It is rare for artists to get a second chance at stardom, especially in Nigeria. A long hiatus from music and the fans already moved on to the next buzzing sounds and artistes. This analogy hardly appeals to Kcee as he has been given a second shot at stardom. In the past few weeks, his single ‘Ojapiano‘ has gone viral on social media, especially on TikTok with over 30,000 users and has been embraced by many facets of popular culture.
Amapiano (the predominant music genre in South Africa today) is reinvented in Ojapiano with Oja’s music (a sound from the south of Nigeria) seamlessly blended in with the captivating sounds of Log-drums, spotlighted by the traditional flute of Igbos. These elements are brought together perfectly by the producer Jaysynths – the mastermind of different hit songs in Nigeria.
There is no doubt why Nigerian artistes increasingly incorporate the amapiano sound into their music. Asake, one of Nigeria’s greatest breakthrough stars, in 2022 revolutionized the Amapiano sound with Fuji-fusion mannerisms in delivery, flow and instrumentation—that defined the music soundscape most artistes imitate. KCee is taking a similar approach with Ojapiano, a genre-defining song, and a prime example of how an innovative artist can keep reinventing and evolving. Ojazzy Igbonile, the young lad behind the Igbo traditional flute, a key instrument in Igbo music genre ‘Ogene,’ which ushers the track’s intro, made a memorable contribution.
There are rumors and speculations on the web that KCee may not be the custodian of this sound. Many internet users claim that the ‘Oja’ sound movement was sparked by Kola Boy before KCee achieved fame from it. But isn’t that what makes Afrobeats so special? Reinvention. Besides Afrobeats, Africa is home to a wide range of music genres. Various sounds have been fused to create Afrobeats sub-genre – from jazz to Jamaican dancehall to Fuji, Highlife, and even Amapiano.
While it is hard to determine who invented the ‘Ojapiano’ sound, there is no doubt that KCee’s version is the one that people resonate with the most. The fact that KCEE or Kola started it doesn’t matter, what matters is that we now have a new sound that’s evolving and the world is enjoying it. In the midst of increasing acceptance and traction our fingers remain crossed that this may be nominated for the Grammy award in next year’s Afrobeats subgenre.
