Nollywood may have started the process of building a cultural hegemony for Nigeria in Africa and beyond, but there is no doubt that the completion is firmly in the grip of new stars of contemporary Nigerian music, whose progress is already underlined by their lush lifestyles

By Olusola Olaosebikan
The nineties belonged to the Nigerian home video industry, alias Nollywood, whose movies and stars arrested the attention of Africans on the continent, those in the Diaspora as well as non-Africans, particularly the Western media. With its distinctly African stories, Nollywood offered something fresh despite the poor technical quality of its output.

Today, Nollywood has improved and its sphere of influence widened. But it has been overtaken as the leading brand of popular Nigerian culture. It is beyond debate that its stars remain popular, but, except for a few, they are way behind the creators of what is now regarded as popular Nigerian music.

Locally, highlife, fuji and juju–for long the dominant strains–made huge impact, throwing up stars and icons, but their influence on the international market and audience was measly.

That is not the case with the new wave of stars, who have successfully married various Nigerian musical strains and continue to flirt, to huge acclaim, with popular foreign genres like American hip-hop, rap, reggae, rhythm and blues, funk, jazz and other less classifiable styles to produce music that is enjoyed in Nigeria and outside. Naturally too, the creators have become stars, and in some cases mega-stars with copious cash and fame.

Tuface Idibia, is easily the most famous of the lot. Within four months, the R&B star was robbed twice. On both occasions, he lost property worth millions of naira to the bandits. Before then, armed men had invaded his house, broke his neck and robbed him of valuables. Each of the attacks was headline news and got Nigerians worried and wondering why Tuface kept getting attacked.

Kes Igbado, owner of D’JAMZ Base Nightclub along Festac/Mile 2 link bridge, explained why robbers are attracted to Tuface. “These boys (musicians) are making money, real money. Don’t you know the kind of life they live, the kind of cars they drive? Man, it’s their time,” he explained.

It’s sure their time. With endorsement deals worth millions of naira, huge CD sales and regular concert dates that attract at least N1million per show, there is no doubting how much their talents are appreciated.

On similar pedestal with Tuface are P-Square, D’Banj, Olu Maintain, Ruggedman, Sound Sultan, Jazzman Olofin, Baba Dee, Paul Play, OJB Jezreel, Mode 9, Styl-Plus, Faze and Dare Art Alade.

Others in this category, described by Ayo Animashaun, publisher of Hip-Hop World, as “Class A” artistes, include Asa, Weird MC, Sasha, Lord of Ajasa, 9ice, Six Foot Plus, Wande Coal, X-Project, Eedrees Abdulkarim, Lambo Da Virus, Sauce Kid, Rooftop MCs, Tony Tetuila, Black Face, Zdon Paporella, Jeremiah Gyang, Trybesmen, Timaya, El Dee Da Don, Soul E, Kween and Djinee.

Paul Okoye, one half of P-Square, is one who knows the difference between then and now. “In those days, life was difficult. We never imagined that we would control the kind of finance we control right now. Life was stressful then to the extent that we even found it difficult to pay our school fees. But now, God has blessed us. We thank God,” he mused. There is so much to thank Him for: two monster hits, a string of concert dates and conspicuous spoils of affluence.

For Tuface, who literally opened the floodgate of success for a new generation of young musicians, the leap to stardom began about five years ago when he left Plantashun Boiz, a successful singing group. He has since released two albums, Face II Face and Grass II Grace. The first dominated the airwaves and earned him numerous awards and millions in sales. Face II Face, which reportedly broke the one million unit sales mark in its first month of release, featured the smash hit, African Queen, on the back of which he became the first African to win the Best African Act at the MTV Base Award in 2005, as well as the MOBO Awards the following year.

Advertisers like Guinness and MTN love his huge profile. The cameras love his smooth face, as evidenced by the Guinness Extra Smooth billboard campaign.

Other doors have also opened, including his song being featured as a soundtrack on Phat Girlz, an American film; international concert dates and an opportunity of a duet with the famous American R&B star, R.Kelly.

“I just recorded a song with R. Kelly, which will be part of my new album. I also did something recently with Chakademus and Pliers,” he said.

Before then, he had performed and recorded with luminaries like Wyclef Jean, Beenieman and Reggie Rockstone. Gbolahan Ogunleye, Tuface’s friend, said: “Such is the height the boy has attained. And it’s all due to hard work. Do you think it is easy to have your face on a billboard and you’re paid tens of millions of naira for it?” Indeed, TheNEWS gathered that the deal fetched the Benue-born crooner a cool N18m.

