Examples Of The Vernacular Sayings "Killing It", "Killed It", "She Killed Me" In YouTube Discussion Threads For A Nigerian Dance Challenge Video And/Or A Nigerian Afrobeat Video

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post documents selected examples of forms of the African American originated idioms "killing it", "killed it " and a form of the expression "I'm Dead" in discussion threads for a Nigerian based YouTube dance challenge video and/or a Nigerian Afrobeat music video.

The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these showcase videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publisher of these videos on YouTube.

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This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on linguistics. Pancocojams' linguistics posts document and consider aspects of language use among African people and/or people of African descent, including traditional African languages, African American Vernacular English, Caribbean Patois, African Pidgin English, and other Pidgin languages.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/06/what-killing-it-means-how-it-got-those.html for a related 2013 pancocojams post entitled "African American Vernacular English: What "Killing It" Means & How It Got Those Slang Meanings".

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/03/africans-use-of-african-american.html for the March 22, 2017 pancocojams post "Africans Use Of African American Vernacular English Terms In The Discussion Thread Of Skales' "Shake Body" Official YouTube Video (Part I: A-K). Skales is also a Nigerian recording artist. The linked post documents examples of comments from that video's discussion thread that contain "killing it" and other African American originated vernacular sayings.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #1: Who Killed Makolongulu? 1,2,3 or 4?


BM Official Published on Aug 21, 2016

Comment below on who killed this dance!
-snip-
"Makolongulu" is a Nigerian dance. I think it is the same as or very similar to Ndombolo.

BM, a Nigerian Afrobeat recording artist, has several other "Who Killed ___?" compilation videos. These videos are short clips of (usually) women dancing a particular type of Nigerian dance. Viewers are then asked to indicate which dance they believe danced the best (i.e. "killed it".) The background music for each video is a song that BM recorded.

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SELECTED EXAMPLES OF "KILLED IT" AND "__ KILLED ME" FROM A DISCUSSION THREAD FOR A NIGERIAN DANCE CHALLENGE VIDEO
Vernacular terms often have more than one meaning. The vernacular meaning of "killed it" that is pertinent for this post is "did something very very well".

Several comments in this section document the use of "[she] killed me". That vernacular form of "killed" appears to denote that the commenter has a very strong amount of attraction for the woman (who kills him) because of her physical beauty and sensuality.

Or

In the context of these examples in which viewers were supposed to indicate which dancer "killed it" (danced the best), the term "[__] killed me" may mean that person filled them with strong positive emotions because of the quality of the person's dancing or some other reason/s besides the dancer[s]' physical beauty and sensuality.

I don't believe that this vernacular form [i.e. "she or he killed me"] with either of those positive meanings is found among African Americans or other Americans.

file:///C:/Users/azizi/Downloads/USA-Idioms%20(3).pdf "US Slang, Idioms, or Other Frequently Heard Expressions" gives this meaning for the similar American idiom "You kill me": "You are very funny OR you are making things difficult for me"
-snip-
Like all of these "killing" sayings, "You kill me" is a figurative saying (since they don't really mean that anyone will be or has been physically murdered). An explanation for the second meaning of "You kill me" (as given above) in the United States is that a person caused trouble or the potential for trouble because of his or her foolish words or actions.

Here are selected comments from this showcase video's discussion thread.

These examples are given in chronological order with the oldest comment given first based on its publishing month/year. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only

1. BAMUJOBS, 2016
"1 killed Makolongulu, but 4 killed me. She's fyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyn."

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2. Luke Diego, 2016
"number 1 oooo, she killed both makolongulu and me"
-snip-
Regarding the "oooo"s in this comment, if I understand it correctly, in Yoruba language, one or more "o's at the end of a sentence or a statement emphasizes that sentence or statement.

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3. Marsha Anis, 2017
"1she killed. she flow like liquid.."

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4. Montoute jonathan, 2017
"i think exactly the same lool #4 killed me alsoo she's so beautiful"
-snip-
I think "lool" is the text/internet term "lol" ("laughing out loud")

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5. Amisa Kumwene, 2017
"2&4 killed me"person f

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6. Madam Africa, 2017
"If you a fool if you did not pick #1 honestly she murder it like come on now give credit where it is due"

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7. Anime god, 2017
"1 killed that all the way"

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8. Zaafirah013
"1 was the best. My favorite. She killed it. A natural."

