''Mama Africa'' (also known as ''Mama Africa: The Diary of an African Woman'') is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by Nigerian singer

Yemi Alade Yemi Eberechi Alade (born 13 March 1989), known professionally as Yemi Alade, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, actress and activist from the Akoko part of Ondo State. Her music is a mixture of Afropop, highlife, dancehall, pop music, pop and Rh ...

. It was released by Effyzzie Music Group on 25 March 2016. A follow-up to ''

King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, with a total of 207 half-hour episodes spanning nine seasons. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who ...

'', the album features collaborations with

P-Square P-Square are a Nigerian music duo composed of the twin brothers Mr. P (singer), Peter Okoye and Rudeboy (singer), Paul Okoye, who co-write and co-produce most of their songs. Noted for their artistic reinvention, musical versatility, and Visual a ...

, Sarkodie, Sauti Sol,

Flavour N'abania Chinedu Okoli (born 23 November 1983), better known by his stage name Flavour N'abania or simply Flavour, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He began his musical career as a drummer for a local church. Flavour is popularly known across Africa ...

, Rotimi Keys, DJ Arafat and Selebobo. ''Mama Africa'' was produced by GospelOnDeBeatz, DJ Coublon, Selebobo, Philkeyz, BeatsByEmzo, Masterkraft, Rotimi Keys and Mr. Chidoo. It was supported by the singles "Na Gode", "Do As I Do", "Ferrari", "Kom Kom", "Africa" and "Tumbum". The album's deluxe edition features collaborations with South African musicians

Bucie Busisiwe Nolubabalo Nqwiliso (born March 10, 1987) is a South African R&B and house singer. Her 2014 single titled "Easy to Love" peaked at number 9 on EMA. Early life and career Early life She was born in Kimberley and grew up in Khuma ...

and AKA. ''Mama Africa'' won World Beat at the 2017 Independent Music Awards.

Background and promotion

Alade announced that the album would be released in March 2016. She revealed that it will be named ''Mama Africa'' and would highlight the virtues and vices of African women. The album's music is a mixture of

Afropop African popular music (also styled Afropop, Afro-pop, Afro pop or African pop) can be defined as any African music, regardless of genre, that uses Western pop musical instruments, such as the guitar, piano, trumpet, etc.Olabode, O. (2023, J ...

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 ...

, R&B, coupé-décalé,

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

. Alade said recording the album was a struggle because she was constantly travelling to different countries every day. She also said she recorded the album to "capture all of Africa on one CD". Alade told ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'' magazine she collaborated with artists from West Africa, East Africa and South Africa. She recruited GospelOnDeBeatz, DJ Coublon, Selebobo, Philkeyz, BeatsByEmzo, Masterkraft, Rotimi Keys and Mr. Chidoo to produce the album. ''Mama Africa'' features guest appearances from

, Sarkodie, Sauti Sol,

, Rotimi Keys, DJ Arafat and Selebobo. The album was made available for pre-order on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

a week before its official release. Alade announced that proceeds from the album's sales will go to the Feed a Child charity initiative. The album's deluxe edition was released on 6 April 2016, and features collaborations with South African musicians

and AKA. ''Mama Africa'' charted in Germany, Malaysia and France.

Singles

The album's lead single, "Na Gode", was released on 10 July 2015. It translates to ''Thank You'' in

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...

and preaches the message of gratitude and giving. The song was produced by Alade's frequent collaborator Selebobo. The music video for "Na Gode" was directed by Paul Gambit and released on 4 November 2015. It features cameo appearances from

Skales Raoul John Njeng-Njeng (born 1 April 1991), better known as Skales (an acronym for "Seek Knowledge Acquire Large Entrepreneurial Skills"), is a Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter. In 2000, he started writing rap songs in Kaduna. Between 2 ...

and Baci. A Swahili version of "Na Gode" was released on 8 January 2016. In an interview on the Homeboyz Radio Morning Show, Alade said Bien-Aimé of Sauti Sol convinced her to record the song in Swahili. The DJ Arafat-assisted track "Do As I Do" was released on 8 December 2015, as the album's second single. The song was described as a fusion of Afropop and Coupé-Décalé. The album's third single, "Ferrari", was released on 9 March 2016. It was produced by DJ Coublon and features strings by Nigerian guitarist

Fiokee Ifiok Effanga, professionally known as Fiokee, is a Nigerian guitarist. He is known for his trebly guitar solos infused with highlife steeped guitar lines. He was born on 10 January 1982. Fiokee is associated with acts such as Tiwa Savage, Yemi A ...

