In honour of King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall’s 50 years on stage, Lagos witnessed a grand slam of Fuji music at the third season of Fuji Vibrations. Yinka Olatunbosun reports
A graceful red-carpet entrance wound up inside the venue for the revival of fuji music in its unadulterated state. Lined with earthy flower pots, the venue provided a befitting ambience for the audience at Fuji Vibrations, the third of its kind, dubbed “Fuji: A Opera.” Muri Okunola Park in the heart of Victoria Island, Lagos, was turned into a distillery of talents, brewing indigenous Fuji sounds for a wide range of audiences drawn from the working class, expatriates, industry top-shots, tech entrepreneurs, visual artists, influencers, music journalists, and of course, Fuji music aficionados.
The “aso-ebi” fuchsia pink itself was a continuation of the tradition of recreating the Nigerian party spirit. With “Fuji” printed all over the fabric, it was easy to spot the new-age Fuji family among the over three thousand fun-seekers. A place of camaraderie, the secured park was besieged by food vendors who shared African cuisine that complimented the fuji vibes. Street fans maintained a respectable distance from the show outside the park, where some of them managed to view some of the show’s headliners.
Expectedly, the selection of headliners showed diversity in gender and age. From the 10-year-old Agba Awo to the 65-year-old King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, the stage was a hotbed of positive energy.
With Jide Taiwo as the show’s compere, the audience was reminded of how Fuji music has retained its place as a globally recognised genre. Taiwo attributed its success to grassroots influence.
Contrary to the belief that there’s no unity among the Fuji musicians, there was a sense of cohesion in the sequence of performances and the depth of lyricism, with individual artists paying homage to King Wasiu Ayinde in honour of his 50 years on stage. Also known as Ayinde Marshall, he is one of the most recognised indigenous Fuji artists of the past five decades. The indefatigable musician has mentored several fuji artists who are now masters of the craft.
Raising the curtain for the night was the Queen of Fuji, Yeye Eniba, who delivered a commanding performance with her authentic sound, lyrics laced with words of wisdom, and great back-up. Inadvertently, she set the tempo for the night, evoking the memories of Queen Salawa Abeni with her powerful vocals that broke the gender barrier in a male-dominated music genre.
Perhaps one of the most exciting moments of the night was the DJ interlude. The cone-wearing masked duo, the Maze Xtreme, dished up Fuji sound via heart-pounding Electronic Dance Music (EDM) loops. They were the surprise act at the last edition of the show, and so, this year, they served their sonic cocktail with a touch of freshness and suspense. Blending house, Fuji, and hip-hop, the duo had a blast.
Agba Awo Fuji almost generated more noise than the artist of honour with his spirited young band and a shrill-voiced hype man dropping lines, or better still, “ajasa,” for every punchline. Trap musicians must have learnt this call-and-response trick from Fuji musicians because the similarity is far too uncanny. The young talent proved to be “old wine in a new bottle” with his well-crafted lyrics and well-modulated voice.
All the way from Abeokuta came Sefiu Alao, also known as “Baba Oko,” who delivered a memorable performance and engaged the audience in moments of self-reflection. His lyrics, laced with wise sayings, are largely philosophical, exuding vulnerability while drawing upon observations from daily life.
Kicking off with the FUMAN Anthem, Sikiru SK Sensation, President of the Fuji Musicians Association of Nigeria (FUMAN), ascended the stage. He also expressed how excited the association was to collaborate with Fuji: A Opera on this edition and reassured support for future Fuji Vibrations editions. His sound was mellow, slowing down the tempo for the night to calm nerves.
Taye Currency was yet another artist who stole the show. A crowd-pleaser, he proved to be a showman with constant audience engagement and electrifying beats. It’s a wonder how lip-syncing artists earn more popularity than artists such as Currency, but the consolation lies in the fact that most gifted Fuji musicians outlive the lip-syncing pop artists whose fame is often as long as their last EP.
Sikiru Sk Sensation, a class act, curated a clinical performance and set the expectation for KWAM 1 to perform.Instead of Kwam I, Saheed Osupa, known as the master lyricist and poet, began his session with gratitude to God. Subsequently, his love for his creator became evident in his lyrics, and he performed a medley of his hits.
Malaika was a true leader in his command of arrangement and cadence. Pushing past the generational barrier, his song “Ose Olohun” is a crossover track that held the excited audience spellbound.
Meanwhile, Do2Dtun, the celebrity hype man and Supa Komando ambassador, unveiled the new one-litre Supa Komando pet bottle before introducing the Mayegun of Fuji Music, K1 De Ultimate, the night’s headliner.
Omo Aje Wasiu, one of King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall’s (KWAM1) many protégés, delivered a distinguishing performance, exuding calmness. With the exception of the bouncers, everyone was thrown into a dance frenzy with accompanying drums from the band.
Tosin Ashafa, the executive producer of Fuji: A Opera, and Bobo Omotayo, the creator and founder of Fuji: A Opera, presented K1 De Ultimate with an “Icon Award” and expressed gratitude to the music legend for his unwavering support for Fuji: A Opera since its inception.
Fuji: A Opera organisers, sponsors, and Fuji musicians, along with K1 De Ultimate, posed for photos and cut a commemorative cake, which was cut at the spelling of “Fifty” by over 3,000 guests at Muri Okunola Park.
K1 De Ultimate reaffirmed his unwavering support for Fuji: A Opera and bestowed fatherly blessings on the organisers. He prayed and assured the team of the support of Fuji musicians past and present.
K1 De Ultimate took the stage and belted his Fuji anthems—sounds that defined the decades. In a characteristic manner, Marshall started his session with a serenade and ended with a jive. From his self-praising lines to the prayerful ones, his songs were chorused by excited fans who abandoned their seats to get a full view of the band. It was a night to reflect on events that coincided with the release of these songs at various points in the lives of music lovers. It was indeed a celebration of collective memory, culture, and diversity.
“Fuji Vibrations served as a reminder that the Fuji genre is still shaping popular culture and truly represents the best of indigenous Nigerian music. But, more importantly, what we witnessed reminded us all that music can bring strangers together. These instances serve as reminders of Fuji’s ability to unite people,” said Bobo Omotayo, the creator and founder of Fuji: A Opera.
