meet nigerian artiste who changed the beat for fame and fortune.
TIMAYA
Call him the boy from Bayelsa State, and you may not be wrong. The former plantain seller started out as an inspirational singer. But along the line, he drifted and that was when he started gaining recognition within and beyond the shores of the country. He started releasing songs that many termed as being “repetitive and monotonous to gain popularity.
Timaya once confessed that he started his career writing inspirational songs. But it didn’t get him the much needed fame and fortune. It was when he began singing songs without writing down lyrics, but just basically ‘free-styling’ that the music began to pay. Before now, he has been criticized for songs such as ‘Ukwu,’ ‘Bum Bum,’ and ‘Malonogede.’ But he doesn’t seem to care as he keeps smiling to the bank.
TERRY G
Another singer that changed the beat is Terry G. His 2009 song, ‘Free Madness’ revolutionized the Nigerian music scene in its own way. It was the era of glorification of beats over lyrics. That song was nothing more than a compilation of mumbo-jumbo on a beat that was both danceable and infectious.
Even though many criticized the meaningless lyrics, yet it was played at every nook and crannies of the society; hot spot, and nightclubs. Terry G also inspired a new generation of artistes who believed that there is no need for their songs to have lyrical content in order to break even in the industry.
For them, all they needed was a ‘banging’ beat that could get music lovers to dance away their sorrows. Meanwhile Terry G didn’t begin that from the onset. He used to be a chorister in church, who exhibited exceptional skills in playing musical instruments to propagate God’s work.
Nigerians won’t forget in a hurry how Terry G negatively influenced the young ones with his love for marijuana in his songs. But whether we like it or not, his gamble paid off, as he made a lot of money and hits from his ‘Free Madness’ even though his brand was badly affected. The talented singer and beat-maker confessed in a recent interview that his past is still haunting him as he wasn’t getting corporate endorsements like many of his colleagues.
IYANYA
For those who followed the MTN Project Fame West Africa season 1 in 2008, it was evident from the onset that the eventual winner, Iyanya was incredibly talented. But his career almost fizzled out like a fake perfume which was exposed to the sun. His first album after winning the competition, ‘My Story’ containing songs like ‘Love Truly,’ ‘No Time’ amongst others was a commercial failure.
It was after the body-building Cross River-born singer teamed up with producer, D’Tunes that people began to pay serious attention to his music. He shed his good boy image and stopped promoting his sonorous voice as his selling point. He started showing off his biceps and singing about sex, and boom, the megabucks started rolling in for him. Till date, he remains one of the most successful winners of the competition.
SKALES
We all knew Skales as a rapper in the early stage of his career. As a matter of fact, he was signed on to Empire Mates Entertainment (EME) because of his lyrical prowess. However, the young dude got confused along the line, or as some would argue, he got ‘intimidated’ by his label mate, Wizkid who was making all the money and getting all the girls by virtue of his vocal dexterity.
We were all surprised when the ‘homeboy’ changed the beat and started singing something different. However, after releasing songs like ‘Mukulu,’ ‘Shake Body,’ ‘Je kan Mo’ and ‘I am for Real,’ Skales became more of a singer than a rapper.
PRAIZ
Praise Ugbede Adejo popularly known as Praiz is undeniably vocally gifted. He emerged the second runner up in the 2008 edition of the MTN Project Fame, but just like the winner, Iyanya, he didn’t immediately find his footing in the music industry.
His brand of music didn’t connect well with the the local audience, but nowadays, he has ‘diluted’ his style, and it has translated into gains for him. His songs like ‘Oshe’ featuring Awilo, and ‘Sisi’ featuring Wizkid have been club bangers in their own rights, but they’re definitely not the old Praiz style that we used to know.
SEAN TIZZLE
Not many people know that Sean Tizzle started his music career as a rapper, but the Difference Entertainment Act once revealed that he used to be a lyricist. In his days as a rapper, he wasn’t known and he never caught a break. However, the desire to be more commercially relevant must have pushed him to hone his vocal skills, and the rest as they say is history. His songs like ‘Sho Le,’ Mama Eh’ and ‘Kilogbe,’ have all topped the charts at different times.
SAINT JANET
Call her the Queen of Nigerian lewd singers, and you’d be correct. Saint Janet shocked the sensibilities of many Nigerians with the release of her live performance CD which contained many obscene lyrics and sexually explicit content in 2009.
It was so bad that the Lagos State government had to ban it from playing in public places, but Saint Janet argued that the move by government even made her more popular, as the same officials that banned her song in public, also invited her to perform at their private functions.
However, Saint Janet has her roots in the church as she used to be a chorister, but she didn’t attract public attention and commercial success until she went wild. And now that she has tasted fame and fortune, albeit in a controversial way, Saint Janet doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to change her style of music anytime soon. In a recent interview, she asserted that even her husband can no longer stop her from singing lewd songs as it is her claim to fame.
COMMENTS