The most anticipated music event in Nigeria, The 2010 HipHop World Awards has come and gone; leaving a lot of people smiling and others, well…vowing to win big next year. The biggest winner of the night was definitely Mo’hits Records’ Wande Coal, bagging 5 Headies (as the award is called) while producer extraordinaire: Don Jazzy received a heady as Producer of the Year; making Mo’hits Records the biggest winning record label of the night. The night featured a slew of performances and we’ll be bringing you a proper review soon plus pictures from the yellow carpet. For now, here’s the list of this year’s winners:

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Don Jazzy

ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
Wande Coal

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Wande Coal

BEST R n B / POP ALBUM
Wande Coal

SONG OF THE YEAR
Yori Yori

NEXT RATED
Skuki

BEST MUSIC VIDEO:
Clarence Peters for The Finest

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE:
Darey for No Stars

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (female)
Lara George for Keeper of My Dreams

BEST POP SINGLE:
Wande Coal for You Bad

BEST STREET HOP:
Terry G for Free Madness

LYRICIST ON THE ROLL:
Modenine

REVELATION OF THE YEAR:
Wande Coal

BEST RAP ALBUM:
CEO – Dagrin

BEST COLLABO OF THE YEAR
Kokoroko – Kefee ft. Timaya

BEST RECORDING OF THE YEAR:
Heaven Please – Timi Dakolo ft. MI

BEST R n B SINGLE:
Banky W for Strong Thing

BEST RAP SINGLE:
Sample – Terry Tha Rapman ft. Stereoman & Pherowshuz

HALL OF FAME
Femi Akintunde Johnson.

With almost 16 million inhabitants Lagos is the second most populous city in Africa, and every day more people arrive in search of a better life (it is the seventh fastest growing city in the world). While Lagos may be Nigeria’s most prosperous city, it is a city of vast contrasts.  In areas such as Victoria Island you can find glitzy shopping centres, expensive residential properties, beach resorts, luxury hotels, banks, swanky nightclubs and so on.  The three-part BBC documentary Welcome To Lagos, produced by KEO Films, shed light on the other side of this megacity, including places such as Olusosun, a rubbish dump where about 1000 scavengers work and live.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Independent newspaper said “watching Eric slogging his guts out as a scavenger on the Olusosun rubbish dump in order to fund his music career couldn’t be anything but inspiring.” The Times agreed saying that “the lives followed were inspirational, not least because these poorest of the poor saw only opportunity,” and they continue to say: ”Remember the name: Vocal Slender. There won’t be a story to match it on tomorrow’s Britain’s Got Talent.” The Guardian remarked that Welcome To Lagos was a “celebration of Lagosians’ resourcefulness” while the New Statesman called it ”one of the most moving, interesting and uplifting programmes in years.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Vocal Slender’s story fascinated many viewers, including many Nigerians in the UK who were inspired and touched by him and the other people featured.  One of London’s biggest Nigerian promoters decided that he wanted to help Vocal Slender get the break he so deserved.  So he made contact with him, flew to Lagos and offered to book him for an upcoming show: the Cokobar Music Festival, to be held at London’s indigO2 on bank holiday Monday, 31 May. The event already had a star-studded line-up, and now Vocal Slender had been added to this bill as a special guest. Eric was issued his first passport, the visa was arranged, the flights booked and Eric can now look forward to this amazing opportunity.  Not only will it be his first performance abroad, he would also be sharing the stage with the highest calibre of Nigerian acts – from Lagos Wande Coal (“Bumper 2 Bumper”, “You Bad”), Dr Sid (“Something About You”), Bracket (“Yori Yori”) and DJ Zeez (“Fokasibe”), plus London-based JJC (“We Are Africans”) and Tilla Man (“Pu’Yanga”); not the sort of bill you could expect to see him on in Lagos at present.  Whilst in London a professional music video for his single “Owo Yapa” is to be shot as well, (kindly financed by Cokobar) as having a good video is paramount in Nigeria’s music industry, and it will help him establish his name when he returns to Lagos.

Right now Eric still works on the Olusosun rubbish dumb but this could be his chance to turn his dream of making it in the music industry into reality - and to become the Nigerian Slumdog Millionaire.

The entire WRT crew was on location with Mo’Cheddah and The Knighthouse crew to support and bring you behind the scene pictures from Mo’Cheddah’s video shoot. Below are a few facts about the video and the artiste:

Artiste: Mo’Cheddah
Song: If you want me
Video Director: Clarence Peters
Record Label: KnightHouse
Location: Ojota, Lagos

Pictures by Olushola ‘plastiQ’ Aromokun

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At a youth protest in Lagos, young Nigerians gathered at the Archbishop Church.  The event was led by former Campaign for Democracy leader, Joe Odumakin. Various prominent young people were also present, including Audu Maikori, Ali Baba, Tolu Ogunlesi, Banky W, Timi DFakolo, Rita Dominic, Sound Sultan, Denrele Edun, GT, Kola Osinowo, Djinee, Segun Demuren, and others.  Students came from OAU, UI, LASU, UNILAG and LASPOTECH. A sizable group of international press was also present – AFP, Reuters, IRI, BBC, Financial Times, and more.  To be sure, the local media was also on hand – NTA, TVC, LTV, Radio Nigeria, NEXT, etc.

The police remained respectful and cooperative throughout the day, as did the protestors.  When traffic began to build-up on the Awolowo Way, the police helped disentangle the cars and crowd, and restored proper flow of traffic.

