Out of the wrong came forth sweetness: Yeti Tears – Lekki #Downtempo #Chill

Being in the UK the media has been saturated with US political developments, some European ones and little else of the world. And that’s especially true of Africa, despite the UK’s colonial past. It took Yeti Tears to highlight the Lekki shooting / massacre in Nigeria on his track Lekki.

Let’s deal with the incident first. On the night of 20 October 2020, at about 6:50 p.m, members of the Nigerian Army opened fire on peaceful End SARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos State, Nigeria. Amnesty International stated that at least 12 protesters were killed during the shooting. End SARS is a decentralised social movement, and series of mass protests against police brutality in Nigeria. The slogan calls for the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a notorious unit of the Nigerian Police with a long record of abuse. Yeti Tears says, “The artwork on the album cover was painted by Yeti Tears in honor of his mentor Gilbert Young’s legacy and bring awareness to the fight for justice against SARS in Nigeria.”

The track is a bit of a surprise. It’s neither a rage against brutality nor a lament for lives lost. Instead, it’s a chilled, hopeful house track. It has ascending and uplifting chords. It’s all about brighter and better days and futures. Yeti Tears says, “The song was written in 122 BPM & G Major to be an uplifting escape from the sad state of the corrupt country.” There’s some deep house here in the beats but also the lush style of something like Anjunabeats. Perfect chill music. But don’t forget what lies behind.

~ by acidted on January 21, 2021.