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I love introducing new and cool segments to the blog. This year I’ll be introducing a recurring segment by Ebangha Njang who will be picking her Top Camer hits of the entire year. We think it wpould be a great way to encourage other artists to work hard and strive for recognition. I am most excited about this collaboration because Ebangha is well respected in the music industry and has got some fantastic taste. Plus I am bound to discover a good few artists I’d never heard of! Here’s her Camer 2015 in music review. Let us know if you agree with her list! 😉
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As we get closer to the end of the year, we can’t deny the fact that this was a very good year for Cameroonian music in Africa and in the diaspora. We are steadily getting there. Thank God! Actually, I have been approached by some blogs to give my list of Top Camer Songs of the year but i declined. All these other blogs have mostly Cameroonians as followers ( in and out of Cameroon).I believe if we wanna go further we need to tackle other nationalities too. I love diversity. ABY (Art Becomes You) actually is a fashion blog and has a lotta foreign followers, thus a great opportunity to explore. Music is for every ear and good music will always make it no matter what. I wish i could do a Top 40 but there was space for only 10, I just had to add 2 more!! So here we go, my Top 12 Camer Songs of the year!
Now, before all the so-called “rap heads” & “music moguls” start the criticisms; I’m not saying I’m an expert but mind you that the songs I chose are not about; popularity (you might not know most of my choices but they are what you should know lol) or are they my personal favorites or about “numbers” but are songs that I believe if an outsider (someone not from Cameroon) listens to will make us proud. They will be like, “Wow! This song is it! Cameroon has it!” Am i making sense?
Let me add and make something CLEAR. I personally don’t believe selling records make you a great artist or makes a song a great song. What the artist creates, the masterpiece, originality and uniqueness surrounding a song makes me see the song as DOPE. I seriously dislike the fact that most people today tend to consider a song “good” by how many youtube views it has, or soundcloud plays. No! I focus on the originality, rhythm and feel. That’s why i will NOT include any covers or anything that doesn’t sound Camer enough (to me). And, this is not about the producers or video directors of the videos of the songs. It’s about the artists and the songs! It’s all about the 237 vibe.
Enough explanation lol. With that said, lemme count down the Top 12 Camer Songs of this year (according to me) & in NO PARTICULAR ORDER.
1- SERIOUSLY by Cool Kid
In my opinion, this song needs to win a GRAMMY!
The rhythm, originality and the use of lingo that every Cameroonian (be it Francophone, Anglophone and street thugs) can relate to.
In #Seriously the CIM RECORDS artist said “Dat tchombe na kolo. Ma last doe na fap shi” meaning “The outfit is a 1000frs but the only money I have on me is 500frs” but he needs it. ( I’m sorry I might not be spot on with the translation but I’ll try to make sense outta it lol.) Which Cameroonian has not gone through that situation? Not to quote the whole song but the song is originality at its finest!
Then the video is the most creative piece of work I’ve seen from Cameroon so far. You have to watch over and over to put the concept together in your head and when you finally get it, you breathe in and smile lol.
#Seriously to me is one of the Top from Cameroon this 2015.
Watch #Seriously by Cool Kid here & agree.
2- FEEL ME by Askia
Yes, Askia! Most people (including me) know her as a hard core and attitude-having rapper and never expected something this heart warming and dope from Askia. #FeelMe is not the song to listen to once and like it. You need to replay and by the third listen you are in love. It becomes a drug. You need to rape the “Replay” button! The MUTUMBU RECORDS artist is one of the best femcees from the 237, in my opinion. Her attitude and style is so right. #FeelMe is a soft song and that’s what makes it unique. It’s about a female really thanking God for the man in her life, confessing her love and endearment. The song has a reggae flow to it but still 237 ish to me. I can’t go on no more! I really pray they shoot a video for #FeelMe.
