SPEECHgirl Bucknor

My Reality.... abisonaspeaks on Reality Shows! Nigerian Idol

2011-10-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

abisona music. fashion. consciousness.: My Reality.... abisonaspeaks on Reality Shows! Nig...: Auditions! Auditions! Auditions! Reality shows are most exciting at two stages- the auditions phase when you see all the raw talent and a...

My Reality.... abisonaspeaks on Reality Shows! Yinka is a star!

2011-10-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

abisona music. fashion. consciousness.: My Reality.... abisonaspeaks on Reality Shows! Yin...: Ever hung out with your friends, made a video, taken some pictures and then gone home to show everyone but it isn’t quite as alive as when ...

My Thoughts and Predictions about the Headies!

2011-08-03T02:29:00.000-07:00

abisona music. fashion. consciousness.: The HEADIES are here... and so are my views!: "Commenting on the nominees for the Hip Hop World Awards has been a pastime of mine for a while so even though they are now known as 'The Hea..."

An 'IDeaOL' Engagement

2011-06-07T04:54:00.000-07:00

This season of American Idol was going real well for me till my favourite got eliminated!
I loved the judges, i loved most of the contestants and the music for the most part!
Speaking of contestants, my favourites always tend to the kooky/quirky sorts and i was quite drawn to Paul McDonald.

Not surprised he didn't win though as in the end, American Idol is a pop show but while Paul might have lost out on the Idol crown, he has won another... Or at least, given a ring out!

Yup! Yup! Yup! Less than three months after dating ''Twilights' Nikki Reed, Paul has proposed to her and she showed her ring off at the MTV Movie Awards!
Apparently they met at a movie premiere and they are in love!

All z best to them!

THOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR! O My!

2011-05-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

I have to be honest, i love television. With movies, it's more, see a million, love a few.

This year, i haven't loved any. Well maybe one or two helped pass two hours of my time a day, but you know how you feel after seeing a really good movie, like Inception, The Proposal, The Usual Suspects, Grease, Sounds of Music and so on?

Well, a random Friday night decision got that for me!

All i wanted was Chicken Soup at Prime Chinese, and then we decided to see a movie. The cinema was full; the world had turned out for 'Thor' and we had to divide and conquer to ensure we got our popcorn AND good seats! (I tell you, i saw people sitting on the aisle. No, not by the aisle seats, but ON the aisle).

Anyhoo, the movie began.

I was at first preoccupied with my headache and crepes (not the easiest thing to eat with your hands when you have been shaking the world and his brother). But somewhere between Natalie Portmans character backing into someone and then 750AD and Anthony Hopkin's character showing up on the screen, i dropped my crepes and paid attention.

THOR tells the story of... well Thor. But not just him.

It's a story of sibling rivalry, jealousy, a man (or god's) journey of self discovery, magic and science, and of course, ROMANCE!

THOR had it all- fantastic action sequences for those who love things being blown up, people being punched and fights, touching love stories for those who love to see boy meet girl stories, a really good storyline, and believe it or not, humour, intentional or otherwise!

Thankfully, i knew a little about Thor (like the fact that Thursday IS THORS DAY), but not enough to want the movie to fit into some idea i had of the mythical figure. But when a movie makes you want to Google and Wiki everything, you know you are on to something!

And i saw some interesting actors on screen- Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba. We also got introduced to some new-ish names like Chris Hemsworth.

Trivia- The director, Kenneth Branaugh originally wanted Chris' brother (him of the 'Last Song' fame with Miley Cyrus) to play the part, but after seeing Chris' biceps...sorry, talent, i think they cast the right brother!

Should you see this movie?

Yes please.

And then one more time for good measure.

I am a THORnatic.

Thank you!

Erm... Z Boyfriend thinks i can write

2011-05-06T01:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah, thats mostly what i wanted to say

I have been quiet cos abisona.com has to fly! So let it fly so i can come back!

But im spending my day and possibly month with smiles cos i got a lovely email from TB (The Boyfriend for u newbies). He thinks i can write! YAY!

abisona music. fashion. consciousness.: Taruwa is baaaack

2011-04-13T02:34:00.000-07:00

abisona music. fashion. consciousness.: Taruwa is baaaack: "How do you re-introduce something that was an addiction for hundreds of Lagosians but which then went away leaving a big void? You could t..."

abisona music. fashion. consciousness.: "Black & Yellow" Remix by Naija Boyz

2011-03-09T00:22:00.000-08:00

abisona music. fashion. consciousness.: "Black & Yellow" Remix by Naija Boyz: "Hey peeps. Check out this remix of the hit song 'Black & Yellow' by Wiz Khalifa, and of course, don't forget to drop us a line. If you ask m..."

abisona music. fashion. consciousness.: At the Oscars.... 2011 and Beautiful!

2011-03-02T23:03:00.001-08:00

abisona music. fashion. consciousness.: At the Oscars.... 2011 and Beautiful!: "Did you watch the Oscars?Maybe!But did you check out the Oscars Red Carpet? O yes definitely! These shows are sometimes more about who wore ..."

abisona music. fashion. consciousness.: At the Oscars.... 2011 and Beautiful!

2011-03-02T23:03:00.000-08:00

hey guys, catch me on www.abisona.com

2011-01-24T22:46:00.000-08:00

So people have been sending me tweets and actually stopping me on the street asking about my blog
Im really sorry guys that i didnt say this sooner

SPEECHgirl is going quiet for a bit, but dont fear, thats only because abisona needs me!

Please support this new blog as much as you have supported SPEEChgirl, and o dont worry, SPEECHgirl isnt going off, just quiet for a bit!

Enjoy!

www.abisona.com

Where to go this weekend?

2010-11-26T01:48:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to THE NET NG as they celebrate One Year!
Yay!

