The Cavemen: We sing in Igbo but can’t speak the language

The Cavemen, the Nigerian highlife duo, says singing in Igbo language is the only way they connect with their culture. 

In a chat with Joey Akan, Nigerian music journalist, on Wednesday, the pair revealed that they cannot speak Igbo fluently but can write and sing well in the language. 

“We don’t know how to speak the language but singing in Igbo is the only way we can connect with the culture,” they said. 

“We write our songs ourselves in Igbo but we can’t really speak the language. Sometimes when we encounter problems writing in the language, we call for help.”

The brothers, whose real names are Kingsley Okorie and Benjamin James, said they started out as backup singers for several artists before carving a niche of their own. 

Speaking on how they arrived at their stage name, Okorie said he got the inspiration during his stint at law school in Kano state.

“I was in Kano during my days at law school, when the name just dropped on me. I think my experience at the law school just inspired the name,” he said.

“When I got back home, I told my brother about it and he accepted it and we started using the name.”

The highlife duo officially started music in 2018 and released their debut single, ‘Osondu’ in 2020. They also dropped  ‘Roots’, their first album, in August the same year.

Last month, they released ‘Love and Highlife’, their sophomore album, featuring Cobham Asuquo, Made Kuti, Etuk Obong, and PC Lapez.