IGqumelasha – Ogabadiya Ft. Ukhoz’olumpunga

It is a word that sounds good before it means anything to you, and that matters in this kind of music. South African records have a long habit of travelling on sound and feeling, and Nigerian listeners have been part of that story for years. We sing along to words we cannot translate and nobody feels left out.

That is how I would approach this one. Look at the way the title is built, with a strong opening and an ending that lands firmly. It has a rhythm of its own before a single note plays. Ogabadiya is the sort of name that suggests a character, a nickname or a nickname turned into a statement, though the artist is the only one who can say for sure.

Within the project, the song gives IGqumelasha another chance to work with ukhoz’olumpunga, which shows that the pairing runs through the album and is not a one-off. A recurring partnership usually means the two understand each other well.

It is a record to play with friends, argue about the pronunciation, and then play again.

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