Zazu...tech: The exciting collaboration between the music and tech industries

INSIDE: Portable has got everyone ported to 'ilu awon Osu'

Welcome to yet another issue of AfroDives, where you get some of the best insights into the happenings in the Entertainment Industry. And as the year gradually comes to an end, you are appreciated for your support for this community since we launched in September. We can still do more. If you have a friend who hasn’t subscribed to AfroDives yet, tell them to. Don’t hoard the goodies of the deep dives.

In the past week, a lot happened in the entertainment space, from zazu zeh becoming the latest slang expression, to Flutterwave unveiling Wizkid as a brand ambassador, Davido signing for PUMA and Teni and Shizzi dragging each other like an I better pass my neighbour generator. Equally, analysts and critics alike had a lot to say on these issues.

Where should we start from?

Let Portable lead

Habeeb Okikiola may not sound familiar but if I say Portable, then you’d easily know that I’m talking about one of the raves in the music space at the moment and the self-acclaimed Dr Zeh. His latest single with Olamide Badoo and Poco Lee is dominating not only charts but also discourses as every informal conversation now feels incomplete without the call and response zazu…zeh.

As impressive as the traction of the single is and the limelight Portable has attracted, I have reservations concerning the singer’s brand. His style of going unclad at every public opportunity is something that perhaps needs to be watched. While the phrase has taken over many tongues, people with musical ears will know that Portable went off-key after Olamide’s verse. Sustaining the spotlight after the success of this freestyle single will require more than a tattooed body. Qdot is arguably Nigeria’s king of freestyle, Portable can pick one or two lessons from him.

Meanwhile, does it need to be said again? Olamide remains the king of street hop. His music may have evolved over the past two albums but nobody does it better and badder than Badoo himself.

Davido and Wizkid deals: The power of Afrobeats

More Nigerian artistes continue to hit global limelight as Afrobeats continues to take the world by storm. We already talked about the impact of Wizkid’s O2 tripartite shows.

Going forward, it’s interesting to see an ecosystem arise where the booming fintech industry leverages the global sensation of Afrobeats to achieve maximum impact. It’s a marketing masterstroke if well milked. The PUMA deal for Davido, believed to be worth millions of dollars, indicates that there’s no limit for Afrobeats’ crossover into any clime, industry or market.

AfroDives Shortlist Awards (ASA)

This time of the year is the season of shortlists and awards. The Recording Academy has released its shortlists, Spotify has Wrapped its listeners, with many others expected to drop in the coming weeks. AfroDives will also be having its maiden AfroDives Shortlist Awards.

Instead of having a single winner, it will be a shortlist of the top 10 names, brands and projects across numerous categories. Watch out for #ASA this coming weekend.