has over the years gone through a series of evolution from being in a group to going solo and trying his hands at new things in the process releasing multiple hits and even going as far as releasing a gospel album which gave him a Headies award for the best inspirational song (Cultural Praise) beating Mercy Chinwo, Nathaniel Bassey, Dunsin Oyekan, Timi Dakolo and Chidinma.
Kcee is always experimenting with different sounds and his latest incarnation is the creation of the Ojapiano sound. Now Ojapiano is a genre of music that Kcee claims to have created with the help of many individuals, most notably Ojazzy Igbonile, an indigenous flautist. But before I go into that, we need to understand the origin of Amapiano, the genre of music Kcee drew inspiration from.
Amapiano is a subgenre of house music and kwaito that emerged in South Africa in the mid-2010s. The name “amapiano” is Zulu for “the pianos”, and the genre is characterized by its use of high-pitched piano melodies, Kwaito basslines, low-tempo 1990s South African house rhythms and percussions from another local subgenre of house known as tribal house. Amapiano also incorporates elements of deep house, jazz, and lounge music.
The genre has become increasingly popular in recent years and has been credited with revitalizing the South African music scene. Amapiano has also been gaining traction in other parts of the world and is now being played in clubs and festivals around the globe.
On the other hand, the Ojà plays a prominent role in the musical traditions of the Igbo people and is a vital component of their rich cultural history. The Nigerian Igbo people are well known for using the Ojà (flute), a traditional musical instrument, in cultural activities or festivals.
I should point out that there is a West African variation of the South African log drum. Sierra Leone extensively uses the Kailain, a traditional Limba log drum. The size of the log, the length and width of the top slit, and the location and method of striking the log all affect the sound of the drum. The Oja of the Igbo people is a distinctive high-pitched, musical instrument made of bamboo or wood. It is mixed with other instruments like drums, bells, rattles, and gongs when utilized in traditional ceremonies.
No wonder, the Amapiano sound is being used more frequently by Nigerian musicians. The legendary West African or Yoruba Dundun talking drum, which was originally used to carry messages to far-off areas and notably among the Yoruba, adorns music genres like Juju and Fuji, has a lot in common with the deep bass of the log drum in Amapiano.
Speaking on this, Otika Anselm Chimezie popularly known as Otika Oja a traditional Oja practitioner with over 17 years of experience, described Kcee’s Ojapiano as a masterpiece and that he deserved all the accolades he has gotten so far.
According to Otika, he has profound happiness with the adoption of this style of music by the mainstream. He called for Nigerians to embrace the nation’s diverse culture, promote, appreciate and enjoy with ease.
He asserted that people tend to underpay professional Flutists or disregard their worth, which indirectly discourages them from putting more effort to learn and improve on the art.
All these recognitions have not come without backlash from South Africans who have described this as theft of their sound. Even Kcee has acknowledged that he has received his fair share of hate but was not bothered about it.
The aggression was renewed again when American Rapper Swae Lee in a tweet seemingly credited Nigeria as the supposed creators of the Amapiano sound.
This did not go well with the folks on Twitter and it got so bad that even Swae Lee had to post a video message apologizing for the miscommunication, promising to work with all Africans and praying for peace.
Swae World Peace 🇿🇦🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/72LpvMry74
— Swae Lee Lee Swae (@SwaeLee) July 11, 2023
This is not surprising, as Nigeria is still at odds with Ghana over who influenced the other in their style of music. The most recent is Drill music which Ghanaians claim to have a hand in due to the Asakaa Boys being among the first to put African Drill music on the map.
Some may argue that this call-out may be due to the rapid success of Odumodublvck and the incoming Kiing LU who have incorporated Drill in their style of music and have achieved great things. The Ghanaians believe that they don’t get enough credit from Nigerians.
Giving some insights on that Joey Akan, Founder Afrobeats Intelligence Podcast, stated that ‘A good reminder also that pop culture does not respect or reward the originator of an idea. It rewards the person who takes that idea, scale it, find connectivity and makes it work on a mass level. If you’re both originator and major beneficiary, you are God’s favourite.’
In an article in Premium Times, writer Yusuf Bangura postulated ‘The complexity of Afrobeats reminds me of a joke about how to define an elephant. When faced with this challenge, someone retorted that he didn’t know how to define an elephant but could identify it if he saw one. It’s the same for Afrobeats. I can identify an Afrobeats song if I listen to it but will struggle to define it.’
A new musical genre or subgenre can only be created if other musicians can collaborate and support the genre’s growth. So the real question is will the brand-new Ojapiano encourage other musicians to develop this fantastic sound further? Time will only tell. But one thing is obvious modern musicians may tap into the vast soundscape that traditional African music offers to further saturate the African music scene.
Nigeria to the world
Wonderful.. Thanks so much for this…. Thumbs up! 👍👍👍👍👍
I honestly didn’t know so much about amapiano, I can dance to it though, but this article was very enlightening and entertaining
I need original oja how can I get it, and how much is it