We love diversity. We love dynamism. We love the feeling that comes on when a particular substance is drawn from a lot of components and designed to give the best possible feeling ever. That’s why we Nigerians mix soups, throw together rice and beans, and literally make our meals mini scientific experiments.
Our music is the same. Over time, Nigerian musicians have found diverse ways to collaborate and create amazing music. Our history of music is littered with numerous collaborations. From Sunny Ade and Onyeka Onwenu’s duet on ‘Wait for me’ to M.I Abaga and Waje’s‘One Naira’, we have been fed through different generations of music collaborations, and our tastes are bound to expect it.
This collaborations spills from singles, into the creation of full projects. Albums from Nigeria are famous for their collaborations, as artists seek new ways to improve on the music, they join forces, and release albums stacked full of collaborations.
But then came Kiss Daniel. The G-Worldwide star who broke out in 2015, began what has become a trend. In 2016, his debut album, “New Era”, raised a lot of eyebrows when it failed to feature a single artist apart from label mate Sugarboy.
But despite all of the questions surrounding such a decision, the album has performed admirably, proving many singles, and still residing on the playlists of music enthusiasts.
Kiss Daniel’s success, spurred Olamide’s similar decision on “The Glory” mixtape. Artists have become emboldened by such a move which paid off. The industry has been hacked again, and people can follow a previously unpopular route to creating a body of work.
Korede Bello is the latest to go down that line. The Mavin artist shut the door to other acts on his debut album “Belloved”. And while it is no longer a new concept, there are still questions about his ability to pull that off.
And he answers them all. With belief and knowledge of self.
In an interview with Vanguard, Bello revealed that his decision to not feature known names in the music industry will not affect the sales of his album.
“I didn’t feature anybody at all, the only people I featured were my fans, and that is on the track titled Good Time.” He says.
“It’s because it’s my debut album so I feel like people should enjoy Korede Bello without any distraction from star powers; that is why I said it is for my fans, the album is dedicated to them, I decided that if I was going to feature anybody it was going to be them.
“So I had some of them come over to the studio and it came out great”. I have recorded songs on which I featured some of my label mates but they didn’t just make it on to the album, but on the deluxe version you might be seeing some of such songs.”
“Belloved” album, an 11-track creation was reviewed by Pulse which gave the verdict that:
"Korede Bello’s artistry on “Belloved” is a reflection of what he projects as the needs of his fans. And judging by his feedback mechanism, he is right on track. The fans want a fun, glitzy, and loving artist, who treats his celebrity as a small party, and winks at each and every one of them with tenderness."
But will the album suffer due to the lack of talent diversity? No one knows. The structures that support the music industry does not support the provision of data to back any claims.
But one thing is certain; featureless albums are here to stay. It’s a trend now, and artists love trends. And for those who aren’t beholden to follow the crowd, they interpret it as a bold move, which denotes bravery and belief in your artistry.