Majekodunmi
Fasheke, popularly known as Majek Fashek was an Edo State born Nigerian
reggae-crooner. He played many musical instruments, but he was popular as a
guitarist. Members of his defunct band “JASTIX” including Amos McRoy Jegg,
George O’Well and Black were extremely 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 some disappointments,
they suffered from music producers and record companies, especially the defunct
JAPEX Records.
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| MAJEK FASHEK |
However, Majek
Fashek was a 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 remarkably close to that of the late reggae
legend Bob Marley. The proprietor of the company late Chief G.A.D. Tabansi
signed him 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.
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| MAJEK FASHEK ON STAGE IN PORT HARCOURT IN 1987 |
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 “I & I
Experience” and “So Long Too Long” for the CBS Records but none of them was as 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 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!
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| MAJEK FASHEK |
When the reggae-crooner
came back to Nigeria, an entertainment outfit “A-Plus Global Entertainment” tried
to repackage him to stage a comeback without success. However, in December 2016
Majek Fashek contributed the song "We Are Not Afraid" to a video
featuring 200 celebrities to raise funds for the International Rescue Committee
(IRC) and Human Rights Watch (HRW). Majek has worked at different times with
various artists worldwide, including Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Cliff, Michael
Jackson, Snoop Dogg and Beyonce.
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| MAJEK FASHEK ON STAGE |
Sadly the ‘Rain
Maker’ lost a battle with cancer and died on Monday June 1, 2020 in a New York
hospital at the age of 57.
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