Ali Boubacar Bonkano
Ancient Routes lyrics
- Language
- English
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 2026
- Genre
- Traditional
- Length
- 4:43
Check the mic pre, 1-2
Tap the line, tap the wax
Sahel wind blowin'
Niamey lit up on the skyline
Ancient thrones still echo
When the spot get quiet
Ali Boubacar Bonkano
Roots locked in deep
Songhai crown in the blood
(Askia) mind, move calculated
Damagaram stood firm
While (Tanimoun) ran the block
On the hill, (Sarraounia Mangou)
Made the battlefield listen
Knee bowed once, tongue paid homage
No bow to the column
No break, never yield
Tectonic plates shake
When the block get hot
Surrounded by seven sets
But Niger holds the throne
From the Djado Citadel cliffs
Watch the legacy take form
Bloodline stands tall
Ali Boubacar Bonkano —
Bloodline never gonna fall
Red dirt on the kicks
Posted on the block
Aldjanour, Guéladio, Say, Tillabéri
That's where real heads hold turf
Niger River flexin' like
It know where it came from
'Fore they drew borders on the map
Kings already had runs
Pushin' heavy weight
Had the block locked down
'fore contract inked up
'Fore a boundary line got dropped
Had the whole sector locked down
West Coast of Africa
Sahel in the frame
Niger right in the core
Long before the modern name
(Mansa Musa), on the run
Clockin' heavy paper
(Sundiata Keita), layin' iron
In the foundation
Trade routes cuttin' deep
Deep in the region
Old paper, old plays, heavy hustle
Way before the new jabber
Caravans rollin' up
No flyer, no hesitation
Straight raw biz
(Sonni Ali Ber)
'Fore (Askia) copped the crown
Songhai pushin' weight
Built power up and down
(Askia Muhammad)
Crown on his head
Songhai on the chessboard
Had the opposition seein' red
Dendi down the stream
(Askia) bloodline runnin'
Royal houses stayin' legit
Gobir on the edge
Katsina pushin' trade
Hausa sets stackin'
Different hands on the wheel
Same land, different season
Agadez caravan
Packed to the gills, top tier weight
Gold in the bag
Salt in the pack
Desert wind on the grill
Aïr Mountains rising
Tuareg mob steady, solid set
Assodé at the crossroads
OG status already
Had goods on deck
Had wheels in motion
Desert doin' business
'Fore square world caught the notion
Djado Plateau
Brick and stone in the desert
Ancient walls standin' where
Sahara kept the record
Djado Citadel
Cliffs cuttin' through the dark
Old-school Niger rock
Still leavin' its mark
Damagaram blew up
Hausa power out East
(Tanimoun Dan Souleymane)
Held the line, ran the block
Zinder behind the brick
Trade lines stay true
Sultanate runnin' thick
'Fore square world knew
Then France pulled up
Tryin' to flip the spot raw
Military flex
Colonial machine
1899, territory under command
1922, put a stamp on the land
New rules on paper
New heat on the floor
But he stood tall
Ten toes down
Ain't no backing down
Queen (Sarraounia Mangou)
Had the spot locked on alert
1899, she already clocked the play
Lougou on the battlefield
She refused to fold
When heat came
She took control
Warrior mind, iron will
Azna resistance
Postin' up on the hill
Colonial column coming
She stood against the force
(Hamani Diori) at the table
Playin' chess, stayin' cool
(Djibo Bakary) pressin' at the gate
December fourth, '58
Niger got autonomy
August third, '60
Set that date in stone
Niger bossed up and came
Into its own
Republic of Niger
Name stamped in the frame
New flag in the sky
Sovereignty on display
Born January first
Twenty-and-one on the clock
From a place where road gets rough
But roots stay solid on the block
Niamey in the distance
City glowin' bright
Ali Boubacar Bonkano
Born to the throne
(Askia) had the crown
Ali Boubacar Bonkano got the pen
Different kind of power
Back then it was caravans
Different kind of plans
Algeria up North
Libya touchin' North-East
Chad on the East side
Nigeria down South
Benin on the border
Burkina to the West
Mali Northwest
Niger chest out, best
Seven borders 'round Niger
Still Niger where it sits
Ten toes deep
This home for keeps
Ali Boubacar Bonkano
Standing tall
Etched in the bedrock
Legacy sealed till the sky fold
Peace
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Key vocabulary
- check
- look to confirmA1
- mic
- short for microphone
- pre
- before
- tap
- touch lightlyB2
- sultanate
- rule of a sultan
- thick
- not thin; denseA2
- knew
- past of know
- france
- country in western Europe
- pulled
- moved by forceA2
- form
- create shapeA1
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About this song
Ali Boubacar Bonkano is a musician from France who works in rap and hip-hop, known for writing and performing rap verses over hip-hop instrumentals.