EMPIRE SEASON 4 REVIEW: THE TASTE GETS BETTER...

The highlight of this season was Cookie and Lucious back in love (don't worry about the loss of the empire,they'll get it back somehow).We've been yearning for that for God knows how long.When it looked like nothing could possibly come between,Lucious got blown by a car bomb and lost his memory at the end of the 3rd season.

Its long been established that Lee Daniels and his gang care a lot about our feelings so you always knew Lucious was going to get back his memory,it was just a question of how fast.They unwrapped the package at just the right time and particularly noteworthy is how the producers shut out a hymnic ambience all through his ordeal.There was enough to keep us excited-from the questionable motives of his therapist Claudia to the grand entry of Forrest Whitaker who plays Eddie Barker,a legendary producer and long time friend of the Lyons who had been called in to help run the company.

What makes Empire thick isn't nail-biting suspense,its the beauty of a navigation through with none of it.No matter how badly beaten the Lyons seemed in their battle with the Dubois,you knew they would win.Raising $750M to buy and save the Empire from the Eddie Barker-led jackals at a single concert appeared totally impossible but the Lyons just had to pull through.Knowing an outcome but forgetting you do while watching is pure art.The producers love the protagonists just as much as the fans and everyone enjoys that they do.

When they did hurt us a little with an unexpected Eddie blackmail move that resulted in his camp buying over the Empire,they tried to assuage our feelings with a Cookie 'loving and selfless' act for her family in letting go of the company and an official marriage to Lucious.A Tiana pregnancy by Hakeem as well to supplement that.

The 4th season witnessed the injection of sub-plots that added more bite to the story.We got to see Cookie coming to understand Pound Cake snitched on her in prison to get out and search for her daughter and that she also took the fall for Cook to be released and be with her family when she had a chance to make things right.In a drift back to the present,she found Pound Cake's daughter and eventually got her to agree to meet her biological mother on her death bed.Reading out the letter her mother had written for her has to be Empire's most emotional scene yet.Then we got officially introduced to Cookie's mother as well and were made to savour some interesting bonding process.Shyne's latest prodigy,white boy Blake was a great add.

You got a feeling there was an ulterior motive to the Shyne killing.He had just shared a heart to heart OG moment with Lucious and had already proven his loyalty by telling on Eddie.He had endeared himself to us and a fresh start for the Shyne character it seemed so perhaps Lucious Lyon was being set up for a huge ill that needed the audience hating him a little.Turns out wrong,killing Shyne just passed as doing what had to be done.

Shyne's ascot tie comment got to Lucious just a bit before he was shot,a big thumbs up to the acting skills of Terrence Howard for how he lets us in on that but a smart and experienced 'walking the talk' gangsta like Lucious Lyon leaves his ascot on Shyne's body after he had him shot?.Its ridiculous.There are better ways of leaving Eddie something to blackmail the Lyons with over the murder than that.

To bust your bubble further,that Andre would spike Anika's drink with an overdose of anti-psychotic drugs and know it was going to have her hallucinating about his dead wife is voodoo stuff.Excessively fictitious fiction.

The Empire is lost but we know they'll get it back.Every season closes with a heart-race scene and in this it was Blake's racist father showing up with a gun while he was out with Hakeem,Tiana and a baby she had just dropped in their SUV (Bella his baby with Anika or perhaps 9 months flew past).Three shots rang out and season 5 will reveal who got hit if any,Blake for hanging out with black elements and accosting his dad on live tv or Hakeem who had shielded Tiana,for polluting Blake's 'morals'.Or maybe some bodyguard had been lurking behind all along,you never know.

Empire season 4 was a great watch.The taste gets better.

LETTER TO GARBA SHEHU: WHY WE MUST CHANGE THIS CHANGE

Dear Mallam Garba Shehu,

They say if your father is a garlic and your mother an onion,you can't smell good.Defending President Buhari's performance is practically impossible and no,its not because he has assembled unarguably the worst media team ever seen,its because he has set an unprecedented low for governance in Nigeria.That is a fact we all see for our ourselves.There couldn't be a better person to highlight the flaws of the opposition and to also reveal the positives (no matter how little) managed by the Buhari administration other candidates would have to build on or surpass in our quest for quality leadership.This was why i settled down to read your article with an open mind.

I really expected you to wax lyrical about resuscitating our economy and pulling us out of recession but you barely made an attempt to disprove those of us who think the little progress is down to the slight bump in oil prices and not the intellectual wizardry of any of the lot that gather to meet every Wednesday.You chose to hammer on corruption.Perhaps in a shallow attempt to prove the president has delivered on his number one selling point, the war on corruption.

