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| Betondi James' 2018 New Album |
After four (4) years in hibernation, the
Great Betondi James has partnered again with the Legendary Production House, Nanje
Music Production, Inc in a new album titled, Ba Tata Ibasu (Our fathers) scheduled for release in late August or
early September. In this new album, Betondi has once again confirm his prowess
as the leading artist not only in the Oroko land but in the entire Anglophone
region. And, Nanje Music Production, Inc will undoubtedly continue to be the
leading Production House Betondi James' 2018in Cameroon.
The last album Nanje Music Production, Inc
produced for Betondi James has been a resounding success because it is
virtually played in every Oroko household and Oroko Conventions all over the
world till date. Even as many prefer to dance to the music without purchasing
the album, we are comforted because our culture which was once upon a time
regarded as retrogressive, is now the premier culture in the Anglophone region.
Music analyst have already provided rave
reviews for the new album, Ba Tata Ibasu and, they have equally
ascertained that it is the artist’s best album thus far in his almost 19 years
career. Instrumentalization on the album is brazenly superb. Additionally, they
believe that this album is golden because of the sensational Chorister, Olive Ebende, who has implanted her
angelic voice to give the album a flavor never heard of in our traditional set
up. Read this!!! In one of the
songs, we have brought comfort to your listening pleasure in an unusual way by
assembling the best artists you could find in Oroko land (King Tokah Moh, Ndinga
Marvingaye, Mba Mba Louis, Paolo De Plaisir) to give us a combination
of Matame and Amekoko lyrics in
celebration of the Paramount Chief of Balue Coronation.
The
album has Eight ‘Golden’ Tracks
The
album focuses vastly on the social issues that have and continue to plague our
Oroko society. The artist, who sees himself as an agent of change, brings these
debilitating and deliberative issues to the attention of the Oroko people so
that they should not lose focus on building a more vibrant society. No Oroko
person should concentrate on the melody to dance without retaining the essence
of the music. The artist’s goals must have been met if his people stay true to
the message of the songs by implementing the necessary changes to build a
better society. We understand how disconnected most of our young population
have become as it relates to understanding the dialect. We have made enormous
efforts in translating the lyrics from our dialect into English in the video
files, to enable a sellable product to our young population and the
international world, who may face difficulties in understanding the dialect.
2) Njaru: This song addresses the long-standing
problem of the Oroko person who has assumed a non-conformist attitude of not
contributing to most social causes to address the problems in our society. Even
when many non-tribal people are contributing to a cause that will help their
people, they, especially those who have the means to make a difference in
society, will continue to cling tenaciously on this selfish and stingy attitude
of not contributing. And shamelessly, they are unapologetic about their stinginess
and craftiness. The artist hopes that the song will bring a renewed interest in
community development by breaking this impasse.
3) L.M.N
Foundation: The
development of the Oroko land cannot only be relied upon the few Oroko
associations all over the world, Non-Profit organizations like the Lawrence
Mbotake Nanje Foundation has taken a lead role in empowering women, children,
the poor and the deprived, by devoting the organization’s resources and
donations from philanthropists to uplift the needy in Oroko society. The owner
of the foundation, Iya Dr. Clementine Ebenye Nanje, sees the artist, Betondi
James, as the best vehicle to help convey the message of the unaccomplished goals of her late
father through the L.M.N Foundation by way of music
4) Ngoh: Ngoh in our dialect means Tiger. The artist tells the story of a tiger
that was bringing distress to a village. The domesticated animals of residence
continued to disappear, and neighbors were constantly suspecting neighbors for
acts of banditry until one day that the tiger chased a goat (which had gone
grazing in the farm), back to the village. The village residence now had proof
that it wasn’t neighbors who were stealing their animals; the tiger was the
thieve. They surrounded the tiger and killed it and later celebrated their
conquests by wrestling.
5) Women
Empowerment: Somewhere we
read of twenty-seven (27) reasons why Cameroon men die before their wives and
the artist is bent on reducing the death rate by asking we, the men, to adhere
to his suggestion. And he’s suggesting that men should empower their wives by
sending them to school or opening businesses to enable them to have money of their
own and to contribute financially in running the households or to have savings
of their own so that in the event of the death of their husbands they won’t be
running to their late husbands’ friends for financial help. Their savings
should sustain their households without unsolicited financial help from
elsewhere.
6) Bake: The artist is lamenting on the state of
their villages which is in the hands of non-Oroko natives, today. Non-natives
are in control of the economic, social and political aspects in most Oroko
villages to the total chagrin of the Oroko indigenes. Again, the artist is placing
the blame squarely in the hands of the Oroko chiefs and elders of the villages.
Oroko people are fast becoming tenants in their own land. Solution is for Oroko
children to start investing in their land if they are to prevent a stranger take-over.
7) HrH
Chief Asuh Sakwe: He is
the Chief of Dikome Balue and he is equally the Paramount or Supreme leader of
the twenty-seven (27) Balue villages in Ndian division of the South West
Region. He is celebrated here because after a long search for a leader to lead
the Dikome Balue and the Balue people, the people came to a unanimous
conclusion that HrH Chief Asuh Sakwe, a well-educated Chief, with the
propensity to listen, is the right person to assume the vacated throne. The
Balue people have an audacious reason to celebrate this capture and can now be
heard through the echoed voices of Betondi James, Tokah Moh, Ndinga Marvingaye,
Mba Mba Louis and the Great Paolo De Plaisir as he is received with the
jubilation of his people.
8) Iya
Dr. Clementine E. Nanje:
Good leaders do not force themselves onto the people; the people come for them.
Good leaders do not harbor hate for anyone no matter the compromising situation
they find themselves. Good leaders, like Nelson Madiba Mandela once said, do
not resent anyone; excuse even your adversaries by bringing comfort to them.
Good leaders are driven by love for all and their blessings are derived from
the spoken words of the people they help. Good leaders do not talk about the
people they have helped; they continue to have mercy for them even when the
benefactors misrepresent them otherwise. Great leaders are respected, not loved
and it is because we respect her that’s why we have chosen to tell Iya Dr.
Clementine Ebenye Nanje’s story, unsolicited.
Nanje
Music Production House and Betondi James sincerely extend their gratitude to
Mr. Ngumbah Emil (an Oroko man), owner of M1 STUDIO in Buea and DJ Manas (in
HrH Chief Asuh Sakwe) for Programming, Mixing and the Mastering of all the
songs on the album. We are deeply indebted to both of you. We couldn’t thank
you more for your service. We equally extend greetings to all the artists that
the sound engineer, Mr. Ngumbah, assembled to make the album, golden.
Sounding Engineer: Ngumbah
Emil (Songs 1,2,3,4,5,6, &8). DJ Manas (No.7)
Programming, Mixing and
Mastering at M1 Studios
Composer and lead Vocals:
Betondi James
Composer in No.7 (Ndinga
Marvingaye, King Tokah Moh, Betondi James, Mba Mba Louis and Paolo De Plaisir)
Chorus by Olive Ebende
Guitar Bass: Soleil Bass
& Lady Kashila
Guitar Solo & Bass:
Blaise Strings & Lady Kashila
Saxophone: N Sax
Modern Percussion (Drums): Deko
Ebongue
Traditional Percussion (Drums):
Peter Makoro
Production House: Nanje Music
Production, Inc.
Production Date:08/31/2018
