M.I declares love for Avril with One Naira *Ode to love and longing continue on Coke Studio Africa 3

Avril and MI

He did not quite get down on one knee and unveil a sparkling rock, but Hip hop artiste, M.I. did the next best thing on the 5th episode of Coke Studio Africa season 3. Apparently smitten by curvy Kenyan powerhouse, Avril, the Chocolate City Chief Executive Officer declared, “I cannot wait to do this mash up, especially because I get a chance to look into Avril’s eyes and say some stuff I have always wanted to say.

How many Nigerians have the chance to come all the way to Kenya and interact with goddesses?”

With the help of producer, Cobhams Asuquo, M.I and Avril made the magic happen-the undeniable chemistry in their Unplugged performance, giving visual meaning to the mash-up of Avril’s “Kitu Kimoja” and M.I’s “One Naira”.  Incidentally, both tracks are songs about how true love transcends all barriers and reaches beyond the superficial.

Asuquo confessed, “It is rare to do a mash up where the messages and the music are totally in sync. On this mash up, they come together seamlessly and it is beautiful.”

It went from love song to club hit on Episode 5, as rappers Dama Do Bling from Mozambique and Nigeria’s Ice Prince rocked the stage with a re-do of “Just Dance” and “Whiskey”.  The Unknown Disc Jockey, who produced the mash up, retained his aura of mystery and let the music do the talking with the irresistible mix of Reggae, Dancehall and Rap.

Nigeria’s Flavour had a chance to teach Juliana Kenyomoni a thing or two about moving the hips, putting his legendary dance skills to good use in the catchy mash up of his hit track “Adanma” and Juliana’s “Diana” cooked up by Masterkraft. Also featuring on Episode 5 were Tanzania’s Fid Q and Maurice Kirya from Uganda, with inspirational Rap anthem “Bendera ya Chuma,”  Rhythm &Blues  track “Blue Dress,”  Kenyan group, Elani and “Ke di Ke” songbird, Chidinma who brought the show to a close.

Producer Nahreel, Fid Q and Maurice Kirya raised the curtains on Episode 4 of Coke Studio Africa Season 3, with a mash up of “Ghost” and “Bongo”. Ugandan Maurice was so impressed with the instrumentals and actually changed the lyrics of “Ghost” to fit Fid Q’s style, which is reminiscence of the style of American Rap star, Common.

Tanzania’s Ali Kiba had his hands full, keeping up with Kenya’s Victoria Kimani, who turned on the heat and kept it on at full blast, in a steamy, sexy performance of fused tracks “Loving You” and “Dushelele”. Staring soulfully into each other’s eyes, they danced to the slow ballad about love and infidelity, to the delight of the studio audience.

Turning it up a notch, MAMA award winner, Yemi Alade took over the microphone, keeping it African as usual, with her hair in Bantu knots and wearing a choker and a cape made from Kente fabric , over a black dress with mesh inserts. Joined by Kenya’s Jua Cali, Yemi displayed the characteristic vocal technique and stage presence that have become her trademark, in a powerful performance of the mash up of “Duro Timi” and “Baba Yao”.

Mavins Crew’s Dija and Hernani Da Silva kept up their playful prancing on Episode 4, while Ice Prince and Dama Do Bling also took Ragga, Rap and Dancehall a step further, fusing “Chopstix” and “Feel It”.

“Coke Studio Africa features the best live studio-recorded music performances by talented African artists. The idea is to bring together artistes from different genres, eras and countries in Africa to create a modern and an authentic sound through mash-ups. We hope to alter perceptions about African music,” said the General Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Patricia Jemibewon.

There will be more eclectic mashups next week, on Episode 6 of Coke Studio Africa Season 3. “Yahoo Boy No Laptop”, Olamide returns to shake the stage with Mozambique’s Neymar, while Juliana and Flavour show who is King and Queen of the dance floor.