Artist: Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe
Song: Osondi Owendi
Album: Kedu America
Genre: Highlife
Language: Igbo
Duration: 7:51
Label: Xenophile Records
Ask any Igbo highlife lover to name an evergreen, and “Osondi Owendi” will come up quickly. Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe first released it in 1984 on PolyGram, and it has since become a classic across Nigeria.
Every month, money comes in.
And somehow, it all goes out. Sound familiar?
What if a little stayed back for you?
Autosave
PiggyVest saves it for you, automatically.
Daily, weekly or monthly. You choose, and it just happens.
Safelock
Lock it away. Even from yourself.
Keep your hands off money you've set aside, and get your interest paid upfront.
Small money adds up fast.
If you put aside ₦500 a day
In one year, you'd have set aside
Before any interest. Slide to try your own amount.
This is the later recording from Kedu America, released in 1996. The album was recorded in one day in December 1994, during his first American tour, and it includes fresh versions of some of his older songs.
The original ran close to nineteen minutes, while this version keeps it to about eight, a nice way in for younger listeners.
Play the official audio below or stream the song on Spotify at the end of this page.
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Start reading now →So what does “Osondi Owendi” mean?
The title is usually rendered in English as “one man’s meat is another man’s poison”. It is the kind of proverb Igbo elders use to remind people that what brings joy to one person can bring pain to the next. The song was later remixed by MC Loph with vocals from Flavour N’abania, carrying the proverb to a new generation.
