Tiwa Savage, her ‘49-99’ single & its Fela roots

Tiwa Savage went on a social media break for a few months. It is typical of serious artists. Now that we have entered the month of completion, September, the singer has made a blasting return to the spotlight with a potent piece of work: 49-99; a numeric title, it carries a great amount of power […]

Tiwa Savage went on a social media break for a few months. It is typical of serious artists. Now that we have entered the month of completion, September, the singer has made a blasting return to the spotlight with a potent piece of work: 49-99; a numeric title, it carries a great amount of power and meaning.

49-99 stems from the pioneer of the Afrobeat genre, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. In one of his most powerful songs, Suffering and Smiling, with his lyrical pidgin, he expresses the gruesome happenings and dealings Nigerians experience daily.

As soon as September arrived, Tiwa Savage embarked on a media tour to promote her 49-99 single. One of her stops included TooXclusive; the popular pan-African music website.

49-99 was coined by the godfather of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti, – “49 sitting 99 standing/suffering and smiling. For non-Nigerians, there is a bus called Molue and it has 49 seats. So instead of 49 people sitting to commute, there will be 49 sitting and double the number standing, hanging; a reflection of the economy and the imbalances between the rich and the masses.

Fela sang, “49 sitting, 99 standing/dem go pack demselves in like sardine/dem dey faint, dem dey wake like cock/dem go reach house, water no dey/dem go reach bed, power no dey/dem go reach road, go-slow go come/dem go reach road, police go slap/dem go reach road, army go whip/dem go look pocket, money no dey/dem go reach work, query ready…”

In the interview with TooXclusive, she said, “49-99, even though when you first listen to it, it is a great record. It’s one that you can zanku to, you can dance to, but I wanted my first global single to also have a message that we are suffering and smiling. Music is a powerful tool, and I wanted a title where there are conversations starting ‘What is 49-99?’”

The video for 49-99 showcases the daily lives of Nigerians; the masses, the elite and there is the ode to ancestral awareness, in the style of Medusa.

So far, a well-received record, with billboards all over the world, there is a great chance that with 49-99, Tiwa Savage will spark a new direction in the genre of Afrobeat.