Thursday, July 23, 2009

In the spirit of Blogville




I don’t know if you’ve heard of him, but his work has touched my heart in a way that I may be able to describe –
But not now, that one is story for another day.
Adebanji Adeola Alade can make things beautiful with his pencil and paint brush.
Really beautiful.
Here’s the thing, I want (us) to do something for him in the spirit of blogville.
It’s something most of us have probably not heard about.
Adebanji has been shortlisted for the Great Britons competition again.
Last time, he finished fourth. The judges really like his stuff but the competition is purely a vote-and-win scenario.
If he wins, he'll get a chance to fulfill his dreams of visiting America to paint and sketch scences of New York that he has always imagined in his head.
People haven’t been voting, not because they don’t like his work, or they don’t care but because they haven’t even heard of it!
So, the judges have given him another chance and it’s a big challenge
For Adebanji
For bloggers
and finally Nigerians.
Since when do we ever carry last?
Adebanji Adeola Alade needs your votes, and it’s really simple, log in to Great Britons and create an account to vote.
If you think it’s a long thing, not to worry, you can vote with your Facebook account, just click on the Facebook icon you see on the page.
Please do what you can to make people know, here in blogville, a quick post with the link will do (esp for those of you that have run out of ideas on what to talk about today.lol) and on Facebook with your status messages! And then on twitter!! And as many websites as possible. PLEASE GUYS!!!
He’s still 6th going by the last ratings, and in less than 5 days the results will be announced.
So what if he wins by a landslide sef? He’s Nigerian after all.
Let the campaign begin!!!

He needs over two thousand votes and I say ‘Yesss! We Can!!!!’

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

B & P 12: On HIV-AIDS awareness ads, D’banj and Tosyn Bucknor

HIV-AIDS awareness ads on radio
I will be frank with you; I am not cool with the HIV-AIDS awareness ads on our radio stations (and TV stations). Why is it that most of these ads are done by people living with the disease? Most of this people, in fact all of them, are either illiterates or half-illiterates who have some form of difficulty expressing themselves in English. And why are all the ads toeing the line of just getting people living with the disease to do an impromptu speech? Why can’t they prepare a more organized speech or get someone to write it for them or better still, get a well-meaning Nigerian to do the speech? In my opinion, using only low-class, unlearned people for these ads is inadvertently brandishing the disease as a poor-man disease, when in reality it can be contacted by the rich as well, especially those fun-loving, pleasure-seeking, promiscuous well-to-dos.

Koko-anything
It all started with Kokolette, then it evolved into Babylette, Sisterlette, Mamalette and the like. He calls himself the Koko Master. D’banj must have realised the effect he is having on people with such connotations. Now he has created a brand out of it. The resulting products include Koko Water (even if it was a joke), Koko Mailer (another joke?) and Koko Mansion.

Talking of Koko Mansion, I have had several arguments with people who have been expressing a lot of negative things about the show. According to them, the show is going to feature all sort of unscrupulous things involving male and female. Talk about D’banj and the Mo’hits crew taking rounds to sleep with the girls. Can you believe that? Trust me, I gave them lot of reasons why the show will be very far from prurient and why he doesn‘t need a Koko Mansion before getting all the girls he wants. I also listened to a fellow artiste saying that D’banj is just trying to stay relevant instead of staying in retirement. Who thinks D’banj is in retirement? Why do we find it difficult to support creativity in this country? Now, for those of you that still does not know what Koko Mansion is all about, take this:

D'Banj aka the Koko Master is starting his own reality television show called the Koko Mansion, a programme geared towards exhibiting the true qualities of a marriageable African woman. Twelve young women (Kokolettes) live in the Koko mansion for eight weeks, where they will put to play the virtues of womanhood to please D'Banj. The show also features D'Banj's prerogative to give KokoMycine (immunity) to one of the girls but he can only use KokoMycine once in the duration of the show. The winner will among other benefits, be crowned Kokolette 1, and win a Chris Aires Diamond ring, brand new convertible car, feature in D'Banj's next music video, You Don Make Me Fall In Love alongside N5 million in cash. The winner will also have the privilege to be D'Banj's companion at public events both within and outside Nigeria.
Gbam! If have any problem with that, go and jump over the third mainland bridge!

