It’s been about a year since Wale has released his 6th studio album SHINE and one of his main singles “Fine Girl” still resonates with me. I love the song so much because the Nigerian-raised artist really represents his roots here. The term “fine girl” is often used in Nigerian and other African cultures to describe a beautiful woman. Wale definitely has ‘endless fine girls’ in his video as it is filled with myriad beautiful women from the Diaspora in a variety of shades and sizes wearing Ankara attire, showing off their killer dance moves as they wave their flags from Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Liberia and other African countries.
Wale’s single further represents the Diaspora by bringing in international Afrobeat superstars Davido and Olamide, both prominent artists from his motherland Nigeria. This all-Nigerian crew also spit a few bars to refer to both the beauty of women and their culture. They use Yoruba words and phrases here and there in addition to utilizing Pidgin English, a form of broken English that is often used as colloquial language in Nigeria. There are several examples of the artists representing their culture in their lyrics. For instance, when Wale says “N*gga pick beef with me they want suya”, he’s referring to the popular spicy shishkebab from West Africa as the only type of ‘beef’ they will get when anyone wants to start trouble with him. He then ends his verse with “I’m just another Yoruba nigga gettin’ money, Here go another twenri”. This is where is blatantly represents his Yoruba roots and wealth while saying ‘twenty’ in a Nigerian Pidgin accent. Besides Olamide’s chorus where he mostly speaks Yoruba to admire the fine girl’s booty (literally), Davido certainly represents his country on the track as well when he literally tells us “don’t forget I’m repping green white green,” referring to the Nigerian flag.
Wale’s single was a hit. The video was a hit. The features were a hit. And the ladies especially were a hit! What tied the song altogether was the fact that he embraces his Nigerian roots in it’s entirety while honoring the beauty of the Diaspora and our women of color in the video. This ‘colorful music video’ (XXL) and upbeat percussion based tune really represented our Diaspora in a fun yet tasteful fashion. Wale has always been for women and Africa in general so I am always rooting for him! Continue to be on the lookout for more singles like this from him as it has always been a success for him in terms of execution and feedback from his loyal fanbase. Check out the video itself below.
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