Jùjú music
Encyclopedia
Jùjú is a style of Nigeria
n popular music
, derived from traditional Yoruba
percussion
. The name comes from a Yoruba
word "juju" or "jiju" meaning "throwing" or "something being thrown." Juju music did not derive its name from juju
, which "is a form of magic and the use of magic objects or witchcraft
common in West Africa
, Haiti
, Cuba
and other South American nations." It evolved in the 1920s in urban clubs across the countries, and was believed to have been created by AbdulRafiu Babatunde King, popularly known as Tunde King
. The first jùjú recordings were by Tunde King
and Ojoge Daniel from the same era of the 1920s when Tunde King
pioneered it. The lead and predominant instrument of Jùjú is the Iya Ilu,"' talking drum.
Some Jùjú musicians were itinerant, including early pioneers Ojoge Daniel, Irewole Denge and the "blind minstrel" Kokoro
.
Afro-juju is a style of Nigerian popular music
, a mixture of Jùjú music and Afrobeat
. Its most famous exponent was Shina Peters, who was so popular that the press called the phenomenon "Shinamania". Afro-juju's peak of popularity came in the early 1990s.
, electric instruments began to be included, and pioneering musicians like Ernest Olatunde Thomas, aka, Tunde Nightingale
, Fatai Rolling-Dollar, I. K. Dairo
, Dele Ojo, Ayinde Bakare
, Adeolu Akinsanya, King Sunny Adé
, and Ebenezer Obey
made the genre the most popular in Nigeria
, incorporating new influences like funk
, reggae
and Afrobeat and creating new subgenres like yo-pop
. Some new generation juju artistes include Oludare Olateju. Although Juju music, like apala
, sakara
, fuji
, and waka
was created by Muslim
Yoruba
(NOTE: Tunde King
was a Muslim
and an alhaji until his death in the 1980s
); however, the music itself remains secular. King Sunny Adé
was the first to include the pedal steel guitar
, which had previously been used only in Hawaiian music and American country music
.
, where the Yoruba
are the most numerous ethnic group. In performance, audience members commonly shower jùjú musicians with paper money; this tradition is known as "spraying."
One of the centres of the performance of Jùjú music is in Ibadan. Most jùjú musicians are based in the zone of market forces, and most of these are in an area of immigrant neighbourhoods.
There are several contexts in which jùjú music is performed. On of these contexts is ‘The Hotel’. The Hotels are concentrated in the immigrant areas and they serve as taverns, dance halls and brothels. They range from very small wooden structures to clusters of two or three building with a stage in the middle. Most activity takes place after nine pm and the hotels are the centre of Ibadan’s nocturnal economic structure. One of the economic activities associated with the hotels is the sale of drinks and food and also prostitution. The Hotels are seen as places of relaxation, where patrons, mainly men, come to escape every day life. They are places where people can come to do things that they might not want to be seen doing at home. The Jùjú music performed is not the focus of the venue but most patrons prefer live music to records. The bands that perform do not have a guaranteed wage; instead they rely upon donations from patrons. Most bands will only perform during the weeknights, leaving the weekends free for more lucrative gigs.
Another context in which Jùjú music is played is at celebrations called àríyá. These celebrations are parties which celebrate the naming of a baby, weddings, birthdays, funerals, title-taking, ceremonies and the launching of new property or business enterprises. These events are sponsored so the musicians are guaranteed payment. The wealth of the hosts and the guests is shown through their reward to the entertainers. It is customary to press the contribution to the musician’s forehead so that everyone can see how wealthy they are. The musicians will often return good payment with praise songs to the donors. Live music is crucial to the proper functioning of an àríyá.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
, derived from traditional Yoruba
Yoruba music
The music of the Yoruba people of Nigeria is best known for an extremely advanced drumming tradition, especially using the dundun hourglass tension drums. Yoruba folk music became perhaps the most prominent kind of West African music in Afro-Latin and Caribbean musical styles...
percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
. The name comes from a Yoruba
Yoruba language
Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...
word "juju" or "jiju" meaning "throwing" or "something being thrown." Juju music did not derive its name from juju
Juju
A Juju is a supernatural power ascribed to an object.Juju may also refer to:-Geography:* Juju , one of seven districts on the island of Rotuma in Fiji* Juju , a village in the district of Juju on the island of Rotuma-Albums:...
