officialNiniola, Apr 6, 2017
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Statistics about this YouTube video as of July 5, 2023 at 9:03 AM
total # of comments -3,149
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases the 2017 global afrohouse hit song "Maradona" by Nigerian singer Niniola.
This post presents information about Niniola along with information about "house music", "afrrohouse","deep house" as well as information about Niniola's song "Maradona".
This pancocojams post also provides an explanation about the meaning of the word "maradona" in Nigerian slang.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/02/information-about-nigerian-singer.html
for Part II of a three part pancocojams series on Niniola and her song Saro. That
post showcases Niniola's video "Saro" and provides information about
Niniola and her music, with a focus on her song "Saro".
****
INFORMATION ABOUT "HOUSE MUSIC"
From
"House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive
four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute.[10] It was
created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground club culture in
the early/mid 1980s, as DJs began altering disco songs to give them a more
mechanical beat.[1]
House was pioneered by African American DJs and producers in
Chicago such as Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, Jesse Saunders, Chip E., Joe
Smooth, Steve "Silk" Hurley, Farley "Jackmaster" Funk,
Marshall Jefferson, Phuture, and others. House music expanded to other cities
such as New York City, and London and became a worldwide phenomenon.[11]
[...]
Origin of the term "house"
One book from 2009 states the name "house music"
originated from a Chicago club called the Warehouse that was open from 1977 to
1982.[21] Clubbers to the Warehouse were primarily black, gay men,[22]
who came to dance to music played by the club's resident DJ, Frankie Knuckles,
who fans refer to as the "godfather of house". Frankie began the trend of splicing together different
records when he found that the records he had were not long enough to satisfy
his audience of dancers.[23] After the Warehouse closed in 1983, eventually the
crowds went to Knuckles' new club, The Power House, later to be called The
Power Plant,[21] and the club was renamed, yet again, into Music Box with Ron
Hardy as the resident DJ."...
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE TERM "AFROBEATS", "AFRO HOUSE" AND "DEEP HOUSE"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrobeat
..."Afrobeats – a sound originating in West Africa in the 21st
century, one that takes in diverse influences and is an eclectic combination of
genres such as hip hop, house, jùjú, ndombolo, R&B and
soca.[3][4][5][6][7][8] The two genres [Afrobeat and Afrobeats], though often conflated, are not the
same.[4][5]"...
****
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styles_of_house_music#A
"Afro house
Afrohouse is the African subgenre of house music that
started as a niche underground genre involving elements of tribal house, deep
house, and the beautiful sounds of soulful music."
****
From
"Deep house
A (slightly) slower variant of house (around 120 BPM) with
greater influences from soul, jazz, and funk."
****
INFORMATION ABOUT NINIOLA
From
"Niniola Apata (born 15 December 1986),[1] known
professionally as Niniola,[2] is a Nigerian singer and songwriter.[3] She
participated in the sixth season of Project Fame West Africa in 2013[4].[5]
After releasing her debut single "Ibadi",[6] she was nominated for
Most Promising Act to Watch at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.[7]
[...]
Niniola released the Sarz-produced single
"Maradona" in 2017.[15] The song spent 13 weeks on South Africa's
Metro FM chart, retaining the number 1 position for 6 weeks.[16] Niniola earned
nominations at the 2018 BET Awards and SAMAs for "Maradona".[17][18]
In 2018 DJ Snake teamed up with Niniola and created Maradona Riddim a remix to
her previously released hit Maradona.[19] She received nods from Canadian
rapper Drake and American record producer Timbaland.[20][21]
In 2019, elements of "Maradona" were sampled in "Find Your Way Back", a song from Beyoncé's soundtrack album The Lion King: The Gift. Niniola is also credited as one of the track's songwriters and composers.[22]
In April 2020, she received her Grammy nomination certificate for her work as a composer on The Lion King: The Gift.[23]
In June 2021, she received her Grammy second nomination certificate for her work as a composer on The Lion King: The Gift.[24] In the same month Niniola got inducted into the Grammy Recording Academy Class of 2021.[25]
In July 2021, Niniola's single, "Maradona" was certified gold in South Africa by the Recording Industry of South Africa RISA.[26]
In January 2023, Niniola's single, "Maradona" was certified Platinum in South Africa by the Recording Industry of South Africa RISA.[27]
Artistry
Niniola describes her style of music as Afro-house, a blend
of Afrobeat and house music.[28] In an interview with Gbolahan Adeyemi of
NGWide in 2015, she stated she loves singing in Yoruba because it makes the
song delivery beautiful. [29]"...