Anyway, this topic is not about Koko Mansion and cynics, it is about the fact that D’banj can connote anything from “koko”. We can brace ourselves for Koko Records or what other explanation does he have for not featuring in the two latest songs from the Mo’hits All Stars?

Tosyn "SpeechGirl" Bucknor
What have I got to say about our lovely Tosyn? Well, we all know that she’s got this show on Top Radio 90.9 fm and I aint gotta lie to you; the show is off the hinges! Apparently, must people think the same, what with all the thumbs-up she gets from listeners. She has enough proposals from guys to last her fifty lifetimes. She happens to have a way of laying them off - she tells every aspirant to call her Dad on 080419419. Tosyn, on her radio show is very funny and sarcastic. She is undisputedly Top Radio’s top-gun, the reason why most people listen to the station. A listener was not chary enough to tell her - he called and said he likes her, not Top Radio. She has such captivating effects on people. One thing I like about the show is the way she divides it into segments; it’s like a magazine show. She is on her road to becoming the queen of the airwaves; you should trust my judgment. Tosyn is also a writer; you can view her blog and her show’s. Yeah, I know; I’m granting her free publicity. But frankly, she doesn’t need it. She’s just doing something great that is worth mentioning. Don’t think this blog is all about castigating the Nigerian media.


I rest my case for now. Peace ya’ll.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Headz Up! Updates...

This isn’t yet another B & P as usual, just a few issues that have gone on since I last updated that I thought you guys should know about…

Failure To Launch
Contrary to what was earlier reported, female rapper Kel’s album launch has been postponed once more… Again! Though there are no reports yet as to what caused the delay (piracy issues were said to be responsible for an earlier postponement), Kel’s FB page states that the time lag was due to efforts to ensure "the album is fabulous from case to the last track.”
But I really, really wish she and the label Capital Hill Music would choose a date and really stick with it this time around. Pushing forward record release dates definitely doesn’t augur well for a debut album.
It’s no secret that I am a solid fan already but the rest of Nigeria’s entertainment audience can be quite fickle 90% of the time especially when they sense you are jerking their cord. In all honesty I’m praying that by the time The Investment does actually drop we wouldn’t have already invested our auditory capital elsewhere.

While BOUQUI Is Indeed ReDefined...

On a contrary note, BOUQUI’s album, Redefinition did launch as promised which was carried in this online report here. The story by Jayne Usen did make an interesting read especially where it concerned the anchorman, Kamal Salau (remember him from NTA’s Take A Step and recently, Zain’s Don’t Forget The Lyrics?)

Another story here though unrelated with BOUQUI’s album launch, tells of a fan who was beaten up while trying to “steal” Wande Coal’s stunnahz. I’ve got one piece of advice for Wande as stated by Mr. Bling-Bling himself, Terry G: use costume jewellery.

Boyz Are Not Smiling…
One track I’ve been bumping to recently is Joe - Spazm a.k.a. Terry tha Rapman’s new single, Sample (Remix) which features Original Stereoman and Pheroshawz.
Interestingly, Terry’s Sample (Remix) actually samples Stereoman’s track, Sample (confusing eh?) and the video for the song is out as well. It was shot in a gritty Hip-hop mini-documentary/ street style reminiscent of the Thoroughbreds' Street Hop video and traces the creative process that goes into making the track all the way from the studio straight into a bus until it hits the streets of Alaba.
Like I’ve been saying for a long while every music video ought to have a concept. Big ups to Terry and whoever directed the shoot...

