CALABAR CARNIVAL

Christmas season is here again. What can the average Nigerian musician offer? Did I hear you say a lot! Millions of Nigerian fun seekers are longing for good entertainment. There is a readymade music market in Nigeria. Every serious minded musician in this nation should key in to this fact and tap the great opportunity offered by the largest concentration of the Blackman on earth.

The annual carnival in the City of Calabar in Cross River State Nigeria is a classical example of what showcasing of music talent can do to an economy. The month of December is usually dedicated to this event. Many Nigerian popular musicians are usually invited to perform. If you don’t book for a hotel accommodation in Calabar before December of any year, believe you me, you will find it very difficult in getting a hotel room to stay if you want to witness the month long carnival.

This was a legacy His Excellency, Mr. Donald Duke (Governor of Cross River State, 1999 – 2007) bequeathed on the state. Thus, each year musicians struggle to perform in Calabar during the carnival. This has indirectly encouraged healthy competition amongst the upcoming Nigerian artists, who now dream of performing at the annual Calabar Carnival.

The 2012 edition of this event has kicked off in Calabar with many Nigerian popular artists billed to perform. These include 2Face, P-Square, Whizkid, Seun Kuti, Niggar Raw, J-Martins, Blacky, Sunny Neji and others. Also a world renowned Trumpeter, Hugh Masekela of South Africa will perform in this year’s carnival.

I wish all fun seekers who are in the Ancient City of Calabar for this year’s carnival a happy stay.

 

Emeka E. Okeke       

QUALITY OF NIGERIAN MUSIC

The quality of Nigerian music has gone down drastically since the late 1980s. When I listen to the music played on the Nigerian airwaves these days, I keep on wondering whether these new breed artistes have anything in their heads at all.

Music is supposed to be exciting! But most of the new generation music we hear today on our radio stations is repulsive, the lyrics are vulgar and the rhythm is far below standard when compared to what is obtainable in the other African countries such as South Africa, Ghana, Congo, and Cameroon.

The music of the 1970s and 1980s are far better than the nonsense the new breed artistes are churning out today in the name of music. The problem with the new generation musicians is that they lack proper orientation and training. Music is a longtime investment; a good music artiste needs to play at least one musical instrument and takes time to compose good music making good use of his/her cultural attributes.

Originality is the mark of a good musician, but what do we have in Nigeria today? Imitators and copycats! Everybody want to do rap, hip hop like the Americans forgetting that there are a lot of cultural differences between Africa and America. No African born and bred in Africa can compete favorably with an American born artiste in pop, rap and hip hop music just as no American artiste would beat a Nigerian in highlife, juju and fuji music.

Our new generation musicians should do their home work very well by listening to artistes like Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Osita Osadebe, Rex Lawson and Christy Essien Igbokwe all of blessed memory. They should also listen to the living legends; King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and Onyeka Onwenu.

 

Emeka E. Okeke  

 

 

WHITNEY HOUSTON (1963-2012)

               

               

Whitney Houston was born on August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey, in the United States of America. She had a very sound gospel background as her mother Cissy Houston was a great gospel performer. Whitney, just like Michael Jackson had music all around her when she was growing up. The famous Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick are both her cousins, while the superstar Aretha Franklin is her godmother.

She began her singing career in the church and later moved over to the nightclubs of New York where Clive Davies, a music producer spotted her. Whitney did some modeling jobs before she was signed on by Arista Records. Her debut album “Whitney Houston” was released in February, 1985 and it was a commercial success. A track “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” from her 1987 album was a monster hit in Nigeria, the most populous black nation. She won her first Grammy in 1986. She has also won many other awards all over the world.

By far, the most popular and widely accepted Whitney Houston single that cut across race, age and social status is “I Will Always Love You” which was originally written and performed by the country music superstar, Dolly Parton. This single by Whitney is still reputed as the best selling single by a female artiste of all time.

Generally, Whitney Houston has sold more than 170 million records in her lifetime and she is still selling! She has won 6 Grammys, 22 American Music Awards and 30 Billboard Awards before she died on 11^th February, 2012. Apart from music Whitney has also featured in three popular films: “The Preacher’s Wife”, “The Bodyguard” and “Waiting To Exhale”.

Nevertheless, Whitney Houston had a negative side, just like any other mortal. Alcohol and drug use over the years have been her greatest demons. She struggled with the help of her family members, especially her mother, to conquer her demons up to no avail. On the other hand, her one and half decade marriage to R & B singer Bobby Brown which ended in 2007 was volatile, though it produced a lovely daughter, Bobbi Kristina who incidentally was with her in the Beverly Hilton Hotel where she was found dead in the bath on Saturday, February 11, 2012.

Emeka E. Okeke

MAJEK FASHEK: The Reggae-Crooner

Majek Fashek,

an Edo State born Nigerian reggae-crooner is a bundle of talents. He plays many

musical instruments, but he is very popular as a guitarist. Members of his defunct

band “JASTIX” including Amos McCroy Jegg, George O’Well and Black were very

popular reggae instrumentalists and studio session musicians in Lagos in the

1980s. Unfortunately, JASTIX Band as popular as they were then could not record

any album of their own due to disappointments they suffered from music

producers and record companies, especially the defunct JAPEX Records.

However,

Majek Fashek is man of destiny. He was employed by the Tabansi Records as an

artiste promotion manager and before long he mesmerized the company’s

management with his style of singing and a voice very close to that of the late

reggae legend Bob Marley. The proprietor of the company late Chief G.A.D.

Tabansi signed him on to record an album for the label. The then magic finger,

Lemmy Jackson was hired by the company to produce the record. The album titled

“PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE” was released in 1987 and it became an instant hit. One

of the nine tracks in the album “Send Down The Rain” became a sort of a

national anthem in Nigeria in the late 1980s.

Upon the

fortune and fame that this debut reggae album brought to both Majek and the

Tabansi Records, the business soon turned sore and there was a long press war

between the artiste and the company which culminated in Majek Fashek’s switch

over to another record label, CBS Records.

He recorded

two albums for the CBS Records but none of them was successful as his debut.

With his dwindling fortune and fame, he joined the Golden Fleece to America. He

recorded some songs in the United States of America but was not able to break-even

or penetrate the American market. The press did not help matters; he was given

very negative publicity. Many reported his drug related problems and some even

reported that he ran mad and was repatriated back to Nigeria to be treated and

rehabilitated in a church!

However, the

reggae-crooner is back to Nigeria and an entertainment outfit “A-Plus Global

Entertainment” is currently repackaging him. Soon Majek Fashek will stage a comeback

with a ten track album likely to be titled “JAH REVELATION” Will the rainmaker

rule the Nigerian airwaves again as he did in the late 80s and early 90s? Time

will tell!

Emeka E.

Okeke