****
INFORMATION ABOUT NINIOLA'S HIT SONG " MARADONA"
From https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/niniola-%E2%80%93-maradona "Niniola – Maradona" By Oris Aigbokhaevbolo, 1 Jun 2017
"[Niniola's] latest single ‘Maradona’, a cool number compared to
older singles ‘Soke’ and ‘Shabba’, is about a cheating boyfriend whose pelvic
ministrations have been offered generously to many women including the singer’s
girlfriends.
The cooler vibe is at one with the singer’s resigned tone on this remarkable song. Niniola adopts a Nigerian slang taken from the great footballer, whose name was famously the nickname of former head of state Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, quite a politically adept leader. Here, Maradona is working a sexual ministry. Are you Maradona? she queries because the titular playboy plays the field too much. Are you a telescope? she asks. He looks at every woman walking past.
We mostly hear only the aggrieved. Maradona gets a small chance at defence, a detail repeated in the video. At the end he is humiliated at a poolside party—but he recovers in time to attempt to charm yet another lady.
The video and song offer two ways by which women handle a cheating partner. While comeuppance is served in the video, the song shows exasperation. Only listening to the song gives the impression that the relationship will continue. The video adds some complication to the relationship. And romantic relationships in many forms are at the centre of the Niniola oeuvre. Joyfully, she plumbs the ways men and women are with each other.
[…]
And yet she has been chaste in her videos. As said there is
sensuality—she’s a young attractive woman after all—but so far no video has
shown her in anything more than an amorous embrace with her male characters.
She gets close on 'J'ete' but for most of the time that the male lead is
onscreen in the video for ‘Jigi Jigi’, he is alone. Her viewers are welcome to
hear evil; seeing it is a different matter.
On ‘Maradona’, some explicit Yoruba once again comes up as she sings the character’s explanations: She said I should close my eyes, open my legs—that she'll lick it. He seems to be saying these are not propositions to be ignored.
The tension between her harmlessly groovy beats, well
borrowed from South African house, her not-overtly-seductive sweet voice, and
these Yoruba explicities makes for some head scratching: she could be the
non-kissing tease or the risque singer. As is well known, the Nigerian music
industry isn’t quite as indulgent of female performing acts as it is of male
ones. Yet Niniola hasn’t quite taken the route of some of her female
colleagues. Yemi Alade filmed a steamy video with R&B man Dipp not long
after she appeared on the scene. Chidinma shared a kiss with Flavour. And from
her very first video, Tiwa Savage, pop queen of the sex vibe, was a frankly
sexual personality. Niniola is no prude but she doesn’t want your catcalls either."
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This excerptprovides additional information about how Nigerians knew Argentine footballer (soccer player) Diego Maradona and what the word "maradona" came to mean in Nigerian slang.
https://epa.com.ng/2020/11/26/maradona-the-name-the-man-his-legacy-his-nigerian-connection/ "Maradona- The Name, The Man, His Legacy, And His Nigerian Connection" November
26, 2020 - by Epa Ogie Eboigbe
..."[Diego] "Maradona was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup,
scoring the famous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in the quarter-finals.
But he also in that World Cup scored what is regarded as one of the greatest
solo goals of all time. His style of play and goal-scoring prowess turned him
almost into a deity in the eyes of many fans.
Maradona was not a stranger to Nigeria and Nigerians on the football pitch and he was credited with two victories against the Super Eagles at two World Cups. In the 1994 World Cup in the USA, Maradona captained his country to defeat Nigeria in the group stage Massachusetts.
Then, in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Maradona was coach of Argentina as they defeated Nigeria in Johannesburg.
His nimbleness and agility with the ball on the field prompted Nigerians and even foreigners to liken him with the same attributes of for Nigerian Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida on the political terrain. But it was Babangida that was to assume the name Maradona!”…
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD OF THIS EMBEDDED VIDEO
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
1.@prodbydefayo, 2017
"Nini should be up there with the likes of Yemi Alade, Tiwa
Savage, etc... So talented.. And Sarz is a bad man for this mad beat 🔥🔥🔥"
**
2.
"I don't understand everything she's saying, but she makes
the name Maradona sounds sexy. Vocals on steroids and props to the beat maker,
that's lit 🔥"
**
Reply
3. @maryandrew259, 2018
"Wow....I'm amazed at how receptive south Africans are of
this song. Most of the comments are from South Africans. Thanks for
appreciating our music mzansi."
