Ichiban
@esomnofu_e
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Pinned Tweet
It’s my honor to be named among
@TurntableCharts
‘30 under 30’ power players in Nigerian music.
Let’s keep telling stories and shaping the culture 🫶🏾❤️
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“send us your best work”; make una try dey pay una best money too
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Yo, I've really interviewed Asa, Omah Lay & CKay. Big deal for a 22-year-old coming from Ajegunle, who didn't have thousands of novels as a kid or began this writing ish until about 2016 or so. So grateful I get to do this even as the world crumbles all around.
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Back In Uni is just a slice of what Blaqbonez is bringing this year. Cos I've heard parts of that Young Preacher album and you guys aren't ready; that's an easy aoty contender there..
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let me spill it already:
I have officially joined the
@OkayAfrica
newsroom as a contributing writer and researcher.
send story tips, music, and anything in-between ✉️: emmanuel
@okayafrica
.com
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new music friday takes:
- fireboy is returning to his good lover persona
- tiwa savage is Africa's greatest contemporary woman musician
- qing madi will have one of the best career arcs of her generation
- seyi vibez is the next turning point of Nigerian pop
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today feels a good day to announce my work at
@NativeMag
is over. it was a productive time telling the stories I did, and now I’m looking forward to telling more stories, in more forms. I’m officially a freelancer, so please send work my way! ❤️✨
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for my FIRST ever cover story, I profile the inimitable
@adekunleGOLD
who talks to me about the ‘Tequila Ever After’ album, his long tinkering with pop forms, and how he maintains his humanity even as a celebrity 🔥🍃💎
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this photograph I took at Ibeno Beach in Uyo is one of my favorites.
I’m calling it, “a dreamer’s landscape” ✨🌊
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I read a lot. I read outside of my direct interests, so you might see me reading an academic text on medieval architecture or precolonial African religions. And I think very deeply about what I read; I’m always waking with a book in mind, unfurling its concepts and form.
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as someone who works close to Nigerian artists, I clocked a long time ago that most of these people are egocentric, lacking knowledge about music except their own experiences, and they’re nonchalant about learning or showing up. so the Afrobeats yarn makes a lot of (non)sense
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wrote some real stuff about my life and got a
@Lolwe_
acceptance. should write these more often. congrats to me 💫
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with Ojapiano currently the biggest song in the country, I traced the history of the flute instrument behind its ‘piano fusion
also weighed potentials of culture and what the south East should be doing to capitalize on this breakthrough 🍃✨
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for my latest
@OkayAfrica
, I discussed with
@ckay_yo
, whose Love Nwantiti is one of the biggest records in the world right now.
here he talks about the song's success & a few other things (an album perhaps?)
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TOMORROW MY ESSAY ON JOS DROPS. EVERYTHING WILL BECOME CLEAR.
WHEN I SAY I AM MORE THAN A CULTURE JOURNALIST, THE EVIDENCE IS ALL IN THAT ESSAY.
PREPARE YOUR MINDS AND EYES FOR GREATNESS IS ABOUT TO BE SHOWCASED.
INDUSTRY MACHINE.
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because it matters that we criticize and celebrate our legends, I wrote a 3000+ word piece on the neo-Highlife vision of Flavour
@2niteFlavour
🍃
a most important essays & it’s my honor to be sharing it. s/o to
@republicjournal
for publishing this
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everything I’ve done so far—getting into
@Lolwe_
on first try, having a cover story on
@NativeMag
, and being the most versatile culture journalist around—isn’t the full spectrum of my creative abilities.
there’s so much more that will unravel in due time.
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taking some time off my break to share my latest work, a sonic-appraising biographical profile of Shallipopi. been expecting this one for a while and
@republicjournal
did sweet justice to it. also, thanks to
@carlterver
for sharing his insight 📀
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interviewed the Pluto President Shallipopi today 🍃✨ anticipate the profile 💪🏾🪐
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hey friends, have y’all read my essay on Ayra Starr? it places her in the canon of great women musicians and charts her path to an engrossing career in global pop culture ✨
Ayra Starr is increasingly embracing a wholesome experience of what it means to be a pop star in this age.
Our
#LatestOnline
via
@esomnofu_e
Read more stories on Ayra Starr’s transcendental vision for afrobeats here:
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Some days back I had my favourite interview ever, talking to the legendary
@Asa_official
as she broke down all the songs on her new album, 'V'. She was graceful in letting us into the creative & collaborative process 💕
Dig in, for
@NativeMag
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Nigerian ‘writers’ only assemble when it’s time to pile on a critic who’s been out here, doing the work. It’s disingenuous to say the least. You haven’t been seeing the rest of his essays?
