Today is the 7th anniversary of 9ice’s Tradition, an album that came immediately after the climax of Gongo Aso but also an album that received a response so mixed that it helped to bring a gap between 9ice and his dream of one day winning a Grammy. 9ice hasn’t done much to close that gap, if anything, it’s grown wider with every album he’a released. Grammy statues or not, 9ice has still had a storied career and younger artists will now be able to fulfill the vision he shared with the world on the seminal record “Street Credibility”.
If Wizkid doesn’t do it, then we have another hope. Her name is Kah-lo, a Nigerian musician who provided the vocals on ‘Rinse and Repeat’ by British DJ, Riton. The song was has been nominated for the Best Dance Recording of the year at the 59 Grammy Awards.
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Kah-lo’s delivery on the record is humorous and charming but most impressively, it’s free of an accent that isn’t hers. The song reminds me of how Dr Alban used to approach his flavor of Eurodance back in the day. According to the singer, the record is about Christmas in Lagos, so I guess she got an early gift from Santa with this Grammy nod.
Kah-Lo said this on her Instagram page –
Oluwa did it! Riton has all the swag sauce. Congratulations, this is epic.
“Rinse and Repeat” has been largely ignored on Nigerian radio until now, but the song has been a club hit in the UK and peaked at #13 on the UK charts. It has also reached number 1 on the Shazam chart and been on the A-list of Radio 1, Kiss FM and 6 Music. It has been streamed 5 million times on Spotify and the video has been played 1.5 million times on YouTube less than a month after its release. The record has also been remixed by the likes of Preditah, Jammer and Brodinski & Myd.
Aside from ‘Rinse & Repeat,’ Kah-lo and Riton have another record titled “Betta Ridim” which follows the same formula. Makes you feel like the two of them might just be working on a joint project. That’ll be a great introduction to a singer with a unique style who the world might get to know and celebrate before her home country does. Get familiar.