Drafting:
I will talk on NTA, nta 7,/Yoruba movie Industry, private TV broadcasting, ogbc

personalities like: Larry izamoje, keke ogungbe and D-one, The Bodes' , and other Heroes and Heroines.

The entertainment industry in Nigeria through my personal interest is what I wished to share and document. Those who uplift and “ glamoralize” it up to the present satte with strong intention of recognizing their contributions. And not to obliterate historical events. However I expect entertainment and media pundits to reexamine this work and reshape it into proper perspective simply because it will not give accurate descriptive events but a synopsis into what really happen in the Nigerian entertainment and media from a narrow view.
1985

Growing up in boisterous city of Lagos in the mid eighties there were few television station one can lay his hands upon namely: state owned Lagos Television known as LTV and the national owned NTA channels such as channel 10, channel 5 and channel 7. Occasionally NTA 12 Abeokuta signals do come ones in a blue moon and stray into the air for some days before it disappears again.
NTA 10 programmes cater largely for the middle class home while NTA 7 focus heavily on Yoruba movies news and culture and this channels holds sway during that period of yore, it enjoy massive followership and high viewers rating. Greatest play on NTA & include ORISHABUNWI-ABIJA AND JIMOH Aliu. NTA 7 ALSO HAS YORUBA current affairs issues to entertain the whole family.( other plays are AIYEDEOGBON)
As for NTA 2 channel 5 as they were commonly known then there programmes centers more on national programmes with international varieties and highly spiced programmes . it’s a delight to watch. You will never found local languages on this station as at then.( Cosmopolitan station ) . Language of communication is English.
NTA 12 has this village setting outlook or rural.
What is common to all this station is that they open and closed on weekdays from 4PM to 9PM (occasionally 10pm) and on weekend s from 9AM to 9PM.
This is what we go through at this period. Common cartoons common for kids entertainment are: Voltrons, Superted, to mention a few I can readily remember. Popular sitcom for children is TALES BY MOON LIGHT. This programme is a delight for all the children. Not forgetting VILLAGE HEADMASTER. JAGUAR. GIRINGORI and CHIEF ZEBUDARAYA SITCOM.

MUSIC ON TV UNDER THIS PERIOD : 1985 TO 1990
Popular artists Orits Wiliki, Blakky very loved and was very young then, Ras Kimono, Shina Peters, Dele Abiodun, Orlando Owoh, KSA, Chief Ebenezer OBEY, Dele Fajemirokun, Dele Abiodun ,Premier Music, Ajegunle Group Junior and ….?, Alex Zitto and Alex ….., . Some notable names have escaped the memory. Kindly help add to the list.
The pop star of those periods were ALEX ZITTO, RAS KIMONO, ORITS WILIKI, MAJEK FASHEK, BLAKKY, JUNIOR AND HIS GANG, CHRISTINE IGBOKWE, EVELYN OGORI these were the ballers then and enjoy massive plays in the club circuits throughout Lagos of our time then.
Music on the scene shares playtime with the micheal Jackson of this world .

End of part one.

Fuji community then: Superstar Barrister and Kolignton Ayinla. While KWAM 1 was growing behind them closely.

Something Dramatic Happened by 1990. The regime of General IBB introduced licences for private broadcasting and subsequently breaking the monopoly of government in radio and television service that has existed from the time of premier of western Nigeria.

A big credit to IBB. The impact of this event was not not felt immediately as it took the media entrepreneur few years to fill the vacuum.


Wait a minute and this is Historical. The first Private TV broadcast was by CLAPPERBOARD STUDIO. They brought vibrancy and dynamic TV friendly programs on air space different from the sluggish oriented attitude of the state owned media. Clapperboard studio focused entirely on pure Entertainment and introduce to us relevant international movies of the time: Classical Japanese movies and Chinese movies. Clapper board made TV entertainment experience something behold to held on too.

Thank you Clapperboard. So sorry you couldn't stay Long but your impact on the media space will be forever cherished. Clapperboard is like our modern day silverbird TV . The only difference is that the content of the latter is heavily influenced by Foreign.

