Oseyiza Oogbodo Blog

A problem misunderstood is a problem that will never be solved. This is exactly the case of music piracy in Nigeria. People just scream ‘piracy’ and criticize pirates for their insensitivity without really understanding what piracy is all about. Most of the music industry stakeholders themselves don’t really understand it, and this further compounds the problem. But even as piracy continues to be shrouded by an aura of mystery that seems impenetrable, those that are really affected by it have taken time out to study it. It’s not everyone in the industry that’s affected by it, severely or otherwise. Several of the big artists and record labels also feel its heat, but because they are surviving in music through shows and endorsements, they are able to weather the storm and so don’t really feel they should go out of their way to tackle the menace, since it is even a hydra-headed monster that makes you wonder which of its heads to cut first. So it is the struggling artistes who are bearing

Bobo u gotta luv me oh Eh eh eh hey Bobo u gotta luv me ehh Brand new swag brand new song Fresh an clean guys where you @ Where you @, where you @ Oh I’ve been waiting all this while For a guy who’s gonna treat me right In my life, in my life Oh boy please treat me right My heart is beating fast I can’t go anymore oh oh You know that am a diva Luv me and I’ll love you back It’s gonna be 50/50 If you wanna be with me You know that am a diva Love me and I’ll love you back Cuz am a super super super Super Girl AMA AMA super girl Bobo you gotta love me oohhh Super girl AMA AMA Super Girl Bobo you gotta love me Eh Eh Super Girl AMA AMA super girl Bobo you gotta love me oohhh Super girl AMA AMA Super Girl Bobo you gotta love me Eh Eh Knocking at your door Knock knock knock Bobo you need 2 open wide Am coming into your heart If you love me jeje I go love you tender If you hold me jeje I hold you tender If you touch me jeje I go touch you tender And if you kiss me jeje I go kiss you te

Entertainer and entrepreneur, Dencia, who is more popular for her social media comments and skin cream business than her singing, has waded into the Xenophobia crises in South Africa and got blasted for it. But in true Dencia fashion, though, she gave it back as good as she got to the South African who put her down for daring to comment on the crises in SA. Trouble began when, Dencia, reacting to the unpalatable news out of Mandela’s country, said, “Late #NelsonMandela is somewhere weeping for our people. I can't believe my eyes. How do you fight against apartheid and end up with this, years later? If it's not Boko haram in Nigeria, it's Al-Shabaab somewhere in Kenya or Somalia and I can go on and on. What happened to just loving one another? What is my beloved continent, Mother Africa turning into? Where did parents go wrong with their kids? “Last week I told Nick Cooper who told me his friends where trying to move to SA that he might not believe it, but America as bad as

Ogungbo Lukman, otherwise known as Namkul, has hit the airwaves with a new single entitled Pyar, an Indian word that means love. Produced by Sunny Dee, Pyar is inspired by the love Namkul received while studying at the University of Mumbai, India. Namkul started his musical career in 2006 as a member of the now defunct Sraeli Sect. The group had a hit single entitled Galatian before each member moved on to pursue their solo careers. Namkul’s debut album, featuring artistes like Bukzy, Xcaper, Emeorla and Denny Zee was released in 2012. This was promptly followed by the video of Beach Party, one of the cuts in the album. The video of Beach Party was directed by Oluyinka Davids’ Ifocus Media.

Golden girl of Nigerian TV, Adesuwe Onyenokwe, added another feather to her cap recently with the successful hosting of the latest edition of her Today’s Woman Brunch Series. The event, held at the serene ambience of the Clear Essence Spa, Ikoyi was an avenue for women to not only network and inspire one another but to tap into the wealth of knowledge and experience of key female leaders, chief executive officers and entrepreneurs across various industries. Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank, Mrs. Bola Adesola, was the amazon hosted, and other notable personalities who honoured her with their presence included Azuka Ogujiuba, Modele Sarafa Yusuf, Yvonne Ruke Akpoveta, Ifeyinwa Ojekwe, Ono Bello, Fade Ogunro, Funke Babs Kufieji, Ebele The Flutist and Wana Udobang. The event provided Adesola an opportunity to share her corporate experiences as well as the giant strides she has achieved in positioning Standard Chartered Bank as a major player in the banking industry. She

