“I know, I know, I knowww… It’s been a long time coming. Here are the brand new singles from my forthcoming #R&BW album. “Yes/No” and “Good Good Loving”… I’m excited that I get to share these brand new songs with y’all, and I really, truly hope you love listening to them as much as we loved making them. I have to give a huge shoutout to the Producers, Cobhams Asuquo and Spellz, for helping me create them..

We tried to go a bit of a different route from what you’re currently hearing on mainstream African/Naija radio. I believe very strongly in making the kind of music that you want to make, and being exactly who you are, instead of trying to emulate what you think is hot, or what’s dominant on radio at the time. So here you have it… it’s Afro-R&B, it’s Banky W… it’s #R&BW, and I hope you love it.”

- Banky W.

Yes/No {DOWNLOAD}

Good Good Loving {DOWNLOAD}

viaNOTJUSTOK

This is the 5th single off of the Empire Mates State Of Mind album. The EME crew continues their quest to dominate dance floors across the continent, as this time, Africa’s premiere music label introduces one of their newest and most talented acts “ShayDee”, and he’s adequately supported by Skales and Banky W, as they tear through a rendition of the smash hit “Sun Mo Mi”. The song was co-produced by MasterKraft and Banky W, and is already burning up clubs and parties across the African continent. The high energy and uptempo video, directed by the legendary Clarence Peters, was shot entirely in Lagos Nigeria, and shows the three E.M.E stars at their individual and collective best. The video also boasts cameos from other E.M.E acts WizKid, Niyola and DJ XClusive, as well as other Nigerian musical stars including Iyanya, Flowssick, Iceberg Slim, Slim T & more.

Event: Album release party and after party.
Venue: Club Luxe, Etim Inyang Crescent, V.I. Lagos.
Artiste: Harrysong
Album: Testify
Record Label: Questionmark Entertainment
Appearances/Attended by KC Presh, Sound Sultan, Sammie Okposo, Tuface, Banky W, M.I., Baba Dee, Orezi, Retta, Lerato (Big Brother Africa alum), Kevin Lucciano-Gabriel, Ego Omalicha, d’Supremes, Dipp, DJ Humility, Akeem Shodeinde and others.

Covered exclusively by Soundcity, Nigezie, Da New Live beat and Real TV.

Click here to win an autographed CD from Harrysong. Text report of the release party coming soon.

More pictures coming

The trend is to make a campaign song for a politician and claim you never got paid – so did D’banj and Onyeka Onwenu who wrote campaign songs from President Goodluck Jonathan claim. Banky W has backed out for making campaign songs for any politician as he says he won’t be making any campaign song  even after ” I was approached by a few politicians but I decided not to accept it because what is good for me might not necessarily be good for others”.

Talking about other collagues who have recorded campaign songs, he said: “… whether they were given money to campaign or not, it’s not my business. I have not been pushed to the point where I have no option, Without this, you’ll not see me campaigning for any politician”. “What is important to me is somebody that will bring about change in our country, Nigeria”

The singer informs that he might be acting in some movies soon.

Already there are five singles from Darey’s forthcoming ‘double’ album released, the album is well anticipated and long overdue for release, there are speculations that it would be released on February 28th. ‘Double dare’ would feature Timaya, Cobhams and Mo Cheeda.

In related news, Darey was hosted by City people Magazine on SUnday, 6th February and he was awarded as King of R & B at the event attended by Waje, Jedi, Ali Baba and Julius Agwu, Kunle Afolayan, Banky W , Bisi Olatilo,Ayo Animashaun, Moyeen, Audu Makori, Djinee, Emeka Ike, TY Mix, Femi Adeyinka and others.  It was hosted by Tosyn Bucknor, Gbenga adeyinka, Ali Baba and Tee A.

An evening of classy champagne cocktails, beautiful ballads and banters, interspersed with wild and wicked works from some of the best contemporary Nigerian music makers would also serve as a networking event, bringing together the bright, the bold and the brave in an atmosphere fit for no-holds-barred conversations.

