Archive for the ‘ Article ’ Category

Spotlight: Rotimi

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

At 15 years old Rotimi Akinosho wowed the historically brutal Apollo Theatre crowd, singing his way to first place at amateur night. Since then the New Jersey singer/songwriter/actor/model has achieved national recognition for his powerful vocals and distinctive confidence. With academic ambitions Rotimi moved to the Midwest where began his studies at Chicago’s prestigious Northwestern University. By his junior year the charismatic vocalist became a favorite among students who packed out school venues just to hear Rotimi’s sultry sound.

Rotimi – Beautiful Music

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After selling 800 copies of his mixtape “The HG Compilation” in two weeks on campus, Rotimi established himself as a Midwest staple and began focusing on expanding his repertoire to professional acting. Playing a young soldier in “Salt N Pepper” and the leading role of Julius in the gospel musical “Tell Hell I Ain’t Comin,” Rotimi gained recognition from director Marcia P. Samuel who described the actor as a “tremendous talent” with vocals reminiscent of a young Michael Jackson. Rotimi has shared the stage with America’s Best Dance Crew and award winning Jabbawockies dance team.

Rotimi – Let’s get Started

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As an opener for international superstars rapper T.I., Estelle and NERD, Rotimi has solidified his standing as one of the brightest up and comers in the business. With his newly released hit single “Beautiful Music” securing hundreds of Myspace and Facebook plays a day, Rotimi is on track to developing himself as a capable artist and industry force. In 2009 Rotimi has already raised the bar, headlining for several Northwestern University events including Dance Marathon.

Rotimi – Rain

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Educated and self-confident, Rotimi blesses his music with an artistic edge and unparalleled showmanship. Currently Rotimi is preparing to launch into a three tier marketing campaign that will attack airwaves, computer monitors and TV screens across the country.

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The 6 Rules of Commercial Music Success

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

Over the years I have had many conversations with music artists about commercial music, which usually leads to them disclosing their disdain and hatred of it. Some refer to pop music (pop, as in what’s popular now) as commercial music. Others think of anything that is receiving heavy rotation on radio as commercial music. Whatever their definition, one thing is often overlooked: commercial music is the heart of the music industry which pumps the blood that keeps it alive.

So why then are so many music artists resistant to making commercial music? The answer that I’m often given is because they don’t want to “sell-out” their creative integrity by conforming to some industry version of what’s popular (i.e. what’s selling). It becomes very obvious to me that the problem is not commercial music, but rather the perception and definition of it.

The misconception is that the music industry created this rigid definition of commercial music. That fallacy is often perpetuated by music artists who or either unwilling or incapable of creating commercially viable songs. The truth is, the public dictates what is commercial, and for decades they have gravitated towards, embraced, and purchased records that adhere to a commercial music format.

If commercial music is the rule for success and sales in the music industry, there are inevitably going to be some exceptions to it, but unfortunately, the tendency is for music artists to try and become the exception, instead of observing the rules and why they exist.

Simply put: the rules of commercial music success have not, and will not change. Not in your life time or your children’s lifetime. They exist because it’s human nature to reject the unfamiliar; in the music industry, similarity is the cornerstone of acceptance. This is why so many popular songs sound similar and contain familiar elements. It’s a rule that is prevalent in every genre, and on every continent.

There are those artists who do a masterful job of observing their own artistic values while delicately balancing the demands for commercial music by industry professionals.

Artists such as Prince, Sting and Bjork, have pushed the envelope of creativity for years. But artists of their caliber who possess such sublime talent and vision are rare.

For the sake of clarification and argument, I will offer my explanation and industry definition of what commercial music is; based on 25 years of listening to recordings as a music lover, music industry professional, and music critic in what I will call, “The 6 Rules of Commercial Music Success.”

They are songs that have the following:

1.) A strong hook/memorable chorus. If no one knows what your song is called, they can’t request it when they hear it on the radio. More importantly, they can’t buy it at retail…or track it down on the Internet to illegally download a copy of it.

2.) Good melody. Commercial music is characterized by good melodies (i.e. verses, choruses, and sometimes bridges that get stuck in your head and make you want to sing-along). What can the top selling hip-hop acts of the last 10 years (Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Eminem, and 50 Cent) attribute their success to? Good melodies (not cool beats) that increase the commercial value of their music…thanks largely in part to the king of modern hip-hop melody, Dr. Dre.

