Roots

Isaiah Kehinde Dairo known as IK Dairo composed the song Salome. His songs covered a range of topics. Salome is a love song in praise of a young woman with eyes like traps and teeth as white as cowries.

The shekere is an ancient traditional percussion instrument of West Africa. Popular from Senegal to Nigeria, they are a central feature of traditional Ewe music. In Ghana and Togo they are called “axatse”, in Mali and Guinea as “djabara”.

 

The calabash is a dried gourd which is hollowed, cleaned and threaded with small shells. They produce crisp or sandy effects to depending on how they’re played.

Egbe Basiri was composed by a renowned African musician, Haruna Ishola. Haruna Ishola is one of the most influential singers in the history of Yoruba music.

The talking drum is one of the oldest musical instruments used by master drummers. It’s a highly stylized instrument that has its origin in the West African regions of Africa. The drum can be found in Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, and Nigeria. It is prominent among the Yoruba ethnic group but can be found in neighboring Nigerian countries like Togo and Benin Republic The drums are carved out of tree trunks and are made having an hourglass shape with long leather tension cords attached from the drum head to the base of the drum. The crown or top side is usually made out of stretched animal skin pulled taut, which covers a hollow midsection; the drum could have a single membrane or double skinned and comes in varied sizes, depending on the origin and function.