What a hit!

Exactly on the 1st of December 2024, my group had our end-of-year party. While we were driving to the venue for the main event, the owner of the car announced that the Bluetooth in his car was open and ready for anyone interested in playing music to connect. Everyone in the car looked to me to take charge and connect, but I declined because most of the songs on my phone might not interest them, especially since they were church people, and I don't particularly fancy that genre. They waited and waited, but I didn’t connect. Eventually, one of them nudged me to connect, but I still declined and boldly told them, "I don’t do gospel songs." They all burst into laughter, mixed with a touch of criticism, because they didn’t expect me to say that, being a churchgoer myself. Lol.

One lady sitting in the front seat ended up connecting her phone. The first song that came on was one I had never heard before, but it instantly captured my attention. It sounded so interesting and ear-tingling, especially because it sampled a small part of a very popular African song that resonated with the whole continent. Intrigued, I didn’t hesitate to ask her about the song. Funnily enough, she didn’t know the full details off the top of her head. She had to look at her phone and shakily pronounce the title and artists’ names.

From that moment, I was totally captivated by the song, and it instantly became one of the tracks I grew to love in a very unfamiliar way.

Now, before I tell you more about this new track, let’s first talk about the popular African song it sampled.

I can confidently say that every African who grew up in the early 2000s must have heard or danced to the song Première Gaou by Magic System, released in year 2000.

This iconic song, sung in French and hailing from Ivory Coast, trended across the entire African continent, including English-speaking countries. Until today, I didn’t know the history of this song, but when I researched it, I was amazed. Imagine such a massive hit dominating everywhere without the help of the internet! Oh yes, Première Gaou was released many years ago—during the days of cassettes and CDs, when the internet didn’t exist. Back then, there was hardly any social event where this song wasn’t played. In fact, if it wasn’t played, then the DJ was undoubtedly a flop.

Now, back to the track that led to this moment—the song I fell in love with on the 1st of December 2024. It’s titled Nyege Le Wa and is done by BackRoad Gee and Ms Banks. This track was released in 2021.

The song is a swift freestyle with a fresh and unique vibe that stands apart from the recent trends that everyone seems to be following. The background vocals prominently feature the sampling of Première Gaou, giving it a nostalgic, native touch. Meanwhile, the verses and main chorus seamlessly switch to an Afrobeat style, creating a perfectly blended masterpiece.

I absolutely love the effort the artists put into this track, especially their creativity and uniqueness. Unfortunately, it’s sad that good songs from relatively unknown artists often don’t trend as well as those from big-name stars.

Thanks for reading.

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