Fela Anikulapo-Kuti's 1975 Afrobeat song "Water No Get Enemy" (YouTube Videos, Lyrics, & The Yoruba Proverb That Inspired That Song)

ACghigo, Aug 10, 2010

The Best of the Black President [album first released in the United States in 2000 
-snip-
"The Black President" was one of the nicknames for Fela Kuti.

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents some biographical information about Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and showcases his 1975 song "Water No Get Enemy". 

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti for his musical legacy and thanks to his bands. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

Hat tip to Denise Oliver Velez for her Oct. 15, 2023 dailykos post "Black Music Sunday: Celebrating Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and the birth of Afrobeat" for inspiring me to re-visit that song on pancocojams. Click https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/15/2197807/-Black-Music-Sunday-Celebrating-Fela-Anikulapo-Kuti-and-the-birth-of-Afrobeat for that post daily kos post and its comments..

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/03/african-proverbs-information-text.html for a 2014 pancocojams post entitled "African Proverbs (information, text examples, and music example)". That post features a YouTube sound file of Fela's "Water No Get Enemy" as well as a comment from that sound file's discussion thread. Unfortunately, that discussion thread is no longer available.

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SOME INFORMATION ABOUT FELA ANIKULAPO- KUTI & AFROBEAT MUSIC
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fela_Kuti
"Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938[1] – 2 August 1997), also known as Abàmì Ẹ̀dá, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the King of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre that combines West African music with American funk and jazz.[2] At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers".[3] AllMusic described him as "a musical and sociopolitical voice" of international significance.[4]

[...]

Music

Kuti's musical style is called[44] Afrobeat. It is a style he largely created, and is a complex fusion of jazz, funk, highlife, and traditional Nigerian, African chants and rhythms. It contains elements of psychedelic soul and has similarities to James Brown's music. Afrobeat also borrows heavily from the native "tinker pan".[45] Tony Allen, Kuti's drummer of twenty years, was instrumental in the creation of Afrobeat. Kuti once stated that "there would be no Afrobeat without Tony Allen".[46]

Kuti's band was notable for featuring two baritone saxophones when most groups only used one. This is a common technique in African and African-influenced musical styles and can be seen in funk and hip hop. His bands sometimes performed with two bassists at the same time both playing interlocking melodies and rhythms. There were always two or more guitarists. The electric West African style guitar in Afrobeat bands is a key part of the sound, and is used to give basic structure, playing a repeating chordal/melodic statement, riff, or groove.

Some elements often present in Kuti's music are the call-and-response within the chorus and figurative but simple lyrics. His songs were also very long, at least 10–15 minutes in length, and many reached 20 or 30 minutes, while some unreleased tracks would last up to 45 minutes when performed live. Their length was one of many reasons that his music never reached a substantial degree of popularity outside Africa. His LP records frequently had one 30-minute track per side. Typically there is an "instrumental introduction" jam section of the song roughly 10–15 minutes long before Kuti starts singing the "main" part of the song, featuring his lyrics and singing, for another 10–15 minutes. On some recordings, his songs are divided into two parts: Part 1 being the instrumental, and Part 2 adding in vocals.

Kuti's songs are mostly sung in Nigerian Pidgin English, although he also performed a few songs in the Yoruba language. His main instruments were the saxophone and the keyboards, but he also played the trumpet, electric guitar, and the occasional drum solo"...
-snip-
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was from the Yoruba ethnic group of Nigeria.

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LYRICS FOR "WATER NO GET ENEMY"
(Fela Anikulapo-Kuti) 

  [Fela Kuti]

T'o ba fe lo we omi l'o ma'lo
If you want go wash, a water you go use

T'o ba fe se'be omi l'o ma'lo
If you want cook soup, a water you go use

T'o ri ba n'gbona o omi l'ero re
If your head dey hot, a water go cool on

T'omo ba n'dagba omi l'o ma'lo
If your child dey grow, a water he go use

If water kill your child, na water you go use
T'omi ba p'omo e o omi na lo ma'lo

Ko s'ohun to'le se k'o ma lo'mi o
Nothing without water
Ko s'ohun to'le se k'o ma lo'mi o
Omi o l'ota o

[Chorus]
(Water, him no get enemy!)
Omi o l'ota o
(Water, him no get enemy!)

If you fight am, unless you wan die (Water, him no get enemy!)
I say water no get enemy (Water, him no get enemy!)
If you fight am, unless you wan die (Water, him no get enemy!)
Omi o l'ota o (Water, him no get enemy!)
I dey talk of Black man power (Water, him no get enemy!)
I dey talk of Black power, I say (Water, him no get enemy!)
I say water no get enemy (Water, him no get enemy!)
If you fight am, unless you wan die (Water, him no get enemy!)
I say water no get enemy (Water, him no get enemy!)
I say water no get enemy (Water, him no get enemy!)
Omi o l'ota o (Water, him no get enemy!)
Omi o l'ota o (Water, him no get enemy!)

Online source: https://genius.com/Fela-kuti-water-no-get-enemy-lyrics
-snip-
The non-English words are in Yoruba. Their English translations which are part of the original lyrics for that song are sung immediately after their Yoruba lyrics. 

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THE YORUBA PROVERB THAT INSPIRED FELA'S SONG "WATER NO GET ENEMY"
"Ifa was cast for Water when She was coming from Heaven to Earth. She was told to sacrifice to make her way open and clear. She heard and performed the sacrifice. Now, whereever Water goes, She makes a way for herself and She has no enemies. Anyone who makes an enemy of Water will not last long. There is no Life without Water." Odu Ifa
-quoted by GoddessofLight12, 2011 the no longer available discussion thread for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au6VesDZrzk published by NoBorders Campos, Feb 2, 2011; summary: "Collected pictures from all around to make this video for one of my all time favorite singers."Fela Anikulapo Kuti"may his legacy inspire a positive change in africa."
-snip- Explanation of the words "Ifa was cast": Quote #1 From https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/ifa-divination-board "Ifá divination is a Yoruba religious practice with its centre in south-western Nigeria. The word Ifá refers to the mystical figure Ifá or Orunmila, regarded by the Yoruba as the god of wisdom and intellectual development.

Ifá divination relies on a system of symbols. These are derived from throwing sets of palm nuts, and drawing on a divination board such as this. The symbols are interpreted by the Ifá priest."...
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Quote #2 From https://guides.library.duq.edu/c.php?g=1318133&p=9693664 "AWO YORUBA:THE LANGUAGE OF IFÁ; GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN IFÁ DIVINATION" by Awo Fa’lokun Fatunmbi and Egbe Iwa Pele (retrieved Oct. 15, 2013)
Ifá - Wisdom of Nature, also refers to the traditional religion of Yorúbà

culture.

