It’s just two months to the end of the year, and both rappers have announced they are dropping albums and it goes without saying that we are having a massive yuletide as far as new music is concerned. It will be an interesting one and we can’t wait!‎

But what’s even more interesting is the switch in Olamide and Phyno with both music stars embracing the more sought after pop genre.

With Olamide, this isn’t particularly new as we have seen in Bobo, Lagos Boys and Melo Melo. The man understands the market, their inclinations and everything about their yearnings – and he delivers just that in his pieces. Currently, he’s dropped new hits in Konkonbility, Owo Blow and Abule Sowo. 

And it’s worked for him. And quite frankly, we love it to the full.‎

But there’s more flavor to love from where that came because Phyno appears to have been indoctrinated into the league. This league is what has most of our A-list artistes playing what’s been popularly referred to as Afro Pop and Afro beats in international tabloids and American radio shows.

This genre has seen Tekno deliver four astounding records in Wash, Where, Duro and the current, wave-making hit song Pana.

With Phyno, we have been blessed with Connect, Fada Fada and the new, highlife influenced Pino Pino.

These songs are the summary of all the charts in Nigeria this year, maybe with a few additions here and there from outliers like Adekunle Gold, Timi Dakolo, Burna Boy, Dare Alade and Simi.

Yemi Alade, Cynthia Morgan, Seyi Shay, Niniola and Tiwa Savage have also contributed their fair share to the core of things in 2016. But when the story is written come December 2016, the review sheets will have Phyno, Tekno and Olamide in outright dominance before others because not even the duo of Wizkid and Davido have had a better year despite their international sojourns all year (which have been quite the impressive one anyway).

So yea, we have come this far with this new crop of talents and it’s a great one. They have served their fans with so much heart and grit and persistence.‎

They have created what is perhaps one of the most poignant eras in local music, all without any foreign collaboration and we love it.  This is a testament to how much our music has evolved over the years. Every facet of it is glory. On his part, Ayo Jay is also doing the country proud in faraway America.

Though still needing some improvements here and there, we see that the growth in the local music industry has come in leaps and bounds.

Phyno and Olamide have struck a formidable partnership and it can only get better as we have seen.

They served us a tepid joint album in 2 Kings which dropped in April 2015 and it didn’t exactly see positive feedback from the consumers and critics alike. And it’s fine really, we can chalk it up to fatigue because when you record almost nonstop round the year you are bound to burn out.

In all though, we are happy with the new materials from both rappers-turned-pop stars (and I guess we can describe them that way given how much they have achieved), materials that have seen them adopt the more accepted Afro pop genre because at the end of the day they are in the business to satisfy the consumers.‎

After all; as they say, every artiste’s work, unless he be a hermit, creating solely for his own satisfaction and with no need of sales, is to some extent socially conditioned; he depends upon the approval of his patrons.

‎NJ