• Friday, March 29, 2024
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The ‘soundz of sultan’

Sound Sultan

My daughters, performing artistes Oiza and Meyi walked into the living room in tears. They were hardly audible. I was disturbed as they spoke in halted voices between tears and swallowed their words. All I could heard was Sultan. Who? I kept asking. I managed to get Sound Sultan out of them but I still could not make out why they were crying.

As their career blossomed, Sound Sultan was one of the earliest and most consistent Musicians to provide a listening ear, support and encouragement. They had in fact chatted about six weeks before. What happened? I kept asking. Then they spat it out. Sound Sultan had died. It was pretty surreal and sad.

I started listening to Sound Sultan when he put out his seminal work “Jagbantis”. I had told several of my friends with whom I was auditing new Nigerian music that whoever this musician was, he was on his way up. Not only was he a lyricist, he was a Poet and then he added the quirky creativeness of all creatives to his resume and this included his fashion…at once old school, modern and iconic. I was excited and very happy when the video of this song came out. It was fun, upbeat and well thought out. A music video ahead of its time. Pretty much like Tina Onwudiwe’s musical video of Black on Black in the late 90’s. It was clear that Sultan had been involved in its production. Playful, sing along, hum under your breath song, and was shot into the stratosphere once the video was released. Sultan, pencil in hand bopping to his great musical craft. I caught myself for at least a quarter of the year after it was released humming to “Jagbantis” involuntarily.

Read Also: Makinde mourns Sound Sultan

Shortly after Sultan was involved in several creative projects, writing songs and screenplay across board. He showed over and over again that it was not just beats he could release or lyrics or even his voice – alluring in an alternate sort of way, part Fela, part Poet, a concoction of new artistes but a retention of the old, a mixture of haunting and authoritative, playful, yet serious all of it sending social messages. He was involved in everything creative. Just when I thought Sultan was off my radar, he dropped the fantastic haunting message of Patriotism, his offering “Motherland”. In this song, Sultan narrated the story of a friend, Chinedu, who migrated abroad, lost everything and returned home and committed suicide. That song will remain in our consciousness forever.

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It was the song that took Sultan’s career to the zenith and confirmed him as a musical genius of his time. Harrowing, heart rending, he delivered this song from that place that creatives go to when they have found something that is beyond them, from his core. Motherland is the song that was on the lips of every Nigerian when Sound Sultan passed. In addition to his ability to pen fantastic songs he also added the flavour of his great knowledge of pidgin spicing his songs with the Nigerian street lingo. This endeared him to the young and old, modern and traditional. Although one found some of the production a bit lightweight in terms of rhythm, it was impossible to miss the Soundz of Sultan wherever they were heard. Lyrical, soulful and deep in its messenger status.

As a screenplay writer myself, I salute Sultan’s dexterity in screenplay, his occasional foray into acting and his interest in fashion creating a fashion line, Naija Ninjas at some point, to elevate and share his eclectic fashion style. I routinely watch Flat mates a Nigerian comedy series stint produced by Nigerian Comedian Basketmouth and Kayode Peters. I look out for the writers and particularly enjoy it when Sound Sultan had written an edition becoming so adept at his creative yield that even if I do not see his by-line, I can tell when he has written an edition.

I hugged my daughters and wiped their tears. It was even more difficult to deal with his loss because he had a rare disease, one we could not even pronounce. But he handled his illness with grace.

Sound Sultan was the ultimate creative; Fashion designer, Singer, Songwriter, Performer, Choreographer, Patriotic Nigerian, Screenplay Writer, Actor and all round Creative. We will miss him and his art. We will miss the Soundz of Sultan creeping up on us all in the bathroom and seizing us with joy or giving us reasons to think deep about our nation, this nation we bring down in abuse everyday but which Sultan raised very high calling himself Naija Ninja. He came, saw, delivered and slipped away like a true Ninja. As we celebrate Nigeria at 61, let’s give a thought to Sound Sultan who believed Nigeria was on its way up. My heart goes to his family. May he rest and his songs resurrect on the lips of other singers… Amen.