Two dogs in a title make you picture a street fight before a note is played, and Izinja Ezimbili from AFRIKA does exactly that.
The phrase is Zulu for two dogs, and in many African languages the word dog carries more than animal meaning. It can describe loyalty, but it can also be an insult, which gives the title an edge. Nigerians know how a single word can swing between affection and abuse depending on the tone and the face of the speaker.
I like that the number is part of the picture. Two suggests a rivalry, a pair of friends or two people circling the same prize. It could be about a love triangle, a quarrel between brothers or a tale with a lesson at the end. I would not guess which story the record tells.
The track appears on Zenza amanyala, and the animal image gives the project a street-level feel. Titles like this often belong to songs that people retell, because a simple picture is easy to remember and easy to repeat.
It suits a long evening of storytelling, when somebody leans forward and begins the tale of two men who wanted the same thing.
Stream and Download IZINJA EZIMBILI. by AFRIKA. Below.