On the greatness of 2 Baba’s African Queen

The song refers to the early stages of love, where what is bound to become complex is as yet simple. And such the emotion is conveyed with simple declarations:

The song has since passed into legenda, assisted by the coincidence of being the available video around the time of setting-up of the MTV Base channel. It became the very first video to be aired on that station. As the years went by, MTV Base became more important than Channel O. African Queen became king of love songs on the continent. It is the centrepiece of all the 2face ouevre.

As a love song, it prefigured 2face's love life. It is perhaps indelicate to note that the song mentions no names and the video has 3 girls, each of whom is seen with 2face at various times. The song's potency may come from that idea of reusable lines. The African Queen is the cynosure of the singer's eye. What happens when he shifts his gaze? And so it was that any number of men used the song to woo their woman. The singer himself then went on a spree, wooing any number of women.

Looking back, it sorta put him in a spot. He had made the definitive love song for the old, young and everyone else. How to follow it? Fortunately, the album was done and in an era of listening to the whole thing, we all knew the songs on the album. When another video showed up it was merely a bonus. We had the heard it before. To consider how much of the certitude on AQ was important, think of the latter 2face songs. True Love is a searching song, Be there is one of assurance.

On the relatively unknown Feeling You, structured like a phone call, the suitor is wooing a reluctant woman--similar to the lady on Ole. On both songs, the frustrated man expresses his unhappiness at his lady's handwringing by threatening on the first--make you no dey act like mumu, take what you get before it gets too late--and is distraught on the other--if you really love me so you should let me know. Again both are questioning: "I'm feeling you. Do you feel me too?" "tell me your decision, my position?"

There would be no such joy in love song till Rainbow from Away and Beyond. Young love, the middle uncertainty, and the joys of matrimony--2face has spent his love songs chronicling the viccisitudes of romance. If he were American a song on divorce might close the circle. He's Nigerian: matrimony is the idealised end of romance. And that's where we are. For emphasis the video for Rainbow shows footage of his wedding. The wife? The same girl from the AQ video. Circle closed.