3.) Well-Produced. Coming from an r&b background where producers are a pivotal part of commercial music success, I did not realize until I became a consultant that many rock bands don’t utilize, nor value producers like r&b music acts. Perhaps they should since the record company often assigns producers to enhance the performance of songs (through their musical expertise) and enrich the records (through their experience and proficiency in the recording process), ultimately making them more enjoyable to listen to and, you guessed it…more commercial!

4.) Appealing lyrics. The lyrics don’t have to be profound; people just have to be able to relate to them. If you have a way of saying common things in an uncommon way, your lyrics will have an edge over the songwriter whose song is about the same topic. Write about what’s closest to your heart for credibility and sincerity, and others will be able to relate to your songs – especially if it’s on a subject matter that they know or will experience.

5.) Keep it short. Keep the length of your songs down to a maximum of four minutes. Jazz and World Music are exceptions. A song that is well written makes people want to hear it again, and again, and again. The longer the song is, the less likely that will happen. Don’t believe me? Check the length of your favorite songs.

6.) Well-Performed. Most outstanding vocalists are often surprised by how low this rule is on the list. The fact is that there are more mediocre songs performed by outstanding vocalists, than there are mediocre vocalists performing outstanding songs. A good song that is well-performed gives it an edge, but if the song is lacking, all of the yelling and vocal acrobatics that singers tend to use to compensate for it, will not make it a better song….though it may help the singer to attract better songwriters to work with.

Now that you know the 6 rules of commercial music success, hopefully you will be able to use this information to your advantage and create songs that will increase your chances of success in your professional music endeavors…or you can ignore them and continue to wonder why no one (other than your friends and family – all of which listen to commercial music) like your songs.

Written by: Olaoluwa Oni

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KB and Naeto C on fire in Jamrock 5!

Friday, January 1st, 2010

KB and Naeto C are on fire in the new Channel O series Jamrock 5 – the only place in Africa to get a taste of the sights and the music of Jamaica, all delivered in crazy African-style!

Broadcast on Thursday 7 January 2010 at 21:00, Jamrock 5 is essential viewing for anyone who has a feeling for Reggae and Dancehall and wants to get connected with the artists and songs that are big on the Jamaican scene right now. Boom! (as KB would say!).

Music from the likes of Richie Spice, Courtney John, Voice Mail featuring Busy Signal, D’Angel, Sean Paul, Chuck Fenda featuring Cherine Anderson, Vybz Cartel, Assassin, Bugle and Raine Seville are hot on the Jamrock charts, as KB and Naeto C countdown from five to one during each episode.

There are also interviews – watch out for Raine Seville talking about her video ‘Slippery When Wet’ and being the first lady of DASECA and many more.

KB and Naeto also go toe-to-toe in their bid to bring viewers the most interesting and best spots in Jamaica – both hot and deeply historic. Viewers can get a glimpse of the Bob Marley Museum, the Half Way Tree Transport Centre, and the Sabina Park Cricket Stadium in Kingston as well as Rick’s Café in Nagril, a 17th Century British Naval Base and the Old Court House in Lucea, the legendary Techniques Recording Studio and much, much more – all courtesy of Jamrock 5 tour guides KB and Naeto C!

Viewers can also see if KB and Naeto C’s dream of making music with some Jamaican hotshots comes true. As KB said at the start of Jamrock 5’s recording, “Think about it this way, two guys from Africa coming together to put Africa on the world map by working with Jamaican artists. On One Drop, I did a track with Mr Vegas so I am going back to get my cut!”

So mark the date and catch Channel O’s KB and Africas Hip Hop Royalty Naeto C on Jamrock 5!

Also, you got a taste of them during Jamrock 5, now the big O brings you the latest tracks all the way from Jamaica on the Jamrock 5 Xpress. It’s 30 minutes of uninterrupted Dancehall and Ragga tunes, Saturdays at 20:30 – starting Saturday 9 January 2010. Blah!

© Storm Records Official Press Release.

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Are You A Pirate Too?

