Sauti Sol’s Melanin a taste of Afrikan Sauce

Patoranking has had a busy year that’s seen him work with East African artists such as Diamond Platnumz, Navy Kenzo and Alikiba. Therefore, a collaboration between the Nigerian star and Sauti Sol was always going to be a hit.

'Melanin' celebrates women of colour whose allure is their dark skin. The track’s introduction is a perfect blend of acoustic guitars. Patoranking joins in with, “When a good girl gone bad, what you gonna do? / Run go meet her dat/we don’t wanna do”, and this is followed by Sauti Sol’s rich vocal harmony.

“In my life I have never seen melanin so dark / you’re a queen of the dance floor / night social life upon the Lagos scene baby / won’t you put me in your diary,” Savara sings (Patoranking replaces Nairobi with Lagos). Having spent all his money on the woman he desires, the Nigerian artist expresses that he won’t give up on her, even though she doesn’t share his sentiments. The song is catchy with simple but memorable lyrics: “She’s a heartbreaker / she bend over backbreaker / steaming hot water vapour / I wanna date her.”

Skin-bleaching products have borne a multi-billion industry, which millions of Africans have fallen victim to. The song is in appreciation of women who are comfortable in their own skin, and the video, which features dark-skinned women, addresses this issue and advocates for self-love.

The video starts with three guitarists, among them Sauti Sol’s Polycarp, sitting on a log on the shore of the ocean. The scene changes to silhouettes of a woman, the band and Patoranking walking on the beach. Having worked with artists such as Davido and Yemi Alade, it’s easy to see why the band chose Clarence Peters as the director. A lot of creativity went into it – from the women basking in the sun on the beach, to the dance floor, to Bien singing against the backdrop of lit torches.

The video is appealing but the styling takes it a notch higher. The makeup is flawless and the hairstylist went with natural dos that look good on the women. The African print bikinis they don also stand out. To make it steamy, partygoers are drenched from the rain pouring down on the dance floor. Going for the dramatic, the Nigerian director incorporated slow motion scenes throughout the video. However, the oiled women who’re only wearing bikini bottoms as they face the ocean, and a nude model seated on a motorbike, make this an R-rated video. Does the video deliver? Keeping in mind the band’s target audience, yes, it does.

Having previously worked with Yemi Alade, Bebe Cool and Alikiba, the band effortlessly fuses its sound with different artists' to produce instant hits. While debuting the song, Sauti Sol announced they would release a new track each month for the next year. In a bid to spread the Kenyan message and flavour across Africa, the songs will be in collaboration with various artists across the continent.

If this is just a taste of what to expect from Afrikan Sauce then fans are in for a treat.

Artist: Sauti Sol ft Patoranking
Album: Afrikan Sauce
Label: Sauti Sol Entertainment