Oshomah, Alhaji Waziri – Volume 1 – New LP

Part One of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah’s five-part Volume Series, which is also now available for the first time as a complete set (in a box).

On the heels of his already critically acclaimed (yes, already!) retrospective, World Spirituality Classics 3: The Muslim Highlife of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah, Alhaji Waziri Oshomah — the Oyoyo King, the Godfather of Afemai Music, the Etsako Super Star, Mr. Please Please Please, Mr. Dynamite — returns with Vol. 1.

Waziri hails from a small part of Edo State in southern Nigeria called Afemailand, known for being a harmonious region where Muslims and Christians live—and dance—together. And there, as a devout Muslim and an exemplar of religious piety in his community, Waziri’s music fuses Etsako/Afemai folk styles with pan-Nigerian highlife and pop to create a sublime vehicle for his Islamic philosophy that gets everyone—Muslims, Christians, whoever—on the dancefloor.

Vol. 1 focuses on Waziri’s illustrious mid-career output—the music he created during the years leading up to and after he performed his first hajj. Every song here (one of which you might recognize from The Muslim Highlife) strikes his signature balance of traditional music, highlife, and funk, as he entreats you to stay on the straight and narrow, though there’s nothing straight about his beat.

Alhaji Waziri Oshomah — known to his fans in southern Nigeria as the Oyoyo King, the Godfather of Afemai Music, the Etsako Super Star — is the originator of a form of Muslim highlife that fuses local folk styles with pan-Nigerian highlife and Western pop.



A devout Muslim and an exemplar of religious piety in his community, Waziri has recorded more than 100 albums over the course of his decades-long career. To this day, he continues to perform to adoring audiences who regard him as the greatest entertainer in Edo State.

Luaka Bop brings you the best of Waziri’s illustrious career as the third installment of their critically acclaimed World Spirituality series.

Alhaji Waziri Oshomah begins his sermon before a dancing crowd.

His lyrics warn about the vice of jealousy, but the congregation is here to get down. We’re in a small part of Edo State in southern Nigeria called Afenmailand, which is known for being a harmonious region where Muslims and Christians live—and dance—together. The atmosphere is one of enjoyment, excitement, and pleasure, because to see Waziri perform is to be addressed, body and soul.

He's the creator of a unique dance music that's fused with local folk styles, highlife, and Western pop, and imbued with Islamic values—and he's the greatest entertainer in all of Edo State.

They call him the Etsako Super Star.