MUSIC REVIEW: ‘Tulale Fofofo’ by Sauti Sol feat Mi Casa

Screen grab of the new Sauti Sol video "Tulale Fo fo fo Celebrated Kenyan boy band Sauti Sol have released yet another collabo, this time with South African mega band Mi Casa. PHOTO| COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • The song was written by Joao da Fonseca, Bien Aime Alusa, Polycarp Otieno, Willis Austin Chimano and Savara Mudigi.
  • The lyrics are fun and simple, yet ooze of a confident man who’s already seen the lady of his mark and feels like he’s already won her over.

Celebrated Kenyan boy band Sauti Sol have released yet another collabo, this time with South African mega band Mi Casa.

The song, titled “Tulale Fofofo” is a different kind of seduction song. Although ‘tulale fofofo’ translated from Swahili to English means “let’s fall into deep slumber”, the composers express on Sauti Sol’s YouTube channel that this was however meant in a ‘a make love kind of way’.

I think it’s safe to say that the video’s release, combined by the fact that the band is also currently on a nationwide tour and had another video collabo with Willy Paul released a week ago, that the band is anything but sleeping.

The song was written by Joao da Fonseca, Bien Aime Alusa, Polycarp Otieno, Willis Austin Chimano and Savara Mudigi. The lyrics are fun and simple, yet ooze of a confident man who’s already seen the lady of his mark and feels like he’s already won her over.

SOUTH AFRICAN INFLUENCE

The video is definitely influenced more by the South African outfit and was shot in South Africa. When last in Kenya, Joao (aka J’Something) had eluded that the video for the song would be “sexy”. In the same tone, Sauti Sol announced the launch of the video on their Facebook page stating “Mafisi sacco union from Kenya to South Africa...Go watch the video now!''

Although the song has a lot of instrumental input that would make it sound South African should the lyrics be muted, Sauti Sol have ensured that as long as the song is played in its original form, there is no mistaking that this song is more influenced by the Kenyan in them.

It’s a totally playful and fun track, and one would be left wondering whether the deejay who started the chant ikibamba sana wapi nduru (if it excites you, scream) copyrighted the phrase and has been collecting the revenues for its use.

Both groups, Sauti Sol and Mi Casa, are deeply involved in their songs’ production hence additional music was done by Moshe Phillip Kgasoane (Mo-T), Sunnyboy Nicholas Mthimunye, Polycarp Otieno (Fancy Fingers) and published by Andasoul Publishing, Sauti Sol Entertainment and Sunnyboy SA Musiq. Look to the sky, African artists, because Sauti Sol are definitely way up.