‘Apala Disco’ is a phrase that will evoke different memories for Nigerian music listeners strongly influenced by how old they are. Older Apala enthusiasts will recall Haruna Ishola and the golden age of Apala, thinking back to a time when the genre was an important pillar of Yoruba music culture. Younger listeners will think of DJ Tunez’s more recent efforts, and the glut of Apala Disco recreation that have so far managed to feature Terry Apala, Wizkid, Seyi Vibez and Musiliu Haruna Ishola—the son of the late legend. Both groups, however, will be alluding to a genre that has essentially been carefully preserved for over seventy years.
As streaming services continue to ensure the digitisation and permanent preservation of music from when they were born, young Nigerians have access to music released by the great artists of ancient genres like Apala, Fuji and Highlife, and the data shows they have been listening avidly. Data from Spotify reveals a 187%, 224% and 185% growth in listenership for Fuji, Highlife and Apala respectively between 2022 and 2023, reflecting about a two-fold increase over the period of one year. This surge in growth can be attributed to Nigerians tapping into these genres, but that only tells half the story. The other half comes from young, creative Nigerian artists towing the path of ancient heroes.
At the turn of the 50s, the nascent stages of the genre that would become Fuji were being formed. Wéré, as it was known then, was the music traditionally employed as a call to prayer for Yoruba muslims during the month of Ramadan. With time this music began to take root outside its religious purpose, and Ajiwéré bands sprung out with the genre as their staple. As the genre evolved, it began to take on more intricate instrumentation like the Goje violin and the Sakara drums, and extensive writing that dwelt on life, death, politics and more. This allowed its creators to make music to be enjoyed by a larger and more diverse audience.
Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister is credited with christening the genre, and he chose the name Fuji as inspired by the mountain. The new genre rose to popularity through the 60s and 70s, as talented artists entered the foray, often via informal apprenticeships spent training under established acts. Ayinde Barrister released albums like Omo Nigeria, Fuji Vibration, etc, that brought him national and later, international fame; Alhaji Kollington Ayinla, another pioneer, was his great rival, and through the years they kept fans of the genre entertained as they pushed out entire albums in antagonism of one another. Later, newer stars like King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall helped keep the culture alive while pushing the genre to new acclaim; other prominent stars included Adewale Ayuba, Akande Obesere, Saheed Osupa and Obesere.
As Fuji made strides in national and global soundscapes, its sister genre, the older Apala, was taking off. It was spurred by pioneers like Haruna Ishola, Ayinla Omoruwa and later Fatai Olowonyo, talented artists who made a name with the Apala drum and genre. As artists sprung out into the limelight to command a share of a budding market, it was common for them to get enmeshed in rivalries that did not respect genre boundaries. Ayinla was embroiled in battles for supremacy, first with Haruna Ishola, and later with Fatai Olowonyo. These rivalries helped sell albums and generate attention that was key to the growth of these genres, and thankfully they hardly morphed into anything more sinister.
While South West Nigeria danced to these two genres and others like Juju and Afrobeat, in the South East, Highlife was taking root. It had originated from pre colonial Ghana in the 1920s, and was fast spreading across West Africa. At first, Nigeria as a country had nationalised the genre, as artists like Rex Lawson and Victor Uwaifo put their spin on it in their respective languages. By taking the guitar rhythms and cadences peculiar to Highlife and fusing it with traditional Igbo instruments and the Igbo language, Igbo Highlife was born, and soon came to represent an aspect of the Igbo music palate.
Through the ‘60s, Highlife emerged as an identity of urban Igbo music culture. Osita Osadebe was a prominent composer and performer of the genre, and his music was soothing, consisting of guitar strings and repeated familiar rhythms into which he weaved words of encouragement and support—his masterpiece, Nwanem Ebezina literally translates as “Brother, do not cry”, and is widely enjoyed in the South East till this day. Spotify data indicates that nearly twenty years after his passing, Nigerians are finding as much enjoyment from Osita Osadebe’s discography as the previous generation. Three of Osadebe’s songs are among the top five best-listened Highlife tracks of the past one year—Nwanem Ebezina, Ka-Anyi Jikota and Osondi Owendi.
Nigeria’s Gen Z demography has been accused of a great many things, some serious and others spurious, but a lack of appreciation for music is not one of them. These genres, Fuji, Apala and Highlife, continue to play out their lives in modern times, still dictating and setting the pace for certain occasions—in Igbo land, a party never truly starts until it’s attendees sway to one of Osadebe’s tracks, while in South Western Nigeria, Fuji, Apala and Juju live bands playing songs from KWAM 1, Adewale Ayuba, Saheed Osupa and the like are one of the ways to spice up an Owambe. And if the celebrant is moneyed, the artist may appear in the flesh, ready to ignite a gathering with the spark they have provided for decades. In this way there is an unbroken continuity and a cross-generational baton exchange, as parents pass on the music and artists they enjoyed to their children, who can understand and appreciate old music in a new context.
The question then becomes, who carries the torch to create for the next generation? Thankfully, a new set of Nigerian artists are aware of this gap and are keen to fill it as authentically as possible. For the final (so far) version of Apala Disco, new age Apala artists Terry Apala and Seyi Vibez exchanged verses to bring the song new life, accompanied by the seasoned Musiliu Haruna Ishola. Already these artists have spent the bulk of their discographies bringing Apala to modern light, and Terry Apala is one of Spotify’s most prominent artists in the Apala genre, receiving playtime from listeners that is about on par with legends like Haruna Ishola and Alhaji Ayinla Omowura. In this way he can provide two options for Gen Z lovers of the genre—first, an option for listeners who have exhausted the old music and want something new, and an alternative for those who cannot properly immerse themselves in the genre without modern instrumentation.
Across the Niger, Igbo Highlife is undergoing its own renaissance. Flavour has spent the majority of his twenty year career alternating between Afropop and Igbo Highlife. In the recent past, he has leaned towards the latter, with singles like Levels, Doings, Game Changer and most recently, Big Baller, showcasing wealth in the same exaggerated, extravagant way as Igbo Highlife stars like Onyenze Nwa Amobi. Umu Obiligbo, the Highlife brothers, are also significant in the story of Highlife’s continual presence in the 21st century.
In Fuji, however, the tale of continuity takes an interesting twist. Here, many of the original creators of Fuji through the 80’s and 90’s are still alive and practising , and are in fact leading the charge for the modernisation of their genre themselves, working with young producers to fit Fuji into a Pop soundscape. For this reason, the top two most listened Fuji tracks on Spotify of the past one year, Koloba Koloba and Ade Ori Okin, are creations of Adewale Ayuba and K1 De Ultimate respectively, and both were released in the last few years. Beyond them, Fuji has been a hand behind the scenes directing the future of Nigeria’s Afropop, particularly Street Pop. Fuji’s cadences, spirituality and its reliance on drums can be seen in the music of stars like Asake, Seyi Vibez and the late Mohbad, while its percussive nature has made it a popular blend with Amapiano by willing experimenters, including greats like Saheed Osupa.
So, there is a seamless blend from the old to the new, from the iconic to the modern. Apala, Fuji, Igbo Highlife and more are able to breathe new life in a new era, and a new generation of listeners gets familiar with ancient sounds in both their original forms and their contemporary versions. All of this is made possible by streaming giants like Spotify, which has become the bridge between old and new and an archive of legendary music: a collection a music enthusiast from thirty years ago would have greatly loved and appreciated. As new artists grow and evolve these genres, every recreation, sample and interpolation is a new leash of life for them, and a reason why we will not lose any ingredients of our music culture anytime soon.