Next: The first private radio is Ray Power. 101.5 FM. They immediately settle down and became a radio companion of choice everywhere in Lagos. Sooner people abandon state owned radio media with archaic presenting style for a modern dynamic and vibrant radio show. Ray power introduce us to people like Steve kadiri now late, keke ogungbe and D 1. Radio experience was never going to be the same again.

drafting for part 2..

here discussing the rise of Lagos media

Rise of entertainment under dominance of foreign music. Hue and cry. Rise of Congolese music. begging of Nigeria entertainer to enter channel O. The snubbed period. How Channel O remains the reference point for the Nigerian music scene. The award snub.


The coming of
#AIT
#mitv
#minaj broadcasting
# channels TV
# DBN

Later Galaxy Lagos
Super screen

Hopelessness stage in Nigerian music.
The search inwards.
The Death of fela in 1997 and the Search for originality using Local content to define us.

Undiluted focus now that the politics has gone.

Not forgetting these two Phenomenon Men and their high life genre contributions in Nigeria

1) The Maestro Oliver D' for

2) The Monumental Bright Chimezie, Sometimes being referred to as King of the East.

These two men ( Oliver and Bright) were a delight to listen to or as a companion particularly during the weekend in the 80"s all through the 90s. They were purely loved and commandeering a great deal of respect among friends and fans all over Africa.

On the sidelined:
This article I borrowed make a whole lot of sense. please enjoy it.

*History of Juju Music*


Jùjú is a style of Nigerian popular music, derived from traditional Yoruba percussion. The name comes from a Yoruba word “juju” or “jiju” meaning “throwing” or “something being thrown.”Juju music did not derive its name from juju, which “is a form of magic and the use of magic objects or witchcraft common in West Africa, Haiti, Cuba and other South American nations.” It evolved in the 1920s in urban clubs across the countries, and was believed to have been created by AbdulRafiu Babatunde King, popularly known as Tunde King. The first jùjú recordings were by Tunde King and Ojoge Daniel from the same era of the 1920s when Tunde King pioneered it. The lead and predominant instrument of Jùjú is the Iya Ilu,”‘ talking drum.

Some Jùjú musicians were itinerant, including early pioneers Ojoge Daniel, and the “blind minstrel” Kokoro.

Afro-juju is a style of Nigerian popular music, a mixture of Jùjú music and Afrobeat. Its most famous exponent was Shina Peters, who was so popular that the press called the phenomenon “Shinamania”. Afro-juju’s peak of popularity came in the early 1990s.

Following World War II, electric instruments began to be included, and pioneering musicians like Earnest Olatunde Thomas (Tunde Nightingale), Fatai Olagunju Rolling Dollar, I. K. Dairo, Dele Ojo, Ayinde Bakare, Adeolu Akinsanya (Baaba eto) Sunny Ade ,Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi , Idowu Animashaun(Apola King),Toye Ajagun (Uncle Toye)

made the genre the most popular in Nigeria, incorporating new influences like funk, reggae and Afrobeat and creating new sub genres like yo-pop. Some new generation juju artistes include Wale Thomson, Dele Taiwo, Dayo Kujore,Segun Nabi(Mr. pamela) Abel Dosumu(Mega 99) Seyi Akins,Yinka Best, Oludare Olateju (Ludare) Tunde Samson and Segun Blessing.

Juju music, like apala, sakara, fuji, and waka was created by Muslim Yoruba, the music itself remains secular. King Sunny Adé was the first to include the pedal steel guitar, which had previously been used only in Hawaiian music and American country music.

Jùjú music is performed primarily by artists from the southwestern region of Nigeria, where the Yoruba are the most numerous ethnic group. In performance, audience members commonly shower jùjú musicians with paper money; this tradition is known as “spraying”.

One of the centers of the performance of jùjú music is in Ibadan. Most jùjú musicians are based in the zone of market forces, and most of these are in an area of immigrant neighborhoods. There are several contexts in which jùjú music is performed. One of these contexts is ‘the Hotels’. The Hotels are concentrated in the immigrant areas and they serve as taverns, dance halls and brothels. They range from very small wooden structures to clusters of two or three building with a stage in the middle.

Most activity takes place after nine pm and the hotels are the center of Ibadan’s nocturnal economic structure. One of the economic activities associated with the hotels is the sale of drinks and food. The Hotels are seen as places of relaxation, where patrons, mainly men, come to escape every day life. They are places where people can come to do things that they might not want to be seen doing at home. The jùjú music performed is not the focus of the venue but most patrons prefer live music to records.

