Kolobà Kolobá : That smooth, mellow and easy vibes of the song is quintessential “Mr Johnson”
By Micahel Adeosun
Adewale Ayuba is one Fuji artiste that has over the decades held his own as a unique entity amongst the pantheon of Fuji stars. Fuji lovers can be so crazy and fanatical about their chosen favourites that some of their stars have come to assume that persona of being untouchable and infallible – Garrulous and arrogant.
But there is something that has stood Adewale Ayuba out among the rest, even right from his emergence in the 80s. Could be due to his relatively better exposure and tertiary education. Could be just due to his personality trait. He was quick to appeal to the learned and the yuppies of the 90s. His style of Fuji was non-garrulous. Easy. Relatable. Pleasant.
Off stage, “Mr Johnson” is a likable and amiable fellow. Scandal free. I recall bck in the 90s, already a star, when he used to live somewhere in Ikate, Surulere. A few minutes walk from my home. It was a regular spectacle to see him playing street football with the kids after the mandatory Environmental Sanitation exercise on Saturday mornings. He was down-to-earth and unassuming. There was this one time it was reported that his car got hijacked by robbers. A 190 Mercedes (?). Can’t vividly remember what brand now, though. It was later reported that the robbers returned the car when they got to know it belongs to Adewale Ayuba, the only Mr Johnson. Such was the love even the streets had for him. They left car parked in an obvious location for the police to “recover”. Then in Lagos, recovering a stolen car was a miracle. Seldom heard of.
Fast forward to now…
Kolobà Kolobá…
How this song has again brought to our audio consciousness, that gentle voice. Like yesteryears when we rocked to “Bubble”, “Mr Johnson Play For Me” and many others from him.
In this present day Nigeria, when everything is in a Helter-skelter mode; ironically, a song tagged “Kolobá Kolobá” is there to give a soothing relief for our minds.
Aaloyin lóhùn ‘Dewale
Agbede gb’ẹyo re o
Filé !
Ma baáwọn taton de ilẹ̀ o 🎶🎶
NB: “Kolobá-Kolobá” is the Yoruba onomatopoeic equivalent of the English word “Helter-skelter”.