WHats Happening This Weekend?
- Celebrity Read Africa
Come catch your favourite celebs reading passages from their favourite books! Guest performances also by Christine, Le'mmon and more!
Terra Kulture, 3pm

- One Soul's Album Launch
One Soul launches his new album with an album listening concert at Silverbird Galleria with special guest appearances!
Silverbird Galleria, 3pm

- Underground
Underground seeks to discover new talent and help give them an immediate platform! There are also guest performances by more established acts!
Soul Lounge, 5pm

Sunday
- NMVA's
The Nigeria Music Video Awards hold at Eko Hotel this Sunday

LWKMD
- Jedi brings to you a comedy concert with a little help from his friends
Motherlan'6pm

Ten Things You Should Know About Karaoke You Can

2010-11-26T01:21:00.000-08:00

Ten Things You Should Know ABout KARAOKEYOUCAN
1. It will be hosted by Area Mama, with a lot of help from Angela and Bobby Taylor. If you havent met Angela yet, #thankmelater

2. KAraokeYouCan holds at Swe Bar. That's at City Mall Onikan

3. KARAOKEYOUCAN holds on the FIRST Wed of every month. Yup! Jan- Dec next year, be there or p square!

4. The first edition holds on the FIRST WEd of DECEMBER, Wed Dec 1st. 4pm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5. So what happens at the event? Well if Area Mama can Karaoke, You Can! Come in, get the karaoke list, pick what songs you would like to perform alone or with a group of friends, and then sing your hearts out.

6. You are in good company! Our confirmed guests who will also be singing include Nyore, Christine and Chidynma. And o yes, Denrele!

7. And it gets better! We have some signed c.ds, posters and free drinks to give away!

8. And Overdose has a surprise for you all. Okay let me ruin it jo- he will be at the event, and we get to watch his new video for his new single, 'Drinks in a Glass'!

9. Quick reminder! Its on Wed Dec 1st, 4pm at Swe. And it is free, but you have to get on the guestlist!

10. O, so that is the catch? Yes it is. But it is an easy catch to catch na! All you have to do to get on the guestlist is one or more of the following
- send an sms to 07035169111
- add this pin, 22775AC2 and give them your name
- follow @theareamama or @sharedazzle on twitter,and then dm your names!

And there you were thinking there was something more to it!

So, those are ten things to know about KARAOKE YOU CAN.
Here is one thing we would like to know-
WILL YOU BE THERE?

Swe... SMVA's and Nigeria Idol!

2010-11-23T01:22:00.000-08:00

So the weekend came and ended. It's Tuesday already, cant wait for Christmas.
So lets talk about how this weekend went for me real quick shall we?

SWE VODKA PARTY

My mum told me the other day not to take vodka cos it has forty percent alcohol. Okay mummy!
I did go for the Vodka party and had a blast at Swe. Dj Deluxe of Swe as always, had us dancing, there were free drinks and more, and the company (Djinee, Bolu and co) was amazing!
To cap it all, Christine performed ''Im a Star'.
If you have ever tried to speak with a bunch of people at a bar, you would know what that feat was! Cos she had them paying attention and asking for her singles!
So i guess we have one to watch!

SMVA's
Sound City Video Music Awards.
I like how the SMVAs insist it is all about the videos and so there are technical issues to consider, which means winners are not always the popular choices!
Its an interesting argument, and i wouldnt neccessarily fight with it, but it is hard to balance technical with popular!

So the awards.
First off, one of the better co-ordinated award events of this year. I truly liked the event flow.
One negative, i did not enjoy the VIP... I suppose there was a justification for putting the VIP seats at the gallery, but there were no ushers up there telling us what! So people kept seats, people stood all through....
I love performances and the SMVA's gave us several!
Did i like them? Well yes!
For the most part
Best performances on the night? E.M.E and Sasha!
Worst? A certain alapomeji family should have put their craft together better. ANd maybe if 9ice had appeared at the end, it would have salvaged the situation. By the way, i really like lady, she should have done her own version of street credibility though!
I tried to escape the red carpet to be honest, but i think i was still caught on camera!
sigh

NIGERIA IDOL

And yes! It is back, and this time, seems to want to be better
i loved the first season of Nigeria Idol though, I mean, it had Mike Majic as the host, and produced Timi Dakolo, Omawumi, Temitayo George and more!
So you wont hear any complaints from me

This season has Misi Molu and Anis as hosts, and from the first episode i saw, Anis has a good sense of humour which translates on air...
The judges are interesting. I mean, yes, Jeffrey invented the moonwalk, but his comments show there is more to him than that. He seems to want to be the nice one though, like a randy jackson
Yinka Davies is technical, i would be scared to sing in front of that powerhouse i swear
And Audu is... well Audu! Funny, knows his onions, and funny!

Not looking too bad, let's see how it goes. And at least, we know we have guaranteed laughs for the first few episodes with those auditons o!

KARAOKE YOU CAN...

2010-11-22T01:16:00.001-08:00

Yes! Yes! Yes!

For all lovers of Karaoke, this is the s.h.a.r.e event for u!

Every First Wed of the month!

Swe Bar

4pm - 8pm

s.h.a.r.e Network hosts Area Mama and her special guests, and of course YOU, to Karaoke You Can (cos Area Mama can!)

Get ready to sing, pick up signed c.ds from some of your favourite artistes and celebs, mingle with people, and hey, maybe win some prizes... and of course, walk the red carpet!

Each month has a different flavour and theme, and you can find out whats happening by following @sharedazzle @theareamama

Dont forget!

Every 1st Wed of the month
Swe Bar
4pm to 8pm
Karaoe You Can... cos Area Mama can!

A Very busy November Weekend!

2010-11-19T02:09:00.000-08:00

So, i have recently been trying to take things slow and pace myself. This weekend however, there is no denying that the most rest i am going to get will be in-between events!

So what is happening this weekend?

SWE VODKA PARTY
The weekend starts off at Swe with the Vodka Party! I know, a vodka party? Well it is to introduce party goers to a specific brand of vodka and it would be nice to see how that goes but i am also very excited about the fact that talented Christine Ben-Ameh will be performing on the night!
i do hope she does 'ungraceful'. It is my favourite track of hers. For now!

