By Rotimi Ige
Oyo State, when it comes to entertainment, is quite unique.
Ibadan, the state capital, is easily the most vibrant town in the state due to
its large population, location, nearness to Lagos, among other factors. And so,
over the years, Ibadan metamorphosed into a metropolis and its residents
demanded more means of relaxation. Thereafter, hotels, bars and parks began to
spring up. Now, gone are the days when Ibadan streets would be deserted by 8:00
p.m.
Since 2008, the state witnessed an upsurge in the
establishment of club houses thus creating a buzzing night life for the city.
Today, there are numerous clubs, pubs, bars and merriment centres scattered
around the city; in fact, on Ring Road, between challenge and 110 bus stop,
there are about six clubs on that dual carriageway street alone.
With the changed mindset of fun seekers, the entertainment
landscaped changed and the demand merry makers grew, thus giving indigenous
artistes a platform to thrive like their Lagos counterparts. And so, artistes
like Jayru, T Eyes, Skuki, Wale Waves, among others became the progenitors of
its budding hip hop music industry and created a pathway for others to follow.
Jayru, arguably, was the best selling Ibadan act then; Channel O nomination, a
song featuring Wizkid and a large fan base in Ibadan. However, perhaps, because
of his resolve not to move to Lagos, the entertainment capital, his popularity
across Nigeria dwindled significantly.
His Lagos friends and colleagues, whom he had beaten to
award nominations back then, are now the A-list artistes raking in millions
from shows, endorsements and record deals in present day. The reason is not
farfetched; Ibadan, till date, despite its nearness to Lagos and economic
growth, remains a struggling city in the entertainment landscape.
Despite the large number of corporate organizations in
Ibadan, not much concern is given to its budding entertainment industry. For
most brands, whenever they require ambassadors to promote their businesses, the
‘Lagos’ artistes remain the first choice. Even record labels hardly look past
Lagos, a situation, which, according to entertainment stakeholders, calls for
concern.
Surprisingly, from research carried out by Friday Treat, it
was discovered that many artiste who are now big names in Lagos once lived or
schooled in the ancient and who, till date, are blazing the trail in their
chosen endeavours. Wizkid, Skales, Skuki, 9ice (Ogbomosho), El Phlex, Sean
Tizzle, Lafup (Comedian), Olawale (Project fame winner), Adetoun (Project fame
runner-up), Oyinkansade (Project fame alumni and Vivace records artiste) are a
few examples. However, sadly, all of these acts, save a few, have moved to
Lagos for one reason or the other. So, the question remains, “What is wrong
with Ibadan?”
Mobola Odubote, an on-air-personality in one of the popular
radio stations in Ibadan, opined that the general perception that entertainment
investors had about the state was that they could not reap much benefits from it.
“Record labels, companies and other investors are afraid of risk, but they are
wrong. There are a lot of talents with huge fan base in Ibadan. I believe that
every city has its own popular faces and that our popular artistes for
instance, should be used when brands want to sell their products it won’t be a
bad idea to use our local Ibadan artistes as brand ambassadors. Only then can
our local industry thrive and our artistes better off. When people complain
that the Ibadan artistes have good songs but not many videos, the complainers
forget that its costs a lot to shoot quality videos and get them on satellite
and local television networks”, she said.
Tony Rowland-Awobode a.k.a Don T, a stakeholder in the
Ibadan entertainment industry, in his reaction also supported Mobola. Said he,
“If only people know how much it costs to record a good song, master it, get
radio stations to play it, shoot videos etc, then they would understand that
our artistes are really trying. I know of artistes who have invested millions
in promoting just one song just to ensure that it becomes a hit. In a case
whereby an artiste has good songs but lacks financial power to promote it
effectively and he is not fortunate to live in Lagos, how does he survive. This
is the case in Ibadan. We have a few good acts that are as good as the Wizkids,
Davidos, Olamides etc but have little or no platforms or support to achieve
their potentials. Let me also add that we need the government’s support also.
As grants are being given to Nollywood, a structure should also be carved out
for musicians in various states”.
Friday Treat also discovered that many of the clubs in and
around Ibadan usually engaged many of the popular acts to promote their events
but stakeholders claim that it was not enough to help the artistes make enough
money to look good as well as promote their songs.
Wale Agbaje, another stakeholder stressed that though the
‘Lagos’ artistes understood the music business better because of exposure, he
added that it was time that indigenous companies and brands considered talents
outside Lagos.
“I have worked with many of Ibadan’s finest artistes and
they have really good stuff. The missing link are the big platforms and
endorsements that artistes in Lagos enjoy. We hope to see our artistes also
drive cars, get signed to labels and shoot good videos. In fact, you’ll be
surprised to find out how good these guys really are when they are given a
level playing field.
A respondent, who works with one of the beer brands in
Ibadan and pleaded anonymity, said that the reason why most corporate
endorsements for entertainers usually happened in Lagos was because most corporate
headquarters are always located there.
“Most corporate decisions are mostly taken in Lagos. Even
when we have events, we have to report to Lagos. This is why we are sometimes
handicapped. But Ibadan is opening up with more investors coming in. Let us
hope that they begin to use some of the most popular artistes to popularize
their brands”, he said.
According to findings, it seems some brands are beginning to
take note of the importance of some of the Ibadan talents as Filmhouse Cinemas
in Samonda, Ibadan, recently revealed its intention to use Fabulous Pizzy, who
is one of the most popular acts in the city, as one of its ambassadors for an
upcoming campaign. When contacted, the manager of the Samonda cinema declined
to reveal if there was any monetary inclination attached.
As the city continues to experience a boom in its economic
sector, entertainment stakeholders hope that the corporate and government
entities would extend some incentives to the industry so that a partnership may
be forged for prosperity on all sides.
I totally agree with him,things must change in our entertainment industry
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