Bankulli, Tome immortalise Sound Sultan in new song ‘Motherland’

Songwriter, and singer, Bankulli, has teamed up with Canadian-Nigerian afro-fusion singer, Töme, to release a single that pays homage to the late Afro Pop singer, Sound Sultan.

Named “Motherland” after one of Sultan’s most iconic singles, the song is a pithy recognition that Sound Sultan has ascended to be with the elders and is now at a better place, unencumbered by earthly concerns.

Four months ago, Nigerian music suffered an inestimable loss with the passing of the commercially successful and critically-acclaimed singer, Sound Sultan.

He was a face of the rapidly urbanising face of Nigerian pop at the turn of the millennium,.

Sound Sultan was instrumental in the evolution of Nigerian music to become a leading force in the global pop landscape, taking influence from the local oral tradition and mixing it with the forward-thinking propulsion of hip-hop and R&B.

Sultan had successful classics like Naija 007, SS4, and the retro-futurist Back To The Future to his name.

His songs talked about poverty, corruption, and socio-political degradation in an enthusiastic but empathic fashion.

“Motherland” is spiced by harmonious horns that pay tribute to afrobeat, a major influence on Sound Sultan, and Töme rides the minimalist wave of the instrumental to situate her own path in the journey narrated by Sound Sultan all those years ago while Bankulli provides a sturdy base to balance it off.

All proceeds from the song are being donated to the Sound Sultan family and estate.