In a Fusion of Dance, Food, and Music, Kaffy Unveils Newly Signed Act, Oduwa
Iyke Bede
Recently, multi-award-winning dancer Kafayat Shafau, renowned as Kaffy, brought together a discerning audience composed of music executives, music lovers, and critics to experience the musical odyssey of a newly discovered talent, Osagioduwa Malkin, better known as Oduwa, signed to her management company, Kaffy Kreative Agency (KKA)
The intimate evening, which convened guests atop the EbonyLife Place, Victoria Island, Lagos, served as a narrative into the growth trajectory of Oduwa, tracing his creative strength as far back as when he jumped on royalty-free beats for fun, to recording to the works of amateur producers to perfect his songwriting capabilities, down to his recent collaboration with more established ones who helped flesh out his creative vision to capture mainstream attention.
The listening party, themed ‘Oduwa Cafe,’ placed guests in the umpire’s seat from where they critiqued each work using a grading system while providing recommendations to help Oduwa further distil his sound for his upcoming debut extended play (EP). With the over twenty-five songs split between the evening’s various meal courses, the listening sessions quickly transformed into a melodious, gastronomical experience.
Having met Kaffy on a flight from Atlanta in December of 2023, their artiste-manager relationship kick-started, with Kaffy admitting she was drawn to Oduwa’s mindset and approach to making music that has a positive impact like those of his musical influences: 2Baba, Faze, Blackface, Sound Sultan, and The Cavemen.
“At KKA, Oduwa is one of the structures that we are going to be putting in place. So, that there will be many more Oduwas, many more talented creatives are going to be birthed from this,” a passionate Kaffy said during the sessions.
She added, “One thing the African creative industry needs is process and structure. There are principles to everything in life and there are ways and steps to follow. There are people to mentor, there are people to seek advice from, and there is a journey towards each success, I want to implement it because Africa is now; Africa is global. We cannot let another person tell our story or groomourtalents.”
“Myearformusicisdiverse,Ilistenfromafrobeatsto housemusictohiphoptoSouthAfricanamapiano.Ilove goodsounds.Musiccomesrelativelyeasyformetowrite. OnceIcanfeelthebeat,itjustpours.Iamsomeonewhohas lotsofrange,andthat’scomingfrommyexperience,my background,”saidOduwa,describinghiscreativeprocess
Thisunionofexquisitedining,electrifyingmusic,and vibrantdancecomponentslefttheaudienceyearning for an encore of ‘Made for Me,’ ‘Found Love,’ and ‘Omotushun.’
Also, seasoned comedian Ali Baba, music executive Bankuli, and renowned rapper Eedris Abdulkareem shared their overall impressions on specific songs, while also offering valuable insights on navigating the industry.