**
Ifá awo kokó - Bowl used to hold the palm nuts (ikin) used for Ifá

divination.

**

Ifá Olokún - Praise name for the Spirit of Destiny (Òrúnmìlà) meaning;

"Diviner of the Sea." "
**** ARTICLE EXCERPT ABOUT MEANING OF THE SONG "WATER NO GET ENEMY" From https://afrobeatdrumming.com/looking-up-the-epic-tune-of-fela-kutis-water-no-get-enemy/ quoting Afrobeat Historian Chris May " "From the brutalities exposed on 1974’s “Alagbon Close” -named after the headquarters of the Nigerian Criminal Investigation Department in Lagos- to the ridiculous. “Water No Get Enemy” took up the second side of Fela’s 1975 album Expensive Sh-t* whose title track chronicles in hilarious detail a failed attempt to charge him for possesion of weed – and ridicules the police involved in the bust.

“Water No Get Enemy” has a less contentious, but for its time no less thought-provoking lyrics. It’s based on a Yoruba proverb concerning the power of nature. Live in harmony with nature, Fela advises, and you will be live longer and wiser.

In “Water No Get Enemy” Fela also suggests that, if the Nigerian political opposition work with nature, their ultimate victory is assured.

The story behind Expensive Sh-t* album is telling evidence of Fela’s determination to resist abuse of power by the Nigerian regime…" 
-snip- 
*This word is fully spelled out in that article.

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

 

(Nigerian Afrohouse singer) Niniola & her 2017 hit song "Maradona" (with information about "house", "afro house", "deep house", and "afrobeats")

officialNiniola, Apr 6, 2017
-snip-
Statistics about this YouTube video as of July 5, 2023 at 9:03 AM

total # of views - 9,236,683
total # of comments -3,149

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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.

 All copyrights remain with their owners.

 Thanks to Niniola and thanks to all those who are associated with this video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube. RIP Diego Maradona.
-snip-
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".

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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."...

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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]"...

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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."

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From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styles_of_house_music#D
"Deep house

A (slightly) slower variant of house (around 120 BPM) with greater influences from soul, jazz, and funk."

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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]"...

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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."
-snip-
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!”…

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD OF THIS EMBEDDED VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCbjK4259RM

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 🔥🔥🔥"

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2.  @PabloLeboncelloHotane,2018
"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 🔥"

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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."

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Reply
4. @burnaboyfan, 2018
"they love it coz the sound is South African"

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Reply
5. @ItumelengS, 2021
"@De23Rosa  yeah Doc, we claimed this song"

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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"

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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. @angelaosakue433, 2019
"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. @lifeabroadwithnoxy, 2019
"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. @cecekam5582, 2019
"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. @itzdjizzy1042, 2020
"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"

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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 🇳🇬🇿🇦"

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Reply
16. @thulasmash2195, 2020 
"There's no such thing as a "too much artist". Nigerians are just not ready for her sound."

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Reply
17. @dubemnwjeff9865, 2021
"she z not underrated..she just doesnt always use English ..there are different tribes in my country thank u"

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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"

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Reply
20. @dantey000, 2022
"@thulasmash2195  exactly"

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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 🇿🇦."

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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"

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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😭😭😭"
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Maradona for information about Argentine footballer Diego Maradona (30 October 1960 – 25 November 2020)

 **
27. @thelmaanthony2691, 2021
"Still listening to this song even after three solid years, Nini we Nigerians are super proud of you , naija to the world 🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬 🇳🇬"

**
28. @thatotshifhiwa6094,2023
"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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Visitors comments are welcome. 

What Burna Boy's Song "Ye" Is REALLY About (comments from the YouTube official video's discussion thread)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series about the 2018 Burna Boy song "Ye".

Part II presents selected comments about the meaning of Burna Boy's song "Ye" from the discussion thread for the official YouTube video of that song. (The official video for that song is embedded in Part I of this series.)

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/01/nigerian-afrobeat-singer-burna-boy-ye.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I presents information about Nigerian Afrobeat singer, songwriter Burna Boy and showcases a YouTube video of his hit 2018 song "Ye".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-traditional-use-of-exclamation-ye.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. Part III presents comments about the traditional exclamation "ye" and similar exclamations that are found in West Africa, elsewhere in Africa, and in the Caribbean. These selected comments are from a sub-thread of the discussion thread for the official YouTube video of Burna Boy's song "Ye".

The Addendum to this post presents information about the word "ye" from http://naijalingo.com.

The content of this post is presented for cultural and linguistic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Burna Boy for his musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to Burna Boy for publishing this video on YouTube.
-snip-
A pancocojams post about other contemporary meanings of the Nigerian word "Ye" will be published ASAP. I also plan to publish a pancocojams post that presents comments about Nigerian Pidgin English and Jamaican Patois. Those posts will have the tag "Burna Boy song Ye" and/or the tag/s "Nigerian Pidgin English" in addition to other tags.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Burna Boy's 2018 hit song "Ye" is sung in Nigerian Pidgin English, Yoruba, and African American Vernacular English in addition to standard American English. Two examples of African American Vernacular English in that song are the lyrics "My "n word"* what's it gon' be?" and the lyrics "I still want turn up" (which I believe loosely translated means "I still want to enjoy life". One widely used form of the African American originated slang phrase "turn up" is "turnt up".

Read the selected comments below for explanations about the meaning of this song.

These comments are presented in relative chronological order. If you disagree with any or all of these opinions, please share what you think Burna Boy's song "Ye" means in the comment section below.
-snip-
*A form of what is widely known as "the n word" is fully spelled out in the lyrics to that song.

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SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT WHAT BURNA BOY'S SONG "YE" MEANS
(from the discussion thread of that song's official YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPe09eE6Xio)

I've added numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.

1. IAmATanker TheTankerIsMe, 2018
For all those that are not familiar “Ye” is an exclamation Nigerians do when they are surprised, excited, shocked or scared. Normally with this action as demonstrated in the emoji 🙆🏾‍♀‍"

**
2. kayla george, 2019
"What is he saying?"

**
REPLY
3. IAmATanker TheTankerIsMe, 2019
"kayla george he’s basically talking about how crazy his life is now, how he can afford all these things, how his people grind hard to get money and how he’s just living lavish and doing his thing because people will talk no matter what so there’s no point stressing (“I can’t come and kill myself”). So in that context “Ye” is a reaction to all these exciting changes and events that are happening in his life."

**
4. Mona Majestic, 2019
"This song is about the black people’s struggle..."

**
REPLY
5. Hobby Bear, 2019
"Bless you queen. U just summarized it in a very simple way 👊🏾🙌🏽😍"

**
REPLY
6. Ken Mckay, 2019
..."Nigerians have adapted to suffering and smiling, we are getting screwed over by the government but no one wants to revolt because no one is ready to die."