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9. Yacouba Bogre
"3 killed makologulu"

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10. Dougie DoinIt
"they all killed it nobody in native USA can do it"

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SHOWCASE #2: Falz - Marry Me (Official Video) ft. Yemi Alade, Poe



Falz, VEVO Published on Dec 5, 2014
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/09/falz-featuring-yemi-alade-poe-marry-me.html for Part I of a two part pancocojams series about this song. Part I includes this video and lyrics for this song. The link for Part II is included in that post. Part II includes selected comments from this video's discussion thread and from two other Nigerian based online discussion threads about features of Yoruba (Nigeria) language.

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SELECTED EXAMPLES OF "KILLED IT", "KILLING IT" AND "I'M DEAD" FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THIS VIDEO
Vernacular terms often have more than one meaning. The vernacular meaning of "killed it"/"killing it" that is pertinent for this post is "did something or doing something very very well".

The only example in this discussion thread that has a form similar to "[___] killed me" is given as #16 which includes the statement "Her Smiles kills me." I think this sentence means that the commenter really loves the female singer's smile, but this form is different from any African American vernacular forms of "kills"/murder etc".

Then again, there is the Roberta Flack hit song "Killing Me Softly With His Song" which I think means that the person making the comment felt such strong emotions while hearing that song that she figuratively felt she was dying.

The African American originated saying "I'm dead" (which is sometimes shortened to "Dead") means that someone said or did something that was or is hilarious. "I'm dead" is a shortened form of the figurative expression "I died laughing" (meaning I laughed so hard [so much] that my stomach or ribs hurt and I felt like I was dying."

Here are selected comments from this showcase video's discussion thread:

These examples are given in chronological order with the oldest comment given first based on its publishing month/year. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only.

1. Nalouchaa, 2015
"Loool OMG im dead !!! The end of the video killed me!!! Awesome work guys! Love the song !! Love the video !! Damn there were some handsome men at this reception lol"

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2. Yama S, 2015
"The ending killed me. I can't stop laughing. I'm surprised I manged to type this"

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3. Ohunene S., 2015
"+ukia Stardoll laff wan kill me.

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4. EverydaypeoplebyLydia, 2015
"I die oooo .... This guy has killed me .. LOL"

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5. Adnan Bashorun, 2015
"ma boi falz killed it"

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6. GushGossipBlog, 2015
"I'm in LOVE with this song & video - hilarious! Falz, POE & Yemi killed it - so refreshing for the Nigerian
music scene <3"

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7. sight read, 2015
"Haahahahaha #falz no go kill person ooooooh, dis video is so hilarious I really enjoyed it, big up #yemi-alade pon dis one. ..."

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8. YaylowTV, 2015
"Nice work Falz. +Yemi Alade, you killed the hook."
-snip-
"You killed the hook" = You sang the hook (chorus) really really well. An equivalent African American Vernacular English term that I haven't found in Nigerian or other African based YouTube videos' discussion threads is "sang" (in its African American vernacular present tense form, which means "to sing very well, especially to sing soulfully very well.)

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9. dpencilpusher, 2015
"Falz, Yemi & Poe killed it. Video goes too well with the song. Watched it 3 times already; cracked me up each time. Also, big kudos to the actresses who synced with the lyrics, they nailed it."

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10. timithankgod, 2015
Hahahahahahahahahahahahah i don die o... funny video
-snip-
I think that the equivalent African American vernacular saying for " i don die o" is I�m dead� which also later evolved to "Dead".

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11. Ifeanyi Ilogbaka, 2015
"Yemi alade killed it on this one.she is the reason I like d song"

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12. garba baba, 2015
"Love this song, they kill it all"

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13. Child Of The Rift, 2016
"LMAO You just mudered me!"

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14. Tobi Daada, 2016
"Falz. Killing it on a steady."

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15. Adesewa, 2016
"oh my gosh this video killed me"

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16. Victor PANCHO, 2016
"OK, i give up... i cant stay quiet, i dont know which i like here on this video, is it Falz, Yemi Alade, Poe or Poe's Bride?? I'm so thrilled by that bride, Her Smiles kills me... That make up on her, Golden!! Wetin!? How una jst deh make my heart pound andytime i watch this video!!???"

