Are We Heading for a “Rophnan revolution” in African Music?
BY MULUGETA GUDETA
When the legendary Bob Marley invented a new music genre known s reggae beats, the world never expected that in a few decades he would inundate the international music scene with new beats, melodies and new lyrics that became the weapon of preference for the rebellious youth generations of the 1960s and 1970s everywhere in the world. “Reggae, genre of contemporary Caribbean music developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s, one of the most influential styles of world popular music. The style often associated with political protest, combined elements of Jamaican folk music with American rhythm-and-blues music (R&B). The term reggae is of uncertain origin, but may come from the Jamaican word for “ragged man” or common person.
Reggae has its roots in Jamaican musical styles such as mento, ska, and rock steady. The origins can be traced to the 1940s and the emergence of mento, a hybrid folk-song genre that combines African-related folk music traditions with calypso, the national music of Trinidad.”
Reggae is of course an international music phenomenon and remains so because of the beats are as popular as ever and the universal messages of protest against oppression and poverty are still relevant to our times. According to Encarta encyclopedia, “Bob Marley, one of the most prolific and influential reggae artists, was the next to rise to international popularity, and he eventually became reggae’s biggest star. The Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist combined soulful melodies with strident lyrics that were informed by the Biblical mysticism and Afro-Caribbean awareness of the Rastafarian religion.
During the 1970s, Marley and many other Jamaican musicians sang about black unification and liberation while advocating the smoking of ganja (marijuana) as a religious sacrament. Marley and prominent members of his band the Wailers, such as Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston, openly embraced the “rebel” image that their music acquired over time. Marley gained mainstream recognition with his 1975 album Natty Dread. By the time of his death from cancer in 1981, Marley and the Wailers had won worldwide respect for their highly melodic, spiritually moving, and politically militant pop songs.”
As the above-quoted information from Encarta indicate, reggae music could not have achieved an international status had it been a repetition or a variation of Western music or was based on Western themes and concerns. The revolution Bob Marley created consisted of doing the contrary; that is to say starting with Caribbean and African beats and themes and going to the Western tradition to impact it deeply and displace it from the seemingly untouchable position it enjoyed for many decades. In short, Bob Marley came with a new style that appealed to grassroots audiences in the teeming streets of the Caribbean as well Africa, articulating the dreams and visions of the common people and calling for political change from below.
The upcoming Ethiopian musician is perhaps the most popular singer and composer at the time of this writing, with his recent success with a number of songs that strike delicate chords in the hearts of his fans who number by the millions right now judging by the numbers already released by music watchers in Addis. Rophnan is no doubt a new music star as he made his entry into the music world earlier in his life.
According to recent information, “At the age of ten, Rophnan Nuri released his first mix tape singing and playing the drums with his classmates, and he has not stopped moving to his own beat since. He self-funded his career with the money he made as a club DJ and over the years he learned the technical side of music and produced his own distinct sound.”I was always fascinated by the fusion of different instruments and voices and created a unique niche for myself by amalgamating traditional Ethiopian sounds from the past with futuristic electronic music, ” he says. Nuri’s talent also saw him being one of the three African DJs chosen by South African to perform in Ibiza, Spain.”
On July 13, 2022 the US embassy in Addis Ababa said on its Facebook page, “We congratulate Ethiopian artist Rophnan on his international success, including the drop of his latest album and his recent contract with Universal Music Group!” This is a big breakthrough as far as Rophnan’s future career is concerned. Beside the financial advantage the contract will certainly bring to him, it will also lift his status to the international level where more prestige and more recognition are in store for him. He has already attained a relatively high level of recognition for a young man of thirty. According to available information, “Rophnan Nuri Muzeyin was born on 22 June 1990, is an Ethiopian musician, DJ, singer, songwriter, and audio engineer. Widely acclaimed, he is considered as one of the most influential artists in Ethiopia. Rophnan entered into the mainstream recognition after his ground-breaking debut album Reflection, which introduced a completely new style of Ethiopian music and pioneered electronic music in Ethiopia.”
He began his career in 2014 at the age of sixteen and he slowly established himself as the country’s biggest DJ while introducing the country to electronic music. “He had residencies in all the top clubs in Addis Ababa, often playing 3 shows a night. Rophnan kept his own music unreleased and made sure that the only place one could hear his tracks would be when he played them himself. One of Rophnan signature tracks, “Get to Work”, a Gurage-based beat, was released this way and was played exclusively as part of Rophnan’s own DJ sets, which made the song famous within Addis Ababa youth without having to release it. Rophnan played a pivotal role in the rise of electronic music and DJ culture in Ethiopia. He continued to headline more and more events packing the biggest venues.”
