Nigeria will be heading to the polls on the 16th of February to select a president . I am curious to find out who Nigerians thinks will be the best candidate to grow the entertainment sector .
Entertainment ( music & movies ) are a very viable way to generate income and stimulate the economy . In the USA Holly wood is a key driver of the USA economy , according to deadline.com , in 2017 , American film and TV industry accounted for supporting 2.1 million jobs and 400,000 local businesses across this country. It says that the industry “continues to be a key driver of the U.S. economy, adding high quality domestic jobs and paying out $49 billion to local businesses across the country.” But wages are — on average — about two-thirds higher than other industries in this country not to add the music business in the USA which is estimated to be worth $16 billion.
In Nigeria, entertainment does not seem to be among the topics put up for discussion considering the astronomical levels of Unemployment in the country and the fact that many youths are clinging on to the entertainment industry as the last hope for survival . It is an industry that the government should be concerned about in other to save a lot of people from anguish and suffering. What baffles me the most is that in past presidential debates, nobody seems to be concerned with how presidential candidates plan to execute their promises . Candidates come on platforms to make all manner of promises to the masses but the electorates do not demand a road map or a detailed analyses of the policies. Someone says “ I will provide Jobs ” but nobody poses questions on how they intend to achieve this or what is the exact method mapped out to attain this . Nigeria needs an analytical president that will stimulate vital areas of the economy like entertainment . Enough has been said and nothing has been done in the area of generating Jobs . It is not rocket science to see that entertainment , agriculture and sports have the potential of engaging millions of youths and generating a good number of jobs . .
The last time Nigeria had a government that understood the importance of a healthy entertainment sector, It was the then Cross rivers state government led by Donald Duke. Donald invested heavily in cross river state making it one of the most traveled to States in the country just behind Lagos and Abuja. It has become a holiday / tourist destination similar to the ones found in developed countries like America , Britain and the UAE . The Government of Donald Duke built number of infrastructure and amenities that made the state attractive entertainers .
Asides amenities , Policies are to be developed to boost the entertainment sector. There is also need for a strong Judicial system to interpret copyright laws and prosecute copyright infringers; a strong banking sector whose task is to provide business loans to entertainment business men; lastly, a well structured education system to ensure that the education required to mould skilled and talented entertainers is in place.
Who among the presidential candidates do you think has the best policy to stimulate the entertainment industry in Nigeria and make it a viable tool for economic growth ?
Falz was born in Lagos State, Mushin, in South-Western Nigeria to renowned lawyers Femi and Funmi Falana. He is the son of Femi Falana, a Nigerian human rights activist and lawyer. He was called to the bar in 2012 after graduating from the Nigerian Law school . Falz started music as a hobby while in secondary school. He formed a music group with a friend called “The School Boys”. In 2009, while in high school, he released a compilation of some of his recordings as a mix-tape titled Shakara: The Mixtape
Going by his background and training as a lawyer , it is not difficult to understand why Falz uses his music to examine the Nigerian society . Music is a very important socio-political tool. However in Nigeria, it is used primarily for entertainment . Youths these days are so focused on entertaining people for a profit via music , that they forget music is also a tool to educate society . Many of us may have been little children when Fela Anikulapo Kuti was in his prime . Fela used his music to educate people, it served as a medium to pressure government; warn the masses about government excesses , and fight social injustice . To Fela music was a way to re-orientate the people on the need to preserve the African culture , religions and traditions and do away with colonial influences or western doctrines. Fela’s main agenda was to fight military dictatorship , he was against the military and any other form of the colonial government (including democracy) , he often referred to military personnel as zombies .
Femi Falana , Falz’s dad is very passionate about Fela , he refers to Fela as his most interesting client . He served as Fela’s lawyer for a period of time but little did he know that his son would one day use his music for social reconstruction just like his client Fela had done . The seed was planted in Falz.
Falz recently released his Album titled “ Moral instruction ” to critical acclaim . There has been mixed feelings about the lyrics and content of the album . The songs touched on different issues plaguing the Nigerian society , ranging from corruption to Nepotism ; prostitution to political thuggery ; election violence ; lynching in public places ; human rights , law and order , police brutality , Sex with minors , early marriage , gay rights , hypocrisy , Internet fraud , Fake Pastors and Imams , and materialism to mention a few . Falz does a really good Job at highlighting all these issues in each of the songs . I felt like i was listening to a social worker while playing the album . Some of the songs even caused me to pause and ponder on it , something that is a rarity in today’s music. i cannot recall the last time a song made me ponder on a topic and research deeper .
