THE HISTORY OF FUJI MUSIC IN NIGERIA

‘’ Baba Sikira e dide nle, nitori Oloun sari ti to da.

 Iya Animo, e dide nle, nitori Oloun sari ti too da.

Esin ni o ku wa ku bi a de sare.

Eni ba w’aye m’oya a je’ka l’orun ’’

Echoes of the typical Ajiwere.

As these words pierced through the night, with an insistent enthusiasm and unmistakable clarity, so were the Muslim faithful roused from their deep slumber, back in the day, to observe the sari – that mandatory meal taken before dawn, during the month of Ramadan. For the purpose of clarity, the Ajiwere served the dual role of animating the fasting period, with a kind of entertainment, while also ensuring that no true Muslim slept off during those hallowed hours of between 3.30 am to 5.00 am, without eating the sari.

Expectedly, there were different groups of the itinerant Ajiwere, all over Ibadan and the Lagos metropolis, specifically, from Isale Eko (downtown Lagos) to such parts of the Mainland like Mushin, Odi-Olowo and Oyingbo. These groups, largely, deployed such local instruments as Agogo, Sekere, Bembe and Sakara to give a boost to their singing.

Keenly contested Were competitions were, daily, held among these groups, back then. However, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister had become the toast of Were music; among his peers .Such was the size of his musical stature and talent that many Were groups; in Lagos, invited him to lead them in singing. Indeed, about 1953, when he was only 5 years old, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister began to exhibit the sparkles of an early star by singing to entertain his friends and neighbours in Mushin. Little wonder, at the age of 10, in the year 1958, ‘Alhaji Agba’ won a cup at one of the Were competitions. That was, to all intents and purposes, how his steady rise to fame began. Truthfully, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was in clear contention above his peers, at the time, because he was always infusing his own Were lyrics with robust Quranic recitations. Additionally, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was the first person who introduced the Harmonica (which is known as the ‘Mouth organ’) and flute into Were music in the late 50s. While Sikiru Ayinde Barrister and his group applied themselves so passionately to their craft, a variant of Were music called Fuji was thus created.

Today, Fuji music which has grown, in leaps and bounds, is a fusion of certain musical influences like ‘Sakara, Apala, Juju and to an extent, highlife’ (as even Ayinde Barrister noted while establishing the origin of Fuji music in one of his songs back in the day). It needs no telling, therefore, that between the early 70s until that fateful day on December 16, 2010, when he left this earthly plane, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister had extended the frontiers of creativity, establishing Fuji as a respected brand of music, with his mellifluous voice, riveting and engaging lyrics and pulsating rhythms.

Yet, the influence, impact , appeal and following of Fuji music - which can be traced to the promotion of Islam , with roots in Yorubaland - continues to grow beyond social ,religious and ethnic boundaries. From the 70s and all through the 80s, sundry Fuji musicians comprising Fatai Adio, Saura Alhaji, Student Fuji,Rahimi Ayinde, Love Azeez,Waidi Akangbe, Sikiru Olawoyin,Agbada Owo ( who back then was ambitious enough to experiment with the guitar ), Iyanda Sawaba,Wasiu Ayinde Barrister (who we all know today as K1, the Ultimate) plied their trade with unrestrained zeal.

As is very true of any thriving creative enterprise, as many proponents as there are styles and colours of the rainbow, emerged on the Fuji scene. Indeed, the growth of Fuji music has been astronomical, particularly, since the mid-80s when Wasiu Ayinde Barrister waxed his ground-breaking ‘TALA-84’, apart from establishing his musical hegemony and imprint in the minds of the South west elite.

Alhaji Agba (the eldest of Alhajis) Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, must , however, never be denied of his due stature as the pioneer and founder of Fuji, apart from being regarded as a mentor for some of the brightest and best stars of that rarefied musical genre, today. To be sure, K1 as he is today known, once served under Barrister, in various capacities, namely: as an instrument packer and an acolyte for all of 15 years.

Kollington Ayinla (Kebe n’ Kwara ) was one major contemporary of ‘Barry Wonder’, with his own distinct style of vocalisation, unique fast-paced and upbeat rhythm (as is to be found in such hits as ‘Ijo yoyo, Kasabubu’ etc ) which got the young-upwardly mobile segments of the Lagos social circle  and emerging glitterati hitting the dance-floor with unfettered delight.

Coming on the heels of Barrister’s generation were such energetic Fuji Artistes as Adewale Ayuba who broke into stardom with ‘We are happy people we’ll make you happy’. Indeed, Ayuba’s style is, decidedly eclectic. For good measure, Ayuba strikes a different chord with the young and not- too- young with his mesmerising lyrics, engaging dance-steps and arresting brand of Fuji known as ‘Bonsue Fuji’. Indeed, he is believed to have imbued his music with that public perception of him as gentlemanly. Truth is, his music, over time, has not been associated with the hooliganism and violence which a lot of people have tended to link with Fuji music.

In the generation next to Ayuba’s and the latter-day matadors of Fuji music like Sefiu Alao, (Omo Oko) who resides in Abeokuta and holds the ancient town by the jugular, Abass Akande Obesere (Omo Rapala), who came with his own brand of Fuji called ‘Asakasa’- a mish-mash of rootsy and lewd songs, which seemed to appeal to purveyors of street slangs and sleaze. The other artistes, who have continued to brighten up the Fuji music industry are Wasiu Alabi Pasuma – who is hailed as the creator of that upbeat style of Fuji known as ‘Orobo kibo’. Also in this league is Saheed Osupa, known more for his philosophical lyrics. Others, in the succeeding generation of Fuji young Turks, are Sule Alao Malaika, Ata Wewe etc.

It is indisputable that the influence and impact of Fuji music have extended beyond the South-West and, indeed, the Islamic religion. To be certain, a little over two decades ago, when K1 eulogised Morris Ibekwe, an Igbo millionaire with that monster hit in which he sang

    ‘’ Oya ka r’ele Morriss o, Ibekwe.

  Morris na lo Nkechi O dinma’’. Not a few people were amazed.

With this obvious handshake beyond Yoruba land, which pleasantly delighted our brothers from the South - East, Fuji music had fully come into its own.

Gladly, with the innovations in Fuji music have also come a deepening of ties across hitherto untried boundaries and shortening of distances. Each Fuji artiste, evidently, is pushing the limits of creativity, the horizon of Fuji music has been astoundingly widened. How can we forget what sophistication K1 brought to Fuji music with his ‘classical Fuji’? Pasuma deserves the singular accolade and bouquet of honour as that Fuji artiste who has done more collaborations with hip-hop artistes than any of his peers.

Today, the influence of Fuji music is quite noticeable in gospel music. It began with Dekunle Fuji’s ‘Mo love Jesu gan’ (I love Jesus so much). The music of Sammy Okposo, in which he sang: ‘Oruko Jesu l’o morimi wu o’ soon followed. By the same token, the fusion of Fuji into the style of that Gospel group called the MIDNIGHT CREW is a clear testament to the sheer unifying power of Fuji music.