However, when the protesters arrived at Fashola’s office, no representative was sent out to greet them.   Although the Governor was in the United States, a letter informing him about the march had been sent three weeks prior, and the youth leaders had been led to expect a representative of the Governor to welcome them that day.  The youth leaders presented to the media a letter signed by the Chief of Staff to the governor acknowledging receipt of the leaders’ letter.

Source: http://www.enoughisenoughnigeria.com/

Pictures by Oluleye Awoleye

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Careful planning, wonderful organization, heavy security presence and the happy go lucky spirit of Lagosians all added in making the Lagos Carnival 2010 a huge success. The colors were wow ! the parades beautifully orchestrated and the attendees well behaved. This adds another feather to the thinking and administrative reputation of the Fashola administration.

We could spot ambulances, security men,  accreditation spots, refreshment hot spots and easy to read guides on the day of the event. The Lagos Carnival 2010 featured colorful parades by schools (for the kids) and by local government areas (for the adults). The event nucleus was the Tafawa Balewa square where the famous Dj Jimmy Jatt kept everyone entertained. Words cannot describe the infectious joy and general easy going good mood, despite the heat. See the pictures below for more:

Photo Credits: Oluleye Awoleye

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Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani keeps Nigeria’s “Best First Book” winning streak alive, following as she does in the footsteps of a certain Uwem Akpan, who rose to the heights of world literature after winning the prize last year and going on to become an Oprah Book Club choice. “I was born in Enugu, Nigeria,”, she tells African Writing in a comprehensive 2009 interview, “A year later, my parents moved to my hometown, Umuahia. I spent the first part of my childhood years in Umuahia Town—in the GRA, close to the railway station, amongst the expatriates and the Rotary Club members.” In a refreshing development for Nigerian letters, Nwaubani remains based in her home country. Her fellow shortlistees included the likes of Ghana’s Ayesha Harruna Attah and South Africa’s Alistair Morgan.
Excerpts from the book:

Kingsley is a young man eager to help his family and change the world. But when his once-proud family descends into poverty after his father falls ill, he is forced to turn to his mother’s infamous brother, Cash Daddy, who runs a successful empire of email scams relieving gullible Westerners of their hard earned money. Unconditional family support is the Nigerian way, but the hand Cash Daddy extends in charity has consequences. As Kingsley is drawn into Cash Daddy’s outlandish world, he soon learns that nothing in Nigeria comes for free

Sources:
NaijaBlog
Book.co.za
Cassavarepublic.biz

In my humble opinion, this song/video was wayyyyyy overdue. Music has a lot of influence on youth culture and what better way to reach the youth than through an established and powerful medium? Microsoft has done well by funding this song/video; the song deals with the mirage of yahoo yahoo culture (fraud) and tries to sensitize the youth about the futility and ills associated with this social sickness. Hats off to Modele, Omawumi, Banky W, Bez Idakula, Cobhams, Rooftop MCs,MI Abaga and Wordsmith for this wonderful song.

The video was shot by the talented Kemi Adetiba (who also shot Banky W.’s ‘Lagos Party’ Video and the 2009 ‘HipHop World Awards’ theme song video).

Watch ‘Maga No Need Pay’:

Here are new songs from JJC, the prolific UK based Nigerian musician/producer. Listen and let us know your feedback. Cheers
JJC (short for Johnny Just Come; Nigerian slang for a recent arrival, especially naïve newcomers) is the stage name for Abdul Rasheed Bello, a Nigerian rapper and record producer. He was born on April 4, 1977 in Kano, Nigeria, but has been based in London since 1991.
He has produced singles for UK pop acts such as Liberty X, Lemar and Big Brovaz. He is currently setting up his own production company, Backbone Music, and working with a number of developing new artists. He has stated that some of his influences are Shina Peters and Fela Kuti.

Click here to view the embedded video.

His first album is titled Atide. The 419 Squad, (a Nigerian group of singers and rappers) are featured on the album. (419 is the chapter of Fraud in the Nigerian Criminal code and also the streetname for the infamous Nigerian advance fee fraud). JJC has performed with the 419 Squad at numerous events, including WOMAD and the RESPECT festival.

Listen to:
Skankers

Say Yes:

Jegi Lale:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Attached photo by Brian Would. Make-up & styling by Justina Willumsen

Storm 360 is proud to announce Naeto C as the headline performer at the 2010 Annual Harvard Business School Africa Conference, We are proud to see Naeto on this platform and are able to confirm that he will be a speaker on the entertainment panel at the Main Conference and will speak on the importance of education and will also for the first time publicly announce his CSR platform which he will be promoting, this platform is all about getting young Africans especially Males back into school, for literacy, for vocational training and to better prepare themselves for the various challenges that life has to offer. Naeto C believes in education and Storm 360 supports this fully, he is completing his Master’s Degree in Energy Economics and is constantly focused on self-improvement.

In many respects Naeto C represents the modern African, born in Houston he holds dual nationality, and having being raised and schooled in Nigeria, the UK and the USA he is a global citizen, as such he represents the most positive aspects and aspirations of the modern young African. Naeto C @ Harvard will be a spectacular event and he will be able supported by his official Dj, Deejay Neptunes who will also Dj the official after party and will bring the best of the sounds of Nigeria and International sounds to the Harvard Gala on Feb 20th, 2010.

Also supporting on this event will be YQ, this emerging star is set to have a break out year, his brand new single Girls is burning up everywhere and by the time they leave Harvard everyone will know why YQ is a Storm Artist, we expect major things from him this year and Storm is happy to partner with Harvard Business School Africa Conference organisers to deliver some world class talent from Nigeria to that larger audience.