When I started making beats in 2016 I had one laptop, a cracked pair of headphones, and a phone full of sampled kalangu hits recorded at…
A short story from the room next door When I first started recording, it was in my aunty’s sitting room in Kaduna. No treatment, a fan…
A quick, true-feeling moment When I first released a single from my cousin Sani’s wedding ceremony, we did it the old way. We recorded on a…
The first time I filmed a backyard performance in Kano, the sound was rough, the phone kept overheating, and the artist almost gave up. His name…
When I was starting out I watched my cousin, Amina, sing at a small wedding in Kano. A young beverage rep was in the crowd. He…
Last year I sat in a small studio in Kano while a young singer named Zahra warmed up. She had a strong voice and a tune…
Last Ramadan, I went to a small gig in Kano. The venue was full of students and traders. Two young artists were on the bill. One…
A few years back I helped a friend from Kano finish a wedding single. We recorded his voice under a ceiling fan in a small room.…
One Saturday morning in Kaduna, I walked into a small studio behind a tailoring shop in Unguwan Sarki. Power had just returned. The producer switched from…
A few years back I watched a friend, Aminu, sell out a small show in Kano after he posted a raw rehearsal video on WhatsApp. The…
Last Ramadan I sent a 30-second chorus clip to a family WhatsApp group. Within 24 hours the same clip was on three TikTok videos, one Instagram…
A small story to begin The first time I saw royalty money hit a friend’s account in Kano, it was not plenty. In fact, it was…
A short story to start First time I heard a young Kano rapper called himself “Mai Jini,” it was in a tiny studio behind Sabon Gari…
A short story from the studio Two years ago I was in a small studio in Kano with my friend Aminu. He had a raw hook,…
I remembered just first time I heard a local Hausa beat on a global platform. It was a bus ride from Kaduna to Kano. A friend…