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“I’ve always wanted to take it to the world,” he says. “I’ve had a clear idea of how far I want to take this from very early.”
for
@OkayAfrica
, I profiled King Promise (
@IamKingPromise
) on his new album, True To Self 💎
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for the super
@NativeMag
, I reviewed
@phynofino
's latest album, Something To Live For. much thanks to
@tamimakinde
for making this possible 💫
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THE ONE PROMISED IS HERE.
I'M HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT MY ESSAY, 'THE SONGS OF JOS,' HAS BEEN PUBLISHED BY
@republicjournal
IT ALSO FEATURES IN THEIR 'NIGERIA IMAGINARY' PRINT ISSUE WHICH IS OUT NOW.
READ & TELL ME IF THE HYPE IS JUSTIFIED.
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omah lay, man: too special. he synthesizes a fully-fleshed thought into a line, with local flavors and a perfect ear for when to play up tension and when to understate things. all this plus his disarmingly chill voice, which coos while relaying grim realities. peak artistry.
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hello friends, for my
@OkayAfrica
coverage, I'm looking to get in touch with more publicists, photographers, musicians, visual artists, music executives, and other creatives. especially from non-Nigerians
reach out if you're one and please retweet 🍀💎
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cheque's holy gee is a bop. everything, from the verses to the yoruba-spiced chorus, just works. man should be more acclaimed than he is, really. him sabi the thing.
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the writer vs the writing
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been a longtime reader of
@republicjournal
so it’s full-circle to have contributed an essay to its latest print issue, The Age of Afrobeats 🌟
many thanks to
@YusufOmotayo_
and shout-out to the other writers; from
@carlterver
to egbon
@JollyPaps1
and
@EzemaPatrick
—my folks ✨🍃
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“[The album] showed how a singer could merge his aspirations with that of the larger society, in language true but also technical…”
I wrote a retrospective essay on 2Baba’s ‘Face2Face,’ which turns 20 today 🌼✨
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I’ve seen enough in life to let me know that everyone is clueless in one way or the other. Let no one make you feel less about yourself. Nobody knows it all.
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I say this with utmost humility too: You have nothing to offer. Go sidan.
I am today, with utmost humility formally declaring my intention to run for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform of APC.
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I’ve never shared this essay officially before. But it’s perhaps my best personal one so far, so read and tell me what you think.
“This Black Body of Yours” ✨
This Black Body of Yours - Emmanuel Esomnofu | Lolwe
A personal essay by Emmanuel Esomnofu
lolwe.org
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Chike's 'Man Not God' should not get lost in the New Music Friday rush. It's easily one of the best songs that's come out this week. A stirring interpolation of Celestine Ukwu's reflective 'Ife Si Na Chi,' it's a ballad of great strength and timely messaging: man no be God.
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writing well has to be a touch of heaven because why do you feel so good after the penning of that magical sentence?
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I have a new essay out. it’s published on
@afapinen
and considers the myth of Lagos from the perspective of four great artists from different generations.
read & let me know what you think
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one thing I want to do more this year is work on press releases, biographies, and anything that propels the brand of artists and creatives. if you’ve read my work you know it’s top value so the rates are totally accounted for.
please RT this and let’s find some new clients 💎🍃
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Congrats to the biggest Chief,
@obiasika
on his appointment as the Director-General, National Council For Arts & Culture ❤️⭐️
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one of my proudest moments as a culture journalist has come from this profile of two legendary artists: the great Angelique Kidjo and French-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf.
structurally, the story demanded a lot but that also made it fun to write ✨
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it’s my convocation day but I’m a thousand miles away from Awka. not that I care much about the ceremony but seeing my coursemates in their gowns makes me reflect how I barely enjoyed school bcos I was always hustling for myself, writing at home. I try sha; being a graduate.
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this debut short story collection from Arinze Ifeakandu was one of the most stellar reads for the year. it was only fitting I'd review the book for
@OpenCountryMag
, where we contextualize such complex stories in a simple, illuminating light
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my latest story traces the rise of afro pop internationally—from its sonic origins to the pulse of its domination right now. 💫
much appreciation to
@ExcelJoab
&
@OfficialDunnie
for sharing insight on the Nigerian music industry.
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spurred by ShineTTW’s arrest by the Lagos police sometime ago, I explored the (mostly negative) influence of policing across African cities. with the importance of Afrobeats and cultural events, there’s need for deliberate change. 🍃✨
for
@OkayAfrica
👇🏾
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for
@NativeMag
, I write the definitive review of Rema's 'Rave & Roses'. It's been a minute since I dug into my critical senses this deep and it was a pleasure how well this turned out. a classic, befitting of a generational talent 💫
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for my latest on
@NativeMag
, I profile the super talented
@obongjayar
. we talked about doors, life & perspective, his music.
tomorrow his debut album, 'Some Nights I Dream of Doors' drops, and I can't wait for the world to witness his genius.🎵
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I don’t like how Flavour is putting out album after album and there’s no solid media run that highlights his iconic artistry and what he means to Highlife, which is the bedrock of what we call afrobeats.
in other words, I would really like to interview this great musician.
