Illgod is yet again involved in another masterpiece. His beats seem to bring out the best in rappers. This time he collaborates with the highly intelligent xplain D Don who first wowed us with his King Jaja Bars some months ago. Xplain as his name implies is able to speak on a vast variety of topics, tell stories, and kick mad knowledge that educates, as well as entertains the listener at the same time.
On so many occasions during the album, he draws inspiration from his Port-Harcourt environs mentioning the names of past heroes and reminding us of the lifestyle and culture of the Opobo people – an ethnic tribe in Nigeria in which he belongs to.
Illgod draws inspiration from The Divine Comedy and La Vita Nuova both by Dante Alighieri. According to the artists, the artwork by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley was just too beautiful to overlook.
King Jaja Bars by illgod & xplain is a song I recommend hip-hop heads in Nigeria listen to. In my opinion, this is what African hip-hop should sound like. I am a believer that Africans should tell their story through their art, music, painting, or movies. The fact that we have abandoned our history for foreigners to document is disgusting. This is the same reason I am not a fan of the movie Wakanda. It is very obvious that the narrative of the movie was not conceived in the mind of an African child. It represents the narrative of people who have never set foot in Africa or who have an ulterior motive. A typical African child does not picture their superheroes as people dressed in a cape, suit, and mask. These are the concepts of foreign media outlets. Superheroes in Africa come in the form of Princess Amina, Jaja of Opobo, Fela, Sango, Amadioha, Ebubedike, Yaa Asantewa, Haile Selassie, and others.
The movie also seems to push an imperialist agenda—insinuating that African nations need the help of foreign bodies, the CIA to be exact, to solve their problems. The truth is that African nations do not need to depend on the CIA to defend themselves against foreign invasion; we should begin to be self-reliant, or at most, depend on other African countries within the region. The movie also implies that Africans need to be educated in foreign institutions, when the reality is that we should not concentrate on Western ideology but rather revert to African ideals and concepts. Movies like Wakanda and Coming to America promote false narratives about African nations. These movies carry hidden messages disguised as fiction. A careful blend of real places, like the Sambisa Forest, real people, and a false representation of who they are is a tactical way to blur the lines and misrepresent a group of people. This type of propaganda should be completely rejected.
There is no problem with listening to an outsider’s perspective about Africa, but where the problem lies is that people who are not aware of these hidden messages tend to accept the narratives without fact-checking. We, as Africans, have a duty to prevent foreign invasion into our history, culture, traditions, and ways of life. There is a need to counter these perspectives when they arise. We must be allowed to tell our own story. Would you not like to hear the African narrative regarding slavery or colonization—one that is devoid of European influences or tweaks?
I love the storytelling in this song. It is like an article written about King Jaja of Opobo, a true hero to the Opobo people. illgod and Xplain D Don collaborate on this one. The new offering, titled “King Jaja Bars,” is named after King Jaja of Opobo (full name: Jubo Jubogha; 1821–1891), who helped the Rivers people fight back against imperialism.
I dominate beats like Jaja dominated the oil trade.
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