Jùjú
Located in 2 routes
Jùjú is Yoruba popular music built from praise singing, talking drums, guitars, shekere, call-and-response and long dance-party structures. Its grooves are more rolling and layered than short pop singles, often stretching into medleys that name patrons, offer blessings and sustain social events. Steel guitar, electric guitar webs and percussion conversation give classic jùjú its shimmer. The music is celebratory, spiritual, social and deeply tied to Yoruba identity.
History
Jùjú developed in Lagos and southwestern Nigeria from palm-wine guitar, Yoruba drumming, Christian and Islamic social life, praise poetry and urban nightlife. I.K. Dairo modernized and popularized the style, Ebenezer Obey and King Sunny Adé became giants, and Adé's Island Records releases introduced jùjú to many international listeners in the 1980s. Later artists and live bands kept it central to weddings, parties and praise occasions.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Yoruba popular music histories
- jùjú discographies
- reissue catalogs
- artist and streaming catalog checks