Asides your general warning,political and hypocritical,to say the least on the ills of falling back in the arms of the PDP, you specifically listed names who would go scot-free with their loot,notable among them,former first lady,Dame Patience Jonathan.The simple question we have been asking more than a year now is; why hasn't she been prosecuted?.Rather,it is Dame Patience who has sued the government for confiscating her money.It simply doesn't make sense that the EFCC thinks it appropriate to seize the lady's money and properties without as much as inviting her for questioning.What corruption is Buhari fighting?.Former NSA,Sambo Dasuki has said every money he paid out was authorized by President Jonathan and this much has been corroborated by former presidential media aide,Doyin Okupe.Buhari and his people have not asked him a single question.And you,Mallam Garba have the effrontery to say the PDP established the EFCC and ICPC only because they needed toys or bulldogs?.Sad. 

In as much as i admit the GEJ administration was corrupt,it might interest you to know that transparency international corruption perception index reported an 8 place improvement from 144 to 136 under President Jonathan and a 136 to 148 slump under President Buhari.You know what that tells the average nigerian?.That just like we got to know a lot of things about Jonathan only after he left office,so shall we with Buhari.When the hand over notes have been prepared,questions will be raised on a range of topics.Maybe we would understand better why N1.1 bn was slated for the cleaning and fumigating of the office of the NSA in the 2018 budget and N2.2 bn budgeted to the DSS for a social media mining suite (whatever that means).It would not be easy for the APC 'broom' to sweep the non-availability of a common syringe at the state house clinic despite budgetary allocations.The first lady herself told us that.These are just an insight to the very little things that will not seem little when an unpopular government leaves power.I don't envy your job one bit.You are selling a man even his wife won't.

When its all said and done,i'm pretty sure we won't have an EFCC boss wearing a 'Buhari 2019' lapel pin to his suit in charge.Nothing will be hidden.And he first comes to mind when talking about 'grand corruption at the top' which you say this government has eliminated.Ibrahim Magu,the man Buhari has charged with running the most prominent anti-graft body, the EFCC has been indicted for corruption by the DSS with names and pretty much verifiable facts.That alone transforms the anti-corruption agenda from hypocritical to laughable.The Attorney-General of the Federation,the chief law officer of the land has been indicted by the House of Representatives for the reinstatement of a wanted fugitive,Abdulrasheed Maina back into the civil service.Buhari has done nothing about that.If President Trump told you you had wiped out 'grand corruption at the top',i bet he was only being nice to his guests.

The most formidable threat your principal has at the moment; Atiku Abubakar has already promised to probe the administration if he is voted into office.You know why that is such a big deal?.Because a lot of nigerians feel so used.They liken the Buhari administration to the biggest yahoo yahoo scam ever pulled.The format-a promise to wipe out boko haram in 2 months,making the naira equal to the dollar,fixing all our refineries,creating millions of jobs.Instead of working towards national growth and development,all your government has done is blame the PDP for the last 3 years like Nigerians didn't know why they voted them out in the first place.

You had nothing to say about the plight of the common man.One who is being duped with several committees and reports on an increase in minimum wage.He has had to cope with a meagre N18,000 monthly salary all through your 'record' increase in the cost of living.You didn't address the daily killings of defenceless nigerians by the fulani herdsmen and the dire consequences of allowing it linger for too long.

Your article only answers questions you pose to yourself.President Buhari doesn't host media chats because he is scared of our own questions.If it means living like we did before Buhari came on board,then so be it.We must change this change.

THE HEADIES IS AS MUCH A SHAM AS IT IS A SCAM: THE 12TH EDITION REVIEW

That the headies is still undoubtedly Nigeria's biggest music award is a testament to the work Ayo Animashaun and his Smooth Promotions company have put into the brand over the last 12 years.So much so that the Headies has not been shaken much by 3 succesive controversial editions.But on the flip side,that it is still our biggest music award also says how insusceptible to positive change Africa's largest entertainment industry is.We have learnt to live with unprofessional record labels and look the other side when anyone wonders why our musicians still make little or nothing from record sales in this digital era but a decent 'official' award show is a must-have and it is shocking how artistes,brands and other stakeholders have remained firm in their support of the curse called the headies.

This year's edition got controversial as early as 72 hours to the main event.Nonso Amadi's Tonight was pulled out of the Best Male Vocal Performance and Best R&B categories for falling outside the period under review and Flavour's Virtuous Woman got credited to Masterkraft instead of Cobhams in the best producer category.Tekno was also listed in that category for his song Rara which was produced by Selebobo.It got as disgraceful as that.

The awards proper.

BEST RECORDING OF THE YEAR

1.BUTTERFLIES-OMAWUNMI

2.HALLELUYAH-FUNBI

3.HEAVEN-BANKY W

4.PONMILE-REMINISCE

5.JOROMI-SIMI (Winner)

Simi's sweet little voice will sound good on just about anything but its the attention to every other detail that makes Joromi a true master-piece.The right delivery on the right beat for a borderline classical music style.Well deserved but in all honesty, the songs she had to ward off can't be said to be the best 4 other recordings of 2017.The competition wasn't the best possible.