3- NA YOU by Reniss featuring Shey
Okay!!! Before anyone reads this I’d love y’all to go listen to “NA YOU” before proceeding. In my opinion, this should be the wedding song of the year! From its originality, to Reniss’ voice, to the beats, the feel of it and all. I see why Reniss is New Bell Music’s first lady. She outdid herself on this!! This song is what you call an African tune. Every African can vibe to it and relate without even understanding what she’s saying. “Na You be the one” is enough understanding lol. Then the video is so in place; very original and the feel of growing up or living in Africa. Shey made the song more spectacular but Reniss is just a nightingale and I can’t emphasize enough that this song should be wedding song of the year!
P/S: Who knows the dialect she’s singing in? I wanna learn so bad lol
Watch #NaYou below:
4- LOVE WON’T TAKE MUCH TIME by Arré featuring Tzy Panchak
Arré first and foremost is the future of Cameroon R&B. This is a force to reckon with. Best believe that! #LWTMT is the kinda song you could play to an ex and they come back to you. The kinda song a young boy would wanna sing to their little crush in elementary school. You know those kinda songs right? Yes this is it! It is very R&B-esque but the language and feel is so 237. The MAIN MUSIK protégé had to join forces with BEST MUSIC’s sensation Tzy Panchak (who in my opinion made #LWTMT what it is. Epic!) This is the kinda song you can make people listen to and be proud you’re from Cameroon. I secretly wished the song had a video.
But you can watch the lyrics video of #LWTMT here:
5- ON VA GERER by Mr. Leo
Well… who doesn’t love them some the incredible and talented Mr Leo? I mean who? He’s everything! From the first time I heard “E Go Betta” I knew the ALPHABETTER RECORDS artist was a diamond in the rough. “On Va Gerer” is talking about true love but hardship and financial stress get in the way of it. This is something most Cameroonians faced or are still facing. The song is very relatable! The languages he used in the song; from English to French and to the street language, shows Mr Leo wanted to make sure every Cameroonian relates to the song. The melody is everything! The video; from the concept to the originality is worth it. It’s just a very good song.
Watch #OnVaGerer here:
6- TROWEY by Ewube featuring Rude Bwai
BEST MUSIC’s first lady is the future of Cameroon. This ain’t a joke! Ewube is the future. “Trowey” is that kinda song that will put u in the mood anywhere, anytime and anyhow. You’ll only have to back it up lol.
Ewube always has some Jamaican flavor in her songs but this one did it! It went all in. Yes I said I wanted originality; this is original. As in original beats, language and flow but with a little Jamaican flavor. Then Rude Bwai brought Heaven to the song. His verse is everything! I actually played this song at a party and people were asking which new Island girl she was. I had to proudly say “She’s Cameroonian.” Now that’s what I love. The pride! This song better have a video lol it needs to!!
Listen to #Trowey here:
7- OUBLIER by Dosseh featuring Magasco
Yeah yeah I know y’all thinking Magasco has hit songs that can be Top 12 and not a feature.
Like I above-mentioned “…the songs I chose are not about; popularity or my personal favorites or about “numbers”…” It’s about what other nationalities can relate to but still very much Cameroonian. Am I making sense? Magasco has two songs that are going viral in the diaspora; “Fine Boy” & “Oublier”. Yes it’s not his song but Dosseh is Cameroonian too so #OUBLIER is Top 12.
