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👋 Good morning. The internet has been a ride this week. From Odumodublvck and Blaqbonez’ clash to Tony Elumelu’s exchange with a graduate trainee, and Davido and Wande Coal’s moment, phew, it’s been a lot. |
Let's get into it. |
In this edition: Inside our conversation with Faith Martins, this week’s cultural moments, Sabi Girl treasure hunt, New Music Friday, and more. |
If you’re enjoying this, don’t forget to subscribe and join The Juice community. We’re building this together ♡. |
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Shalom Tewobola,
Editor.
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🗞️ THIS WEEK IN CULTURE |
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🎵 MUSIC |
Seyi Vibez has teased a visual for his upcoming song, continuing his focus on building a world around his music. |
That matters as Nigerian artists increasingly use visuals to make their work resonate beyond the music itself. Vibez has previously collaborated with international acts including Trippie Redd, French Montana and Russ, reflecting a broader shift in how Nigerian artists present themselves to global audiences. |
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⭐ AWARDS |
Beninese music star Angélique Kidjo became the first African musician to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 18. She received the 2,854th star in the Recording category, with Hollywood also declaring it “Angélique Kidjo Day.” |
After four decades in music and five Grammys, the honour is more than another addition to Kidjo’s résumé. It also reflects the growing recognition of African music and its artists on the global stage |
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📚 LITERATURE |
Chinkemkasimma C. Chukwuma’s debut novel, Husband is Useless, sparked reactions on Twitter (X), largely due to its controversial title. Most people took the title quite literally, prompting misogynistic remarks, alternative titles like Wife is Useless, and even curses directed at the author. |
Beyond the Twitter banter, the reaction shows how quickly Nigerians form opinions about matters without first reading about or engaging with them. |
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📽️ FILM |
Veteran filmmaker Tunde Kelani is working on Opalaba, a Yoruba-language satirical micro-web series created with AI-assisted filmmaking. Principal production is expected to begin before the end of August 2026. |
For a filmmaker with decades of experience, Kelani’s experiment raises a bigger question: what happens to traditional filmmaking knowledge if AI becomes how we tell our stories? |
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⚡MATTERS ARISING |
The Dapper Music dispute has moved from social media to the courts, with Seyi Vibez and Shallipopi joining street-hop artist T.I BLAZE in raising concerns about royalties and earnings from their time with Dapper Damm’s company. |
With lawsuits now flying in multiple directions, the dispute shows how quickly business arrangements can get complicated after the excitement of signing wears off. For artists and creatives, legal advice isn’t optional. |
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TREASURE HUNT |
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🔎 Clue #1 - Music Sabi |
Every Sabi Person knows their music. Head to Pressed by The Juice, our music corner. Find this week's playlist and listen closely. The first letter of the first five tracks will spell your next clue. |
Keep it in your pocket. You'll need it later. |
🔎 Clue #2 - Culture Sabi |
Find a story on our website published in August about the highest-grossing director in Nollywood. Here's the test: Who is the person at the centre of the story? Find their name, then take the last letter of their surname. |
That's your next clue. Keep it safe. |
🔎 Clue #3 - Pop Culture Sabi |
Okay, let's see if you actually know your stuff. |
Who said: |
“Black man suffers at home, black man suffers abroad. Black man suffers everywhere, black man likes to suffer.” |
Search through our stories to find out who said this. Hint: it’s a popular Nigerian artist, and the story was published in early July. |
Keep their name in your pocket. |
🔎 Final Clue - Starr Girl |
You've made it this far. So you clearly sabi. But there's one last thing. Ayra Starr has given us the Starr Girl. We're looking for The Juice's Sabi Person. |
Use the riddle below to find one track on Starr Girl. |
I can be carried but never packed, |
I can cry without being sad, |
and I can steal your sleep without knowing your name. |
What am I? |
Send all four answers to thejuice@pulse.ng with the subject line: |
That's it—you've completed this week's hunt! |
Congratulations. You sabi. 🫡 |
You've unlocked The Juice merch + an invitation to our next Creator Collective event + more. |
Welcome to the Sabi Girl Hall of Fame. The Leaderboard will be posted next week! |
