The Cavemen (stylized as The Cavemen.) are a Nigerian

highlife Highlife is a Ghanaian music genre that originated along the coastal cities of present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (region), history as a colony of the British and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It encompasse ...

band consisting of sibling duo Kingsley Okorie, a

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

, and Benjamin James, a drummer. They were brought to the limelight by

Lady Donli Zainab Elizabeth Donli, known as Lady Donli, is a Nigerians, Nigerian musician. She is an alternative R&B, hip hop, alternative jazz and Afrobeat singer and songwriter. Biography Lady Donli was born in Cleveland, Ohio and is the youngest of si ...

and are known for their live performances. In August 2020, they released their debut album ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusin ...

'', which won Best Alternative Album at

The Headies 2020 The Headies 2020 was the 14th edition of The Headies, a Nigerian music awards show held to recognize outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry. The ceremony took place on February 21, 2021, due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemi ...

Early life

The Cavemen are natives of Orlu,

Imo State Imo () is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its name from the Imo R ...

, in the southeastern region of

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

and started out as choristers. Kingsley earned a law degree from

Babcock University Babcock University is a private Christian co-educational Nigerian university owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria. The university is located at Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria, equidistant between Ibadan and La ...

and Nigerian Law School's

Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria *Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State ** Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries ** Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom betwee ...

campus. Benjamin however attended Peter King

College of Music A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...

Badagry Badagry, also spelled Badagri, (Gun language, Gun: Gbagli) is a coastal town and Local Government Areas of Nigeria, Local Government Area (LGA) in Lagos State, Nigeria. It is quite close to the city of Lagos, and located on the north bank of Po ...

Lagos State Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest ...

in the southwestern region of Nigeria. The Cavemen were officially formed in March 2018 and they stylised their band name with a dot to avoid lawsuits from a New-Zealand artiste with the trademarked name.

Career

They released their debut single, ''Osondu'' in 2020 and released their debut album, ''

'' in August 2020. The album was recorded in their living room and was fully produced by the duo. They also produced 11 of the songs on

's ''Enjoy Your Life'' album who in turn was a co-executive producer on ''Roots''. They performed at the finale show of the fifth season of

Big Brother Naija ''Big Brother Naija'', formerly known as ''Big Brother Nigeria'', is a Nigerian reality competition television series, based on the '' Big Brother'' television franchise. On the show, contestants live in an isolated house and compete for a larg ...

. The duo's sophomore album Love and Highlife was released in October 2021, with guest appearances from

Cobhams Asuquo Cobhams Asuquo (Efik language, Efik pronunciation: ) (born January 6, 1981) is a Nigerian musician, producer, and songwriter. After working as Head of Audio Productions at a local label, Questionmark Entertainment, he set up his own recording f ...

, Made Kuti, PC Lapez and Etuk Ubong, in 2023 the duo featured on Davido's Timeless album.

Education

Kingsley earned a law degree from Babcock University and Nigerian Law School's Kano campus. Benjamin, however, attended Peter King College of Music, Badagry, Lagos.

Legacy

The Cavemen. have often been praised for recreating highlife in a way which retains its essence. The writer, Michael Chiedoziem Chukwudera writes about Cavemen's second album for Afrocritik,

“Love and Highlife” embodies an innovative effort to perfect the recreation of Highlife while remaining conservative. The combination of drums, trumpets, piano, and other supporting musical instruments creates a sound that retains the traditional essence of Highlife. "The Cavemen. teaches us that innovation supersedes creating what is new—which is a beautiful thing to do—and that one can be innovative by taking what was there before and owning it. "The subject of The Cavemen.’s music is love and philosophy. There is no talk of money, clothes, women, or inane vanities. This lends a purist quality to the music. The duo seems to have derived some of their philosophy from the music of Oliver De Coque; and even the third song in the album, “Biri” is a sample of Oliver De Coque’s classic “Biri ka m Biri,” a song which espouses the principle of “Live and Let live.” But even while they have borrowed from Oliver De Coque’s music, they have been careful to avoid adopting the praise of politicians and wealthy people in society, a style rife in Oliver De Coque’s music.
Oliver de Coque Oliver Sunday Akanite (14 April 1947 – 20 June 2008), better known by the stage name Oliver De Coque, was a Nigerian Igbo highlife musician, composer and guitarist and one of Africa's most prolific recording artists spanning over four decades o ...
as well as
Osita Osadebe Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe (March 17, 1936 – May 11, 2007), often referred to as just Osita Osadebe, was a Nigerian Igbo highlife musician from Atani. During his career spanning over four decades, he became one of the best known musicians ...
were pioneers of praise-singing for wealthy and sometimes corrupt individuals in the southeast. The music created by The Cavemen. is made so that it is self-sustaining. It does not pander to any clique, nor does it seek validation from any group of people."

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Videography

Bena - 2020 Adaugo - 2023

Awards

References

{{Reflist Nigerian highlife musicians 21st-century Nigerian musicians Musicians from Imo State Nigerian musical duos 2020 establishments in Nigeria