Searching for Afrobeats in Festac Town

Photography by Coco Olakunle
Text by Carmen Hogg
Models Omobowale Akinbode, Yusuf Ganiu, Adeleke Riliwan Adebayo and Wali Adeleke

Nigerian popular music is taking over the world. Worldwide hit charts are filled with a diversity of songs by Nigerian artists. Music is, and has been, one of Nigeria’s largest export products. Those that are doing research on Nigerian music soon end up, or started, in Festac- an old town on the mainland of Lagos. 

Festac once was the epicentre of culture in Lagos in 1997, when the Second World African Festival of Arts and Culture was organized there. The town is actually built for this festival. After the festival Festac turned into a residential area. In the early 2000s, when Afrobeats started to become popular, it was the track ‘African Queen’ by 2Face which made international furore: to many it was the track that put Afrobeats on the (international) map. 2Face grew up in Festac. 

Festac was because of this musical and cultural background on our ‘to visit’ list. Photographer Coco Olakunle and I are interested in creative industries in Lagos and wanted to explore Festac’s creativity and culture. We therefore went to Festac, together with Adeleke (better known as Pyc) an aspiring A&R. Adeleke brought along his little brother, Rhymez, who tells us that he’s into music as well. “Rhymez is getting into music, but he’s not an artist yet” Adeleke replies when we ask Rhymez about his art. Rhymez keeps quiet and listens to our conversation. 

Festac town does it’s name right: the vibe feels cultural in a way. It has a relaxed vibe, compared to other Lagosian neighbourhoods. It’s quieter, buildings are smaller and streets narrow. The people in the streets are chatting to one another and kids are playing outside. Less noise in traffic and drivers seem to be more patient.

Adeleke does not only shows us the neighbourhood, he also introduces us to his artists. We first pick up Bablow, an upcoming musician that has been making music for over a decade. We drive around and start a conversation about his art “Music is not only about shaking your bum bum” he says. His grandfather got him into music. The old man was playing him a lot of the traditional Nigerian music like Akpala and Highlife “He told me that I should use music as a prophecy, we artists can change lives with our music”. Bablow’s goal is to enrich people's lives with a diverse sound of African music. He does music for a living “but not yet fully paid”. In the talk he comes across as eager; music is his passion and the only thing he can see himself doing, even when he’s not making money with his music, yet...

We park the car, walk around the neighbourhood and go to a basketball field where we meet Kokopin, a hype man born and raised in Festac. “I want to become an artist, but before I have that ginger, I hype other artists. Ycee [a well-known Nigerian musician] is a friend of mine, so I hype his shows”. We talk about the diversity of artists that are coming from Festac. “I don’t think Festac is special, it’s an estate. Everybody knows everybody” Festac has four gates through which you can enter and leave the town “which turns Festac in some kind of a community”. We walk around the field, Kokopin greets people; he’s sure does know a lot of people. “What makes Festac a cultural hotspot is the connectedness of the people. If a producer has a beat and tells it to some people, soon the whole town knows it and a rapper will walk up to you for a collaboration on that beat”. Kokopin is like Bablow dedicating his time to music. The main difference between the two is the financial bit: Kokopin does earn money through music. “Sometimes I organize events where local people perform, then I handle a gate fee so that we earn some money too”. 

Whilst talking people gather around us and try to get Kokopin’s attention. Some of crack silly jokes, some smoke weed and a small crowd is watching the boys play basketball. Kokopin brushes off the crowd politely and we talk about the love that Kokopin gets “When you meet me, and you hear I’m from Festac, you just have to give me respect”. He explains that people from Festac help each other “If I have a show, if you come from Festac- you’ll get a stage, I don't have to know you. Same goes for an artist like 2Face, if you tell him you’re from Festac, he’ll treat you special”. 

The sun sets and Adeleke tells us we should head back home. The match is finished and most of the people left a while ago. Some drunkard is trying to start a conversation with us, but Adeleke directs us to the car. In the car we talk about his goals as an A&R. “I have love for music, I work with the producers and artists in the studio. I know how a sound should go, so I help them to put their songs out there”. Adeleke works with five guys at the moment. His goal is to be the one that was the first to listen to all the A-list Nigerian artists; he wants to be a top-notch A&R. “Before I work with anyone, I have to get to know the person better. But three minutes in the conversation I already know where I’m going. I’m very picky, whoever I work with, will never doubt anything I say to them”. 

