With a catalog of creative musical content for top-notch Nigerian artistes like D’Banj, Banky W, Tjan, Yemi Alade, WAJE, and host of others, Cobhams Asuquo is for sure establishing his personal brand as the Nigerian Musical Mutant.
Music has a very powerful effect on human existence, it has the power to bring to life, dead creatures. When any human does not listen to music, he or she has the tendency to have an unbalanced peace of mind. Music does not just give life, it also gives enough energy to the weakened soul, spirit, and body.
Have you ever felt so sick, heartbroken, or downcasted that you had nowhere to go in which music had your back and brought you back to existence?
Personally, I am a testimony of restoration by music. Another thing music does is it gives vision or it creates vision. It helps you to plan your life, gives you direction on how to overcome life challenges – although, we cannot say that of all musical contents.
Music can come in different forms, soft or hard. It can also be motivational, spiritual, metaphysical, fun and anyhow you feel it. When we’re talking of real musicians that their music and production have healed and motivated souls. I mean those that their work of art has given direction to their generation and generation unborn, we have people like Christy Essien Igbokwe, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Onyeka Onwenu, Sade Adu and whole lots more.
In this present time, we have one that is among us of such caliber and pedigree, but we’ve been blinded and deafened by the noise of countless music enjoying airplay to even appreciate him. He is the highly respected blind music producer, Cobhams Asuquo.
Cobhams Emmanuel Asuquo is a Nigerian singer, music producer, and songwriter. He was born in Jos, Plateau State. He hails from the Efik tribe in Crossriver. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays the piano, guitar, and drums. He has been in the active-music production scene from 1999 to date. Cobhams is not just a music producer but a music producer with a purpose, he is not moved by the noisy trends of different music genres each year. Listening to his works you could feel that his songs are not for the general populace but for a selected few that could connect with him.
He is also a music director, an arranger who is globally recognized more than in the country. He has been on the international stage with stars you could think of. This is a result that good music with the best and quality content is more recognized than the trash we listen to that doesn’t stand the test of time. His music type is more of a motivation for every listener.
Singers, songwriters, instrumentalist have made him their mentor and every upcoming producer look up to him for his mentorship. His genre of music is RnB, soul, Afrobeats, and especially alternative – not forgetting the influence of the Divine Being in his life which inspires him to do some gospel tracks.
The very first time I personally connected with Cobhams’s sound and vocals were on RoofTop MC’s “LAGIMO”. I was blown away, how will a gospel song at that time sound like the future. I also never knew until a few years back that the famous “CATCH COLD” by Maintain was produced by Cobhams in 2003. All these songs carry a message, the message was also in their melodious instrumentation.
Cobhams Asuquo has to be the best music producer when it comes to the RnB genre in the industry. Do we recollect this song “STRONG TIN” by Banky W, it was the brilliant and creative production of Cobhams that made the song a massive RnB hit.
He has worked with almost all the RnB acts in Nigeria giving them perfect sounds to their soul-touching sexy lyrics, one has to be D’jinne’s “EGO”. RnB sounds different when Cobhams produced it. His angelic piano works, his strumming of the guitar strings, and his ability to interpret this artistes mind.
Let’s go back the memory lane, remember that Tjan’s “MARRY YOU” and “ADUKE” were wonderful songs young lovers used for proposing. One of Cobhams greatest produced love songs has to Timi Dakolo’s “IYAWO MI”. This song is the perfect construction of an African voice that expresses rich love. Let’s not forget artiste like Praiz, Darey, and also the wonderful Asa.
Let’s not forget that Cobhams Asuquo is blind but when it comes to music and creativity on piano, guitar, and the mixing console, his eyes are wide open to the world. When it comes to songs which Nigerian governmental organizations, African support groups, and the international humanitarian organization want to use to reach people, Cobhams is the best man for the job.
We recollect in 2012/2013 the song EFCC used to preach “Say No To Cybercrime” which was titled “MAGA NO NEED PAY” which he gave mighty vocals for chorus and gave artiste like M.I, Ibikunle, Omawumi, Banky W, RoofTop MC different verse to preach the word, the song has relevance till date.
Another song is “COCOA NA CHOCOLATE” which was to preach “Do Agric” campaign in all African countries, the song had African stars like D’banj, Omawumi, Diamond Platnumz, Femi Kuti, Dontom, Judith Sephuma, Nancy G, Rachid Taha, Tiken, Jah Family, Wax Dey, Victoria Kimani, Fally Ipupa which passed a wonderful message in song. Then also the “One Strong Girl” campaign encouraging the African woman, the song has also been produced by Cobhams with vocals from Waje, Victoria Kimani, Vanessa Mdee, Yemi Alade, Selmor Mtukuezi, Judith Sephuma, and Blessing Nwafor. In all these songs, Cobhams interpreted the melody perfectly.
Cobhams has this sense that he knows what an artist wants. He made this known in a TV interview back in 2014, he said,
“When any artiste walks into my studio with their lyrics and songs, I identify the kind of melody that perfect them and the song remains a banger.”
Cobhams Asuquo
Just this past week, a video was trending showing flavor sing “GOLLIBE” with Cobhams playing the piano, it was magical to watch that. Let’s not forget Cobhams also has songs like “ONE HIT”, “WE GO WIN”, “ORDINARY PEOPLE”, “STARLIGHT”, “DO THE RIGHT THING” featuring Vex and also “WE PLENTI” featuring Simi, and they are all great songs. He also has sarcastic songs like “BOOSIT” featuring Falz and the one he produced for Praiz and Bez titled “THAT STUPID SONG” were songs that pass messages in an unserious way.
He has produced for top-notch acts in the country like Asa, Omawumi, Darey, Flavour, Timi Dakolo, Tiwa Savage, Sholla Allyson, Waje, Bez, Yemi Alade, Eldee, Mo’chedah, Praiz, Tjan, Banky W, Chidinma, Ayoola, Rántí, Seyi Shay and many others. This is the fact that Cobhams Asuquo is a real living legend of music production. Look at his full artistry of production, he has not involved himself in noisy and meaningless music but his works are cool and pass quality messages.
Now a real question is left unanswered in the music industry, do we have anyone that will take over the baton from Cobhams? Who can?
Cobhams Asuquo is for sure a Nigerian Musical Mutant!
Leave a Reply