#Oublier is about you making it alone but when you’re on top those who bashed you wanna act like they were part of the struggle. It’s the kinda song that you listen to just to remind yourself of how far you’ve come. Dosseh said in his first verse of the song that “laisse donc baver les bavards” pretty much meaning, let the talkatives run their mouths for they have no idea what you went through to be where you are today. Who can’t relate to this? Every Cameroonian, I suppose. The song is more a French type of music but Magasco made it completely urban and very African like. No denying the fact that the EMPIRE COMPANY artist is the “R. Kelly of Cameroon” and has a Golden Touch, Magasco’s use of French and Pidgin-English in the song was just so everyone can relate to it, making #Oublier this huge! The video itself embodies it. From the kids playing in a Cameroonian neighborhood, the women at the market selling while Dosseh walks through and all. It shows a journey. This should be the anthem for everyone that has gone through a lot and made it. I wish the title was #FauxPasOublier lol
Watch #Oublier here:
8- ÇA SORT COMME ÇA SORT by Maahlox Le Vibeur
Ça Sort Comme Ça Sort is a Francophone slang for something like “e get as e be” in Pidgin-English or something close to “It is what it is” in English (I guess lol). It’s a very feel happy song. It’s a song about you doing whatever pleases you & people should let you be and live your life how you want. It’s the kinda song that from the first listen you might get annoyed but when on repeat, you’re hooked! It’s funny because the song doesn’t make sense to many people but “laisse seulement ça sort comme ça sort” lol. It’s just the type of song to ease your stress and it’s gone so viral around Africa and Europe that it should be Top 12. The video doesn’t do it justice but the video “est sortie comme c’est sortie” lol
Watch #ÇaSortCommeÇaSort here:
9- MOTHER’S LOVE by Daphne
Okay!!! Daphne is one of the most talented & decent Cameroonian female artists ever! To me she’s like a mix of Annie Anzouer and Charlotte Dipanda. Very sultry, talented and reserved. “Rastafari” was my favorite from her but Mother’s Love just did it! #MothersLove is supposed to be the modern day “Sweet Mother”. (Remember the famous Sweet Mother song by Prince Nico Mbarga? Yes!)
#MothersLove is the kinda song to be used for a mother’s birthday, funeral, wedding, baptism, anything. It’s just appropriate like that…
Daphne sings in Bayangi, pidgin-English, English and French for everyone to most likely relate. I relate more because my mother is Bayangi and all she said in the Bayangi verse I wanna say that to my own mother. The video is another story. I’ve not seen a soul who watched the video and didn’t get emotional, whether your mother is alive or not. That’s how you know it went there. The STEVENS MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT artist is gonna make Cameroon proud I know it. She’s almost there!
Watch #MothersLove here:
10- CHECK SENSE by Jovi featuring Pascal
“I don di do all kanna bolo the thing nodi work man go do sef na how eh?”
Which average Cameroonian will not relate to the above statement? How many? So many… will relate to this song!
Where do I start with this masterpiece? In my honest and most humble opinion, #CheckSense is one of the most relatable songs from Cameroon. Not only this year, but for a long time. It’s a song about survival and making it in Cameroon where you go to school or get degrees but can’t get a decent job. From parents getting disappointed in you and you realize it’s time to start selling some of your possessions in order to survive. Doctors and pastors using their craft for money and not for the love of it or to help people… Which average Cameroonian can’t relate??? It’s pure truth and the daily struggles put on a beat and given to us like it is. The NEW BELL MUSIC artists, Jovi & Pascal took their time in penning down this art. Pascal himself is one of the most underrated upcoming rappers Africa should watch out for. He kinda sounds like Meek Mill to me lol. #CheckSense is on another level.
In Cameroon, clearly you have to #CheckSense in order to make it. Ain’t nothing truer! I wished this song had a video but listen to #CheckSense here:
11- FAP KOLO by Salatiel
“Fap Kolo” is 5 thousand francs in Cameroonian street slang. And the song #FapKolo is about how Camer youths hustle to make it and all you need or pay them them is 5.000 frs.(Fap Kolo)
From the little girl on the street trying to prostitute to the little boys hustling around, all they need is #FapKolo. I love when artists use a big issue in an economy to put into a song and it comes out dope and relatable. That’s why my all time favorite artists are Nas, 2pac and Lucky Dube. Music ain’t supposed to be about venting. Let it be about religion, politics and struggles.
Back to #FapKolo lol. Salatiel is not only a producer but he plays the guitar and sings too. The song embodies everything a good Cameroonian song is supposed to be about. From the beat to the melody and Mr Leo gracing it with his voice and style. The video itself depicts how life in Cameroon is and Salatiel assuring his Mom and Dad that he’s gonna get a degree, get a decent job, marry & have kids. Far away from the #FapKolo life.
