From Mozambique to the world: the success of “Yaba Buluku”, by DJ Tarico
Written by Jaime Álvaro
The first lines of this column are about some interesting figures that will help the reader better understand the scale of the success of the song “Yaba Buluku”, by DJ Tarico, featuring Nelson Tivane and Preck.
At the end of 2020, on the eve of the festive season, the song “Yaba Buluku” – “Hit your trousers”, in literal translation – was released, at a time when what was actually hitting (and continues to hit) was covid-19. We presume the reader will have wondered what it is that “hits” the trousers in question. That is where the controversy of this internationally successful composition arises, one that still divides opinion in Mozambican society. Xonguila will tell it in detail, but that is a conversation for later. Let us continue with the figures. “Yaba Buluku” was named the most played song on Rádio Cidade, and on the music platform Spotify the artist has more than 200,000 monthly listeners.
A curious fact is that the hit “Yaba Buluku” had not been planned to be part of the DJ and producer’s second solo album, and it came out “in a rush, to meet the release deadline”. “The song first appeared only as an instrumental. I had the idea of releasing it like that, without vocals. But I felt the need for a voice, and then, like a flash, the voice of Preck came to me, and Nelson Tivane to write it. It was not in the plans for the album Moz Piano Vol. II and it was the last song to come out,” the DJ told us.
On social media, the song’s gateway to the outside world, there are various hashtags under which millions of people took up the choreography challenge. The song, in the South African afro house genre “amapiano”, performed entirely in Changana (the predominant language in the south of Mozambique) by Nelson Tivane, an exceptional ghostwriter, and Preck, was a proposal for celebration, and the Mozambican people celebrated it, in the midst of a pandemic, in contrast with the prevailing reality, before it became a craze in the diaspora as well, now in the voice of the Nigerian Burna Boy, one of Africa’s greatest artists today.
I am happy because the song is expanding internationally. It was already a success here in Mozambique, yes, it had its moment here in Mozambique
And how was the road made from Maputo, Mozambique, to Lagos, in Nigeria?
Behind the scenes, part I: the trip to South Africa
Despite its success, the composition “Yaba Buluku” was received with a certain disdain in some quarters. Its message was considered by some internet users to be “explicit”, “controversial” and “inappropriate” for consumption by minors. DJ Tarico, the author of the hit of the moment, says that “criticism is welcome and a sign that there is work being done”.
“Music is art, it is entertainment. I leave the interpretation of my songs to the public, not least because we compose them figuratively. It is natural that criticism arises” – this is how the young DJ, aged 28, sidestepped the question of what “Yaba Buluku” meant.
“Those who do nothing are not criticised. If we are criticised, it is because we are doing something. We expect criticism of our work. There are people who criticise, but there are also people who praise. The people who praise us end up being our strength to keep going,” he stressed.
“Yaba Buluku” was one of the most played songs over the new year (2020-2021) in neighbouring South Africa, on the streaming platform Spotify, even though it is the target of censorship and discrimination in the country,” said DJ Tarico, stressing the pride he feels at the success it has achieved.
“I am happy because the song is expanding internationally. It was already a success here in Mozambique, yes, it had its moment here in Mozambique. I felt that from the Mozambican people too. Perhaps it was not as big because our industry is not very strong. Abroad, as in the South African market, it is different. Music there is serious business.”
It was through the digital platforms that DJ Tarico learned that his song was “blowing up” in South Africa. We then decided to go there, myself and the other members involved in the song, at our own expense, with the aim of capitalising on that success. In South Africa, we recorded a remix with Sho Madjozi and did some shows, and we also met some local DJs, such as DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small, and Ntoshi Gazi, the performer of the hit “John Vuli Gate”, and we made a song with him” – this is how DJ Tarico announced his new projects, without revealing the release date of the songs.
In South Africa, the young DJ established a partnership with Geobek Records. It was the key to recording the “Yaba Buluku” remix alongside the icon of Nigerian music Burna Boy.
Behind the scenes, part II: the remix with Burna Boy
Geobek is the Nigerian executive music producer responsible for DJ Tarico’s collaboration with Burna Boy. The “Yaba Buluku” remix will form part of a new music project called “Geobek Standard”, whose aim is to showcase the music, the artists and the culture of Mozambique in the diaspora.
“Burna Boy heard the song and contacted my agent Geobek. He was the one who made everything possible: our trip to Nigeria, the recording of the remix and of the video”, which, in less than a week, reached the seven-figure mark, that is, one million views.
“When we arrived in Nigeria, our song was number one on the radio. The remix with Burna Boy only added to the success it already had in its own right, and it allowed the public to get to know us, because they thought we were South African. They did not know we were Mozambican,” boasted the artist of the moment, without being arrogant.
“All this success of the song means that good music is made in Mozambique, it means there are people in the world who are watching us. It serves as motivation for other artists, especially of our generation, to believe that their work can break down barriers and triumph internationally,” he concluded.
During their 15-day stay in Nigeria, the Mozambican artists took part in several Nigerian television and radio programmes, in the cities of Lagos and Abuja, where they had the opportunity to create more cultural exchange with other artists, such as the DJs Consequence, Neptune and Kaywise.
DJ Tarico continues to work on the “Moz Piano” saga, Volume III, after the success of volumes I (2019) and II (2020), with a total of 27 tracks. Of these, volume II was the most successful, precisely because of the controversial song “Yaba Buluku”. According to the producer, the new album will feature a number of international artists.
Tarico is a member of the group Afro Madjaha and is resident producer at Inovações Music. He got into music with hip-hop influences, but ended up specialising in the afro house genre. Over the course of his career, he has produced several hits for renowned artists in Mozambique, such as Ziko, Mulher Melancia, Júlia Duarte, Twenty Fingers and DJ Dilson, among others. His dream was to be an architect, but Mozambican music is grateful that Tarico leaned towards the arts. The only engineering here is of sound, and he keeps building success after success, from Maputo, his city, to the world.
