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In the heydays of the likes of Bobby Benson, Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey in Lagos area, Nigerian urban culture had just emanated. After the civil war urban bands came alive with a touch of soul and rock in urban centers of the East, yet Fela Anikulapokuti well known with his jazzy origins and crossover creation, Afro-Beat in Europe and America would challenge establishment; and when the time had come for younger generations from the 80s through the 90s, the likes of Kris Okotie marked another watershed. Who Slam is in the early 21st century may define the globalization of Nigerias music taste.

Slam is experimenting! Now in his twenties he marks another era in the development of the next Nigerian pop music idiom. He goes after his fancies in the song Ebu Chineke. That is enough to reveal to the keen music fanatic in Nigeria that as an Igbo man from the South-East Zone, Slam is merely following the trends of kinsmen in the home video industry. He relies on lyrics written either in English or native Igbo language, just like the movie gurus who experiment with neo-modernist ideas.

They're a synthesis of hip-hop and Nigerian idiosyncrasies rules his musing character. But unlike Mr. Cool, (from the same zone) who croons too, Slam is picking song yodels, following very recent if not latest global styles. One can discern the strong sense of Latino in the track Booty Dance; and even the body twisting and wiggling by the female cast of the music video say something. Slam is also experimenting with themes. After all Ebu Chineke is gospel with a lot of soul, yet Booty Dance has a strong display of secular sexuality. And Slam is Slam in both vocal attitude and futuristic feel.

It is this nonspecific experimentation that has characterized Nigerian pop acts for sometime now. Groups like Tribesmen and Plantashun Boys too have been involved. Though they were more into the almost mundane dancehall reggae feel, spiced with a little of urban ghetto character, like Daddy Showkey's African dancehall style. This too has a strong national following for its African cum revolutionary themes. It preaches ideals of the ghetto, and beats its chest in complete defiance to elitist arrogance. Ajegunle, a ghetto near Lagos is the origin of this identity, and some Nigerian football in Europe stars came from there too.

In the past such developments were borne out of many definitive factors and eras in Nigerian pop culture history. At the turn of every socio-political cum economic orientation, a new crop of pop musicians would emerge with a peculiar fad. This is easily discernable also in the pre-independence era, when Highlife bands with strong Ghanaian and West Africa wide links played to military bands march-beat.

Therefore musicians like Bobby Benson and IK Dairo of Taxi Driver and Mosorire (I'm Blessed) fames moved from emulating the beat to fusing native music elements for popular entertainment. Fela Anikulapo Kuti would follow, influenced by jazz, with his band the Kula Lobitos; and found a means in Afro Beat to fight military regimes till the early 90s. Femi Kuti picking his father,Felas legacy with a liberal experimentation became an exemplar for Paul Play IK Dairo (IK Dairos son) to re-mix Mosorire for an instant hit in the 90s. Therefore one sees a throw-back to the old while keeping abreast of the now genres; just to sound modern. Yet if you suspect Slams experiments might mark a complete departure hold your breath, and let the beat go on.