Adeleke is a real goal-getter. When he saw our previous feature on Wafflesncream, the Lagosian skate-crew, he reached out to Coco to talk about the possibilities of featuring his artists to create more publicity for them. Not long after that he set up a date for us to come around to meet them. He came up with the locations we should check out. He also made sure the artists were there, on time. Adeleke might not make money with his services yet, but he is dedicated and talks passionate about his work on our way back. A&R is definitely his passion. In the Nigerian music industry, which is not as laid out as a the American or European industry, it is not easy to make a living out of music. Adeleke is definitely trying. We hope Adeleke will get rich…

Dit paasweekend kwam iedereen thuis in Lagos

Tekst Carmen Hogg

Fotografie Coco Olakunle

Het is donderdagavond; fotograaf Coco Olakunle en ik zijn net geland op het vliegveld van Lagos, de grootste stad op het Afrikaanse continent. Om ons heen zien we een mix van mensen die net als wij op hun koffers aan het wachten zijn; Nigerianen die thuiskomen of familie gaan bezoeken en een paar witte expats. Onze ogen vallen op een groep die van top tot teen in de laatste streetwear gekleed is met de meest gewilde sneakers aan hun voeten. Zij zijn hier voor Homecoming, dachten wij meteen.

Homecoming is een evenement dat de streetwear en de (sub)cultuur in en uit Lagos viert. Het festivallogo is een wereldbol met een pijl eromheen, die samenkomt in Nigeria en beeldt uit waar het festival voor staat: ‘thuiskomen’. Het is een driedaags evenement en bestaat uit verschillende onderdelen, die op de eilanden in Lagos plaatsvinden. De hoofdlocatie is XII Glover op Ikoyi, een streetwear winkel op Ikoyi.

Zodra je het terrein oploopt zie je dat de ruimtes zijn omgetoverd tot kleine pop up winkels waarin diverse Nigeriaanse streetwear merken hun aanbod presenteren. In de winkel van XII Glover kan je, naast hun bestaande aanbod, de merchandise van Homecoming kopen; in de huisstijl bedrukte bloesjes en t-shirts. De print bevat kleuren en afbeeldingen die typisch Lagosiaans zijn, zoals een keke (een tuktuk) en de Nigeriaanse vlag. Boven de winkel kan je met Nike je eigen jersey customizen. Links in de hoek is een gedeelte opgesteld voor panelgesprekken waarin succesvolle ondernemers discussie voeren over de toekomst van streetwear. Brits- Nigeriaanse grime-artiest Skepta, de initiator van het festival, loopt er alle dagen rond om met bezoekers te kletsen en te luisteren naar de talks. Direct naast de ingang kan je aan de bar, die is gesponsord door Jameson, je drankje kopen.

Paneltalk over de jersey met Teezee, Tony van kledingmerk Vivendi Seni van The Nativemag.

Dit jaar vindt de tweede editie van het evenement plaats. “Voor een begrafenis kwam ik voor het eerst sinds een lange tijd weer in Nigeria” vertelt Grace Ladoja, Skepta’s manager en mede-initiator van Homecoming. “Terug in Nigeria zijn had zo een impact op mijn identiteit, als kind van de Diaspora. Het heeft me veel zelfvertrouwen gegeven en ik voelde dat ik meer in Lagos moest doen. Ik ben een paar jaar later van Londen naar Lagos verhuisd en kijk; nu organiseren we dit festival.”

Grace Ladoja tijdens een paneltalk

De bezoekers en deelnemers van de pop-ups bestaan uit een mix van jonge Lagosians, internationale gasten uit de streetwear-industrie en de zogeheten returnees; mensen, zoals Grace, die vanuit Europa of Amerika terug naar Lagos zijn verhuisd. Fotograaf Stephen Tayo, die de campagne van dit jaar heeft geschoten, ziet Homecoming als de kans voor jonge Lagosianen om onderdeel te zijn van een streetwear cultuur; een subcultuur die nog niet heel duidelijk aanwezig is in Lagos. We spreken over de mooie mix aan bezoekers: “Veel van de mensen die hier zijn, zijn hier om hun roots te vieren. Ze wonen niet hier, maar ze komen van hier”. Homecoming voelt daadwerkelijk als een plek waar de Diaspora kan thuiskomen, een plek waar cirkels van mensen met elkaar versmelten en samenkomen op gedeelde interesses en verhalen. Internationale gasten spreken met elkaar en leren Lagos’ (sub)cultuur kennen, jonge Lagosianen krijgen de kans om zich te mengen met de makers in de industrie.