. Alade debuted "Ferrari" at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards. TooXclusive described the song as a highlife song that "talks about love as an action word." The Clarence Peters-directed music video for "Ferrari" was released on 25 March 2016. Nigerian actor

Kunle Remi Oyekunle Opeyemi Oluwaremi , known professionally as Kunle Remi, is a Nigerian actor, producer, and model. He appeared in the films '' Falling'' and '' Aníkúlápó'', the television series ''Tinsel'', and won the 7th edition of '' Gulder Ult ...

plays Alade's love interest in the video. Prior to releasing the video, Alade released a teaser clip of it on 14 March. The

-assisted track "Kom Kom" was released on 18 May 2016, as the album's fourth single. Its music video was directed by Peters. The album's fifth single, "Africa", was released on 5 July 2016. It features vocals by Kenyan band Sauti Sol and was produced by BeatsByEmzo. The song appeared on Sauti Sol's fourth studio album '' Afrikan Sauce'' (2019). The music video for "Africa" was directed by Ovie Etseyatse and contains clips of different streets and iconic towers in African cities, as well as pictures of renowned leaders fighting for independence. The Selebobo-produced track "Tumbum" was released on 9 November 2016, as the album's sixth single. The song's music video was directed by Paul Gambit and features appearances from Ime Bishop Umoh and Beverly Osu. In the video, Alade plays a restaurant cook who serves up jollof and

fufu Fufu (or fufuo, foofoo, foufou ) is a pounded meal found in West African cuisine. It is a Twi word that originates from the Akans in Ghana. The word has been expanded to include several variations of the pounded meal found in other African c ...

in a rural Nigerian community. In a chat with ''

'' magazine in November 2016, Alade said the video was filmed after several weeks of dance rehearsals. "Tumbum" was featured in '' Just Dance 2018'', an interactive dance rhythm game developed by

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...

Composition

''Mama Africa'' opens with "Na Gode", an energetic song that adulates God. In "Tumbum", Alade laments about an undependable lover who likes Nkechi's jollof but prefers her delicious beans. The

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

-influenced record "Tonight" features vocals by P-Square. "Kom Kom" borrows from

Onyeka Onwenu Onyeka Onwenu (31 January 1952 – 30 July 2024) was a Nigerian singer-songwriter, actress, human rights and social activist, journalist, politician, and ''X Factor'' series judge. Dubbed the "Elegant Stallion" due to her significant impact on ...

's "Iyogogo". The Latin-inspired track "Marry Me" is a blend of

Nigerian Pidgin Nigerian Pidgin, also known simply as Pidgin or as Naijá in scholarship, is an English-based creole language spoken as a ''lingua franca'' across Nigeria. The language is sometimes referred to as ''Pijin'' or ''Vernacular''. Coming into existe ...

, Igbo and

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

. The

song "Ferrari" has been described as "blatantly materialistic" because of lyrics like "Oga I don tire to stay Mainland/ E no go bad if you buy me mansion for Banana Island/ Open supermarket for me for Netherlands." In "Kelele", Alade channels King Sunny Adé. In "Ego", she grapples with her need for happiness and the good life. "Nakupenda" contains backup vocals and drumbeat sounds.

Critical reception

''Mama Africa'' received mixed reviews from music critics. A ''Pulse Nigeria'' contributor, who goes by Jonathan, awarded the album 3.5 stars out of 5, commending Alade for improving "significantly from her last solo album with mundane love expressions and stories seemingly turned up a notch." Ade Tayo of Simply Africa Music praised Alade for having "ample material to use for performance purposes on any platform, across Africa." In a review for ''Circulation'' magazine, Adaobi Nezianya applauded Alade for "curating the right sounds from diverse places to craft an excellent album." In a less enthusiastic review, Music in Africa's Oris Aigbokhaevbolo said the album has "zero replay value" and further stated that numerous songs on it "carry the specifically vapid materialism of the stereotypical Lagos girl." Wilfred Okiche of 360nobs described the album as "one big dance party" and said its title is "only a ruse to thread her influences and copy catting into a cohesive effort." TooXclusive's Temitope Delano granted ''Mama Africa'' 2.5 stars out of 5, calling it "boring" and saying it is a "far cry from what was expected from this brilliant artiste."

Accolades

''Mama Africa'' won World Beat at the 2017 Independent Music Awards.

Track listing

Credits adapted from the back cover of ''Mama Africa''.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's back cover and

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

. *Yemi Alade – primary artist *Koribo Harrison – executive producer *Taiye Aliyu – executive producer * Udoka Oku – producer, featured artist *Rotimi Keys – producer, featured artist *Philkeyz – producer, featured artist *GospelOnDeBeatz – producer * Sunday Nweke – producer * Akwuba Ugochukwu – producer *BeatsByEmzo – producer *Chidozie Ekeh - producer *Kamera - producer *El Emcee - producer *

– featured artist *

– featured artist * Sauti Sol – featured artist * DJ Arafat – featured artist * Sarkodie – featured artist * AKA – featured artist *

– featured artist *Mix Monster – mixing, mastering *Suka Sounds – mixing, mastering *Tee Piano – mixing, mastering *Olaitan Dada – mixing, mastering *

– strings *Onazi Ogaba (Unravel GFX) – art design *Emmanuel Oyeleke – photography

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2015 albums Yemi Alade albums Albums produced by Selebobo Albums produced by GospelOnDeBeatz Albums produced by Masterkraft (producer) Albums produced by Mr Chidoo Albums produced by DJ Coublon Igbo-language albums Afro pop music albums Highlife albums by Nigerian artists Contemporary R&B albums by Nigerian artists Coupé-Décalé albums Hip-hop albums by Nigerian artists Albums produced by Philkeyz