SAMMIE OKPOSO IS GETTING MARRIED

Nigeria's number one gospel act, Globacom ambassador and United Nations Peace Ambassador, Sammie Okposo is finally walking down the aisle. He revealed this to this site in a brief chat. The talented act whose marriage has been rumoured on several occasions will finally get married before the end of this month. The traditional wedding is scheduled for June 26th in Anambra State and the white wedding will take place in Lagos on July 1st, 2010.
On how he feels at the moment concerning his on-coming marriage, he said he is happy that he didn't get married before now. “God has given me my soul mate; a virtuous woman that will complement me. She loves me for who I am and is not intimidated or perturbed by my status. This is the Lord's doing and it's timely and marvellous”, he concluded.
The lucky bride is known as Nwanne and her identity remains a mystery.

Third Album: Timaya Pockets N15m

Popular dancehall artiste, Timaya has finally released his third album. He is said to have signed a contract worth N15 million with one of the marketers in Alaba International Market in Lagos to distribute the album.
This gathered reliably that the deal was rounded off few weeks back at a popular studio off Opebi-Oregun link road in Lagos. Our source, who witnessed the final stage of the transaction, said the cheque has been issued out to Timaya already which means the deal involved 100 percent upfront payment.
Timaya shot two videos in South-Africa from the newly released album and one of them has been released. One of the lead singles from the album, Plantain Boy, where he narrated his experiences as a boy who sold plantains for his mother, has received lots of attention. In fact, it became the ringing tone of some of his fans and critics alike.
His first album was released by Danco while the second one was released by Ahbu Ventures. Timaya once admitted that his last album was full ‘talkings’ but he did more of singing in this new album.
Concerned progressive minds in the music industry are actually making moves to reposition the industry for the future by having distribution companies that will handle the music distribution business in more professional ways. Alaba International Market-based marketers who want to be part of the revolution will stay and those who hate change will bow out. The concerned minds believe music albums cannot continue to be sold like electronics which was what most so-called marketers in Alaba used to sell before becoming emergency music promoters and marketers. With these moves, payment of royalty will soon become the norm.

Ruggedman Set For Last Album

Ruggedman is getting ready for the release of his third album which will be his last album, according to the rapper. The listening party for the album has been fixed for Get Arena in Lekki, Lagos. The 14 tracker album features acts like OJB, 2Face, MI, DaGrin, Chudy K, Ice Prince, Vino, P.Square, YQ, Gino and Lil JoJo. It has the production imprints of the likes of OJB, Tyrone, Waz Beat, So Sick, Peter P.Square, Kash Eleven and Puffy T. There will be a Go Kart Race competition between the celebrities at about 1am. Celebs so far penned down for the race are Ruggedman, OJB, Chidi Mokeme, Rooftop MCs, Eldee The Don, Deji Falope, former Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria- Munachi, Kefee, Owen G, Goldie and Omobaba no1.
Chatting with this site, the rapper said it is about time the album is released. “The most anticipated album is finally ready and we are currently planning towards the first listening party. Ruggedman sure knows how to be different with everything he does”, he disclosed.

2face Album Still Selling for N1000

Incredible! This is indeed incredible because some believe it can never be achieved in this part of the world; to sell a Nigerian artiste’s CD for NI000.00. We can authoritatively reveal that the 2Face Idibia re-issued album, the international edition of Unstoppable has been selling for a thousand naira in the last one week.
Explaining the achievement, the CEO of Soforte, the company handling the album distribution here in Nigeria, Mr Gbenga George said it is the way forward for the music industry. “How long are we going to be selling our music in one miserable jacket at the rate of N150?” he asked rhetorically. “2Face’s new album is packaged the way it’s being done in the western world. It is a thing of joy that we too are raising the bar. It’s an album to buy, listen to and keep because of the quality of the CD. We implore all Nigerians to join this revolution”, he concluded.
So far, the response of Nigerians towards Mr Idibia’s new album has been fantastic even though some are still sitting on the fence. They are yet to be convinced to buy a Nigerian album for a thousand Naira even though they spend more on foreign albums. Different retail stores across the country that took like five copies of the album to test the market are requesting for more just as one of the leading music stores in Lagos, Nu Metro has requested for more copies of the album.

