POP INTL: On The Map – Nigeria’s Ofege

In the early 70’s some high school students in Lagos, Nigeria formed under the name Ofege to create guitar-solo heavy Afro-psych-rock. Their debut album Try and Love was highly successful in Nigeria but little is known about Ofege elsewhere in the world. “It’s Not Easy” is one of those songs I’ve been listening to regularly for a few years now and never get tired of. Melodically the song recalls The Velvet Underground’s “Oh! Sweet Nuthin'” while lyrically I am reminded of Bjork’s “Hyperballad” (pretty heavy subject matter for a teenager to actually be able to pull off). Ofege are truly a group worth knowing about.