Remembering Lagbaja, the chronicler of 90s Lagos

Once upon a time, in the Lagos of our recent past, specifically the 90s and early noughties, there was a musician whose sound held sway in the city.

Strike that.

Let’s say his music was the soundtrack of the city, his rhythm segued seamlessly into the livelihood of people, the quotidian minutiae of their existence. Of course, it was not Fela; it was Lagbaja.

Lagbaja was a concept well-ahead of its time. Mix English mystery and French je ne sais quoi with Yoruba adoration of masquerades and what…