STINGOMANIA TO IMMORTALISE DAGRIN

Stingomania to Immortalise Dagrin with Movie, Foundation and Awards
In a bid to ensure that the life, works and ideals of the late music legend, Dagrin, do not go down the drain, officials of Stingomania Records are putting things in place to ensure that the man who gave the Yoruba rap music genre some breath of fresh air is immortalised in a constructive and enduring manner as it plans a memorial project for the late rapper.
The memorial project will ensure that the family Dagrin left behind is catered for and the loss is made more bearable for his family in a tangible and measurable manner. The memorial project will also provide a lasting structure and means to encourage upcoming, struggling and budding entertainment stars, while helping talented artistes deal with the different challenges and lack of resources limiting them in fulfilling their potential. It will set up a foundation to provide assistance for upcoming and struggling musicians with limited means and poor backgrounds. The foundation will also provide help for young musicians in areas of finance, training and mentoring. All these were ideals the late musician stood for.
Stingomania records have put different formats in place to enable the promoters achieve the objectives of the Dagrin Memorial Project set out above. As part of the formats, the record label will be seeing to the production of a movie titled, “Ghetto Dreams” based on the life of Dagrin. The record label will also be establishing The Ghetto Dreams Foundation for young and struggling musicians. This will be a foundation to provide financial assistance, training and mentorship for young artistes from less privileged backgrounds in order to help them achieve and maintain their dreams. As part of its activities, the Foundation will give out yearly cash awards; organize trainings/lectures for young artistes and source mentorship for young artistes to help them with their personal and career development. Annual awards will also be organised as part of efforts to immortalise the hip- hop world best rap album award winner. The award will showcase upcoming and struggling artistes who share the musical ideals and dreams of Dagrin every year. The Concert will also award prizes to different best rookies/upcoming stars in different genres of music including Hip Hop, Rap, R&B, Fuji, Juju and Gospel.

HIP HOP WORLD AWARDS 2010 WINNERS

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Best album (solo or group) in year under review, that meets judges’ requirements of excellence (in every realms: songwriting, production, rendition and promotion) and acceptability (sales, popularity)

MUSHIN 2 MO’HITS
Artiste: WANDE COAL
Producer(s): Don Jazzy
Record Label: Mo’Hits Records

ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
Most critically and commercially adjudged artiste in the year under review Overall most successful artiste for the year under review
WANDE COAL
Real Name(s): OJOSHIPE WANDE JNR.
Album Title: Mushin 2 Mo’Hits
Record Label: Mo’Hits Records

SONG OF THE YEAR
Most popular song from an album in year under review. Decided by voting
“YORI YORI”
Artiste: BRACKET
Album: Least Expected
Producer: Dekumzy
Record Label Ape Planet

RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Best single recording (on-air only or released) by artiste or group in year under review. Originality and production very essential
“HEAVEN PLEASE”
Album – TIMI (Unreleased)
Artiste – Timi Dakolo
Producer – Cobhams Asuquo
Record Label – (Unreleased

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
The individual responsible for producing the most acclaimed songs/album in the year under review. His CV for the year includes top notch tracks and production credits no one can fault.
DON JAZZY
Album/Song Title – “Banana”, “U Bad”
Artiste(s) – Wande Coal

BEST MUSIC VIDEO (AWARD GOES TO DIRECTOR)
Best conceptualised, best edited, best picture, best directed and most exciting video in year under review as voted by fans and decided by the jury.
CLARENCE PETERS
Music Video Title – “Finest”
Artiste – Knight House Ft. Sauce Kid & Teeto

BEST R ‘N’ B SINGLE
Best R&B single in year under review (by single individual or group)
“STRONG TING”
Artiste(s) – Banky W
Producer – Cobhams Asuquo

BEST POP SINGLE
Best pop single in year under review (by single individual
U BAD”
Artiste(s) – Wande Coal
Producer – Don Jazzy

