Asa – Fire on the mountain top.
The inspiration is tragic, but the result is beautiful. As is Asa.
Why it’s here. Positive Representation, Poltically intact.
It’s an African sista, or a black female artist if you like. And her voice… well!
Furthermore, the message also is one that we all need to hear. See Lyrics pasted below - Essentially: There is a fire on the mountain and no one is running. Or well doing anything about it!
It’s politically sound also because it beats the usual representations of like snoop and fiddy, with booty shaking, and exhortations to kill, snort, smoke, buy cars, brands, booze, and well generally…self-destruct.
The Fire on the Mountain comes in many forms, and extends out as a metaphor. Those soldiers (in the video) could be the Nigerian soldiers getting a wage for protecting some oil-company’s assets, or (with the extenstion allowed by the lyrics) they could be runners on an urban street propping up the drug economy, while beating down their communities.
In the ocean of ongoing attacks on African image and identity through mass media ( lookup Dr. Anthony Browder), this as representation stacks up as something that you(th) should be directed towards.
That makes it relevant to this blog. Nah true?
And with all that, it’s just a beautful song, beautifully sung!
Shameless Advertising for an artist that should go places.
The Lyrics
There is fire on the mountain,
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A beautiful, sad song from a very talented young woman. Thank you for sharing it.
I’m ashamed to say that though I’ve lived in my native Nigeria for about 4 years now, I only bought this album after stumbling across the youtube.com video. I’m totally enthralled by EVERY song on the album, perhaps because I’m Yoruba. songs like “bibanke” and “waidi”(?) almost brought tears to my eyes.
I love what this vocally and lyrically talented Yoruba woman does to my psyche every morning. she reminds me that some serious amount of good can still be found in my muddled, confused, exciting, dangerous, pulsating, warm, intense homeland, Nigeria.
Maybe you know Tunde, part of the problem is that the maketeers only seem to know how to sell very limited idea of certain artists and artforms.
I think it’s not until an underground movement, artist or band blows up (usually on an independent or small label) that the big marketeers take notice.
It firstly takes people to express their interest in talent like thisi with their wallets. Hence we will only hear Snoop and Fiddy Cent.
Glad to hear you BOUGHT the album as that is the real way to show your support for artists as as good as Asa who don’t otherwise get the desreved recognition. VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET. Don’t Limewire her!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asa/dp/B0011V7IKC
“Check out Fire on the Mountain talking about the problems in Africa especially the Niger Delta problem of Oil exploration in Nigeria. “