Guests will include musicians, actors, young graduates, entrepreneurs, undergraduates, models, young media players, and other key individuals within the youth segment,  Principal Consultant of Sodium Brand Solutions – Abisoye Fagade informed. Darey Art Alade, Banky W, DJ Jimmy JATT, MI, Weird MC, Emem Ema, Kunle Afolayan, WizKid, Iyanya, Tonto Dikeh, BasketMouth, and many others have already been confirmed for the annual event.

‘Champagne Conversations’ would take place at pool side of the prestigious Eko Hotel in Lagos, on Sunday February 27 2011.

The news if you missed it was a new association to represent the Nigerian musician. This association would take over from the present PMAN still headed by Admiral Dele Abiodun. Already a list of the new association has been released in a press release. Recording artiste Dampte had written against the very motive of this. Writing again to Thenetng, Renowned writer, MADE Magazine’s pioneer editor and film maker lashed at Tony Okoroji and the entire process. Chris Ihidero questioned  the change and the major proponent – Tony Okoroji, raising interesting facts and expressed his concern over the “new messianic exco is tilted too heavily in favour of the Hip hop, R&B and Rap sectors of new Nigerian music”

Read what really happened at the PMAN convention.

Read his opinion below:

As providence would have it, my first article for this column a couple of weeks ago was written in celebration of the phenomenal success of new Nigerian music. I refer to that article as being providential because, had I not written that article before this, some people may erroneously conclude that I am an enemy of new Nigerian music. Especially the hip-hop and rap brands.

About two weeks ago, news filtered in that some of the leading lights of new Nigerian music had stormed Oshogbo, Osun State, where the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) was holding its convention and demanded for change of personnel at the helm of affairs, with a new exco in tow. I immediately dismissed the news as one of the many rumours that circulate on Twitter daily. Some hours later, I read Banky W’s post on the Oshogbo trip on his blog and thought ‘Wow, this is interesting…’, but left it as that since I strongly believe that everyone has the right to say whatever he/she likes on his/her blog. A blog, in my view, is as personal as a pocket diary and should be filled with whatever information the owner deems fit.

It was when I read the official press release on the trip that I started getting worried. While I firmly believe that all Nigerian performing musicians have the right to seek to lead PMAN, I wondered out loud if the ‘representatives’ of new Nigerian music were registered, dues-paying members of PMAN. If they were, wasn’t it better (perhaps easier) to have bought forms, sought for support across ranks and stood for office? If that was impossible, could they not have severed their relationships with PMAN, insisted on not being represented by the body in any way? If enough Nigerian performing musicians dissociated themselves from PMAN due to age-long non-performance of the leadership, can PMAN stand?

As I thought through all of this, I felt that something was amiss. Surely, you can’t have too many brighter minds in new Nigerian music than the guys that made the trip. So, how come they didn’t see that this move had failure written all over it ab initio? So I made a few calls and happened upon a startling discovery: Tony Okoroji had a hand in this move. Ah ah! I knew it! Now, Tony Okoroji is an interesting character: he has released all of one album but has had a hand in all the pies of Nigerian music for decades. He is either forming, collapsing or re-forming one association or the other at all times. Give a man his due: he was fantastic as President of PMAN; brought a lot of visibility to the association and held what’s possibly still the best Nigerian Music Awards (the one Patrick Doyle hosted) show ever. He was so ‘good’ that presidents after him looked colourless and PMAN lost its lustre.

So, my question is: do these guys not know of Okoroji and his penchant for power? If you set yourself up as the new generation that is bringing change, what are you doing in bed with a controversial veteran player like Okoroji? Beyond that, do they know that at the moment, Okoroji is tackling Cool FM (yeah, easy target, foreigner, blah blah blah…) and is asking that radio stations in Lagos should pay COSON, his new baby, N15million each for their use of Nigerian music. Cool. But at what point did he consult with new Nigerian artistes on this? When and where did they agree on that figure? What was the sharing formula agreed? How many Nigerian artistes gave COSON the mandate to collect royalties on their behalf?