The bands that perform do not have a guaranteed wage; instead they rely upon donations from patrons. Most bands will only perform during the weeknights, leaving the weekends free for more lucrative gigs. Another context in which jùjú music is played is at celebrations called àríyá. These celebrations are parties which celebrate the naming of a baby, weddings, birthdays, funerals, title-taking, ceremonies and the launching of new property or business enterprises.

These events are sponsored so the musicians are guaranteed payment. The wealth of the hosts and the guests is shown through their reward to the entertainers. It is customary to press the contribution to the musician’s forehead so that everyone can see how wealthy they are. The musicians will often return good payment with praise songs to the donors. Live music is crucial to the proper functioning of an àríyá.

By Faleye Oluwatosin and Wikipedia

Credits™ Aboveground.

Media development in Nigeria
The series continues…
THE PERIOD OF LAMENTATION: THE RISE AND RISE OF CONGOLESSE MUSIC BOTH IN NIGERIA AND AFRICA
This period exist in Nigeria entertainment industry between 1990 to 2000. A Whole decades of lamentation and sorrow for the Nigeria music. The Nigeria music scene was totally snubbed not only in the world but also on our continent in Africa. Our hardworking musicians are not getting awards. Our musical videos was characterized as emptiness both in picture quality and depth. The best platform at these time was channel O located in south Africa. It is in South Africa the big prizes are craved. The big boys are paraded year in year out in South Africa. No honour roll list for naija musician. There were huge cries in the media about the poor quality of our sound, poor quality of our videos. Many seminars were done no result. Mind you, this period also signed of the death of Africa musical legend of all times : fela anikulapo kuti ( the man who pocketed death). Howerer, despite the gloomy picture the man who raised our heads high on the continent was the man with the masquerades LAGBAJA, ‘omo baba muko muko’.
The congolesse music became the national anthem in nigeria, on the street and the street corners, on radio and TV. At night clubs it must be congolesse music. On your birthdays and naming or house warming parties, the congolesse music thrives. The music not only thrives it also come along with it, the dance step. Notables congolesse superatar during this epoch period include baba wemba now late , awilo, kofi olomide just to mention a few. ( actually I have forgotten most of them). These guys makes a lot of money and also collect several awards. They came to compere and perform on biggest stage in Nigeria such as state function both in Abuja and the entire region. Your events has not completed without playing congollese music as this period.
Those who continued to support Nigeria music despite lack of patronages are media outlet and giants like Africa independent television, (AIT), and their staffs like baba keke ogungbe and Dee one. These guys started AIT jamz around this period specifically ’97 or 98 and they focus strictly on Nigerian music scene. They promotes all this artist we don’t want to see again. They help in shaping and rebranding them back tour consciousness. Despite all their efforts the congolesse music hover and tower in glory.
Also another important brand is a ciga company called benson and hedges who recognizes Nigerian talents and organizes sow in differtnt cities and region across the country. With their effort the Nigerian music scenes stay afloat. Towards the end of 2000, there was a ray of hope by individual talent and strides coming from the direction of the p square group and their senior brother. This period ending (year 2000) also delivered the two face and plantation boys. The remedies were showing some stuff and the biggest then. Remedies are made up of idris tony tetuilla and one ogungbe in- law. Not also forgetiing the trios of “olufunmi maker” shiffi and his gangs. I cant recollect the name of their group.
By conclusion, the naija musicians suffered very well during this period of 1990 to 2000, but with the collective efforts of the stakeholders who brain stormed every day , the provided the platform and deliver the right mixes of advice for naija music scene to take over between 2000 to 2010.

By festacman®

Analysis(:

Remedies under Kennies music took the dive. They took the over from Chris Okotie, Jide Obi, Sweet Breeze, Onyeka Onwenu, etc and started a new revolution
Plantashun Boys made a statement that young people with creativity and originality can go places. This encouraged other young people to take their fate in their own hands.
Tuface with his voice and creativity raised the bar higher to target global audience.
Ruggedman showed that it is possible to rap in pidgin English as opposed to sounding American.
Mode nine was hard core rapper who refused to change his style and originality to please the market.
Psquare showed that excellently packaged videos is key in driving even average songs to the top.
Dagrin and Nigger Raw showed that raping in Yoruba and Igbo,respectively, can be commercially successful.
Mo hit crew led by Don Jazzy and Dbanj who arrived from UK and raised the bar once again through showmanship.