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"Sometimes the imagery took the form of a story, with a beginning, middle and end, but here the end doesn’t really end, since, in Flavour’s world, life continues ever-turning, creating new characters from old skins."
I dey write sha 🫠☘️💥
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I met
@obiasika
I'm never gonna fail 🐐❤️
Journey of the Beats profile coming up on
@NativeMag
, get the info
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live performances have become important as Afrobeats breaks into the next level, with global eyes and ears on us. why, then, are sound issues still prevalent at music concerts? what can be done? these and more I consider in this piece for
@OkayAfrica
📀☘️
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how beautiful it is to have a picture with a Guinness World Record holder.
congrats, Tunde 🤍💎
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more than ever, Nigerian creators should take advantage of the many great journalists and curators we have operating today. there's no reason why every great artist shouldn't have an extensive profile on their work
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you listen to Dave, and generational problems are revealed with unprecedented clarity. words soaked in blood and pain, imagery stretching across continents. the zest to leave one’s birth place, the consistent search for home, the dripping desire and emptiness. it’s realist art
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“to take a photograph is to participate in another person's mortality, vulnerability, mutability. precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time's relentless melt” – Susan Sontag
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"early in the morning, when I'm feeling lonely, me say mama say a prayer for me, keep my enemies away from me"
Many of them but Burning bush is the one I always choose
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“No be every artist get fan base”
– He said this one to me when I visited him in Jos some days ago ❤️🍃
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“The music has muscled with itself, has gone deep into itself to touch somewhere it had never done, and he says ‘Stubborn’ is the mark of that fight. Is it a surprise that its imagery is of a man on a battlefield?”
read my profile of
@vict0ny
, friends.
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if you can, start your day with this profile of the legendary
@illBlissGoretti
, whose decades of skill and sustenance continues to inspire across industries 💎✨
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the
#umuofiaartsandbooksfestival
today was a blast. really fun coming together and discussing art with the brightest minds in the southeast 🍃✨
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evidence:
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New work out 💫 Linked up with the
@Ajebo_Hustlers
to chart their journey, discuss music and the Port Harcourt factor in Kpos Lifestyle, their acclaimed debut album.
Second piece off Distant Relatives and I'm loving it. Read and Share, friends:
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I like the enthusiasm but if it won’t be done well, why bother doing it?
Nigerian Literature has wayyy more dramatic novels that could be turned into movies. Nollywood haven’t shown the artistic depth to enable us trust them with such a story
We really need PURPLE HIBISCUS adapted into a film.
I already see Genoveva Umeh playing Kambili and maybe Jidekene (Swanky JKA) playing Jaja!
Father Amadi can be Daniel Etim and Bimbo Manuel can play Papa
Pete Edochie for Papa Nnukwu.
Chioma Chukwuka can play Aunty Ifeoma.
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for
@NativeMag
, I profiled the great
@obiasika
, discussing everything from his roots to Storm Records, and the Journey of the Beats doc on Showmax
tap into his cultural vision 👇🏾💫
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I’m not the smartest person around but I make sure to think before I talk. I make sure to understand a perspective before I make a definitive statement on it. That’s humility, because what you don’t know will always be infinitely bigger than what you know.
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my love for contemporary African poetry wouldn't be possible without the emergence of Romeo Oriogun (
@SonOfOlokun
) in 2017. so it was a great pleasure to pen a review of his debut collection of poetry, Sacrament of Bodies.
#Queerlivesmatter
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my first piece of the year is on
@_thelekkipost
: a profile of the talented actress Nneamaka Nwadei, whose depiction of Fara on the theatre musical ‘Love Is…’ was one of last year’s standout performances. glad to have worked on this with
@iamayolawal
✨🌹
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“Across the southeast, there are more resident soldiers than in any other non-violent part of the country. Always on standby, the word ‘Biafra’ becomes their invitation to kill and torture…”
from my essay, ‘Chinua Achebe Saw The Nigerian Oppression’
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my favorite genre of life is young people living their wildest dreams without doubting the pulse of their mind. like, they’re just living and finding beauty through the madness
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i’m moved too much by art to hastily define it. it’s the emotions behind the work that counts rather, how it makes me feel. before I wear that critical hat, my heart first overflows with love. in this sense I’m not the conventional critic, but I find I write better when I’m moved
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my friend
@ChukwuderaEdozi
wants to visit a number of African countries, to learn and write about their history, especially how they relate to the Nigeria of today.
he's a great journalist. please retweet and contribute, friends 💫
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no matter how beautiful it gets, don’t romanticize your artistry. because at the basic level, it needs you to show up everyday. that’s persistence, not magic. trial, not technique.
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.
