“He Deliberately Delayed Collecting the Mic”: Moment Between Musiliu Ishola and Apala Singer Trends
- A video of veteran Apala musician Musiliu Haruna Ishola and upcoming singer Rasheed Apala went viral online
- The Gángan talking drum player delivered a proverbial message to Rasheed before he stepped up to the microphone
- X users familiar with the genre spotted the shift in drum rhythm and Rasheed's telling change in body language
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A moment from a recent Apala music performance has gone viral, sparking widespread admiration for the depth of Yoruba cultural communication carried through traditional talking drums.
X user @NIYOREpe4h shared a video featuring veteran Apala musician Musiliu Haruna Ishola performing alongside upcoming singer Rasheed Apala. The clip quickly drew attention for a striking exchange that most casual viewers would have missed entirely.
Source: Instagram
Before Rasheed stepped forward to collect the microphone, the Gángan talking drum player delivered what observers interpreted as a coded proverbial message, understood by those familiar with the tradition as either advice or a warning directed at the younger artist.
Rasheed's deliberate pause before approaching the microphone did not go unnoticed. Musiliu Ishola responded to the moment by saying "Ọmọ mi ni," meaning "He is my child," a phrase that signalled acknowledgement and defused any tension through a display of mutual respect between the senior and younger performer.
Source: Instagram
@NIYOREpe4h wrote:
"I would be so pissed if I wasn't Yoruba," capturing the sentiment of many who marvelled at the layers of meaning embedded in the exchange and how effortlessly the coded conversation moved through the instrument.
The viral video of the exchange between Musiliu Ishola and Rasheed Apala is below:
Fans react to the viral Apala moment
The video drew a wave of responses from people who had watched it multiple times to fully appreciate what had unfolded on Twitter.
@Trustnobody01 wrote:
"It must be Ode Bembe because he is the lead drummer. This no be hip hop wey every body dey do anyhow. If you do anyhow you go see anyhow for this traditional music line. Plenty things go do you, doctors go diagonise but they no go see anything but you go know say you are not ok."
@Nig_Farmer observed:
"Baba you too smooth. I noticed the drum changed and he delayed collecting the mic. You could see he was listening to the drums and his body language changed. Make e no respect now... Asa dey wait am."
@IamGeeworld had a more cautious read of the scene:
"That warning is a threat. Na those kind nonsense stall the growth of our kind of music. There is absolutely no need to threaten younger ones. Kudos to Musiliu Ishola for using Agbalagba Wisdom."
@MirahKhimirah admitted the subtlety had slipped past them at first:
"Noticed the drum sound change but I thought it was cos they wanted to change song 😅😅 Had to go back to rewatch slowly 👏🏿👏🏿."
@urpropertypadi summed up the poetic quality of the exchange:
"From the faces and the body reaction it was so poetic! Baba had to bail him out immediately and remove the clauses."
For many who watched, the clip served as a vivid reminder that traditional Yoruba music operates on multiple layers of meaning, with the talking drum functioning as a full language of its own.
Musiliu Ishola breaks silence on car promise
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Apala music icon Musiliu Haruna Ishola took to social media with a reflective post, days after a very public and heartwarming moment at the 2026 Olojo Festival left the internet talking.
Sharing a photo of himself on his Instagram story, the veteran singer accompanied it with the words of a song that carried a deeply personal message:
"My head is fortunate; I'm grateful / God's work isn't of human's understanding / Person wey no get helper suppose get sense / My head be fortunate, let me have money."
Source: Legit.ng