BEST POP SINGLE

1.ALL OVER YOU-TIWA SAVAGE

2.MAD OVER YOU-RUNTOWN

3.YEBA-KISS DANIEL

4.ISKABA-WANDE COAL FEAT DJ TUNEZ

5.FIA-DAVIDO

6.IF-DAVIDO (Winner)

There is simply no way to explain Davido's IF winning best pop single over Runtown's Mad Over You.No hit song after has quite measured up to the heights it reached.Asides from being without a doubt the country's favourite song on the whole nomination list altogether,it is unarguably still Nigeria's reigning global hit.Coca-Cola didn't pair Runtown to make Said with Nasty C because he had dreads,they did so because they were the biggest artistes on the continent.

I would understand IF breezing past Wande Coal's Iskaba and Kiss Daniel's Yeba on a list without Mad Over You but certainly not one with it.

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

1.MASTERKRAFT-(YAWA,AUGMENT)

2.SELEBOBO (RARA)

3.IF (TEKNO)

4.COBHAMS (VIRTUOUS WOMAN,BUTTERFLIES)

5.SARZ (MARADONA,COME CLOSER)

6.SPELLZ (MA LO,ISKABA)

7.KIDDOMINANT (MAMA,FALL) (Winner)

This was between Kiddominant,Spellz and Tekno before the organizers credited one of the songs Tekno was nominated for as produced by Selebobo.The statement issued by the headies did not tell us what would happen to the votes Tekno had gotten for both songs.The organizers would have been better off leaving out Cobhams and Selebobo instead of adding them to the list 48 hours to the awards; when voting had effectively closed.

Spellz could ride to this headie on the back of Ma Lo alone if votes really meant much.It is the freshest hit in the memory of the voters and it becomes a no contest when you accompany it with Wande Coal's Iskaba.The headies is as much a scam as it is a sham.

BEST REGGAE/DANCEHALL 

1.ROCK YOUR BODY-BURNA BOY

2.LOVE YOU DIE-PATORANKING FEAT DIAMOND PLATNUMZ

3.DANCE-TIMAYA FEAT RUDE BOY

4.SOFA-KISS DANIEL

5.COME CLOSER-WIZKID

6.HOLY HOLY-2BABA (Winner)

Personally i think 2baba's song was the best of the lot and that it truly deserved the headie.But this is a voting category and frankly speaking,good as Holy Holy may be,it was one of the most slept-on songs of 2017.It is hard to believe it would garner more votes than Wizkid's Come Closer or Burna boy's Rock Your Body.Well...2baba is a good friend of the headies.

BEST RAP ALBUM

1.27-FALZ

2.TRIP TO THE SOUTH-ERRIGA

3.THE PLAYMAKER-PHYNO

4.GLORY-OLAMIDE

5.ROSE-AQ

6.EL HADJ-REMINISCE (Winner)

First of,i really don't understand why a category as huge as Best Rap Album is a non-voting one.It is not done anywhere else.

Having said that,a Phyno snub i can understand because The Playmaker was largely pop and highlife.Like we already know, Glory is arguably Olamide's worst album ever and Erriga and AQ owe their places to a dearth of quality rap music; mere slot fillers whose nominations were in themselves victories.

This should have been a stroll in the pack for Falz's 27.We saw a mature artiste who not only introduced us to the sober side of his game but one who was bold enough to try other new things.He rapped for the first time in the mainstream without his signature yoruba accent and even spiced things up with a little french.Whats more?.In Something Light and La Fete,he made hits and that is something Reminisce's El Hadj can't boast of.It is at best a compilation of good songs with nothing to stand out.

BEST R&B/POP ALBUM

1.TIMELESS-OMAWUNMI

2.SIMISOLA-SIMI

3.IJELE THE TRAVELLER-FLAVOUR

4.GOLD-ADEKUNLE GOLD

5.THIS IS ME-NINIOLA

6.SOUNDS FROM THE OTHER SIDE-WIZKID (Winner)

Wizkid's SFTOS was bound to benefit from the major buzz it enjoyed.The very first 'true' international album by a nigerian artiste with guest appearances from some of the biggest names in world music.But if quality was put to test,it would get knocked out by Simi's Simisola; the industry's 'official' best album of 2017.Hell,it would even lose to Adekunle's Gold.Whats a decent album to a great one?.A headie winner.Sad.