BEST R ‘N’ B/ POP ALBUM
Best R&B or pop album in year under review (by single individual or group)
MUSHIN 2 MO’HITS
Artiste- Wande Coal
Producer(s) - Don Jazzy
Record Label- Mo Hits Records

BEST RAP SINGLE
Best single released on-air recording of a rap song
“SAMPLE Remix”
Artiste(s) – Terry Tha Rapman Ft. Stereo Man & Pherowshuz
Producer – Pherowshuz

BEST RAP ALBUM
Best album by a rap artiste or group in year under review
CEO
Artiste – Dagrin
Producer(s) – Sossick, T-Frizzle, Dokta Frabz, Sarz
Record Label - Missofunyin Entertainment

LYRICIST ON THE ROLL
Rap Artiste with best lyrical depth and performance on a single song or album
MODENINE
Song Title – Bad Man
Album Title – Da Vinci Mode (Not released in year under review)
Record Label – Red Eye Music

BEST COLLABO
Best R&B, Pop or hip hop collaborative track (including cameos) in year under review
“KOKOROKO”
Artistes – Kefee Ft. Timaya
Producer – K Solo

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (MALE)
Single male artiste with most outstanding vocal performance on a single song or album
DARE ART ALADE
Song Title - “NO STARS”
Producer- Cobhams

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)
Single female act with most outstanding vocal performance on a single song or album
LARA GEORGE
Song Title - “KEEPER OF MY DREAMS”
Producer – Wole Oni

BEST STREET HOP
The most popular street-hop single in year under review
“FREE MADNESS Pt. 2”
Artiste(s) – Terry G
NEXT RATED
Most promising upcoming officially unreleased act in the year under review
SKUKI
Song Title – “BANGER”

HIPHOP WORLD REVELATION OF THE YEAR
Best New artiste in the year under review
WANDE COAL
Real Name(s): OJOSHIPE WANDE JNR.
Album Title: Mushin 2 Mo’Hits
Record Label: Mo’Hits Record

AT TUNDE OF STYL-PLUS WEDDING

The sleeping town of Ijan in Ekiti State came alive on Saturday May 21, 2009 when Tunde Akinsanmi, a member of popular R& B group- Styl-Plus stormed the town with families and friends to say ‘I Do’ to her bride- Joke. This site was also there at the traditional and church wedding which took place same day. These are some of the pictures from the events

9ICE AQUIRES NEW PROPERTY

Rave singer, Abolore Akande, a.k.a 9ice is living it up. Aside being one of the artistes getting the greatest airplay on different TV stations, it appears that his love for properties is currently on the rise.
In 2009, he completed his own house located in Abule Egba area of Lagos and moved in same year from a rented apartment in Fola Agoro, also in Lagos. The new gist making the rounds now however is the acquisition of a new property by the talented act in Lekki area of Lagos.
We scooped he will move into the new five bedroom apartment after the rehabilitation of the property is completed. His residence at Abule Egba will then be rented out. We heard the house set him back with about N50 million.

JULIUS AGWU SET FOR NEW ALBUM

One of the most sought after comedians in Nigeria, Julus ‘D Genius’ Agwu is getting ready to re-launch his musical career. His third album listening session will hold today at Terra Kulture in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Speaking with this blog, Julius revealed that music is an important asset in his life and he has found it very difficult to quit. “Music is an integral part of my life and most times it determines my next line of action. That is the reason why have taken my time to work on this album so that it can be enjoyed by everybody”, he said.
Some of the tracks on the 10 tracker album are Good People Great Nation, Experience, Hello My Baby, Mind Them, No Mind Them featuring 2Face Idibia, among others. The second video from the album-Experience will be release today.
Being the last Friday of the month, many lovers of good jokes and fans of Julius will join him at Terra Kulture for the monthly Comedy Train.