, which "is a form of magic and the use of magic objects or witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
common in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and other South American nations." It evolved in the 1920s in urban clubs across the countries, and was believed to have been created by AbdulRafiu Babatunde King, popularly known as Tunde King
Tunde King
Tunde King was a Nigerian musician, credited as the founder of Jùjú music, who had great influence on Nigerian popular music.Lagos in the 1920s and 1930s was peopled by a mixture of local Yoruba people and returnees from the New World. Together they created a form of music named "Palm Wine" that...
. The first jùjú recordings were by Tunde King
Tunde King
Tunde King was a Nigerian musician, credited as the founder of Jùjú music, who had great influence on Nigerian popular music.Lagos in the 1920s and 1930s was peopled by a mixture of local Yoruba people and returnees from the New World. Together they created a form of music named "Palm Wine" that...
and Ojoge Daniel from the same era of the 1920s when Tunde King
Tunde King
Tunde King was a Nigerian musician, credited as the founder of Jùjú music, who had great influence on Nigerian popular music.Lagos in the 1920s and 1930s was peopled by a mixture of local Yoruba people and returnees from the New World. Together they created a form of music named "Palm Wine" that...
pioneered it. The lead and predominant instrument of Jùjú is the Iya Ilu,"' talking drum.
Some Jùjú musicians were itinerant, including early pioneers Ojoge Daniel, Irewole Denge and the "blind minstrel" Kokoro
Kokoro (musician)
Benjamin ‘Kokoro’ Aderounmu was a widely-know blind minstrel from Lagos, Nigeria. He was born into a royal family in Owo, Ondo State, and became blind when he was aged ten. He developed a unique style of singing accompanied first by a drum, later by a tambourine...
.
Afro-juju is a style of Nigerian popular music
Music of Nigeria
The music of Nigeria includes many kinds of Folk and popular music, some of which are known worldwide. Styles of folk music are related to the multitudes of ethnic groups in the country, each with their own techniques, instruments, and songs...
, a mixture of Jùjú music and Afrobeat
Afrobeat
Afrobeat is a combination of traditional Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, funk and chanted vocals, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularised in Africa in the 1970s. Its main creator was the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who gave it its name, who used it to...
. Its most famous exponent was Shina Peters, who was so popular that the press called the phenomenon "Shinamania". Afro-juju's peak of popularity came in the early 1990s.
History
Following World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, electric instruments began to be included, and pioneering musicians like Ernest Olatunde Thomas, aka, Tunde Nightingale
Tunde Nightingale
Tunde Nightingale, a.k.a., "Western" was a native of Ibadan, the largest city in both Nigeria and Africa. An incredible guitarist with a sonorous voice to boot, he was best known for his unique Jùjú music style, following in the tradition of Tunde King....
, Fatai Rolling-Dollar, I. K. Dairo
I. K. Dairo
Isaiah Kehinde Dairo MBE was a notable Nigerian Jùjú musician.-Early life:I.K. Dairo was born in the town of Offa, located in present day Kwara State; his family was originally from Ijebu-Ijesa before migrating to Offa. He attended a Christian Missionary primary school in Offa, however, he later...
, Dele Ojo, Ayinde Bakare
Ayinde Bakare
Ayinde Bakare was a pioneering Yoruba juju and highlife musician. He began recording on the HMV label in 1937 and is thought to have been the first juju musician to use an amplified guitar, in 1949....
, Adeolu Akinsanya, King Sunny Adé
King Sunny Adé
King Sunny Adé is a popular performer of Yoruba Nigerian Jùjú music and a pioneer of modern world music. He has been classed as one of the most influential musicians of all time.-Background:...