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

1.LIKE DAT-DAVIDO (DAPS)

2.FOCUS-HUMBLESMITH (CLARENCE PETERS)

3.YOLO-SEYI SHAY (MEJI ALABI)

4.BEEN CALLING-MALEEK BERRY (MEJI ALABI)

5.MA LO-TIWA SAVAGE FEAT WIZKID (MEJI ALABI)

6.COME CLOSER-WIZKID FEAT DRAKE (Winner)

This is one category the headies hardly ever gets right but what generally makes this year's edition more pathetic asides the fact that the nominations were weak,is the huge disparity between deserving winners and the eventual 'chosen' ones.Conceptualization,originality,creativity and costumes come to mind when people see a best video nominee list and its hard to rationalize the choice of Come Closer over Seyi Shay's Yolo or Maleek Berry's Been Calling.Not just one video better than Wizkid's Come Closer but a solid two.Two very original videos with little or no dependence on digital effects.

I feel sad for Meji Alabi who everyone thought had made it a non-contest with Yolo and Been Calling.The Headies lists excitement as a criteria and Yolo in particular,thicks that box way better than a Come Closer ever would.Nollywood actress Dorcas Sola Dapson captured it all in one word before she called out the winner-Ojoro!!!

BEST R&B SINGLE

1.FOLASHADE-PRAIZ

2.ROMEO & JULIET-JOHNNY DRILLE

3.LET ME KNOW-MALEEK BERRY

4.LOVE YOU BABY-BANKY W

5.SMILE FOR ME-SIMI (Winner)

Nonso Amadi's Tonight was by far the best R&B song shortlisted for this award before it was withdrawn for falling outside the period under review.That made an already weak category much weaker.Admittedly,there was a dearth of quality R&B music in that period but categorizing non-R&B songs as such demeans the organizers' understanding of music.Simi's Smile for me belongs in the alternative music category and Johnny Drille's Romeo & Juliet was even much farther out from R&B.Well,Simi won.Girl can't go wrong.

BEST COLLABO

1.TEMPER REMIX-SKALES FEAT BURNA BOY

2.JUICE-YCEE FEAT MALEEK BERRY

3.COME CLOSER-WIZKID FEAT DRAKE

4.NO FORGET-ADEKUNLE GOLD FEAT SIMI

5.MA LO-TIWA SAVAGE FEAT WIZKID (Winner)

The Headies would sell this choice with a narrative on how voters are likely to vote for more recent songs.One of the very few cases they should win if asked to defend their choices but on a scale of merit,Ycee and Maleek Berry's Juice would weigh more.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1.AIRBOY

2.JUNIOR BOY

3.PERUZZI

4.KIDI

5.TENI (Winner)

I had heard the Fargin song long time ago but i didn't hold onto the artiste's name.I only got to know it was Teni after she won this category.Music blog, tooxclusive.com ran a poll on who the public thought most likely to win Rookie Of The Year days before the event and that poll had only 2 names-Airboy and Junior boy.Those are the artistes people know most and are likely to vote not Teni.It goes without saying that Airboy deserved to win this headie most.He has generated quite a buzz with his songs and Ayepo is hot till this day.

Peruzzi stood no chance against the frontline 2 and for the love of God,what is a Ghanaian artiste doing here?.If the organizers loved Kidi so much,they should have slotted him into the best african act category.This is as huge a sham as the wrongful nomination of songs made outside the period of review and ones produced by the wrong persons.

A disgraceful spectacle what the headies has turned into.

BEST RAP SINGLE

1.UP TO U-SDC FEAT FUNBI

2.ME VERSUS ME-ICE PRINCE

3.SOMETHING LIGHT-FALZ FEAT YCEE

4.LINK UP-PHYNO FEAT MI AND BURNA BOY

5.YOU RAPPERS SHOULD FIX UP YOUR LIVES-MI (Winner)

Here we see another huge gap between the eventual winner and the other songs on the list.On the basis of fairness,this would be a fight between Phyno's Link up and Falz's Something Light with the SDC's Up To U having the best outside chance of winning.MI would come last.MI's YRSFUYL was powered solely by the controversy it generated and not only ranking it among the best rap songs of the last year but also handing it the grand prize is much like throwing an A-list party for mediocrity.

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (MALE)

1.ROMEO & JULIET-JOHNNY DRILLE

2.PERFECT WOMAN-FAZE

3.LOVE YOU BABY-BANKY W

4.FOLASHADE-PRAIZ (Winner)

Nonso Amadi was my favourite to clinch this with Tonight and in his absence,it was a stroll in the park for Praiz.He really did pull some chords on Folashade.Well deserved.

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)

1.IN THE AIR-WAJE

2.GONE FOR GOOD-SIMI

3.WHERE IS THE LOVE-NIYOLA FEAT ADEKUNLE GOLD

4.SARO-NINIOLA

5.JOWO-ARAMIDE

6.BUTTERFLIES-OMAWUNMI (Winner)

Here we see an exception to the Simi golden voice rule but i would hand this to 3 songs before Omawunmi's Butterflies.Vocal performance isn't only putting a good voice to intense use,it is also putting it to the best use and as far as Omawunmi's performance on Butterflies goes,there was a disruption of rhythm at key points and that affected fluidity.Niniola was brilliant with a mildly intensive style on Saro and as usual,Simi's vocal game on Gone For Good was excellent but Aramide deserves this better than anyone.On Jowo,she hit her notes and rode her rhythm fabulously in a breath-takingly simple style.

