Nigeria entertainment industry has come to stay, it’s even booming to its prime, unlike in the late 80s and 90s, when musicians beg for shows to showcase their talents, the likes of Tuface Idibia, back in the days of 1994-1997, reminds me of, when he hangs around Lekki beach, on DTD entertainment stage (belonging to Majek) to perform for some minutes, aside Tuface Idibia, are also Basket Mouth, Face, Black face, remedies, rough rugged and raw, alariwo of Africa, MC Desperado, MC Nse, Zakky, Anderson, Segun Actor, Azadus, Daddy Showkey, Daddy Fresh, etc. These youngsters started on this podium with determination, zeal and uniqueness. Though higher percentage of them couldn’t survive the heat and pressure on the street, and their daily demands from family and friends, the ability to keeping on, on a trade that wasn’t paying that much to feed oneself, caused most of them to lose focus and abandon a life changing career for a lesser vocation.
I will be talking about some of these youngsters that survived the heat and pressure, with their originality or trademarks and also the newbies and their fake style and trademarks.
Originality.
In the early times of the Nigeria music (90s), some of these musicians came with a trademark, either in style of voice or in their instrumental stage performance; Nigerians knew them with these trademarks.
Zakky and his torchlight.
The likes of Zakky, who comes on stage with a torch light, even in his few low-quality videos then, he is always with it, he has torchlights of different designs and dimensions, and even of lately that trademark is still with him and he is popularly known with it, even without mentioning his name, just ask around, of any musician that uses a torch light, even a newly born baby will call his name, Zakky.
Fela Kuti and his Sax.
Fela is a popular afro musician, who is also known with this trademark, which is a Saxophone, which is always hanged round his neck, if the sax is not there sequel to its weight, the girdle holder will always be on his neck, even till his death.
Femi Kuti and his Sax.
The first son of Fela Kuti, is also an afro musician, whose trademark is a Saxophone, you will see this trademark on his neck or the girdle around his neck, even looking at his lower-lip he has an artificial pink lips caused by the constant usage of the Sax, not a tattoo.
Seun Kuti and his Sax.
The other son of Fela Kuti, is not an exception to this trend of trademark, his sax always with him, or the girdle around his neck.
Anderson and his Dance steps.
Anderson is a prolific dancer with great energy, he is always dancing, I could remember vividly every Sunday Splash, in Lekki Beach, he is always winning as the best dancer or the first runner up in the DTD dancing completion, DTD is a popular entertainment company to the likes of Tuface, Face, Black Face, Alariwo, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Zakky, Basket Mouth, etc.
Segun Actor and his Dance steps.
This is one dancer that I know too well, that can dance for 5hours stretch, I believe, if this youngster had kept the faith, dancers like Kaffy wouldn’t have existed, because Kaffy will be of no match to this prolific and energetic dancer of his time, but he faded away into the thin air and he is now a shadow of himself, the last time I saw him, he was looking like a junky.
Tuface Idibia and his Voice.
Innocent idibia, who happened to be my good friend then, when he was still an upcoming not now anymore…lol, we use to trek together from Lekki Beach via Jakande estate to Westside, then finally to Annie’s family house, in Jakande Estate to see the then girlfriend which is his happily wedded wife, wow, what a small world, I was there when it all started though, from our secondary school days, I remembered vividly well, when Annie use to be one of the most beautiful girl in our school, Victoria Island Secondary School and Kuramo College, so every boy on that school ground wants to date her, so we are ready to fight any boy from other schools, coming to chase any of our girls especially Annie, lol, but then after school hours you will see tuface lurking around the corner of the school waiting for his happily wedded wife now, to come around and they will both trek down to Annie's mum food joint at Maroko, close to Even Ezra Studio, hahahahahaha.
Tuface has this unique voice of singing, which Nigerians knew of, a newly born baby, will not see him, but by mere hearing of his voice will tell you that is tuface singing.
Face and his Voice.
This is not an exception in his unique voice, which also acts as his trademark, but of recent his songs has been losing some of its qualities and uniqueness, his originality is now being questioned.
Black Face and his Rap.
This is also another youngster with enthusiasm, great passion for music and has a unique voice for his afro-like rap, even at asleep, I always knew he is the one singing, which has been his trademark, even now that he is nowhere to be found, I believe he must be doing something underground to take Nigerians unaware.
Azadus,
This youngster is well known with his 'screaming' trademark in all of his music, this talented 'madam'
master has shown originality in his trademark in the past, though his is nowhere to be found in the music arena, but i believe he is getting prepared to take the world unaware.
The Newbies and their fake trademarks.
Just to name a few of the Nigerian musicians who came into the into industry in the late 90s with originality and their wonderful trademarks, and this really worked for them, either in fame or in cash, but in the early 2000s some new set of musicians invaded the music industry with their fake styles and trademark which lacked originality and couldn’t even stand the test of time.
D’Banj and his Harmonic.
This young and vibrate musician, loved my everyone even the new born babies, took us unaware while we were still trying to imbibe the good songs of Morachi and African China, submerged from the offshores of this country was the koko master and his mo’hit crew and they invaded the whole music industry and homes, took away our ‘Hapuya like dat’ slogan and ‘no look uche face’ and replaced it with Tongolo, this desperate and success driven musician came on the limelight of Nigeria music with a trademark of voice-word ‘file’ and instrument his ‘harmonic’ he infiltrated our brains and made us love his music with the help of that Harmonic, I enjoyed the harmonic in one of his tracks ‘why me’ now the ‘Big Fish’ eja nla is no more using this trademark, he has traded his harmonic with our pocket and likes and abandon that trademark for a bigger pursuit in the music world.
Don Jazzy.
This youngster also, happened to be the boss of the then mo’hit music crew, he is always seen with several designs and dimensions of staff, to compensate his name as a ‘Don’ but of lately, even at the club number 10, the staff was missing while he as present, he gave Nigerians and the world this impression that the staff is his trademark and now, where has the staff gone to? His latest production ‘the kick’ by Wande, the staff wasn’t there, all I saw was speakers of different kinds.
Wizkid.
He came with this sound of aawyheeeeee…in all his songs, during his primaries, as soon as he won the heart and likes of Nigerians, this regular sound is nowhere to be found in any of his most recent songs.
Terry G.
The last time, i and Terry where together in Lekki, at Chiloville Hotel, he was carrying a teddy bear, which is his trademark, even when he performed at basement night club in Abuja, at Evil's show, he was with this same teddy bear, but now this teddy had been replaced with the teddy babes....lol.
Just, to mention but a few, there are other musicians still with their trademarks intact, the likes of Olamide, Jboy, Kcee, Flavour, Iyanya, Morachi, Timaya, Durella, etc. but If you know that this trademarks in your voice or instruments that you carry about is just for formalities or is not for real kindly put it away now, so that we will know you, just the way you are, not giving us fake impressions that this is your style or trademark, but at the long run when you have being accepted, you turn around and abandon that style or trademark, making us look stupid or brain-washed.
Time will come, in Nigeria music industry when you the musicians will be begging us to buy your CDs and or even hawking them on the Ajah-Lekki traffic, ‘so make una’ wise and be original, we your fans had been fooled so many times by your fake trademarks and impressions.
-By Amadi Bethel.
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