Editorial:- Revisiting D’Banj’s “No Long Thing” Album 10 Years Later,And Its Impact On Nigerian Pop Music

Album:- No Long Thing ( 2005 )

Album Artiste:- D’Banj

Producer(s):- Don Jazzy

Label:- Mo’Hits Records (Now Defunct )

Track List

1. “Intro”
2. “Tongolo”
3. “Socor”
4. “Pastor (Skit)”
5. “All Da Way”
6. “Iya Mi”
7. “Mr. Olopa”
8. “Witches (Skit)”
9. “Mobolowowon”
10. “Ika O Da”
11. “Ask Me” ft. Kween
12. “Na Lie” ft. Nova & Raga Remi

Me, I Be D’Banj, My Jamo Friends, Dem Dey Call Me Ski Banj” – D’Banj ( Tongolo )

D’Banj is arguably the most talked-about African artist right now, not only because of the calibre of his music (which some believe is declining, while others think he’s fine), but also because of his abrupt breakup with long-time business partner and producer Don Jazzy, which some believe is the reason he hasn’t been able to relive the magic of his early years.Despite his many naysayers and fans as well, everyone agrees collectively on his capacity as an artiste to entertain.

Let’s go back a little. It was 2005, the height of the demise of groups and the rise of solo superstars. Remedies had broken up a few years earlier, Tony Tetuila was the biggest pop star in the country, and the Plantashun boys had also broken up. A year earlier, 2 Face Idibia had released his classic debut album Face 2 Face, which was entirely produced by OJB Jezreel, the hottest producer in the country. Kennis Music controlled the urban airwaves. The only other mainstream act was Maintain (Olu and Tolu), who occasionally collaborated with Kennis.

D’Banj – Tongolo

Paul Play Dairo, Sound Sultan, Maintain, 2 Face Idibia, Blackface (Dancehall), X-Appeal (Jazzman Olofin and Lexxy Doo), and 2 Shotz and Big Lo were the artists that dominated the Urban Pop Scene. The former, who recently left Trybesmen, released his critically acclaimed Pirated Copy Album, which included the breakthrough hit Delicious, the biggest Rap single. Its popularity was due to its combination of Pidgin English Chorus, Pidgin Rap, and a Bouncy production by Big Lo, which also served as a crossover pop hit and completely changed the sound of commercial Rap music.

After playing keyboardist for Solek Crew (Mr. Solek) and joker for 419 Squad (JJC, Masta Plan, Kween, etc.) in the UK, respectively, Dapo Oyebanjo and Michael Collins made the decision to return to Nigeria with nothing more than a dream, raw talent, and a tonne of energy. This proved crucial in encapsulating the essence of the artist that the world would come to love as D’Banj. When D’Banj first appeared on Kiss Me Again by Emerging Superstar Rapper Ruggedman (at the time) and began singing R&B, he quickly realised that doing what everyone else was doing wasn’t going to work. He decided to fully trust his sound to his friend Don Jazzy (I guess that was already the plan), with whom he had been jumping night buses in London two years prior. This successful partnership resulted in the creation of No Long Thing, one of the most significant Pop albums in the last ten years, as well as its influence on the musical landscape and the sound of African music in general.

D’Banj – Socor

Instead of reviewing the album, our goal is to examine it ten years later and identify the elements that made it unique and gave the Urban Pop Sound a completely new direction.The 12-track album, which featured three skits and nine tracks, was unlike anything that was available at the time. Its first single, Tongolo, became an immediate hit and introduced the world to slang terms that he would use throughout his career. Catchphrases, words, and phrases like “Koko,” “Kokolets,” and “No long tin” became commonplace among urban youth, and everyone wanted a piece of the Kokomaster. You hear songs with titles like “Sekem,” “Kukere,” “Shoki,” and “Skelewu.” It all began with “Tongolo,” who gave your song some offensive dance/slang names. This practice has persisted to this day.With lyrics like “And I no want make you dance with coordination; I just want make you watch my demonstration,” you can see where the instructional dance lyrics trend originated. The next track, Socor, is another dance instructional song in the same vein. Prior to D’Banj, no other artist wanted to teach you how to dance.

Delving into your personal life on a record was nothing new at the time, but D’banj dropped arguably his most personal track with All Da Way, the next track, which came right after a Brilliant skit  Pastor (the pastor in question is Rumoured to be the great Reverend David Oyedepo whom he also sang about on the next song ), on which he sings “My Mama say Music E No Good / My Papa say Music e no be Food/But me I Say, na him I wan do / But dem say, I Must go to School / I Try, Try, Try , I do wetin Mama Say / I Try, Try, Try, I do wetin Papa Say / I Try, Try, Try, Book no enter my Head” ,I cannot help but think lines like this not only inspired a lot of youths at the time to believe they could follow their musical ambitions but were the inspirations behind lyrics from artistes like Timaya who came after and sang “I Discover My Talent Eh / When I Was very Very Young Eh / My Mama say na school make I go, Make I become a Banker Eh / They want me to take over my Papa wetin E Be /  When I Try to dey go to School , My brother I No fit Eh / Book no enter my Brain, My Brother make e no be by force” on his track God You Are Too Much, Off his second Album. The next song, “Iya Mi,” is dedicated to his parents, specifically his mother, and the following song, “Mr Olopa,” addresses something that the vast majority of Nigerians have experienced at least once in their lives: police brutality. It’s no surprise that the album was well received by fans across the country.The album’s second-biggest track, “Mobolowon,” performed in fluent Yoruba, was a fan favourite and provided insight into the artist’s mischievous activities during his time in London.

D’Banj – Mobolowon

Ika O Da, a well-produced groovy song in which he spoke about people who will do anything to bring you down, added to the album’s flavour.The last two songs on the album featured guest appearances by Kween on Ask Me and An Nova on Na Lie, along with Ragga Remi. The collaborations sounded more like D’Banj tracks, as his vocal and harmonica performances on both tracks were top-notch, and overshadowed all featured artists.

Great artists have their moments; Michael Jackson never released an album greater than Thriller, and there are parallels between these albums as Magnum Opus’s in both artists’ careers, as No Long Ting altered the sound, style, and rhythm of urban Nigerian pop music.D’Banj not only stayed consistent with his Harmonica throughout, but he also touched on topics that the masses could relate to, and he appeared like a true superstar.His DJ Tee-directed videos were crisp and inspired, inspiring the likes of Durella, Wande Coal, Orezi, Wizkid, Davido, and a slew of pop artists who followed to shape the direction of their music, so even if we never get an album from D’Banj and Don Jazzy, we can put No Long Thing on repeat and relive the magical moment when Nigerian pop music was forever changed.

Obinna Fred is a London-based pop culture writer who has contributed to a few Blogs on the net, and writes on NS Now as the Senior Editor and features Writer.He loves Hip-Hop and Music in General.Follow @Fazillion