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17. Elizabeth Onyekwere, 2017
"OMG.....Laugh wan kill me die...hahahahaaa..why did she faint lol?"

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: African American Vernacular English Makolongulu dance Nigerian AfroBeat music Nigerian culture Yoruba H Factor Yoruba language

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Comments About Yoruba "H Factor" & Other Yoruba "Lingo" In Falz's "Marry Me" Song (Nigeria, West Africa)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series that features the 2014 Nigerian Afrobeat/Rap song "Marry Me" by Falz featuring Yemi Alade, and Poe.

Part II features selected online comments about what is commonly referred to as the "H factor" among Yoruba people (Nigeria, West Africa). These comments are culled from the YouTube discussion thread for the official video of Falz's "Marry Me" song and from three other Nigerian based online discussion threads.

Part II also includes selected comments from the YouTube discussion thread of Falz's "Marry Me" video about other aspects of language use by Falz and by other "Marry Me" performers.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/09/falz-featuring-yemi-alade-poe-marry-me.html for Part I of this series. Part I showcases a video of "Marry Me" and provides the lyrics to that song from an online page. This post also includes [possible] meanings for Yoruba or Nigerian Pidgin English words/phrases using Google Translate and various online Nigerian Pidgin English pages. Additions and corrections are very welcome.

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/09/examples-of-vernacular-sayings-killing.html for other selected comments from the discussion thread of the official video of Falz's song "Marry Me".

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This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on linguistics. Pancocojams' linguistics posts document and consider aspects of language use among African people and/or people of African descent, including traditional African languages, African American Vernacular English, Caribbean Patois, African Pidgin English, and other Pidgin languages.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a linguist and the only language that I understand is English (including some forms of African American Vernacular English).

I had never heard of "H Factor" until I read comments in the discussion thread for Falz's "Marry Me" song,.

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The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, and folkloric purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

Click Part I of this series for the official video of Falz (featuring Yemi Alade and Poe)'s song "Marry Me". Part I also includes lyrics for that song (in English, Nigerian Pidgin English, and Yoruba) as well as some explanations for the Yoruba and Nigerian Pidgin English words & phrases in those lyrics.

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SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT "FACTOR H" FROM TWO NAIRALAND.COM DISCUSSION THREADS
The comments in each Excerpt are given in chronological order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

EXCERPT #1:
From http://secretlilies.blogspot.com/2011/11/h-factor.html
Saturday, November 26, 2011
"The "H" factor
..."When I talk about the "H" factor, I mean the fact that when people talk they can't pronounce words that start with the letter "H". For instance instead of saying "house" they pronounce it " ouse", leaving the "h", where I do not know.

[...]

The reason why they do this is cos for instance in the Yoruba language if I am not mistaken there isn't a letter "H". Its like it just vanished into thin air..LOL. So it is quiet difficult to transit from the rules in Yoruba language to the rules in the English language.

[...]

In the french language the letter "H" is silent for instance the word " Haricot", which means beans (don't forget that every word has to be spelt with an article), is pronounced "aricot". Now when the french converse in English they find it difficult pronouncing the letter "H", which isn't silent or hidden but present in the English language.

The truth:

Yoruba language is very similar to the french language but when the Yorubas pronounce English words without the "H" etc we see this as being razz, local, bush, uneducated etc.. but when the french make the same mistake it goes this way: " oh you know English isn't their first language, its allowed."..
-snip-
Selected Comments:
1. CheNovember 27, 2011 at 1:33 PM
"LOL @ the H factor. I laugh whenever i hear it. The igbo's also have their own too. Some mix the "l" and "r". E.g., instead of saying *I want to cross the road*, it comes out as *I want to cross the load*. lol (I'm igbo so i'm not hating :-)). Thanks for stopping by my blog. Following you right back.

naijabankgirl.blogspot.com

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2. Amaka's NotepadNovember 29, 2011 at 3:09 AM
"lol. Yeah, ibos have the 'R' and 'L' issue, the Hausas - 'P' and 'F' (Progrss promounced 'frogress'), Yourubas - Loss of 'H'('ouse) and 'SH' (which comes out as just 'S' for ibadan people. making Shoe sound like 'sue') Then we have the Akwa-Ibom people who have a 'J' to 'Y' issue (where Junction becomes 'yunction' and John become 'yohn') That is what makes Naija so unique, Diverse yet one country.

