By Micheal Kolawole
When discussing the exceptionally styled Urhobopiano album, Evolusion, the focus is often on the singer/rapper, Tudac, who vocally performs the songs. Little or no attention is paid to the songwriter and producer, Oghenevwede Obiuwevbi, popularly known as Vwederian Beats or Vwederian, who conceptualised, wrote, arranged, and produced some of the songs on the album.
Confident in his songwriting and production skills, Vwederian begins the album flamboyantly with “Oshekure”, a term in Urhobo that refers to one who is excited by his talent.
The lively chorus, sung in Urhobo and accompanied by the infectious Amapiano beat, creates a compelling opening for the album. What Vwederian writes in the chorus, if loosely translated to English, means: “It has happened, everyone has gathered/come see, Urhobo children have arrived / dance and chant.”
Having celebrated his culture and calling on his kinsmen to join him in celebration, Vwederian switches to Nigerian Pidgin English in the repeated verses to include non-Urhobo speakers in the party.
What’s a party without the confession of affection?
On “Ọmọtẹ”, Vwederian shows that he is a man capable of taking care of his lady. Mixing Urhobo with Nigerian Pidgin English, he promises to buy her a Ferrari and “make her mind dance gbedu”. The banging instrumental makes Tudac’s expression of the lyrics all the more heartfelt.
On “Akpọ Na De Bẹn (Life Is Unnecessarily Difficult)”, Vwederian decides to celebrate the youth all over the world, who are doing their best to survive, despite the global economic crisis. “The children of this world work hard, but life is unnecessarily difficult,” he writes in Urhobo. “This is so dangerous!” He further prays that God should bless him with wealth to buy a car, build a house, and travel abroad for holidays.
After retrospecting about the hardship of the world and praying for a financial breakthrough, he serenades his lady on “Ojevwe”, letting her know how much she means to him and how far he would go to risk his life for her if needed.
With “Ọmọbọba (Child), Vwederian reemphasises the adage that says that “what an adult sees when seated, a child cannot see even when climbed on the tallest tree. Not even with binoculars or the highness of marijuana, he writes, will make a child see farther than the adult. Mixing Urhobo dialect with Pidgin flair for rhythm and wisdom, he admonishes the youth to stop being naughty and listen to the elders’ instructions on life affairs.
Closing the album with “Oke Ọjà”, Vwederian decides to celebrate himself and his accomplishments. It’s a jubilant song reflecting the mood of someone who has secured the bag with no apologies for haters who are going to hate. “Wa vuẹ vwẹ / Wa vuẹ vwe ọọọ / Why I no go chop my money / Why I no go eat my money / Me vwo rioja / Ay’ mrẹ vwẹ rẹ / Ay’ mrẹ vwẹ rẹ (Please, tell me, why I wouldn’t enjoy my wealth / When I was suffering, they didn’t see me).” Vwederian writes, reflecting on his wealth and God’s protection from enemies.
Evolusion lingers beyond its surface festive intentionality because it’s carefully constructed as a distinct genre. Besides stringing the Amapiano sound and Urhobo phrases and Nigerian Pidgin slang together, Vwederian builds a cultural piece where languages, melodies, and phrases hold each other upright to compete in the contemporary music space.
The peculiar Amapiano log drums become a pulse that helps bring the Urhobopiano experimentation to life. At times, though, the album leans heavily on typical Amapiano progressions, and one could argue that a few transitions feel predictable. With wisdom, Vwederian weaves it together with other indigenous sounds, just to make the audience so engaged.
The body of work gains its applause on mood, instead of narratives. Themes like affirmation, celebration and romance are delivered with cultural purposes. Vwederian understands language so well and that is why he writes with performance in his mind, which left the audience to enjoy Tudac’s voice.
There are lapses, though. His poise wins vulnerability, but he could have gone deeper emotionally instead of what he puts up. Although with that in mind, the album’s joint efforts can’t be denied. From “Oshekure” to “Oke Ọjà”, there is a consistent sonic identity, indicating a refusal to water down the Urhobo expression for mainstream approval.
With Evolusion, Vwederian creates an album that merges cultural pride with trends. Whether Urhobopiano grows beyond this moment will depend on time and audience. But Vwederian has already made a convincing case that the sound, and the culture behind it, deserves to be heard.
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