This Week’s Episode Features a Conversation With Oxlade, the 5 Hottest Tracks of the Week, Africa Rising and LootLove’s Favourite Track of the Week!
Cover Star Interview
Nigerian Afropop sensation Oxlade joins LootLove via FaceTime on Apple Music 1 to talk about his latest track, “Ojuju.” He also discusses how creating his EP, Eclipse, helped him navigate life under lockdown, his favourite collaborators and who he’s keen to work with next, and how having fans like Drake keeps him motivated.
The Big 5
LootLove shares the 5 hottest new African tracks of the moment. This week’s selection includes new tracks from Tiwa Savage feat. Amaarae; Nobuhle & Black Motion; Dladla Mshunqisi feat. Sizwe Mdlalose, Assiye Bongzin & DJ Tira; Mayorkun; and King Promise feat. Headie One.
Africa Rising
Nigerian singer-songwriter Dai Verse is the latest artist featured from the Africa Rising playlist, a campaign that shines a light on the next generation of African superstars, and this week’s show features his singles “Cocaine” and “Colorado.”Listen HERE.
Loot Loves
Each week, LootLove chooses her favourite track, taken from one of Apple Music’s African playlists. This week she shines a light on South African singer Amanda Black, and her single “pick yourself up, (feat. Christer),” from Apple Music’s Mzansi Soul playlist. Listen HERE (and find a roundup of all LootLove’s selections on Apple Music’s LootLoves playlist, HERE).
Tune in to Africa Now Radio With LootLove This Sunday, August 22nd at 2p Lagos/London / 3p Johannesburg/Paris / 6a LA / 9a NYC on Apple Music 1.
Oxlade on his love for Sjava’s track “Ngempela”
Oxlade: So, there’s this guy. There’s this song called “Ngempela.” I don’t know if I got the pronunciation right. Sjava.
LootLove: Yes! “Ngempela,” Sjava. Yes!
Oxlade: Yeah. I love that. I don’t understand anything he’s saying. But the soul that man carries in his songs is next level.
Oxlade on the meaning behind “Ojuju”
“Ojuju” is a masquerade. It’s like a local masquerade in West Africa here. So, for example, when we were little when our parents wanted us to do something, or if we didn’t do the chores quickly, our parents would say, “Ojuju catch you, Ojuju catches you at night if you don’t do this thing. Do you understand?” If they want us to take a drug, and we don’t want to take a drug, they’ll tell you, “If you don’t take this drug, Ojuju will catch you at night.” In this particular term, in this context, “Ojuju,” to me, is love, because, I was trying to explain that I am tired of repeating this love cycle, falling in love over and over and over again with different people.
Oxlade on the meaning behind his EP ‘Eclipse’
What I’m trying to depict is in every darkness, there’s always light. In every dark moment, you’re going through, as long as there is hope, as long as there’s faith, as long as there’s believing yourself, there’s a beacon of light somewhere. I was going through series of dark moments during the times I was creating the project. And each time I was making music during this time, I was discovering that I was always happy creating music even if I was going through the toughest time of my life. So it’s like “Damn, this is an eclipse situation here because life is not going smoothly for you, but your music is giving you life itself.”