**
REPLY
7. Tim Akhile, 2019
"@ken so on point"

**
REPLY
8. OurTruth, 2019
"Oh wow I didn’t know,What language is he speaking?"

**
REPLY
9. Lumani LuLu, 2019
"OurTruth Nigerian Pidgin talking about the hate Africans get in this world yet we still strive and remain the best even when they try and kill us it never works we thrive. We enjoy, live life, get money the best way we can and live. Basically our enemies never win is the message"

**
REPLY
10. Hope Oguidi, 2019
"@OurTruth he is speaking yoruba, a Nigerian dialect"

**
REPLY
11. fade1283, 2019
"@Hope Oguidi yoruba is a language, not a dialect"

**
12. A S, 2019
"No idea what he's saying but this 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲 thinks this song is 🔥🔥🔥🔥."
-snip-
"JM" = Jamaica; Jamaican

**
REPLY
13. Happy Ness, 2019
"He is talking about societal oppression, corruption in Government and bad leaderships. People struggling to do all kind of things to make money just to survive, to buy basic necessities like buy car, build house, and yet these same oppressed people are not bold or ready to stand up to their oppressors for fear of losing their lives because they would rather only talk about it, go to clubs to turn up and enjoy life, so they think ("suffering and smiling")."

**
REPLY
14. Bernedette Kuteyi, 2019
"A S. the back ground song is say Oh baby your bodi is so fine. Also he is saying talking about life in Nigeria when you make money, how people want you to be. That’s why he can’t kill himself"

**
15. Angel Highlight, 2019
"For all the Americans here and non Nigerians
What he is saying is that he will enjoy life drive all the cars and buy mansions
He will enjoy his life before he die that he just got one life to live and he shouldn’t worry about what people are saying because people must talk and talk is cheap"

**
REPLY
16. Bidemi Akinade, 2019
2 months ago
THAT IS NOT WHAT HE IS SAYING!!!!!

**
REPLY
17. George Lin, 2019
"He's saying that he's gonna live it up and shine even if it doesn't fit what society expects because of his race."

**
REPLY
18. Chimezie Hh, 2019
"It’s funny because you are just lying to people and they are buying it.. this song is about the difficulties we face in Nigeria, we prioritize individual accolades and no one wants to die or be revolutionary regarding the government, we just want to ball, get money flex and go back to our bad roads poverty etc. no one wants to die to make our lives better. It’s better you don’t say what you don’t know!"

****
This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comment are welcome.

Nigerian Afrobeat Singer Burna Boy - "Ye" (information, official YouTube video & lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Revised January 11, 2020

This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series about the 2018 Burna Boy song "Ye".

Part I presents information about Nigerian Afrobeat singer, songwriter Burna Boy and showcases a YouTube video of his hit 2018 song "Ye".

The lyrics for Burna Boy's record "Ye" are also included in this post, with information about some of the Yoruba words, and/or Nigerian Pidgin English words, and some other references in those lyrics.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/01/what-burna-boys-song-ye-is-really-about.html for Part II of this series. Part II presents selected comments about the meaning of Burna Boy's song "Ye" from the discussion thread for the official YouTube video of that song.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-traditional-use-of-exclamation-ye.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. Part III presents comments about the traditional exclamation "ye" and similar exclamations that are found in West Africa, elsewhere in Africa, and in the Caribbean. These selected comments are from a sub-thread of the discussion thread for the official YouTube video of Burna Boy's song "Ye".

The Addendum to this post presents information about the word "ye" from http://naijalingo.com.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Burna Boy for his musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to Burna Boy for publishing this video on YouTube.
-snip-
A pancocojams post about other contemporary meanings of the Nigerian word "Ye" will be published ASAP. I also plan to publish a pancocojams post that presents comments about Nigerian Pidgin English and Jamaican Patois. Those posts will have the tag "Burna Boy song Ye" and/or the tag/s "Nigerian Pidgin English" in addition to other tags.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT BURNA BOY
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burna_Boy
"Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter.[1][2] He rose to prominence in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album L.I.F.E (2013). In 2017, Burna Boy signed with Bad Habit/Atlantic Records in the United States and Warner Music Group internationally. His third studio album Outside (2018) marked his major-label debut.[3] In 2019, he won Best International Act at the 2019 BET Awards.[4] He was also announced as Apple Music's Up Next artist. His fourth studio album African Giant was released in July 2019.

[...]

In January 2018, Burna Boy was featured on "Sunshine Riptide", a track from Fall Out Boy's seventh studio album MANIA (2018).[17] He released his third studio album Outside on January 26, 2018. Described as a mixtape, Outside consists mostly of Afrobeats, dancehall, reggae and road rap....Outside was supported by six singles: "Rock Your Body", "Streets of Africa", "Koni Baje", "Sekkle Down", "Heaven's Gate" and "Ye".... The album received critical acclaim and was ranked by Pulse Nigeria and Nigerian Entertainment Today as the best Nigerian album of 2018.[18][19] It won Album of the Year at the 2018 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.[20] In February 2018, Outside debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.[21] The album's biggest single "Ye" ended up atop most Nigerian publications year-end list as the biggest song of 2018.[22][23]

[...]

Artistry
Burna Boy describes his music as Afro-fusion, a genre that blends Afrobeat, dancehall riddims, reggae, American rap and R&B.[32][6] August Brown of The Los Angeles Times said Burna Boy's sound is "savvy and modern but undistracted by obvious crossover moves".[38]"...

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Burna Boy - Ye (Official Video)



Burna Boy, Aug 6, 2018

The official video for Burna Boy's "Ye" from the album 'Outside'.
-snip-
Statistics as of January 11, 2020 at 2:56 PM
total # of views - 57,780,785
total # of likes- 369,000
total # of dislikes- 11,000
total # of comments -13,077

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENT
Because pancocojams is a family friendly blog, when I showcase songs that include what I refer to as "the n word". For that reason, I've modified the spelling of the introduction to Burna Boy's song "Ye".

**
I plan to publish a pancocojams post on the meaning of the word Ye in Burna Boy's song of that name, but here's an excerpt of that post that helps explain the lyrics of that song (with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPe09eE6Xio [discussion thread for the official YouTube video of Burna Boy's - Ye.]