According to Encyclopedia Wikipedia, “In 2018, Rophnan released his debut album Reflection. This was the first electronic music LP to ever be released in Ethiopia. The album was released independently by RAEY Records. A shorter version of the album, named Reflection E.P. was released by the Ghanaian label Akwaaba Music. Reflection was deeply rooted in raw traditional Ethiopian music but also mixing futuristic aesthetics into the powerful songs which reflected Rophnan’s generation and artistic vision.
Introducing a new musical message, the album took a little while to be absorbed by the Ethiopian market, but in just a few months, the album’s reach expanded from clubs, to street corners, to radio stations and finally became the most played album of the year. Respectively, Rophnan became one of the most celebrated artists in the country. The release of the album coincided with a governmental change which brought consciousness to the youth of Ethiopia, and Reflection became the soundtrack of those winds of change. Soon after the album release, Rophnan has performed live in the popular Ehud Be EBS TV show where he delivered a 10-minute set of live music, becoming the first artist ever to not lip-sync on the show. The video went viral and was viewed by millions.” The album won Rophnan three 2018’s Leza Awards including Album of The Year, becoming a ground breaking release for an emerging genre. In his acceptance speech, staying true to the generation who brought him to this point in his career, Rophnan said, “Reflection is an album where I reflected myself, my country and my generation…. I want to say to my younger brothers and sisters, use the computers, internet and smart phones you have in your reach for bigger things.”
The year, 2018 also saw world-famous music group Major Lazer feature the track “Get to Work” on their “Africa to the World” compilation, highlighting Rophnan’s place in the forefront of contemporary African music. At the end of the 2018 Rophnan participated in Coke Studio Africa in Nairobi, where acollaboration with Zambian Rapper Chef 187 resulted in an original track named “All The Way”. The powerful track and the use of ancient African instrumentation, together with cutting-edge sound design, drew positive feedback across the continent and became one of the season musical highlights.
Rophnan gained a sweeping number of fans by being a representative of a new generation’s creative force in Ethiopia. This status manifested itself in an unprecedented scope of digital following, memes, fan art and social trends. The “Rophside”, a side view picture which imitated the album art and Rophnan’s favorite picture pose, itself derived from the long time tradition of Ethiopian emperors and rulers posing in profile became an internet phenomenon and trending hashtag.
At the first half of 2019 Rophnan went on the My Generation national tour, packing up stadiums across the country with his “Phans”. The opening show of the tour broke the attendance record for Ghion, with massive crowds showing up, thousands beyond the venue capacity, resulting in commotion and police brutality. The tour was the first to sell tickets via electronic means.
In July 2019, Rophnan was featured on Forbes Africa’s 30 under 30 list in the Creative Category, [4] naming Rophnan as one of the continent biggest influencers that year. Rophnan is the first Ethiopian musician to be featured on the list. Judging from his early achievements, Rophnan is certainly set to revolutionize African music without ignoring his artistic roots. This is actually what is evident in his songs and lyrics that have philosophical edges to them while Rophnan is addressing issues that may be too big for his tender age. He has matured not only in using electronic music to convey his messages, but also in writing lyrics that are equally deep, appealing to the common people, touching issues near and dear to the common man of Africa and also dealing with the virtues of unity, diversity and universality.
In the coming few years, Rophana will no doubt conquer international audiences that will dance and enjoy to his unique blend of music that is eclectic, highly creative with philosophical touches. Last but not least, Rophnan is also set to liberate Ethiopian music to the traditional and hackneyed romantic style that is increasingly sounding passé.
Rophnan does not avoid serious issues in his music; he rather gives them new dimensions and new perspectives. His versatile talents as DJ, singer and songwriter as well as electronic music composer prove that the sky is the limit for his growing popularity as well as his timeless creativity. The challenge for him in the coming years might be to remain true to his callings and give his fans new tunes, new melodies and new dimensions that will life them up from hopelessness by telling them that there are always lights at the end of the talents and that perseverance and hard work are the ingredients of final success. Like Bob Marley, Rophnan is also starting a new revolution in black or African music. It is only a matter of time to see how far his revolution will go in changing African and black music
The Ethiopian Herald 6 August 2022
