Rapper Black Magic should have a major headache but he claims to be unperturbed.
The upcoming album of self-acclaimed Mama Africa, Yemi Alade, is named after him. It will be the third studio album of Alade, who has fans in both Anglophone and Francophone African countries.
While both Nigerian acts, Alade and Black Magic, are far from competition in terms of genre, the ‘Black Magic’ album would connect them for a long time, and perhaps have some effect on their careers.
Why should Black Magic be worried?
Alade, who bears the moniker ‘That Yoruba-Igbo girl’ owing to her inter-ethnic family, has toured wide on the continent in the past few years.
It also doesn’t help that she’s among the biggest African artistes at the moment and that she sings in French and English.
The video for her breakout single ‘Johnny’ has more YouTube views than any other Nigerian entertainer. The number is 79 million.
But all that doesn’t faze Black Magic; it’s just an album title after all.
Since the announcement of her upcoming body of work, the ‘Johnny’ singer has extensively hyped ‘Black Magic’ in what may seem like an attempt to own it.
With her clout, influence, fanbase and the social media push of the album, she just may. There’s also the prospect of a potential popularity of ‘Black Magic’, and it would most likely surface on the weekly Google Trends.
Soon enough ‘Yemi Alade Black Magic’ would be among the most searched terms — and it won’t be a collaboration between both artistes.
“There’s too much Black Magic out there for me to be worried,” the rapper, born Efemena Mukoro, told TheCable Lifestyle when asked about his thoughts on the use of his stage name.
So, why isn’t he ruffled?
His bullish indifference might perhaps be backed by a belief in his strong musical identity and in the authenticity of his sound. Since 2013, Black Magic has consistently, hardly swaying, dished out songs laced with his own interpretation of the Afrobeat genre.
He creates wavy, timeless music and has made back to back hits including ‘Tomorrow’, ‘Repete’ while some of his slangs have become everyday Nigerian lingo.
Black Magic also has a sizeable cult following ready to lap up his songs whenever he puts them out.
His fans would hope that ‘Wonder’, his latest single with American act Fetty Wap, can help the rapper withstand the coming storm.
Blackmagic birthed the Alte, wavy, vibes scene. He doesn't get enough credit but man did the damn thing.
— T. Rankïn' ∆ (@AfroVII) November 2, 2017
Blackmagic was it, but mainstream has a way of pushing you out in 🇳🇬
Fear the same thing is happening to boj 🙁
— Mosa'a (@phemmie_forbes) November 2, 2017
Yemi Alade on why she chose ‘Black Magic’
“Black Magic is all about unleashing your deepest and greatest potential,” she told Goldmyne TV.
“I believe there’s a piece of magic in all of us and magic is the manifestation of the impossible.
“The other reason why I put ‘black’ in front of ‘magic’ is because for a long time the word ‘black’ has been expressed in the light of negativity but I’m black, strong and this is my story. That’s why I named it Black Magic.”
As Black Magic now means two important things — a rapper and an album title — in the music industry, Sybill Trelawney’s prophecy comes to mind; “either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives”.
It’s bad enough that when you Google ‘Black Magic’, the first and most prominent result is a 2015 song by British girl group Little Mix.
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