For Tuface, the good times are rolling. The artiste has turned the corner and is willing to help other artistes. He disclosed this during the launch of Hypertek Entertainment, his record label. “We intend to do a lot on artiste management. But, most importantly, we want to use the platform to fish out talented Nigerian youths. We intend to empower them, as well as provide them with opportunity to showcase their skills. That’s the only way to keep the industry relevant,” he said.

Zdon Paporella, another big gun, believes the industry must remain relevant. “The music industry in Nigeria has come of age and it’s doing very well now. Today, rappers are making money. Ruggedman is making money, Mode 9 is making, many others are making money from the industry. For instance, Mode 9 is the first among so many talented singers to get a huge endorsement from Globacom,” he said. He added that Tuface’s deal with Guinness made artistes realise that it was possible to earn over N20 million from a deal. “It caught like wild fire and going to London became the in thing. Then, when the corporate bodies like Nigerian Breweries started shows like Star Trek, Star Mega Jamz, we started hearing that artistes were getting N4 million, N5 million,” he gushed.

The duo of KC Presh is a major beneficiary of one of these shows. After winning the maiden edition of Star Quest, the pair instantly moved up the ladder. They each have a mansion in Lagos. They also own choice cars including a new model Toyota Camry.

Zdon explained that in terms of acceptability, airplay and sales, the likes of Timaya, P-Square, 9ice, Ruggedman, X-Project and Tuface are head and shoulders above the rest. Currently, he rates P-Square as the hottest number. “In the area of general acceptability right now, I would say it’s P-Square,” he said.

A visit to P-Square’s mansion at Omole Estate in Ojodu, Lagos, will douse the desire to challenge Zdon’s evaluation. Reportedly bought for N50 million, the lavishly furnished home is equipped with a modern recording studio, while its compound is infested with pricey autos including a Hummer Jeep.

P-Square, made up of twin brothers, Peter and Paul, also have a huge fan base outside Nigeria. They attribute their success to humility and a hunger to keep improving. “One of the factors behind our success is that we are humble. We also try to do better than what we have done before. We communicate with our fans. Getting to know what they want and what they don’t want is very important,” Paul said.

Since releasing Get Squared in 2005, P-Square have become a musical epidemic, spreading without restraint. Their commitment to quality was exhibited in Game Over, their latest work and the visual of Do Me, the hit track. It reportedly cost them N7 million to do just two luscious visuals in South Africa.

One of the visuals (Do Me), which Nigerians are already familiar with on their TVs,has been widely hailed as fantastic.

Yet they said it was just the beginning “People have seen the Do Me video, but I can tell you it is the least among all the videos we have in the Game Over album,” Peter said . P-Square has certainly enjoyed God’s favour. Since their debut, they have some prestigious awards and only narrowly missed the MOBO and the MTV Base awards. “We have won many local and international awards except the MOBO and MTV Base awards, but we are not worried,” Peter said.

And rightly too. Their latest album has already attracted five nominations in the 2008 edition of the Hip-Hop World Awards and four in the Sound City Video Awards. “And all these are because of Do Me. We are not talking about the remaining nine tracks yet,” P-Square boasted.

The boys claimed it is not possible for any marketer to bankroll their expensive videos, because they cannot be financed with proceeds from CD sales. Recently, P-Square, who are determined to remain on top, moved in an entire video crew from South Africa for the shooting of some videos in its current album. It cost the duo so much money, but they are unfazed. ‘‘We will do anything to please our fans,’’ they affirmed. Born Paul and Peter Okoye in Jos, Plateau State, P-Square initially preferred soccer. In Jos they played in the same Pepsi Academy team with Chelsea midfielder, John Obi Mikel. While Paul was goalkeeper, Peter was a right-sided midfielder. But they soon opted for music. The University of Abuja graduates remained in Abuja, where they honed their music skills. A year later, they moved to Lagos. Their debut was not a commercial success, but it earned them a nomination for a KORA Awards. Their second, Get Squared, reportedly sold over 10 million copies.

Game Over is regarded as more successful. Indeed, in only a few weeks it had outsold Tuface’s Grass To Grace album For the duo, the album has increased their popularity outside Nigeria. “Almost all our concerts come from abroad, and in each, we don’t have anything less than 30,000 people. Artistes of this generation are very hard working. Most of us now have recording studios,” Paul explained.

