Terry’s modern mix of apala and hip hop

The music scene in Nigeria shares he same idiosyncrasies as the other aspects of the culture. You see musicians with great vocals struggling to "make it", yet others with little or nothing to offer get all the promotions and endorsements. Like Falz said in his ‘Soft Work’, “even if you fake your own death you fit still no blow.” The year 2016 is almost over and Nigerian music, save for some differences in beats and lyrics, still sounds homogenous, with themes revolving around girls, booty, money, champagne, Moet, and cassava-sized wahalas. This ecclectic blend of hip-hop and afro beats has reached its saturation point now—everyone sounds the same.

One of the handful of artists doing something different is Terry Apala. Born Terry Alexander Ejeh, Terry Apala, like his contemporaries, started singing in the church. Although Terry is originally from Ozoro in Delta State, he was raised in Ajegunle, Lagos. He grew up listening to Apala music from the likes of the legendary Haruna Ishola and a host of others. He, however, discovered early enough that doing what everyone else was already doing might not give him the break he needed into the music scene, so he tapped into his roots and produced a unique style: apala fused with hip hop.

In one of his early singles, ‘Modernise’, Terry introduced himself, his style of music, and claimed his tribe, “omo Isoko,” perhaps to say, yes, I do this apala mixture well, but I am an Isoko boy. Apala is native to the Yorubas of south west Nigeria, while Isoko is an ethnic group in south south Nigeria, with a language and culture distinct from that of the Yorubas.

In Modernise, Terry did not only introduce his style of music but also subtly mocked the over-flogged tendencies of the hip hop genre. He bragged here and there, inviting Nigerians to enjoy his music and dance away their sorrows.

Verse 1 of 'Modernize' goes like this:

For you wey dey ronu
Dance away your sorrow
If you no get bata, make you go borrow
We go rock am today today, no be tomorrow
after the menu menu se gbo, a ma ya photo
it’s high time we dance afro musiki
Come inside the shrine,
baby gather ma rocking
This one wey dey Africa se you dey hear me
My fellow Nigerians are really feeling me shogbo
Me I no care where you come from
put on your bata make you boogie down,
smiles on your face, make you no frown
African melody can never run down

And the hook goes:

I modernize Apala music to hip hop ooo, yeah yeah ,
for Africa dem dey hear am, all over Naija there dey hear am.

Throughout ‘Modernize’, he bragged about his song being heard all over Nigeria, mocking those with fake Versace who did not want to dance to his songs. He invited those who have not heard him to listen to his modernised apala music mixed with hip hop, heard all over Africa and Nigeria, in Lagos, from the mainland to the Island.

In ‘Jangolova’, the Nigerian pidgin word for a swing, Terry transformed into a lover boy crooning to a girl to marry him. What made this song different from the mainstream baby-marry-me, again, is the fusion of Apala with Hip-hop and Terry’s voice.

I want to know what it takes to be your lover
if you really want me, come closer,
I go buy you many Ankara
so you go do shakara.
Terry Apala dey call you,
I go marry you,
I go take care of you,
I no care what they say about you honey be my lover,
I want you and I to do jangolova.

Champagne showers could have been the regular ”we are drinking Moet with fine girls” Nigerian song but Terry will make you listen to anything with that low husky voice spiced with apala flavour. I should add that the video is rated 18 and this is Terry’s finest work in my opinion.

One important feature of Terry’s music is the poetry in his songs, the almost perfect rhythm and rhyme. The first time I listened to ‘Champagne Showers’, that was all I could hear: how he fluidly blends his bars into the verse. In ‘Mo Popular’ he bragged about this ability, 16 bars in one verse e no easy.

If there is a song with Terry Apala in it I don’t quite like, it’s his feature on the classic Jimmy Jatt and Flavour’s ‘Turn up’, even then, Terry stayed on the lowest note for almost 30 seconds effortlessly. The blend of his voice and Flavour’s did not quite synchronise. I imagine songs with Burna boy, Black magic, or Brymo, will be magic.

The bar for his debut album Apala on the Beat is already set so high. I hope he scales through. His sound is fresh, unique and very welcome. And with the industry now straining to bring in more sounds from the edges, and audiences hunkering for more diversity in their music, the timing is near-perfect.