Hope you had a great Valentine Day? Mine wasn't so cool I must confess,and I blame the absence of a public holiday on this most important day for this.
Madam (there's no way I'm going to use her name or even pet name here) is not in town,although with her it usually makes no difference:I do the romantic things all the time,particularly when my conscience pricks me - like when someone has cheated on someone (not necessarily referring to me hmm!) . Just take it that she knows I love her.
My valentine experience usually trips when it involves an adventure; and this year's promised to be one of such.I've been flirting with this tall ebony-black babe of the 'arsenal' family, who works with one of my Bankers, since the middle of 2007 but we never really got round to having a proper date.That until last week when I threw the valentine bait at her, and she got hooked.
We were to have lunch at the calaba restaurant inside the National Museum at Onikan,which was her choice, perhaps due to its proximity to her office and the fact that she wanted to have afang soup specifically.
Ten minutes to time, I was there, gave her a call and got her assurance that she will make it.And she did some thirty minutes later.She was just getting round to explaining how she had taken the trouble to clear her desk and delegate some duties when her phone roared.It was her supervising Director,and she was required to join him for some emergency marketing meeting in Ikoyi - in 30 minutes time! So much for good luck.I reeled out a long list of what I thought were justifiable excuses,but clearly this girl loves her job too dearly.The farthest she went was to tell the boss that she was already in another marketing meeting (with me,that is!).The man requested to speak with me,made some apologies, and that was it.My valentine adventure was over.I had a gift for her,but the mood wasn't right, so I didn't mention it.
Fortunately, the restaurant was near empty at the time,so I got a tender hug for my troubles.Apart from my bottled water,no food was ordered,so another consolation - money stays in the pocket.Not that it's really an expensive place,but sometimes you need to console yourself don't you?
Hope your day was better.
SHOW COMPASSION AT VALENTINE
Like I experienced after leaving the Museum Kitchen, how many times have you trekked along the Marina and beggars in different forms will 'harass' you for money? In how many of those instances did you respond with a gift?In how many of those instances did you look at the beggars (well,I'm referring to the physically challenged among them , not the area boys) with disdain and wished they would just leave you alone?
Valentine Day provides a unique opportunity to show compassion to the less privileged, and I recommend that we all make the most of it.I noticed that there is an inherent joy in giving.It also brings a sense of fulfilment, and of course peace of mind.
PUBLIC HOLIDAY FOR VALENTINE
It is regarded worldwide as the day of love, and love is the substance of life.So why don't governments all over the world declare February 14, St. Valentine's Day, a Public Holiday?Imagine the effect on estranged couples,the destitutes,America/Iraq war, or the Niger Delta Militants.Maybe Nigeria should lead the way.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
HIP HOP WORLD AWARDS PREVIEW
....I'm watching Entertainment World with Isis on Silverbird TV,and guess who just popped up on the screen ? It's the koko-master himself D'Banj having an appetising full body massage executed by a gorgeous kokolet.Ol'Boy I envy these hip-hop stars no be small....
....Tommorrow I head to Veniveci ( I'm always getting the spelling and pronounciation wrong) ,a damn good spa at the Eti-Osa area.Last time I went there was like two years back and the memory still lingers. So sister Arin,now that I own a blog ( a whole blog by myself !)I hope you will treat me like a star - that is to say just forego the charges....
So much much for digressions !
I want to write about the Hip Hop World Awards. I've always felt that hip hop music is a dominant genre in Nigeria today due to the foresight and sacrificial efforts of two institutions:
Kennis Music and Ayo Animashaun's Hip-Hop World Magazine which blazed the trail when hip hop was a non- starter subdued under the dominance of reggae music ages ago.If I had my way,I'll ask each and everyone of these jeep-riding hip-hop stars of today to record a song in honour of Ayo Animashaun.He deserves no less.
I was at the maiden edition of this event some 2 or 3 years back ( courtesy of invaluable assistance from an admirable young man,Ayeni ),and immediately was impressed by the organisation and sheer splendour of it all.I commented that it certainly was not going to be a one-off event,and I've been proved right.
