IGqumelasha – Ize Leze Ft. Ukhoz’olumpunga

The phrase points to the idea of doing something for nothing, or something that ends up with no result. Nigerians know that feeling very well. You wait for a payment that never arrives. You queue for hours and the office closes. You put effort into a relationship and walk away with only a story.

That is why I find it interesting that this idea was chosen to represent the entire project. It could have been a love song or a party anthem. Instead, the name of the album speaks about wasted effort, which gives the whole body of work a slightly wry personality. It suggests that the artist is aware of life’s small disappointments and is willing to joke about them.

With ukhoz’olumpunga on the record, the title cut has a partner in whatever story it tells. The pairing makes sense for a theme about shared frustration, because nobody complains alone for very long.

It is easy to imagine this one playing in a car after a tiring week, when you are not angry anymore, just amused at how things turned out.

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