D’Banj and Don Jazzy, his producer, are on the same path, having just completed a multi-million naira recording studio in Lekki, Lagos. Christened Mo Hits Records, the label has in its stable D’Banj, Wande Coal and a host of other young talented artistes.

D’Banj, catapulted to superstardom by Koko and Why Me, is said to charge a minimum of N2 million per show and is making steady progress in endorsement deals, given his appeal across age and sex. For many, he is already a bigger star than the mercurial Tuface, thanks in part to his peerless stagecraft.

His bank balance, clearly, has not been hurt. He has a collection of BMW cars and a home of his own in Maryland, Lagos. He is reputed to live an immodestly opulent lifestyle, something that has provoked speculations–though denied–of involvement in internet scam. D’Banj, a former Winners’ Chapel chorister, said: “I am always very occupied with shows. You can imagine the millions I make from shows, and they come regularly. I also get endorsements worth several millions of naira.”

Wande Coal, who has just a single to his name, is a University of Lagos undergraduate who is already turning heads. He has gained tremendous exposure from performing with D’Banj. Wande plans to graduate before going headlong into music. Unlike Wande, D’Banj dropped out of the Lagos State University, to the chagrin of his parents, to travel to the United Kingdom. In the UK, he joined JJC and the 419 Squad.

Of that period, he said: “I was struggling to have an identity then. I did many shows for free and didn’t care, because I needed to carve my own niche.”

Eventually, he met Don Jazzy and the chemistry was perfect. A few years later, they both returned to Nigeria, where D’Banj dropped his hit single, The Koko, to public raptures. Mo Bo Lowo Won, the follow up, was also a hit.

In his brief stay on the Nigerian music scene, D’Banj has picked up almost all the awards available to musicians, the high point of which was the Award for the Best African Act at the second edition of the MTV European Music Awards in Germany.

Like D’Banj, Olu Maintain of Yahooze fame came to the big time as a solo artiste from a sojourn abroad. He had been part of Maintain, the successful 90s group before travelling abroad. He returned with Yahooze, the successful title track that has been criticised for promoting internet scam. The speculations were heightened by his allegedly dissolute lifestyle. After splashing on the purchase of a home, the youthful singer prefers to live in a hotel. He also parades a fleet of exotic automobiles, including a Sequia Jeep. Besides, Olu Maintain, who recently completed a tour of US and Europe, will also be investing in the Nigeria movie industry. The criticisms notwithstanding, Yahooze became a party anthem. The initial shooting of the video was said to have cost N2 million, but Olu Maintain was said to have been dissatisfied.

Sasha, a talented female rapper, is another hot number. The sexy rapper, who took about four years to release an album, First Lady, is a dancehall favourite. Adara, the hit track in the album, burned up numerous charts within weeks of its release. Sasha is living her new status as a star. She is reported to have recently acquired a Mercedes Benz ML 320 jeep in addition to her Toyota car. Born Yetunde Alabi about two decades ago, Sasha began her music career as a child in Ibadan. Though she hails from Osun State, she lives in Lagos with her mother. First Lady, Emilegan and Adara have continued to enjoy air play. Formerly a member of Trybesmen, Sasha quit because of a misunderstanding between two members that led to the break-up of the group. She is one of those nominated for recognition at the 2008 Hip-Hop World Awards, but she is yet to make the cut on the international scene.

Chibuzor Orji alias Faze is also an alumnus of the defunct Plantashun Boiz. Many fans had predicted that he would not go far when the Plantashun Boiz broke up. That musical obituary has proved meaningless. With just an album, Faze launched himself back into reckoning. True Story, a hit single, raced up the charts and hung there for months. Other songs like Kpokpo dikpo and Kolomental, his current work also ruled the airwaves for long spells.

Within a short while, Faze had become a hit. Awards, endorsements deals and shows came in torrents. The singer bought himself a house and a number of exotic cars. International recognition also came, including a duet with Akon, America-based Senegalese superstar. Faze’s music has been helped by his videos. For a long time, the video of his Kolomental was adjudged the best.

For Timi Imetimi, popularly known as Timaya, life has changed very rapidly within the last 10 months. When he released Timaya, his debut album, little did he notice the fortune hanging over his head. However, Timaya is currently one of the most famous artistes from the Niger-Delta.

Within less than a year of dropping his debut, he has bridged the gap between him and more established stars. Already, he has moved into his own building in Port Harcourt. The one-storey house is fitted with a recording studio. Timaya drives a Toyota Camry, a Toyota Spider and a rides a powerbike. He is said to charge about N1 million per show. “The only thing that may make him go for less is if he is playing for charity. For the past six months, he has been headlining many shows across the country,” said a source close to him.

