by Simon Utsu
Musician Brymo recently said he’s going to hell when he dies and the internet was abuzz with all types of reactions. I laughed because I understood his trick. Apparently, Brymo has lost the ability to make good music so his latest tactic is to come up with a very controversial theme every now and then in order to drive album sales or promote his singles. That’s how he released an album early last year or thereabouts titled “clitoris”, thinking the controversial title will help shore up his sales.
See, bro, get into the studio, cook some nice beats and make good music like you used to when you were in Choc-city records and you’ll get your audience back. All this childish attempts and use of extremities won’t help put your career back on track. If you like tell us you want to sell your mum and use the proceeds to buy Xmas goat, we won’t be buying your music as long as it’s the usual garbage you’ve been churning out since you had issues with your label. Having needless issues with record labels as a result of greed and impatience is becoming the genesis of the downfall of several Nigerian artistes.
You’re picked up from street by a record label as a ‘nobody’, signed on a 3-album contract and then the label goes ahead to take a risk and invest heavily on you. Three years and one album later, you finally blow and then chose to turn your back on the label calling them slave-drivers and lying to the world you signed the contract under duress. After 1-2 years of dragging it in the courts, you’re freed but by then, you’ve lost your music steam and instead of giving us good music, you start churning out nursery rhymes. Similar stuff happened to Kelly Hansome, Vector, Ice Prince, Wande Coal, W-4 and a host of other upcoming musicians who had a bright start but their stars suddenly waned. Tuface was tied down to a similar contract under Kenny’s, he slaved through it and after two albums, became his own boss and went ahead to write his name in the annals of the Nigerian music industry. Likewise, Wizkid who saw out the ‘scroogy’ contract he signed with Banky-W’s EME label. Wizkid is now Africa’s biggest musical export thanks to the fact that he too toed the path of honour.
Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija
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