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

In recent days, the country has been engaged in an interesting discussion over the piracy issue. From NTA all the way down to your local radio station, it seems the hunger strike embarked by the Nigerian Music Industry Coalition has got everybody and their mother talking. Mission half-complete, or so it would seem. The unfortunate thing about a society like ours, where ADD is a more common pandemic than HIV, is that the singer Yellow King’s near brush with fate will be yesterday’s news as soon as Governor Sanusi unveils a brand new list of bank MDs to be sacked. Sad but true. While my intention is in no way to belittle the efforts and sacrifices that the group has taken, I do want to use the window their demonstration has created to shed light on a particular face of piracy so many of us refuse to see even though it stares us right in the face every single day.

Earlier this year, a court in the American state of Minnesota ordered a woman to pay the Recording Industry Association of America, the RIAA, the landmark sum of $2 million and what was her offence? Well it turns out that the young lady had illegally downloaded a total of 24 songs from the internet. Yeols boss, I didn’t stutter, I said two and four. At that rate, it would mean she was being fined $80,000 for each song she downloaded. That’s in the United States, who’s checking what goes on over here?

In just this year alone, more than half a dozen Nigerian artists and their management have been terrified to see their songs hit the internet before their producers had taken his thumb off the record button. Illegal file sharing is no longer just an oyibo thing, Nigerians have caught on. Everyday entire albums, mixtapes and EPs are uploaded and downloaded with a frequency akin to Pres. Yar’Adua’s medical trips abroad.

In an industry where no proper indigenous network exists on the internet to legally distribute music and pay artistes their due royalties, those unable to purchase the physical CDs mainly due to the fact that they live abroad might argue that if more and more artistes took the pain to put up their music on online services such as I-Tunes and Amazon, then they would in turn pay up the money required to purchase this music. And quite honestly, it baffles me why several A-list musicians view a presence on such music stores as a luxury and not a necessity. This is even more worrying when artistes continually cry about how much Alaba is doing them ‘strong tin’ but never explore the chance to squeeze out a profit however tiny, from online sales. Even if it isn’t for the money, do it for the good of your global brand but I digress. That issue is left for artistes, their managers and record labels to sort out, let me and you do our own part.

I do not know how many songs you might have obtained illegally within your lifetime. I personally lost count somewhere between one hundred and one thousand; let he who doesn’t have a single kilobyte of illegal music and I’m not talking about MI, be the first to smash the escape key and leave this page. What I am saying however is that if we continue doing this to the industry we claim we love, there might soon be a time when nobody would be interested in spending his hard-earned money to make the music you will only end up downloading and sharing for free.

We are ALL pirates; some of us just stay in Alaba.

(theChiaman is a writer for Hip Hop World Magazine, Nigeria. If you want to get the inside scoop on the Nigerian music industry, pick up your copy of the Hip Hop World Magazine when our brand new edition dedicated to Michael Jackson’s life hits news stands around the country in the coming weeks).

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Str8buttah – Str8 4rm Da Art [Review]

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Independent rap just for the love summarized best with selling out is bad, mass appeal is unimportant and playing with the very element that rap involved into from its birth – Build a track on beat laced with heavy drums, kicks,snares andvery little string work. Display of wittiness and an emcee’s way with words – the very understanding and ease to wordplay, tell a story, construct punchlines and head scratching metaphors and in content are political/conscious, lyrical, poetic, real and could be said to be conservative.Now,I give in after much struggle not to see them (Str8Buttah) as a version of Wu Tang Clan where every member stood out. A good listen at the album won’t help.

The bright side is this album was in no way struggling to be commercial (what I really want to say is there was no desire to be lyrical over a yoruba/igbo or pidgin hook) nor an attempt to fuse with the aim of appealing to that listener that is not totally on that side of the fence for the early nineties hiphop. What Str8 Buttah did with this album? I assume Enigma, R Cube, Deck and Rae just want Teckzilla and XYZ (the two producing of the bunch) to keep the sample in check and a full rap beat. The rap is told in english with story told in a language that’s not foreign.

The intro set it straight telling Str8Buttah is that rebel to the ‘entertainment’ that is playing the industry globally. Str8 Buttah stay stuck up and give the middle finger to any form of stunt – Entertain with rock, R and B, Pop but not ‘old’ rap that should be rightly synonymous to hiphop. ‘You know the str8buttah clique got a knack for dropping unorthodox out of the box’ ‘When we kicking mad cipher that make our leg swell’ in the words of one of the collective.