Born in Odi, Bayelsa State, Timaya had it rough growing up. His musical career started on a shaky note, sleeping on bare floor for many nights while trying to put his album together. Eventually, Timaya got a breakthrough in Timaya. In the album, True Story, Dear Mama, Ogologoma and Timaya have enjoyed tremendous acceptance.

Michael Ugochukwu Stephen aka Ruggedman is an illustrious name on the local rap scene. He is credited with introducing the kind of US-style rapper/rapper animosity. His first target was Eedris Abdulkareem, whose talent he disparaged in Ehen. In the song, Ruggedman asked: “Na By Force To Rap?” He subsequently took on the group, Maintain, accusing them of dexterity only when doing covers of other people’s songs.

His cocky attitude may have drawn attention, but his ability was never in doubt, as evidenced by Peace or War, an album which was followed by the single Dancia Baraje. Within a short time, he became a fixture at shows and his new-found wealth got him a jeep in commemoration of his progress. He also launched a clothing line. On why Nigerian music has become exponentially appealing, Ruggedman said: “Our productions are tight now because we now have good producers. The quality of our videos has improved. The quality of production of our audios has also improved. A lot of people say I revolutionised the rap music industry. Yes. There are a lot of rap artistes in the country right now. But, there will always be boys and there will always be men,” he said cockily.

A divide may exist between the boys and the men of the rap music industry. However, Mode 9 falls on the side of the men. Born in England, Mode 9 claims he was influenced at a very tender age by Grandmaster Flash, an African-American rapper. He started rapping in school. “The essence was just to survive. Getting people to listen to you and not forget trying to get on big shows,” he recalled.

Today, Mode 9 has not only won three Channel O Awards, four Hip-Hop World Awards and two AMAA Awards, he has also earned himself a fat bank account. “I have a studio in my house. I have my own company called Mode 9 Production,” he said.

Beyond that, Mode 9 enjoys tremendous patronage even outside the country. “People like my stuff. I am surprised that you have people all over Africa who know me. Maybe because my stuff is on Channel O. Anytime I push out a record, I see it good. People buy my stuff all over Nigeria,” he revealed. Today, Mode 9 is easily Nigeria’s best hardcore rapper.

The story of Paul “Play” Dairo, who was accused of exploiting the song bank of his father, the late Isaiah Kehinde Dairo, is not different. His case was not helped by the release of Mo Sorire. But by the time he released Forever, the thinking changed.

Forever and Angel Of My Life went platinum. The year of release coincided with the expansion of the musician’s studio as well as the acquisition of a BMW 4×4. Paul is also a capable producer. He has worked on artistes like Ruff, Rugged and Raw and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde.

In 2006, Paul Play won awards as an artiste and producer respectively. His fame soared and in adulation, he was almost raped by female undergraduates of the University of Lagos during a concert.

For the engineering graduate of the Yaba College of Technology, music is business.

Lanre Fasasi, known as Sound Sultan is also a musician of note. According to the musician and fashion designer, “my new year resolution is to make more money, climb greater heights and make U.S. connection. I also want to drop an album that’ll explode all around world.”

Sound Sultan, who debuted with Mathematics, is on the rise. Together with Dare “Baba Dee” Fasasi, his elder brother, Sound Sultan has enjoyed tremendous patronage both within and outside Nigeria.

Sound Sultan has invested in a recording studio and is working on upcoming artistes. He has also invested in a clothing line called Naija Ninja. And for him, there is no better way of spending money.

But Emmanuel “Soul E” Okose thinks there are better ways of doing that. Born in Lagos, Soul E studied Banking and Finance at the Lagos State Polytechnic. Along the line, Soul E and a group of boys formed the Soul Brothers. However, he left the group to release Niger Is Blessed, featuring Soul E Baba Dey Here.

He became the darling of show organisers and raked up a number of awards, including the 2007 Hip Hop World Revolution Award. Soul E has also earned enough money to buy himself cars and other property. His music videos have also been applauded for their quality. Yet he thinks he needs to expand his coast. “We are planning towards having some tours in Scotland, America and the U.K,” he said. He has also established a church.

Like Soul E, Kween Chinyere Onokala began singing in the church. Although born in Enugu and raised in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Kween graduated from the University of Abuja. She sang while at the university and got hired by some people shopping for a female singer. “They were looking for a female singer. I said I’ve got to take this and I was fortunate to get the job,” she recalled.