starstaz:
Media development in Nigeria
The series continues…
THE PERIOD OF LAMENTATION: THE RISE AND RISE OF CONGOLESSE MUSIC BOTH IN NIGERIA AND AFRICA
This period exist in Nigeria entertainment industry between 1990 to 2000. A Whole decades of lamentation and sorrow for the Nigeria music. The Nigeria music scene was totally snubbed not only in the world but also on our continent in Africa. Our hardworking musicians are not getting awards. Our musical videos was characterized as emptiness both in picture quality and depth. The best platform at these time was channel O located in south Africa. It is in South Africa the big prizes are craved. The big boys are paraded year in year out in South Africa. No honour roll list for naija musician. There were huge cries in the media about the poor quality of our sound, poor quality of our videos. Many seminars were done no result. Mind you, this period also signed of the death of Africa musical legend of all times : fela anikulapo kuti ( the man who pocketed death). Howerer, despite the gloomy picture the man who raised our heads high on the continent was the man with the masquerades LAGBAJA, ‘omo baba muko muko’.
The congolesse music became the national anthem in nigeria, on the street and the street corners, on radio and TV. At night clubs it must be congolesse music. On your birthdays and naming or house warming parties, the congolesse music thrives. The music not only thrives it also come along with it, the dance step. Notables congolesse superatar during this epoch period include baba wemba now late , awilo, kofi olomide just to mention a few. ( actually I have forgotten most of them). These guys makes a lot of money and also collect several awards. They came to compere and perform on biggest stage in Nigeria such as state function both in Abuja and the entire region. Your events has not completed without playing congollese music as this period.
Those who continued to support Nigeria music despite lack of patronages are media outlet and giants like Africa independent television, (AIT), and their staffs like baba keke ogungbe and Dee one. These guys started AIT jamz around this period specifically ’97 or 98 and they focus strictly on Nigerian music scene. They promotes all this artist we don’t want to see again. They help in shaping and rebranding them back tour consciousness. Despite all their efforts the congolesse music hover and tower in glory.
Also another important brand is a ciga company called benson and hedges who recognizes Nigerian talents and organizes sow in differtnt cities and region across the country. With their effort the Nigerian music scenes stay afloat. Towards the end of 2000, there was a ray of hope by individual talent and strides coming from the direction of the p square group and their senior brother. This period ending (year 2000) also delivered the two face and plantation boys. The remedies were showing some stuff and the biggest then. Remedies are made up of idris tony tetuilla and one ogungbe in- law. Not also forgetiing the trios of “olufunmi maker” shiffi and his gangs. I cant recollect the name of their group.
By conclusion, the naija musicians suffered very well during this period of 1990 to 2000, but with the collective efforts of the stakeholders who brain stormed every day , the provided the platform and deliver the right mixes of advice for naija music scene to take over between 2000 to 2010.

Style plus*

Copied.
Credited.

(Braimah is a public relations and marketing strategist based in Lagos).

•Nigeria’s music culture ignites fire from Lagos to Accra, Nairobi, Dubai, Johannesburg, Cape Town, London, Toronto, Houston and Atlanta


On election day for governors in 29 States and State Houses of Assembly seats on Saturday, March 9, 2019, my family and I were having a late breakfast at about noon and Trace Naija, the popular music channel on DSTV, was on and featuring songs by top Nigerian artistes. Then I popped this question to no one in particular: who is your favourite Nigerian music artiste and why? My daughter, a keen music follower with her eyes on media arts as a possible future vocation, answered me and announced Wizkid and Davido because of the lyrics, beat, tempo and rhythms of their songs. Wow, I exclaimed! She explained further that their songs are popular and relate well with a youthful audience.
From Lagos to Accra, Nairobi, Dubai, Johannesburg, Cape Town, London, Toronto, Houston and Atlanta, just to name a few places, Nigerian music, sometimes branded as Naija music, has created a new culture of entertainment, excitement and enjoyment as popular dance hall music in those places. Be it a bar, nightclub, lounge or restaurant, music lovers gyrate to the beat coming out of the sound monitors that are recognised and celebrated as Nigerian music. Two years ago in Nairobi, my host Uche and I visited Club 40/40, Kiza Lounge and Black Diamond where ‘Naija’ pop music is played steadily. I had the same experience in Atlanta, USA, last October when Ernest, Ralph and I visited Sage restaurant, Little Lagos restaurant, Buckhead Loft, Whiskey Mistress and Regent Lounge. I’m told that new lounges and restaurants such as Blue Lagoon and Ace also celebrate Nigerian music by Wizkid, Davido, Run Town, Olamide, Tekno, Burna Boy and so on. The effect is usually spontaneous – you just get up and begin to shake your body without any prompting to the unmistakable beats in the songs. The beats give the songs a unique Nigerian identity – a product exported from Nigeria.