NEXT RATED

1.ZORO

2.MALEEK BERRY

3.JOHNNY DRILLE

4.DICE AILES

5.MAYORKUN (Winner)

This award has generated the most controversy over the years but the Headies got it right this time.From Eleko,his break out hit to Che Che,everything Mayorkun touched turned to gold.The only competition in the line-up was Maleek Berry who himself has stayed consistent but overall,it must be said-the best man won.

LYRICIST ON THE ROLL

1.INDUSTRY NITE-ERRIGA

2.POLITICAL SCIENCE-AQ

3.LIQUOR NIGHT-BOGEY

4.YOU RAPPERS SHOULD FIX UP YOUR LIVES-MI (Winner)

First,this category is a weak one.The songs here are in no way the dopest lyrical offerings of 2017-SDC and ikon's Respect My name,Falz's I Do It,Uzi and Dremo's Stamina.Even La Fete beats everything on this list.

People like me tagged MI's YRSFUYL a hypocritical song not only because he hadn't been on A-game as well but also because he was chastising rappers on having lost their way in the lamest possible lines.In an article i wrote criticizing the song,i referred to it as a call to order in a baby's voice that would infuriate more than intimidate.There is ABSOLUTELY nothing out of the ordinary about the lyrics of that song.Though in pidgin,Erriga's Industry Nite is my one-eyed king in the land of these blind nominations.He tells a unique story in some very brilliant lines.

BEST STREET HOP ARTISTE

1.SAY BABA-CDQ

2.SHEPETERI-IDOWEST FEAT DAMMY KRANE & SLIMCASE

3.PASS THE AGBARA-SKUKI

4.LEGBEGBE-MR REAL FEAT OBADICE & IDOWEST

5.WO-OLAMIDE

6.PENALTY-SMALL DOCTOR (Winner)

This was frankly speaking,the tightest category of the night.The organizers got the nomination spot-on.Penalty was a huge song no doubt but this is a voting category and since Legbegbe is still one of the hottest jams in the country right now,it should clinch this.Mr Real,Slimcase and Idowest are credited with introducing the Shaku Shaku wave that has swept through the industry and a lot of the songs they've released or featured on are still as fresh as day one.Shepeteri is almost as huge as Legbegbe and it is simply impossible to sell Penalty as the voted choice.

BEST ALTERNATIVE SONG

1.MONEY-ADEKUNLE GOLD

2.PONMILE-REMINISCE

3.RADIO-NONSO AMADI

4.ROMEO & JULIET-JOHNNY DRILLE

5.FUN MI LOWO MI-ARAMIDE FEAT SOUND SULTAN & KOKER

This is where Johnny Drille's Romeo & Juliet belongs and not the R&B category.Since 'alternative' in music connotes a break from regular musical trends,it is impossible for a song to be both alternative and R&B at the same time.

Having said that,Aramide's Fun Mi Lowo Mi tops every other song listed here if you count quality but if you really want to talk votes,Adekunle Gold's Money will take this home.

HIP HOP WORLD REVELATION

1.NINIOLA

2.ADEKUNLE GOLD

3.MR EAZI

REEKADO BANKS (Winner)

I said this 2 editions ago and i'll say it again-there has to be some relationship between Ayo and Reekado Banks we don't know about.The love the Headies have for the young man transcends what we can see.With only a Dorobucci chorus and verse as the only concrete thing to point to,he was handed the Rookie of the year award in 2014 and in the following year,he was named next rated ahead of Kiss Daniel and Lil Kesh.That singular act handed the Headies its most memorable moment in recent times; rapper and YBNL boss, Olamide cursing out the organizers on stage.It didn't stop there.

He also won best video ahead of Davido's lovely 'Dubai' video for The Sound.

Now,Ayo and his gang of illusionists want us to believe nigerians voted Reekado Banks the best artiste with a debut album in a category that includes Adekunle Gold,Niniola and Mr Eazi?.Its just not possible.Adekunle Gold had Money and Niniola had Sicker and Saro.Mr Eazi had Leg Over in addition to enjoying the extra edge of being a fans' favourite.Which hit did Reekado's Spotlight album give us?.

