The first tweet, posted at 3:17 am on June 9 by Nigerian Musician D’banj of Mo’ Hits records, reads, “Thanks for ur love and prayers always. Now we can hear IDJA from the world’s finest Stars. Thanks again its Naija.”

Same day, at 3:22 am, Don Jazzy, Mo’ Hits CEO, tweeted, “Just like yesterday myself and my brother did Tongolo, 7yrs later Mo’ Hits signs with Good Music. Best birthday gift ever, God thank u.”

Two tweets, simple ones, at par with what is obtainable in the micro-messaging site twitter, but the fact that it came from D’Banj, one of Nigeria’s biggest artist and his producer cum record label owner, coupled with a lot of speculations about the groups rising profile in the United States, made it of import to entertainment industry buffs. In a very short while, that singular tweet had social media abuzz, with many airing their disbelief that the tweet was anywhere close to being real, others said it was nothing short of a prank -- a tasteless one at that. However, as the hours passed and more speculations flowed across Nigeria’s impressive social media community, and other African countries got into the debate, a clear-cut fact began to emerge: Don Jazzy and D’ Banj have actually been signed on to G.O.O.D Music, a record label owned by American recording artist Kanye West.

 It was big news, big enough for it to trend on twitter and for the social networking communities of sub-Saharan Africa to take note. The news, for many commentators in Facebook and Twitter, marked a stamp of approval of a phenomenon that has being sweeping across Africa for the last 7 years, since Tu Face idibia’s “African Queen” thrilled African ladies across the continent and the world -- the massive mass appeal of new age Nigerian music.

For Nigeria, a country renowned for its oil production, unapologetic patriotism and an unsavoury reputation of being a haven for internet fraudsters, another description was rightfully earned in the past decade as it overtook Congo and South Africa as the Africa’s youth music hub. Though Nigerian music has always played a part in the development of the African music industry, with the likes of Fela Anikolapo Kuti, Sunny Ade, Osita Osadebe, Lex Lawson, Sunny Okosuns, influencing music styles across the continent, a new generation of Nigerian musicians are reaching further and influencing Africa’s youth culture in ways that have never been seen.

Riding on the back of uncommon bravado that Nigerians everywhere are known for, and a growing internet culture across the continent, Nigerian music is reaching African youths and finding purchase in hearts that have for long longed for such avenues to express their Afrocentricism unapologetically.

A peculiar setup

Riding on the national success of 1990 stars such as Junior and Pretty, Alex o, Alex Zitto, Remedies, Plantation Boys, etc, youthful Nigerian musicians took elements of American Hip-Hip and R&B and recreated it for their environment with astonishing success, reversing what was essentially a cultural import and leaping tremendous benefits from it. They infused local languages, Pidgin English, urban slangs, nuances and indigenous music styles with American, Caribbean, and European music styles to create a variety of styles that is unique to them, and which has found ardent admirers across Africa. 

Nigerian music styles, which range from Galala, Afrobeat, Highlife and Fuji, are usually infused with reggae, Hip Hop, R&B and even rock to produce a sound that is undeniably Nigerian.

Ronnie Graham, a historian specialising in West Africa, contends that the success of Nigerian music can be attributed to its culture and its “thirst for aesthetic and material success and a voracious appetite for life, love and music, and a huge domestic market, big enough to sustain artists who sing in regional languages and experiment with indigenous styles.”

When piracy is a good thing

Mix tapes like this are very popular in Nigeria and helped popularise many aspiring artists

With millions of album sales recorded and numerous concerts in packed stadiums across Africa, Nigerian music exports like P Square, Tuface, D banj, Bracket, Asa, etcetera are proving that Music, Nigerian style, is a lucrative venture and investors, both within and outside the country, are taking notice.

The fame and recognition that Nigerian music gets today can be traced to its diversity and content. Labelled “the heart of African music” because of its role in the development of the music industry in Africa, Nigeria music is currently enjoying massive international recognition.

This recognition, achieved without much recourse to the sort of established record labels or widespread marketing common in the west, is a constant puzzle to foreign music industry experts who are awed by how artists managed to break even in a society where piracy is the num.

While piracy may be a big business in Nigeria, it nevertheless played a large part in the tremendous growth that the industry has witnessed over the years. In the early days of the current movement, artists who could not afford the cost of production and marketing give out the songs to marketers who produce such songs as mix tapes, which are then sold across the country. These artists do not earn any income from the sales of the mix tape, but are usually content with the exposure these mix tapes, which were very popular in the late 90s and earlier 2000s, generate for them. The mix tapes were widely successful and can be attributed for the later success of artists like D’Banj, Faze, Eldee, and etcetera.

CD’s are usually packaged in affordable packs to encourage patronage

Though following the growth of the industry in the last few years, many artists are going the conventional route of music production, distribution and sales; the original procedure of giving out songs free still persists, though now more through websites and blogs. Though, the tendency to not commercialise may seem strange to people who are more used to more conventional business practices, it is very understandable when one reckons with the fact that even the most successful of Nigerian musicians such as P Square, who command as much $1000 per show, generate much of their income from concerts and endorsements. Therefore, it is to the interest of an upcoming Nigerian artist to get the renown that will translate to concert invitations and commercial endorsements.