Everything that has a beginning must have an ending. Twenty children cannot play together for twenty years. The above proverbs apply aptly to one of Nigeria’s most successful music groups, P-Square. For some time now, breakup tales have been trailing P-Square. Tales which got to fever pitch last year when family and professional crises engulfed P-square to the extent that they should have broken up. But they didn’t because the two guys who actually make up P-Square are siblings, and not just siblings, but identical twins, and it’s that bond which binds identical twins that’s still keeping P-Square together. However, that bond keeps being tested every day and it’s only a matter of time now before it will reach breaking point. And right now, the bond is being tested again as one of the P-Square twins, Paul that is, has come out to say that he is wholly responsible for several of their smash hit songs and even their biggest song ever, Do Me. Whether this disclosure will be the straw that

Popular TV game show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, held its children’s special edition recently, and two siblings, Nimi and Omiete Owanga, won N1m and and N500,000 respectively. Speaking afterwards, Paul Owanga, Nimi and Omiete’s father, told the story of how his children got to be on the highly acclaimed show. “My name is Paul Owanga. I am a public servant. I am the father of Omiete and Nimi Owanga who just won N500,000 and N1m respectively on WWTBAM. Honestly I feel so excited. I was with them in the sitting room when the children special was advertised. “Omiete took my phone while Nimi took her mother’s and they sent the texts almost immediately. For all of us as a family, we have been watching WWTBAM a little over six years. So they played at almost the same time. “When the questions came, they both answered, then we got the calls later that they have both been shortlisted and that if they qualify eventually, they would be invited to the studio. Lo and behold, they were called

Last year, the major news about veteran actress Clarion Chukwurah was that she was locked in a battle for the presidency of the Actors Guild of Nigeria with Ibinabo Fiberesima. She wasn’t successful, however, and this year, she has turned her focus to another project which might just yield great dividends for Nollywood: a notable partnership with respected director Aquila Njamah. They hosted their friends and industry personalities recently at a where they unveiled the signing of the partnership deal between Chukwurah’s Jade Productions and Njamah’s Eagle Eye Productions. The party also celebrated Aquilla’s birthday which the duo had marked at a charity home on March 25th. Some of the top stars in attendance at the high octane ceremony were Empress Njamah, Lillian Amah, African China, Majek Fashek, King Wadada and Rosemary Ingbi. The show was compeered by Lin Chung, while MC Passion was the comedian who kept cracking the guests’ ribs. The show was also spiced with music rendition by l

Nollywood has been in a state of frenzy since acclaimed producer-director-actor Kunle Afolayan cried out last week that pirates want to release bootleg copies of his latest movie, October 1. Since his comments which some regarded as tribalistic, there have been several reactions with some rising to his defence and some lambasting him. Anyway, the latest reaction to his tirade against pirates has galvanized one of his colleagues, Yemi Sodimu, into action. Sodimu has taken it upon himself to seize pirated copies of October 1 and 30 Days In Atlanta that he sees on sale and having seized some already, he posed the pictures of his efforts on social media. He also urged other Nollywood stakeholders not to wait for government intervention again but to start seizing pirated movies as well. All good oh, Yemi, but don’t forget it’s said that no one should take the law into their own hands.

Sifter is a Nigeria-born America-based music sensation. He left Nigeria for the United States of America to pursue his education but found out that music was his calling. Now, he tells OSEYIZA OOGBODO BLOG that music is all he thinks of and that his passion for music is why he’s succeeding in it. Your song, Ololufe, which features 9ice, is already gaining some momentum in Nigeria despite the fact that you are yet to drop it. I learnt you will be dropping the video and the audio same day. Could you tell me what is going on with you and the song? The song was produced by Smoothkiss, Bugatti Records in-house producer. Ololufe is one song that I really like and I am proud to have featured 9ice on it. The song was composed and written by me. After recording the song, I felt like who could complete the work for me and the thought of 9ice came to my mind. I knew some people were saying 9ice had passed his time, but when we got into the studio and I listened to him sing, I changed that mindse