Let us move beyond the Okoroji distraction and pay a little more attention to the composition and content of the press release, which was signed by my good friend, Bayo Omisore. After initial back-grounding, the 3rd paragraph hits the bull’s eye: “A new, younger and more vibrant exco had been put forward in an attempt to steer PMAN away from its image of perpetual in-fighting and endless legal wrangling which had kept the association in state of rapid decline. The proposed new PMAN leadership was to be headed by eLDee the Don. Ex-officio members included but were not limited to Sound Sultan, MI and Efe Omorogbe.” So, let us all agree that PMAN has been ineffective for too long (truly it has been) and the time has come for a change of direction in its leadership; is this how to go about it? These are the same artistes who have been in the vanguard of advocacy concerning the coming April elections. If you cannot practice democracy in your own constituency, what moral justification do you have to ask same of others?! Beyond this, should it not be worrisome that the composition of this messianic exco is tilted too heavily in favour of the Hip hop, R&B and Rap sectors of new Nigerian music. Is this truly representative of the younger generation? I suspect that there are younger fuji musicians in Mushin, highlife artistes in Enugu and someone who fancies himself as the next Dan Maraya Jos in Kano; is this saviour self-elect exco representative of their realities? Even with the best intentions, this just reeks of a messianic complex.

For me, the most interesting (and possibly most telling) part of the press release is the 5th paragraph: “The presence of the new generation acts was not lost on the delegates to the convention who had the opportunity to rub shoulders and minds with their more popular counterparts. They were also able to exchange contact details so as to record collaborations.” I actually laughed out loud on reading this paragraph. Doesn’t this just smack of infantile arrogance? I mean, really? So, let’s pick the PMAN president, Admiral Dele Abiodun for instance. He must have something like 30 albums to his name. However inadequate his leadership qualities are, he is a legend where Juju music is concerned. So, he must be glad then to be rubbing shoulders with, let’s say, M.I right? Riiiiighhhttt!

Lest my true intentions be lost in whatever may follow, let me state clearly here that I have nothing but love and utmost respect for many of the guys that are involved in this. Like them, I want to see a change in how things are done in PMAN. I have followed the careers of eLDee and Soundsultan for over a decade, sometimes at pretty close quarters. A couple of years ago, towards the end of my time as pioneer editor of MADE Magazine, I interviewed Banky W and M.I; those two interviews were prophetic and are amongst my favourites of all time. I will publish them on this page someday soon. I hold Efe Omorogbe in very high esteem for the work he has done in artiste management; 2face is a shining example. However, in spite of my admiration for them as individuals, I strongly believe that the Oshogbo episode was a wrong move and they should have known better. I believe that their intentions are noble but the process is wrong.

By the way, I hear a new musicians body has been formed to run counter to PMAN…like the Chinese say, may we live in interesting times!

[Courtesy

PMAN: A LOST TALE [Part 1] By Dampte

February 1, 2011 6 Comments

It started on Tuesday, 25th January, when several musicians took to Twitter to announce that they were on a road trip en- route Osogbo. The details didn’t surface until the following morning when R n B crooner Banky W released an article via his blog about their trip. The musician renowned for his famous reply to Dr Reuben Abati’s article about the new generation of Nigerian artistes, in like fashion had something to say about the P-man Honchos. Below is his revealing/issue addressing blog written by Banky W…

“When you’re finished changing, you’re finished” – Benjamin Franklin

PMAN (The Performing Musicians’ Employers Association of Nigeria) had their Annual Delegates Conference to Elect New Leadership for the next two years on Wednesday the 26th of January. The Conference was held in Osogbo, Osun State and hosted Delegates, Members and Representatives of PMAN from all over Nigeria who were present to decide the future of the Union. The conference also saw the brief attendance of PMAN’s founding President, the Legendary King Sunny Ade, current Governor of Osun State Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola, as well as Former President Chief Tony Okoroji.