Teck opens track 2 – radio for Rae to tell the radio tale of they getting played only by Doc Gee and don’t leave it as he mentions Lord Of Ajasa. We know Nigerian radio won’t put their kind of track on the playlist too often. I am thinking the track would have satisfyingly (pardon the adjective) brilliant if it was one with a sample from one of our own highlife or afrobeat veterans or just a Fela sample if really Rae held ‘Rakim in my left hand and Fela on my right hand and in my past life, I was Shakespeare’s hypeman.’ It was more of philosophical me-against-the-world kinda jump on this.

Next, They know for a couple of new fan there would be a number of haters, period! Skit from a comedy. I suspect Chris Tucker on defending the art. Followed up by the SMVAwards recognized track and for correction sake. It is ‘The Last Stand’ not ‘last standing’.

Micworx brings aggression to the body of work to ‘Marvel us’ as track six on the album. The collective had to call where they from with Green State Of Mind – It’s L.A.G.O.S if you still don’t know!

Knighthouse recruits Kel for ‘Showtime’ with a recite along hook that she delivers well over the timed kick where she tells who takes a rap verse by saying the name after he wraps it, My verdict? Kel is chilling like a dutchess but won’t say the ‘motherfucker’.

Track 9 parades Mifliss to give that don’t-wanna-hear-myself-when-I-speak gangsta hook just right to call themselves ghetto CNN. The first shout out to late Fleet Militant comes here!

For the ‘lives one’ and the real ones, Str8buttah put the first Jazzy sample. It comes in here.

‘Loving it’ almost was my favourite on the album sees a female voice sample on the background as the rap verses were laid and there was a decision to talk out the track to the end.

On Track 17,Hiphop is African and str8 4rm da art not having a track to say this would be inappropriate just then comes my favourite on the album saw a scratch and classic recitation run in.

The bad? Yeah I made to find one or a few. The album is for a passive hiphop head even with Kel on ’showtime’ track with the recite along hook – the beat would bore the ‘new school’ of hiphop fans but then the album was not for them. I also had an issue with the choice of words precisely ‘nigga’ (hey, I use it the word) by Mifliss on Fly and ‘project’ in Origin–ion. Why do rappers or emcees use the “N word” and ‘project’ in Nigeria? Nigerian don’t relate with such words.

With that said, I would recommend the album. Support hiphop!

By Dro Ameh.

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T.W.O. Deny Quitting Music

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Are they quitting music? Are they returning to TV full time? Just when the speculation about their purported exit from music to TV was gaining grounds, Nigeria’s number one showbiz couple Tunde and Wunmi Obe is back with a new song and they are definitely serving it up.

Titled “Zombie” “This one is for the love-sick folks, it’s a love song that has to do with two people who are in love and can’t do without each other Tunde Obe announced to surprised media practitioners this week.

The announcement did not only declare that the duo are back for good, it also brought to fore that those speculating that they had quit music for TV were very wrong..

“We have not left music, Music is our first love, we have been recording new songs, and in fact we are ready to roll, we are too legit to quit, we won’t do that to our fans, we owe it to them, we can’t leave them hanging” Wunmi Obe says as if to assure worrying fans who have besieged her with enquires since news broke that the couple were calling it quits with music.

The new single was produced by Sean Keyz

The title of the forthcoming album has not been announced yet. According to their publicist Ayeni Adekunle, “All those other details will be known soon. All we just want to do now is let people know that contrary to widespread speculations, this couple we all love so much, are not quitting music. Not now, not tomorrow, not ever”

T.W.O started as lead singers in a campus band ‘Turning point’ in the 80s, and got popular Nationwide with their popular weekly television performance on the Charly boy show and Zoom time.

Zombie is T.W.O’s first material since their monstrous hit “Mogbomaya” which established them as “a bridge between the old and the new school”.

Visit T.W.O on www.tundeandwunmiobe.net and on Facebook – Fans of T.W.O

- Ayeni The Great.

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The Industry Is Not Smiling

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
© Sly Alubo

© Sly Alubo

THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY: NOT YET TIME TO CELEBRATE.

