GemStones #30: T-Fire 🔥🔥🔥(Afro Rock, Psychedelia, Nigerian Soul)

Aquilla

A few months ago, I had a dream. I was floating around the sky in some land. There were vast deserts and tribal customs spread across the land. As I descended, there were the 2 tall Africans: the ancestors. Wearing those same customs, they warmly smiled at me. I was shocked and before I could get a word in, the 2 hushed me. One of them touched my shoulder and told me to "say a prayer". S*** got me confused, to the point before I said something-fire pervaded through the land. As soon as it reached me, I woke tf up . It was such a weird dream that just stuck with me to this day. Coincidentally, moments after that surreal sequence, a song popped up in my algorithm with those exact same words: Say A Prayer.

Hailing from Lagos, Nigeria. The band formed sometime around the mid 70s. Consisting of members: Themba Matebese (guitar), Igo Chiko (tenor saxophone), Tunde Williams (trumpet), Lekan Animashaun (baritone saxophone), Mike Collins (drums), Keni Okulolo (bass). T-Fire has only released two albums: No Stop Dis Musik(1976) and A New Testament(1979). A damn shame considering how impeccable these guys were.

The musicianship of T-Fire is just a trip. The soundscapes are rather bittersweet yet cinematic. The band makes you feel like a spirit drifting through the scenic view of Nigeria's largest city, Lagos. Whether it's the cerebral, pastoral sounding guitar or the pots & pans styled drum pattern: T-Fire composes a semi- psychedelic nature that allows listeners to breathe into the universes' tranquility. I would argue that it reminds me of Grande Mahogany a bit. Songs such as Four Words and Afro-IIII Vibrations embody these soundscapes to the fullest.

Another aspect of T-Fire is their messaging. It is so empowering to hear these guys to have awareness to the world around them. The group has deal with topics such as congregation (The Will Of The People), racial pride (Black Power Dance Part 1 & 2), social encouragement (A New Testament), and much more. Black Power Dance is dope for it's rockish bass groove causing you to put your fist up. What makes it so energizing is the songs usage of the classic call & response. The singer asks his band each time to show their salutes, and as they do: the song evolves into a bonafide jam session.

My absolute favorite, as you guessed it: Say A Prayer. It is arguably the best song on the album. The anti-war poem calls for an end to suffering. Those who have been sadly impacted by the ignorance and bloodshed. He not only protests for Africa, but he mentions: Vietnam, Angola, North Korea, Russia, and others. Showcasing T-Fire's power of empathy: the band's sorrowful harmony, the pastoral guitar, the subdued drums. The musical components help create a call to rid of genocidal warfare. A message that still rings true to this day and age where countries continue to inflict damage on those who they deem weak; as if they were battered dogs

Special shoutout to my guy Kendrick Lamar & Jalen Hurts for setting the energy for Black History Month. It was needed to reflect to where we are, not only as a diaspora but as a world. We gon make it through these terms no matter what Free Gaza!