The truth of the matter is that, over the years, there has been a major disconnect between PMAN and the very professionals it is supposed to represent and/or protect. At its inception, this is a snapshot of who the founding members were: Chief (Mrs.) Christy Essien Igbokwe, King Sunny Ade (KSA), Evang. Sunny Okosuns (late), Chief Ebenezer Obey, Lemmy Jackson, Tee-Mac Omatshola Iseli, Emma Ogosi, Laolu Akins, Funmi Adams, Oby Onyioha, Maliki Showman, Harry Mosco, King Pago, Bobby Benson etc. Anyone remotely familiar with Nigerian Music History will agree that this was in the very least, an excellent representation of who were the significant PERFORMING MUSICIANS of that era. Part of the Union’s Constitution that these great artistes put together can be found online at http://pmanonline.net/about.html.

Fast forward to today; PMAN is now a shadow of what it used to be, and essentially a disgrace to the legacy those that came before us put forth. Nigerian Musicians are achieving worldwide success in leaps and bounds, yet a snapshot of today’s union shows that absolutely NONE of the significant musicians representing Nigeria are involved in the runnings of PMAN. Nigerian Musicians have accomplished great things in spite of a Union that no longer cares or caters to their needs; in spite of a Union that has been run down by greed, poor leadership and an archaic mentality; in spite of a Union that has alienated the very Professionals it is supposed to care for.

They say you should “be the change you want to see in the world”. It was with this in mind, that today’s crop of Nigerian Musicians attempted to rejoin PMAN en masse, and get involved in its leadership. We heard through the grapevine that the current administration’s leadership term had come to end, and that the Organization was as frustrated as we the artistes were about the state of things. There were tales of offices shutting down, of staff salaries being unpaid, of rundown or nonexistent studios around the country and a total lack of organization; and so the artistes held a series of meetings. We all came up with a team of executives amongst ourselves, that we felt represented a cross section of Nigerian Music today. A team that did not necessarily comprise of the most popular musicians, but a team that on the one hand represented a solid cross section of Nigerian Music, as well as one that would be willing and able to put in the work necessary to right a sinking ship. The team included names like: eLDee The Don, Mr Cool, KSB, M.I., Sound Sultan, Ed Jatto, Efe Omoruegbe of Now Music etc.

The team made the journey to Osogbo along with other people including D’banj, Don Jazzy, Jesse Jagz, Wande Coal, 2Shotz, Dr Sid, D’Prince, Ice Prince, Baba Dee, and yours truly Banky W. Other artistes who were part of the meetings but did not make the trip included P’Square, 9ice, Tuface Idibia, WizKid and Skales. That we were able to assemble such an incredible cast of people under such short notice was a miracle in and of itself, but it also goes to show the frustration with the way things are and the willingness to work to bring about change. The purpose of our making the trip was to appeal to the powers that be at PMAN to vote for and put in the new team of leaders, and give them (us) a chance at resuscitating a failed Union; a chance at restoring PMAN to its glory days; a chance at restoring it to a place of relevance and a chance at Uniting the Body with the very members its supposed to comprise of. Safe to say I believe even the founders would have been proud at the Contingent of Artistes behind this movement, as I’m sure that’s what they envisioned when they started this years ago.

What we found when we arrived in Osogbo was heart breaking. A system that is in rot and decay; a mindset that is so stuck in the ways of the past and an unwillingness to accept the realities of the present, much less step into the future. One would think that PMAN officials and delegates would accept the appeals coming from its Musicians; if they had accepted us, PMAN would automatically become a force to be reckoned with overnight as it would now TRULY represent all Nigerian Musicians, young and old; those in the limelight and those in the twilight of their careers.