So much has been made of the fast growing music industry. It is obvious that the Nigerian music terrain has attained unimaginable heights within a very short space of time and is still moving like an unstoppable train. Good to see that Nigerians now appreciate their indigenous products to the foreign ones that used to dominate the minds of many Nigeria youths from the early nineties until recently and to a large extent shaped the dress styles of Nigerian youths. Fast forward to now and you’ll observe how things have changed drastically. Nigerian artistes have been able to break the norm and relegate foreign music to the background. Even players in the booming industry find it unbelievable that the Nigerian music scene could make such giant strides outpacing other sectors in the process. Many look back with disbelief to the level to industry has attained. From uncertainty and gloom to an era of hope and so much promise.

The rate at which Nigerian artistes are charting away awards globally to the envious glare of their African peers makes one wonder whether the awards are running out of fashion. The popularity of the Nigerian artiste has quickly overshadowed other African acts with many of them packing their bags and linking the next flight to Nigeria to have a dose of the Naija success formula. Admit it or not, the eyes of the larger world is now on Nigeria and deservedly so. One can be forgiven for thinking you were lost in Hollywood with the level of sophisticated gadgets, the near impeccable arrangements and the level of panache, glamour and glitterati on display at red carpets awards and events that have become common place in Nigeria presently.

A new generation of Nigerian artiste are now dictating the pace, constantly providing us one hit track after the other and the video producers have equally been complimenting the efforts of the artistes with top-notch music videos although a lot still has to be done in that aspect. The beat producers certainly deserve a truck load of commendation for cooking up wonderful beats to the delight of the teeming legion of Naija hip-hop converts. Nigerian artistes, producers, directors now rank with their contemporaries the world over in terms of talent and creativity. All these has translated into financial gains for the artistes and all involved in the music business and not to forget the millions invested on the artistes in form of endorsement deals from corporate companies. With all these happening, it won’t be out of place to begin celebrating on the basis that the industry has arrived but such a celebration will be like putting the horse before the chart since not all is well with the seemingly healthy and robust looking industry.

The euphoria about the industry is coming a bit too early amidst the barrage of salient issues lying bare and unaddressed. I refuse to be deluded or carried away so I’ll advise we postpone the champagne popping party till much later. But those of you in party mood will disagree with me. Am less concerned as I have my reasons and you will come to understand sooner or later why it’s not yet time to party. Some myopic artiste may go ahead and declare a party, get drunk in celebration of the success of their album but the success of an album is not the all round success of the industry .Partying or emptying bottles of Moet won’t drown the problems plaguing the industry.

Except our artistes are infected with the complacency virus, I won’t mention names but some artistes in Nigeria already think they have reached the peak of the ladder. The level of success they have achieved has gotten into their heads thus causing their ego to bloat and their musical career to diminish due to the ‘‘I have arrived’’ syndrome. I really can’t blame them since more often than once, their story has been one of grass to grace. I see no need for us to get too excited with the progress the industry has made when there’s still more ground to be covered, improvement to be made in terms of sound and video quality, International awards (Grammy)to be won and a global audience convince with a unique brand of music synonymous with Naija.

True a host of Nigerian artistes enjoy A-list status, making so much money and living like kings but because there are no structures to properly harness and manage all the boom in the industry, all these may fade away quickly like it started after all, this isn’t the first time Nigerian music is making waves within and outside Africa but like a recurring decimal, the issue of mismanagement that robbed the country and past music greats their rightful position in the global musical scene still haunts the new generation of musical acts. Perhaps it is more of a Nigerian factor than musical that success is not properly managed in this part of the world. Because we cannot be found wanting for lack of talent and creative minds but the continued negligence of the efforts of Nigerian musicians in bringing glory to the nation and the viable income that can be recouped from the industry. It is a common scene for the federal government to reward and honor sportsmen and women who win laurels for the nation but how many of the musicians who won international award was honored let alone bestowed with national honor in recognition of their ingenuity.

Let me not digress from the issue at hand even as am tempted to. Musicians in foreign countries are part and parcel of an entertainment industry that is responsible for a large percentage of national earning and income. Here is Nigeria; the case is contrary as the musicians do not even realize their worth to the country. Their primary objective is to score a major hit, make money and live the good life. Music has now become an escape route from prevalent poverty in the land and this has led to a high degree of unprofessionalism in every sphere of the endeavor. I cannot cease from making reference to the western countries where they have adequate structures to monitor and manage the intellectual rights of the artiste. From the minute an album is released into the market, there’s a monitoring process put in place by the major record labels where each copy sold is observed till the album goes platinum, gold or multi-platinum as the case maybe.

