Legend, a title that isn’t easily earned but appreciated and glorified when earned



Over the years the music industry has churned out icons and legends who have positioned themselves as the nation’s role model and treasure; some of them are still here on Earth with us but this particular legend who literally sent down the rain with his succulent delivery of reggae music and top notch stage performance has unfortunately passed on, but all the same we owe it to every fan of this icon to kick back and relive his exciting moments in the industry.

The Man Majek Fashek
Majekodunmi Fasheke professionally known as ‘Majek Fashek’ was a Nigerian singer, songwriter and guitarist of Yoruba descent. Kicking off his career in the early 80s , Majek had a strong passion for making music, especially reggae music and he was also passionate about using the genre to speak on prevalent societal ills. His 1988 album ‘Prisoner of Conscience’ which is home to his hit single ‘Send Down the rain’ is still the most insightful project of his entire career. Starting off with the band ‘Jastix’ using the stage name Rajesh Kanal, they performed on different stages and went on to become the in house band for NTA Benin’s ‘Music Panorama’ show.

In 1988 after Jastix disbanded, Rajesh Kanal who would later be known as Majek Fashek would go on to pursue a solo career under Tabansi Records, under the imprint he released his debut solo album ‘Prisoner Of Conscience’ which instantly became one of the best reggae albums in Nigeria’s musical history. ‘Send Down The Rain’ which was the album’s lead track became an instant hit in all circles and in 1989 he would go on to win in the ‘Album of The Year’, ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Reggae artiste of the Year’ categories respectively at the PMAN Awards. Fashek released his sophomore album ‘I&I Experience’ before leaving the label in 1990.

Right after leaving Tabansi Records in 1990, he signed a new record deal with CBS Nigeria and released his first single ‘So Long Too Long’ under the label,the single was eventually included in Putumayo’ World Music Album.

He eventually got signed to Interscope Records which was home to American rapper and actor Tupac Shakur. Fashek went on to release a third album ‘Spirit of Love’ under the imprint and in 1992 he got to perform ‘So Long Too Long’ on the popular American tv show ‘ Late Nights with David Letterman’ which was part of the promo run for the ‘Spirit of Love’ album. After some issues with Interscope Records he was dropped by the label and Fashek went on to sign with Mango, a division of Island Records popularly known for promoting reggae acts internationally.


Under the imprint he recorded a new album which included his popular cover version of Bob Marley’s ‘Redemption song as its lead single.

In his decade long career he has recorded several albums, featured in the Nollywood film ‘Mark of the Beast’ as a supporting character and has gone on to work with acts like Snoop Dogg, Beyonce, Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Cliff and the king of pop Michael Jackson. Fashek has cited Jimmy Hendrix and Bob Marley as his greatest influences and over the years he has been acclaimed to be the Nigerian version of Bob Marley due to the similarity between his vocal texture and that of Bob Marley.

In December 2016, Majek Fashek contributed the ‘We are not Afraid ‘ song to a video which featured 200 influential celebrities as a fund raiser for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Fashek’s struggles
This legend didn’t always have a rosy superstar life as it was revealed in 2015 that he intensely struggled with drug addiction and had gone bankrupt. This challenge contributed to his long hiatus from music as he was admitted into a drug rehabilitation center in Abuja. Besides his drug addiction issues, other pressing health conditions lead to his hospitalization on several occasions. He was rumored dead in September 2019 but his manager made a statement to quell the rumours and confirmed that the singer had indeed been critically ill and hospitalized at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Woolwich England and in need of financial assistance. Billionaire businessman Femi Otedola pledged to aid the singer and foot the hospital bills.

The singer eventually passed away on June 1st 2020 after battling an unknown illness and this was disclosed by his manager Omenka Uzoma via Fashek’s official Instagram page. Majek Fashek has been an inspiration to the music industry and he will continue to be that inspiration because legends never die.

source: https://411info.com.ng/2020/06/02/majek-fashek-legends-never-die/