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Song Story Series (SSS) Ep 1
the first edition of this series, we'll be looking at a song that has achieved 'Anthem Status' in Nigeria's pop scene.
Iya Basira by Styl Plus
CC: @DrOlufunmilayo
1/ https://twitter.com/KingBaba_Josh/status/1264311916924723201
the first edition of this series, we'll be looking at a song that has achieved 'Anthem Status' in Nigeria's pop scene.
Iya Basira by Styl Plus
CC: @DrOlufunmilayo
1/ https://twitter.com/KingBaba_Josh/status/1264311916924723201
The song is a about addiction to a meal from a roadside makeshift restaurant, aka Buka. Y'all already know that already, however there are some parts you might have missed. They'll be revealed shortly 
Meanwhile, Styl Plus need no introduction.
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Meanwhile, Styl Plus need no introduction.
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Shifi, Tunde and Zeal, They were an R&B/Pop group, arguably the best the nation's Music Industry has ever had. Known for their amazing song writing and vocal presentations, they ruled airwaves for long, and legit could make girls cry with their performances, no exaggerations.
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Breaking into the scene with Olufunmi, Call my name, Runaway, and Stay alive, before going on later to release their Expressions album to positive critical acclaim. This song is from that album, and this will not be the last song of Styl Plus in this series, I tell you!
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People started predicting their split. Afterall, Remedies (a trio of Eedris, Tony Tetuila and Eddy Montana), Plantashun Boiz, had split due to internal squabbling. But Styl Plus were bullish. In the album Back and Better, they sang the legendary "4 years" stating their Unity.
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That song has gone on to be the graduation anthem of Nigeria University Students.
But less than 4 years later they split. Actually there is still a "Styl Plus" but Tunde has gone solo with the name, Tdot ( @TundeTDot. @tundeakinsanmi )leaving only Shifi and Zeal.
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But less than 4 years later they split. Actually there is still a "Styl Plus" but Tunde has gone solo with the name, Tdot ( @TundeTDot. @tundeakinsanmi )leaving only Shifi and Zeal.
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I can start talking of factors that led to their decline and split, but that is not why we are here 
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Let's talk about "Iya Basira!"
Grab your popcorns.
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.Let's talk about "Iya Basira!"
Grab your popcorns.
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In the beginnin of the song, there's a little skit.
You hear people quarrelling with each other just to be the first to get food. Some of the heard speeches
"get out from my way"
"madam let me have my food please"
Then someone, probably a first timer
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You hear people quarrelling with each other just to be the first to get food. Some of the heard speeches
"get out from my way"
"madam let me have my food please"
Then someone, probably a first timer
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to the makeshift restaurant (hereinafter referred to as Buka), exclaims in pidgin,
"o boy na wa o, o boy this food sweet no be small o"
Roughly translated as "Wow. This food is really good"
Then the song officially starts.
The first singer/narrator, I think Shifi
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"o boy na wa o, o boy this food sweet no be small o"
Roughly translated as "Wow. This food is really good"
Then the song officially starts.
The first singer/narrator, I think Shifi
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Tells his listeners about a Buka he likes to visit, the food is so good it'd blow your mind. He doesn't know how Iya Basira cooks her food so good, but he has heard rumours that she uses charms. However, he instantly jumps to her defence by stating that, that is not so
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The chorus enters, it's in pidgin English.
And it's actually a plea. The narrator is asking for help. According to him, Iya Basira has cast a spell on him. The way he loves her food so much, he doesn't even eat his mother or his girlfriend's food like that.
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He says IB will get him killed, the rate at which he is addicted to her meals is alarming.
But how did this food addiction start?
Narrator, let's call him Styl, says one day, he thought about going to see a friend of his, Sunday, whom he had not seen for a while.
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But how did this food addiction start?
Narrator, let's call him Styl, says one day, he thought about going to see a friend of his, Sunday, whom he had not seen for a while.
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Upon getting there, his friend had passed out drunk but his younger brother was sober. Now Sunday's younger brother suggests to Styl, that they should just take a stroll round the area. He states that unbeknownst to him he was strolling to his burial
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During this stroll, they reach this location where people board buses to Oshodi (Lagos State), by the side of the road was this buka. Sunday's Bro introduced the place as Iya Basira was aka "Iya Bas", & he ordered Rice with Beans & meat for both of them with sachet water.
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Styl snides that he couldn't even order mineral (soft drinks).
Well according to him, he wanted to manage the food like that, but before he knew it, he had ordered a 2nd, 3rd & 4th round
and he wasn't stopping. Then he begins to wonder what Iya Basira has served him.
