Naija Music Scene - Sunshade Copycats

Chronicled by Afronuts @ Thursday, April 23, 2009

Switch on the television today sometime around lunch hour and almost all the local TV stations in Lagos are showing musical video shows parading Nigerian artistes belting out their tunes in the setting of beautifully produced videos. Everyone seems to be doing it real good with their videos; even the wackiest of artistes manage to shoot something colorful.

The Nigerian music industry is definitely going somewhere but a lot of Nigerian artistes still need to learn a few things and get a few facts right.

There are way too many copycats on the music scene. I won’t mention names but by the time I’m through, when you see them, you’ll know them. Many artistes don’t really have solid identities. They just copy off on what some other artiste is doing and replicate it on their own fort.
Here’s what I mean – Today the artiste called D’banj is not only known by his name but he has A LOOK that has become elements of his brand personality; the dark shades (till today, I’m not sure I’ll recognize the dude without shades), his mannerisms which have certain slogans acquainted with it. His right-hand man, Don Jazzy, is well known for strutting about with a walking staff and a face cap or felt hat. There is a style to the way this duo present themselves. Right from the beginning, DBanj started with shades and ever since then, it’s become part of his persona.

Today, many upcoming artistes are now sporting shades. Almost every video I catch a glimpse of has the performing artiste wearing shades. Why? Na by force? Or are your eyes too ugly to look at? Or is it because that’s what they think it takes to look cool? As far as I’m concerned, it’s not the shades that stand you out but the way you package and brand yourself.

What are you known for? What’s iconic about you?

Ruggedman is known for wearing his iconic headwarmer (He looked rather odd in a video where he wasn’t wearing it), Weird MC will always be known for the funny hat she always has on her head, Lagbaja is unmistakable for being the masked wonder, Asa’s simple dreadlocks with her ordinary eye glasses seemed to have become her personality. Bouqui is known for sporting short-cropped beautifully dyed hair, GT the guitar man, is known for his fedora and guitar.

And then there are the artistes who have not bothered much about giving a particular definition to their style and that’s because their music is doing that for them – M.I (Who looks better without shades than he does with it), Sound Sultan (whose name also happens to be a powerful trademark), Dare Art Alade (who doesn’t even need unecesaary blings or shades to look good), Djinee (who’s bright eyes, babyface, voice and music style defines his brand) … and the list goes on.
What I take from this is simple – find out what works for you as an artiste. If your personal style can’t be iconic, let your music style be. And again you could have both.

Today, many upcoming artistes are wearing sunshades in their videos as if it has become the artiste uniform to looking cool, its also making so many artistes look alike.

I’m not against wearing shades but for goodness sake, artistes should quit using them all the time in the videos. Its becoming way too overrated and not the only element that defines being cool. There are other ways. Upcoming Artistes should quit being ‘sunglass copycats’ and start getting creative about the way they strut their stuff in their videos.

Premonition

Chronicled by Afronuts @ Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Some call it instinct. Some call it conscience. Others call it the sixth sense.
But I know it is as the spirit. It’s divine and God put it there in us that we may be able to connect to His, which is known as the Holy Spirit. 

Many have taken it for granted. Many have ignored its relevance or doubted its existence.
Some who happen to know about it just conclude that it’s a psychic thing.

Everybody has it. But many don’t know, and many have suppressed it. Many are too busy to even notice that it’s there. But some have raised it and connected through it to the Almighty God through His Holy Spirit.


December last year, I was driving with my wife to go see my parents for a family get-together. It had rained earlier in the day and the streets were still wet from the heavy showers that had hit the entire city of Lagos. My wife, Choco (pet name) was already about four months pregnant and was eagerly looking towards meeting her in-laws. We cruised steadily through the traffic which progressed at a slow pace due to on-going construction being done on the road. 
I spent time watching the cars lined up next to me move gradually. Of the two lanes formed on our side of the road, one seemed to be moving better than the other. So there was need for us to change from the static lane to the moving one.
I edged the Nissan out of my lane, trafficating for allowance into the moving lane. A white Toyota Corolla was alongside me. I decided to get behind it if the car behind it would let me.
Eventually, I was allowed in and soon we were moving.

