The first question that is often asked when Lagbaja is encountered is, “Why the mask?” Basically, Lagbaja’s mask is used as an icon of man’s facelessness. Lagbaja is a Yoruba word that means somebody, nobody, anybody or everybody. It perfectly depicts the anonymity of the so called “common man”. The mask and the name symbolize the faceless, the voiceless in the society, particularly in Africa. Once you see Lagbaja’s mask you are reminded of your own facelessness. This symbolism is so powerful that Lagbaja’s mask has popularized the use of the mask concept by other artistes both in Nigeria and beyond Though the concept was developed long before that, his first album (entitled Lagbaja) was released to National acclaim in 1993. Over the years and more albums later, the music continues to fascinate with its unique focus on a core of African drums. His music is a product of various influences ranging from traditional Yoruba music to Jazz. Often the music is purely instrumental- an interplay between traditional Yoruba percussions, drums, chants, and western instruments, especially the saxophone. When there are lyrics, they are primarily sung in Yoruba, English or a blend of the two as is colloquially spoken in Yoruba cities. Many of his songs dwell on serious social issues, while others simply entertain. Some are dance inducing while others pass serious messages in humorous ways.
One thing that links all the songs together is his use of traditional African drums. Traditional Yoruba drums are the most prominent. Four families of these drums are employed in creating different grooves and moods. The dundun/gangan family is the most prominent and at times up to five drummers combine all the various components to create the polyrhythms. The bata ensemble is led by two musicians who alternate between soft high toned driving rhythms with their omele bata, and thunderous loud talk with their mum drum- iya ilu. The general percussionist leads the sakara ensemble. The fourth family, used as the backbone of the groove is the ogido, a derivative of the ancient gbedu. The ensemble of drummers constitute the larger part of the band. Vocalists and western instrumentalists make up the rest. Lagbaja’s groovy fusion has been referred to as afrojazz, afrobeat, higherlife and afropop until now that he himself has christened the music AFRICANO, alluding mostly to the central role of African drums and grooves in his music.
In March 1997, Lagbaja established his club, Motherlan’ in the heart of Ikeja in Lagos. Motherlan’s design is influenced by the traditional African town or market square, where people gather under the moonlight for ceremonies and artistic events like dance, music, story telling, wrestling etc. True to this function, over the years, it has become a place for many comedians to polish their act in front of a demanding audience.
With a serene gorge of beautiful trees and greens as background, the venue merges traditional Africa with the contemporary, creating the ambience of the countryside in the urban city. Lagbaja performs at Motherlan’ every last Friday of the month to a full house of faithfuls.
Lagbaja is fast emerging in the forefront of contemporary African music, rich in the traditions of the continent while cosmopolitan in attitude. He has started to take his music beyond the shores of Nigeria, performing in festivals and venues around the world.
Side By Side
Lagbaja Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De way de way de way way de way de way
De way way de way way way de way way de way de way de way way
De way de way de way the girls of nowadays dem dey dress o
E be like e say
Dey won cause cata cata won fe po
Looku de waaaaay
De way de way de way way de way de way
De de de way de way! de way the girls of nowadays dem dey dress o
E be like e say
Ah dey won cause cata cata
Before before
Girls dey dress to cover body
But now but now heh
Girls dey dress to expose body
Orisirisi combination
Combination colours versus colours dem dey riot
Rioting green for top purple for under o pari
E go dye hair na yellow eh ey
Mascara for face na red
Shine shine eye pencil na blue eh ey
Ipe ipe du re etike etike
Lipstick nko na golden
O tan
E wear spandex
Toti rin leggings
O wo spandex
O wo leggings
E put jacket for top
Cap dey face de back
Walk out for road
E won cause accident
Side by side won ti copy
Side by side won ti poju
Side by side won ti di lorun
Side by side won ti ya wo abi orin nko
Side by side e don late pata pata
Side by side cloth e no cover omo yen again o