When Dr. Reuben Abati interrogated this subject about 10 years ago in the Guardian as the newspaper’s editorial board chair and columnist, he wrote that the lyrics in the music by most Nigerian artistes were meaningless and disgusting. The reactions from different quarters, especially the music industry, were swift and defiant and the matter became highly controversial at the time. The artistes and their promoters fought back vehemently, challenging Dr Abati to a dwell in the court of public opinion and he had to publish countless rejoinders on the matter. Between then and now, the successes of our pop music stars have been remarkable and their achievements profound, thereby earning recognition globally. Even if you do not agree with content and messaging strategy of the lyrics, the fact remains that the music produced is very popular, enjoyable and hilarious to the music consumer, and very danceable, too. There was a gap our artistes identified which they filled and the result was the big bang effect – they suddenly became popular and began to make waves, and they have never looked back since then.
Popularity and celebrity status varies among the music stars. Fame, which usually comes with a price, may come too early for some of our rising and well-established stars, and when there is no consistency in their respective musical repertoire or when the successes achieved are not properly managed, it could spell trouble and declining fortunes may set in. Stardom means experiencing a new world of bling bling, living in luxurious homes, making significant fashion statements, driving exotic cars and hiring private jets. For the male folks, women are never in short supply; being superstars actually means living life to the fullest. As the discussions continued over the late breakfast, my daughter revealed a Vanguard newspaper story where Mark Dayton, governor of Minnesota in the United States of America, declared October 6 every year as Wizkid Day. That’s truly a big deal. It is remarkable. According to the story, Wizkid (real name is Ibrahim Ayodeji Balogun) was honoured because of his musical achievements as a popular Nigerian pop music star and for his role as a culture influencer. Some of his achievements include recently becoming the first African artiste to sell out the Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis; making a Billboard number one hit ‘One Dance’ with Drake; selling out the O2 Arena in London; walking the runway as a model for Dolce & Gabbana, winning countless international awards amongst other notable achievements.
Wizkid has become a global brand icon much to the delight of his fans and admirers because of the popularity of his kind of music. So I was not surprised when my wife, another keen music follower, also mentioned Wizkid, Davido and Olamide as her favourite artistes. However, she specifically praised Olamide for his talent, creativity and lyrics composition. A close family friend named Burna Boy as her favourite music artiste because she likes the sound and beat of his music. All three respondents agreed that our artistes are very creative with the kind of energy in their music and amazing stage performances. For example, on December 30 last year during the closing music concert of the carnival in the pristine Ososo community in Akoko Edo local government area of Edo State, Skales, the guest artiste, dazzled everyone with a top drawer performance that lasted 45 minutes. A selfie by Skales with the audience, while he was on stage, was instantly shared on his Instagram page – and, as would be expected, the photograph went viral in a matter of minutes.
I also chatted with my senior son on the same subject and he said the new wave of recognition accorded Nigerian music globally comes down to the ‘art and science’ of producing the music. “My favourite music artistes”, he revealed, “are Wizkid, Olamide, Davido and Burna Boy”. He also told me Nigerian music evolved and gained global recognition since the days of late Afrobeat King, Fela Anikulapo – whom he referred to as a music legend out of Africa – and that it is popular today because of its unique beat and sound. “The global recognition began with Fela but the secret of the success of trending Nigerian pop music culture today is the lyrical nature of the songs and the production that goes into the beats as well as how the artistes ride the beats”, my son further revealed.