SAAMI SICKLE-CELL DANCE-A-THON
The Sickle Cell Advocacy and Management Initiative continues with its awareness drive by bringing sickle cell in a fun form to students and workers alike!
THis event holds on Saturday 20th at the Unilag Sports COmplex at 11am and will feature dances (SOD being one of the headlining acts), performances (with Rooftop MCs and Le'mmon as some of the acts to watch out for) and more!
The Gate Fee is an affordable N300 for singles and N500 for couples and i hear there will also be free genetic counselling and tests available.
Nice!

This won't really make the general list as it is a private party but i am excited cos i get to m.c a friends wedding.

SMVA's
The SMVA's hold on Saturday Night and i hear Uti is hosting. Great! Where is my big money?
So the last time i went for an awards show, i wore this dress which was raved and talked about
I plan on trying to avoid the red carpet and cameras this time around. LOL
CON.tra.diction wont though, she will be there to mingle with everyone
I am looking forward to the performances for sure.

I remember standing right by the stage to watch M.I and Freshly Ground perform last time around. Lets see what i do this time around
O wait, may i wear flats? My back hurts!

So yup!
Full weekend but i hope to catch brunch at Bishops Cottage on Sunday. I like the mini-burgers. And chicken. And candles. And.....

What else.

o quick one, erm, aunty Dora, naija for life o!

Future Awards extends deadline for nominations!

2010-11-17T23:21:00.000-08:00

The Future Awards Announces Extension of Nomination

Due to requests for more time, nominations for The Future Award have been extended. The new closing date for the nominations is Sunday, November 21, 2010.

The 6th season of The Future Awards was launched on the 30th of September, 2010. Twenty categories will be recognized in the awards this season. These categories are Best Use of Advocacy, Actor of the Year, Best Use of Technology, Best use of Science, Business Owner of the Year, Comedian of the Year, Best Use of Science, Creative Artist of the Year, Journalist of the Year, Magazine of the Year, Musician of the Year, Music Producer of the Year, On-air Personality of the Year (Radio), On-air Personality of the Year (TV), Professional of the Year (Corporate), Professional of the Year (Creative), Screen Producer of the Year, Sportsperson of the Year, Team of the Year, the biggest for Young Person of the Year and for Excellence in Public Service.

Nominees must be Nigerian citizens and must be aged 18 – 31. If you want to nominate anyone, all you need to do is go to the website www.thefuturenigeria.com/nominations/, click the ‘Nominate’ link and fill in information about the nominees’ work and why you think he/she should win. Kindly ensure you get all nominations in by midnight November 21.

ten Takers

2010-10-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

So i saw the movie 'Takers'.
On paper- excellente! Cast, Plot, Everything! But by the time the closing credits came up, i realised ten things.

1. The acting
... wasn't bad! T.I and Chris Brown were good surprises,

2. The Cast
... was a well put together team! I liked the acting, i already mentioned that. And they were all easy on the eyes! I mean from Idris Elba to Matt Dillon to Mariann jean-Baptise to...
Yes the cast was good. But my friend and i joke that they didnt send the whole script to the cast before they signed on! And even then...

3. Hayden Christenson
*sigh*. *swoon* It should be an offence to be this...Hayden!

4. The T.I and Chris Brown allusions
... were interesting. The writers were having fun with this. I mean, T.I's character leaves prison in such an iconic scene that you can't help but draw parallels with T.I himself. Sadly, we all know what is happening now- He is going back. And Chris Brown had one very interesting scene which while cool baffled me. (And then i saw the end credits)

5. The competition
... has been ignored abi? Because i can think of ten movies better than this movie from Salt to Inception to The Other Guys to A Team, to Eat Pray Love to Africa Magic Yoruba... Okay fine, Africa Magic Yoruba is a channel not a movie! And since i deviated, more things better than this movie- an hr of Flashpoint, The Mentalist, Castle, Tru Blood, and so on. The only movie not better than this movie is that M and B with vampires. Id mention it but i only successfully got it out of my mind. Thanks
And while still on the subject of competition, well this was a heist movie. And surely they had seen the other movies of its kind? Like 'heist'? 'oceans 11, 12, 13', and even 'set it off'. Yes, that 'Set it Off'. And one thing they obviously didnt learn from their competition was how criminals behave.

6. Story
... wasnt bad. Actually, it was a pretty good idea. But someone lost the plot. Pun intended.

7. Annoying People
... were deliberately written into the movie just to upset me. I can't tell you why they were so annoying, but watch out for Idris Elba's characters sister.

8. The company
.. i was with made the movie bearable. You should always see movies with people you can throw popcorn at so that gives you something to do if the movie doesnt!

8. The Movie
.. could have been so much better i tell you! O my! Kai these people had sub plots which somehow just didnt tie in properly! Some scenes were really cool action wise; i enjoyed the action. I already mentioned the beautiful people; im a sucker for pretty faces. Heist stories usually sell themselves; i dont know to whom this one tried to.

10. In the end...
the movie will do well, but i wish it was a song so it could be remixed!

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2010-10-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

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So i saw the movie and now i Eat Pray and Love

2010-10-20T04:59:00.000-07:00

First time i read 'Eat Pray Love', i was in one of those places where you have no choice but to read anything you can cos you're not going anywhere
Not prison.
But hey, hospital beds feel close.

A colleague had raved about it, how he loved it, and how his fiancee loved it as well. I had had the book for eons, but pneumonia provided a great excuse to bring it out, dust it, and read!

Did i like the book?

I think you could say i loved it.
It was, a fun book to read.

I loved the main character, the voice of the novel. I identified with her struggles and her thoughts and her seeming need to destroy where there was peace. I told myself, sometimes you have to breathe to admit you haven't been breathing all along. And no, perfect on paper isnt always perfect in real life.
Plus i loved the adventure, and i too wanted the 'nothingness' she was able to achieve. O we keep sp busy, always thinking, planning, meeting, planning to meet, that we forget to just be.

I loved Italy! Her time spent in italy was time spent with food, my first love. As she ate, i ate, and resolved that one day, i too will go have pasta and red wine, and learn italian properly.

I felt Italy should have been put in the middle because i found India tedious. Yet still i learnt the value of certain things; like silence, and finding your weakness is actually a strength.

I loved Indonesia, it was better than India for me, but still did not have the carefreeness Italy had. But it had an adorable singular character that made it worth it.

