Last year, just before the Oba of Lagos told the Igbo electorate in his state to shape up for APC or drown out ship out, Olamide and Phyno made a unifying move that didn’t get the coverage it deserved. The duo released their joint album 2 Kings and demonstrated how hip-hop can be used to build bridges where there are ordinarily divisions as wide as, well, Lagos lagoon.
Zoro, Flavour, YCee and Lil Kesh continue to show that oneness on the remix of “Ogene”. The more established acts lend a helping hand to the upcoming rapper as he tries to make a name in Lagos as he has done, over a relatively short period of time, across the East.
Ogene and oja
The ogene is a double bell that doubles as a traditional musical instrument or a sounder for town criers. It’s a staple in Igbo communities. The production for the record was built around a combination of the oja (flute) and the ogene, that’s the reason why Zoro says he’s talking about ogene as a genre of music, more than just the musical instrument.
Ogene is not just an instrument, it is a genre on It’s own right, a sound, a representation of various entities that make our culture beautiful.
Now to the song, if all you heard on the chorus was the phonérized “inna meannn!”, then there’s a tendency to say Zoro sounds a lot like Phyno sped up. And you would have a point, he has a similar flow to the Playmaker’s on this record. But if you listen to Zoro’s other songs, you would notice that the Enugu rapper switches up his delivery all the time, plus his content is a lot more fun and flighty. “042” is his ode to his home state, so the song is expectedly slow and anthemic, while “Nekede”is his attempt at making pop music. From Ogene all the way to Afropop, Zoro’s versatility is one of the reasons why we’ve penciled the 25 year old MC as one to watch.