The two stand out tracks for me on the album are Jonny Just come and Hypocrites . Jonny Just come was a story about many Nigerians who have been killed in tribal wars or by police brutality . It is a very sad tale and the type that Nigerians wake up to almost every day . Religion and tribe has shed a lot of blood in the country . Falz samples a lot of Fela’s vocals on the album with production primarily handled by Sess, with additional production from TMXO, Willis, and Chillz. Demmie Vee, Chillz and Sess were listed as features on the album. My personal favorite is Hypocrite . Every Single Nigerian is a Hypocrite . All you need to do is go on Facebook or any social media platform where you have majority Nigerians and see the level of hypocrisy and double standards.
People just dey do like say na dem be Jesus / People so wicked but they so religious Who dey calculate/ E no dey show the figures Who dey demonstrate wey dey run leave us / People too complain but dey fear to speak up/ You don’t want to die but nothing to live for /Christian and corrupt no suppose be mixture / Real musulumi e no suppose dey thief jor / Real talk no be fight rara Everybody get fault for inside matter/ We dey talk human right We no respect am / Who are we to crucify the homosexuals?
I love the fact that the album does not sound boring, especially with the fact that he was mostly stressing on similar issues. If care and creatively wasn’t at maximum levels , one could easily be bored to sleep by songs talking about the very same issues even though at some point i felt a little bit less interested as the album wore on. Another down side to the album is the fact that Falz mostly concentrated at pointing out the problems in Nigeria . I would have expected that he could have taken the time to find more solutions also. It is easy for anyone to point out everyday issues but it takes special people to find solutions . Solutions like exercise your rights to vote, more educated people should sit for police exams , more inter tribal marriages , place of origin should be done away with and place of residence be what is recognized by law, a better education curriculum , a merit based system rather than quota based or faith based , constitutional amendments and reforms, and the separation of church and mosque from state just to point out a few.
The only reason i would still maintain that Fela is the most relevant act of our time is the fact that Fela was dare devil. He directly attack powerful people, he made references to real events and wait would for the consequences . Fela went against presidents, Governors, Religious leaders, e.t.c . No corrupt person was spared, Fela would name names. Falz on the contrary is playing very cautious , and i really understand why. The Nigerian political terrain can be really brutal , so people are very cautious of what they say so as not to be targeted even Fela lost his mother and most of his property as a result of his fight against the military dictatorship in Nigeria . Notwithstanding, What Falz has done is very commendable, though some of his remarks are sometimes more comical, salient , metaphoric or ironic which only the more intelligent may grasp. It is facts that the method an artist chooses to deliver his message also impacts how his music is received, because people will tend to gravitate towards the more controversial record or artiste. Having said that , I think people will gravitate towards Fela’s music more because Fela’s mode of delivery was fierce . With more time and work in this direction, Falz will definitely grow to become as influential as Fela , even though he may achieve this in his own way, style and fashion and not necessarily the Fela way .
I really commend Falz for dropping this gem and i know for certain that it will stand the test of time . It would be interesting to see how this album grows or dies on Nigerians especially as youths are more inclined to dance songs and majority of us youths are the ones being criticized by Falz. People do not want to hear the truth and may avoid playing the album more than once . The songs that make the numbers are the ones that encourage greed and short cuts to wealth or the once that elevate religion . I would be following Falz projects and progress . Falz if you are reading this , i want to tell you that your music has spoken for the weak , the poor and the oppressed . There will be may blessings attached to this but also be safe and aware of your surroundings . I wish you all the best .
“ Like the popular saying A prophet is not recognized in his own home ”
King Jaja Bars by illgod & xplain is a song I recommend hip-hop heads in Nigeria listen to. In my opinion, this is what African hip-hop should sound like. I am a believer that Africans should tell their story through their art, music, painting, or movies. The fact that we have abandoned our history for foreigners to document is disgusting. This is the same reason I am not a fan of the movie Wakanda. It is very obvious that the narrative of the movie was not conceived in the mind of an African child. It represents the narrative of people who have never set foot in Africa or who have an ulterior motive. A typical African child does not picture their superheroes as people dressed in a cape, suit, and mask. These are the concepts of foreign media outlets. Superheroes in Africa come in the form of Princess Amina, Jaja of Opobo, Fela, Sango, Amadioha, Ebubedike, Yaa Asantewa, Haile Selassie, and others.