I read the book, sometimes a few chapters a day, sometimes because of visitors and fatigue, just one chapter a day.
And i raved about it to my friend and said i was so excited that it had been made into a movie and i simply must see it!

I do not know what changed between when i read the book and when i saw the movie, but if there was one thing the movie left me feeling, it was bad.

Don't get me wrong, the movie was excellent.
It had Julia Roberts, whom i am sure i pretty much have a crush on, and who is one of my top five actresses!
It had colour and food and humour and great people.
It captured some of the book but not all, and possibly not enough.
It brought things i had read to life, in ways i would not have, and indeed, did not picture it.

It did however, make me feel uncomfortable.
I remember walking in hand in hand to see that movie, and by the time it was done, there was silence. The awkward kind.
I remember sitting down excitedly beside the dapper gentleman who felt familiar, and by the time the movie ended, being barely able to say bye.
I remember wanting to go home and just sleep; somehow blot out the last few hours spent on popcorn and the movie.

Was it a terrible movie?
(Have you not heard a thing i said? NOOOO)

It was a lovely movie. It did what it was meant to do
It at once inspired you, yet left you uneasy. You immediately start to think about your own life as you watch our main character seemingly destroy hers then rebuild it. You ponder and wonder and just spend so much time thinking!
But you also laugh, and cry, and smile, and root for various people as the movie goes along.

Would i recommend it? Yes.
You should see it. If only for the fact that watching movies can't always be about thrilling the mind (inception) or the funny bone (the other guys).
Sometimes, a movie should do more- it should make you think.

I pray that when you do do that thinking, you will find yourself able to get out of it.
Im glad cos i saw the movie with someone who felt just as shaken about it, but still, we found a way to be okay.

#TeamTiwaSavage and CON.tra too!

2010-10-08T01:19:00.000-07:00

It was the dress she wore that caught the attention of the Online Community. The dress she wore to the HipHop World Awards.
I woke up the Monday after the awards and everyone on twitter was buzzing!

But don't let the dress fool you, there is more to Tiwa than dazzling daring dresses!

Apparently i hah heard one of her songs before i knew it was hers, but the first one i listened to was 'Kele Kele Love'. Before i actually listened to it, i had heard one or two girls mention it. And when i finally listened, i realised why they like it; it is kinda like the Female 'Too-Smart-For-Your-Crap' Anthem; like how we all loved 'No Scrubs' and the guys even had to respond to it!

'Kele Kele Love' sounded so good, that it prompted me to come up with my two rules of kele-ism!
- If a guy calls you at 9pm on Friday and hadnt called all day, well ladies, everyone else said no

- If a guy only talks about his money, cars and self on a date, ladies, he needs to date a mirror

I am sure that if i thought harder, id think of more, but Tiwa Savage has the rules for days!!!
She told me during our interview on Top Radio, that she had got the beat for some days before writing to it but once she started to write, it flowed in a few!!!

After 'Kele Kele Love' i reluctantly moved on the other songs on the promo c.d and they were also pretty interesting. There was 'Ife wa gbono' as well which i can just hear at every wedding, and her rendition of the National Anthem.

Yeah!
I am definitely Team Tiwa Savage!

I am also Team CON.tra.diction by the way!
Now CON.tra.diction has her own blog o, on Reverbnation which you can see here
http://www.reverbnation.com/misscontradiction#/page_object/page_object_blogs/artist_601206

But i just wanted to mention that she got to perform recently at Designers Lounge at Rehab, and also had an interview on TVC (lunchsplash with Labi)

Yay! Go CON.tra!

From our friends at WE PLUG GOOD MUSIC

2010-09-28T09:28:00.001-07:00

WE PLUG GOOD MUSICpresent

A Prelude to the future

A collection of sound recordings featuring 20 emerging artists in
HIP-HOP, SOUL AND SPOKEN WORD

This Mixtape contains an array of passionate expression sonically captured in an element of these artists’ historical journey.

Available NOW for FREE DOWNLOAD

http://www.wepluggoodmusic.bandcamp.com

‘Good music perfectly relays what the author innately feels or intends to convey.’ - We Plug Good Music

A Prelude to the Future is that definitive window into the pool of the most current and distinguished artists and music that you should know about.

Since February 2009, We Plug GOOD Music has consistently provided its online community with the very best emerging music from all around the world vis-a-vis plugging these emerging artists to a wider range of audiences via its’ websites & online radio show as well as bringing quality live music to diverse audiences in and around London (UK) & Lagos (Nigeria) via their ‘One Mic’ showcases.

'We Plug GOOD Music' has established an online presence successfully plugging the emerging music that commercial radio doesn’t play, Aiming to push the true artform of music and NOT necessarily what the industry calls 'good' & in theirconsistent, continuous bid & effort to keep plugging the best of NEW & EMERGING Performing Artistes, they’ve come together with 20 of the most promising emerging artists to create ‘The Future is NOW’ project beginning with this ‘A Prelude to the Future’ mixtape

A Prelude to the Future features 20 of the best emerging artists that we have come across over the last year from all around the word & Specifically hand-picked from the ever-budding Nigerian Music scene is an array of amazing artists (with exclusive and unreleased material) including...

WAJE an incredible emerging Songstress, whose name is fast becoming a strong brand in Nigeria after having worked with the biggest African R&B duo, P-Square on 2007’s massive hit record, ‘Do Me’ and releasing two hugely successful singles herself, ‘Somewhere’ & ‘Kolo’. She is widely regarded as the Queen of R&B in Nigeria and her discography already includes collaborations with huge African artists such as Banky W, Eldee the Don and J Martins. We also feature emerging ‘Alternative Soul’ Singer/Song-writer BEZ, a natural performer with a charismatic and playful stage presence who has previously opened for International Sensation, Asa & performed alongside Nigeria’s premiere artists like Tuface, 9ice & D’Banj as well as World-renowned Hip-Hop/Soul singer, Nneka. Bez also took part in the Nigerian leg of the 2009’s Hennessy Artistry Series which culminated in the Series Finale in NYC featuring the legendary Common & The Roots.

