Many Jamaicans point to Nigeria as their ancestral home for years, noting similarities in resilience with persons from that West African country.
IceSleek, a singer from Lagos, the Nigerian capital, also has an affinity for Jamaican culture. It can be heard on ‘Holla’, his latest song which is produced by Tuffgig Music Empire.
Released on April 7, ‘Holla’ has elements of Afrobeats, the percussive Nigerian sound that is red-hot globally, thanks to homegrown acts such as Burna Boy, Wizkid and Davido.
“Nigerian music is basically on a real big level. Its music is what is currently giving it the kind of sophisticated recognition it's getting now and still going. And you also know that Nigerian artists are the originators of Afrobeats music and it's global, really global,” said IceSleek.
Tuffgig Music Empire is owned by Nigerian Hardy Jimbaz, who operates the company from his hometown Lagos and New York City where he is based. The label and veteran keyboardist Sidney Mills are also behind ‘Calm Down’, a soon-to-be-released song by Worl-A-Girl and IceSleek.
Afrobeats and dancehall collaborations have been doing the rounds for some time. Burna Boy, who drew over 20,000 fans to his Jamaican concert last December, has been the most prolific of the Afrobeats acts, having done songs with Vybz Kartel, Konshens and Popcaan.
Written By Howard Campbell