AZADUS BOUNCES BACK

Self styled reggae artiste, Olalekann Fadeyi a.k.a Azadus has bounced back big time. He is presently armed with a new single that those that have listened to can’t stop talking about. The title of the single is ‘No Yawa’.
In an exclusive listening session with this blog, Azadus revealed that what he simply did to come out with such a wonderful song was that he took his time to discover the kind of song that appeals to both young and old especially when it is time dance. “I have realized over time that Nigerians love to groove. They don’t want to die no matter the kind of problem they might be going through unlike some countries where their citizens commit suicide. I took out time to work on the lyrics and also tried to make the chorus as simple as possible. Those that have listened to the song have been asking me to put it on air but we are only tako that we can get the promo right”, he said.
The new song is very rich in techno sound and has memorable hook lines. For any DJ that knows his salt, no party will be complete without playing that song by the time it is released. It has similar rhythm with 2Face Idibia’s popular single- implication.
Azadus is currently signed on to SKP Records owned by Mr Sam Kargo of Sam Kargo Productions. The label revealed that they are already working on the shooting of the video which will take place in South-Africa.
Other artistes on SKP Records are Styl-Plus, X-Project and Waje.

EMI BATTLES MC LOPH

Fast rising Nigerian artiste, MC Loph is currently embroiled in a legal tussle with the management of EMI Records over copyright infringement. He has been charged to court for remixing the late Osita Osadebe’s hit song- Osondu Onwendi without permission from the deceased record label, EMI.
MC Loph who is currently signed on Eastsyde Records is expected to appear in court to defend his action of remixing Osadebe’s hit song without a proper documentation. Instead of the case to subside, it’s getting hotter by the day. MC Loph couldn’t speak on the issue because he is currently out of the country. We heard he is in on a musical tour in Italy.
Speaking with us, the management of Eastsyde Records expressed their surprise over the court case. “We don’t know why all these things are happening. The song in question is a tribute to the late Osadebe. That was the only way to honour such a great man. Late Osita’s son was aware of the song and he was meant to feature in it but he died before the song was recorded. That was why Flavour was featured. We would appreciate if this issue can be resolved amicably”, the record label revealed.
During the conversation, they also confirmed that the album didn’t sell much. “As we speak, there are lots of unsold copies of the album. Honestly, we didn’t make money on that project instead we lost. The only achievement was just that the song cut across and made our artiste popular. We are trying to bounce back now”, they added.
The same song currently causing controversy between MC Loph and EMI brought the fast rising act into the lime light. The video of the song even won the Best Highlife Video last year at the Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA).
Our findings revealed that the case is being instituted by Premier Records. Sources said that EMI Records has given rights over their songs in Nigeria.

2010 NEA CATEGORIES

MUSIC CATEGORY:
1. BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR
2. HOTTEST SINGLE OF THE YEAR
3. BEST NEW ACT OF THE YEAR
ss4. GOSPEL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
5. INDIGENOUS ARTIST OF THE YEAR
6. BEST POP/R&B ARTIST OF THE YEAR
7. BEST RAP ACT OF THE YEAR
8. BEST SOUL/NEO SOUL ACT OF THE YEAR
9. BEST COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS
10. BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTIST
11. MUSIC PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
12. BEST INTERNATIONAL PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
13. BEST MALE MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (ARTIST & DIRECTOR)
14. BEST FEMALE MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (ARTIST & DIRECTOR)
15. MOST PROMISING ACT


2. NIGERIAN ENTERTAINMENT AWARD ANNOUNCES ITS FIFTH EDITION

FILM/TV:
16. BEST ACTOR IN A FILM/SHORT STORY
17. BEST ACTRESS IN A FILM/SHORT STORY
18. BEST FILM (DIRECTOR)
19. BEST ACTOR IN TV SERIES/REALITY/GAME SHOW
20. BEST ACTRESS IN TV SERIES/REALITY/GAME SHOW
21. BEST TV SERIES/REALITY SHOW/GAME SHOW
22. BEST ON SCREEN PERSONALITY (PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD)

RADIO:
23. BEST RADIO PERSONALITY

COMEDY:
24. BEST COMEDIAN

FASHION:
25. FASHION DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

ENTERTAINMENT PROMOTIONS:
26. INTERNATIONAL EVENT OF THE YEAR (TO A PROMOTER)
27. BEST WORLD DJ

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT:
28. ENTERTAINMENT PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
29. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

(Due to scheduled taping of show, not all award categories will be presented at Award ceremony; only awards of more popular interest are presented at the Award ceremony)

About NEA
The Nigeria Entertainment Award is an annual event that takes place in the United States that focuses on recognizing the many contributions of Nigerian Entertainers in and around the globe.