IAmATanker TheTankerIsMe, 2018
1. "For all those that are not familiar “Ye” is an exclamation Nigerians do when they are surprised, excited, shocked or scared. Normally with this action as demonstrated in the emoji 🙆🏾‍♀‍"

**
REPLY
2. Miss Krystal63, 2018
"IAmATanker TheTankerIsMe thanks for the information because I really didn’t, now if I could hear it being use on a sentence would be great"

**
REPLY
3. May Show, 2018
"@Miss Krystal63 Ye! They have increased my rent."

****
LYRICS - YE
(composer - Burna Boy)

Girl in the background: My baby your body's on fire
Oluwa(God)Burna- oluwa(God is a prefix for many nigerian names(yoruba nigerians)
Ye Ye( a way nigerians or africans express pain(like ouch)
This one na gbedu wey dey ja pata(This is a song that makes people go crazy)
Me, I no get time, I dey da pada(me, i don't have time, i return what you give me( like you get what you give)
Dada cover my face, calling me Lagbaja( I have natural dreadlocks covering my face and they call lagbaja( a mystery nigerian artiste who covers his face(no one knows him but everyone knows his song, like banksy but in music)
Biggie man, wey no dey wear agbada( A rich person who is not wearing agbada( a nigerian traditional attire people wear to show wealth)


My ni&&a, what's it gon' be?
G-Wagon or the Bentley?
The girl dem riding with me
I no fit, die for nothing
( i can't die for nothing)
My ni&&a, what's it gon' be?
G-Wagon or the Bentley?
The girl dem riding with me


Ah, make you know say
Anything wey you do, dem must commentate
( you know it's everything you do that they have their opinion about)
(I can't come and kill myself)(his way of saying, they always have their comments and opinions on my life and i can't kill myself for those people )(side note: Nigerians use this expression to show that they cannot be bothered or stressed by an issue)
So anything wey I dey do
(so anything i do)
I dey try to dey do am my way
(i'll try to do it my way)
(I can't come and kill myself)
Plenty plenty plenty suffer wey we face
(We face a lot of suffering)
Just to make sure money dey
( all for the sake of money)


But my people dem go say
(but my people always say)
I no want kpai, I no want die( i don't want to end it, i don't want to die)
I no want kpeme, I want enjoy
( i'll live life, i want to enjoy)
I want chop life, I want buy motor
( i just want to enjoy life, i want to buy cars)
I want build house, I still want turn up
( i want to build houses, i still want to turn up)
Tell me, tell me

My ni&&a, what's it gon' be?
G-Wagon or the Bentley?
The girl dem riding with me
I no fit, die for nothing
( i can't die for nothing)
My ni&&a, what's it gon' be?
G-Wagon or the Bentley?
The girl dem riding with me


Different tings dem happening
(different things are happening)
Schemes and packaging
Inna one night, fourshows I'm juggling
(in one night, i have four shows, i'm juggling)
Flow like the ocean, my boat I'm paddling
Shout out Shina Peller
That's my bro; my family
Frozen chains, when it comes to money
I dey concentrate
( when it comes to money, that's when i concentrate)
Make I tell you straight, you are not my mate
( in case you don't know, i'm not on your level)
If you be commissioner, I be head of state( if you were a commissioner, i'll be the head of state.)


But my people dem go say
(but my people always say)
I no want kpai, I no want die( i don't want to end it, i don't want to die)
I no want kpeme, I want enjoy
( i'll live life, i want to enjoy)
I want chop life, I want buy motor
( i just want to enjoy life, i want to buy cars)
I want build house, I still want turn up
( i want to build houses, i still want to turn up)
Tell me, tell me

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iNEIVj3oSc [discussion thread comment posted by George Holmark, 2019.
-snip-
An earlier version of this pancocojams post featured the lyrics from https://genius.com/Burna-boy-ye-lyrics. That website's lyrics includes the intro:

Yeah
My ni&&a... die for nothing, ah
My ni&&a... die for nothing, ah
Die for nothing, ah
My ni&&a... die for nothing, ah
My ni&&a... die for nothing, ah
My ni&&a...

-snip-
That genius.com lyric site also features the "ye" refrain before verse #1:
Oluwaburna, ehn-ehn, Ye Ye Ye
Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye
Ye, ehn-ehn, Ye Ye Ye
Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye
Ye Ye, Ye Ye
Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye
Ye, ehn-ehn, Ye Ye Ye
Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye
-snip-
It also features the ending refrain:

Oluwaburna
Ye Ye, Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye
Ye, ehn-ehn, Ye Ye Ye
Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye
Ye Ye, Ye Ye
Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye
Ye, ehn-ehn, Ye Ye Ye
Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye
Ye, ehn-ehn, Ye Ye Ye
Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye
Ye Ye, Ye Ye
Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye
Ye, ehn-ehn, Ye Ye Ye
Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye Ye
-snip-
Here's some information about this song from that website:
"Written By Burna Boy
Release Date: January 26, 2018
Interpolates: Sorrow Tears and Blood by Fela Kuti
Interpolated By: SHINESHINEBOBO by Eazy Bob Wizzy
Cover By: Ye (BBC 1Xtra Cover) by Koffee
Remixed "My Yé Is Different" by OSH"
-snip-
I switched to the lyric version that is given above because it included English explanations about the words to that song.

****
EXPLANATIONS ABOUT SOME OF THE LYRICS TO BURNA BOY'S SONG "YE"
Part 1
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPe09eE6Xio commenter udezeh henry, 2019 gave these explanations for some of the lyrics in that song:

[...]

"This one na gbedu wey dey ja pata( This is a jam that can tear your pants)
Me, I no get time, I dey da pada( Me, I don't have time, i return them back)
Dada cover my face, calling me Lagbaja( Dreads covering my face like I'm Lagbaja- Lagbaja is another Nigerian musician).
Biggie man, wey no dey wear agbada( A rich man that doesn't wear agbada - Agbada is a native wear that has a flowing top that is very long that reaches your toes.)....
Ahn ahn (tell me, tell me)

[...]

I no fit, die for nothing( I can't die for nothing)

[...]

Anything wey you do, dem must commentate( Anything you do people must talk about it)

[...]

Anything wey you do, dem must commentate( Anything you do people must talk about it)

[...]

I dey try to dey do am my way( So anything i do , i try to do it my way)

[...]

plenty plenty plenty suffer wey we face( A lot of suffering we faced)

Just to make sure money dey( to ensure that there's money)

But my people dem go say( But my people will say)"...
-snip-
In his transcription of this song, udezeh henry used the word "Yeah" for "Ye". Although the Yoruba (Nigeria) word "ye" is pronounced the same way that the English word "yeah" is pronounced, "ye" does not mean "yes".

****
Part 2
Other explanations of words in that song
(given in the order that they appear in that song, with numbers added for referencing purposes only.)

Additions and corrections are welcome.