After debuting with Olurombi, a relatively unsuccessful album, Kween traveled to the United Kingdom. Upon her return last year, she released Jobele. The album was well received. Shortly afterwards, awards came tumbling in. “I was nominated in five categories at the Nigeria Music Media Award and I won best highlife video. The Hip-Hop World Award is coming up also and I was nominated as the best female performer (vocalist),” she added.

Beside the awards, her albums also raked in a handsome profit. So much so that the young woman decided to shoot the music video of Come With Me in London. Yet her strength lies in the ability to touch on people’s emotions. “I’m surprised the way Jebele has performed in the market. I never believed it could go that far,” she enthused.

TY Bello, one half of the Kush sisters, is also flying high in the music scene.

Sauce Kid, who is based in Los Angeles, California, is another aspiring big hitter. He reportedly expended about $100,000 on I Got That Street Shit, his latest album. Released in February 2007 by Obaino Music, San boribobo, one of the hit tracks, has consistently ruled the airwaves.

Even though Sauce Kid is yet to breakthrough the Nigerian music circle, he has done some remarkable works, some of which include a reprise of Mad Cobra’s Flex, which featured Riz-Riz. He has also done a duet with Mike Okri titled Omoge Wa Jo.

Born on 13 July 1984, Sauce Kid hopes to rule the Nigerian music scene someday. Like him, Olanrewaju “Lanbo Da Virus” Ayobamide, prefers to live in London and market his album in Nigeria. Da Virus is currently working on a movie with the likes of Talib Kweli, Rihanna, Jamelia and Lemar.

The latest addition to the hit factory is the X-Project. The group, which consists of Majeed Akinnoye, Aziz Mohammed and Salieu Sindi, are no doubt the rave of the moment. In their three-month-old album titled Sierra Naija, Lori le is the talk of the town. The album, which reportedly sold more than 300,000 copies in one month, has other hit tracks like Whatz Going On, Hustla, Share, Ready Momababo and Pump Da Riddim.

But Lorile remains the most frequently played. According to the group, “We knew we’ve got a winning number. But we never knew the radio and club Deejays would ignore all the other hit tracks on the album and overplay Lori le.”

For Black Face, building a musical empire is his greatest ambition. The member of the former Plantashun Boiz, reckoned that he is much popular outside the country. “I get calls from all over the world. For now, I want to build my empire, build my network and even have my own TV or radio programme,” he said.

Already he has begun setting up a recording studio known as Loud Entertainment Company.

A listing of successful Nigerian artistes without Dare Art Alade will not be complete. The newly-married crooner started singing at bars. While attending the University of Lagos, Dare doubled as a presenter on Cool FM. By the time he was selected to represent Nigeria in the first edition of Project Fame, a reality TV show for aspiring singers, Dare knew the time had come.

During that show, Dare put up a grand performance, but eventually won the third prize and a recording contract in South Africa. Not long after, Dare released Escalade, his first real album, and music charts were upset. The video of Escalade, which featured Olisa Adibua, famous radio presenter, was even adjudged the best at a time.

Today, Dare is in the league of musicians who will not attend shows for less than a million naira. Besides, the talented youngman boasts of some of the best awards the industry could offer.

Yet, the success recorded is as much a result of musicians’ abilities as it is of structures erected by producers, marketers and video directors.

In this group are Kenny Ogungbe and Dayo Adeneye of Kennis Music, OJB Jezreel, Don Jazzy, Cobhams Asuquo, Jude “Engees” Okoye, Nelson Brown and ID Cabasa.

Ogungbe and Adeneye, former radio presenters, sit astride Kennis Music, the biggest of the lot. The outfit has handled names like Eedris Abdulkarim, Eddie Remedy, Tony Tetuila, Tuface, Marvelous Benjy, Sound Sultan, Paul Play and a host of others.

The two men have done well for themselves, riding expensive autos and buying up choice properties. They have also won the lion’s share of awards for producers. Though Kennis Music has lost Tuface and Paul Play, Baba Dee, Marvelous Benji, Kenny Saint Brown and Essence are still with the label. Others are VIP, Mzbel and Sir Shina Peters.

In the past nine years, the company has organised regular three-in-one gigs during Easter. Last year’s edition was broadcast live on AIT and BEN TV in the UK. Through their PrimeTime Jamz on AIT, they have continued to sell Nigerian music at home and abroad.

