Ayinde Barrister & King Sunny Ade by Cappo SOA Olaribigbe (COLD WAR REVEALED)

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If you think musical feuds were confined to artists playing the same type of music alone, you’ll have to rethink.

Both KSA and Sikiru Ayinde Barrister began their musical career in 1966 with TYC. The two artists were pioneering figures at TYC under the ownership of Alhaji Bolarinwa Abioro. The feud between the two was never pronounced and it could be referred to as a silent feud that was only noticeable to insiders in the music industry. Many were unsure if both artists were friends or straight-up enemies.

Initially, at the start of his career, Barrister used to give Chief Ebenezer Obey and KSA enormous respect, because they played Juju music and they were reigning then. In those days people looked down on the likes of Barrister because of the type of music they played.

Tiamiyu Sumonu KSA’s one-time drummer was a close pal of Barrister and he was once a drummer under Barrister during the Were era. Barrister was fresh from the military and was determined to bring his Fuji music to a wider audience, his musical brilliance helped him to flex his musicianship which made him a natural threat to many of the senior musicians. Tiamiyu had called the attention of KSA to the rising profile of the then up-and-coming music star Ayinde Barrister, KSA was said to have waved the warning off saying a local music like Fuji should not be a threat to his reign. Alhaji Tiamiyu went to tell his friend what his boss said about his style of music, which prompted Barrister to ask in one of his Fuji Reggae series 2 album. Barrister composed thus,

🎵Awon Kan npe Fuji ni Local sound
Kabiti kabiti loro araye,
Kilo nje locality na?
Kabiti kabiti loro araye… That was the early days of Fuji music.

In his Vol 4 released in 1974 he acknowledged both Obey and Sunny in that record and prayed that God should give him the grace to be as successful as Obey and Sunny,
He sings,

🎵Apela ni e pe mi o
Apela ni e pe mi o ee
Te ba npe Sikiru ki nkole o
Apela ni e pe mi o ee
Ka ra Moto bi ti Sunny Alade
Apela ni e pe mi o ee
Ka k’ole bi ti Ebenezer Obey laiye o
Apela ni e pe mi o e
K’okiki wa to t’Haruna Ishola laiye o etc.

We should all recall Obey was the life Adviser to Barrister while KSA remains Ayinla Kollington’s life adviser. I believe Barrister used to have the belief that KSA and Obey were age mates. He later realized that KSA was just a year and a half older than him, coupled with the rivalry that existed between his musical godfather CCEO and KSA, Barrister stopped mentioning KSA’s name in his songs. Listen to his album Vol 9 titled Ajuwejuwe then you’ll notice how he failed to mention KSA when advising parents not to discourage their children whenever their kids decide to play music. He even mentioned Fela Baba 70 in that album.

Again in his next album vol10 “E je Kayinde gbaye” he snubbed KSA when mentioning musician drummers that went on pilgrimage to Mecca that year, he mentioned Mutiu kekere and called him onilu Obey, he mentioned Alhaji Tiamiyu KSA drummer and failed to bring in KSA’s name. He also acknowledged his drummer, Babatunde Oyadolu with the chorus, e kabo se dada le de.

Now another record was released in 1978 under his own Sikky Oluyole record titled Iya laje of Lagos. Barrister while paying homage to his senior colleagues, mentioned Ebenezer Obey and referred to him as “Baba wa” while serenading KSA he referred to him as “oremi Adeniyi mi Sunny Alade o” which did not go down well with KSA. It was the time fuji was already taking over from the dominant juju music. The rivalry between Obey and Sunny shifted to Barrister and Sunny.

The real battle between the duo began during the burial party for Ebenezer Obey’s father in 1980. KSA, Admiral Dele Abiodun, and Barrister were on the bandstand. Barrister was said to have performed longer than scheduled preventing KSA from taking over, making KSA use the power of his heavy instrument to knock Barrister’s instruments off. KSA later went to the studio to record a song he titled Afefeyeye with lots of controversial lyrics such as,

🎵Igun nyeyin o npeyin pamo, kilo fi npamo fun? Atigun ateyin e, won o se sebe je, be kiwa agunla, be o kiwa aguntete, ihoriwo lakara wa ti moimoyin ti nsoge, Afefeyeye e ma s’afeyeye siwa mo Afefeyeye, etc.

It is on record that both KSA and Barrister belonged to the same social club with the likes of Alhaji Adisa Osiefa, Oyasola Oyadeji, etc. They both socialized together that SAB in his album “Nigeria” listed KSA’s name among others when singing his Asin pelu eta song, teba ti reja e ma dodo ru rara, etc. He’ll call KSA Ishola and KSA will respond with Ayinde.

Later in life, Barrister changed his attitude towards KSA and gave him due respect.

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