The list of nominees for this year's awards has just been given to me, and I can easily predict that this will be the most keenly contested so far.I also want to tease the judges by evaluating the nominees and predicting the likely winners.It's proving a good antidote for a missed shot at a valentine date!
.Lyricist : Mode 9 was hot,but I thought Ruggedman upped his already phenomenal writing skills in his latest album, and showed that life is not only about dissing fellow rappers.His live duet with Eidris Abdulkareem at The Vault was also one of the memorable happenings of 2007.He wins.
.Hip Hop Revelation: None of the nominees can really be described as revelations in the true sense of the word,but I'll give it to Sasha on the strength of her style.
.Next Rated:I enjoyed Ebutte-Metta ( a la Umbrella), but I'll give this to Wande Coal.
.Vocal Performance (female):There's little to differentiate between TY Bello,Lara George ,Asa and Niyola,so I do a ballot.......hmmm............TY Bello !
.Vocal Performance (Male): Whatever happened to Tu Face's True Love? Faze we all know can sing,but I'll pick Wande Coal's performance of Ololufe for this category.
.Best Rap Single: Stylee was the song that brought rap back to the top.No question about that. Jimmy Jatt wins.
.Collabo: All the nominees were awesome, but when it comes to the basics,and for a collabo too, Stylee was extraordinary. Stylee,Stylee,Stylee......"
Excerpts:
I reside in Lagos,the city of hustlers
Everybody is in a hurry
Traders and customers
...If you no strict
you go part with your cellular....
....This Lagos wey we dey so
Na our own !
Wait oh, could this be influenced by my being a Lagos Boy ?Who cares !
.Best Rap Album: I know Nigerian girls loved El Pluribus Unum,but personally I enjoyed First Lady the most (what am I saying?). So who wins ? Mode 9 has the bigger reputation, and will more likely nick it.
.Best R'n'B/Pop Album: Game Over had Do me and two other great tracks; Independent was a one song wonder until the videos dropped and two other tracks came alive.However, if we're talking about an album full of hits (video or no video), it doesn't come any better than Grass 2 Grace. Tu Face Wins.
.Reggae/Dancehall: The true story is that Timaya rejuvenated a fading genre. Julius Agwu, am I lying? Tell them. Timaya for award.
.Best Video: I don't understand why Yahoozee is not on the short list, but I easily appreciate the fact that there were so many quality musical videos in 2007 that one may be excused for overlooking such a splendid effort. For Professors looking to research on how a well-directed video can positively influence the sales of an otherwise average song, I recommend P Square's Do Me. Jude Okoye wins.
.Producer of the Year: ID Cabasa , not for Ruggedy Baba, but for the lethaly infectious Kolomental which for a moment turned all of us into near psychiatric cases.
.Recording of the Year: If production skills,creativity and overrall musical desterity is what
counts here, then I'll give this to Asa, no wait...TY Bello's Greenland..... no ,Asa . Asa wins , but only just.
.Song of the Year: Yahoozee brought novelty,Do Me took the entire Christmas, but Kolomental had the rest of the year. Faze wins.
.Album of the Year: You know,don't you? Grass 2 Grace.
.Artiste of the Year: 2007 belonged to the kokomaster - ask all the kokolets ! D'Banj, without rival.
.Who Did I Miss? Award : Freestyle and Sip Easy,Koffi and Green Is My Home,Style Plus ,and of course Sauce Kid's Sambaribobo.Warning:These category will not be presented at the Hip Hop World Awards!
Please join MTN in supporting Ayo Animashaun,Nigeria's Grandmaster of Hip Hop at the 3rd Hip Hop World Awards come March 15 in Lagos.Thereafter you score my predictions.
.