But they are being run close by Don Jazzy of Mo Hits Records, to which D’Banj belongs. The 25-year-old master producer has reportedly just completed building his record company. Known to have a passion for flashy and expensive cars, diamond rings and red wine, Don Jazzy is gradually assembling his own artistes. He maintained that by the time he finishes work on his artistes, his record label would have become the biggest in the country.

Having picked up several awards for best producer, Don Jazzy believes Nigerian producers are hardworking, despite their harsh working conditions. Don Jazzy, who also produced one of Kween’s songs, was based in England. However, when he discovered D’Banj, both returned to Nigeria to hit it off. Since then, there has been no looking back.

OJB Jezreel and Paul Play, though relative lightweights, have produced some of the best songs. For instance, See Me So, a hit song in Tuface’s Grass II Grace album, was produced by OJB.

Similarly, Cobhams Asuquo, the blind producer has made his mark. For many artistes, there is almost no Nigerian hit music without Asuquo’s influence. Asuquo’s genius was rewarded several years back when he was given a Sony Music grant to visit London and work with international producers. Before the current crop, Nelson Brown was the big fish. He produced Plantashun Boiz, the hit album by Plantashun Boiz. But once the group split up, Brown’s influence on their works whittled.

His space was taken by producers like ID Cabassa and Engees. Engees, who handles P-Square, his bothers, has less problems with his subjects. As the elder brother, Engees does more than produce his brothers’ songs. He equally advises them and manages their financing. “I do virtually everything. It’s like nothing will work if I don’t do it myself,” he told TheNEWS.

So far, it is safe to conclude that everything is working for P-Square through Engees. But not so for Cabassa. Graduating from the University in 1999, Cabassa moved straight into music production the following year.

Though he had it rough initially, things began to look up for him a few years after. Today, Cabassa is reputed to have worked with some of Nigeria’s brightest artistes. Among them are Lord of Ajasa, 9ice, Ruggedman, 2-Shotz and Faze. Of all his works, there is no doubt that 9ice’s Gongo Aso and Ganja Man are two of the most frequently played songs.

Many observers trace the current development, especially the rendering of songs in local language and pidgin, to the early 1990s when Junior and Pretty began rapping in pidgin. Their success was modest, yielding hits like Bolanle and Monica. However, they never reaped financially. Then came Mani Eke. However, when Eedris Abdulkarim teamed up with Edward Ashiedu and Tony Tetuila to form the Remedies, the audience increased, especially with the release of Mi O Shako Mo.

Oluwamuyiwa Olajide Olofin aka Jazzman Olofin, a leading rapper/singer, has emphasised the need to overlay foreign rhythmic patterns with the indigenous.

“When you listen to my music you would understand that I am deeply traditional and truly love my cultural heritage,” he said. The multi-instrumentalist, who once shuttled between R& B and hip-hop, reggae, dancehall and other genres, added: “Now I am doing my own thing because R & B is not my culture and I am a true Naija man. No matter how I sing hip-hop, I can’t pronounce words like Sean Paul, Joe and R. Kelly. That is why my own is mixed with Yoruba language.’’

Buoyed by the success of Mi O Sha Ko Mo, the Remedies released other hit songs. These included Shade. Their progress resulted in a bandwagon effect, as hip-hop and rhythm and blues groups sprouted rapidly. Plantashun Boiz and Oxygen came onto the scene and the competition increased.

Zdon reckons that the industry is better for it. “You could say that the Nigerian music industry is expanding by the day, every single second. Some years back, rappers actually couldn’t get endorsements because most people would not give an average rapper a chance. Today, however, the story has gone the other way round.

“Yet the situation could be better if only the artistes’ rights are protected,” he said. Zdon highlighted some of the problems affecting an artiste as piracy, cheating by marketers, radio and television stations’ refusal to pay royalties among other things. “Because that’s where we are sure of getting recognition, it will be very unrealistic for you to tell radio stations to pay every artiste each time they play his songs. But you can have them pay a certain amount of money, say periodically. The issue of piracy too cannot be totally wiped out except the government is called upon to intervene,” Zdon added.

Hip-Hop World publisher, Animashaun, agrees with Zdon. “The Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria, PMEAN, and other bodies responsible for protecting artistes’ intellectual properties should be active in their regulatory roles. Marketers too should be sincere when buying marketing rights from artistes,” he concluded.

How soon will that happen?

– Additional reports: Babajide Kolade-Otitoju, Nehru Odeh, Ernest Omoarelojie, Blessing Ogunli, Bayo Adetu and Alawode Adebobola.

TheNEWS