This is not to say that there are a dearth of conventional record labels in Nigeria, if nothing, they are increasing in number as the industry continues to grow at a tremendous phase.

Continental dominance

Audience react during a P Square concert in Abidjan. Nigerian artists have garnered followership across the African continent

Kenny Ogungbe, who together with Dayo “D1” Adeneye is attributed with popularising Nigerian music rebirth in the late 1990s through their vastly popular radio show primetime on Ray Power FM, captured the growing influence of Nigerian musicians in an interview on BBC.

 “On a given weekend, P-Square could be rocking Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, while D'Banj performs in Accra (Ghana), 2face Idibia performs in Nairobi (Kenya), Naeto C and Ikechukwu pack houses in Johannesburg (South Africa), while 9ice holds down the fort back home in Lagos,” he said

The Truth about Mr Ogungbe’s words can be inferred from the massive following that Nigerian music is garnering across Africa and the fact that for the last seven years Aside from winning most of the international music awards for Africa, Nigerian musicians have consistently collected more awards from annual continental music awards.

As at last count Tuface, D’banj, P Square, MI, and 9ice have collected several international awards as well as continental awards. In 2007, Mode 9 carted away four awards in the Channel O Music Video Award and that was just a tip of the iceberg; D'Banj measured up again and got an MTV award after which he was nominated alongside Tuface Idibia for the MOBO Award. Mr. Incredible, P-Square, Ikechukwu, Naeto C and others got MAMA awards and a whole lot of Channel O awards. P Square also famously won the KORA Award for most popular music group in Africa with a cash price of $1 million.

The signing of the Mohits duo is not just a testament of the resilience of Nigerian musicians, but a stamp of approval by those widely regarded across the world as the best in the business. Signing Mohits itself is a very prudent business decision by the American label as the deal not only gives Nigerian artists a chance to prove their mettle in the highly competitive American scene, but also grants the label a slice of the increasingly lucrative African market.

“I think that Nigerian music is getting the deserved attention it needs now considering the hard work they have put in,” said Carsa Tennant, a Jamaican-American music fan. “Foreigners are going to come and take it all themselves, We all know that America has one of the biggest and most diverse market when it comes to entertainment but Nigeria as a country should be prepared for how big your music has gotten in such a short time.”

Doing it alone

Despite the success of the Nigerian music industry and the sheer number of employment it generates for youths who would otherwise be unemployed, the Nigerian government have not been very proactive in encouraging growth in the sector. Almost all of the successes recorded so far have been garnered through individual efforts of the musicians, record labels and marketers.

Many experts, who believe the industry can grow more rapidly thereby creating more employment and generating more revenue for government, had been calling on the Nigerian government to invest in the sector, but such calls largely went unanswered. However, is should be noted that the current government of Goodluck Jonathan provided an intervention fund of $200 million for the entertainment sector from which artists can draw from, but many are already complaining that bureaucratic bottlenecks make accessing the fund impossible.

A future assured

The dominance of Nigerian music in Africa seems assured. In every city in Nigeria, in every other street, there is an aspiring artist, who is looking to make a name for himself/herself in the country’s burgeoning music industry. To serve these aspiring artists, there are also hundreds of music producers operating from single room studios, from where they churn-out possibly hit songs every month. These songs are then sent to radio stations, TV stations, YouTube and other social media sites.

The industry’s success has attracted a lot of investment from investors eager to cash in. These investors bankrolled high profile record labels such as Kenny Ogungbe’s Kennis music, Storm 360, Questionmark, Mohits and Chocolate city. Aside from the big players, hundreds of other record labels exist in the country, most established and run by musicians and producers who want to have more control over their work, and to give upcoming artists a chance many say they did not have.

In addition, several western styled music reality shows have found widespread application in Nigeria, with thousand of youths, aspiring to become the next big thing, queuing up to participate for a chance to win recording deals and financial rewards that will help propel them to fame. These reality shows have produced some of Nigeria’s most prominent music exports such as Omawumi, who was second runner up for West African Idol -- an American Idol style show for Anglophone west Africa; Timi, West African Idol winner; Iyanya, who won project fame and several others who owe their ascendance to the forefront of Nigerian music renown to the talent shows that discovered them.

Article previously published in Business in Africa magazine @bizinafrica.biz

Comments Page: 1 posted on 11-22-2011, 09:51:47 AM Uukaoma Re: Nigeria Music Conquers Africa: Eyes The World There is no denying the resilience and dexterity of Nigerians, specifically in the music and movie industries. Those of my generation, and the one before and after, still treasure Lawson, Waifo, Fela, Osadebey, Ade, and Obey. Then there are Wings, Ofege, Semi-Colon, Esien, Sisters, Mbarga, Doves, Wrinkers, Peacocks, Oriental Brothers, BLO, Friimen, One World, etc. The Nigerian new wavers are out to positively conquer the world, not just regional spheres or even Africa. Great BB and Ruff Coin of Nwa Aba and Kporikpo fame are just two of the acts whose works are quite impressive. These talents should explore participating in the Austin, Texas' SouthBySouthwest annual festivals, Austin City Limits, and the conducive live music environment. Acts from around the world make these pilgrimages to Austin. There is a wonderful community of Nigerians here in Austin and nearby Houston and Dallas to support your efforts. Look us up while you are here. God's speed! Go to the Full Discussion Thread Comments Page: 1