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Nigerian-American artist Adetokunbo ‘Toks’ Adegbuyi has released his latest song.
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Translated from Yoruba as ‘talk to me,’ Adegbuyi’s “Bamisoro” is an exotic-sounding affair, with rich instrumentation which crosses between Wizkid’s Made in Lagos and the rappers he grew up listening to.
Riding the bubbly percussion, Adegbuyi settles into a warm groove as he sings about a love interest. His melodic rapping is charged by his affectionate lines which switch between English and Yoruba. “Wanna make love to your mind…Open up your eyes see the sunshine,” he smoothly offers.
In his evocation of a relationship’s early days, Adegbuyi succeeds in capturing the keen-eyed optimism of a romantic, the exuberant emotions that comes with falling in love and falling hard. Accompanied by colorful guitars and air-rippling horns, he’s a tender lover, with flowers and a beautiful song.
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Born in Chicago, Illinois, Toks Adegbuyi was exposed to diverse influences. His father was Nigerian and his mother was American. When his father passed, a young Adegbuyi learnt to take charge of his affairs and emotions. Writing songs was especially helpful, offering a therapeutic escape.
Toks’ musical influences come from rappers such as 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G and Snoop Dogg. Jermaine Dupri, Dr. Dre and Fela Kuti were other great artists he grew up listening to. In his fusionist sound, Adegbuyi pairs genres such as afrobeats, afro-cuban, hip hop, R&B and Jazz into one eclectic whole.
“Bamisoro” shows that Adegbuyi has mastered a sound that is recognizably African and yet reaches far across the globe in search of other sonic experiences. It will serve as a pathway to the release of his forthcoming body of work currently in the works. The super-talented rapper plans on releasing breathtaking records from time to time, initiating every true lover of good music to the ‘Toks’ clan.
We’ve actually had different sounds over the years in the Nigerian music sphere but Adegbuyi is simply unique, his sound has been described by many fans as a fusion of Afrobeats and Hip-Hop, a quality addition to the music industry.
‘Bamisoro’ is now available on all digital streaming platforms.
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