Fotograaf Stephen Tayo

Motherlan is één van de merken die een pop up houdt “We hebben het goed gedaan” vertelt Dami. “We hebben meer dan 70% van onze voorraad verkocht in drie dagen”. Hij wijst naar een koffer die in de hoek staat “dit is het enige wat ik nog over heb”. Hij is erg te spreken over het festival “het geeft de mensen van de Diaspora de kans om te kijken wat wij hier doen, en voor ons om ons aan deze mensen te presenteren”.

Dami voor de pop up store van Motherlan

Ook Wafflesncream, hèt skatemerk van Lagos hield er een pop up. Ze zijn bezig met een crowdfunding voor een skatepark in Lagos; skaters skaten nu namelijk op straat of op een oud basketbalveld. Er is behoefte aan een eigen plek. Ook het Amsterdamse merk Patta heeft samen met Wafflesncream speciaal een shirt ontworpen voor Homecoming, waarvan de opbrengst gaat naar de crowdfunding. Dit shirt was te koop in de pop up die ze samen organiseerden, naast andere kleding van Patta en speciaal ontworpen Homecoming items. “Ik vind de set up heel erg tof” vertelt King Abstraktt, die buiten de pop up een Jameson staat te drinken. “Ze hebben allerlei creatieven samengebracht voor the culture. Er bestaat niks zoals dit in Lagos. Nergens wordt muziek, sportswear en streetwear samen gevierd. Er zijn fashion georiënteerde evenementen, maar die richten zich op high fashion, dit is gefocussed op mensen zoals ik, de jongere generatie.”

King Abstraktt tijdens Homecoming

Zondagavond sluit het festival met een concert op Victoria Island. De avond bestaat uit optredens van een mix van opkomende Nigeriaanse, Ghanese en Zuid Afrikaanse artiesten, naast gevestigde artiesten zoals Simi, Tenie de Entertainer en Skepta zelf. Het publiek is een mix van ‘family and friends’ die in het dagprogramma zaten en jongeren gekleed in de nieuwste streetwear die komen luisteren naar hun favoriete artiesten. De zaal ging pas echt los los toen Santi het podium betrad. Santi is een nieuwe naam in de ‘alte’ genre. Alte is de benaming voor Nigeriaanse (en Ghanese) alternatieve muziek; een genre die erg in opkomst is en waarvan veel namen, zoals die van Santi, de hitlijsten overnemen. Massaal zingt de zaal met hem mee “Okay na once a rasta man, rapid fire. Popo want to break her down, rapid fire. Hoping for a better round , rapid fire Brrrya brrrya babamba.”

Lagos fashion week - Marie Claire, 2018

Het grootste modefestijn van West-Afrika is Lagos Fashion Week. Heel hip Nigeria en omstreken komt om hier de laatste Nigeriaanse én internationale mode te bekijken. Marie Claire spreekt de organisator, designers en modellen.

Skating in Lagos with the wafflesncream crew

WNC is a skate company and clothing brand, cut from a similar cloth as Supreme or Palace but run through with a Nigerian ethos and POV.

Text Carmen Hogg

Photography Coco Olakunle

Kofo, the shop manager of the WAFFLESNCREAM skate store in Lagos, Nigeria, is running late. They’d told me to meet them at the shop at four o'clock, but one of the boys, Gray, has left something at home and gone back to get it. Coco, the photographer with whom I work in Lagos, and I are already on our way and we arrive a little before four. The delay gives Coco the chance to have a nose around the shop; she’s already done plenty of clothes shopping but senses she might find something special here. WNC is a skate company and clothing brand, cut from a similar cloth as Supreme or Palace but run through with a Nigerian ethos and POV.

