Aimasiko: From Obey to Simi

The time between Ogaju and 'Tiff', it can be assumed, was a time for re-education, unlearning, and self-discovery. This comes across in her most second studio album ‘Simisola’, with only Adekunle Gold as featured artist, and from where her version of Chief Ebenezer Obey’s epic tune ‘Aimasiko’ finds a pleasurably modern twist.

Simi's twist is conscious of the wisdom of the original song. As mainstream music allows only for snappy, straight forward, and minimalistic lyrics in production, the vintage counterpart is free ranging, allowing for a band to weave artfully through intermissions, and in a more relaxed manner, as opposed to Simi’s party friendly tune.

The title and theme of the song ‘Aimasiko’ refers to the ignorance of time (specifically one’s time for breakthrough). While Chief Ebenezer Obey rode free on the sleighs of wise sayings and Yoruba proverbs, Simi gives it a widely welcome touch-up by setting things off in pidgin (sung, of course, in her almost playful accent).

“You dey work ooo, you dey pray," she says. "You dey push everyday. You dey try; no be play...but your hustle never pay."

This is friendly advice of sorts, admonishing the husltler to hold on, to persist, and yet take things easy, to believe, and to keep hard at work because one’s moment of breakthrough is known to none.

Although many have attempted renditions, it would be safe to say that this is the exceptional version; where everything plays out flawlessly, such that the revamped tune could be mistaken for the original one, the back ups (just as they were in the vintage version) giving the song a lively, party-friendly boom, and the overall arrangement telling of a serious artist with a serious appreciation for age and excellent work.