KEL, the Poster Child of Nigerian Hip-Hop, who right now at such an early stage in her career & with the release of her first and only album so far, has already been nominated for a number of prestigious awards in the Nigerian Music industry including the MTV Africa Music Awards (Best Female), the Hip-Hop World Awards (Best Rap Album), the Future Nigeria Awards (Musician of the Year) and the Dynamix Awards (Best New Artiste), blesses us with a Remot-produced exclusive for ‘A Prelude to the Future’. Also featured on this mixtape is ‘Urban Soul’ Singer/Rapper/Song-writer & 6-time Nigerian Entertainment Awards (NEA) nomineeNAIRA (Nigerian American I Represent Africa) who, having already worked with & shared stages with the likes of Tuface Idibia,Raskimono, Banky W, Naeto C & Stacey Epps as well as contributing two original songs to the soundtrack for MTV Film's 'My Super Psycho Sweet 16', has taken time out of recording her forthcoming album ‘Fearless: The Art of Letting Go’ to link up with US-based Nigerian producer Kid Konnect for an exclusive track just for this project.

Also introducing Nigerian-born Yomi ‘GREEDS’ Sode, who is an emerging talented and eclectic spoken word artist, has been able to showcase and experiment with numerous musical styles & lyrical expressions so far in his infant career. In little over two years on the UK scene, he has shared the stage with amazing established poets such as David J, Kat Francois, Tshaka Campbell & Floetic Lara as well as new generation poets like Inua Ellams, Dean Atta, Deanna Rodger & James Massiah. On his latest release ‘Sampler 4’, GREEDS continues to bring a new sound to performance poetry & push the art form forward to the unaware.

You will also get to hear new, exclusive, previously unheard & some re-released material from some of the finest emerging artists we’ve been privileged to work with, in the genres of Hip-Hop, Soul, R&B & Spoken Word from all around the world including emerging UK Soul & Hip-Hop artists Shanaz Dorsett, The BB Architects, AKS & Shadez the Misfit, America’s fast-rising underground Hip-Hop and R&B artists Remot, Midian, EOM & Emay, Spoken Word artists Greeds & Zayna Daze and so much more in this 20-track opus & ode to EMERGING MUSIC.

This mixtape contain specially selected artists with real GOOD music for your listening pleasure... We want you to get to know these artists as we believe they are the FUTURE... Nothing more can be said on paper without you actually hearing the music so please PRESS PLAY via our Bandcamp page: http://www.wepluggoodmusic.bandcamp.com

We Plug GOOD Music presents: A Prelude to the Future is NOW available for FREE download at: http://www.wepluggoodmusic.bandcamp.com

For further information, press + artist enquiries, please contact:
Ayodele Adepoju
Email: ayodele.adepoju@wepluggoodmusic.com
Telephone: +447595947017

Swe Celebrates Nigeria at 50

2010-09-28T01:56:00.000-07:00

I like Swe Bar because once there is some holiday or special event, Swe always has a plan!

The INDEPENDENCE weekend is here, and there are so many events to look forward to! Swe has planned long weekend, and there is something for everyone!

THURSDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER, 8pm
Godbless and the Ebony Band, with guest comedians and artistes in the building!
Ladies i hear there are complimentary Naija at 50 cocktails waiting for you!
From 8pm till ........................

FRIDAY 1ST OCTOBER
1pm -7pm

Karaoke (SPECIAL NAIJA @ 50 EDITION)
Loads of gifts to be won, cos there's going to be a karaoke competition

From 7pm till dawn

Repping Naija music till dawn with DJ Deluxe & DJ Collins

SATURDAY 2ND OCTOBER

From 12.45pm

The day starts off with the Premier League match of the day (MAN U .v. SUNDERLAND), and then the Independence Party Train continues with music from the 60s to today!

SUNDAY 3RD OCTOBER

There is more football action during the day, with BLACKPOOL v. LIVERPOOL and CHELSEA v. ARSENAL

And Sunday Karaoke resumes till....

FOR RESERVATIONS :

Call these nos

01-8797671

0703 516 9111

Sounds like fun from where im typing, and i think CON.tra.diction will make an appearance on Friday!
hmmn

This is Not the News Again!

2010-09-22T10:31:00.001-07:00

Nigeria Idol is back! And it looks like this time, we will have some fun with it!

The press conference held this week and the buffet was excellent. Okay fine! There was also a lot of information passed as well!
The host for this brand new Nigeria IDol is Missimolu. You might have heard her on Beat FM? Well let's just say, im going to steal her stylist!
The judges are not bad at all! We had originally heard that Steve Babaeko might be one of the judges but Steve? He borders on shy!
The judges are Jeffrey Daniels, Yinka Davies and Audu Maikori.

Now, most female judges end up playing the mother role, from Paula Abdul to Mary Murphy. But id rather a Mary Murphy than a Paula, i am sure Yinka will be her eccentric self on that panel!

So, i am off to drink some lemon tea now, Area Mama wants to go audition!

Now i told you Audu was one of the Nigeria Idol judges right? Well Audu is the C.E.O of Chocolate City, the label M.I, Jesse Jags and Ice Prince are signed on.
Now Ice Prince is, 'the other Choc Boy'. He is like the cousin or friend you love so much and always want around!
Plus, the ladies will probably admit he is probably pretty cute too!
now Ice Prince has moved from cameos and collabos, to his very own single which is fast being downloaded! Titled 'oleku', it was produced by Jesse Jags and features Brymo.
heres a link that is notjustok

http://www.notjustok.com/2010/09/21/world-premiere-ice-prince-oleku-ft-brymo/

I love Ellen
This of course has nothing to do with anything, but i thought to add that!

I had Chuddy K on the show today, and it was fun chatting with him.

His album, 'I am Me' is out now, and has interesting songs like 'I no know', 'Shampoo', 'Craze' with Da Grin, 'Bazooka' and of course, the very popular, 'Slow Slow'.
Oya, buy!
And while you are at it, download Teeto's Mixtape, 'Da Freshness', which is really cool!

Okay then, 'Mard' and 'Toofan' await me.

