NewStats: 3,262,191 , 8,176,394 topics. Date: Sunday, 01 June 2025 at 09:23 AM 6a1wn

There was a reggae music boom in Nigeria in the 1980s and 1990s. It was used as one of the vehicles in the fight against military rule in Nigeria and apartheid in South Africa. These are some of the biggest Nigerian reggae songs of the 1980s and 1990s. You can add more.

naptu2:
It's just a pity that the audio quality is not perfect. The treble is too much and there's not enough bass. I really want you to hear the bass.


This song began the reggae protest era in Nigeria. The bass was fantastic and the lyrics were incredible.


"The people suffer power starvation,
The people suffer social opression,
Those who know it suffer deportation,
There is. . . no justice in the City called Sodom.


Tell me, if you know the city called Sodom.
Tell me, if you know the city called Sodom.


Sometimes people struggle without food,
Elders *** *** ** in this great land,
Youths too strong, our women surrender,
Those who work hard * *** poor men,
There is, corruption in the city called Sodom".


You must listen to the lyrics of this song.

Tera Kota - Lamentations For Sodom (1984).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0w3fT2G3Gg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3gCYqVWYBM

naptu2:
Evi Edna Ogholi - Obaro (1988).



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMKBrAN1I1U

naptu2:
The original (with the original video).


Evi Edna Ogholi - Obaro (1988).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr9trp7LxbI

Yoyo Ovi covered this song in 2019

naptu2:


Majek Fashek - Send Down The Rain (1988)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwoOzGqjxDI

Original video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG8ah2brrTw

naptu2:
Ras Kimono - What A Gwan?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFRpg8fA8Xc

naptu2:
The anticipation and expectation in that song is just out of this world. Every note is perfect. What makes it extra special is the fact that it is message music (the lyrics are perfect).

(I'm not going to post the chorus. I'll skip it)


Dun dun du dum
Dun dun du dum

♫Here we come again, in another style.
And this ah one is a rat race style.
Here we come again it is not just another song.
Rat race style is a crucial style.

We're coming live and direct,
just to make you feel ire.
Oh it's a Rastaman style eh,
come make we listen to the lyrics.

They say I'm talking politics
but I'm singing reality,
for the suffering of the masses,
so my brother I'm feeling so right.


Situation getting worse
only the poor feel the pain,
the fury falls on them,
don't close your eyes to reality.♪

Chorus

This is my favourite part.

♫Oh what a bad situation!
Only the rich and the strongest nations survive
They devise evil things that their money could buy
only the rich nations would live to see that the others would die.

They don't feel any guilty!
They keep sending their guns for you to die!
To make the world so hard,
for no reason every season
what a shameless race, Jah knows,
where they really heading to.♪

Yes, I know you've heard it many times before, but I'll say it again. Peggy looks so much like Ruth Benemaisia!

There's a clip of the Koko Port Toxic Waste Scandal in this video (just before Victor sings, "They don't feel any guilty" )


I wish I had a video with better audio quality (this has VHS quality). You need to hear the bass and treble properly.

The Mandators - Rat Race (1988).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjeUJt_tunU

naptu2:


A this a rat race style yeah,
Them a fi make me suffer,
In a them rat race style yeah,
Them a fi make me suffer,
In this a rat race style, yeah
There's no hope for survival
In a them rat race style yeah,
Them a fi make we shiver.


Many people in the world,
Are struggling for survival,
Trying to earn a living,
But the *** are just too strong

The rich keep getting richer,
And poor are getting poorer
Their life is getting harder
And the tension is rising so high


Oh what a great tribulation
(WATCH OUT!)
You've got to get up and fight the survival battle!
They keep sucking our blood,
They make you **** fools
They really wish to live
To see that we have no strength
(You better know now).

We know them a guilty
They keep chaining underprivileged people
Jah Jah will surely **** *** ***
From this great tribulation
The wicked prove too strong,
But still, they all will die.

In them a rat race style yeah,
There's no second and the third class citizens
In them a rat race style yeah
There's no second and the third ****
In them a rat race style yeah,
Only the fittest and the **** survive
In this a rat race style yeah
From this century to next century
Them are running round round


Oh rat race!
Oh rat race!
Oh rat race!
Oh hopelessness!