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MAIN SQUEEZE |
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Faith Martins knew DÁJÚ would make her famous |
Music comes in waves and in seasons. For emerging artist Faith Martins, music has always been a part of her. Recently, Martins released a snippet of her DÁJÚ single, and it’s been gaining momentum online. |
Her style is soulful Afropop that taps into her indigenous roots, mixing a variety of instruments. DÁJÚ is out now, and she doesn’t hold back with the Yoruba lyrics, talking drums, and rhythm. Long before this, Martins spent her time pushing her music career while working as a backup vocalist for other artists. |
In this interview, she talks about what inspires her music-making, the experiences that have contributed to her artistic growth, and how she doesn’t want to be boxed in the Yorùpop genre. |
When you sit down to write, what inspires you, and how have the musicians you grew up listening to influenced your sound? |
My environment, the people around me, the stories I hear, and my own life experiences inspire me. I draw inspiration from everyday life and allow myself to create from whatever I’m feeling or experiencing at a particular time. |
I didn’t really grow up listening to a specific musician or sound. I think that has also reflected in my music. I just create as it comes to me, and I allow the music to take its own shape. |
The snippet of DÁJÚ caught people's attention and widened your audience. When did you realise something was happening with the song, and what makes it different from your previous music? |
Honestly, I knew DÁJÚ would get people’s attention from the day I recorded it, so I wasn’t necessarily shocked when people started connecting with it. It was more of a “I knew this song was going to kick off” kind of feeling. |
DÁJÚ carries a lot of weight for me. Even the name, DÁJÚ, carries something. There’s a certain energy and identity to the song that feels different, and I think people can feel that too. |
You’ve shared how your friend’s grandmother, whom you adopted as your own, inspired DÁJÚ. What exactly about her inspired the sound of the song? |
Her charisma did, and also how carefully she partially inspired DÁJÚ. I wanted to capture that essence in the song. |
With pop gaining global attention, would you describe your music as Yorùpop, or is it just one part of your sound? Has the attention changed the direction of your music? |
I don’t really like putting myself in a specific genre. I just love to create. I could wake up tomorrow and create something that sounds completely different from DÁJÚ, and I think I want to give myself the freedom to do that. |
I’m more interested in creating music that feels authentic to me than trying to fit into a particular box. |
What has been the hardest part of your music journey so far? Did you ever consider giving up, and what kept you going? |
Hmm, I don’t think I’ve had any particularly difficult moments in my music journey so far. There have definitely been times when I’ve taken a break for a long time, but I’ve never really considered giving up. I think there’s something in me that always brings me back to music. It’s just something I genuinely love doing. |
You’ve contributed vocals to other artists’ records, including Moelogo’s Sorry You Couldn’t Love Me, which was submitted for Grammy consideration. How have those experiences contributed to your career growth? |
It feels really good. It’s one thing to have my vocals on a great record, but it’s another thing to have those vocals recognised, and to be part of something that reaches that level. I feel really honoured to have contributed to records like that, and those experiences have definitely helped me grow. |
Now that DÁJÚ has brought you a growing audience, what do you want them to discover next about Faith Martins? |
New music, definitely. But there’s also so much more to Faith Martins beyond just music. I’m a creative person, and I want people to get to know the different sides of me as I continue to grow. So, expect new music, but also expect everything cool from me. |
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POLL |
Hi! what would you like to read more about? |
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🔪 THE PEEL |
Osupa, Old Records and the Art of Reimagining Classics |
The discourse |
Earlier this week, upcoming act Danpapa GTA released a snippet featuring Fuji musician King Dr. Saheed Osupa. This snippet had Danpapa and the Fuji veteran singing along to a featured collaboration and remake of the Fuji live 3-in-1 track, Endorsement (2007). Everyone seems to be reaching into the archives lately, from Fuji to Juju and Apala genres. |
Danpapa and Osupa’s newly released Dance With Me has us looking back at how emerging artists are reimagining older records and collaborating with established artists. But in revisiting these sounds, are they bringing the same lyrical intention to the table? |