NEA Awards scheduled for New York City on Saturday, September 18th, 2010 at 5:30pm at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Art Center. This year’s event promises to be fully loaded with many of the top acts from Nigeria and in the Diasporas.


The producers of the annual event are also announcing the expansion of its categories this year to include all segments of Nigerian entertainment including TV, Radio and Fashion amongst other (see full list below). The inclusion of these categories is to recognize the other thriving segments of Nigerian entertainment. All artists are encouraged to visit our website, www.nigeriaentawards.com to get information on submitting their materials for consideration.

The organizers of NEA also announced their partnership with Event & Entertainment Consult, a top class Lagos based events Management Company that will primarily be responsible for all NEA’s Nigeria activities and management the awards. Event & Entertainment Consult is headed by Mr. Akinwale Oluwaleimu, a recognizable figure in Nigeria’s event management industry.

NIGERIAN MUSIC LEGEND AWARDS DEBUTS (NMLA)

In a concerted effort to ensure that the labour of our heroes past shall not be in vain and at the same time induce nostalgia, the Nigerian Music Legend Awards (NMLA) debuts as a tribute to the unsung heroes of time past for their immense contributions to the development of music in Nigeria. The Nigerian Music Legend Awards 2010 is designed to reward hard work and diligence in the Nigerian music industry.

NMLA is out to make known to the nation the contributions of the artistes of yesteryears and encourage the younger artistes to shun mediocrity and embrace hard work. The awards ceremony is intended to bridge the obvious gap that exists between the old generation Nigerian artistes and the new school thereby creating healthy competition and reference to all upcoming musicians' in the country

The Award is structured to be selected via text messages by Nigerians. The Idea is to bring back the feeling of nostalgia amongst Nigerians, bringing back the memories long gone at the same time giving the younger artistes real hopes of being remembered by the music community in Nigeria when they eventually bow out.

Nigerian Music Legend Awards, a celebration of hard work and integrity of Nigerian musicians has three basic categories which are Legend, Special Recognition Awards and Artiste of The Year (Reigning artistes of the moment) in different genres such as Fuji, Juju, Afro, Hip-Hop and Gospel. The Special Recognition Awards which is meant to honour diligence will recognise the following: Longest Standing DJ, Lagos State Government, Longest Serving Record Label in Nigeria, Longest Serving Music Producer Living, Longest Running Musical Show on TV and other individual contributions to the development of music in Nigeria.
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Different A-list artistes have been pencilled down to perform at NMLA including a Special appearance by Yvonne Chaka-Chaka. There will also be tribute songs by select Nigerian artistes in memory of the departed music legends.

The Nigerian Music Legend Awards (NMLA) is an annual event organized by the integrated partnership of PMAN and Golden Apple Marketing Solutions to recognize and celebrate musicians of yesteryears for their integrity, creativity, steadfastness, most importantly, for paving the way for our new generation artistes.


NMLA is scheduled to hold on July 23rd, 2010 at Zinnia Hall, Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos.

D’BANJ SIGNS MULTI-MILLION NAIRA DEAL

If we are go to go by the feelers currently reaching us, then multiple platinum award winning artiste and Globacom ambassador, Dapo Oyebanjo popularly known as D’Banj would soon sign an international record deal worth millions of naira.
Staying in the news revealed that an international record label, one of the frontline record labels in the world has considered him as one of its potential sign-on artistes barring any change in plan. The source revealed that D’Banj was discovered at a recent event in Los Angeles in America.
We further gathered that the artiste really found unmatched favour with the label and he would be getting millions of naira if signed onto the label. We also gathered that a million dollar budget has been earmarked for promotion and artiste development which is aimed at giving him international push because of their major plans for him.
Another exciting news however is that D’Banj will be appearing in the Broadway musical version of Fela. From the available information, the show will be touring the world soon and D’Banj will play the lead during this tour.