Success as an artist in the music industry worldwide is very difficult to attain. Thereby, for every popular artist, there are tens of thousands more who will never hit the limelight. An industry that has many sub-sectors: production, management, etc, those in the other sectors become successful far more easily than the artists themselves. So difficult is it for an artist to become a success that even if he, her has a sponsor to help him, her overcome the financial challenge which is the major challenge in the path of most artists, it is still no guarantee of success. Suffice it to say that artists who eventually taste the sweetness associated with success are those who are able to persevere, suffer humiliation, make the necessary sacrifices and possess the necessary patience in abundance. Most artists are never able to travel the long unpredictable road to the Promised Land. They bow out after investing much money and time and seeing no gains while suffering despair and deprivation to

Listen Eh na na na na Eh na na O ni fe mi lokan O gbe oyun mi fun osu mesan O pon mi fun odun meta o O a mama mi O ni fe mi lokan O gbe oyun mi fun osu mesan O pon mi fun odun meta oh Mummy mi oh (4x) I will be there for you I love you forever Mummy mi oh (4x) I will do anything for you Mama, I will love you forever Mummy mi oh (4x) I will be there for you oh I love you forever Mummy mi oh (4x) I will do anything for you Mama, I will love you forever Eh na na na na Na na na na na Eh mama, o nife mi lokan O gbe oyun mi fun osu mesan O pon mi fun odun meta oh O a mama mi O ni fe mi lokan O gbe oyun mi fun osu mesan O pon mi fun odun meta oh Mama ki lo fe ra? I will buy you Ferrari Mama ki lo fe ra? I will buy you Bugatti Mama se ile lo fe? I go buy two for Ghana B’owo se n wo’le wa, I go buy you all need Mummy mi oh (4x) I will be there for you I will love you forever Mummy mi oh (4x) I will do anything for you Mama, I love you forever Mummy mi oh (4x) I will be there for

While some artists are finding it quite difficult to release albums, it seems some have mastered the art down to its finest details. Kayswitch for instance is one artist who has made a name for himself and performed worldwide, yet he’s yet to release his debut album, how much more his sophomore. Waje is another popular artist who has achieved so much. Though she became popular years ago, she just managed to release her debut album two years ago and since then there’s been no talk of any other album from her. Yet another big name having album issues is Wande Coal whose debut album, Mushin 2 Mo’ Hits, is one of the most successful debut albums ever in Nigeria still doesn’t know when he’s going to release his sophomore. There are many more of them in this situation which is surprising because other artists, Olamide, P-Square, 2face and Timaya inclusive, are releasing their own albums easily. And one artist who is now swaggering grandly into the midst of this latter category is Reminisce.

One artist who said she wants to make her impact felt in the music industry and who has now taken a bold step in achieving that aim is Project Fame West Africa season seven participant, Debbie Olotu. But she is no longer known as Debbie Olotu but Rubunu. She has had the name change since last year, and that’s still part of her efforts to take over the game. Now, her latest step is one that should surely pay her massive dividends not only nationally but also continentally and even worldwide. She has released a superlative video for her critically acclaimed song, We Are Africa, and the video will certainly aid the song in spreading further. The interesting thing now is to wait and see if Rubunu, formerly Debbie, can go on to become bigger than PFWA season 7 winner, Ugo, or even achieve her aspiration of becoming a critically and commercially successful artist, something which most of the PFWA alumni, and in fact the alumni of all Nigerian music talent hunts, find extremely difficult to a

Before now, many people outside of Ghana did not really know the name Wiyaala Noella and the person it belongs to. Right now however, the name and person have sparked a massive internet frenzy, and for what reason, the release of pictures of Noella in a bikini in different locations and poses. Anyway, Noella is one of Ghana’s promising singers and her bikini pictures have been a sort of shock to many people because she previously didn’t have that sort of image and she has now taken it on at a time when she’s billed to perform at the 89th birthday of England Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, on April 21st at the British High Commission in Ghana. Well, it must just be that she’s proving true to the title of one of her songs, Rock My Body.

