Dada with Finesse: Producers showing DJs how to be better singers
The new wave of hit singles coming from the stable of producers suggests a new trend in the industry, one which challenges other hopeful singers.
The stage is set for the recording of a single.
*beat starts, lead artiste enters, shouts GREATNESS, leaves stage. The featured artiste enters, starts singing.
INTERLUDE: lead artiste enters again, shouts ONE, TWO, THREE, leaves stage. Featured artiste continues singing.
Curtain drops on the singing session. Audience disperses.
Kayode says to his girlfriend, “but I thought the lead artiste is supposed to lead while the featured artiste comes in with one or two verses.
Girlfriend: Sometimes, the featured singer could sing the hook for the lead artiste to lay all the verses.
Kayode: But this one off me sha. Maybe na the new style be that.
Girlfriend: Maybe.
In case you’re wondering, this is still your favourite entertainment newsletter, AfroDives, not a dramatic text but you can agree with me that the scene above looks like the track of some popular Nigerian DJs on their own singles and albums. Apart from ad-lib and signature name check, disc jockeys do sing virtually nothing on their own songs, leaving only the guest artiste to do all the hard work.
As a critic, I felt it was cool, initially, from the days of DJ Jimmy Jatt which saw other creatives in the industry apart from singers decide to step up to own the mic and produce an album. Given that DJs are not natural singers, it was understandable. Then came the likes of Neptune, Spinall, and Enimoney, releasing singles, and dropping albums with minimal effort put into singing. Applause went their way for daring to do the daunting.
But if DJs could successfully venture into ‘singing’, then what stops others? Then stepped up producers. And it turned out to be one big of a step up. Where the men of the wheel of steel were simply content with miming in the shadows, producers grabbed the mic and stepped right in the middle of the singing spotlight, rightly giving their singing counterparts a serious run for their money.
You could make an argument for producers that they are always in the studio with artistes, observing them every step of the way, sometimes even guiding them through the process of recording songs, while DJs are simply consumers of the end product. Â Therefore, producers should be better than DJs when it comes to singing and recording.
It is a pursuable argument, undoubtedly, but the fact remains that the men after the order of Tekno, the model singer-producer, are not folding their arms while the fortune of the industry is being encircled by vocalists. Tekno, who is credited to be the original owner of Davido’s If, has smash hits and continues to appear atop charts, typifying that one trade is not exclusive to the other.
So, as you have Udomboso ‘Young Jonn’ Saviours and Phillip ‘Pheelz’ Kayode giving joy and finesse to airwaves while Tekno is doing buga with Kizz Daniel atop charts, all eyes should be on DJs to not act like hypemen on their own songs.
With one eye, we also look at Mr Basketmouth who already has two fantastic albums. You know what we mean…