**
Reply
4. @burnaboyfan, 2018
"they love it coz the sound is South African"
**
Reply
5. @ItumelengS, 2021
"@De23Rosa yeah Doc, we claimed this song"
**
6. @kelvinjohn6284, 2018
"This song deserves to be trending, mehn it's off the charts
for me. As someone said it takes me to another dimension. Never knew the song
was Nigerian until I heard the Yoruba part, thought it was SA"
**
7. @asibongemadela8702, 2018
"this song is more famous in SA than in Nigeria"
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Reply
8. @Nem_pees_touch, 2020
"Cos it has a similar SA beats"
**
Reply
9. @alisonthea6828, 2020
"It is very difficult to know she is a Nigerian. Her style is
East Africa. What a rare breath she is."
10.
"Love this song. Please do not start beef over which country
owns which sound. Africans are all over and our crafts have intertwined. House
music has been pumping the American clubs since the late 70's. Maybe before. Celebrate dont beef."
11.
"You have no idea how much South Africans love this song, we
were literally going crazy over it, it played everywhere and everyday if it was
released towards December time I assure you it was going to be song of the
year."
12.
"glad she went into afro house music, because house music is
big anywhere you go in the world. just beautiful. ."
**
13. @adeyosola414,2019
"I'm Nigeria, Nigerians just started listening to and
appreciating S.A house music recently thanks to the production skills of DJ
Maphorisa and the song Khona. When Nigerians think of S.A house , Khona
(Mafikizolo) comes to mind. This song has a different texture/swing to it
compared to Khona. Also for some Nigerians when they think of SA music
generally the Kwato sound comes to mind and some late 90s early 2000s type of
house beats.
I didn't really like SA house till I heard Micasa's Heaven
sent and later Khona and later every song produced DJ Maphorisa. After these
songs I was hooked on SA house 😘😘😘😍😍"
14.
"Even my fellow Italians Djs that play Afro and Afro deep
house songs confirm this song as the best Afro song they had listened to. They
even mix it in their DANCE music. Thanks Nini for making us Proud"
**
15. @DEFANSCOTV, 2020
"Its seems South Africans love her so much funny enough she
is underrated in Nigeria ..too many artiste so too many competition ..No hating
we are one 🇳🇬🇿🇦"
**
Reply
16. @thulasmash2195, 2020
"There's no such thing as a "too much artist".
Nigerians are just not ready for her sound."
**
Reply
17. @dubemnwjeff9865, 2021
"she z not underrated..she just doesnt always use English
..there are different tribes in my country thank u"
**
Reply
18. @praisesade, 2022
"As a Nigerian this IS JUST SO underrated but I have heard
this at parties"
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Reply
19. @phemmyosundele3067, 2022
"Yup…we were not ready"
**
Reply
20. @dantey000, 2022
"@thulasmash2195 exactly"
**
Reply
21. @sthe_zar6341, 2022
"We loved this song because it sounds very worldly as opposed
to the very monotonous "Afro beat" sound of West Africa which is not
popular here in 🇿🇦."
**
Reply
22. @nwabisam8145, 2022
"I think they can't relate to her, because this genre I kinda
house music and that's what is famously in S.A"
**
Reply
23. @trayway9067, 2023
"we like her coz her sound sounds south african and we love this type music"
**
24. @mpiloumzulu, 2021
"2021 am here I just made the entire club in Vietnam dance to this song!! I forced the DJ to play this song it song reminds me of home we used to sing even though we don't know what Niniola was saying 😁😁I had to hear it 🇿🇦🍷🍷🍷🍸🍸💃💃💃"
**
Reply
25. @iyamugeorge5835, 2022
"She was speaking Yoruba. Peace and love wherever you are"
**
26. @alliancemangalaboy818, 2021
"after hearing the death of Diego Maradona i imidiately came
to watch this song.RIP legend😭😭😭"
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Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Maradona for information about Argentine footballer Diego Maradona (30 October 1960 – 25 November 2020)
27.
"Still listening to this song even after three solid years, Nini we Nigerians are super proud of you , naija to the world 🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬 🇳🇬"
28.
"Still a hit"
**
29. @akhonaakon472, 2023
"Niniola as South Africans we usual sing along to every track
at groove but we would shut up and dance for a while until we remembered we
south africans created our own lyrics phofu that we didn’t understand but we
didn’t care… I still dance like crazy every time I hear it ❤❤❤❤"
**
30. @sherilynpatterson1, 2023
"American here and I still got this song on repeat!
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