"Do you know Travis Greene?", a friend once asked.

"What's Travis Greene?"

He simply couldn't believe someone of my calibre (whatever that means) didn't know his favourite gospel artiste.

I shrugged and threw my own question at him. "So, do you know Nina Simone?"

Silence. He shakes his head left to right.

Earthlings that are close to me consider my music taste bland, old-fashioned, bleh, boring. I do not blame them. I am also judgemental of their own tastes. I consider 'em too new to be cool.

You love Wizkid and his beautiful cacophony, but I love Bright Chimezie's old school. You dance, twerk, and shake that thing that Jesus gave you to the Remas, the Kiss Daniels, the Simis, the Phynos, the Ckays, the Naira Marleys, the Brymos, the Beyonces, the Kendricks, the Eminems, the Olamides, the list is endless.

But, I love to slow move my body or go back and forth to musical bliss of Osita Osadebe, Don Williams, Victor Uwaifo, Nina Simone, Onyeka Onwenu, Lucky Dube, Dolly Porton, Bright Chimezie, Bob Marley, the Gaiters, Peter Tosh, Kenny Rogers, Fela Kuti, Jim Reeves, Majek Fashek, Andrew Crotch, Patty Obasi, the Carpenters, Brenda, Yani, Andrew Crotch, etc. I mentioned Andrew Crotch twice because...

This is just how it is for me. I see my mates listen to songs from the likes of Cardi B and Chris Brown but I'd rather listen to Oliver De Coque, Bongos Ikwue, Don Williams, Aretha, Louis Armstrong, Eric Donaldson, Mike Ejeagha, etc.

And then, there's this song Mazi Nnamdi Kanu plays before his broadcasts. It sounds Urhobo-ish to me. I don't know the artiste's name nor the song title, but I'm so loving it. Permit me to add contemporaries like The Cavemen, Billie Elish, Asa, and that 'one-one billion' man.

My Playlist is older than my pa. Last night, I was telling him about Louis Armstrong, and my old man was looking at me dịka m bu ékpo ndị Ohafia.

The other day, I was playing Nina Simone and The Chordettes and my colleague was like, "how do you enjoy such snail-paced songs sef?".

Oh well, I love it old, I love it slow, and I love it old and slow. Hippopotamus, sorry, hip pop gives me headache.

Fine beat, yeah. Gbedu wey dey burst brain, yeah yeah. But na trash lyrics full am. Today's music na just good beats, dance, and noise punctuated with vulgarities and too much untamed salacity. Nothing more. One can't listen to the good oldies and not get a complete dose of wisdom and timeless life lessons to live by on a daily basis. This, plus the style of music, is what gets me hooked.

Give me everything country, highlife, Afrojuju, reggae... any time, any day and we'd be friends for a time longer than forever.

Oldies are my writing companions. They are my muses' trigger. But, imagine writing a poem with Wizkid's Sokosoko or Naira Marley's 'Cumin'' playing in the background. Tufiakwa such agbadoness.

Tell me, would you? Who are your favourite musicians?

- Jaachị Anyatọnwụ.