....Tommorrow I head to Veniveci ( I'm always getting the spelling and pronounciation wrong) ,a damn good spa at the Eti-Osa area.Last time I went there was like two years back and the memory still lingers. So sister Arin,now that I own a blog ( a whole blog by myself !)I hope you will treat me like a star - that is to say just forego the charges....
So much much for digressions !
I want to write about the Hip Hop World Awards. I've always felt that hip hop music is a dominant genre in Nigeria today due to the foresight and sacrificial efforts of two institutions:
Kennis Music and Ayo Animashaun's Hip-Hop World Magazine which blazed the trail when hip hop was a non- starter subdued under the dominance of reggae music ages ago.If I had my way,I'll ask each and everyone of these jeep-riding hip-hop stars of today to record a song in honour of Ayo Animashaun.He deserves no less.
I was at the maiden edition of this event some 2 or 3 years back ( courtesy of invaluable assistance from an admirable young man,Ayeni ),and immediately was impressed by the organisation and sheer splendour of it all.I commented that it certainly was not going to be a one-off event,and I've been proved right.
The list of nominees for this year's awards has just been given to me, and I can easily predict that this will be the most keenly contested so far.I also want to tease the judges by evaluating the nominees and predicting the likely winners.It's proving a good antidote for a missed shot at a valentine date!
.Lyricist : Mode 9 was hot,but I thought Ruggedman upped his already phenomenal writing skills in his latest album, and showed that life is not only about dissing fellow rappers.His live duet with Eidris Abdulkareem at The Vault was also one of the memorable happenings of 2007.He wins.
.Hip Hop Revelation: None of the nominees can really be described as revelations in the true sense of the word,but I'll give it to Sasha on the strength of her style.
.Next Rated:I enjoyed Ebutte-Metta ( a la Umbrella), but I'll give this to Wande Coal.
.Vocal Performance (female):There's little to differentiate between TY Bello,Lara George ,Asa and Niyola,so I do a ballot.......hmmm............TY Bello !
.Vocal Performance (Male): Whatever happened to Tu Face's True Love? Faze we all know can sing,but I'll pick Wande Coal's performance of Ololufe for this category.
.Best Rap Single: Stylee was the song that brought rap back to the top.No question about that. Jimmy Jatt wins.
.Collabo: All the nominees were awesome, but when it comes to the basics,and for a collabo too, Stylee was extraordinary. Stylee,Stylee,Stylee......"
Excerpts:
I reside in Lagos,the city of hustlers
Everybody is in a hurry
Traders and customers
...If you no strict
you go part with your cellular....
....This Lagos wey we dey so
Na our own !
Wait oh, could this be influenced by my being a Lagos Boy ?Who cares !
.Best Rap Album: I know Nigerian girls loved El Pluribus Unum,but personally I enjoyed First Lady the most (what am I saying?). So who wins ? Mode 9 has the bigger reputation, and will more likely nick it.
.Best R'n'B/Pop Album: Game Over had Do me and two other great tracks; Independent was a one song wonder until the videos dropped and two other tracks came alive.However, if we're talking about an album full of hits (video or no video), it doesn't come any better than Grass 2 Grace. Tu Face Wins.
.Reggae/Dancehall: The true story is that Timaya rejuvenated a fading genre. Julius Agwu, am I lying? Tell them. Timaya for award.
.Best Video: I don't understand why Yahoozee is not on the short list, but I easily appreciate the fact that there were so many quality musical videos in 2007 that one may be excused for overlooking such a splendid effort. For Professors looking to research on how a well-directed video can positively influence the sales of an otherwise average song, I recommend P Square's Do Me. Jude Okoye wins.
.Producer of the Year: ID Cabasa , not for Ruggedy Baba, but for the lethaly infectious Kolomental which for a moment turned all of us into near psychiatric cases.
.Recording of the Year: If production skills,creativity and overrall musical desterity is what
counts here, then I'll give this to Asa, no wait...TY Bello's Greenland..... no ,Asa . Asa wins , but only just.
.Song of the Year: Yahoozee brought novelty,Do Me took the entire Christmas, but Kolomental had the rest of the year. Faze wins.