1. Oluwa - Yoruba name for "God"
From https://www.legit.ng/1180093-yoruba-names-starting-oluwa-meaning.html
" “Oluwa” is the Yoruba word for God. And there are many Yoruba names with the prefix “Oluwa....

Yoruba names usually have unique meanings. According to the Yoruba culture, the name given to a child will affect his/her destiny. That is why Yoruba people especially the Christians give their children names with God in it. The “Oluwa” could be at the beginning of the name or the end.
-snip-
That article provides a list of Yoruba names that either begin or end with "Oluwa". For example, "Oluwabunmi" is a unisex name meaning God gifted me.".

My guess is that Burna Boy used that traditional formula to give himself the name "Oluwaburna", but that isn't an actual name that is given by Nigerians to males or to females.

**
2. ehn-ehn
http://naijalingo.com/words/yeee indicates that "ehn-ehn" is synonym for Yeee. That website gives the meaning for "yeee" as "Exclamation, usually negative: Example: Yeee, my leg dey pain me oh.
-snip-
"oh" [also given as "o"] at the end of a sentence adds intensity to what was said.

**
3. gyaldem- girls them

**
4. kpai
from Google translate Yoruba to English - the first

**
5. kpeme
from Google translate Yoruba to English - watch

**
6. chop
From http://naijalingo.com/words/c/alphabet
chop- eat
-snip-
"chop life" = enjoy life
-snip-
In addition, here's some information about the following references in this video (numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. Lagbaja
From https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lagbaja-mn0000125482/biography
"b. Bisade Ologunde, Lagos, Nigeria. Now based in Manhattan, New York, USA, Nigerian singer Ologunde adopted the name Lagbaja (meaning ‘anonymous’ or ‘faceless one’ in Yoruba) as he embarked on his career in the early 90s. His name was reflected in his choice of stage attire - a slitted textile and rubber mask adopted so that the artist represented the ‘common man’ in keeping with the carnival tradition of his Yoruba tribe. He formed his first small band in 1991 in Lagos after he had taught himself to play the saxophone. With a high quotient of percussion instruments including congas and talking drums, this group drew its principal inspiration from the traditional highlife music of the 60s, as well as western jazz....

Their debut album was released in 1992. Colours - The Colour Of Rhythm... further cassette followed in 1994, a self-titled collection which included songs such as ‘Naija Must Sweet Again’, which many took to be an attack on Nigeria’s military rulers. This theme was continued on sessions for Lagbaja’s 1996 album. Songs such as ‘Bad Leadership’ concerned what Ologunde views as the biggest problem afflicting contemporary Africa."...

**
2. G-wagon
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_G-Class
"The Mercedes-Benz G-Class, sometimes called G-Wagen (short for Geländewagen, "cross country vehicle"), is a mid-size four-wheel drive luxury SUV manufactured by Magna Steyr (formerly Steyr-Daimler-Puch) in Austria and sold by Mercedes-Benz."...

**
3. Bentley
from https://www.truecar.com/prices-new/bentley/
"Bentley cars are handcrafted in Crewe, England, and are known to be ultra-luxury vehicles."...

**
4. Fela Kuti [Note: According to Genius.com lyric site quoted above, Burna Boy's song "Ye" interpolates Fela Kuti's song "Sorrow Tears and Blood". In addition, an image of Fela Kuti is found in that song's official video]
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fela_Kuti
"Fela Anikulapo Kuti (15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also professionally known as Fela Kuti, or simply Fela, was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, musician, composer, pioneer of the Afrobeat music genre and human rights activist. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers".[1]"

**
5. Shina Peller
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shina_Peller
"Shina Abiola Peller (born 14 May 1976) is a Nigerian entrepreneur, politician, Industrialist, Hon. Member of the Nigeria ninth national assembly. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of Aquila Group of Companies and Club Quilox.[1]...

Political career
Peller is a member of the All Progressive Congress,[4] and declared his intention to contest under the platform of the All progressive congress as a member of the Federal House of Representative representing the Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola Federal Constituency in Oyo State.[5][6][7]

On 5 October 2018, Shina Peller won the primary election for House of Representatives candidate for lseyin/ltesiwaju/ Kajola/lwajowa federal constituency on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the 2019 general election and won the seat. He won the seat for House of Representatives in his constituency on 23 February 2019.[8][9]."...

****
This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Babatunde Olantunji - "Jin Go Lo Ba" And Three Videos Of "Jin Go Lo Ba" Performed by Carlos Santana & His Bands

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about and lyrics for Nigerian drummer and composer Babatunde Olatunji's compossition "Jin Go Lo Ba" (also known as "Jingo".

This post also showcases a YouTube sound file of Babatunde Olantunji & his Drum Of Passions Band performing "Jin Go Lo Ba" as well as three YouTube videos of Carlos Santana and his band performing this song.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Babatunde Olatunji and his Drums Of Passion Band for their musical legacies. Thanks also to Carlos Santana and his bands for their musical legacies. Thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT "JIN GO LO BA"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin-go-lo-ba
" "Jin-go-lo-ba" (or "Jingo") is a song by Nigerian percussionist Babatunde Olatunji, featured on his first album Drums of Passion (1959). In Yoruba (Olatunji's native language) it means, "Do not worry."

The song featured "African-derived rhythms and chants" along with "swooping orchestration".[1] In his autobiography, Olatunji said that this was the only song on his first album that he claimed formal ownership of, meaning that it was the only song he received royalties for.[2] ...

"Jingo"
Song by Babatunde Olatunji
from the album Drums of Passion
Genre Afrobeat
Length 3:16
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Babatunde Olatunji
Producer(s) Al Ham

****
LYRICS: JIN GO LO BA
(Composer- Babatunde Olatunji)

Jingo
Jingo
Jingo
Jingo Ba
Lo
Ba, Ba, Lo
Ba, Ba, Lo
Ba, Ba, Lo
Ba, Lo
Ba, Ba, Lo
Ba, Ba, Lo
Ba, Ba, Lo
Ba
Jingo

Source: https://genius.com/Santana-jin-go-lo-ba-lyrics

****
SHOWCASE SOUND FILE: Babatunde Olatunji Jin-Go-Lo-Ba (Drums of Passion)



Marcinenwu, Jun 9, 2008

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #1: Santana - Jin-Go-Lo-Ba/Ending Live In Santiago 1992


EpicConcerts, Jan 13, 2012

"Venue: Parque Intercommunal De La Reina
Date: December 4 1992

Band Line-up:
Carlos Santana - Guitars/Vocals
Walfredo de los Reyes - Drums
Karl Perazzo - Cymbals
Armando Peraza - Congas
Chester Thompson - Keyboards
Myron Dove - Bass
Alex Ligertwood - Vocals
Jorge Santana - Rhythm Guitar

Source:
Video from VHS-rip
Audio from soundboard master + patch here-and-there with the VHS source

NOTE:
The video was digitally cleaned and the colors were corrected to fit more naturally, also upscaled to 720p for a better experience on Youtube.
The audio was stereo expanded to sound a litlle bit louder.”...