….RELEASES NEW VIDEO
The review of Fall in Love Video, one of D’Banj’s leading singles on his last album directed by Nigeria Music Video Awards winner for Best Cinematography (2009) - Sesan Ogunro, would sure be a delight to any seasoned professional owing to the story line. He and star actress- Genevieve Nnaji played the lead roles in the video. Their passionate kiss further confirmed that the love birds who started dating not quite long ago are deeply in love.
In the video, D’Banj was having his bath when Genevieve came in to his room and she heard the voice of a lady (Veronica) dropping a message for D’Banj after the phone had rang endlessly. She suspected that D’Banj was cheating on her and gave him no chance to offer any explanation before walking out on him. D’Banj became very worried by her reaction but he made up his mind to resolve the issue.
When Genevieve reported D’Banj’s perceived infidelity to her friend, her friend persuaded her to call D’Banj but he refused to pick. D’Banj immediately sent a message to her friend to help arrange a dinner with Genevieve. The sms read; “PLEASE HELP ME! Get her to meet me for dinner tonight”. Genevieve was persuaded to turn up for dinner without knowing that it was master minded by D’Banj. She got to the venue trying to call her friend but when she sighted D’Banj, her countenance changed immediately and D’Banj apologetically went on his kneels proposing to her with an engagement ring. Genevieve was shocked at the gesture as depicted by the look on her face. D’Banj explained to her that the lady who dropped a message for him – Veronica, as acted by Bola (the winner of the KOKO Mansion reality TV show) was trying to know his movements so that she could drop the engagement ring for him. Veronica’s voice message went thus: “Hi D’banj, this is veronica. Are we still meeting today?” They make up right there and kissed passionately and danced to the song till fade. Yemi Sax made a guest appearance as the saxophonist.

NOTHING BETWEEN STELLA DAMASCUS AND SAMMIE OKPOSO -PUBLICIST

NOTHING BETWEEN STELLA DAMASCUS AND SAMMIE OKPOSO
-PUBLICIST

Frontline actress- Stella Damascus-Nzeribe and Nigeria’s leading gospel artiste- Sammie Okposo have washed their hands off a romance tale currently trailing them. The report said they were both seen hand in hand on Saturday April 24th in a shopping mall- Shoprite in Lagos.
According to the release made available to this blog by MME (Media & Marketing Experts), the PR company handling Okposo’s image stated that “there is no romance between Sammie Okposo and Stella Damasus”. Saturday April 24th, 2010 was Stella Damasus’ birthday which held at Soul Lounge, a hang-out tucked inside the Palms Shopping mall in Lagos. It was not only Sammie Okposo that was there to celebrate with the star actress. There were other guests like Charles Novia, Mandy, Yinka Davies, Uzodima Okpeche and other select guests. Contrary to misinformation that Stella and Okposo left in the same car, that is far fetched from the truth. Sammie left the venue of the birthday party with his permanent assistant while Stella rode in her friend’s car- Francess at the time of their departure. Francess, a close associate of Stella was a former employee of Globacom and now a banker.
The release further stated that the relationship enjoyed by both Sammie and Stella is on a platonic level and dates way back, as it was exhibited when she co-hosted with MC Abbey the Out Of Africa Easter Concert staged by Sammie Okposo last month. It isn’t out of place for the respected gospel act to reciprocate her kind gesture with his presence on one of the days that mattered most to her – her birthday.

