Again, YouTube Music Rolls Out Drums For Nigerian Artistes

Not even the COVID-19 pandemic could prevent popular online video-sharing platform, YouTube, from celebrating some of Nigeria’s exceptional music stars, such as Patoranking, DJ Cuppy, Adekunle Gold and Fireboy DML in the YouTube Music Week.

For years, YouTube has played an essential role in the discovery and development of African sound, exporting African music to listeners worldwide. It has brought so many people closer to Africa, opening up its music, culture, foods and dance for global appreciation.

Launched earlier this year in Nigeria, YouTube Music reinforces the platform’s long-term commitment to support the growth of the music industry in Nigeria. The music streaming service uses the magic of YouTube to give fans official songs, albums, thousands of playlists and artist radio, plus YouTube’s tremendous catalogue of remixes, live performances, covers and music videos that can not be found anywhere else, personalised and all simply organized in one place.

This year, YouTube in the four days Virtual hangouts, did not only celebrate the stars of the show, the platform is also celebrating their many fans. The artistes also leverage the platform to share some of their interesting plans with their fans.
Other fun features on YouTube Music like lyrics, playlists, background play, availability of remixes and covers will also be highlighted.

According to Google Product Marketing Manager, Adetutu Laditan, beyond celebrating the immense talent demonstrated by Nigerian music stars, the goal of YouTube Music Week is also to showcase some of the top artistes and songs making waves on the YouTube Music platform.

“Music has been scientifically found to be a therapeutic medium. It allows people to express their feelings and communicate with others. YouTube Music Week is celebrating music as a tool that helps people to endure and persevere, particularly in difficult times like these.

“Music fans have had a hard time dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic; YouTube Music week is focused on helping music fans discover music that helps them deal with this difficult period ensuring they go through it stronger,”

“YouTube has helped music lovers discover music that connects with their interests. The platform has enabled creators and fans to access and be inspired by music from everywhere. In Nigeria, YouTube is redefining the entertainment experience as the online platform that exports Afrobeat.

“In the last 15 years, YouTube has played an essential role in the discovery and development of African sound, exporting African music to listeners worldwide, enabling collaborations within the global and regional music industry, and accelerating the transition to digital for fans on the continent,” adds Laditan.

Also speaking, Communications and Public Affairs Manager for Google West Africa, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, said YouTube has continued to provide a platform for Nigerians to share the country’s unique and diverse culture on a global stage, and also to offer Nigerian users more relevant content. With cultural movements growing and building on YouTube, the platform plays an essential role in the discovery and development of African sound, exporting African music to listeners worldwide.

YouTube Music app is available to download from the Play Store and App Store or users can check out the web player at music.youtube.com.
On his part, Nigeria Reggae dancehall musician, who was asked on his foundation project, he said, “before I became Patoranking, there is prayer I said; I told God ‘if you put me in a position to make money, I will definitely love to touch lives because I know how it feels not having.

And every single opportunity I have to pass a message and every single opportunity to sell myself, I try to pass a message that could help somebody, touch lives, even if it is one person.

The whole idea is, when everyone is winning and dining. I am somebody that has the mindset of reflecting around people. Someone once said, if you are the only rich man in your community, you are not rich. That is my philosophy about life. So it is very important I touch lives. I know how it feels coming from the bottom.

“We have been doing this whole school thing for a very long time. It is not something that I go out and tell people to support me because I am doing this. Everything I do which is from the proceeds of my music, I make sure it is from my pocket. It is the promise I made. The most important thing is that I am not under pressure when this is done. People got to know about it this year, because of the university programme. The university programme was because I wanted to do it across Africa. I just can’t go out there and pick one kid that was why I decided to open it for everybody. You never can tell who needs it. We have actually been doing this for students in primary to secondary and even have about four people in the university that are in Nigeria. That excludes supporting families as well.   “We just want to make a difference. It is just making a difference in our own little way, and if you listen to the music as well, it is not about touching lives with money, in our lyrics as well. We touch lives with the music. Singing songs like “Nobody wey no fit to make am”. It is a way of me telling people where I am coming from.

Speaking on the inspiration behind his songs, especially Black Girl Magic, he said, “Patoranking is a topic writer. I write music like I treat topics. It is very easy for me like that. Before I write a song, there is a visual already playing in my head, then I will paint what I’ve visualized, put into writing and then record.

“When I record songs, I make sure I shoot videos the same way it was visualized in my head without cutting any for budget. It is very stressful and that is why my music is very different.

“For Black Girl Magic, we could tell the times we are in now; the whole racial profiling, segregation, and the whole fighting. For me, I may not be able to stand outside in protest but I know the only place I have my power is in the studio, my voice. So, I made a song with the whole idea that black women need to just look at themselves and be extra proud and say yes, ‘I am Africa magic, I am black and proud, and I will say it loud.

Speaking of if he has a new song, coming from the pandemic, he said, “there is a song called “Love Is The Answer” it is me telling people that no matter where they come from, love is the answer. From “love is the answer you can listen to “Lion In The Jungle’’. I was telling myself, my daughter, that I was not going back to my formal life. I told my mum that I almost got it right. You are not going back to sadness, worry, downtimes and any negative thing.

On the inspiration behind Abule, which is currently the toast of the town, he said, “For “ABULE” I realised that I have actually written a lot of songs based on what is happening in the Ghetto. From Ghetto love, to ghetto girls, life in the ghetto and how we party in the Ghetto, and we kept it real in that song and that’s why everybody can relate to it. I started by saying, “make I tell you wetin happen for Abule, that’s how we party, that’s how we rave on Fridays”. And if you look at the videos you will see a part where someone was shot and the party was still going on. In Lagos if you are in a street party like that, there are some people they call “Alagbara” that is the “oga them”. So when you are around them, whatever is happening there can’t come close. So that was just me talking about how we party in the ghetto, the party life in the Ghetto. Truly there is a place called “ABULE” in my place, where I come from, there is a place called Abule.

On his collaboration with Dare for Jojo, ”for me it is music, and when it calls you respond irrespective of the time. We recorded the song late in 2019, I felt the time he called me was the time the songs needed to be out, and I had to respond. He is a great guy.

When asked if the pandemic was a good time for him and helped him to relax and come back to do more good music, he said, “if I say yes the COVID year was good, it will mean that I am not being fair. Because so many people lost their loved ones, so many people died. According to the Bible, these are perilous times. There is a saying that when you see a problem as a problem it becomes a problem. So I did not see corona as a problem. All I did was to make the best out of corona and the best was trying to create something that will uplift the mind of the people. When you listen to the album, three major things were highlighted in the album- Love, Life and happiness. When you listen to the album you should feel that way. And these are the three things we need to fight Coronavirus. If the world can run in this order, there will not be corona; it would be a better place. I will not say I benefited, I was just like every other guy out there, hoping and praying that it will go. Businesses were affected, families and the whole world was affected. I was part of the people affected as well, but I tried to make the best out of it, which was what we did in creating the album.

Speaking on if he’s going to make music to talk about the social ills in the society, he said, “If anyone listens to the music very well, some of the songs are not commercially viable, because people don’t usually pay attention to the lyrics of the song. If you listen to Heal The World, I explained what is happening around; what is going on in southern Kaduna. There is a track on my last album called “Black”. I have been fighting and saying it. I was saying “black kill black, blacks hate blacks” it is just me complaining in my own little way, like I said, I may not be able to stand out, but music is my podium, the studio is my voice. I have been doing that. I think it’s high time people listen to Patoranking. It is time people listen to the lyrics because if we want bright future generations, it all starts now; we need to get it right. We need to make sure that everybody gets involved.