The movie also seems to push an imperialist agenda—insinuating that African nations need the help of foreign bodies, the CIA to be exact, to solve their problems. The truth is that African nations do not need to depend on the CIA to defend themselves against foreign invasion; we should begin to be self-reliant, or at most, depend on other African countries within the region. The movie also implies that Africans need to be educated in foreign institutions, when the reality is that we should not concentrate on Western ideology but rather revert to African ideals and concepts. Movies like Wakanda and Coming to America promote false narratives about African nations. These movies carry hidden messages disguised as fiction. A careful blend of real places, like the Sambisa Forest, real people, and a false representation of who they are is a tactical way to blur the lines and misrepresent a group of people. This type of propaganda should be completely rejected.
There is no problem with listening to an outsider’s perspective about Africa, but where the problem lies is that people who are not aware of these hidden messages tend to accept the narratives without fact-checking. We, as Africans, have a duty to prevent foreign invasion into our history, culture, traditions, and ways of life. There is a need to counter these perspectives when they arise. We must be allowed to tell our own story. Would you not like to hear the African narrative regarding slavery or colonization—one that is devoid of European influences or tweaks?
I love the storytelling in this song. It is like an article written about King Jaja of Opobo, a true hero to the Opobo people. illgod and Xplain D Don collaborate on this one. The new offering, titled “King Jaja Bars,” is named after King Jaja of Opobo (full name: Jubo Jubogha; 1821–1891), who helped the Rivers people fight back against imperialism.
I dominate beats like Jaja dominated the oil trade.
Event’s organizers often need artistes, musicians, and performers to provide entertainment for their guests. Some of the performers are established acts while the majority are often up-and-coming artistes. Unfortunately, It has become a trend for event organizers to refuse to pay up-and-coming artistes, most times the excuse is that the event already provides a platform that would expose the artiste, hence there is no need for financial compensation.
In my opinion , no business should run at a loss. Unfortunately most upcoming acts run their businesses at a loss. People say that unless an artiste is a household name they really do not deserve to get paid. But on the contrary, upcoming artistes need as much money as the established acts do. They spend a lot of money on music production, photography, album art designs, radio promotions, video production, distribution and promotion. The average cost of producing music is #100,000, most photographers will charge you anywhere between #50,000 and #300,000 for a well shot photo session. The cost of promoting and distributing music runs into millions of Naira. Therefore, it would be very inconsiderate to expect an artiste who has spent all these amounts on their work to make an appearance at your event for free. Unpaid gigs and event will run your music business to the ground and it has ruined a lot of artistes and music businesses already.
Artistes should get paid just as Upcoming DJZ, Models, Vixens, Producers all get paid for their job at events. It disturbs me why most event organizers find it difficult to compensate a new artistes for their work. Paying people for their work ensures that they also grow as a business, they become relevant in the society and ultimate helps grow the economy. An event promoter would also benefit from it as more artistes will be willing to work with you in the future and give their best because there is a financial reward. Be you a farmer, a trader, a mechanic or an artiste, if you are invited to work you deserve to get paid. An upcoming artistes job at an event is to entertain guests until the main act or main agenda comes on stage. They help to you hold your crowd together. You should be able to offer a decent amount of compensation for the Job they do for you. Without upcoming acts, people will not be primed for the main act and many may eventually leave the venue.
The problem is that there are too many desperate artiste out there who either do not understand business or are just too desperate that they pay to perform at events. The problem with this is, once you started in that direction it would be very difficult to find organizers who are willing to pay you. Because they all know that you perform for free. There is a popular saying “Do not start what you cannot finish.”
Another problem is the lack of a management for most fledging acts . Every artiste needs to have a management or a business manager whose responsibility is to ensure that the artist interest in being protected at any negotiation. They would ensure that bookings, appearance fees, endorsements are reviewed and is in the artists favor. Failure to have a management means that you may continue to accept deals that are not in your favor just because you want to present your music to the crowd.
