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Legendary Nigerian songstress Onyeka Onwenu passes at 72

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Veteran Nigerian singer, songwriter, actress and politician, Onyeka Onwenu, has passed away shortly after performing at a private birthday party for prominent pharmaceutical entrepreneur, Stella Okoli, in Lagos.

The iconic singer reportedly died on Tuesday night at the Reddington Hospital in Lagos after slumping at the birthday party.

“It is very sad. Onyeka Onwenu just performed at the birthday of Mrs. Stella Okoli today (Tuesday, July 30, 2024), and after performing, she slumped.

“Onwenu was attending a friend’s birthday party when she took to the stage to perform. Shortly after returning to her seat, she suddenly collapsed.

“Emergency responders swiftly arrived and rushed her to the hospital in Victoria Island, where she was later pronounced dead,” the source said.

A multi-talented artist whose career spanned over four decades, Onwenu was not only a singer but also an actress, journalist, and politician.

Her music was a blend of different genres cutting across reggae, pop, highlife and local folklore which she was able to use to address social and political issues.

Born in 1952 in Obosi, Anambra State, Onwenu began her music career in the 1980s and released her debut album, “For the Love of You,” in 1981. She went on to released numerous albums and singles, including the hit song “One Love,” “Iyogogo,” and “Ekwe.”

She was also known for her political activism and was at one time, the chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture and the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Women Development.

As an actress, she featured in top class movies including Half of a Yellow Sun, Lions Heart, among others.

Onwenu was recognized for her contributions to Nigerian society including being awarded the National Honors of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2011.

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Zambian music star Yo Maps cries out over cyberbullying targeting wife, daughter

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Foremost Zambian music star, Elton Mulenga, popularly known as Yo Maps, has cried out over cyberbullying targeting his wife and young daughter.

Yo Maps who filed a case at the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court, accused a Facebook blogger, Elias Musyani, of orchestrating the cyberbullying and hate speech.

The singer who testified before the court, recounted how Musyani targeted his wife, Kidist Kifle, with derogatory names, referring to her as a “prostitute” and a “witch” in multiple social media posts.

He said the online attack also extended to his infant daughter, whom he said Musyani mockingly called “gumugumu”, a local Zambian word for a monitor lizard.

Yo Maps testified that Musyani’s harassment spanned several months, citing an incident on April 20, 2024, where Musyani allegedly posted threats of abduction and rape, claiming he knew the locations of Kidist’s gym and their child’s daycare.

“He said he could come and rape my wife in front of me,” he told the court.

He noted that despite an earlier attempt to resolve the issue amicably, Musyani allegedly continued his attacks, even posting recordings of phone conversations with him.

“In that conversation, he called my wife a prostitute and threatened to send thugs to kidnap my child,” he said, adding that he had preserved evidence of the posts and conversations on his phone and a flash drive.

Zambia Monitor reports that
Musyani faces charges under Zambia’s Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act No. 2 of 2021, which seeks to curb online abuse and protect victims of cyberbullying.

Though he pleaded not guilty, the court denied his plea bargain request, setting the stage for a full trial, as hearing has been adjourned to January 10, 2025, due to technical challenges in accessing audio evidence submitted by Mulenga.

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Rema, Ayra Starr, Tems make Rolling Stone’s Top 100 albums of 2024

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Nigerian music stars, Rema, Tems and Ayra Starr, have been named in Rolling Stone’s Top 100 best albums released in 2024.

A citation on Rolling Stone’s website states that Rema’s second studio album, ‘Heis‘, which secured the 11th spot, was a “unique, buzzy and visceral” project.

“Rema’s sophomore album ‘HEIS’ is the highest-ranked Nigerian album with a number 11 entry after enjoying commercial success that was recently capped by a Grammy nomination for Best Global Album Performance,” the citation said.v

Describing the album, Rolling Stone stated:

“Rema has taken to calling his own style of Afrobeats “Afro-rave,” in the tradition of Burna Boy and the like who have fought to differentiate themselves from what became a catchall for African music in general.

“Yet, there was no real sonic signifier for Rema’s Afro-wave — he seamlessly traverses hip-hop, house, R&B, and dancehall. Heis sounds more like a rave than almost anything Rema has made prior (excluding the excellent loosey “Bounce,” for example, raging while everything else simmers. The result is the buzzy, visceral, sweat-it-out music that no one else in the mainstream is making.”

On Tems, the platform said:

“Tems’ highly anticipated debut album ‘Born In The Wild’ was placed at number 37 following a successful tour and record-breaking Grammy nominations for Best R&B song and Best Global Album.”

Rolling Stone describes thealbum as so rich its listening experience offers both emotional and physical comfort.

“Tems has already remade Nigerian pop in her own image. Her debut album measures the soul work it’s taken to get here. All of it has paid off on an album so rich that the listening experience is a physical one as much as it is emotional.

“Wickedest” is primed for the dance floor, while the single “Love Me Jeje” is a masterpiece, soaked in the sun and major-key dopamine. Her vision is made timeless via a seamless blend of stripped-down ballads, the cool of 1990s R&B with flecks of SWV and Sade, joyous high life, Afro-dance music like amapiano, and rugged hip-hop.”

Writing on Ayra Starr, Rolling Stone said:

“Ayra Starr’s sophomore album ‘The Year I Turned 21’ was praised for being one of the finest Afrobeats projects of 2024 as it comprehensively displays her abilities and ambitions as a global popstar.

“With the follow-up to her 2021 debut, Ayra Starr asserts a musical maturity that could be considered far beyond her years, but perhaps more aptly serves as a reminder of the emotional depth, logical prowess, and enviable passion young people often possess. Across it, Starr refreshes tried-and-true.”

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