Mid-year Review: How Nigerian top acts fared

Midway into the year 2012, and despite the turbulence and unrest that kick-started the year, it has been an eventful first half for some of Nigeria’s top acts. While some have gone on to more glories, consolidating on their previous successes and opening new frontiers in their careers, some have been perplexingly stagnated and unsure which way to turn. E-Punch reviews how these top acts have fared so far in the past six months.

 

P-SQUARE – A few days to the end of 2011, Senegalese-American singer-songwriter and label owner confirmed that he had signed pop twins, P-Square, to his Konvict Music label. The news was greeted with a lot of cheers by fans of the Okoye brothers. Weeks later, Akon is featured on the remix of P-Square’s Chop My Money song with an accompanying video shot on locations in the United States. In May, P-Square went on to sign a peerless distribution deal with Universal Music SA, a division of the Universal Music Group, the parent company of Akon’s label which is also reputed to be one of the big four record companies in the world. The outfit will distribute P-Square’s records, present and past in their own market straddling southern Africa and environs. Shortly afterwards, the remix and video of Beautiful Onyinye, featuring bulky and bearded American rapper, Rick Ross was released confirming the famous and favoured twins’ boundary-shoving relentlessness. It would be recalled also that they played host to Akon in their Squareville, Omole, Lagos mansion in May.

 2FACE IDIBIA – Effortless heartthrob and best selling contemporary Nigerian act, 2face Idibia, has had a blistering first half of 2012, maintaining his winning streak and further outpacing his contemporaries. With an acknowledged vocal prowess and talent that can light up the national grid, Tuface started the year on a positive note, shocking friends, fans and ‘baby mamas’ by proposing to his long-suffering partner, Annie Macaulay on Valentine’s Day. The couple went on to legitimise their over a decade whirlwind romance on May 2nd. An elaborate wedding is planned for later in the year. Two days before the registry wedding, precisely on April 30th, 2face had staged a successful solo concert tagged ‘Buckwyld and Breathless’ to launch his new album Away and Beyond at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos. As of now, the album is not on the lips of many; neither is it a force on the charts, but those who have followed the favoured singer’s career know that it is only a matter of time before sales pick up. In the period under review, high fee paying demand for 2face has shored up enviably.

WIZKID – Continuing from where he left off last year, Ayodeji ‘Wizkid’ Balogun hit the ground running in 2012. With stellar collaborations, some singles, an EME all-star album and the announcement of his deal with Akon’s Konvict Music, the young pop star can only wish for more successes in the years ahead. Apart from netting a lucrative endorsement deal with Pepsi, alongside Tiwa Savage, Wizkid also emerged joint winner of the Best International Act (Africa) at the BET Awards held in Los Angeles, with Ghanaian sensation, Sarkodie.

D’BANJ – Kokomaster, D’banj, has had one of the most sensational first half of a year by any Nigerian artiste. No week passed without him being in the news. From his absence at the Occupy Nigeria protest in January, his morbid silence at a time when his then collaborator, Don Jazzy, stated emphatically that he regretted voting Goodluck Jonathan as president, to his infamous interview with Sahara Reporters and his acrimonious fallout with Don Jazzy, leading to the dissolution of their successful label, Mo’Hits, D’banj was a constant feature in the traditional and online media. The story of the former partners’ splitting has been well documented. This has however not made D’banj lose traction as he continues in his dogged determination to break into the international market. Signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music label, with the multiple Grammy Awards-winning rapper appearing in his Oliver twist video, D’banj has been riding an impressive wave of popularity in the United Kingdom especially where Oliver Twist has become a smash hit and anthem of sort. To underscore the popularity of the song, England and Manchester United ace defender, Rio Ferdinand, recently confessed his love for the song. The 32-year-old, who now shuttles between the US, having bought a home in Atlanta; London and Nigeria, is building a new posse including his younger brother, K-Switch; rapper, Ikechukwu; and hype man, Special ED.

TIMAYA – The first half of 2012 must have been so good to dancehall star, Timaya, that it would compare only to his breakthrough year, 2007; the year he moved from sheer obscurity to enviable prosperity and popularity. He began the year on a good note, releasing in February the collaborative album of his Dem Mama Soldiers entitled Long Life and Prosperity; and then embarking on a month-long tour of the United States during which he bought a Bentley Continental GT Coupe estimated at N31m. On arrival, the Niger Delta music ambassador dropped two infectious and poppy singles, Shake your Bum Bum and Sexy Ladies. So well were the songs accepted that he was railroaded into quickly rounding off work on his fourth album, Upgrade, by his marketer, Ahbu Ventures. Even before Timaya satisfactorily finished work on the album, it had already been released all over Nigeria. The Egberi Papa as Timaya is fondly called is now a father of a baby girl by his girlfriend of about two years, Barbara. Now back to winning ways with the acceptance of his latest album, Timaya, last June, shaved off his dreadlocks to underscore his resolve to create a new image and niche for his career.

INYANYA – When the curtain is drawn on year 2012, Inyanya would rank very high as one of the biggest success stories of the year. Winner of the Project Fame West Africa 2008, Inyanya’s fame seemed transient as all efforts to break into the big league fell flat. He released an album that never quite left the shelf. He laboured and longed for substantive stardom post-PFWA. Inyanya’s big break tarried till 2012 when the single, Kukere, went viral, literally on radio and dance floors. The infectious danceability of the song made up for the blandness of its video. For the first time since 2008, the artiste who hails from Cross River State had music fans across the continent dancing on his canvass. So well has the song done that Inyanya has joined the league of Range Rover-cruising artiste and reportedly moved into an apartment in Lekki; all within six months.