The twin brothers, P-Square (Peter and Paul) – when they were still together – dominated the music scene for so many years with lyrics so beautiful and voices so melodious you began to wonder where their gift and special talent came from. Burna Boy, who recently signed a mouth-watering endorsement deal with Star lager beer, has his own peculiar style and brand of music; Pantoranking also emerged on the pop music scene with an amazing delivery of his Jamaican and African flavoured songs making him the King of Reggae in Africa! The last time Tekno performed in Nairobi, the show sold out and he was practically mobbed in excitement by his fans – especially the women – during his virtuoso stage performance. Wizkid and Davido are just in a class of their own – they’re incredible talents and great music icons and ambassadors of Nigeria. When Wizkid is singing ‘Soco’ or Davido is singing ‘Assurance’ or ‘Banana follow you’, their fans go wild in excitement, jubilation and appreciation. We also have incredible artistes such as D’Banj, Falz, Ice prince, Phyno, Banky W, Wande Coal, Flavour, Reekado Banks, Maleek Berry and Small Doctor – they have also made their marks in different ways. Wizkid’s ‘Sisi Caro’ and Davido’s ‘Skelewu’ were iconic and so popular that even 5-year-olds could sing along and dance to the beats. New dance routines never seen before also became part of the pop culture, the latest ones being ‘Zanku’ and ‘Legwork’. With every new song, a new and highly choreographed dance routine was likely to follow

The female singers are also making waves and receiving media attention. Tiwa Savage is a great singer in her own right but it is difficult to ignore her in the unforgettable raunchy ‘Soco’ music video with Wizkid. According to my daughter, Yemi Alade, Omawunmi, Waje, Niniola, Temi, Sheyi Shay and Simi have excellent music repertoire and great voices that will cause you goose pimples – they’re very creative and original with their lyrics and performances.
Having personally worked closely with some of these artistes – both old and new — over the last 25 years on different events including music concerts, I know that the quality of production is essential for the music to become popular and acceptable. “Olamide is very original and you can relate to his songs”, my wife explained. “Although Olamide may not have recorded the same success as Whizkid and Davido on the global stage, my view is that he’s an A-list star because of his nuanced approach to lyrics composition. Tuface – also called 2Baba — is a legend because he’s been around for a long time. His music is pure and clean; he’s intelligent and humble, and he produces mind-blowing lyrics, too,” my wife added. By the way, Tuface is celebrating 20 years as a performing musician this year. Congrats 2Baba and may you continue to excel for good!
Talking about Tuface, I recall working with him about 20 years ago when he belonged to the group called ‘Plantashun Boiz’ – reminiscent of Boyz2Men back in the day — together with Black Face and Faze – three of them were the rave at the time. Edi Lawani, one of Africa’s foremost music promoters and event producers, was their manager. Our PR & event management company had hired the group to entertain our invited guests during the grand finale of the Lux beauty pageant at Eko Hotel in Lagos. And boy, they brought the roof down with their exceptional talents!
The renaissance and success story of the Nigerian music industry, according to Edi Lawani, was like a tale foretold by a false prophet. “We were all hopeful but none believed it would come to pass,” Edi reflected. “African music had been in the fringes of a big blow-out outside Africa for long that it had become acceptable to let it be so. Many African artistes shunned music of Africa in its traditional grandeur and gravitated toward western music, especially the American variant,” Edi explained further.