This has better audio quality, though it's not the original video (and it's a little slower).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dza48YoHx-I

Orits Wiliki - Fight The Fire (1989)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y-TWcvxPaE

naptu2:



Chris Hanen - Mandela (c1989)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51KYGs20DbA

Peterside Ottong - Where Are The Prophets? (1989)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQrD6nbkl-Q


Original video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrWCDQP79qs

Daniel Wilson - Mr Ragamuffin (1991).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SVX-VKfysk

Alex Zito - Tickle Me (1989)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36BoUapaZW0

Original video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzVXxfpLPmc

naptu2:
Evi Edna Ogholi - Ririovara (1988)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGYAkNidGi0

Original video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmnESSta_Rs

naptu2:
Majek Fashek - Religion Na Politics (1989)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w013dh5VPHY

Ras Kimono - Under Pressure



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn7P9nlYhBE

naptu2:


Ras Kimono - Under Pressure. (original video).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggQeRqqIEZM

Mandators - Rise To The Top (1987)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T0qTSRiU2s


Original video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnqKRogSadg

Chris Hanen - Ozigizaga (1989)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRegy0oo3rw

Daniel Wilson - Original Bad Boy (1992)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB4nMgWZyyE

Alex Zito - Baby Wlakolombo (1991)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItJftQeculU


Original video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHwZRjaOZjA

naptu2:
Gosh! I can't believe that I forgot to post this song!

This song was originally done by the jamaican reggae group Black Uhuru in 1983, but I'm not going to post a video of that version because Black Uhuru are not nigerians. It was written by Michael Rose. The chorus of this version goes:

Guess who's coming to dinner, Natty Dreadlock

.


The song was covered by Dr Alban in 1997. He featured Grammy Award winner Michael Rose, who is a former member of Black Uhuru and who wrote the original song. This song was not as big a hit as Hello Africa or It's My Life, but I think it's probably Dr Alban's best song. The chorus of this version goes:

Guess who's coming to dinner, Carolina.

Dr Alban ft Michael Rose - Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (Carolina) (1997).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaTJ3LQ8TrM


In 2009, Dr Alban did. . .a very nigerian version of the song with his cousin Charly Boy and Dekumzey. The chorus of this version goes:

(Charly Boy) "Guess who dey come my house, Carolina".
(Dr Alban) "Na di girl I dey chyke for a long time"

.

Dr Alban ft Charly Boy - Carolina (2009).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8YMs-a6n4Q

This is not the song that I originally wanted to post. Daddy Fresh was popular in the early and mid-1990s and he released a song in which he featured an unknown singer. That singer later had a massive hit and his name is Daddy Showkey. That was in 1993. However, I can't the title of that song, so I'll post this other song by Daddy Fresh.


Daddy Fresh - Eleru Gberu e (1994)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEdt9sU0Sxs

Daddy Showkey - Ghetto Soldier (1994)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pNAY3vZ5s0

Bonus track

This is a bonus track because it was released before 1980.

naptu2:
Do you know that there is an even funkier version of Mother and Child? Yes there is. I posted it on this thread a few years ago, but it is no longer on YouTube.

You see, there are many versions of Sonny Okosun's songs. He sometimes released a version in one country and another version in another country.

Take this song for example. This version below is the version that was released in the US. It is the first version that I heard. There is another slightly more upbeat version that was often played on Nigerian radio and TV, but that version annoys me.


Guess who produced this version. Eddie Grant! Not only did Eddie Grant produce this version, but he also played guitar on it.

(I am still considering if I should post West Indian tracks. Bunnie Mack tempted me to post Sugar Bum Bum and this track is tempting me to post Eddie Grant songs, but they are not Africans).


Sonny Okosun - Fire in Soweto (1977)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMrzwg6OucI

You can add more songs. I'll be back with more later.

Nice. Waiting to see if Orits Wiliki's Tribulation and Ten Commandments will make this list.

When life was so sweet.

Your threads are always educational, naptu. Thank you.

Send down the rain by Majek Fashek for me. the song is spiritual

naptu2 I'm very sorry to say this but I feel you are very wicked man...

You can ask me how and I will explain

I see some topics and immediately know that It could only be naptu2.

I've ed most of these songs


Evi's sound is ageless.

That is when music voice out for the voiceless. God bless all our old musicians for their service to humanity.
Indomie generation how far? They will skip this

Oritz Wiliki

Tracks

Ambush
Ten commandments
Rain drops
Tribulation
Judgement day
Heart of stone
Religion is politics
Fight the fire.

Whatagwam
Chaiiiii, I really miss d oldies, when we had prophets
Abeg, anybody fit enter aso rock but not dis one
Abeg baba need pampers and sleeping pills

Jah Rastafari , Haile Selassie
Let the name of Jah be praised