By now, it’s in the public domain that some music artists have gone for studies at the prestigious New York Film School as their first step in their desire to invade Nollywood. With the number of such artists increasing by the day, Ikechukwu is the latest, Banky W and Dr SID preceded him, it’s pertinent to now address the issue of why they are taking the Nollywood step. And Oseyiza Oogbodo Blog can authoritatively reveal that these artists are preparing themselves for Nollywood because they foresee a situation whereby the music might stop paying, as it eventually does for most Nigerian musicians. Already, the music is no longer paying as much as before for these artists so the earlier they find their way into other sectors, the better it might just be for them.

If there’s one prayer virtually everyone prays on a consistent basis, it’s to be successful, not a failure, because while the taste of success is very sweet, that of failure is the polar opposite, very bitter. It’s bitterer still when you’ve tasted the sweetness of success, then had to taste failure, you’ll realize it’s so distasteful that you wouldn’t want even your worst enemy to taste it. This is exactly the case of talented singer-rapper-producer Jesse Jagz. Through the machinations of the respected entertainment outfit, Chocolate City, Jagz rose to fame and prominence. He was courted by the A-listers of entertainment and his future was believed to be brighter still. But maybe success went into his head, as it does into those of some entertainers, as he turned his back on CC three years ago and struck out on his own. But he hasn’t done well on his own and has now retraced his steps back to CC. Oh well, there’s no shame in the dog returning to its stool.

The sophomore jinx is one of the entertainment industry’s biggest problems. It arises when an entertainer or entertainers or production house or suchlike come up with a very successful piece of creative work as their first effort and are then able to follow it up with another really successful work. And the way things stand right now, the hottest music crew in the country presently, The Mavins, can be said to have been afflicted by the sophomore jinx. If you recall, The Mavins, which comprise Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Dr SID, D’Prince, Korede Bello, Reekado Banks and Di’Ja stunned the continent last year when their first single featuring vocals by all of them, Dorobucci, became a phenomenal success. Since Dorobucci was so huge, it was expected that their next effort would be massive as well. But that next effort, Looku Looku, isn’t. Like Dorobucci, it was released last year. But unlike Dorobucci which became very popular even without a video, Looku Looku, even with a video, is yet to ca

This year’s edition of the prestigious Nollywood & African Film Critics’ Awards continues to gather momentum by the day and it has been announced that the historic Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles will be the venue for this year’s edition which will be the fifth. NAFCA, which is recognized as Africa’s version of the Oscars, is expected to draw over two thousand people from around the world to attend its highly anticipated ceremony on September 21st. While last year’s NAFCA was held at another reputable theatre, Saban, in Beverly Hills, to a soldout audience, NFCA organizers say this year’s will surpass all previous editions in all ramifications. Some of last year’s winners included Chiwetel Ejiofor for best actor in a leading role for his exploits in Half Of A Yellow Sun. Best actress in a leading role went to Omotola Jalade Ekeinde for Last Flight To Abuja, best supporting actor to Ayo ‘AY’ Makun for Being Mrs Elliot and best supporting actress to Sonia Ibrahim for The Number One Fan.

At a time it’s believed that the Yorubas of Nigeria are against the Igbos, celebrated Yoruba filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has come out to stoke the fire further by making comments that many are saying are tribalistic. While the actual cause of Afolayan’s comments is the hydra-headed monster, piracy, and people are actually sympathetic about the extremely negative effects of piracy on Afolayan’s business as a movie producer, such people still could not bring themselves to reconcile with his perceived tribalistic sentiments. Afolayan’s comments which have dented his image somewhat came in a series of tweets that immediately trended. “You all sit on social media and run your mouth. Try and put your money into production and see how it feels. Scream tribalism if you like. “You want to know. OK. The pirates already have October 1 and have been threatening the distributor that they will release this week. “It’s a fact that most of the pirates I see selling pirated CDs and DVDs are Igbo. One eve

Cynthia Agholor Highly rated actress, Cynthia Agholor, tells OSEYIZA OOGBODO BLOG about her life as an actress