Official Flavour, Premiered Dec 20, 2022
#flavourofafrica #dike #flavour
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Total # of views as of January 27, 2024 9:41 AM EDT =21,406,281
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases the 2022 YouTube video of Nigerian singer Flavour's song "Game Changer (Dike)".
General information about this song is included in this post along with information about the meaning of that Igbo word "dike", and selected comments from this video's discussion thread. The lyrics for Flavour's song "Game Changer (Dike)" are given in one of those selected comments.
Flavour's song "Game Changer (Dike)" is performed using the traditional ogene music beat from the Igbo ethnic group of Nigeria, West Africa. The Addendum to this post presents some information about that style of music.)
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Flavour for his music legacy and thanks to all those who are associated with this song and this video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT FLAVOUR'S SONG "GAME CHANGER" (DIKE)
From https://www.grammy.com/news/flavour-game-changer-dike-performance-video-global-spin "Global Spin: Flavour Offers A Dynamic Performance Of
"Game Changer (Dike)" In London [ no writer or publishing date is given for this article]
"Nigerian highlife musician Flavour praises the "Game
Changer" with this vibrant performance of a single from his newest album,
'African Royalty.
"Game Changer (Dike)" appears on Flavour's most
recent album, African Royalty, released Nov. 30 via 2Nite Music Group. The
12-track LP also boasts collaborations with fellow highlife musicians Ejyk
Nwamba ("Fearless") and The Cavemen. ("Osiso Osiso") and
marks his first release since 2020's Flavour of Africa."...
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavour_(musician) for information about "Chinedu Okoli (born 23 November 1983), better known by his
stage name Flavour N'abania or simply Flavour"....
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HOW IS THE IGBO WORD "DIKE" PRONOUNCED AND WHAT IS ITS ENGLISH TRANSLATION
From this video, it appears to me that the English pronunciation for the Igbo language's word "dike" is "DEE-kay". Here's information about the Igbo meaning of that word from https://www.igenea.com › surnames › dike :
..."In Nigeria, among the Igbo people, Dike signifies "a
hero" or "a warrior", frequently given to recognize valor or
other noteworthy deeds."
The transcriber for these lyrics (given immediately below) translates "dike" as "the great".
Also, @amakaorji8228, a commenter in this discussion thread wrote in 2023 that
"Ike means Power/Strength
Ebube means Glory
Dike means Warrior/Greatness"
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD (INCLUDING THIS SONG'S LYRICS)
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
2. @ofonaogu8033, 2022 [THIS SONG'S LYRICS IN IGBO & TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH]
"The emperor
The conqueror
The champion
The lion is here
Nzọgbu nzọgbu - There's a stampede
Enyi mba (bụ) Enyi - The people's Elephant (Enyi) is the
ultimate Elephant: metaphor for "There's strength in unity"
Tuo ya dike - Hail him/her "the great"(Dike)
Le/Ne nu dike - look/admire "the great" (x2)
Ihe eji a mara dike e ruo nu - The test of greatness is here
Egwu e change go - The music/tune has changed
Ihe eji a mara dike e ruo nu - The test of greatness is here
Egwu adagharigo - The music/tune has changed
O nwere ngabasị - He/she is everywhere
Ọ na-emekasị - He/she can't be outshone
O nwere ngabasị - He/she is everywhere
Ọ na-apịakasị - He/she is unmatched
Ebubedike - Great man
Ife erikekwe - There's abundance
Nwanyị manarịa - If a woman shows she's capable
Achalaugo dike - (Hail her) Great and strong woman
Clear the road for who sabi
Who dey who dey ...
Step aside for the game changer
Onye a na-ekwu maka ya a pụtago - The talk of the town is
here
Anụ a na-agba egbe ọ na-ata nri - The animal that's being
hunted, but is unmoved (Unshakable person)"
**
Reply
2. @nnaemy9143, 2022
"Ngabasi means Swag or Style. Mmekasi means Activity. Based
on nwoke ji action"
**
Reply
3. @wandaanderson8779, 2022
"Thanks 👍🏾❤"
**
Reply
4. @nzubechukwujekwe3409, 2022
"Nice one but Ngabasi means swag (Onitsha in Anambra state
slangs)"
**
Reply
5. @julietakinyi599, 2022
"God knows I needed this translation badly, thank you"
**
Reply
6. @Ehitv137, 2022
"Nzube
Chukwujekwe not only Anambra
slangs..Enugu People say it too"
**
Reply
7. @nzubechukwujekwe3409, 2022
" Neche's TV Originated from Onitsha anyone can use it,
dat is what i mean"
**
Reply
8. @atunechinaza1575, 2022
"Neche's TV Okay. No be competition. 👍🏾"
**
Reply
9. @chiamakaokwara9167, 2022
"Daalu"
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Here's some information about the Igbo word "daalu" from https://www.quora.com/What-does-%E2%80%9CDaalu%E2%80%9D-mean
Martin O'Shea, 2017 [lives in London]
"Web site daalu - translation from igbo to english - xLingua
- Multilanguage Online Dictionary translates daalu into English as:
Good work! (when used as an exclamation)
Keep it up! (when used as an exclamation)
thanks to (when used as a preposition)
Thank you very much! (when used as a phrase)
Where daalu is a word of the Igbo language, which according
to Igbo language - Wikipedia, is “the principal native language of the Igbo
people, an ethnic group of southeastern Nigeria. The language has approximately
24 million speakers, who live mostly in Nigeria and are primarily of Igbo
descent.”
