The growing trend of sampling and reimagination creates a rare moment for appreciating Nigerian music's rich history and the invaluable role of veteran stars who are finally getting their flowers.

When Tems won the prize for Best African Song Performance at the 67th Grammys, it was a major milestone for the superstar, but also for Seyi Sodimu, whose classic record she sampled 28 years after its release.

Tems' win was a major point in a growing trend of artists sampling and reimagining classic Nigerian records.

Clearly, the art of sampling is not new in the Nigerian music industry. After all, music in itself is a process of finding new ways to channel existing art forms.

However, we can't deny that there has been a noticeable increase in the trend of Afrobeats stars taking a trip to the past to find classic materials that can shape the present.

The reasons for this trend can be explained from a creative and marketing standpoint, as all factors have aligned to create a pattern that artists are now embracing.

Nostalgia

Music is a powerful art form that offers unique connections to individuals who use it for many things, including time stamps of the different moments in their lives.

When artists sample or reimagine a classic record, they not only remind listeners of the timeless beauty of that record, but they also create an atmosphere that transports them back to the specific point and moment in their lives marked by the song.

A Google search on the power of nostalgia summarises the findings as

"an experience that can be a powerful tool for mental well-being and personal growth. It can boost self-esteem, increase optimism, and provide a sense of meaning in life by connecting individuals to their authentic selves."

When rightly executed, nostalgia offers artists an effective tool with which they can get listeners to reconnect with a part of themselves and experience varying strong emotions that would invariably affect their appreciation and gratification of the record.

A growing desire to appreciate history

While this might not be a collective or dominant sentiment, some artists are showing a willingness to appreciate the rich history of Nigerian music and the talented artists who shape hits.

Sampling and reimagination are a means to pay tribute to these veterans for their pacesetting and innovative contribution to Afrobeats.

Ayra Starr paid tribute to Don Jazzy's genius on 'Jazzy's Song,' Keys The Prince has paid tribute to Tungba and Gospel music legend Yinka Ayefele by sampling his work while street hop star TML Vibez also hailed the influence of Fuji music legend King Saheed Osupa by sampling his work.

These are some of the many examples of artists giving veterans their flowers in an industry where stars are sometimes parsimonious with credits and acknowledgments.

The lack of a working formula

In the past three years, Asake and Magicsticks have combined to give Nigerian music a working formula (Amapiano fusion) that has generously fed the mainstream and minted new stars.

While Asake's vibrant log drum fusion is still largely the dominant sound in the Nigerian soundscape, there has been some diminishing return in Amapiano exploration since 2024.

This uncertainty has led pop stars to try their hands with different sounds in a bid to find the one that will stick.

Amid this uncertainty, some stars are travelling back in time to take from the past to shape the present. The familairity and timelessness of classics records offers a safety when the industry eagerly awaiting the next sonic frontier.

Is this a positive for the industry?

The growing trend of sampling and reimagination creates a rare moment for appreciating Nigerian music's rich history and the invaluable role of veteran stars who are finally getting their flowers.

Aside from being celebrated, it offers these veterans an opportunity to profit from their work by giving it a fresh run in the streaming era.

Overall, it will also help foster a culture where future generations acknowledge the efforts of their predecessors in the sonic, commercial, and structural evolution of Nigerian music.