Side by side omo yen ti lo oja she don wake reach market
Side by side
Side by side
Side by side
Side by side
Side by side
Side by side
Side by side
Side by side
Side by side
Looku de waaaaay
De way de way de way way de way de way
De way way de way way de way way
De de way way de way way! de way way
De way de way de way the ladies of nowadays dem dey dress o
E be like e say
Dey won cause accident
Before before
Woman dey dress to cover body
But now but now heh
Woman dey dress to kill person
Awo baby yen won wo sho
Different different cloth different occasion
If na party na complete
Gele iro buba combination
If na work na complete o pari
Skirt blouse bag and shoe combination
If na play pawon o tan
Excuse ti to expose body
If you meet mommy and daughter
You no go know who be mommy
You go tink the two na sista
Dem go dey waka like pepeye
Ah lefu rete rete lefu
Lefu lefu rete rete lefu
Lefu lefu rete rete lefu
So when chief ngbomo ngbomo o carry pickin
Carry pickin when e dey drive for road
To concentrate na wahala
Awon baby dey don cause cata cata
Man must put one hand for him pocket o
Because because ni torin pe because
Prevention is better than cure
E wear mini
E wear blouse o
E slit mini
Reach waist o
Mini tight o
Blouse e tight o
Nothing for under
O fe pa awon boys o
Side by side pandoro
Side by side pandoro
Side by side oya rough park here
Side by side park well well for the side no block road
Side by side wetin you carry
Side by side oya open your bonnet
Side by side wey de pa pa pa particular
Side by side ah hand sup general search
Side by side wetin be dis wetin be dis wetin be wetin be
Side by side ah I don catch you contraband
Side by side illegal possession of dangerous weapon
Side by side you are madam under arrest
Side by side capital offence capital punishment
Side by side madam dangerous dressing causing breach of peace
Side by side oga rough parking causing
Side by side causing obstruction pandoro
Side by side pandoro
Side by side
O wo sokoto
O wo buba
O wo sokoto
O wo buba
O ni kin ka lo
Mo ni emi o lo
O ni ki lo de
Mo ni emi o mo
The lyrics of Lagbaja's "Side by Side" criticize the way in which women dress in modern-day society compared to the past. The first verse refers to the "way the girls of nowadays dem dey dress," with "cata cata" meaning "chaos" or "disorder." This suggests that the way women dress is causing chaos in society. The song contrasts how women used to dress to how they dress now. The clothing used to cover women's bodies before, but now women dress to expose their bodies. Lagbaja sings about different combinations of clothing which riot with each other, highlighting the way that women dress nowadays with different and often clashing combinations of clothing.
The second verse refers to the way women dress for different occasions. For example, at parties, they dress in complete gele iro buba combinations. If it is for work, they wear a skirt, blouse, and bag combination. If it's playtime, they wear clothes that expose their bodies. Lagbaja sings about how mothers and daughters now dress alike, and it's challenging to distinguish them. The last verse addresses a specific case where a chief who is driving has to focus to avoid causing an accident because of women who are creating chaos on the road. In the end, the lyrics suggest that men need to put their hands in their pockets to avoid getting into trouble with women dressing provocatively.
Line by Line Meaning
Looku de waaaaay
Take a look all the way
De way de way de way way de way de way
The path, the path, the path, so much path
De way way de way way way de way way de way de way de way way
The track, the track, the way we are going, so many paths, so many ways
De way de way de way the girls of nowadays dem dey dress o
The way girls dress nowadays is so different
E be like e say
It's as if they want to
Dey won cause cata cata won fe po
Cause commotion and draw attention
Before before
In the past
Girls dey dress to cover body
Girls used to dress modestly
But now but now heh
But now, oh my
Girls dey dress to expose body
Girls dress to show off their bodies
Orisirisi combination
A variety of styles and colors
Combination colours versus colours dem dey riot
Different colors that clash
Rioting green for top purple for under o pari
Wearing clashing green and purple
E go dye hair na yellow eh ey
They dye their hair yellow
Mascara for face na red
They wear red mascara
Shine shine eye pencil na blue eh ey
Their eye pencil looks shiny and blue
Ipe ipe du re etike etike
Too much makeup
Lipstick nko na golden
Gold lipstick, really?