ALARIWO DROPS THIRD ALBUM

Cross Over King- Rotimi Martins a.ka, Alariwo of Africa (Noise Maker) has released his third album. The album release concert took place on Sunday May 2nd, 2010 at the Niteshift Coliseum in Lagos amidst pomp and pageantry.
The album which is made up of 16 tracks had the production of imprints of the likes of Nelson Brown, K-Solo, DJ Mofasa, Kay Piano and Alariwo himself.
Some of the songs on the album are Never Give Up, Am a Winner, African Dance, Jibiti Government, E Ja Lo, Black Thursday, among others. The featured acts are Ego Ogbaro, Jumoke Oke, Toyin Philips, Sola Majeed, Sunny Neji,9ice, Tolu, Segun Oluwayomi and Yinka Davies.

NOTHING BETWEEN ETISALAT AND WANDE COAL -Management

NOTHING BETWEEN ETISALAT AND WANDE COAL
-Management
There are speculations recently that one of Nigeria’s telecom companies- Etisalat is currently having talks with Mo’Hits signed on act- Wande Coal to become their ambassador probably to serve as a replacement for Banky W or join him as the face of the company.
In a swift reaction, the manager of the artiste- Sunday Are told us over the phone that there was nothing of such. “There is nothing going on between Wande Coal and Etisalat at the moment. I can authoritatively reveal that to you”, he said.
Rumour has it that the company had agreed to sign up the artiste in a mouth watering deal up to N50M.

NEA HOLDS IN SEPTEMBER

The fifth edition of the Nigerian Entertainment Awards (NEA) is billed for September in New-York City. The executive producer of the awards, Tope Esan, told this blog over the week in a meeting that lasted for about 30 minutes.
Tope who has been frequent in Nigeria of recent time trying to net sponsorship for the awards said they are planning to make this year award more bigger that the previous years. “NEA has always been very big in America. We fly the artistes from Nigeria to America every year to be part of epoch making event. Even though we are yet to secure any major sponsor from Nigeria, it still remains the biggest Nigerian awards in the diaspora and I think Nigerian companies should identify with their own. As a matter of fact, it is the most attended Nigerian event in America”, he said.
The nominees for this year’s award will be out by June and the organizers are working round the clock to meet the target.
The awards ceremony started in 2006, and the first event was held at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center of the University of Maryland at College Park. The second and third editions were held at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City while the fourth edition was held at the Howard University’s Cramton Auditorium.
The NEA Awards of 2010 will take place on September 18 2010 at the Tribeca Performing Art Center in New York City.

DEKUNLE FUJI RETURNS TO STORM

DEKUNLE FUJI RETURNS TO STORM
Popular act cum actor- Dekunle Fuji is retracing his steps. He has returned to Storm Records ahead of the release of his new album titled Fumilayo meant to be out by June.
According to Dekunle in an exclusive chat with SEUN APARA, he revealed that he signed the contract with the management of Storm Records few days back. “Yes, I have returned to Storm Records. I just singed a two-year contract with them and I’m very happy about it”, he said.
You will recall that Dekunle’s hit single that launched him to the lime light- Mo Like Jesu Gan- was released on Storm Records before the act quit the label to release the full album. Since then, he has been doing everything by himself which include promoting his songs till his recent return to Storm Records.
Dekunle’s new album is made up of seven tracks with production imprints form the likes of Dr. Frabs, Jesse Jag, Flow and OJB. Some of the songs on the album are Ohun Yen, Sabojo, Music is my Life, Fumilayo and three others.

TERRY G HARASSED

One of Nigeria’s budding acts, Terry G, has not been enjoying the best of media hype recently due to his carefree attitude. What he ordinarily termed as a child play has been hurting him and leaving a negative impact on his career.
On Thursday April 22nd, 2010 on the campus of University of Lagos where he was meant to perform at a concert, he was greatly harassed by angry fans that used the opportunity to display their grievances.
What happened at Unilag was as a result of a breach of contract on the path of Terry G few weeks back where he was invited to perform at concert in Benin. Terry G collected the money for the concert and refused to show up. This angered the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and they immediately placed a ban on him not to perform in any of the Nigerian campuses anymore. This ban was what they tried to enforce on Thursday at a concert where Terry G was meant to perform and they disrupted his performance.
Different versions of reports of the ugly incidence have since been reaching us. While some affirmed that he was beaten to pulp, some said he was only harassed which got the windscreen of his car broken. Some even said he has since been admitted to the hospital due to the effect of the beating.
This blog later placed a call across to Terry G but his phones were switched off. A close source to the artiste who later spoke with us said what happened at the venue was just a misunderstanding. “Terry G was not beaten and he was not admitted in any hospital. He is doing very well. We have already concluded to refund the concert money to give room for peace”, he said.

