Blufunk is a fact!

I was reading this off of the Trace blog and was quite interested. I'm not that on it at all when it comes to Nigerian music, so it was nice to find out some more about one of its originators Keziah Jones. The article is about the musical genre blufunk which was started by the man himself. HIs newest album 'Nigerian Wood' is set to drop this Spring in North America.

First things first, tell us more about yourself?I was born in Nigeria where I lived until I was 8. Then, my parents sent me to boarding school in England. It was there that I was exposed to a lot of British music, Eighties pop, Ska and people like David Bowie, Duran Duran and Japan, people I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to hear in Nigeria. At that time I was also listening to a lot of PFunk- Georges Clinton and the Parliament- and African-American Blues with people like Chuck Berry…

Performing live is very key to you as an artist, can you explain?I started playing on the streets after I left school when I was about 18. First in London then Paris. My performing was very intense, I was singing at the top of my lungs accompanied by my guitar. I felt the necessity of playing outdoor and these experience has definitely shaped my performing style.

What do you think of the recent explosion of a young the Nigerian musical scene?I think it’s great cause when I started, 992, when my first album ‘Blufunk is a fact‘ came out.there wasn’t many Nigerians singers around, Femi (Kuti) wasn’t really around maybe Seal- but he doesn’t really emphasize his Nigerian roots. All these young people have come through and I think it’s a great thing. I mean there’s a template they can use, which is accoustic guitar, political lyrics, Nneka, Asa…And it’s not essentially world music. It’s a great situation because the audience can see there’s more to come out of Nigeria. And at the same time, you have a lot of African-American artists who are incorporating African elements to their music. People like Saul Williams, whose live show is reminiscent of Fela’s performances. There are also the Janelle Monnae , Ebony Bones -from England- and the older cats like Meshell Ndegeocello, The Roots, Badu , D’Angelo, and Mos Def with his rock-afro vibe. We are all interacting, cross colonizing....

If you wanna read more click here for the full Trace Interview