On ‘Body,’ Celebrity DJ Sammy Conjures The Rolling Sensual Energy of A Lagos Party

By Chibuzo Emmanuel

There’s a specific kind of exuberance that surrounds a Lagos party like a force field. Sometimes these parties take place in the myriad clubs that dapple the city’s metropolis, over flashing strobe lights, sputtering fountains of cash and a flurry of expensive drinks.

Other times, the street becomes the dance floor. Revelers recruit friends and family to barricade the street from incoming vehicles. Then, they set up canopies, chairs, and a sound system.

Soon, steamy plates of jollof start to circulate and the booming music—Afrobeats, Fuji, Highlife, Apala, Juju—sends the attendees into a frenzied state of dancing. ‘Body,’ by Celebrity DJ Sammy featuring eMQUE & Remi Aluko evokes the joyful exuberance of a Lagos party.

Perfect for winding down after a stressful workday, as well as for a night at the club, ‘Body’ belongs to the category of songs that open a portal where we can escape the tedium of everyday life, even if just for a few minutes. Over rolling, sensual Amapiano drums, eMQUE slides into the song with a staccato, earworm melody. He sounds like he’s on the dancefloor, pulsing with dopamine and hoping to convince his muse to follow him home. “I’m feeling lonely, girl you hypnotize me,” he sings. “Feelings and emotions just dey make my heart beat.”

In the chorus, we get triumphant crowd vocals popularized by Afrobeats acts like Asake and Seyi Vibez, while also harking back to the communal singing of Traditional African Folk music. The lyrics are by turns jovial and bawdy, reflecting the song’s lighthearted ethos. “Baby make I rest on your body, my head on your bobbi (breasts),” eMQUE sings. “The kind feelings, I dey feel, e dey boost my energy.”

If eMQUE’s verse echoes the restrained yearning of a wistful lover, Remi Aluko, projecting the swaggering pomp of a silverback casanova, leans brazenly into unfettered debauchery. In an amused tone, he marvels at the contours of his muse’s body, particularly her large boobs and slim frame.

Hearing him roll off the lyrics with assured swagger, one can almost picture popular Yoruba actor Odundade Adekola—mouth open wide—gawking at an attractive lady.

For all the pleasure the first half of Remi Aluko’s verse supplies, the song peaks in the second part of his verse, when he slips into a Fuji cadence and trades Nigerian Pidgin for the tonally inflected Yoruba as he serenades his muse. As if in response to Remi Aluko’s sterling delivery, the song reaches a second peak immediately after when eMQUE layers poignant, syrupy lyrics that evoke Omah Lay’s impassioned style.

As the song fades out and Remi Alake serenades Celebrity DJ Sammy in the distinctive way of Fuji Singers, you get the feeling one popular internet meme aptly captures: “There’s so much pain in the world, but not in this room.”