In displacing Bob Marley as the go to for Dancehall and Reggae music in Nigeria, Patoranking has carved a niche for himself here and across borders by not just being the propagator of Neo-Dancehall but an artist whose sound isn’t restricted to just one genre. On his last collaboration with Davido, Confirm, he was able to blend the dubstep nature of Dancehall with the volatility of AfroPop and as he seeks to widen his reach, he continues to widen his influence by stacking up record after record as evidence of evolution. Today, as an allusion to his growth, he releases another Afrobeat and Dancehall hybrid titled Lenge Lenge accompanied by an avant-garde Video.
As Patoranking doles out praises for his woman with stark references to Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s original Afrobeat sound on top of a Drum and Saxophone led soundscape, we get an unwavering sense of nostalgia and genre-transitioning.
Perhaps Patoranking’s wishes to cross over completely from Dancehall to more favoured genres like Afrobeat but just like the array of fine Women in the Luke Biggins directed video, his entire discography is colourful, impressive and possesses enough space for more varied sounds.