Jùjú

Jùjú is a style of Nigerian popular music developed by Yoruba musicians in Lagos from the 1920s onward, built from Yoruba percussion traditions, palm-wine guitar styles and, later, highlife and Western pop instrumentation. A modern jùjú band is a large guitar orchestra: interlocking lead, tenor and rhythm guitars weave around an amplified rhythm section while talking drums and a battery of percussion carry the beat, and the lead singer delivers praise poetry honoring patrons, places and occasions. Popularized internationally by *King Sunny Adé* and *Ebenezer Obey*, jùjú became the dominant social music of Yoruba celebrations, where performances stretch for hours and guests spray money on favored musicians.