We have had fun this
year. The singers, the rappers, the producers, the fans, the neutral, and many more. We have all had dope fun this year from all the beefing 2016 has to go down in history as the most interesting year for Nigerian music in a long time, with all the off-the-mic drama, emotions, beefs and curse. The sings looked good from the first day of the year when Don Jazzy and Olamide tore the veil that kept real feelings out of the public eye, and exposed a dislike for the Mavin Boss. That was settled in 48 hours but that was prime time entertainment from the fans. It had engagement, had the neutrals talking, people fighting, arguing and holding court for the two giants. Too bad it had to end early.
Others came through quickly. Vector was challenged by Ycee, who denied it quickly, and averted what could have been another TV-worthy encounter David and B-Red clash over the steroidal success of new boy Mayorkun was brief and settled. Psquare found a way to implode for the umpteenth time in as many years, with Peter Okoye splitting the group, and creating Solo careers for everyone associated with the business. That beef has been put to rest, but it gave Nigerians some high points to enjoy and ruminate. There were also tears from fans, as emotional songs made the waves.
Wizkid also took time out to physically injure Dammy Krane, after the ‘Amin’ singer called him out for intellectual property theft. Other beefs involving a musician and another popular non-music figure also contributed . Examples involved Wizkid vs Linda Ikeji, and Davido vs Dele Momodu. Beef in itself is good for the art.
Although in the Western cultures, it tends to spill blood and result in loss of life, in Africa, our artistes and all their representatives lack that amount of conviction mixed with hatred to pull off a killing because of beef. No one has that guts, we are too conscious of our states to compromise our careers on it.
For the neutral observer, this has given the industry another layer of depth that had not fully been active and appreciated. Musicians have become more than fly stars who make good music and appear as super humans in videos and on concert stages. Right now, they have been demystified and made to expose more human and mundane facets to their personality. They fight, they bicker, they express emotions and they make up. That’s what we all do, and for them to be like us, normal humors, then it’s a plus. We can connect more. We are our artistes.
As the year slowly reaches its end, there’s been a drastic reduction on the number of beefs that we have had to experience and enjoy. But we have had a series of it this year. Entertainment in the music industry for fans became personal, creating a holistic experience that was almost publicly non existent prior to the start of the year.