Here in Nigeria, the album sales figure is dependent on the unverified figure the ‘‘Alaba marketers’’ come up with and the excited poverty ravaged artiste is rewarded with the gift of an automobile as reward for a job well done. The poor fellow goes ahead to paint the town red in his new automobile oblivious of the fact that he’s being ripped off by some cash induced businessman who has raked in millions through him and several others. The most heart shattering is the pricing and quality of CDs produced. It leaves more than a sour taste in the mouth to know that the creative work of an artiste costs less than a bottle beer. Maybe if there was an upgrading on the CD quality, the price will be reviewed. I won’t even delve into messy details of piracy and the impunity with which these pirates operate without recourse for the laws of the land. They have become so comfortable to the extent that they have now taken on the laughable tag of marketers, dictating the prices of CD and how much is remitted to the artistes. One cannot expect much when the musical body responsible for protecting the right of the artiste lies in comatose barely breathing at all.

I am very passionate about Nigerian music and have met a host of artistes; there stories have been far from rosy and they dearly plead with the government to come to their aid in sanitizing the industry of pirates and other greedy fellows. I think the fate of the music industry lies in the hands of the artistes and stakeholders in the industry. A summit to address these issues will be a step in the right direction. After all, without the musicians, we won’t be witnessing this euphoria and I won’t be writing this article in the first place. As for the ones who choose to turn a blind eye and continue the premature celebration, am afraid they have themselves to blame eventually.

Written by: Brave2DaBone.

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The Message In The Music

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

© Kingunderground.com

‘‘Music is the universal language on mankind’’ Henry Wardsworth Longfellow. Music is sweet, music is good, music is soothing; and music makes life worth living. I can go on and on to eulogize the wonderful effect of music. It has the power to melt even a heart of stone, serenade a disgruntled lover. The many usefulness of music can not be quantified in words. Only God knows what the world will be without music! Apart from aesthetic value of music, it is a very strong tool for fighting and correcting ills in the society. The musician has the license to employ his music in the condemnation of perceived flaws in his immediate environment. Take away the fact that he is a musician, the musician is first a member of a society and must do his best to ensure that that society enjoys the basic things of life equally.

Thus music from time immemorial has served as the voice of the common people and musicians have championed the course of the masses through their songs. Music greats like Bob Marley, Lucky Dube and many others have succeeded in tackling issues affecting their society as well as call the attention of the world to the ill treatment meted out to the people by the government. Same can be said for Nigerian musicians of yearster years like Late Sunny Okosun, Ras kimono ,late Fela Anikulapo Kuti whose music were not only conscious, they were also critical and served as social commentary even the common man on the street could relate to.

The songs of these music greats did not only help correct inequality and negligence by the government but helped shape the future of the country and at the same time, the artistes maintained a perfect balance as far as good music is concerned. I was listening to my radio the other day and observed that most of the waves making songs on air share something in common apart from the groovy beats and catchy hooks: the artistes have made it a point of duty not to make sense any more. True, Nigerian the ascendancy of the music industry in recent years has been meteoric with Nigerian music earning top marks in Africa and beyond. But a cursory observation of these chart topping songs shows a lack of depth and content with nothing sensible being gained from these songs. Leaving one to ask the questions: does crap sells better in this part of the world? Have we lost our morals in the quest to create a brand of music?

Many will argue that we’re in the new millennium with the new generation taking front seat and coming out with their own brand of music to suit the yearnings of their style but in a country filled with too many unpleasant stories of crass corruption, failed leadership system, starvation, lack of infrastructure, insecurity and other ills which the new crop of musician as the mouth piece of the youths should inexcusably address in their songs. Sadly, the reverse has been the case with many artiste throwing caution and moral values to the dog by exhibiting a lack of interest in the issues bothering the country and instead displaying lewd and explicit lyrics on their songs. Without recourse for the millions of impressionable youths who listen to their songs.