EA greats us at the shop. He’s a pop-up tattoo artist who travels around Lagos and holds studio sessions at WNC. Jessy, one of the skaters, is stretched out on the tattoo chair when we arrive. He has a sketch of a cross on his upper back. "It’s my first tattoo," he says calmly. EA finishes his joint and gets to work. The shop crew amble over every so often to see how it’s going. Coco and I take pictures for Jessy to commemorate the occasion. While this is going on, Fahd, another skater, is prepping a board for a recent convert to skating. He shows him how to apply the grip and attach the wheels.

At six it’s time to head out. Gray has also arrived by this point. We’re in two kekes and heading for 1004 in Victoria Island, where they skate. It's perilous to skate on the streets in Lagos; too many bumps and holes, too little space, and too many cars whose drivers have too many other things on their minds to worry about non-motorized traffic. Sidewalks don’t really exist here so you skate (or walk) between the moving cars, bikes and buses.

1004 is a high-rise block of flats on Victoria Island, a gated community with everything fenced off and security guards at every entrance. They don’t stop us when we walk past, but those who arrive by car must wait for one of the guards to raise the barrier. The vibe beyond the perimeter gate is decidedly relaxed, which is unusual for Lagos. There are few cars here, and there are people walking and kids playing on the streets. We walk past two blocks of flats to a basketball court, which is behind a high chain-link fence.

Some kids are playing on one part of the court while their mothers sit, watch and chat among themselves. Their fathers play football. Fahd, Jessy and Gray dump their bags on the courtside bench, pull out their skateboards, covered in stickers from Supreme and Palace, and start to roll. They've clearly been looking forward to this moment. Fahd and Gray start practicing tricks together, while Jessy skates in the round. He’s skating shirtless so his new tattoo can dry. The new boy pushes off gingerly and tries to stand. Fahd and Gray are soon dripping with sweat and promptly strip to the waist. "I've got on the wrong pants," grumbles Fahd in frustration. He’s wearing red jogging pants, far too heavy for this climate. Jessy is in light brown linen trousers and Converse trainers; Gray, light, breathable trousers from WNC, and Converse trainers. Fahd sports Nike white Air Force 1s.

Night falls fast in Lagos, and it’s been dark for over an hour, but they carry on skating, dodging between playing children, who occasionally stop what they’re doing to watch them pull tricks. The kids’ fathers offer vocal encouragement each time one of them manages to land one. Eventually, Fahd comes to join us on the sidelines, hot and tired. “We wouldn’t ordinarily have come skating on a Friday, but I'm glad we did.”

“They’re usually here on Thursdays. Friday evenings are normally for drinking,” says Kofo, who'd also wandered over laughing.

“They usually laugh at us and call us names when we’re out skating”, says Jessy, but it clearly doesn’t dissuade them. “We can’t help it,” he continues. "It's a way of life,” adds Fahd. The three met through WNC. Gray had read something about the shop online and went to check them out; and Fahd and Jessy learned about the place through friends. "Skating is difficult in Lagos because there’s hardly anywhere to do it,” says Jessy. So they’re happy they found WNC, which they consider a community. "It's like a family; you meet like-minded people there, people with the same lifestyle,” continues Jessy. “It’s more than a clothing brand," adds Fahd. “It’s where skaters can meet others like themselves, and feel free to be themselves.” “But yes,” says Gray, “they do also make the coolest skate clothing, like these pants.” The local WAFFLESNCREAM skate community is modest in size -- only about fifteen people -- but the guys tell me the international community is 150 members strong.

WNC was founded by Jomi, a proud Lagosian who discovered skating when he lived in Leeds, England. His mum bought him his first skateboard, and he’s been a skater ever since. “I used to skate to school as a teenager, and when I moved back to Lagos I brought my skateboard with me and carried on skating. But it was immediately apparent that hardly anyone else was skating.” So he and a friend got together to create WNC. "I wanted to build a community for people like me," he continues. And he is succeeding: WNC has been picked up by international media and the brand is working on some interesting collaborations, in Lagos and shortly in the UK and Amsterdam as well. "What we need is a proper skatepark," says Jomi. “A cool brand like Supreme, Palace or Nike would be the perfect sponsor for something like that!"

The boys are still topless, and pose for Coco, who’s still taking pictures. The new boy wants in. “I can’t skate yet,” he says, “but could you take my picture too?"