Sadly, one of the prominent founders of hip hop in Nigeria has just passed, but his songs will remain evergreen. Olanrewaju Lasisi, popularly known as Sound Sultan, died at the age of 44.
He was born in Jos on November 27, 1976, has a wife, Chichi Morah, and three children, a girl and two boys.
Sound Sultan’s songs cannot be classified in one genre as they can be categorized under Hip hop, reggae, R&B, and afrobeat.
His remarkable effect on his songs makes it impossible to forget. His songs go deeper than an everyday afrobeat we hear these days and they hold meanings.
Sound Sultan has produced songs, and outshined his peers with rap. He is a great actor as well, which can be seen in most of his music videos.
Here are some of his evergreen songs;
Motherland
His song, Motherland, was meant for Nigerians in the diaspora, according to him. He sang the song to remind them that there is no place like home. “Ajo o da bi ile”. The song was released in 2016 from his album, “Out of the box”.
Kokose
This song featured popular afrobeat singer, Wizkid. It was released in 2013, from the album, “Me, My mouth & Eye”. This was a banger and it confirms the versatility of Sound Sultan. It was set in a club, featuring pretty ladies like Adunni Ade, Yvonne Jegede, and comedians, Princess and Onyebuchi Ojieh.
Mathematics
Sound Sultan has proven countless times how a message can be passed across without swear words or war. His song “Mathematics” was strategically crafted to speak about the government and everything happening in the country. In his own way, he created new meanings to BODMAS, with each letter stating an important meaning. According to him, B means Brotherhood, O means Objectivity, D means Democracy, M means Modification, A means Accountability and S means Solidarity. He played the role of a teacher in the music video.
Natural Something
Once again, this legend proved he is a jack of many genres when “Natural something” was released. In his own creative way, he explained how natural it is for men to follow women, use everything in their power to woo a lady even when she is not interested. The music video showed a therapy section featuring notable celebrities like Basket mouth, Ik Osakioduwa, Baba Dee, Chidi Mokeme, Ty Mix and Dj Jimmy Jatt. It was released in 2013.
Orobo
This hilarious song featuring singer Flavour N’Abania and Xcel, was released in 2013 from the album, “Me, My mouth & Eye”. It was a song mainly for plus-sized women.
Bushmeat
How do we appreciate Sound Sultan’s work of art without the song “Bushmeat”? It’s like a slap to his art. The song “Bushmeat” was released in 2008. A great reminder to the time when music videos were well invested in, the time, energy, craft, scripts were all perfected. Even with the low camera quality, “Bushmeat” said its message. “One day, bushmeat go catch the hunter…” This song has so many meanings to it. However, it clearly depicts the pain people go through at the hands of their oppressors. Oppressors could be anything, the police, government or anyone with the power. The song featured legend and afrobeat singer, Tuface Idibia.
