“No Jonze” is pure forward motion, a celebration with purpose that applauds hustle, urges focus, and reminds underdogs to keep their foot on the gas
Abioye Damilare Samson
Award-winning Nigerian musician, Patoranking, has released “No Jonze”, a street-rooted, festival-ready dance offering that marks the lead single from his forthcoming fifth studio album, set for release later this year.
Built on the raw bounce of late ‘90s and early 2000s Galala music and laced with modern Afro-Dancehall sensibilities, “No Jonze” is pure forward motion, a celebration with purpose that applauds hustle, urges focus, and reminds underdogs to keep their foot on the gas. The title flips Lagos street slang into a mantra for life and implores listeners not to fumble the moment.
At the core of “No Jonze” is Galala music, the dance-led sound of Ajegunle that Patoranking grew up immersed in and has long championed throughout every phase of his music career. Often described by Patoranking as the “stepchild of dancehall”, Galala is raw, percussive, and defiantly alive. “No Jonze” pays that lineage forward while reflecting an era when music served as resistance, survival, and freedom.
The accompanying video, directed by acclaimed Nigerian filmmaker, Director K — whose credits include work with Rema, Wizkid, and Davido — lands this manifesto back in Ajegunle, where it all began.
Shot in the heart of the bustling Lagos suburb, also known as “the Kingston of Nigeria”, Patoranking shares the frame with Galala greats Marvellous Benjy and Allen B, while a street mural salutes the forebears who birthed the culture: Daddy Showkey, Daddy Fresh, Oritse Femi, Baba Fryo, African China, and Danfo Drivers.
The visuals bring ‘90s Lagos City vibes into 2025 with cinematic effect, capturing pure raw energy, Galala dance at its finest, and fearless fashion. Improvised, communal, and true to the Nigerian spirit, it is a love letter to the streets that shaped Patoranking and a statement of intent for the next generation.
With “No Jonze”, Patoranking revisits the streets and culture that raised him by reframing that energy for today’s global Afrobeats stage and connecting his reggae and dancehall foundation with contemporary momentum.
Listen to “No Jonze” here.