Nigerian highlife legend Bright Chimezie has released a stripped-down acoustic version of his iconic 40-year-old hit, Because of English, following its recent resurgence in popular culture.
Known for his signature Zigima sound a vibrant blend of traditional rhythms and social commentary, Chimezie has long used music as a tool to entertain, educate, and endure. This new acoustic rendition offers a more intimate, reflective take on one of his most poignant themes: the lingering shame rooted in colonial language bias.
Originally crafted as a clever yet cutting social critique, the updated version trades highlife’s playful bounce for soulful, resonant strings. The result is a protest in melody a stirring homage to indigenous languages and a challenge to reexamine cultural identity and self-expression.
“Because of English, my teacher punished me,” Chimezie sings his words now echoing not just as a memory, but a reckoning.
The song’s revival follows its sampling by Afrobeats superstar Davido on With You, a chart-topping track featuring Omah Lay from his fifth studio album 5ive, which has seen significant commercial success.
This reimagined release fits seamlessly into the growing wave of Afrobeats artists sampling and revitalizing classic Nigerian sounds. And for Chimezie, it’s more than a comeback it’s a call to fellow veterans to revisit their own archives and breathe new life into timeless stories.
With Because of English (Acoustic), Bright Chimezie reminds us that our languages are not just modes of communication they’re legacies worth preserving.