Nigerians would actually vote Reekado Banks over Mr Eazi,Adekunle Gold and the artiste with the freshest hits amongst the lot; Niniola?.Gimme a break.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

1.IJELE THE TRAVELLER-FLAVOUR

2.GOLD-ADEKUNLE GOLD

3.KLITORIS-BRYMO

4.SOUNDS FROM THE OTHER SIDE-WIZKID

5.THE PLAYMAKER-PHYNO

6.SIMISOLA-SIMI (Winner)

This was indeed the people's choice.Simisola had to kill everything on that list.It was a master-piece.

BEST PERFORMER

1.FLAVOUR

2.2BABA

3.MI

4.TIWA SAVAGE

5.FALZ

6.YEMI ALADE (Winner)

This is a new category the organizers have listed as non-voting and suprisingly,they got it right.Yemi Alade ticks all the right boxes on stage.That i agree.

SONG OF THE YEAR

1.FIA-DAVIDO

2.MAD OVER YOU-RUNTOWN

3.PENALTY-SMALL DOCTOR 

4.WO-OLAMIDE

5.YEBA-KISS DANIEL

6.IF-DAVIDO (Winner)

Other songs maybe but the tsunami called Mad Over You would sweep away Davido's IF in any fair fight.It is simply unjustifiable and i really feel sorry for Runtown.He lost out to IF in the best pop single category as well.

HEADIES VIEWER'S CHOICE

1.IF-DAVIDO

2.YAWA-TEKNO

3.WO-OLAMIDE

4.YEBA-KISS DANIEL

5.MAD OVER YOU-RUNTOWN

6.COME CLOSER-WIZKID FEAT DRAKE (Winner)

Virtually every musical tv station across the globe has a viewer's choice award and the headies introduced its this year but the category has never made any sense to me.What is the point of having viewers vote for nominees you select for them?.To qualify as a genuine people's award,they would have to vote in the nominees first before the eventual winner.MTV introduced it in 1984 and it had the same nominees with its best video category up until 1994.

It really is pointless if the people don't get to choose who and who vie for the award.Onto the nominations,the organizers in piecing up their winners list really should have taken into consideration the fact that the average nigerian music enthusiast did not love Wizkid's Come Closer extraordinarily.It was driven more by the Drake collabo than its quality and we have passed the stage where we go bunkers for a song just because it has a super star on it.Every other song on that list with the exception of Tekno's Yawa were legit hits nigerians really loved.

And to further break it down,they loved Runtown's Mad Over You most.

BEST AFRICAN ARTISTE

1.VANESSA MDEE

2.CASPER NYOVEST

3.SARKODIE

4.SAUTI SOL

5.NASTY C (Winner)

Nasty C was the clear favourite for this category and it was great to see him win.SA rappers killing us out here and that right there,is the number one hitman.However,it must be noted that this category wasn't properly set out.If it was,Shatta Wale would not be missing from this list and he would have been C's most formidable competition.

INDUSTRY BRAND SUPPORTER

MTN

PEPSI

FIRS

LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT 

GLO

HENNESSEY 

NIGERIAN BREWERIES 

It was sapping to watch representatives of each of these 'supporters' called on stage to collect an award on their behalf.It took way too much time.

Picking one yearly and celebrating them more elaborately by specifically highlighting their contributions would not only save time but would also afford the general music public more insight as to their efforts at supporting the industry.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

KAFFY

As the nigerian music industry has grown over the years,a lot more people are getting involved either as dance instructors or choreographers.This special lady paved the way for them all.She literally made dance fashionable in these shores.Honour well deserved.

HALL OF FAME

CHRIS UBOSI

Nigeria being a one-city music industry,Chris Ubosi's Beat FM stands out as the number one music station at the entertainment capital.He also owns Classic FM and Naija FM as part of his Megalectrics limited.I am in no way saying this man hasn't supported music in Nigeria but a musical hall of fame should have names like King Sunny Ade,Onyeka Owenu and Sir Kollington Ayinla before inducting the Chris Ubosis of this world.

ARTISTE OF THE YEAR

1.WIZKID

2.OLAMIDE

3.SIMI

4.TIWA SAVAGE

5.DAVIDO (Winner)

This really was a most pleasant suprise.Prior to the night,i told someone my money was on Wizkid who had created so much buzz with his international status and mega collaborations but my heart was with Davido because he deserves it more.While Wiz had consistency issues when it boiled down to the art itself,Davido was unstoppable-from IF to FIA to Like Dat.He kept the hits coming and it was great to see him get rewarded for that.

The Headies hit an epic low in its12th edition with wrongful nominations,withdrawals,late nominations,wrongful categorizations and poor nominations.Add that to a high dose of the usual controversial winnings and you know its time for the industry stakeholders to act fast in the best interests of nigerian music by either supporting other existing award shows like the Soundcity MVP or pushing for the creation of new ones.This simply has to stop being our grammys. 

