The Cavemen
Highlife music which began as an unplanned musical experiment in the early 1900s, under the name ‘Palmwine Music’, grew for several decades to become a continentally appealing music genre. It has birthed top stars in the Nigerian and African music industries including the Osadebes, Oliver de Coques and Oriental Brothers. The music was heard far and wide until Hip-Pop, Soul and RnB were integrated into the new age. However, with Kingsley and Benjamin Okorie, Highlife seems to be making its way back to the Nigerian music scene.
The Cavemen are a Nigerian Highlife band consisting of sibling duo Kingsley Okorie, a bassist and Benjamin James, a drummer. The talented singers and songwriters initially started out as choristers before they were discovered by Lady Donli. They are no doubt making waves recently in the Nigerian music industry, with more recognition accorded to their traditional music style. The singers play and vibe to their own genre called Highlife Fusion which combines afrobeat, highlife, jazz and soul music.
The Cavemen are known for their live performances, for which they have received multiple accolades across Nigeria. They are proud natives of Orlu, Imo State.
Kingsley Okorie, the elder of the siblings earned a law degree from Babcock University and Nigerian Law School, Kano campus while Benjamin Okorie attended Peter King College of Music in Badagry, Lagos State.
The Cavemen were officially formed in March 2018 as a music band and they stylised their band name with a dot (The Cavemen.) to spell uniquely from a New-Zealand-based artist with the trademarked name. The Lagos-based singers started music at an early age, learning different musical instruments to build their talent. Benjamin plays the drums while Kingsley plays the Keyboard and bass.
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Their debut single, ”Osondu” was released in 2020 while their debut album, Roots was released in August 2020. The album was recorded and produced by them in their living room. The duo also produced 11 of the songs on Lady Donli’s Enjoy Your Life album who in turn was a co-executive producer on Roots. Their sophomore album which featured Cobhams Asuquo was also released in 2021. More of their songs include Me You I, Bolo Bolo, Akaraka, Anita, Beautiful Rain, Osondu, Crazy Lover, and Onye Ma Uche.
The Cavemen were recipients of the Headies 2020 awards for Best Alternative Album – Roots. They were also big performers at the finale show of the fifth season of Big Brother Naija, a Nigerian reality TV show. Their net worth is currently estimated at $250,000.
Feel free to follow them on social media: Instagram: @the.cavemen, Twitter: @staycavy, Facebook: thecavemennz