Nigerian sensation Naira Marley, who has been hailed by NPR as “one of the greatest and most celebrated artists performing and producing in the Afrobeat scene today,” returns with brand new single Vawulence. Produced by Vibez Ace and featuring London’s BackRoad Gee, the track is the first in a new Marley-created genre he dubs ‘Gangpiano’ and marks the first new release from Marley since his critically acclaimed debut album God’s Timing’s The Best released in May of this year.
With Vawulence Naira Marley taps the increasingly popular genre Amapiano and makes it into a Gang song hence ‘Gangpiano’. The Vawulence track also follows Naira’s feature on a brand new WizKid track Wow alongside Skepta. The new Naira Marley single is accompanied by an official video directed by Arthur Keasy, produced by FAM Prod, and set in Paris. The gang-themed video follows Naira Marley on his escapades in the city.
One of the biggest artists across Africa and a true pioneer of Afroswing, Naira Marley has established himself as an icon of the African vanguard. Vawulence is classic Marley; chaotic, fun, humorous, witty; a UK rap-infused banger drenched in sunny Amapiano that pays homage to both Naira’s transcontinental upbringing across Peckham and Lagos.
After years of solidifying his reputation as both the pioneer of Afro Hip-Hop and a prominent voice of the streets, Marley has continued to develop his music, marrying the raw, unpolished tones of UK rap, the Yoruba language, and the sounds of the diaspora as heard on God’s Timing’s The Best for an uncompromising and unpredictable and sonic palette debut in stark contrast to the saccharine commerciality of the Nigerian AfroPop mainstream.