Pheelz vs Masterkraft: Is ‘Durosoke’ The Bigger Song Over ‘Ada Ada’?

Producers Masterkraft and Pheelz went against each other in a Battle of the Hits

Pheelz vs Masterkraft: Is ‘Durosoke’ The Bigger Song Over ‘Ada Ada’?

Nigerian music listeners have been comparing recently. Artists, producers, sound engineers, songs…nothing is spared in these times.

Spiked by the cultural moment which was the Sarz and Shizzi battle, fans got another great time yesterday as Masterkraft and Pheelz, two seasoned producers went against each other. They both played many songs off their catalogue, and, at points, the question coming up if a particular song was a hit.

Masterkraft’s 2013 song “Ada Ada,” which quickly became an anthem (of mostly weddings) throughout Nigeria and surely Africa, has been deemed by some to not be “a hit.”

On Twitter, it was pitted against “Durosoke,” the 2013 Olamide song produced by none other than Pheelz. They argued the bigger song.

Masterkraft vs Pheelz: Is Ada Ada The Bigger Song Over Durosoke?

Well, in chipping in my two cents, it’s worth acknowledging (as someone said) that the music industry doesn’t begin and end with South Western Nigeria, especially Lagos, even though it’s the headquarters of the entertainment industry.

That said, “Durosoke” is a big big song, and was a big demonstration of Olamide’s impact. In secondary schools, students coughed at the beginning like Olamide did (no try am now sha), and the track, a rap affair, was very big for a genre some have proclaimed death on. Perhaps that is owed to the fact that Olamide is a premium hit maker, and will shape a banger out of almost nothing. Pheelz’s production was also very dope and quite innovative. However, would ‘Durokose’ bang in 2020? That would be a fairly ambitious proposition, given the cheesy Pop turn much of the music out of Nigeria has taken.

Ada Ada, however, is a different beast. For one, its relevance as a niche song made it a favorite at weddings everywhere. Till this day, it still blows the roof at some weddings (especially in the South East).

Plus, impact: there’s a good chance most of Durokose’s fans know Ada Ada and can sing it, but I can’t say the same for my 40 year old aunt who’s lived in Lagos for some twenty odd years now.

In terms of visuals, Ada Ada takes the cake too. With 40 million YouTube views, its particularly memorable video which cast the scene of an elaborate Igbo wedding (and featured many Nollywood stars) is no small feat.

Add to the fact that, circa 2012, Flavour was one of the hottest properties out of Africa and with Ada Ada, tapped into Nigeria’s great Pop/Traditional culture of wedding ballads like Sunny Neji’s Oruka and D’banj’s Fall in Love.

However, we shouldn’t let this argument – however entertaining – drive into tribalistic statements and insults. This isn’t our shine, it’s the producers… And I’m sure Pheelz and Masterkraft are pleased wherever they are, seeing their great works create this discussion in these times when we need it the most. They’re heroes, really.