****
Video #2: Jingo-Santana Greatest Hits - Live at Montreux (2011).mkv



Giannis Lioumpas,Apr 18, 2012

****
Video #3: Santana - Savor / Jingo - 8/18/1970 - Tanglewood (Official)



Santana on MV, Sep 26, 2014

Santana - Savor / Jingo
Recorded Live: 8/18/1970 - Tanglewood - Lenox, MA
More Santana at Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.com
Subscribe to Music Vault on YouTube: http://goo.gl/DUzpUF

Personnel:
Carlos Santana - guitar, vocals
Gregg Rolie - keyboards, piano, lead vocals
David Brown - bass
Michael Shrieve - drums
Jose "Chepito" Areas - percussion, conga, timbales
Mike Carabello - percussion, conga, vocals

Summary:
Recorded just over a year after Santana played its historic Woodstock Music & Art Fair performance, the band was fast becoming one of the biggest in the world. They were about to release their second album, Abraxas, and were riding high on the heels of three hit songs from their debut album and a new Top 10 hit, a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Black Magic Woman."

A year earlier - in fact only a few days before the Woodstock Festival - Bill Graham staged the first of several concerts billed as "The Fillmore at Tanglewood." Tanglewood is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the storied venue had just begun to experiment with staging contemporary concerts on their grounds. Staging a rock concert in a classical venue had yet to be done, so of course the concept of doing so excited Graham. He brought the full-scale Fillmore East production team in, including the Joshua Light Show, and booked a great lineup. This first concert featured B.B King, Jefferson Airplane and The Who, and drew the largest crowd that Tanglewood had ever seen by far.

Buoyed by the event's success, Tanglewood and Graham agreed to stage three similar dates in 1970. The last of these is this show, when Santana headlined after The Voices of East Harlem and the legendary Miles Davis had played (you can hear Mile's set here).

This historic and beautifully recorded performance features a smoking performance by Santana in the last year of their classic lineup, before a young Neal Schon joined the band. We think you'll agree it's an incredible performance by a great band in their prime.
-snip-
"Jin Go Lo Ba" starts around 4:05 in this video.

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

YouTube Comments From Throughout The World About Ugandan Singer Jose Chameleone

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on the song entitled "Badilisha" by Ugandan Afrobeat singer Jose Chameleone.

Part II presents selected comments from throughout the world that are found in the discussion thread for Jose Chameleone's YouTube video of "Badilisha".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/ugandan-afrobeat-singer-jose-chameleone.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I presents information about Jose Chameleone and showcases his hit song "Badilisha".

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes - to demonstrate the global reach of this Ugandan singer and also provide information about the singer and/or the commenters' cultures.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Jose Chameleone for his musical legacy and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/04/jose-chameleone-valu-valu-with-selected.html for a 2013 pancocojams post showcasing Jose Chameleone singing his 2012 song "Valu Valu".

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: JOSE CHAMELEONE: BADILISHA (OFFICIAL HD VIDEO)



Jose Chameleone, Feb 6, 2013

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
I read A LOT of comments in this video's discussion thread. (I stopped when my computer wouldn't load any more comments.)

Usually one example is listed for other nations or regions throughout the world that has commenters posting in this discussion thread, even though those nations/regions had more than one commenter. Notice that a commenter might indicate his home nation although he or she is writing from another nation.

The only exceptions I made to my "one comment per nation rule" are those comments that I considered to be informative, even if an example had already been selected from that nation.

As of the date of this pancocojams post, the largest number of comments in this discussion thread are from East Africans and most of those commenters are Kenyans.

Besides Kenyans and Ugandans (Jose Chameleone's home nation), there are only a few multiple comments from people in other East African nations. There are also very few multiple comments from West Africa (except for Nigeria, Ghana, and the Cameroons) and very few multiple comments from Southern Africa (except for South Africa and Zimbabwe). I don't recall reading any comments from North Africa and only recall reading one comment from Central Africa.

I apologize if I failed to include any examples of nations that had commenters participating in this discussion.

****
YOUTUBE COMMENTS FROM THROUGHOUT THE WORLD IN THE DISCUSSION THREAD OF JOSE CAMELEONE'S VIDEO "BADILISHA"
These comments are from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0PUjvdMbfw

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

2014
1. Jacky Nygård
"I love you CHAMELEON! I listen to this more than 10 times a day!
I am a Tanzanian addicted to Ugandan music ,
What does Mukwano means? and njagala and mulunji? these are some of the words I hear in most of Ugandan songs!

**
REPLY
2. Maria Kints
"Mukwano means my love, njagala means I want and mulunji means someone beautiful"

**
3. Numa
"Great Vibes. From Bangkok with love"

**
4. Sim Tich
"Awesome song....Keep it up bro!!.. from here in USA"

**
5. Sarah Khamala
"I love joses songs n am a kenyan but lives in dubai"

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2015
6. Top-Research Center
..."This guy, Chameleone, is a house-hold name in Kenya. I think he is a Kenyan! lol"

**
7. Tina Gabriel
"Can't wait to see this Artist in Calgary at the Envy Lounge May 16. Sounds awesome!"

**
REPLY
8. Sandrine KIDASHARIRA, 2018
..."I call him "Tonton Chameleon"! Meaning "Uncle". I love the guy, his voice, everything!! A Burundian sister sending her love from France! And yes, He is a Legend!!"

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9. Matthew Sosole
"This guy is amazing,I started liking his music way back in 2005 while I was in Karonga,the northern district of Malawi. His songs used to enjoy airplay in most of the clubs that side because people that side understand the language.Keep the fire burning"

**
REPLY
10. Patrick Cheptoek, 2018
"Matthew Sosole people in Malawi understand this languages. This is Luganda and Swahili. Only east Africans understand."

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11. eddie b
"love from sierra leone"

****
2016
12. Desmond Adam's
"am one of YOUR best fan FROM ghana. love ur song's chameleon."

**
13. sun of koush sudan
"we love you poss love from sudan"
-snip-
"boss" is probably a typo for the English word "boss"

**
14. Anna Okorie
"Shout out to chameleon, ur the best,I love u,ur music,and Uganda.gonna visit there soon!!.a Nigerian but reside in Italy."

