...OF FEUDS AND THIRD-PARTY WARLORDS
Last Saturday, there was an election in Edo State and PDP
lost despite Mr Fix-It coming from that state. It was an interesting drama that
played itself out at “The Heartbeat
of the Nation” what with Comrade Adams Oshiomole coming out to lambast
INEC, accuse PDP, and denounce the result, all before 12 noon. Yes, you heard
right, 12 noon!!! But then INEC declared him the outright winner, PDP conceded
defeat, and the Comrade accepted the victory like he wasn’t comparing the whole
process to a madman’s jig just 12 hours before. You have to marvel at our
democracy. Personally, when it comes to Nigerian Politics, the difference
between The Ruling Party and The Opposition is just like “Twenty” and “One
Score”… same Difference.
Interestingly, the essence of this post is not to dissect
Nigerian politics and depress you the more but to actually impress or depress
you, depending on where your allegiance lies, by analysing people’s perception
of D’Banj since his messy split from his long-term partner, Don Jazzy. The
reactions to D’Banj from #TeamDonJazzy sympathizers have ranged from hatred,
dislike, indifference, to outright hope that he will fail in his quest for
international stardom. Suffice to say #TeamDBanj is not short of volunteers either
who are at their loudest to label the Mavin Crew, the phoenix which has risen
out of the ashes of the MoHits Crew, a
bunch of losers shorn of their undisputed Numero Uno - Kokomaster-Entertainer-D’Banj.
Naturally, when anything happens, people react and most of
the reaction is based on the perception of the parties involved: D’Banj has
always been considered as loud, arrogant, and hyperactive; while Don Jazzy is
considered quiet, humble and self-effacing, more like the “good cop” in a
Good-Cop-Bad-Cop Partnership with D’Banj being the “bad cop”. Considering the
fact that D’Banj is the entertainer who is in front of the cameras every day
and Don Jazzy the producer who sits behind the keyboard/console most days, this
is not out of place, but trust people to read meanings into everything whenever
there is a slight opportunity to do so, and not forgetting that D’Banj
voluntarily sacrificed himself as GEJ’s Scapegoat on the altar of politics.
Silly politics again!!! Nonetheless, I have to confess you will struggle to
find instances for which to criticize Don Jazzy, he comes across as that talented,
bubbly, likeable kid who everybody loves to love and no one dares hate;
therefore he has to be the victim in the split-saga and unfortunately for
D’Banj-the-Entertainer, he has to literally be the Scapegoat.
At this point, I have a question for those in either
#TeamDBanj or #TeamDonJazzy - Is it possible to have a third team called
#TeamNeutrality or #TeamObjectivity? I mean let us ask ourselves – what has
D’Banj done wrong in aspiring to International Superstardom? Yes, he could have
handled it in a more mature way avoiding the indecent washing of dirty linens
in public, but that is an aftermath, according to the story, Don Jazzy did not
see that as a necessity at that moment. DBanj has conquered the Nigerian market
- #Fact. D’Banj has conquered the African market - #Fact. DBanj can conquer the
Global market - #Fact. Before you snigger and ask “how?” I answer - we might
never know if he does not try. Let us not get confused here, I am not holding
brief for D’Banj, I don’t even consider him a good musician in the real sense
of what music ought to be, but just like no other person I have no right to deny
him or mock his ambition to become a global music force. Cut the dude some
slack please, he might suck at the artistic side of music, but he is savvy at
the business side of it. The way he has built the albeit meaningless “Koko”
into a formidable brand is worthy of respect. He is aware of his vocal and
artistic shortcomings which he compensates for with his hyperactive on-stage
performances, he even admitted that he is not a vocalist but an “Entertainer”. After
all is said and done what matters is how much you are able to better your life
with your God-given talents, and if a mediocre can harness his limited talents
to become a force to reckon with in Africa, why can he not dream of taking up
the whole world? And if his partner does not share that dream, does that mean
he should jettison the idea? NO, each goes his own way and life goes on.
Human Relationships are usually built on mutualism and the
parties involved have to be willing to make it work, in the instance of one or
more parties not willing to be a part of the relationship, a split is usually
the conclusion. We always expect Respect and Loyalty from humans, and that is
not too much to ask, actually that is a necessity; but just take a look around
and show me where that obtains - politics, sports, workplace, helloooooo, can u
point at any single one? That is the reality of the world that we live in,
loyalty and respect are only words in our dictionaries, they are not alive in
our realities, and we are not spectators of this macabre drama, we are willing
thespians who made ourselves available for casting.
Humorously, D’Banj released a Single titled “Oyato” and the
internet music iconoclasts have been out with their axes and machetes
butchering the song and labelling it “an earsore” but I listened to the song
and I was impressed simply because it was classic D’Banj – racy beats, mundane
message, infantile lyrics. If you have always loved D’banj’s music I mean when
he was an integral part of MoHits, you cannot just say anything negative about
“Oyato” because it is just like his an archetypal D’Banj’s music - no tangible
message and superficial lyrics at best. If you have at any time loved any of
“Tongolo, Socor, Why Me, Kimon, Mogbona Felifefi, Suddenly, Entertainer,
Scapegoat, or Oliver Twist” you have no rights whatsoever to complain about the
aesthetic/artistic aspect of “Oyato.” Just accept the fact that D’Banj is no
longer part of MoHits, continue to fawn over the Mavin Crew, and find a place
in your heart to wish D’Banj ALL THE BEST.
Thank You!
God Bless Us All!!
See You Next Time!!!
Thank You!
God Bless Us All!!
See You Next Time!!!
Twitter: @SirRash
Facebook: Rasheed SirRash Adewusi
Nice perspective Rasho! cool
ReplyDeleteOpinion. Ok.
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