Watch #FapKolo here:
12- COLLER LA PETITE by Franko
Y’all know we can’t do a countdown this 2015 without the newest African sensation, Franko.
He broke records and made news with this song! It went viral in 2 weeks from the day the audio was released to reaching 1 million REAL youtube views the first month of its video release. The first ever, not only from Cameroon but from Central Africa as a whole. #CollerLaPetite is the first Cameroonian song to be played on American radio stations and even in American clubs. If you know how American show biz is you’ll know it’s easier to breakthrough in Europe than in America if you’re a French-African artist. #CollerLaPetite is a phenomenon! I can’t emphasize enough!
#CollerLaPetite is a feel good song about having fun and forgetting your stress, rank or if you have work to go to the next day. Just relax and have fun! Just hold on to a girl and “coller” lol. It is believed to not actually be a kid-friendly song since its title is about “holding on to a female” & dance or something of that sort. Some say he’s promoting incest because he said somewhere in the song, “c’est ta soeur, c’est ta cousine, c’est ta tante. Didonc colle les bêtises” meaning “is she your sister, or cousin, or aunt? Just hold tight to her” lol something like that. I personally don’t think he meant it that way. He was just trying to sound Cameroonian because that’s how most Cameroonian youths talked or sounded while growing up especially in the streets. That’s why Franko sings in Franc-Anglais (the most popular street language in Cameroon) so everyone can get it and relate to it. Amazingly enough, everyone in the world even whites and Asians relate to it!
Most people believe the video is a disappointment. What’s disappointing about the video??? It’s “Coller” enough to me lol. The beat is very Afro and overall the song is great!
Franko is set to release the remix to #CollerLaPetite with the Nigerian star Davido early next year.
Bravo Franko!
Watch #CollerLaPetite here :
Well…
The above was my Top 12 of 2015 from Cameroon. I wish it would have been a Top 40.
Yeah, most of your favorites did NOT make it. It doesn’t mean they’re not good enough but I was focused on the originality, relatable and very good songs that an outsider can listen and share with friends. I know about 300 very good, original and relatable songs from Cameroon but they’re set to be released in 2016. So don’t stress much lol
See you December 2016, your personal faves might make the cut! With that said, Happy New Year from me to you & your family!
#TrendCamer. #Team237.
Yvonne N. ?
afro popaskiaCamerooncoller la petitecool kiddaphneEbangha NjANGfalafelfrankojovimagascomusicrenisstop 12 music
Barbz
December 29, 2015I should listen to the songs on ur list. Know like 5 and they all sound great!
Art Becomes You
December 30, 2015Definitely I just discovered some worthy tunes too????
G
December 29, 2015Nice beats and rhythm.. but the sublime msg “c’est ta soeur, c’est ta cousine, c’est ta tante. Didonc colle les bêtises”
Not suprised the SDO banned it. The thing an elder sees standing up even a child standing on a chair can’t see. Coller La Bible
moonstone34
December 30, 2015I love discovering new artist, great segment idea Lydia. I really like Coller La Petite by Franko. Looking forward to future segments.
Wishing you all the best in 2016??
xo, jackie
stylemydreams.com
Elvine
December 30, 2015#Turnup me boy Arre definitely deserve the cut. Allez dire Cool Kid. Can’t wait for 2016 to be here to see what y’all have for us. Good work to all those on and off the list. Thanks Ebangha for this wish I could help u in some way in this greatness o’ urs
ultimate
December 30, 2015i think this list is ok
Master Yen
December 30, 2015Definitely a good list. I believe I’ve listened to all but 3 of the songs which I will go listen to right now. The diverse nature the songs is a direct representation of the diversity within Cameroon as a whole! As an upcoming producer, I also focus not only on lyrics but also the nature of the beats…
Good job madam Kreef ..