If you are a lover of reggae or dancehall music genres, the return of Ibrahim Majekodunmi will interest you.
The pioneering Nigerian reggae/dancehall artiste and songwriter, who is better known as General Pype, is back after a self-imposed music hiatus, trailing his last single “Mash It Up” in 2018.
Of course, General Pype; an acronym for Prolific Youth Positive Entertainer, is back, improved and ready to weave his wand of soul-stirring lyrics in his wildly anticipated singles, collaborations and EPs with the diaspora, and the world.
Apart from years of recording in his own studio, the incredibly talented headliner spent an intense month in the country recording music, shooting videos, and working on notable collaborations towards his upcoming EP.
“If I wanted to drop four or five albums today without recording, I could do that”, says the artiste who largely popularised the reggae/dancehall music genres not only in West Africa, but across the continent with his successful hits such as; “Champion,” “Mash It Up,” and “All The Loving,” featuring Burna Boy and Phyno, amid others.
Born in Lagos, Pype began classically singing at a young age, when he stumbled upon The Choral Group while attending St. Gregory’s Secondary School in Obalende, in 1998, which later grew to become the 30-man Triumphant Chorale Voices, one of the top three orchestral groups across the country, whose success allowed Pype to tour the continent, including performances in Abuja’s Eagle Square ushering in the new millennium; and at the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
As the group dissipated, Pype started falling in love with reggae music around 2005, captivated with the uplifting and resilient spirit of the sound, and the vocal dexterity and strength the genre required.
“Of all the kinds of musicians that I ever agreed with, it was reggae, because they were rebellious and they spoke truth to power. People feel it, they could say things directly to the government, from the ghetto.”
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He recalls his experience at Obalende saying, “We generated our power and water, everything. That wasn’t something I was so happy about. I told myself, if I’m ever going to do my own music, I’m going to be singing positive messages to the youth.”
Pype gained international acclaim through the hit success of his very first single, “Keep It Cool” (2007), which went on to be featured on the Golden Globe-winning American television series “The Shield.” Back home, the single was dominating radio airplay as Pype continued his calling of mainstreaming reggae and dancehall in Nigeria, and across the continent. His biggest hit, “Champion,” debuted in 2009. It reverberated across the world, and back home, where it became the anthem for local sports stations, and received the remix treatment from Dagrin, Vector, Naeto C, Sasha & GT (in addition to numerous unofficial remixes and covers that popped up across the continent).
His ongoing collaborations included writing and song styling ‘Crush’ for Sunny Neji; highlife pioneer; ‘Mo Ranyan’ for Niyola, R&B/pop singer and more. Famous for massively successful singles such as ‘Victorious Man’, ‘Give it to me’, ‘Champion’, ‘Shop is Open’, ‘Blessed and Ready,’ among many others, Pype continues to spread his sound, and his message of love, which were made in Nigeria, for global consumption. The MTV Africa award nominee and Reggae fusion artiste, who willingly incorporates elements of hip hop, rock-pop and R&B into the rhythms of reggae and dancehall, has over the years, drawn from a classical tradition that he grew up with, forcing him to train his voice with the rigor of an opera singer, pushing his vocal capacities to a breaking point, translating emotion into the language of notes without the luxury of gimmicks. Notoriously known for being artsy, going for jam sessions and generally adventurous about developing his creative side, Pype has always conveyed a righteous anger and a positive message that he was not as able to express as well, with classical vocabulary.
When he espoused dancehall and reggae music as the genres that would resonate best with his voice and message, which championed positivity, love and peace, successfully mainstreaming dancehall and reggae music in Nigeria through potent collaborations while keeping the uncompromising originality of a dynamic artiste, he cemented his place in the industry as one of the most versatile artistes in Nigeria. A perfectionist, Pype is currently putting finishing touches to his much anticipated debut album, with record labels Podium Vybez and Storm 360 combining forces to ensure that it hits the world stage.
Be on the lookout for his debut album!