.Album of the Year: You know,don't you? Grass 2 Grace.
.Artiste of the Year: 2007 belonged to the kokomaster - ask all the kokolets ! D'Banj, without rival.
.Who Did I Miss? Award : Freestyle and Sip Easy,Koffi and Green Is My Home,Style Plus ,and of course Sauce Kid's Sambaribobo.Warning:These category will not be presented at the Hip Hop World Awards!
Please join MTN in supporting Ayo Animashaun,Nigeria's Grandmaster of Hip Hop at the 3rd Hip Hop World Awards come March 15 in Lagos.Thereafter you score my predictions.
.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
27 QUESTIONS FOR SANI LULU
Having been duly authorised by the supreme court of public opinion, I representing 100 million soccer-crazy Naijas hereby put forward the following (potentially dangerous) questions to you:
Are you the chairman of the NFA?
Is the NFA which you head,the Nigeria Football Association or the No Future Ambition?
Are you aware that football provides the strongest bond that unites all Nigerians,irrespective of tribe,economic status,or whether fine or ugly?
Do you therefore agree that those people enpowered to run our football should do so with utmost dilligence and sense of patriotism?
What is your assessment of Nigeria's performance at the just-concluded (oh sorry on-going,wihout Nigeria) Africa Cup of Nations?
Are you aware that there exists a bitter rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana in football?
Do you know that Nigerians have been plunged into acute depression since Nigeria lost to Ghana on sunday?
Did you watch the match between Nigeria and Ghana in Accra on February 3 ?
Did you notice that the Eagles took a deserved lead after dominating the Ghanaians in the first half?
Did you notice that the referee awarded Nigeria a (deserved) penalty and (also justifiably) sent off the Ghanaian captain in the game?
Chairman Sir,did you notice that soon after the red card which conferred the Eagles with a numerical advantage, our team surprisingly lost control of the game ?
Do you agree that the Eagles were thoroughly humiliated in that match?
Did you notice that the Eagles struggled all through their previous matches in that tournament?
Did you notice that,unlike what happened with other teams,most of the substitutions made by the Eagles' coach failed to improve our game?
Did you observe that the Eagles played an ackward and ineffective style which lacked the traditional flair that Nigerian football is noted for?
Do you agree that AFRICON 2008 was Nigeria's worst ever?
Did you notice that the team previously known and addressed as Super Eagles is now commonly called Super Chickens ?
Do you therefore agree that the manager,Berti Voghts failed woefully on this assignment?
Are you aware that the trend worldwide is to sack coaches that have failed in their assignments?
Are you aware that even there in Ghana 2008,some coaches with intergrity have honorably resigned their positions without waiting to be sacked?
Do you remember that not too long ago,Nigeria lost the World Cup qualification ticket to lowly-rated Angola?
Do you therefore agree that there is a major crisis in Nigerian football?
Do you agree that given our pedigree, qualification to the World Cup finals should be our birthright?
Should Nigeria gamble with her chances of qualifying for SA 2010 , the first World Cup to be hosted in Africa?
Sir, do you know what a "slave contract" is ?
Did the NFA sign a slave contract with Berti Voghts?
When will the NFA sack Berti Voghts ?
Thank you, Sir, and to show that I'm not one of your enemies I wish to congratulate you on Nigeria's victory at the last FIFA under-17 tournament.It's my fervent wish that we share more of such happy moments together, and less of the Ghana 2008 type.
Are you the chairman of the NFA?
Is the NFA which you head,the Nigeria Football Association or the No Future Ambition?
Are you aware that football provides the strongest bond that unites all Nigerians,irrespective of tribe,economic status,or whether fine or ugly?
Do you therefore agree that those people enpowered to run our football should do so with utmost dilligence and sense of patriotism?
What is your assessment of Nigeria's performance at the just-concluded (oh sorry on-going,wihout Nigeria) Africa Cup of Nations?