Sadly, this was not to be. We came with respect on our minds, appealing to those that had been in the rundown system for years, to let us help rebuild it. We came “dobale-ing”; we pleaded, begged, offered all kinds of opportunities and the resources at our disposal. We offered to lead but to do so by serving. We offered to help restore relevance; to empower PMAN Nationally and at the State levels and so much more.

We were met with resistance, bitterness, slander and ignorance. People so afraid of any kind of change that they would rather cling on to a sinking ship than reach out and get on to a helicopter. And those that were apparently willing to accept the change, expected us to play the same old ignorant tactics that our corrupt Politicians play to get there. Ironically, what we saw yesterday was reflective of what is wrong with Nigeria as a whole.

We have one message to PMAN, and to Nigeria as a whole. Change will come. It will. They say the only thing that remains constant in Life is Change. The fact that Change will come is inevitable; we can choose to embrace it or evade it, but it will be to our progress or peril.. our development or demise. History is rife with instances where people were given an opportunity to choose either of these options, and the consequences that followed. PMAN was given an opportunity to choose to make History and to choose to change the failed ways of the past, and it declined, because we refused to stoop to reducing our standards. Dear PMAN Delegates (and Nigerian Politicians), please understand that we will NOT buy (or sell) Votes. What we are working for is so much more long term and the payout is infinitely greater than the here and now.
What they refused to realize is this: the ACTUAL Performing Musicians and Recording Artistes in Nigeria are determined to right the wrongs of our industry, with or without PMAN. That they declined is inconsequential to us. Our journey continues, but we strongly believe that they will remember and regret this day.

Our message to PMAN is as Benjamin Franklin once said “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished”.

- Banky W.

Ex MBGN has been on the music scene for more than a minute and her ammo is “For my style, I won’t say my style is different but I will say my style is ‘Muna’ and so I could be fast, I could be slow, I could be ghetto and you won’t expect me to speak pidgin but I can (laughs) … I could be anything.“, in her words.  The rapper had childhood ambitions of been Michael Jackson and is set on that path after hit collaborations with Banky W and Jesse Jagz. Her debut album tentatively titled “The Goddess, the Hustler” would be released soon she said – in a recent interview, just after an endorsement campaign.

How did the beauty queen ever become a rapper? “I grew up in a big house with my cousins and nieces who all lived with us. I loved hip-hop and my mum also loved music back then. I always loved to sing but since I didn’t have the voice, I always ended up screaming so they would say ‘Shut up, shut up’. I would say ‘You must hear me anyhow’. I knew I had always had something for music so instead of singing, I decided to talk. I have developed the interest since 1992 during the days of Kriss Kross and co.”

“Rap is something I always wanted to do, I didn’t want to live because of what people expected me to be.“  so was an easy transition from a beauty queen to rap artiste.

About the forthcoming album, she said: It has been in the works for a while now because I wanted to find myself first. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing first. Finally, I have gotten a title which is ‘The Goddess, the Hustler’ which is who I am because part of me is a beauty queen and the other part is the rapper. I chose that title because when I did the ‘Lagos Party’ remix for Banky W, my line was ‘body of a goddess and mind of a hustler’ and everyone seemed to love that line.

I felt I could as well maximise on it. I have two singles but it seems like I have a lot because most of the collaborations I did in the past year are just coming out and I am on a lot of featured stuff. As a result, most people think I dominated the albums. I have just two singles, ‘I feel real’ and the second one is called ‘Killer Queen’ produced by J Sleek known for his current hits with 2face, Implication and Only Me.

For starters, I will say you should look out for me because I am trying to show you the other side of me before you begin to hear a lot of other people’s stuff on my album. Anyone who is going to be featured on my album has to be uber-talented and it is going to have 12 or 13 tracks.“

She also speaks on her debut single - I feel real , informing she had a license to use the beat/instrumental and was never a recording or duet with American producer and DJ David Guetta.

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