Alhaji Waziri Oshomah

On the heels of his already critically acclaimed (yes, already!) forthcoming retrospective, world spirituality classics 3: the muslim highlife of alhaji waziri oshomah, alhaji waziri oshomah — the oyoyo king, the godfather of afemai music, the etsako super star, mr Please please please, mr Dynamite — returns with his complete volume series, compiled for the first time in a 5LP box set.

Waziri hails from a small part of edo state in southern nigeria called afemailand, known for being a harmonious region where muslims and christians live — and dance — together. And there, as a devout muslim and an exemplar of religious piety, waziri fuses etsako/afemai folk styles with pan-nigerian highlife and pop to create a sublime vehicle for his islamic philosophy that gets everyone — muslims, christians, whoever — on the dancefloor. This 5LP set, vol. 1-5 (1978-1984), focuses on waziri’s illustrious mid-career output — the music he created during the years leading up to and after he performed his first hajj (you might recognize some of the hits from the muslim highlife) — and includes a copy of the journey so far, a limited-edition book written and designed by his children, to celebrate waziri’s remarkable life and career.