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Saturday, April 1, 2023

What "Sabi", "Sability" & Other Nigerian Pidgin English Words Mean In Ayra Starr's Hit 2023 Afrobeats Song "Sability"


Ayra Starr, Feb 18, 2023
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Total # of views as of April 1, 2023 at 10:31 AM EDT = 
12,604,714

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Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision - April 2, 2023

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on Ayra Starr's song "Sability".

This post showcases a YouTube video of the 2023 hit Nigerian Afrobeats song "Sability". This post also presents information about Ayra Starr and presents the song's lyrics with an English translation.

In addition, this pancocojams post presents information about the Nigerian Pidgin Enlish words "sabi" and its new extension "sability". 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/04/comments-about-ayra-starrs-2023-hit.html for Part II for this pancocojams series. Part II showcase a TikTok compilation of Ayra Starr and other people dancing to a clip of the song "Sability". This post also includes selected comments from that video's discussion thread and the discussion thread of that song's official YouTube video.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Ayra Starr for her music and thanks to all those who are associated with this song and video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/04/awilo-longomba-featuring-jocelyne.html for a closely related pancocojams post about Congolese mega-star Awilo Longomba's 1998 song "Coupe Bibamba". Ayra Starr's Afrobeats' song "Sabiity" samples that mega-hit record.

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INFORMATION ABOUT AYRA STARR
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayra_Starr
"Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe (born 14 June 2002), known professionally as Ayra Starr, is a Beninese-born Nigerian singer. She began a fashion career at the age of 16 with Quove Model Management before deciding to pursue a career in music. After covering several songs by popular artists on Instagram, she posted her first original song on her page in December 2019. This brought her to the attention of record executive Don Jazzy, who signed her to his record label Mavin Records.[1]

[…]

Ayra Starr would later achieve mainstream international recognition in 2022, with the release of her song "Rush". The song charted in several territories, including Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom, where it peaked at Number 36.[3]

With the song, Ayra became the Youngest African Female Artist to surpass 100 Million views on a single video on YouTube, and also the first to do so within 5 months.[citation needed] She also set a new record by becoming the only Nigerian Female Artist to have charted a solo song on UK official Singles Chart."...

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WHAT DOES THE NIGERIAN PIDGIN ENGLISH WORD "SABI" MEAN?
From 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Pidgin#:~:text=%22Sabi%22%20means%20%22to%20know,An%20English%20cognate%20is%20savvy.)
"Connection to Portuguese language

Being derived partly from the present day Edo/Delta area of Nigeria, there are still some words left over from the Portuguese language in pidgin English (Portuguese ships traded enslaved peoples from the Bight of Benin). For example, "you sabi do am?" means "do you know how to do it?". "Sabi" means "to know" or "to know how to", just as "to know" is "saber" in Portuguese.[17] (According to the monogenetic theory of pidgins, sabir was a basic word in Mediterranean Lingua Franca, brought to West Africa through Portuguese pidgin. An English cognate is savvy.) "…

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WHAT DOES THE NIGERIAN ENGLISH WORD "SABILITY" MEAN?
Excerpt #1
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYn3k8dpRJI (This is the discussion thread for the YouTube video that is embedded in this pancocojams post. Numbers are added for referencing purpose only.)

"just someone, 2023
1. "Can someone please explain to me what the lyrics is about? 🙏🏼"

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Reply
2.ugowoundo, 2023
"Sabi means to know or capable, skilled, talented or u know too much 😅, the ability to sabi is sability in nigerian pidgin english… u can deduce the rest from the video"

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Excerpt #2
From https://onenigerianbritico.com/2023/02/20/sability-lyrics-english-meaning-and-translation/  "Ayra Starr’s Sability lyrics, English meaning and translation",  February 20, 2023, onenigerianbritico

...."1. What does Sability mean

Ayra Starr is often heard singing about sability or sabi girls, as she did in music Rush. Sabi is a Nigerian Pidgin English word for “can-do” or “capable”, sability extends that to capability.

Ayra is pretty much hyping herself as a girl who is very much capable of doing and achieving things.

2. What are Ayra Starr’s fans called?

Her fans are aptly called Sabi Nation"...

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LYRICS - SABILITY (with English translations)
From https://onenigerianbritico.com/2023/02/20/sability-lyrics-english-meaning-and-translation/  "Ayra Starr’s Sability lyrics, English meaning and translation",  February 20, 2023, onenigerianbritico

 

Ele oh– Greetings

Greet everybody for here oh

Padi jo shey shey pęlę oh– My friend take it easy sorry o

Mo ti so funwon tęlę oh– I warned you before

 

Belle oh– Stomach

Deliver like I get belle oh– deliver like I am pregnant

Dem say I dey go cele oh– They said I am I am going to celestial Aladura church

Dem say I dey go cele oh

 

Espiritu Fortuna

I go make you jo dada– I iwll make you go crazy

Shey you getty the power– I hope you have the power

Sweety passy amala ketu– As it is sweeter than amala ketu

Shinji Kagawa

Jesu kristi loba wa– Jesus Christ is the King

Got them falling yakata– Got them tripping

You know as e sabi girl dey do– As a capable girl does

 

Sabi oh, oh-oh (Come on, come on)– Can-do oh, oh

Sabi oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Sabi oh, oh-oh (Come on, come on)

Sabi oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (Oya na

 

Oni reason– A boy is the reason

Oni reason why dem dey call me oloyin– A boy is the reason why they call me honey

While you beefing, I’m still leading

Kill anything I no fit miss

 

You no go fit in my shoes– You cannot fit in my shoes

High fashion, Jimmy Choo’s– Its high fashion Jimmy Choo’s

Wanna sip some gin and juice

Tomorrow will be okay

 

Espiritu Fortuna

I go make you jo dada

Shey you getty the power

Sweety passy amala ketu

Shinji Kagawa

Jesu kristi loba wa

Got them falling yakata

You know as e sabi girl dey do

 

Sabi oh, oh-oh (Come on, come oh)

Sabi oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Sabi oh, oh-oh (Come on, come on)

Sabi oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (Oya na)

 

Espiritu Fortuna

I go make you jo dada

Shey you getty the power

Sweety passy amala ketu

Shinji Kagawa

Jesu kristi loba wa

Got them falling yakata

You know as e sabi girl dey do"

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This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams post.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.


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