Are you aware that there exists a bitter rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana in football?
Do you know that Nigerians have been plunged into acute depression since Nigeria lost to Ghana on sunday?
Did you watch the match between Nigeria and Ghana in Accra on February 3 ?
Did you notice that the Eagles took a deserved lead after dominating the Ghanaians in the first half?
Did you notice that the referee awarded Nigeria a (deserved) penalty and (also justifiably) sent off the Ghanaian captain in the game?
Chairman Sir,did you notice that soon after the red card which conferred the Eagles with a numerical advantage, our team surprisingly lost control of the game ?
Do you agree that the Eagles were thoroughly humiliated in that match?
Did you notice that the Eagles struggled all through their previous matches in that tournament?
Did you notice that,unlike what happened with other teams,most of the substitutions made by the Eagles' coach failed to improve our game?
Did you observe that the Eagles played an ackward and ineffective style which lacked the traditional flair that Nigerian football is noted for?
Do you agree that AFRICON 2008 was Nigeria's worst ever?
Did you notice that the team previously known and addressed as Super Eagles is now commonly called Super Chickens ?
Do you therefore agree that the manager,Berti Voghts failed woefully on this assignment?
Are you aware that the trend worldwide is to sack coaches that have failed in their assignments?
Are you aware that even there in Ghana 2008,some coaches with intergrity have honorably resigned their positions without waiting to be sacked?
Do you remember that not too long ago,Nigeria lost the World Cup qualification ticket to lowly-rated Angola?
Do you therefore agree that there is a major crisis in Nigerian football?
Do you agree that given our pedigree, qualification to the World Cup finals should be our birthright?
Should Nigeria gamble with her chances of qualifying for SA 2010 , the first World Cup to be hosted in Africa?
Sir, do you know what a "slave contract" is ?
Did the NFA sign a slave contract with Berti Voghts?
When will the NFA sack Berti Voghts ?
Thank you, Sir, and to show that I'm not one of your enemies I wish to congratulate you on Nigeria's victory at the last FIFA under-17 tournament.It's my fervent wish that we share more of such happy moments together, and less of the Ghana 2008 type.
Friday, February 1, 2008
9ICE,NIYOLA,X-PROJECT...WHAT I'M LISTENING TO...
It's a cool beginning for Nigerian music in 2008.Who would have thought any song would push P- Square's twin bomb, Do me and Ifunanya off the top of the charts so soon?That's exactly what 9ice has achieved with Gongo Aso.Man me,I really love this song oh!It's the kind of direction I will like our hip-hop stars to follow;songs like this or RRR's Wetin Dey are welcome any day.Yes the hip-hop is noticeable,but the unique african feel is dominant all through,and you can't help but feel proud that these are products out of dear motherland.
Another big winner is X-Project's Lorile:exquisite,flowery,and positively infectious.You know I don't particularly envy those americana-sounding acts,but one that has really impressed me is Niyola.The tracks Let Go andTogether Again represent R'n'B at its best.It is obvious that this girl really and truly worked hard on her voice and on this album;whether the naija market will appreciate the product is a different matter entirely.With her chic physique and sexy aura,she only has one more hurdle to climb - an awesome stage presence.That done, she may well become the first super hip-hop diva we have been waiting for.By the way,did someone notice the brief about her relationship with da shogun (in All My Life)?That was a cute one ,baby!
Another big winner is X-Project's Lorile:exquisite,flowery,and positively infectious.You know I don't particularly envy those americana-sounding acts,but one that has really impressed me is Niyola.The tracks Let Go andTogether Again represent R'n'B at its best.It is obvious that this girl really and truly worked hard on her voice and on this album;whether the naija market will appreciate the product is a different matter entirely.With her chic physique and sexy aura,she only has one more hurdle to climb - an awesome stage presence.That done, she may well become the first super hip-hop diva we have been waiting for.By the way,did someone notice the brief about her relationship with da shogun (in All My Life)?That was a cute one ,baby!
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