For years to come, the history of Ajegunle music signature will continue to honour Mighty Mouse and his crew’s contribution to that organic movement that Nigeria and Africa need, rather than waiting for Grammy, BET, and OSCAR’s endorsements. We are enough with our flavours…
ANOTHER farewell ode to one of us, Comrade John Oboh, popularly known as Mighty Mouse, who just gave us a farewell salute. He was one of the early pioneers of the Ajegunle music movement, rhythm and music. Names like Gala, Sonto, Swo, Ugheli, Jogodo, etc, proudly emanated from Ajegunle because the likes of Might Mouse used their resources and exposure to uplift their community.
The movement and experiment birthed the flavours of the likes of Daddy Fresh, Daddy Showkey, Thunder, Marvelous Benji, Ajegunle Boys, Danfo Boys, Mad Cobra, Prince Joseph, King Wadada, Evergreen and a host of many other greats whose names have escaped my memory. At that time, I was invited by Jake, a music friend, musicologist from the Lagos State College of Education (LACOED), Ijanikin and a keyboardist at the CPM Ministry Maryland, Ikeja.
Jake was the behind-the-scene partner and production man reeling out the vibes at the Jahoha Network Studio. We connected on the scholastic parlance; frequented the Shrine, Kalakuta and other music places before he left Nigeria in the mid-1990s. That was around the time Marvellous Benji and the Danfo Boys’ works began to spring up. Jake invited me several times to their in-house revolutionary production house, the Jahoha Network Studios in the 1990s. These revolutionaries made use of the little resources within their reach to make mighty strides. They simply created their own models.
Jahoha Network was the powerhouse at a location in Wilma, Ajegunle. The movement spread like wildfire around Ajegunle City as well as to Orile, Alaba Suuru, Ajelogo Mile 2, Iba, Volks, Igando, Trade Fair and Amuwo Odofin (other side). Ajegunle locals proudly owned their low-profile life, struggles, communal lifestyle and strife for survival.
In the late 1990s till about the mid-2000s, Makossa and Soukus had come to sweep off a large share of the table of the music scene in many African countries. In terms of music that retained the Nigerian identity, Gala and those Ajegunle vibes were among a few that stood their ground for the Nigerian contemporary music of the time. People were so fed up with rap that the audience couldn’t hear the lyrics. On the other hand, there were those singing hip-hop, which was just a mimicking of Western artists.
For years to come, the history of Ajegunle music signature will continue to honour Mighty Mouse and his crew’s contribution to that organic movement that Nigeria and Africa need, rather than waiting for Grammy, BET, and OSCAR’s endorsements. We are enough with our flavours. At least the Danfo Boys’ song made an international movie based on their flavour. This was when Nigerian acts were doing rap and hip-hop.
May the soul of Mighty Mouse Rest In Peace and continue to make more revolutionary music experiments even in the world beyond.!
Rise on Lion!!!
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