In conclusion , Even if it is a token amount compared to established acts, please set aside a budget to compensate the work of up and coming artists. it is an insult to their work , struggle and effort to persuade them to work for free. It is also unjust and unfair. It is not a favor it is a right.
Just this weekend , I was in an Uber ride, the driver was an African American lady named Kafilat. As soon as i saw her name on the app while ordering the ride, I recognized she may be Nigerian. I was half right. Apparently , she was half Nigerian and half American. Her dad is Nigerian. We immediately got talking…
“Is Juju real ? ” she asked, huum .. “ Yes and No ” , i replied . I started to explain how Africans originally had their traditions , religion and practices before the Europeans and Arabs brought Christianity, Islam, colonization, and slave trade. Most of what is regarded as Juju today is the worship of African gods for protection , wealth , health and economic growth . It has been portrayed in negative light. Bad people use any tool at their disposal for bad and African religion is not an exception .
Today , Africa is a confused place with all kinds of religions . Some practices are a mix of African religion and Western Christianity or Arabic Islam . I told her that African spirituality is not a myth but new generation Africans have been forced to believe that our religion is inferior to the European based monotheist religions . We also made reference to Beyonce’s recent video’s depicting her as a follower of Oshun the river goddess.
African Americans have been deliberately left in the dark for ages . I think the Education system here was designed to keep us asking questions rather than providing answers. Many African Americans who have approached me are constantly asking questions about their origin and their identity . While Some have taken the added step to traced their lineage to different parts of Africa, others are still in their quest to find where their families originated from . You need to know your history to discover who you are and understand your purpose . I encouraged her to research the topic and I gave her some references .
One thing remains obvious , The Western Media will not tell the truth. Have you ever wondered why Africa is depicted in today’s media as 100 percent poverty , diseases and Mal-nourished kids? It has resulted in African Americans begin ashamed of where they are from, and grateful for being forcefully taken across the Atlantic – That’s the aim . That is why Africans need to tell their own story . No foreign entity should help you define your religion , history , shape or background . Africans need to guide their own interest . We need to take a cue from the Chinese and Indians; who have battled against western influences to retained their culture , religion, and heritage. It is only when you understand that your father was a scientist , a king , or a queen then you can hold your own. When your history is constantly depicted as useless , you subconsciously become afraid , shy , and grateful rather than outspoken , confident and forceful . It is a control mechanism.
The notion that Africa’s Religions are Fetish and crude is false . Christianity and Islam were similarly crude, but as time went on became refined to suit modern society . African Traditional religion would have evolved the same way if it was not for Europe’s invasion of Africa. To cut the long stories short, American Rappers , namely Seven Six Supah & Yosun Tala just dropped a single that summarizes all i have said above. They are seen in the video Praying to the Yoruba orishas ( Obatala , Oshun , Sango , olodumare , Ogun , Ifa ) and remind Africans to be proud of their heritage and history.
Have you met Tobe Nwigwe? A First generation Nigerian – American who is rapidly on the rise. He was born and raised in Alief, Texas better known as the S.W.A.T .Tobe is a very conscious rapper and most of his music centers around his life experiences. He speaks about everyday life and is definitely a voice of his people. Being a First generation Nigerian – American, he shares a similar story with Jidenna: both artists tell a similar story of what is is like to grow up in America being black and having African parents .
Recently Tobe was invited to be a part of the Legendary B.E.T CYPHER ( an event that is preserved for the Crème de la Crème of the hip hop industry ) and soon afterwards he was labelled by Jill scott : the legendary American singer , as a Genius .
His new video Spice ft Spice Adams will definitely impress you . He even spits Pigin in heavy igbo accent on this one.
Shut that your dirty mouth / Come my friends please get out / wetin do you when you talk about / who you talk about / what you talk about / see the boy go in and out / put the pigin so they can listen just a lil different when i’m spittin /
Watch below
He is currently on tour with most of his venues already sold out . Los angeles , Atlanta , Washington , and New york have been sold out, but you can visit his website here to buy tickets for Chicago and Dallas which are almost sold out , if the reports reaching us is anything to go by. so waste no time if you plan to be a part of this event and grab your tickets fast !
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