Peeling it back |
Osupa has been a leading Fuji voice from the 90s to the early 2000s, and even till now. His support for the new generation is his way of keeping the Fuji music legacy alive, which is quite admirable, as he readily clears his songs legally for sampling. |
In 2025, upcoming act Rybeena released Dewale, a vocal interpolation and collaborative feature between him and Osupa on his debut album Mr. Bee. Dewale was inspired by Osupa’s chants and ad-libs from his usual live tracks. |
Additionally, in January 2026, Nigerian UK-based musician oSHAMO started the Shina Rampe rave on TikTok, creating the sample from Osupa’s Mr. Music (Ore Niwon) Pt. 3 originally released in 2013. And in March, Nigerian trap artist Kayode also sampled Osupa’s 2005 Reliable Pt. 5 on Aimoye. |
This is not restricted to emerging acts. For instance, Adekunle Gold’s Many People, originally sung by Adewale Ayuba and later by Yinka Ayefele; Asake’s Fuji Vibe interpolated from K1 De Ultimate’s C’mon Look; Wizkid using one of the live opening performances of Wasiu Ayinde on Troubled Mind; and Olamide’s sampling of K1’s Omo Anifowoshe. It has always happened. |
Another Layer |
These remakes work out because nostalgia is powerful. We hear familiar chants, phrases, or beats, and they evoke emotions and quickly resonate with listeners. However, sometimes we have to point out the grey areas. We love the nostalgia, but are the new song versions really worth it? |
The older genres contain lyrical depths that the new generation easily neglects. The problem with these artists borrowing from older records is that younger artists only stick with easy recognition. They are skilled at forming catchy trends and repetitive use of phrases that stick. They use choruses that everyone latches onto, but where is the continual storytelling and narration? |
Take the 2024 reimagination of Styl Plus’ Olufunmi. ID Cabasa featured FireboyDML, Odumodublvck, and Joeboy on that remake. While the newer verses of the featured acts can be accepted as an evolution, Odumodublvck’s “Strike am, pierce am, dagger am” contribution and the use of other questionable sexual innuendos feel particularly far removed from the original song’s yearning, love, and plea for a second chance. |
Compared to Ladipoe featuring Styl Plus on Olufunmi (The Missing Recipe), and Tems' sampling of Seyi Sodimu's Love Me Jeje, the difference is clear. The nostalgia gets us through the door, and the artists use their writing in the new versions. |
The audience isn't far away from the problem, as shorter attention spans have limited the interest of people listening to the >10-minute songs of the past. Additionally, the streaming culture nowadays pushes the creation of shorter-length, feel-good songs. People check out after stumbling upon a dramatic 15-second part of songs blowing up on TikTok. |
What do all parties gain? |
While these could be labeled creative shortcuts for new acts, the alliance is mostly beneficial to all parties involved. For older artists, it means renewed relevance, monetary gains through royalties, and the fulfillment of their work being appreciated by the newer generation. |
For younger acts, it offers recognition, respect, their names written on musical walls, and high streaming numbers, which translate to more stage performances and money earned. For the audience, it offers unique sounds and doses of nostalgia. |
The core |
Danpapa and Osupa’s Dance With Me is another upbeat, dance-ready record with repetitive lyrics that offer little or no depth, but it does exactly what it sets out to do, which is to make people dance. Music is, after all, another form of storytelling. |
Yet artists can do more than borrow from the records that came before them; they can honor what made those records resonate in the first place. In the case of Olufunmi, perhaps that means leaving it undaggered. We’d love to see more artists like Ladipoe and Tems collaborate on old records with lyrically intentional music. |
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🎵 PRESSED BY THE JUICE |
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New music is on the radar again! This week we have Victony’s Starlife album and new songs from FOLA, Dwin The Stoic, Danpapa GTA, and Saheed Osupa. |
Save your favorites, as New Music Box💿 is updated every Friday! |
Do you have a song you’d like us to include? Put us on, reply here. |
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FRESH STATS |
0.07% Out of more than 2,850 stars, Africans represent just 0.07% of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. |
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Today’s email was written by Shalom Tewobola and Ikeoluwa Amonimo, edited by Shalom Tewobola. Designs by: Daniel Banjoko. |
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