, and Ebenezer Obey
Ebenezer Obey
Ebenezer Obey , nicknamed the "Chief Commander," is a Nigerian pop musician.- Biography :Obey, whose full name is Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu Olasupo Obey-Fabiyi, was born in Idogo, Ogun State, Nigeria of Egba-Yoruba ethnic background. He is of the Owu subgroup of the Egba. He began his professional...
made the genre the most popular in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, incorporating new influences like funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and Afrobeat and creating new subgenres like yo-pop
Yo-pop
Yo-pop is a style of Nigerian popular music, popularized in the 1980s by Segun Adewale. The style did not remain popular for long as it was quickly replaced by afro-juju towards the end of the 1980s....
. Some new generation juju artistes include Oludare Olateju. Although Juju music, like apala
Apala
Apala is a musical genre, originally derived from the Yoruba people of Nigeria.It is a percussion-based style that developed in the late 1930s, when it was used to wake worshippers after fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan...
, sakara
Sakara music
Sakara music is a form of popular Nigerian music based in the traditions of Yoruba music.It is a Moslem-influenced style, mostly in the form of praise songs, that uses only traditional Yoruba instruments such as the solemn-sounding Goje violin, and the small round Sakara drum, which is similar to a...
, fuji
Fuji
-People:* Mr. Fuji, ring name of wrestling and manager Harry Fujiwara* Keiko Fuji, a Japanese singer of the 1960s and 1970s, and mother of Hikaru Utada* Sumiko Fuji, a Japanese actressFictional characters* Fuji , a character in the Stormwatch series...
, and waka
Waka
Waka may refer to:* Waka , canoes of the Māori of New Zealand**Waka taua, a Maori war canoe* Waka , a genre of Japanese poetry* Waka , a proposed replacement for HTTP* Waka music, a musical genre from Yorubaland of Nigeria...
was created by Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Yoruba
Yoruba language
Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...
(NOTE: Tunde King
Tunde King
Tunde King was a Nigerian musician, credited as the founder of Jùjú music, who had great influence on Nigerian popular music.Lagos in the 1920s and 1930s was peopled by a mixture of local Yoruba people and returnees from the New World. Together they created a form of music named "Palm Wine" that...
was a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and an alhaji until his death in the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
); however, the music itself remains secular. King Sunny Adé
King Sunny Adé
King Sunny Adé is a popular performer of Yoruba Nigerian Jùjú music and a pioneer of modern world music. He has been classed as one of the most influential musicians of all time.-Background:...
was the first to include the pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
, which had previously been used only in Hawaiian music and American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
.
Performance
Jùjú music is performed primarily by artists from the southwestern region of NigeriaNigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, where the Yoruba
Yoruba language
Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...
are the most numerous ethnic group. In performance, audience members commonly shower jùjú musicians with paper money; this tradition is known as "spraying."
One of the centres of the performance of Jùjú music is in Ibadan. Most jùjú musicians are based in the zone of market forces, and most of these are in an area of immigrant neighbourhoods.
There are several contexts in which jùjú music is performed. On of these contexts is ‘The Hotel’. The Hotels are concentrated in the immigrant areas and they serve as taverns, dance halls and brothels. They range from very small wooden structures to clusters of two or three building with a stage in the middle. Most activity takes place after nine pm and the hotels are the centre of Ibadan’s nocturnal economic structure. One of the economic activities associated with the hotels is the sale of drinks and food and also prostitution. The Hotels are seen as places of relaxation, where patrons, mainly men, come to escape every day life. They are places where people can come to do things that they might not want to be seen doing at home. The Jùjú music performed is not the focus of the venue but most patrons prefer live music to records. The bands that perform do not have a guaranteed wage; instead they rely upon donations from patrons. Most bands will only perform during the weeknights, leaving the weekends free for more lucrative gigs.
Another context in which Jùjú music is played is at celebrations called àríyá. These celebrations are parties which celebrate the naming of a baby, weddings, birthdays, funerals, title-taking, ceremonies and the launching of new property or business enterprises. These events are sponsored so the musicians are guaranteed payment. The wealth of the hosts and the guests is shown through their reward to the entertainers. It is customary to press the contribution to the musician’s forehead so that everyone can see how wealthy they are. The musicians will often return good payment with praise songs to the donors. Live music is crucial to the proper functioning of an àríyá.
External links
- King Sunny Ade interview by Jason Gross from Perfect Sound Forever site (June 1998)
- Jùjú music on Nigeria-Arts website, collection of jùjú artists and music