MY TOP 10 SONGS OF FIRST QUARTER 2018

1.SISI MARIA-MALEEK BERRY

2.OJA-ZLATAN IBILE / MY OWN-STYLES P FEAT WHISPERS

3.LAND OF THE FREAKS-2CHAINZ

4.DIET-DJ ENIMONEY FEAT SLIMCASE,REMINISCE,TIWA SAVAGE

5.ANYHOW-TEKNO FEAT OG,SELEBOBO AND FLIMZY

6.DEATH ROW-YOUNG SCOOTER / NOWO-DJ SPINALL FEAT WIZKID

7.CALM DOWN-BURNA BOY / HERE AND NOW-PRAIZ

8.NEGOTIATIONS-WALE / END OF DISCUSSION-RICH THE KID FEAT LIL WAYNE

9.PLAYLIST-MI FEAT NONSO AMADI / JUGG KING-YOUNG SCOOTER

10.BANGING-MR2KAY FEAT REEKADO BANKS/MONEY BAG-CARDI B

WHAT IS GOOD FOR DINO IS ALSO GOOD FOR OMO-AGEGE

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#LAZYNIGERIANYOUTH: AN INSIGHT INTO THE DEPLORABLE MINDSET OF THE YOUNG NIGERIAN

WARNING: If you heard Buhari say a 'lot of nigerian youths' but understood it to mean 'all nigerian youths' till date,you may not like this.

The edited version of President Buhari's comments at the Commonwealth business forum has become the accepted one and that is very worrying.It is the new trend on social and even regular media for young working nigerians to jump on the fashionable #LazyNigerianYouth hashtag in a dissimulated triumph over the system.They have read and watched him say 'a lot of nigerian youths want to sit and do nothing' and yet they have chosen to believe what is being sold.The average nigerian youth is highly susceptible to the strong pull of a bandwagon mentality fuelled by social media trends and the 'chosen' opinions of an influential few and for the very first time,i'm starting to wonder if the youths are truly ready for leadership.

Quite honestly,the #LazyNigerianYouth movement has depicted the average youth as gullible,ignorant and willing to shut their eyes to truth just to jump on the new 'in' thing.How long before politicians capitalize on that to sell us another false messiah?.

Having lived almost my entire life in the northern part of Nigeria where Buhari had been paraded as a credible and honest emancipator of the masses since as far back as 2003,i have seen first hand the ills of a bandwagon mentality.It is what got us here.

Buhari was military head of state before i was born and people younger than me, when asked what about his stewardship prompted their adoration for the man,were always quick to say they learnt he was a hardworking leader with a deep love for the masses.Nothing more.

Anyone who bothered looking into the man wouldn't be suprised at the nature of his human right violations and divisive tendencies.

A lot of Buhari's opponents,notably Atiku Abubakar have also keyed into the à la mode interpretation of Buhari's comments and the fact alone that a politician aspiring for office is willing to lie or adopt a blatant one obviously means we should be wary of them.It is highly sad that after all we have been through,there are nigerians who are still swayed by politicians keying into public discontent to promote themselves.

I remember Atiku as Obasanjo's vice-president and it would take a lot more than supporting restructuring and criticizing President Buhari's mistakes to convince me.

But personal opinion aside,Atiku has proven a shrewd politician by cashing in on the psyche of the nigerian youth through his use of social media.He not only jumps on trending anti-Buhari topics,he is vocal in his praise of nigerian entertainers,the entertainment industry and its huge potentials.He replies letters by celebrities and even went the extra mile to ensure everyone knew he was at Silverbird cinemas to watch the Black Panther movie.For effect,he chastised the producers for finding Sambisa forest the only reference-worthy thing about Nigeria.

He has greatly,for emphasis,GREATLY endeared himself to many young nigerians who see him as the relatable,liberal and successful entrepreneur this country truly needs.The very same Atiku who was side by side with Obasanjo at the commencement of PDP's demonic 16 year reign and only fell out with him because of his presidential ambition?.An ambition that has driven him into a shameless journey through political parties he has had to criticize at one time or the other?.

Like President Buhari rightly pointed out,the youth make up the majority of the nigerian population and if indeed this country will change,the youths have to change first.They must learn to resist appealing lies packaged in voguish social media trends.They must wisen up and resist being willing 'magas' to yahoo yahoo politicians who are ever ready to exploit their weaknesses.What is right is not right simply because the majority believe it to be.

The time to wake up is now.

INVASION OF PRIVACY ALBUM REVIEW: WINNING OVER THE SKEPTICS

Bodak Yellow shot Cardi B to another realm altogether.You could tell her follow up single would go platinum before it even dropped.It did just that and this album had long had that path charted for it too irrespective of quality.That is the realm i am talking about.

We live in times where sales don't necessarily reflect the quality of an album.Pleasantly for the enthusiast,an album offers the entire sides to an artiste's game and there can be no running from the stuff they are truly made of.While Invasion of Privacy is a guaranteed chart blazer,it more than anything affords us an opportunity to finally put to rest the issues of genuineness of talent and staying power.Whether to accept she will be around for a long time or to expect a descent when the hype dies down.