**
15. hauwan hawan
"Am also here waiting it from UAE"
-snip-
UAE = The United Arab Emirates

"Waiting" may be a typo for "watching"

**
16. DarkRonnie
"I remember you playing one a Fair Trade consert in danmark, lovely music i have never forgotten :)"

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17. Pheles Pheles
"Nice song keep up .i like it am from London"

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18. Tlamelo
"more love from Botswana beautiful tune indeed"

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2017
20. lilian lily
"proudly ugandan! long live."

**
21. Vangelle Caps
"From Turkey good music
Hello Africa"

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22. NadeemGulaab
"Nice song. Love from india"

**
23. isaac wajago
"I don't understand but I love it.regards from South Pacific PNG"
-snip-
PNG= Papua New Guinea

**
24. Iraildo Silva
"Nice song José 😆Brasil 2016"

**
25. Winfrey Winnie
"some yrs past but your music never fades.big up Dr. miss you mama Africa. miss you Uganda 😢😢😢"

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26. vincent nguma
"me too still watching from switzerland"

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27. Felicity Sankwasa
"still a hit for me outchea in Namibia.....and its 2017."

**
28. kayombo Chiyambi
"You are a good artist,can we meet arrange you perform in Zambia drop me a what's up on [numbers deleted]"

**
29. Lisa Quaye
"All the way from Liberia. Love. Love this jam. I love Ugandan music :)."

**
30. Pablo Andrés Velásquez Franco
"Fan from Colombia. Excelente canción!"

****
2018
31. Canadian UrbanENT
"Still playing this song up here in Canada"

**
32. karekezi Etienne, 2018
i love this song from Rwanda!

**
33. street hustler
"Chameleone one Love from Sudan"

**
34. abel Shibabaw
"I am Ethiopian 🎀I love Ugandan music ... respect Ugandan 🥀"

**
35. Mai Farie
"I hail from zimbabwe do not understand a word he is saying he is an african legend in my eyes"

**
36. Bisong Arrey
"Jose Chameleone i give you all the credits. You,re really a legend. Cameroonians and the World love your music."

****
2019
37. onu Josephine
"so much love from Nigeria!!! been listening since 2013. 2019 still here.. Ave got to go"

**
38. Mc Gerry ug
"naye mr. mayanja u deserve to be appericiated everyday kuba gwasinga even here dubai we love u long live thax for representing Uganda"

**
39. Claire Naki
"Love from Jamaica"

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40. Ahmad Musa Bulama
"This song was National anthem when i went to Uganda in 2013"

**
41. Francis Bukenya
"Who is watching 2019, greetings from Doha"
-snip-
"Doha" is the capitol of Qatar.

**
42. softy moha
"2019_9 come back again. Any one else... Love you all from 254 watching from ksa"
-snip-
ksa = Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

**
43. kgarnett21fan
"I’m from Guinea 🇬🇳 and it hits also. One love One Africa ✊🏿"

**
44. Shantal Becky
"Love from South Africa 💖💖💖"

**
45. AMAN HBTM HABTOM
"I from Eritrea 🇪🇷 east Africa we still love Dr jossi"

**
46. Esther Vecerova
"Hey Kenyans, please enjoy this song because me and my fellow Ugandans Don't understand Swahili at all."

**
REPLY
47. That lucky Gal
"@Esther Vecerova 😂😂😂😂 ya seriously see 80% of his songs are in Kenyan Swahili that's twada kubetutegera ba bobiwine and Bebecool"

**
48. -Pipo-
"Hello from irelamd"

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49. Juana Castillo
"Love from America/Caribbean Dr. JC Thanks for the beautiful music!! 💘💖🎈💨😇😇"

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50. Tanzaliya Oman
"Nice song,love you jose from oman"

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51. Mandere George, 2019
"Welcome kenyan though the singer is Ugandan which is a neighbour to Kenya"

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52. Chisanga Webson
"💐Zambia we are enjoying this Hit"

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53. Josua Tofor
"This brother man his music is very popular in Vanuatu. blessed love brother!"

**
54. Ralson and Oliver
"There is a Dj mix of all chameleon's songs that plays in a Super Metro bus plying Juja-Nairobi route.It reminds of my childhood in Entebbe(Abayitaababiri)"

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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams post.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Ugandan Afrobeat Singer Jose Chameleone - Badilisha (infomation, video, & lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on the song entitled "Badilisha" by Ugandan Afrobeat singer Jose Chameleone.

Part I presents information about Jose Chameleone and showcases his hit song "Badilisha".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/youtube-comments-from-throughout-world.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II presents selected comments from throughout the world that are found in the discussion thread for Jose Chameleone's YouTube video of "Badilisha".

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Jose Chameleone for his musical legacy and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/04/jose-chameleone-valu-valu-with-selected.html for a 2013 pancocojams post showcasing Jose Chameleone singing his 2012 song "Valu Valu".

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INFORMATION ABOUT JOSE CHAMELEONE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chameleone
Jose Chameleone (born Joseph Mayanja; 30 April 1979) is a Ugandan AfroBeat artiste and the most popular musician of his generation in Uganda and many countries. Chameleone sings in Luganda, English, and Swahili and has won multiple awards.

Musical career
Chameleone's career began at a young age in 1996 as a DJ at the Missouri night club in Kampala. He was later signed to the Kenyan record label Ogopa DJs, where he broke through with his first single,"Bageya" that featured Kenyan artist Redsan.

Chameleone's musical style is a combination of Ugandan music, central African rumba, zouk, and reggae. His first album, Bageya, was released in 2000. By 2013, he had released twelve more albums.

[...]

He is CEO of the music label Leone Island that has signed many musicians from Uganda and East Africa, including the late Moses Radio, Weasel, the late AK 47, King Saha, Papa Cidy, and Pallaso, Melody, Yung Mulo, Big Eye, Deejay Pius and many more.

In March 2014 at the Lugogo Cricket Oval Stadium in Kampala, Chameleone broke the record for the largest audience of any East African performer, drawing an estimated 40,000 fans to his "Tubonge Live" concert. In 2017 he made another outstanding mark on his annual do LGEND | Hit after Hit concert that was once again a sell out. The cricket oval was sold out to full capacity as fans danced away to his music that has made him a regional and continental darling. The speaker of the parliament of Uganda, Rebecca Kadaga, designated Chameleone to be the Ambassador of the Busoga Tourism Initiative.[1]

Other activities
Chameleone is a member of the Illuminati Musician's Community, a coalition of musicians who use their fame and fortune to help reduce poverty and create awareness campaigns for HIV/AIDS.”...