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Well according to him, he wanted to manage the food like that, but before he knew it, he had ordered a 2nd, 3rd & 4th round
and he wasn't stopping. Then he begins to wonder what Iya Basira has served him. 15/
The chorus where he's asking for help comes in again, and this time it's with greater intensity. After the chorus, someone tells the narrator
"Long throat na food go kill you" and he replies
"oga mi no be so"
"I know. na food go kill you"
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"Long throat na food go kill you" and he replies
"oga mi no be so"
"I know. na food go kill you"
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Styl our narrator returns. Some weeks have passed ever since he found I.B. He asks his listeners if they think he's joking. His addiction has reached critical levels to the extent that when he's broke he goes as far as stealing from his friends just to buy IB's rice
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His relationship with his girlfriend is also negatively affected. On her birthday, they were supposed to hangout, but he didn't know when he moved passed the place where he was supposed to meet his bae because the only thing on his mind was IB's palm oil stew .
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Ah! . These occurrences (stealing to buy food and abandoning his girlfriend, and other occurrences not mentioned) gets him confused. If it's a spell, he has never seen one this efficacious before, he doesn't care if people are angry because of his addiction either.
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. These occurrences (stealing to buy food and abandoning his girlfriend, and other occurrences not mentioned) gets him confused. If it's a spell, he has never seen one this efficacious before, he doesn't care if people are angry because of his addiction either.19/
There are that IB is fetish, but he doesn't care. He knows he will go again and order for multiple rounds of food, and when he has exhausted his cash, he'll wonder what Iya Basira has fed him.
Chorus enters, and he utters in Yoruba, "Oti sunmi", meaning I'm tired.
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Chorus enters, and he utters in Yoruba, "Oti sunmi", meaning I'm tired.
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In the last verse.
You can imagine Styl as a junkie. Only that his addiction is not on drugs, but IB's food.
Efforts to help him have not yielded any fruit, thus his gf breaks up, his mother breaks all contact with him, everyone has labelled him insane. His life is a mess.
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You can imagine Styl as a junkie. Only that his addiction is not on drugs, but IB's food.
Efforts to help him have not yielded any fruit, thus his gf breaks up, his mother breaks all contact with him, everyone has labelled him insane. His life is a mess.
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Styl then decides to seek help, but he doesn't go to a therapist neither does he go to a spiritual house. He goes to the police! That he needs help, IB should be arrested and questioned. So a policeman is assigned to follow him there and there ensues...
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That he needs help, IB should be arrested and questioned. So a policeman is assigned to follow him there and there ensues...22/
the most beautifully written rhythmic pidgin dialogue ever in Nigeria Music Industry, (you don't have to argue with your keypads or ancestors. Argue with me, I go answer you ) it's a pity I have to narrate what was said in English
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) it's a pity I have to narrate what was said in English 23/
Officer gets there sees the large number of people queuing up just to be served and asks for the owner of the Buka. She comes out to answer him, and he starts questioning her.
He first asks what she gives to her customers that's causing all the commotion in front.
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He first asks what she gives to her customers that's causing all the commotion in front.
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She replies that there's nothing.
"the food wey I dy cook, na God dy make am Good"
The officer is having none of it. What nonsense! So God comes down from heaven to cook the food. Does she take him for a fool? Does she not use charms to cook and attract customers?
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"the food wey I dy cook, na God dy make am Good"
The officer is having none of it. What nonsense! So God comes down from heaven to cook the food
. Does she take him for a fool? Does she not use charms to cook and attract customers? 25/
To the extent that they can kill just to eat her food.
In order to be sure, he tells her to serve him some food to confirm the rumours he has been hearing. What does he order?
"Gimme fufu 90 naira plus that soup wey dy draw" (probably Ewedu since its Lagos or Ogbono).
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In order to be sure, he tells her to serve him some food to confirm the rumours he has been hearing
. What does he order? "Gimme fufu 90 naira plus that soup wey dy draw" (probably Ewedu since its Lagos or Ogbono).
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He tastes the food, is wowed. He exclaims his approval
"Chai! Correct! This food sweet no be small".
But it doesn't end there. He even apologises advance that he is still going to order for more.
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"Chai! Correct! This food sweet no be small"
.But it doesn't end there. He even apologises advance that he is still going to order for more.
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Iya Basira steps in with smiles with more food for the officer saying no worries and serves it to him. Officer immediately sends the complaints away and declares
"CASE DISMISSED!"
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"CASE DISMISSED!"
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In last chorus Styl exclaims, "Mogbe" (exclamation of shock), "Egba mi o" (help me), "shey na me be this o" (could this be me), "wahala! this na palaver" (this is trouble).
The songs ends with an air of hopelessness. Dude is hooked for life.
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The songs ends with an air of hopelessness. Dude is hooked for life.
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Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Like I said they were an R&B trio, fondly dubbed as the African "Boyz to Men." Their songs were always in English with a touch of yoruba here and there.
But Iya Basira saw another side, a comical and hood themed style.
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But Iya Basira saw another side, a comical and hood themed style.
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Yet they wrote the song so well.
You listen to songs like this and wonder where good well written "mainstream" Nigerian music went.
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You listen to songs like this and wonder where good well written "mainstream" Nigerian music went.
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Please follow me. I follow back. And I'll be doing more write-ups, not only in music, but in history also.
Thank you.
Also tag your Styl Plus loving pals
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Thank you.
Also tag your Styl Plus loving pals
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