Song You Need to Know: TOBi, 'Dollas and Cents (DJ Tunez Mix)'
Oxlade also contributes to the new version of TOBi's single
Elias Leight, provided by
FacebookTwitterEmail
TOBi’s “Dollas and Cents” was impressively austere: The beat was distilled to rhythmic elements so bare that they seemed to precede any possible genre distinctions. The bassline, courtesy of the great British-Ghanaian producer Juls, could’ve come from slippery Seventies funk, club-ready Nineties house, or window-shattering West Coast hip-hop. TOBi rapped like he wanted to make the bass look flat-footed, packing lines with knotty syllables.
DJ Tunez — known for his work with the Nigerian star Wizkid, as well as his contributions to essential Afrobeats singles like “Get Up” with Sarz and “Iskaba” with Wande Coal — uses the malleability of the Juls beat to his advantage on a new rework of “Dollas and Cents.” This version nods to amapiano, a style of dance music that emerged from South Africa. (For more DJ Tunez excursions into amapiano, see last year’s