“The media in Nigeria gave more recognition to the foreign music than the local brew of Afro rhythms. ‘Americanese’ Nigerian music was, at best, a bad copy of the original and thus was stuck and going nowhere. The local audience was trapped between local traditional music and the American wannabe experiment of the reigning pop stars at the time – this was 25 years ago. Then, all of a sudden, like a bolt out of the blue, the big bang happened. A new army of local Nigerian artistes decided to look inward and get street smart by making music in ways that were strange and never before experienced. Street lingo became the lingua franca of the music flavour in Nigeria. A new era had begun,” Edi stated.
The music recording industry which had been largely dominated by the foreign business interests began to divest as the Nigerian economy contracted. The gap created gave rise to nimble but efficient independent recording labels. It turned out to be the perfect time; an extra-ordinary explosion in the music industry was in the offing. The creative juices in the industry began to flow as Daddy Showkey, the Ajegunle music exponent, emerged with his very engaging type of music and pulsating stage performances. There was also Tony Tetuila, Ruggedman, Mike Okri, Tunde and Wunmi Obe, Eedris Abdulkareem, Duncan Mighty, Paul Play Dairo, Daddy Fresh, Lt Shot Gun, Mighty Mouse, Baba Fryo, torchlight bearing Zaaky Azzay and so on.
The phenomenal growth experienced in the music industry in the last 15 years was aided by new and prolific indigenous music producers such as Xtreme Music owned by the cerebral Steve Babaeko; Mo’Hits which later re-branded as Mavin Supreme Dynasty under the guidance of the highly creative Don Jazzy and Kennis Music — championed by the creativity displayed by the inimitable music promoters of note and ‘twin brothers’ Kenny Ogungbe and Dayo Adeneye — and the time devoted by the emerging independent radio and television stations to promote Nigerian artistes and their music starting with Raypower 100.5 FM and AIT established by High Chief Raymond Dokpesi. Lately, additional music channels owned by Nigerians such Sound City on DSTV and 98.5 FM owned by Tajudeen Adepetu’s Consolidated Media and HipTV also on DSTV owned by showbiz impresario Ayo Animashaun have given expression and significant promotion to Nigerian pop music and the artistes. The biggest enabler turned out to be the internet as Edi noted. The internet deregulated the way music was traditionally promoted and consumed. New stars were born overnight and new audiences were created beyond the shores of Nigeria.
It became evident that the growing popularity of the Nigerian pop music culture was an opportunity for big brands to engage the new audience that was emerging. Social media engagements became the icing on the cake – a music event sponsored by a brand attended by 1,000 persons goes viral through amplification on social media that could reach millions of music fans and consumers who, by the way, love to tell their own stories. Edi described the unfolding scenario as follows: “With the advent of the social media, the ritual of a star and hero worshiping kicked in. Facebook became the church for music devotees; Instagram became the canvass on which dreams were painted, following in the footsteps of those who wielded the magic wand to command attention. The influencer culture was born.”
On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, our music artistes command incredible following; they are now culture influencers. Davido, now 26 years old (real name is David Adedeji Adeleke), is the first Nigerian artiste to have 10 million followers on Instagram, and he is an Omo baba olowo (son of a rich man). Even when his parents did not initially endorse his music career, he followed his heart and the resistance has turned into admiration because he is successful and has become famous through music. It is also very easy to watch the highly creative musical videos of our stars on YouTube. The big brands such as Star lager beer, Glo, Coca-Cola, MTN, Pepsi and Airtel came up with different platforms to engage consumers using Nigerian artistes and their music as the emotional space. There was Star mega Jam, Star Trek, StarQuest, MTN Project Fame, Glo Naija Sings, Coke Music Studio and The Voice sponsored by Airtel as well as music concerts sponsored by Pepsi. Unfortunately, nearly all these music platforms have disappeared due to either budget constraints or changing priorities, thereby denying our abundant aspiring music talents the opportunity to be discovered and celebrated. Usually, our celebrity music stars are handsomely rewarded whether it is when they sing at a wedding ceremony, product launch or a musical concert. For a 10 – 15 minutes performance, for example, our top-performing artistes earn between N5m and N8m or even more for each performance. They also receive mind-boggling endorsement deals when they are contracted as brand ambassadors.
Nightclubs such as Niteshift owned by the irrepressible Guv’nor Ken Calebs-Olumese are great entertainment outlets that are also helpful in promoting and building the careers of Nigerian musicians. When the Coke studio double-decker bus — equipped with a cutting-edge digital recording studio — toured the country on a road show from 2014 – 2018, the number of talented but unrecorded singers who surged forward each time to get the chance to record their songs in the studio was overwhelming; it clearly shows we have an abundance of talents in Nigeria that must be harnessed on a yearly basis. Eight years ago, Entertainment Express, an entertainment newspaper, was established by some media entrepreneurs – I was one of them — out of a desire to promote the wave making Nigerian pop music industry: the opportunities, promoters, sponsors, artistes and other stakeholders, and tell their inspiring stories. The effort failed after three and half years because of the digital pattern of news consumption that had emerged and the publishers had to rest the paper.
As the world continues to change aided by globalisation and rapidly changing technologies, Nigerian music will also continue to evolve. New stars will emerge on the scene with new variants of the current engaging pop music culture – and the value chain in the music industry will be enhanced for the overall benefit of all practitioners. The role of disc Jockeys and radio/television music presenters will become even more important as they play the rich variety of ‘Naija’ music to their diverse audience.



*** Culled from Vanguardngr.com