TIMI DAKOLO JOINS SOFORTE

Succour has finally come the way of the first West African Idols Winner- Timi Dakolo. Having waited for so long looking for an avenue to release his debut album after the organizers of the competition reneged on their promises which include a record label deal, the young vocalist has finally found solace in Soforte.
Timi has signed the dotted lines with Nigeria’s first automated distribution company- Soforte to release his debut album. He has now joined artistes like 9ice, Lara George and recently D’Banj, who has chosen the company to distribute their albums world wide.
Timi’s debut album is self titled but the date of the release is yet to be announced.

Soforte has a working relationship with Sony Music UK for international retail distribution. The deal was sealed few months back at the corporate office of Sony Music in the UK. The relationship covers international standard packaging for labels and Artistes working with Soforte Distribution. Sony would ensure product supply to its partner retail stores worldwide as long as demands come from them.

MNET PATNERS WITH NMVA

Music videos and the act of its production have evolved rapidly from just serving to promote the artiste and his songs and metamorphosed into a full blown industry. Music videos depict a people’s culture and way of life. They can now be arguably referred to as a phenomenon, with an out of the ordinary following which transcends age, religion, class and creed.
The 2009 edition of the Nigeria Music Video Awards may have come and gone, but it does not seem like resonating will fade any time soon, as callivision network, organizers of the event and mnet have concluded plans to broadcast a complete package of the show which is still being talked of as one of the most successful awards in that year.
The objective of the NMVA which was instituted on 2nd December 2007 has remained to stage a world class event with the capability of establishing benchmark that will stamp out mediocrity, enthrone excellence and inspire practitioners to take the Music Video production business more seriously. This is against the background that Music Videos markets, exposes and celebrates, a people’s cultural-heritage, way of life, and so much more.
In the coming days viewers all over Africa can expect to behold the NMVA 2009 in full colors with rare behind the stage footages and green carpet shots. NMVA guns to become the most credible, most attractive and most respected out of Africa. Plans are at advanced stage to put out a 24 hours dedicated channel in furtherance of the music video revolution in Nigeria. Already plans are in top gear to ensure another very successful outing at the 2010 edition of the NMVA which promises to be another show stopper.

FUNKE AKINDELE BRANCHES OUT

Popular actress, Funke Akindele is diversifying. The award winning film maker has concluded plans to try her hands on something else and at the same make a success out of it. This she revealed to us during one of her outings in Lagos recently.
According to the A-List actress, she will be rolling out her own line of products before the end of this year. This involves base ball caps, handbags, purses and others series of products in that line. There will also be Jenifa Wigs, hair extensions, among others. “I have been working on this project for a while because I want it to be a success. By the grace of God if everything works out as planned, we would launch the product in 2010. We are into full merchandising”, she proudly revealed.
She is also working on her talk show which she calls ‘Jenifer Talk Show’. The show will deal with issues affecting the youths especially in the areas of teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, cultism and other vices.
As a follow up to the monster hit movie- Jenifer, Funke is currently working on another movie she titled ‘The Return of Jenifa’. She revealed that the film is not in anyway related the to the popular Jenifa movie. “Jenifa is brand now and we will be using the brand in different movies. We will focus more on issues that affect the youths because I represent the youth. Jenifa film addressed issues like HIV/AIDS, female prostitution in campuses and other vices. The Return of Jenifa that I’m about shooting will go deeper into those vices because I want people to laugh and at the same time learn lessons from it. I’m not a comedian but I want to do things that will educate people in very relaxed way. I will still play the Sulia”, she revealed.