TU many memories to PAC in one post

2010-09-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

It was the anniversary of Tupac’s death a few days ago. I mean, more like a memory of the day he died. And memories indeed.
The last time a great rapper died, i remembered Tupac for he always seemed to remind me of Pac even though he himself loved Biggy. I am talking about Da Grin who would sometimes tie bandannas, grin on his beats, and speak with the sort of honesty Pac did. And hey, he was in the hospital for days, battling, with fans praying for him. Just like Pac.
Of course, while he died as a result of complications arising from his motor-accident, Tupac Amaru Shakur was shot.

Tupac.

I must have heard his songs before i heard his songs.
Raised mostly on popular music, i learnt to flirt with most but love none. Until i heard a song by a rapper called Tupac. My cousin had come to our house that day with a tape/cassette ( i know!), saying in yoruba, “Won ma pa bobo yi, o ti bu won ju”. ( Meaning, they will kill this guy, he has yapped them too much). He slot the tape in, and it was ‘hit em up’.
First off, the first line said, and that was sort of an introduction to everything. To anger, to music, to my lifelong bystander-ish interest in hiphop, was ‘First off’. It sounded like something you would say to a friend, a course mate, a lecturer. It was a very general way of starting something, well, so personal. After ‘First off’, everything else went angry, and i became so fascinated that my cousin had to leave the tape with me.
Unilag was an eye... no scrap that, ear-opener for me. Having listened to r n b like most of my classmates in secondary school, it was almost a redemption for me, when i discovered what else was out there. My room mate in my first year in University would play the Cranberries, someone at mt fellowship would be listening to Seal with their earphones, my best friend at the time would listen to Alanis Morisette, a course mate would have more Tupac songs and albums by other artistes. And then of course there was Rick Dees.
And somehow, the music i heard opened up the things i felt.
Back then, i was carrying a lot of weight i did not even fully understand. Music was helping to process. With some i learnt anger. And i was amazed. I did not know you were allowed to express yourself so honestly in music. Some brought me peace. Others gave me an insight into one simple assertion- everybody hurts.

With Pac, i found a good dose of... all.
No, i had never been a victim of racial profiling nor seen the walls of a prison, nor been born to a mother that took drugs nor had to sell drugs, nor seen a gun before, nor worn bullet proof vests, nor been paid for sex . And yet, i could still relate to each song i heard. The things he spoke of were sometimes physical, but i could relate them to the emotional and the psychological. Yes, sometimes it felt like all eyes were on me, and i firmly believed only God could judge me. When people pissed me off, i wanted to defiantly tell them to picture me up, and i craved changes! Some songs i enjoyed as were. No need to analyse ‘2 of America’s Most Wanted’ or even ‘Hit em up’. I enjoyed listening to them and yes, every once in a while, we would dance to songs by Tupac at clubs.

When Tupac was shot, the news got here and somehow, like all those other fans who kept vigil in front of his hospital day after day, praying and lighting candles, i KNEW he would survive. ‘he has been shot before’ my cousin and i consoled each other as we waited for news to trickle in that Pac was better and alive and could rap again. Knowing how this went, it must have been foolish of me to, this year, have that same conviction when Da Grin had his accident. I KNEW Da Grin would rap again.
But he didnt. And neither did Pac.
My sister called me when she heard Pac died. She knew i would be crying. And i was. I was crying for humane reasons- mourning a fellow human being. But i was crying for selfish reasons- I would never meet him, never listen to new material that came from him, never see him on stage, never....

And there are times like this week that just went by, when i feel those pangs. Now though, it is just easier to like the music as much as i love it.

They say some people are Tupaclysts, i do not even know if i qualify. I do know that i have as many of his songs as i can get, and that i also have his poetry. I dedicated my Final Year Project in Unilag to ‘The Rose that grew from Concrete’. I learnt what ‘T.H.U.G.L.I.F.E’ meant, learnt his raps (‘Changes’ is the only one i have down perfectly though). I spent time watching ‘Notorious’ and hating how Pac was potrayed. Yes he was a thug, if you like, but he was a thug with heart. And while some might argue who the greatest M.C is, i know who brought passion and the most heart.
I doubt if one article could ever say how i feel. Infact, it almost seems wrong to try to use written words to express things felt. But still, i had to write.
Thank you Tupac for the music.

But this is not news now...

2010-09-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

So M.I is joking right? He isn't really going to quit music is he?
That is what i heard sha. He basically said he was now in love with movies, and was going to make the anticipated second album, 'MI2', a movie, instead of an album.

Which means he would leave Chocolate City right?

Erm...

Speaking of Chocolate City, i hear, Kel wants people to know that she might like the company, but she isn't signed yet. Not to Chocolate City, and not to any other record label.
You know, if Chocolate City needs any more signees, they should sign MC Wack!
yeah.

You know who i'd sign if i owned a record label?
Ese Peters
Now that is one guy who can sing! And strum. I saw him casually randomly perform one of his singles 'Wetin I Go Do' in a little booth during an interview, and unplugged, he sounded great! I recommend him highly to any record label that is sure, they can handle alternative music.

Like how Bez will hopefully be handled well by Cobhams label, and how Etcetera has been handled by X3M.
Etcetera's album is coming out soon by the way!
Yesterday i broke my diet, ate pork chops, and listened to songs from the album
They not only have great titles, but they have wonderful melodies. I. Am. Excited.
Guitars, Music, Life.
It is perfect

And hopefully, we will get a lot of that on the Alternative Mixtape i am working on!

Tell you more about that later!

In the meantime, i am off to take my recommended two caps of agbo, and miss j!
Bye!

International Literacy Day

2010-09-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

Hi guys
i thought i had to at least blog on the day that celebrates Literacy, abi?

International Literacy Day was proclaimed by UNESCO in 1965 and celebrated for the first time on September 8th 1966.

On my radio show today, and also on twitter (you can follow me on twitter as @toptosyn and @abisonaspeaks), i asked people how we could celebrate World Literacy Day. These are some of the suggestions that were made, what do you think? And what would you add?

