Update your settings

Part 2: Niyi Aborisade.

Yusuff Olatunji, also known as Babalegba, was born in 1909 and died in 1978. He had issues with Sanusi Aka. Also known as S. Aka, (Baba Oni Waheed),  both of them were into the Sakara genre. Sanusi Aka was known for his political and philosophical composition. Sakara drum is native to yoruba land. Yusuf also introduced goje, an instrument like guitar but different from guitar into his music. Goje originated from the Hausas, and the name itself is Hausas word for an instrument made of gourd, a one stringed  fiddle, and a horsehair string played with bow. Yusuf used it to communicate as well when playing his music. His style of music was very unique. S.Aka also used goje in his music. The two protagonists  popularised the Sakara music, and they were simply the best.

The rift was much of rivalry since both were living in Abeokuta then. It was a fight for supremacy, the kind of fight that you will find among two wives of the same husband. However, the fight was so serious to the extent that when Yusuf had a motor accident  and his leg was amputated, some people accused Mr S. Aka as the person behind it through juju means. Before Yusuf leg was amputated  after the accident,  he released a song, " E se ti eni won ge l'afi n rin yi o, Yegede won o ge o". (The leg that you said has been amputated is what I am still walking with, shame on you, it was not amputated). This was because people were already saying that his leg had been amputated, of course the leg was later amputated.  It appeared that Olatunji Yusuf was diabetic and his wound was not healed. Of course, as was our wont in Yoruba land, the failure of the wound to heal was attributed to the work of the enemy, and the enemy was none other than S.Aka or his sympathisers.

They traded words in their songs, and the feud did not end until they died.

King Sunny Ade and Emperor Pick Peter ( Peter Akanni AKorede) was a serious one.  Sunny Ade released a song in 1974 ' Awo Egungun l'obinrin lese, Awo Gelede l'obinrin lemo, b'obinrin foju d'Oro Oro,  Oro a gbe.E kilo fomo ode ko ma rin ni ipado, ko ma sesi fara kan Ogidan lojiji, igboran san ju ebo riru. ( It is only a Masquerades cult that women can be a member, Gelede cult secret is opened to  women. However, if a woman understimate Oro Cult by seeing it, Oro would abduct her, let the hunter's offspring be warned not to walk by the riverside lest he has a sudden contact with Lion , obedience is better than sacrifice). Many people believed that this song was directed at Emperor Pick Peters, and so Peter responded by his own song, which became a hit then. In the  year, 1975. He sang " E juba f'omode, monamona Ile Ogun, Akanni Iko.........omo ode de, omo eran da, omo ode de, omo eran da, omo ode de, be o ba pada leyin omo ode eni lati lu takute".  ( show respect for the hunter's offspring, the lightning of Ogun's enclave, Hail Akanni..... the hunter offspring is here. Where are the wild animals? The hunter offspring is here, where are the wild animals? unless you turn back from pursuing the hunter's offspring, you will certainly enter into a trap).

It was a big hit for Emperor Pick Peters). Their fans were happy with this young Turk that challenged the king openly and was ready to square it out. The years of the alleged rift were big for the fans. Yoruba music was at its best, and the country was very rich then, and our Nigerian Naira was higher in exchange rates than the American dollars. Those were the days when the head of the states  of Nigeria then, General Yakubu Gowon declared that 'the problem with Nigeria is not about money but how to spend it'. The statement clearly shows that he was not prepared for the position that he found himself.

In any event, Admiral Dele Abiodun gave his unqualified support to Sunny Ade and traded banters with Emperor Pick Peters '  O jebi o jebi, Omo Ode' and later released 'Kele tigbe padi yen suegbe akoko to fe fara re we wa omugo omo ode( He is guilty, he is guilty, hunter's offspring') and  'the trap has caught that guy, that  first idiot who was comparing himself with us, the foolish hunter's offspring')

Peter responded with another banger. 'ona da ki omo

 ode ma rin ni ipado, nigba ti ota nbe lowo, omo ode ti de, omo eranko fese fe ( how will the hunter's offspring not walk by the riverside when there are bullets in his hand, the hunter's offspring has arrived, the wild animals should carry their legs and run).

The rifts helped both of them to climb the ladders very well. They really gained from it, and they made their fans happy. Emperor Pick Peter died on 2 November 2023 at the age of 74.

Kollington Ayinla and Sikiru Ayinde Barrister were good friends, and in fact, it was Kollingnton who inspired Sikiru Ayinde to join in the Nigerian Army. Kollington was already in the army in 1967 during the Civil War, when Barrister visited him in Abeokuta. However, when their music careers started, they started trading abuses and insults in their music. Both were into the Fuji genre. Their rivalry was the talk of the town in the 80s. The fans of Fuji were split into two. The Barrister fans who believed that Ayinde Barrister was the creator of Fuji Music and Kollington, the challenger and his fans  who maintained that Fuji music has been existing long before the two of them. Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde, as he was known then, joined forces with Barrister and Queen Salawa Abeni, the Queen of Waka music, also teamed up with the Ayindes. 

Kollington, the lone ranger, in fact sang a lewed song against Salawa then " Awa la ko jesu awe o koto ro wa fin, o dun mi pe Ko gbo oyinbo o, I am sorry" ( I am the  one that first slept with the lady before she started disrespecting me , I pity her that she couldn't understand English  language, I am sorry for her). At that time Queen Salawa was married to one Mr Lateef and Queen Salawa responded in her own way and released a song " Baba Alatika n tara o baba Alatika n tara Salawa Abeni n rele latifu baba Alatika n tara. ( Baba Alatika is fretting as  Salawa Abeni is moving to Lateef house( i.e., getting married to Lateef). Kollington did not waste time with another mock songs which became a hit. " Baba Alatika n tara o baba Alatika n tara Aloku Ayinla  nrele Sugomu baba Alatika n tara. ( Baba Alatika  is fretting indeed, the used woman of Ayinla is moving to  a silly man's house, Baba Alatika is fretting). 

The irony of this and the outcome of the fight  was that despite all the abusive and insulting songs that they had traded,  both Kollington Ayinla and Queen Salawa Abeni later got married and had children together. They then became the first two famous musicians in Nigeria  who got married . However, after sometimes of what appeared to be a blissful marriage,  they separated and    Queen Salawa released a song " Oko to pe mi loni sina o, se bi ori mi a ba ja, oko to pe mi loni sina se bi ori mi a da fun. O ri mi l'asewo ko to pe un wa, ori mi lo ni waka ko to pe mi ya ....( The husband that tagged me an adulterer, my spirit being will fight against him, the husband that tagged me an adulterer, my spirit being will condemn him. He knew that I was a prostitute before he proposed to me;   he knew I was a musician before he  invited me to be his wife). It was a bitter separation with serious allegations and counter allegations. Both parties washed their dirty linen in public as expected anyway.

To be continued.

Niyi Aborisade is a lawyer, a Human Rights Activist and a historian, author, and a poet