It has become too evident in the songs ruling our air waves and constituting nuisance to our ears that one hears artistes mention drug-weed, choko, and ganja. I am often left unimpressed by their unrepentant way of glorifying sexuality and the use of alcohol as strategy to sell record. Some have become rather daring (I won’t mention names) to even admit that without drug, they can’t deliver. Thanks to the radio and TV stations who have taken the pain of editing these songs but the fact that the artiste has succeded in passing his shameful message across to the public is indeed a bigger shame on the musician bent on making money by singing crap. I hope the broadcasting bodies become more alive to their responsibility and restore sanity to our airwaves.

Attaining legendary status in music goes beyond making an album lacking depth all in a bid to make quick money which is perhaps the reasons we now have a lot of people doing music. Imparting humanity and making timeless music should be the aim of pursuing a career in music. If only I had musical skills, I’ll make sure I etch my name in the music hall of fame alongside the great ones. There’s still space for more music greats…

Written by: Brave2DaBone.

N.B.

Brave2DaBone is the newest member of the Nigerianhiphop.net team who will be putting up entertainment articles on regular bases.

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Are You Starvin’ Like Marvin?

Sunday, June 21st, 2009

Imstarvinlikemarvin.com is an online clothing line of urban wears for big boys, girls, and toddlers. SLM Clothing is where you can find all the latest styles and trends in urban wears customized with the most widely used Nigerian ethnic and street terminologies. The internet has made designs of clothing lines more accessible to their customers and their would-be customers. And with SLM Clothing you are guaranteed quality and authenticity products at affordable and competitive pricing. Designers with ideas can also get sponsored at imstarvinlikemarvin.com and they will make sure that your ideas get transformed into tomorrow’s innovations. Using their vastly built network to get your designs into the hands of artists’, athletes, and famous public figures. They will also deliver your orders to your specified location(s) with some of the best delivery agents within the United States and the rest of the world.

So if you are starving like Marvin and you are ready to be equipped with street apparels on the forefront of urban fashion, waste no time paying them a visit at imstarvinlikemarvin.com.

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Etcetera: Black Tie Gig

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Moving on after he was named winner of the Recording Of the Year Category at Hip hop World Awards in May 2009, Soft Rock Act, Etcetera shocked fans and the Entertainment industry as a whole when he teamed up with his record label X3M Music to throw the first ever black tie gig in the Nigerian Music scene last Sunday.

As usual, a black tie invitation calls for formal attire. Men wear tuxedos, women wear cocktail, long dresses or dressy evening separates. The event gave room for trendy interpretations of formal wears and the guests didn’t fall below expectation as they appeared in different hues of tuxedos and dresses.

With a cocktail of drinks, spoken word, beautiful poetry and soft music, guests lounged and networked; spending the entire evening hob-nobbing, back slapping and exchanging banters.

The high octane black tie gig which was well attended by the crème de la crème of the Nigerian music industry, media practitioners and artistes held at Black Pearl Restaurant, 10A, Akin Adesola Street, VI.

‘I feel so happy that people responded well to my gathering. It was just three hours of networking and banter but the impact it has on me is everlasting, and it is going to linger for a long time’. Etcetera told news men in Lagos this week.

Hosted by Singer, Writer and OAP Tosyn Bucknor, the event recorded the presence of X3M boss Steve Babaeko, Kiss event’s Howie T, CEO of Hip hop world awards Ayo Animashaun, Singer Tosin Martins, GT the Guitar man, Weird MC, Rapper Terry tha Rapman, OD and Mode9.

Others include Talent Manager Joice Ize-Iyamu, Rapper Kel, Singer H man, Big brother Nigeria alumnus Ebuka Obi- Uchendu, Writer and publicist Ayeni Adekunle, Poet Sage Hasson, Ade Bantu, OAP Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi, and many others.

Pascal Ejikeme popularly known as Etcetera is a singer-song writer signed on X3M Music, a record label founded by Steve Babaeko. His self titled album ‘Etcetera’ was released in May, 2008 from which further singles like ‘This is not a song’, ‘Michelle’ and ‘Biafra’ were released.

‘The journey continues, this is just my starting point, and I am so glad that people now appreciate good music’ he says on a final note.

Etcetera is presently in the studio working on his yet-to-be- titled second album.’

- Ayeni The Great

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