- 'No Gbagauns on Twitter".
Well this is funny on one level but you know, also true. Let us try to be grammatically correct today, and watch out for those common syntax errors!

- s.h.a.r.e a book
Nice! Be it a novel, or a textbook, if you have read it and you liked it, please s.h.a.r.e it!

- Write with no abbreviations
This i like! What would life be like if we did not lol or loaf or get peoples attn or ....

- Write a letter
THis is my personal suggestion joo o!
I cannot remember the last time i opened an envelope and read a letter that was not an invite or a stock report! Today i shall write a letter to J and possibly to my father!

- Book Reviews and Literacy Segments
Specifically requested for my show, i think if there is anyone who owns a blog, or works on radio, tv or print media, then they could also think of this as a long term thing. Book reviews are no longer in style, but books still rock! And yes, we might all be waiting these days for the movies to be made (Eat Pray Love anyone?), but nothing beats turning the pages of a book!

THese suggestions had me laughing and thinking
Truth is though, if you are reading this, you can celebrate today. That is basic. But we never stop reaching, never stop learning, so why not read a book today? And hey, if you can help pay someone's school fees, that would also be swell!

its my birthday...

2010-08-13T04:53:00.000-07:00

... But no crying
This birthday I want to be happy.
I'm alive.
Its not all perfect. My superman is ill. And I battled pneumonia and acute chest syndrome this year. Kai see chest pain! Have u ever been afraid to breathe?
I was!

I'd get philosophical and tell u as long as ure breathing, ure living, so live mehn!

Its my birthday and I want peace love and amala
And an Eminem c.d or two
And socks
And a brandy c.d
And accessories
And music
And smiles
And love
And joy
And a happy birthday song
And you
And world peace
And donuts

Its my birthday again! And I'm blessed! So I thank tha Lord!
Cos it is important

I luv you Nigeria

2010-08-08T23:57:00.000-07:00

'MY FRIEND'

I once had a friend who was quite ill. The least of what he had was a cold. But he also had malaria, and doctors suspected he was anaemic as he was severely jaundiced.
My friend was a lovely boy to look at. Well, in parts. For some reason, he was developing skin allergies from things that were destroying him internally and so he had some patches here and there. But he was also vibrant in certain areas and you could see and feel that in him.
He had this wide grin that drew you in, and even though there were a few teeth missing and one or two of the teeth seemed to be decaying, you always smiled back. He had a firm handshake and you might have resisted at first, but once you held out your hand to him and he shook it, you felt a warmth radiate.
My friend was basically of an easy going nature. He liked parties and football. But every once in a while, he would lose his temper and then you would be so afraid. These outbursts were temporary but the doctors feared that without some form of psychological help, he would become permanently angry and at war with himself. This could be true since his outbursts have started increasing and these days last for longer.

My friend refuses to wear glasses although it is obvious he needs them. You can tell by the way he stumbles sometimes and always pulls the paper close to read. But i think he thinks wearing glasses would be uncool. Well falling down and breaking your hip is also uncool but hey! Who listens to me anyways?
And speaking of listening... That is something my friend is not good at. Listening.
I think he pretends to listen. He keeps quiet and nods a lot when people talk and then goes right ahead to do the opposite! It annoys me sometimes because really, some things that are said are for his own good. And i will tell you one of the things we said.

You see, my friend is going to turn fifty. I know! I know!
Ideally, one should block the roads, cook some food and bring down heaven and earth. I know people who clear their accounts just so they can celebrate their fiftieth. People buy new clothes, maybe even make new friends. It is not easy to be fifty o, and as they say, ‘dem go take’!
So it is only natural that my friend wants to celebrate his birthday right?
But you see, my friend is ill. He has a cold, and malaria, and he is severely jaundiced.
I think the money he withdraws and spends should not be on the biggest cake he can find, a website in his honour, parties in different states and so on. I think the money he has should be spent on getting himself treated and better!
I think my friend needs to heal his body, his heart, his memories, his mind.
And this is what we have all told him.
But my friend does not listen. And he never seems to learn from his past mistakes.
Like that time my friend celebrated his independence from his parents? He was so excited! But he had no plans! He did not think of how he would keep himself on his feet for years, what his children would eat from, and what people would think of him, and how to relate with others. No, Airegin does not listen to anyone. And so come October 1st, he will celebrate. Possily in darkness, with water drawn from a well that is drying up.
And on the second, he will start all over again

SO we think we should s.h.a.r.e!

2010-07-06T23:58:00.000-07:00

ROOFTOP MCs ALBUM READY!

2SHOTZ OUT WITH FIFTH ALBUM!

FUTURE AWARDS TRAINING FOR FILM AND TELEVISION!

TOSYN BUCKNOR CAST IN TINSEL!

HAKYM THE DREAM RELEASES SINGLES AND NEW VIDEO!

CREATIVE CAREERS FAIR!

-the ROOFTOP MCs have kept us entertained with singles like 'Sitting
on the Rooftop', 'One Song' and more, but now, they are ready to
treat us to their latest album- 'Back at One'. A message sent out by
a rep of the group says the album will be out mid-August!
The album features collabos, and productions by people like Suspect, Pasuma and more

- And still on the subject of new albums, 'I am William' the 5th
album by 2SHOTZ also drops in August!
With singles like 'Oyoyo' featuring YQ, and with collaborations with
Jesse Jags, M.I and more, it seems like 2Shotz fifth album is set to
find a footing in the mad competitive world of hip hop!

- They have trained young writers and young business men and women, and now, its time for TV Presenters and Film Actors!
PICTUREPERFECT!
(THE FUTURE AWARDS TRAINING FOR TV PRESENTERS & FILM ACTORS)
Facilitators include Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde,Femi Aderibigbe(Kwame), Obi Asika,Gideon Okeke,Andre Blaze, and more.
For more information, please check the website, www.thefuturenigeria.com

- Some already know Tosyn Bucknor as a writer, and a few more as a
radio personality, but now that she has been cast in a minor role on
Tinsel, she might be moving from that voice we
never see, to a voice and face that interpretes various roles.Tinsel is
a daily soap shown on MNET, and sources say Tosyn will be starring
in a few episodes

- The world of R 'n' B has in recent time seen a resurgence of talent
and with the introduction of Hakym the Dream on the scene, there is
more to be enjoyed!
Hakym is a producer and singer who recently released two new
singles- 'Dey Dere' and 'Formula' (featuring Wizkid), and a new video
for the song 'Dey Dere' which is currently enjoying airplay on major
stations both here and outside the country.
Hakym was in 2009 nominated for a Channel O video music award
in the Best New Artiste Category for the song, 'Plenty Plenty'.