Reply
10.@
"Thank you for translating!! Love the song even more!!!!🥳🥳💃🏾💃🏾"
**
11. @narutouzumaki2001, 2022
"This is not contemporary. It's traditional ogene music"
-snip-
I think this comment doesn't mean that this particular song is traditional, but that the way this song is performed is in the traditional style of ogene music. (Corrections are welcome.)
**
12. @DJSPARKVEVOs, 2022
"Fans of FLAVOUR inside and Outside NIGERIA gather here let’s
APPRECIATE our GREAT IJELE & a living LEGEND TALENTS 🇳🇬❤"
-snip-
Here's some information about the Igbo word "ijele"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ijele_Masquerade
"Ijele Masquerade, known as the biggest Masquerade in
Sub-Saharan Africa, is a tradition of the Igbo people of Nigeria...
That Ijele originated from old Anambra State in Nigeria many
centuries ago is not in doubt....
Ijele is a special masquerade in Anambra and Enugu State,
Nigeria. It is the King of all Masquerades and as such has 45 different other
masquerades perform on top of it in the olden days. Presently, the 45
masquerades are represented by the 45 figurines seen on top of Ijele. The myth
and size of Ijele is wholesome as every aspect of life is depicted on Ijele. It
is the climax of all masquerades hence performs alone and mostly last."...
-snip-
Referring to a person as "ijele" means that he or she is a living legend, i.e.t he greatest of the great. The African American Vernacular English term "GOAT" (greatest of all times) has the same meaning as this use of ijele as a referent to the Nigerian singer Flavour.
**
13.@richkingdaverichking331, 2022
"No one does this kinda contemporary local Naija songs better
than Flavor...true Nigerian and Igbo.💥💥💥💥💥"
**
Reply
14. @gazelle20111, 2023
"This is not a local song but a tribal song for the Igbo
tribe. A warriors song. An achievers song. A song of resilience and persistent
excellence…."
**
15. @flobekoe, 2023
"Ashanti tribe of Ghana plays similar rhythm in their tribal
songs"
**
16. @youngafro681, 2023
"Flavour we proud of you. The entire people of Edo state are
so proud of you. When it comes to traditional music no one near you in Nigeria"
**
17. @aframaco9491, 2023
"Flavour!! Cultural Ambassador Number One ☝🏾
👊🏾🇳🇬👊🏾🇳🇬!"
**
18. @lawrencesylva3058, 2023
"The song is not only for Nigerians - Every African sholud
see themselves in this song...Powerful"
**
19. @saheedalabi5612,2023
"Flavour is one of the best singers and performers out of
Africa. He is a Legend. As a Yoruba man Flavour is my number-one musician in
the country, Love him so much."
**
20. @elliottobelliotnwaobi4779, 2023
"This song gives me chills! "The EMPEROR, The CONQUEROR,
The CHAMPION, The LION is Here!" 🔥🔥🔥
Shoutouts Flavour!"
****
ADDENDUM- INFORMATION ABOUT OGENE MUSIC
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogene
"Ogene is a style of Igbo music consisting of, and taking its
name from, the ogene instrument, which is a large metal bell.[1] The Ogene
instrument has historically been made by the Igbo people of Nigeria. It is one
of the most important metal instruments of the people.
Ogene as a musical instrument
The Ogene type of bell which is commonly used as a
"master instrument" in a bell orchestra in Igboland. It is an
instrument of the struck idiophone class and is made of iron by specialist
blacksmiths. The bell has a flattish, conical shape, and is hollow inside. The
sound itself comes from the vibration of the iron body when struck, which is
made to resound by the hollow inside of the bell. The iron body is usually
struck with a soft wooden stick.
[…]
Ogene as a musical genre
Ogene as a musical style can be described or characterized
by its unique rhythm, created using a set of metal gongs.[16] Ogene music is
often accompanied by other traditional instruments such as flutes, drums, and
rattles. The rhythmic patterns and beats in Ogene music are vibrant and
energetic. In a way when played the double ogene bells answer calls made on the
master instrument which is played by the lead musician.[17]The recognizable
structure of the thematic expressions of ogene is the conversational components
of the secondary themes where answers are given to these calls.[17] This
interaction between the ogene music resembles a call-and-response pattern.
Ogene is improvisational as such the improvisational segments show the overall
proper understanding of scale and proficiency skill needed in navigating tonal
structures and acoustic potentialities which enables musicians to select what
would best suit a spontaneous improvisational thematic segment in any
performance.[10]
In the vocal parts of the music, the instrumentalists also sing as they play
the instruments.[18] The lyrics, most of the time, are of social interest and
spans from folkloric to philosophical or political to gospel. Ogene music
remains musically conceived and socially situated in Igbo culture as a piece of
“absolute” music that is often incorporated into other Igbo genres of
music.[19] When the lyrics to the performance are rendered,the instrumentalists
repeatedly use a consistent underlying theme while occasionally adding
variations to the background of the Ogene.[20] During breaks in the song
improvisation occurs, lasting from one to four bars, followed by a return to
the initial background to support the vocals.[21] At times, these creative
improvisations can extend for eight bars or even longer.[22] The performers are
guided by the audience's reactions.[23] Ogene music holds significant cultural
importance among the Igbo people, and its melodies and rhythms are integral to
expressing the cultural identity and heritage of the region. As a result of the
importance of ogene music to the Igbo identity, Ogene music has 3 distinctive
styles that serve different cultural needs of the Igbo people. These styles are
most often differentiated by the lyrical themes of the songs.”…
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I reformatted this excerpt to enhance its readability.
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