@_WizardChan_
has been one of the year's great musical revelations. in this
@OkayAfrica
profile, I chart the motions of his sound and how his perspective was shaped by his formative experiences, growing up in the southern locale of Borokiri ☘️📀
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a magazine that came fully prepared - thank you
@TroyOnyango
, for the important work you're doing. thanks to Lolwe for publishing my essay this year.
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on the great occasion of Professor Chinua Achebe’s birthday today, I implore everyone to read my essay on his work and what it says about the Nigerian oppression. I dare say no other author ever since has considered the subject with as much depth ✨
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reached out to one of my favorite writers asking him to read some of my essays and he responded graciously, within two hours. grateful, as always, and may God continue to inspire this little mind of mine ✨🍃
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'The Brother's Keeper' by
@Officialchike
is one of those albums whose worth comes to true light sometime after release. for the artist, telling stories comes naturally to his style, and I delved into that angle for this one
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2022 was my most productive year as a culture journalist. penned potential classics and took many risks in my presentation. here's a rundown of my favorites >>
I'll start with this deep dive into the influences of emo music on Nigerian pop 🫶🏾🎸
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now being that time to share one’s work for the year, as a writer, what I most feel is quiet, peaceful accomplishment. I stood up for my work, I doubled down on the craft like it was ‘21 again, and most importantly, I sought experience and that influenced the depth of my stories.
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since Mami Wata has been selected to represent Nigeria at the Oscars, it’s a good time to read my review of what I consider a cinematic masterclass. I daresay it’s the most incisive piece on the film, and was written with intimate perspective >> ✨🌊
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okay, I’m definitely taking photography serious from now on. cos, look at the symmetry in this beauty. ✨
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wrote a personal essay about Independent by Faze, which I think is a criminally underated Afropop album:
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My latest is a profile of multidisciplinary artist
@lanaire_aderemi
, covering her show 'Story Story," the historical nuance of her art and why she tells the stories she does.
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a great pleasure to work on this monumental list for
@OkayAfrica
I wrote blurbs on fifteen albums chosen by our readers as some of the Best African Albums of all time… 🖊️ 🔥
We asked and you answered 🗣🌍
Here are the 100 Best African Albums of all time according to our audience 🤩🎧
✍🏾:
@esomnofu_e
Check out the full list here:
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"...But what happens when an artist is so connected to their city, they begin to embody its psychological characteristics, suspended in its songs and the motions of its trauma?"
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I want to write more artist and project bios on streaming platforms. In the spirit of a new year, I'll be doing this without any charge for three independent artists. Hit me up if you down! ☘️
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Me in 2020: You're famous now. How has that changed you? How are you processing all the love you've been getting from listeners of Get Layd?
Omah Lay (Laughs): I think this is the first time someone's telling me I'm famous. Not much has changed...
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I'm so excited for this cover issue featuring Teju Cole which drops on
@OpenCountryMag
today.
You'll want to keep your eyes on this, readers and writers.
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love that
@Alpha_Ojini
&
@Odumodublvck_
so we made it Best New Music for
@NativeMag
this week. piece written by me. 🦁
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Biafra is the subject nobody wants to discuss but it’s one of the important manifestations of the false identity that is ‘Nigerian’.
54 years later, we’re still fighting for our true identity. And for our valiant heroes, we will always remember. ☀️
#BiafraRemembranceDay
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Rema’s sonic trajectory has always been obvious since ‘Why’ and ‘Spaceship Jocelyn’. His influences include emo music but he’s trying to merge that with Afrobeats. That’s what happened on ‘Ravage’ and what we hear on that new snippet. It’s a brilliant fusion, if you ask me.
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while we’re all going back and forth on ONE essay, Ernest has just published another on his newsletter. It’s easy to know those who are into writing and those who only write when it’s favorable to their needs. e no too deep like that. if you’re such a fine thinker, let’s read it
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Hey folks, i'm starting a newsletter — DISTANT RELATIVES. it promises to be a space for great storytelling, factual information & dope interviews. please, subscribe below ❤
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respectfully, I spazzed on this piece about
@adekunleGOLD
& his evolution, for The
@NativeMag
much has been said and written, but I advanced the discussion by closely observing the man's songwriting.
make una enjoy, music critic Emmanuel is back 😎💕
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Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Teju Cole
James Baldwin
Yiyun Li
Junot Diaz
Emmanuel Iduma
Dinaw Mengetsu
Amitava Kumar
Abubakar Adam Ibrahim
You know how some artists have no bad songs,
Who is a writer that has no bad books for you?
@EziomaKalu
and co please don't air me
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I come online to see Phyno trending (for all the wrong reasons) and I love it. Long overdue since we say what's what & I thank my bro
@MarkOsuchukwu
for doing just that. Influence should be extended onto the streets; that's how you remain King. Izz not by calling yourself Ezego
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