I branched off a Y-junction that entered into the interiors of the neighbourhood. I wanted to take a short cut and cut off the rest of the hold-up. As I drove down the road, I noticed the Corolla was ahead of me, going the same way. 

Suddenly Choco jumped and gasped in fright. I looked at her and asked what the matter was.

‘I don’t know. I suddenly had this quick feeling of fear, like my heart jumped in panic.’

‘Sure it’s not the baby?’

‘I don’t think so. I just had this quick feeling about something dreadful’

‘You’re covered by the blood of Jesus.’ I answered prayerfully.

We were almost reaching our destination. What could go wrong? All the same I slowed down as I drove. There was no need to be in a hurry.

As I turned round a street corner, I saw the Corolla screech to a halt and the doors fling open. Next three men armed with machine guns came down. Immediately people around the nieghbourhood took off in panic.

‘Oh my God. Choco…armed robbers!’

‘Blood of Jesus!’

Just as one of the robbers was about turning to face us, my hand hit the auto gear shift to reverse instantly. My foot hit the gas pedal and the car shot backwards. I skidded round the corner, turned the car in a near 180 degrees and sped back the way I came screaming at other oncoming cars that robbers were attacking on the street. Choco was muttering prayers and speaking in tongues under her breath while I gassed the car through the streets dodging careless pedestrians and okada riders.

It was not until I had turned into the major road at the Y-junction that I relaxed and drove steadily. A throbbing headache suddenly sounded through my head – the after effects of the adrenaline that had surged through me the instance I reacted to what I saw.

I called my parents and told them what happened and that we’d come around tomorrow instead.

I was never going to forget one fact. Choco had the premonition…sudden fear that something was wrong. And she was right.

I don’t want to imagine what would have happened to us – me, my wife and our unborn child. Thank God we had a warning from a divine presence…

Some call it instinct. Some call it conscience. Others call it the sixth sense.
I call it The Holy Spirit

Aaarrggh!! Parakeet tagged me!

Chronicled by Afronuts @ Thursday, April 02, 2009

I run away from taggings!!
But Parakeet had to hold my butt down by awarding me this honest scrap thing and tagging me to say 10 Honest things about myself.

Okay, here goes.




1. Started writing and drawing in primary school. Wrote a lot of storybooks and illustrated them, bound them with staplers or needle and thread, and had them thrown in the trash when my Mum got tired of me litering the house with them. 

2. I’m addicted to plantain. I’m also addicted to garri and anything that goes well with it!

3. Learnt how to drive by stealing my Dad’s car whenever he wasn’t around. I had two reasons for wanting to learn how to drive...to keep up with the joneses (guys who gained respect in high school for being able to cruise a car) and to get with chicks. 

4. Got excessively drunk for the first time in my life on palm wine and harassed a female teacher during my youth service. 

5. Almost died on 3 occassions in my life – in high school, on campus and during youth service. Could it be that my surname is a prophecy that’s been saving my life?

6. Faked commitment to some of my Ex-es just to have a relationship. 

7. My wife is eight months pregnant and I’m scared shitless and excited at the same time. How does it feel like to be a ‘Popsie’? Please share abeg.

8. Used to suck my finger up till my JSS in high school.

9. I have serious beef for blogs that write about nothing but sex. Isn’t it an overrated issue? 

10. I used to have a very serious crush on a particular blogger on blogsville. Want to know who she is? lol...I leave that for you to guess!

I guess these are honest enough?
So therefore, I tag the following people:

YNC

Ugandan Girl

Favoured Girl

Naughty Eyes

Sha

Olufunke

Archiwiz

Here are the instructions for the above tagged folks!

1.You must brag about the award
2.You must include the name of the blogger who bestowed the award on you and link back to the blogger
3.You must choose a minimum of seven (7) blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. 4.Show their names and links and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with Honest Weblog. 
5.List at least ten (10) honest things about yourself. Then pass it on!

I hope I've done all I'm supposed to do.