Lyricists On The Roll
And no, I am not referring to the HHW award that goes by that name. Flipping through quite a few newspapers over the weekend, it is indeed worthy to note that several of them seem to be taking Naija music lyrics seriously enough to publish them.
On the online avenue however, it appears most site are yet to give Naija music lyrics the respect they truly deserve. They may be playing our music alright but they are ignoring the words. Typical case in point? A cursory search for MI’s Safe lyrics gave some false positives including sites that only link the video. But then of course you know where you got the video and lyrics at the same time from, right? That’s right, from MN

On The Lookout
Events to look out for in the coming months? Well, Zain will team up with MTVBase Africa to give you yet another edition of the MTVBase Africa Music Awards better known as the MAMAs. Last year’s maiden edition held in Abuja did receive not a few knocks so here’s hoping they better get this one right this time.
MTN’s Project Fame West Africa is already screening on AIT and MITV while Zain again looks to take up after them with its own Music Talent show, Idols West Africa 2. Honestly, after seeing the quality of winners that emerged from previous editions of both shows, we definitely can’t wait to get on this one.

On a music level, Albums I’m looking forward to listening to this month include the latest releases from artistes like Etcetera, Djinee, BOUQUI and Bracket.

And On a Final Note…
Is LG AWOL? I’ve been stalking her blog for the past few weeks and I come out sad everyday. The rank of Blogville legends seems to be depleting way too fast which is sad really considering I “grew” up on most of these folks.
My sweet potato, I do see your comment on a few other blogs but wherever you are, I’m really missing your funny wit like MAD. Holler at me, OK?
Meanwhile, on a side note, you can read up a story here I wrote a while back specially for her. It also mentions certain bloggers. Who knows, you just might have been one of them…

Happy Weekend!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

B & P 11: Ladies Everywhere! Bloggers, Eye Candy And Rappers

Hmm… How come I almost let two whole months go by just like that without giving you a dose of the B & P, huh? Anyway, this month the focus is on some drop-dead fine women…

2x Years Ago…
…an angel was born! And a chubby one at that… That’s right. One of our own in the MN house, Woomie to be exact, added one more year to her fabulous life yesterday so now you know the 4th of July isn’t just special to only the U.S. of A.
Too bad I couldn’t be there but wherever you are, if you haven’t done so already, kindly hop over to her blog and holler at her, OK?
Happy Birthday dear, and here’s wishing you many more happier years still. From Esquire and me, thanks for being our friend!!!

Her Royal Awesomeness Delivers…
And no, I’m not talking of her e-baby… that’s old news. Now, anyone who’s been reading these pages would know how I’ve been whining about laying hands on the Illegal Music Mixtape. I’m even beefing BTC about it sef. Well beef no more…
My one-time prospective boo, Her Royal Awesomeness, the one and only, She of the Tightest Bum, stunning blogger with her smart Medico brain, Bumight has finally sent me a “roundabout” copy of the said mixtape and I’m already drooling anticipating the clash of killer beats and ice-fire lyrics bombarding my ear-drums. What makes this gift even far more special is because this will be the very first time a blogger is getting me a present of any sort. You guys rock jo!
Thank you! Thank you!! Thanks a million, Bumight! The interest and concern in giving me musical pleasure means a lot to me even though I’m still short of words. And yes, I will wear your ring…

There Is One Caveat Though…
Is it just me, or are Internet services in Nigeria going back to the early days of being plain old crap? All this downtime is surely driving me crazy. Honestly I can’t say if it’s the cafes I use or their lousy ISPs but I seriously doubt if broadband has in actual fact, come to Nigeria. No, I am not trying to run my country down but nowadays it gets so frustrating attempting to download stuff or watch videos on YouTube unlike a few months back. And anyone in the know can testify to the simple fact that Naija music videos tend to hit YouTube first before the local TV channels (it’s not difficult figuring out why. YouTube is “free” and reaches a wider audience).
As you might have rightly guessed, my gripe stems from the fact that I am currently unable to download that mixtape even till now. Last time I tried, Opera kindly informed me that it would take 9 hours, 53 minutes and 23 seconds (an exaggeration nonetheless) to download and truthfully, I have neither the patience nor finances to attempt that feat.
In the meantime while I figure it out, I think I’ll just follow Bumight’s example and write on my Twitter page: If you love me, send me a copy of the Illegal Music mixtape.
Maybe that will get BTC and a couple of other females rustling…