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From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0PUjvdMbfw[comment in the discussion thread for this embedded video]
Gandav, 2015
"DR .Jose Chameleone you're a Legend

Hit after hit, album after album and year after year, Chameleone has for the last fifteen years authoritatively written his name in the history of Ugandan music, just as much as he has written it in the hearts of music fans in Uganda, East Africa and Africa at large. Since his trail blazing album Bageya in 2000, the Leone Island boss has wowed fans with his unique style, vocals and consistency; and not even his fair share of challenges has deterred him from delivering good music. His ability to stay for all these years and still make sense is indeed a great gift.

The Ugandan music industry is so rocky that for every one hundred musicians that join the industry, ninety nine drop out as fast as they joined. Zero point five of them stick around without having any tangible impact; and the remaining zero point five make some mark. Yet in such a tricky industry,Chameleone still makes a huge impact after some fifteen years in the industry.

Much as his first Album was Bageya, Chameleone's real deal came in with his magnum opus hit, Mama Mia! This song was so big and immediately turned him into Uganda's biggest music export of the time, with wide fan bases in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. As if in a statement of his staying power, Chameleone has since followed Bageya and Mama Mia with such albums as Njo Karibu, The Golden Voice, Mambo Bado, Kipepeo, Shida za Dunia, Sivyo Ndivyo, Katupakase, Bayuda, Jamila, Vumilia, Valu Valu, Badilisha, Tubonge and Wale Wale.

The singing Doctor has over the years swept local, Regional, Continental and International awards including Song of the year and Best Male Zouk Song for Badilisha at the prestigious 2014 HiPipo Music Awards, Best Afro-Beat song for Moto Moto at the prestigious 2013 HiPipo Music Awards, a Beffta Award, a Kora award, an MTV Europe award and a MOBO.

He has over the years used his music to better society and as a result, the speaker of the parliament of Uganda, Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, designated Chameleone to be the Ambassador of the Busoga Tourism Initiative. He also volunteered on a mission aimed at returning former LRA rebels and inspiring them to start a productive life. You may also recall that his One Man, One Million concert was aimed at availing water to the people of Karamoja.

There are a number of things that have kept Chameleone afloat for all these years and singing songs with a message comes first on the list. The message in most of his songs has been able to appeal to people in different age brackets and across social classes and has often times touched issues of motivation including work, gender based violence and gratitude.

His hoarse voice, singing in Swahili (especially in his early days) and sticking to his style are also some of the reasons that have kept Chameleone going!

When I talk about sticking to his style, it is very easy for anyone to assume that he is not versatile. To the contrary, songs like Movie star have proven that even when Chameleone ventures away from his comfort zone he still makes an impact.

Just like the adage goes, credit must be given where it’s due. As such, we must all credit Chameleone for his staying power. Whether you are his fan or critic; you must appreciate that in an industry where people come and go every day, Chameleone has stayed and stayed with a massive impact. He has faced challenges along the way, that no other human being would wish to face; yet each time, he has come out on top of his challenges."

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: JOSE CHAMELEONE: BADILISHA (OFFICIAL HD VIDEO)



Jose Chameleone, Feb 6, 2013
-snip-
Statistics as of October 23, 2019 at 8:40 AM
Total # of views - 8,846,353
Total # of likes - 18k
Total # of dislikes -2k
Total # of comments -2,562
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread that explains the languages that are used in this song:
Kalibbala Paul, 2018
"It's a combination of Luganda Swahili and English"

****
LYRICS, ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS, & SONG SUMMARY FOR JOSE CHAMELEONE'S SONG "BADILISHA"
[from comments found in the discussion thread for this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0PUjvdMbfw]

JO Jumbe, 2015
"Let me translate this beautiful track in service of Kiswahili: The Title: BADILISHA= Change things up.
I've got to go
Unaniumiza sana ninateseka ndani moyoni mimi naumwa aaah,
You've caused me so much pain and suffering, my heart is aching...
I've got to go Kang'endee ( possibly a Luganda word meening I have to go),
I'll let you go Sitaweza I can't bear it (any longer)
Nimevumilia sana hutaki penzi naona umeshindwa kubadilisha aah,
I have put up with so much. (Seems) you do not want (my) love. I can see you've given up (trying) to change things x2"

****
Aman Haman, 2015
..."Unaniumiza sana ninateseka = You hurt me so much I am suffering
Ndani moyoni mimi naumwa = I feel pain in my heart
I got to go, kangende = I got to go, let me go
And let you go, sitaweza = And let you go, I won't manage
Nimevumilia sana, hutaki change,=I've been very patient, you don't wanna change
Naona umeshindwa, kubadilisha = I see you've failed to change
I got to go, kankupowe = I got to go, let me leave you
And let you go, mukwano onumya = And let you go, honey you're hurting me
Pete ya harusi ninayo kidole = I have the wedding ring on my finger
Nilikupenda but baby sorry, = I loved you but ...
Utapata mwengine don’t you worry… ahaaa! = You'll get another one, don't ...
Watoto tumezaa tunao tayari = We already have kids
Tulipanga mi na we mileli = We made arrangements forever with you
Lakini ni nini nini unanichanganya = but why why do you keep confusing me (?)
Maisha wote wawili tulipanga = We planned life for the 2 of us
Shida ni nyingi hatujakosana = There are many problems, we haven't had disagreements
Haingekua hivi unapendwa, na hupendi = Hadn't it been that you're getting love but you don't want it
Mpenzi tu’achane na hivyo hilivyo = Baby let's separate and that's it"...

****
Rimu N, 2015
...You're hurting me so much, I'm suffering
Inside, my heart aches
I have to go, Kangende
and let you go, I couldn't
I've persevered but you don't change
You're incapable of changing
I've got to go, Kankupowe?
And let you go, ...
A wedding ring, I have a finger. (ring finger)
I loved you but baby sorry
You'll find another
The children we bear, We have them already?(A little strange to translate)
We prepared for forever after
But why do you confuse me?
Many problems, but no disagreements ( hatujakosana means we're not in disagreement) (Tumekosana/tulikosana would be the opposite)
It wouldn't be this way you're loved but don't love it. (Good play on words here in a sense)
My love let's leave it as it is.


Oops didn't see the translation here but another one doesn't hurt as we all have different ways of interpreting.

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Lydia Marendes, 2019
"The words of the music say you've hurt me soo much in my heart and you seem not to want to change, therefore I got to go. Change for our children's sake or I got to go."

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Atutu Kamara, 2016
"What does this sing means, I'm west African and I'm in love with it❤❤"

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REPLY
Joseph Ndech, 2016
"+Atutu Kallay Badilisha (change)"

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REPLY
CzarJuliusIII, 2016
"+Atutu Kallay Basically he is telling his now ex girlfriend that he has been patient with her for a very long time, but she has refused to change (badilisha) her ways, and now he's basically saying "I got to go." Basically he's done with the relationship. That's the basic concept of the song."

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This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.