| Any piece of music is usually made up of one or | | | | If this is not done the strange beats lack harmony |
| many parts also called elements of the music. These | | | | and the music sounds unprofessional. |
| parts include two broad categories, the voice and the | | | | The late South African Reggae star, Lucky Dube's |
| beats. The beats are usually made up of the | | | | music is made up of the basic elements that qualifies |
| different instruments that were used in making the | | | | the music as Reggae but also has typical south |
| music. They include the keyboard instruments, | | | | African flair that reminds one of Lady Smith Black |
| guitars, drums, percussion, wind instruments and so | | | | Mambazzo. The bass guitar, though typical of |
| on. | | | | Reggae, is always up beat to conform to the African |
| There are different styles of music. The most | | | | love for danceable music. It is not a must that one |
| common include Reggae, Rhythm and Blues, Hip-hop, | | | | includes patois in any Reggae music. Even Bob and |
| Jazz Classical, Makossa, Highlife, Fuji, Juju, Kweto and | | | | the rest often sang in plain English. Hence Lucky |
| many others. Crossbreeding or fusion in music happen | | | | Dube's music though reggae ignores the Jamaican |
| when one or more elements of the different genres | | | | Patois to sing in plain English as it is in his country. The |
| are taken and put together to create a new form of | | | | south African flair in his music comes out prominently |
| music that is called the hybrid form. When properly | | | | in a keyboard instrumentation that often sounded like |
| done it conveys a new feel and enriches the world's | | | | a flute. Most J-Town Reggae artistes often abandon |
| collection of music genres. | | | | elements of the Nigerian music to copy this feel |
| The legend, Fela created Afro-Beat by fusing | | | | usually associated with Dube's music. Why not add |
| traditional African beats to Jazz. There are also beats | | | | the Nigerian flair first? |
| in his style that, though African in their feel, are | | | | If an artiste plays music that has its origin in the |
| completely original in the sense that they were first | | | | West, the significance of fusing the local flair is to |
| heard in his music. | | | | give the music the Nigerian identity so that it is |
| As mentioned previously in this column, our culture | | | | recognized as Nigerian wherever it is played. Tu |
| has been influenced a lot by western culture and the | | | | face's music finds its Nigerian identity in the pidgin and |
| music must reflect this. Local pop music should thus | | | | vernacular that is well blended in his hip-hop/R & |
| be made up of the western influence fused to local | | | | B. It might interest you to know that, though not |
| flavor. This local flavor can be borrowed from some | | | | popular in the US, his music has been played on the |
| Nigerian music like Highlife, Juju, and afro-beat. It is | | | | voice of America and he is known there as an |
| advisable to refine whatever was borrowed from the | | | | African Superstar. He is well known in the UK and has |
| local music to enable it blend well with the foreign | | | | been played on the BBC uncountable number of |
| beat as Western music is noted for its sophistication. | | | | times. |