The tracks.

1.GET UP 10

Hard to not respect that she opens the album talking about strength.The intention is good but she does at best, an average job.The keys playing for the first minute in consonance with the theme,really deserved more intense soul baring.The bulk of it gets lost in the delivery and delivery is the difference between beasting and a street corner rap battle.Cardi really did come across as spitting straight out of her rhyme book with little or no regard for how she sounded.

2.BICKENHEAD

A song for the fan base and they are bound to love it.The catchiness works perfectly.This sound oozes a heavy Nicki Minaj influence.

3.DRIP feat MIGOS

A decent trappy tune that appears an obvious attempt to pull off another 'Motor Sport'.The 'Drip' chorus is too loose to stick and the beat won't go down as one of Cassius Jay's best work.When the horn loop at the hook ceases for a verse,it leaves a very pale feel for some very good verses to go to waste.

4.BODAK YELLOW

Well,Bodak Yellow is Bodak Yellow; one of the greatest rap songs made in recent memory.Tight beat,mad lines.Epic.

5.BE CAREFUL

If you followed Cardi from Bodak Yellow and started this album from the jump,then you'll observe this is the first time she ventures outside her comfort zone-the jewels,the clothes,the cars,b****in on other b****s and Offset.Well,you can't safely say she wasn't talking about Offset.

She plays vulnerable Cardi telling the scum lover story and she does it quite well.A combination of Frank Dukes,Boi-1da and Vinylz ought to produce a better beat though.

6.I LIKE IT LIKE THAT feat Bad Bunny and J Balvin

She taps into her latino roots beautifully to create this great song.She had the 'i like it like that' chant replace the spanish in that all too familiar rhythmic background vocals while she thumps-Diamond district in the jag/Certified u know i'm gang gang/Drop the top and blow the brains/Oh he's handsome,whats his name?.

It had a good vibe to it but 2 latino verses after Cardi's isn't quite the perfect plot.

7.BEST LIFE feat Chance the rapper

A pleasant feel good vibe to this joint.She gets the delivery spot on a summer beat telling the bottom-up story.Mad credit must go to Chance for a killer hook and dope verse-"Hey y'all know good and damn well i don't want no champagne/But please can we get some more champagne/Please no Andre,G like 'venchy/Reach like 'Bron James/Pep talk from 'Yonce/Remember my hands had ash like pompeii/Now they hold cash/Won't peak like Dante".Chance really did come through.

8.RING feat Kehlani

Its a slow jam like they make them in the '90's and on a jam this slow,Cardi and Kehlani are oil and water.They don't mix.Cardi packs perhaps too much energy to tone down a notch lower and this leads to a loss of synergy between her tight verses and Kehlani's beautiful singing.

9.MONEY BAG

Super super jam.In one word,Money Bag is magic.She re-enacts Bodak Yellow with the same winning formula-classy display of unabashed bossiness and crass sensuality."I do the maybach monday and ferrari friday/This is sweet p***y saturday/Thats just what Plies say/I said bae 'its a snack'/He said 'its a entree/With them pretty a** twins/You look like Beyonce".Whats more?.She had J.white produce this too.For emphasis,magic.

10.BARTIER CARDI feat 21 Savage

Her 2nd single earned her more respect from the skeptics.They had every right to stay on the other side.Nicki Minaj had trademarked the big bad bossy b***h game and no one could tell how she'll play.But on Bartier Cardi,she stamps down her style-Cardi loves to rap and she does so harder than a Nicki ever will.The mean b***h game.

11.SHE BAD feat YG

YG lays a really infectious chorus and Cardi was on A-game rap.Dope song.

12.THRU THE PHONE

We were going to see all sides of Cardi B on here and her artistic brilliance is most amplified by this track.The steely delivery powers some 'hell hath no fury' venting in great style-"Beyonce on my stereo/'Resentment' on repeat/I'ma make a bowl of cereal with a teaspoon of bleach/Serve it to you like here you go/N***a bon appetit/".

Ali Tomposi nails the hook with some really captivating singing.Be Careful might be too blurry but thru your phone raises some valid questions about the state of her relationship with Offset.She references Beyonce's 'Resentment' and a leaked video of a naked girl purportedly made after she had sex with Offset in a hotel comes to mind first when she raps-"And you can tell your little b***h/I screenshotted all of her naked pics/Oh,you wanna send nudes to my man/Wake up and see your boobs on the gram".

13.I DO IT feat SZA

Its breath-taking how she thumps through the laid back beat with her hot lines.From the moment SZA comes on with the bomb hook,you are in it at same intensity to the end.Fabulous song.

There you have it folks,Cardi B won't be going anywhere anytime soon.