UP NAIJA!!!!"

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EXCERPT #2
From http://www.nairaland.com/229011/whats-h-factor
1. Whats With The H - Factor ? by Nobody: 4:18pm On Feb 04, 2009
"dis is really getting serious, everyday when i walk on the road i hear people saying a lot of scary words, like instead of egg, i hear hegg, or hold man instead of old man. then i also hear eaven instead of heaven or appy instead of happy.

pls i am not trying to discriminate but is they no way we can help the situation"

Comments pls,"

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2. Re: Whats With The H - Factor ? by spikedcylinder: 4:23pm On Feb 04, 2009
"I think its because there's no "H" in the Yoruba language so people try to compensate on way or the other. cheesy"

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3. Re: Whats With The H - Factor ? by folkzy(f): 10:31am On Feb 05, 2009
"As a matter of fact, it has something to do with where your from. For Yoruba people, there is no H in their language, hence why some people find the hard to pronounce the 'H' sound or use the H sound wrongly. I used to be a typical example, i was taught the right way whilst working in a primary school as some children used to correct me which was embarrasing."

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4. Re: Whats With The H - Factor ? by youngies(m): 11:10am On Feb 05, 2009
"Be it Yoruba 'H' factor, Hausa 'F' factor or Igbo 'R' factor, I don't have any problem with it, but I always feel scandalized when I hear it on TV or Radio from News casters. It shouldn't be excused from them."

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5. Re: Whats With The H - Factor ? by youngies(m): 12:41pm On Feb 05, 2009
"It bothers me when I hear it on air, it is happauling you know! Grin"

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EXCERPT #3
From http://www.nairaland.com/3138313/test-h-factor
1. Test If You Have H-factor by dadee007(m): 4:58pm On May 31, 2016
"H-Factor is when someone has trouble pronouncing words that have the letter H in them or pronouncing words that do not have the letter H in them as having the H sound. You can test yourself and check your H-factor-compliance by reciting aloud, the sentence below in 5 seconds. If you have difficulty reading it out aloud correctly, you have the dreaded H-factor. But not to worry, at least you now know and you can retrain yourself to lose the H factor. Cheers.

It is advisable to have someone with you to monitor your compliance. Have Fun! courtesy laffhub.com.

''Our hot air hostess handed us hot oats, as she had in her hand our air fare.''"

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2. Re: Test If You Have H-factor by Ultimus: 5:52pm On May 31, 2016
"If you have any difficulty reading aloud the statement it might be because the statement reads like a tongue twister and not really due to having h factor. I suppose a proper oral English test should be an accurate determinant."

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3. Re:Test If You Have H-factor by Phonefanatic: 5:53pm On May 31, 2016
"Who H factor help in this harsh economy?

You guys shouldn't get me angry this evening oo"

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4. Re: Test If You Have H-factor by Nobody: 5:54pm On May 31, 2016
"It's more common among the Yorubas; just as the Igbos find themselves in between Scylla and Charybdis when they have to pronounce words that begin with the letter 'R' or 'L'."

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SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT THE "H FACTOR" AND OTHER SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT PRONUNCIATION
From the YouTube discussion thread of the official video for Falz's "Marry Me" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UzlN0AbPgQ

These comments are presented in chronological order based on their publishing date with the oldest comments by year given first, except for replies. Numbers have been assigned for referencing purposes only.

Read the lyrics and the Nigerian Pidgin English definitions that are given in Part I of this pancocojams series for explanations about some of the comments that are found below.

1. Muyi Ibidun, 2015
"It interesting to see that a lot of people jumped on the bandwagon of tribal bashing based on the way this act has chosen to sing in very strong Yoruba accent. FYI, IT IS DELIBERATE. If you dont know Falz, then you need to do your home work. He is a UK trained and certified Lawyer, he speaks correct and normal English off camera. Speaking in strong Yoruba accent is his selling point. You need to check him out on Instagram where he has a lot of comedy skits and fans.

And by the way, I really dont see the big deal in singing in unadulterated Nigerian accent. Americans dont sing to pacify nobody. If you dont understand what he is saying, better you enjoy the sound or move on to some other videos. Expressing disappointment that an African artist sing in too strong African Accent is very lame.

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Reply
2. Mansa Koabi, 2015
"+Muyi Ibidun Tell them nwanne preach."