O tan
It's too much
E wear spandex
Wearing spandex
Toti rin leggings
They wear leggings all the time
O wo spandex
Wearing spandex
O wo leggings
Wearing leggings
E put jacket for top
Wearing a jacket
Cap dey face de back
Their cap is backwards
Walk out for road
Walking down the road
E won cause accident
They're going to cause an accident
Side by side won ti copy
Copying each other
Side by side won ti poju
Pressing too closely
Side by side won ti di lorun
It's too crowded
Side by side won ti ya wo abi orin nko
Singing and dancing together
Side by side e don late pata pata
It's too late to stop now
Side by side cloth e no cover omo yen again o
Their clothes aren't covering them anymore
Side by side omo yen ti lo oja she don wake reach market
They've gone to the market and are now awake
Side by side
Side by side
Looku de waaaaay
Take a look all the way
De way de way de way way de way de way
The path, the path, the path, so much path
De way way de way way de way way
The way, the way
De de way way de way way! de way way
This method of dressing has become too much
De way de way de way the ladies of nowadays dem dey dress o
The way ladies dress nowadays is too provocative
E be like e say
It seems like they want to
Dey won cause accident
They're going to cause an accident
Before before
In the past
Woman dey dress to cover body
Women used to dress modestly
But now but now heh
But now, oh my
Woman dey dress to kill person
Women now dress to impress
Awo baby yen won wo sho
She's wearing different shoes
Different different cloth different occasion
Different clothes for every occasion
If na party na complete
Complete outfit for a party
Gele iro buba combination
Head wrap and blouse combination
If na work na complete o pari
Complete outfit for work
Skirt blouse bag and shoe combination
The whole outfit
If na play pawon o tan
If it's playtime, anything goes
Excuse ti to expose body
An excuse to show off their body
If you meet mommy and daughter
If you see a mother and daughter
You no go know who be mommy
You won't be able to tell who's the mother
You go tink the two na sista
You'll think they're sisters
Dem go dey waka like pepeye
Walking like models
Ah lefu rete rete lefu
Too much is going on
Lefu lefu rete rete lefu
It's too much
O wo sokoto
Wearing trousers
O wo buba
Wearing blouse
O ni kin ka lo
Won't let me go
Mo ni emi o lo
I have to go
O ni ki lo de
What are you doing here?
Mo ni emi o mo
I'm not doing anything here
Side by side pandoro
Parking together and causing trouble
Side by side oya rough park here
Park rudely together
Side by side park well well for the side no block road
Park on the side of the road so it's not blocked
Side by side wetin you carry
What are you carrying?
Side by side oya open your bonnet
Open your car's bonnet
Side by side wey de pa pa pa particular
Inspecting carefully
Side by side ah hand sup general search
A general search by the authorities
Side by side wetin be dis wetin be dis wetin be wetin be
What's this, what's that
Side by side ah I don catch you contraband
I caught you smuggling
Side by side illegal possession of dangerous weapon
Illegal possession of a weapon
Side by side you are madam under arrest
You're under arrest
Side by side capital offence capital punishment
Serious consequences for serious crimes
Side by side madam dangerous dressing causing breach of peace
Dressing dangerously can cause problems
Side by side oga rough parking causing
Bad parking can cause trouble
Side by side causing obstruction pandoro
Blocking the way and causing problems
O wo sokoto
Wearing trousers
O wo buba
Wearing blouse
O wo sokoto
Wearing trousers
O wo buba
Wearing blouse
O ni kin ka lo
Won't let me go
Mo ni emi o lo
I have to go
O ni ki lo de
What are you doing here?
Mo ni emi o mo
I'm not doing anything here
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Mckim_
Come on, come all … we still rocking and jamming in 2023 💃💃💃
@olvdele
2019 and I remember riding in my dad’s car while this cassette plays
@KLabye
brings me back to wen i was 8 riding in the van wit my dad, african was the main stay
@femiadewusi6011
2021 the beat is still ever fresh
@g_dmitri
1993, and the song's premise still holds now in 2017. Hell, it's even more prevalent.
@adebisiadedoyin8570
Not 1993 but 1998.
@Ade_Wale
It is 1993
@adebayoopeyemi1495
Its 1993.. Its first album . second album 1996 africalypso
@djx-el4612
Still such a heavy record!!!! Wish his complete ctalogue was available online.
@annagiannakoudis3108
Please the other version who does the vocals in the beginning? Female divine voice