- By Gugulethu Nkwanyana
Feeling left out because your ‘Shaku Shaku’ skills are way below average? or worse, you’ve never heard of it?
Don’t worry. I got you and by the end of this article, if nothing at all, you will at the very least know just when to get down using the ‘Shaku Shaku’ and I can tell you now that it’s all about the rhythm.
Some see the ‘Shaku Shaku’ as the Nigerian street translation of South African’s gqom wave that saw the gwara gwara go viral in 2017. Others have called it the ‘Nigerian Gangam style’ because of its very similar movements to that of PSY’s hit single! It is clearly a genius fusion of continental dance moves. In my opinion, it’s a vibey street dance to sounds that are a fusion of house, afrobeats and gqom!
Like everything else, there’s got to be someone who ‘did it first’. In this case, there are a few pioneers for this new street music and dance craze and it’s only right that I get you familiar with some:
Olamide – WO!
Olamide aka Baddo, one of Nigeria’s biggest musicians and record label heads, was one of the first to jump on the Shaku Shaku train, taking it mainstream.
He dropped this 2017 hit single ‘WO’! In September last year with a music video filled with street dancers, complete with face paintings and unmissable costumes. The music video, much like the song, celebrates street culture.
The YBNL boss has shown massive support for this street dance culture not just with his latest single ‘Science Student’ but also majorly at his popular annual concert Olic4 at which he showcased underground / upcoming acts like Slimcase, Mr Real and others.
Mr Real – Legbegbe
It was a normal day in Nigeria when news broke that movie producer, Sean Egbegbe had been arrested for stealing iPhones at a local computer store.
Obviously, this came as a shock to all as we all tried to wrap our heads around the ridiculousness of it. While we struggled with that, one man saw an opportunity to create what would become a viral tune in Nigeria and other West African countries. His name? Mr Real!.
Mr Real called this ‘Legbegbe’ which means ‘Side by Side’ or ‘On the side’ and features Idowest of DKW (Dammy Krane’s Worldstar INC.), Obadice and Kelvin Chuks, it is a hard track to miss.
These are not all. Idowest’s ‘Omoshepeteri’, Naira Marley’s ‘Issa Goal’ and Slimcase’s ‘Oshozondi’ are amongst some of the early starters of the ‘Shaku Shaku’ vibe.
Am I saying you would know how to Shaku Shaku after watching these songs? Not exactly, but you’ll get the vibe. Additionally, check out this clear step by step tutorial video from Chop Daily, of how to be a Shaku Shaku Master.
The industry is a hard game to get into but if there is a bandwagon, jump into it and you might just make it…
We Soko Afrika 