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Reply
3. Ajojocraig, 2015
"Tell them oo. The ones that know how to speak correct English. Mcheww

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Reply
4. Alexander Odofin, 2015
"I'm only mildly amused. The music isn't for everyone. Complaining about his accent is pure ignorance, coupled with a finite dose of inferiority complex."

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Reply
5. Afrimedia, 2016
"+Muyi Ibidun Muyi don't worry yourself.....it is you making it an issue....we don't need any explanation, on whether he can speak Queens English or not , Falz is really HOT right now, he is great. This Jam is smoking , Vid is hilarious ! Its all good."

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Reply
6. Antoria Lee, 2017
"Maaaaaaaaan I'm a super southern American (accent and upbringing) but this speaks to my soul. Imma learn Yoruba and neva look back.

Btw I understand all of it, if you don't, oh wells this song is ??"

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7. ACCRA [dot] ALT Radio, 2015
"Hey from Accra! We love Falz in Ghana particularly because of this "accent" that folks don't seem to be happy with.Why? because it's such a beautiful representation of a manner of expression that is prevalent throughout the continent. Africans have a unique way of speaking and we embrace it. We don't have to sound any other way but like ourselves.This fascination with the english language as a measure of intelligence and social acceptance is most unfortunate."

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8. Lanre Koby Shonowo, 2015
"Love how he brought the Naija lingo in the song i.e you know my (h)age, I'm twenty (h)eight...attention to detail lol...

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Reply
9. Natalie C, 2016
"He is doing it on purpose...listen to him speak in real life and you'll understand"

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10. Akinola Ogunseitan, 2015
"This video is so funny, the obvious H factor was on purpose.
Love the story line."

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11. omaricha, 2015
"yoruba people and H syndrome! What the hell is "follow me OME" and Twenty Hate??? Lol Razz people. Hincedent! Hingredient! Lmao!"
-snip-
Note: "Omaricha" is an Igbo name.

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Reply
12. omaricha, 2015
"+Obeth Lalas Lmao! I touched a nerve....hahaha U must have H factor"

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Reply
13. Samuel kings, 2015
"+omaricha You two should be ashamed of yourselves, as a Nigerian who has been living in the USA for more than a decade, it's a shame that i come on you-tube to enjoy good African music, and here i see two people from same country insulting themselves over minor issue. What a shame"

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Reply
14. akoms1, 2015
"Pls forgive us. I apologise on behalf of all Yorubas. But you sure know that the igbos are more enlightened and better than everybody. Once again, forgive the Yorubas for not pronouncing an English word properly."
-snip-
My guess is that this comment was written sarcastically.

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Reply
15. omaricha, 2015
"+akoms1
We Igbos are taking this Hapology Hinto consideration! Hand you will be duly notified!"

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Reply
16. tosan, 2015
"+Obeth Lalas take it easy o.... it was just a joke. Omaricha mean no harm."

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Reply
17. Olu OJ, 2015
"Tosan, that wasn't no joke. Her words are derogatory. It's typical of people from her tribe. Always trying hard to discredit Yoruba's effort."

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Reply
18. latichina5, 2015
"Lmao!!! Omaricha you will feel the wrath of every yorouba people on the Internet."

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Reply
19. Uzoamaka Joe-Nkamuke, 2015
"+Olu OJ Wow!!! so u used the comment of 1 person to describe a tribe of over 30million pple. you r no different from her then."

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20. JustForYou?, 2015
"Lol the H factor is real...but I love the video"

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21. Tee Jay, 2015
"Lmao.....hilarious video...good job guys! BTW that "H" factor kills me, i cant stop laughing .... twenty "Hate".....see me see trouble ooooo!"

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22. mimisnando, 2015
"It's pidgin English and not Patois or what some people think it is"

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23. Sunny N, 2015
"Hahaha love the ending, by the way what is twenty hate"

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Reply
24. odinese nwad, 2015
"28...pretending as if u don't know"

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25. Adewanle Adeyekun, 2015
"Poe is a hella of a rapper. Wow, no formed American accent, just pure originality. "

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Reply
26. MrEdwin10pa, 2016
"Poe's spittin in a nigerian accent is so dope... more like him needed"
-snip-
"spittin" = rapping

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This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: Nigerian AfroBeat music Nigerian culture Yoruba H Factor Yoruba language

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