Kel’s Investment
Kel Ohia is Investing and big time too…
And no, I’m not talking of investing in a stunning evening gown especially as there’s nothing absolutely wrong with this one which she sported to Etcetera’s Black Tie Gig which held June 14th. If for nothing, one reason to love this extremely good-looking, full-figured rapper is the fact that she isn’t afraid to bring the sexy back into Hip-hop. If you check out her full package in the dress she wore towards the end of the Waa Wa Alright video, I’m sure you’ll agree with me. You can also scope her out in the video for Too Fine.
Her sexy self aside, Kel’s debut album The Investment which release had previously been shifted some months back, was set to hit the stores on 22-06-09. And guess what? I’m about to go out there and - in the usual Idumota slang - “grab a copy now!” When I do, you can be sure I’ll be letting you guys know what I like about the album. Or not…
Meanwhile, one more bootylicious Kel picture to add to my PC desktop, thank you!

Linda’s Dreams and Inspirations
Permit me to say this, one blogger I have secretly respected and openly admired for a very long time since I stumbled upon her page happens to be ex-model and entrepreneur, Linda Ikeji. Of course I am not so much taken by her good looks and curves (not bad… not bad at all) but the one thing I really dig about her is her enterprising, ambitious, never-say-die spirit and the fact that she always strives to remain open to all her fans regardless of anything. For all you know, she could be the girl next door. Or not. But what’s more important, she knows whatever it is she wants and goes after it.
So here’s me doing a little bit of unsolicited PR for her. Recently Linda launched her latest endeavour - her fashion line - online. Now normally, I am not one to fuss about threads and stitches but her fashion line which features a collection of Indian-themed apparel (called Indian Dreams) and her Inspirational Tee-shirts/tops (dubbed i-Tees) have given me enough eye-candy as it is that I just had to blog about them. The pictures below are actually my favourites out of both collections but by all means, do click on the links above to get so much more detailed info on the collections (plus some more eye-tease, if you catch my drift). And just like Linda says, kindly focus on the fine clothes and not the fine models! LOL...

"Once you choose hope, anything is possible"

This one I love the most. It says “Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it.” Inspirational, yet highly suggestive at the same time…He he he he!!!

The Indian Dream collection is made by Indian designer Padu Jiandani exclusively for Linda Ikeji.

BOUQUI Sings A Love Song
BOUQUI’s latest single, I Love You Forever has been gracing the airwaves for several weeks now and looks set to successfully take over the reins from her previous hit track Morile making 2009 indeed the year of the B.O.U.Q.U.I. And like its predecessor, you can be sure the video might be out any time now, if it isn’t already.
The new single is very, very nice but what will give several audiophiles pause on hearing this track is the fact that this gospo-centric rapper temporarily ditches her rapping style and actually sings in her new love ballad. Hmmm… BOUQUI is singing romantic music! Rather puzzling considering she accomplishes this metamorphosis beautifully too making one wonder why she has stuck with rapping since like forever.
Nevertheless, the single was mixed and mastered by her brother, Mix Master Jay and features Mike Aremu who skilfully commandeers the sax as usual. Lyrics-wise, I Love You Forever suggests BOUQUI’s pledge to fulfil the love, devotion and duties of a new-wedded wife, which if you ask me re-inforces the fact that the song is a very clear message to Mr. Right. Whether Prince Charming is actually on the line is sadly not information I am privy to.
With the past success of Sunny Neji’s Oruka, it’s a sure bet that I Love You Forever is bound to be the newest wedding song of the year. Seeing Wande Coal perform Bumper To Bumper to usher in a couple during a wedding recently on TV is SO NOT IT and it’s refreshing to have the ladies singing the wedding songs for a change. Her new album, BOUQUI Redefined or Redefinitions (take your pick!) is slated for launch today the 5th of July at the Eko Hotel & Suites.
On a final note, hey I love you BOUQUI forever too, but I think the famed BOUQUI hairstyle and Hip-hop gear is so 2007-ish. My personal advice? Kindly ditch the tomboy look, lose the hair and ask Kel for fashion tips. Nicely…

Like I always say my peeps, till we meet again…
PEACE!!!

Kel, i-Tees and Indian Dreams pixes courtesy LindaIkeji.blogspot.com