- The first Annual Creative Careers Fair is an initiative of Enterprise
Creative and showcases opportunities in the creative industry- public
relations, marketing communications, journalism, cultural tourism,
fashion and more. It holds on Thurs and Fri July 15 and 16th

From another blog....

2010-07-05T01:27:00.000-07:00

Nono rocks!
here is an excerpt from a recent post

"I was woken up by the splitter splatter of rain and a very heavy one at that. I knew I was going to go to church even if the rain turned to hailstones so I just smiled. I think the Devil got my drift 'cause the rain subsided after a bit. I am seriously lacking in my spiritual life and I blame a lot of other factors for this which is just wron..."

Read the rest of it here please

http://astoldbynono.blogspot.com/2010/07/there-is-reason.html

Pilgrimages: Thirteen African Writers. Thirteen Cities. Thirteen Books

2010-06-30T00:47:00.000-07:00

The Pilgrimages Project

Pilgrimages is a ground-breaking, pan-African project organised by The Chinua Achebe Center, Bard College, in partnership with Kachifo Limited in Nigeria, Kwani? Trust in Kenya, and Chimurenga in South Africa, in celebration of Africa’s first world cup.

The project involves 13 African writers visiting 12 cities across the continent and one in Brazil for two weeks during the World Cup. At the end of the project, each writer will produce a book of non-fiction travel literature based on their experiences, forming a series to be published next year.

The Writers

The writers and cities involved in the project are Funmi Iyanda (Durban), Alain Mabanckou (Lagos), Abdourahman A. Waberi (Salvador, Bahia), Akenji Ndumu (Abidjan), Doreen Baingana (Hargeisa), Chris Abani (Johannesburg), Uzodinma Iweala (Timbuktu), Billy Kahora (Luanda), Kojo Laing (Cape Town), Binyavanga Wainaina (Touba), Yvonne Owuor (Kinshasha), Victor Lavelle (Kampala), Nicole Turner (Nairobi) and Nimco Mahmud Hassan (Khartoum).

Alain Mabanckou in Lagos

Alain Mabanckou from Congo-Brazzaville is considered one of the most talented writers in Francophone African literature today. His most notable works are Verre Casse (Broken Glass), Bleu-Blanc-Rouge (Blue-White-Red) and The African Pyscho. His work, Memoirs of a Porcupine, won the Prix Renaudot, one of the highest distinctions in Francophone literature.

Alain visits Lagos from the 25th of June to 2nd of July 2010, during which time he will crisscross the city, from the ‘highbrow’ to the ‘slum’. Each day of his stay will alternate stops at football viewing centres, local bukkas and beer parlours, upmarket bars and relevant cultural events, and will include interviews with local denizens, artists, writers and other social commentators. Alain will be guided around the city by architect, writer and publisher, Ayodele Arigbabu, who will also blog about their daily experiences on the Pilgrimages website.

The Website

A dynamic and state-of-the art multimedia website has been launched as part of the Pilgrimages project, at www.pilgrimages.org.za. During the 13 Pilgrimages the writers and their local guides will blog on the website. Correspondents, artists and photographers in each city will also post topical content on the site.

The Books

The Pilgrimages Project will culminate in the launch of twelve books in four African cities in January 2012 during the African Nations’ Cup. The collection promises to be the most significant, single addition to the continent’s archive of literary knowledge since the African Writers’ Series of the 1960s. The books will be published by Kachifo Limited in Nigeria, Kwani? Trust in Kenya, Chimurenga in South Africa and a francophone publisher to be announced.

For more information on the Pilgrimages Project, please visit the website:

http://www.pilgrimages.org.za/

For more information on Pilgrimages and Alain Mabanckou in Lagos, please email info@kachifo.com

rayosword@gmail.com

or call

07084344856

CON.tra.diction - Dreams ( Place to go ) | Official Video |

2010-06-21T23:52:00.000-07:00

Between Hazel and Abisona/myself, and Tosyn and even one of our skitsonas, Toptosyn, it has been hard for CON.tra.diction to get her time or shine. But 'personas are not smiling' cos she says she is ready, or at least wants to try!
So she has been recording, and well, being! And here is the video for her second first single, shot by AK ONE, and starring Skales, Kay Doherty and some totally adorable kids!

This song was produced by COLDflames!
Enjoy!

So whats happening in AUGUST? Dubai? Yay! Lets go there!

2010-06-18T01:02:00.000-07:00

Wow!
i always love when i stumble on interesting deals, offers and promotions and when i heard about this trip to Dubai being planned for August, i thought you guys should definitely hear about it!

RENEWING RELATIONSHIPS basically seeks to give young adults the opportunity to do something different, with an interesting, and different set of people!
So, if you have some leave time coming up, and want to get away from your phones... then explore Dubai with a group of people, take pictures, and make me wish i went!
lol

Heres a link to the note on facebook
http://www.facebook.com/notes/olumide-luminus-alabi/renewing-relationships-dubai-august-2nd-5th-2010/396673972495

Its for the first week in August, and there are all sorts of activities planned so çheck it out and let me know!

this post brought to you by SAMI

2010-06-15T00:27:00.001-07:00

n celebration of the World Sickle Day,Sickle Cell Advocacy & Management Initiative
Please Join Us for an

Awareness Walk

Walk for Change: Be Sickle Smart
Take off Point: National Stadium End Point: NIMR Hall, Edmund Close, Yaba
Take off time: 8.00am

FOR YOUR BRANDED TSHIRTS and/or CAPS TEXT 0809 800 7264 WITH YOUR NAME NOS & SIZE. Cost: T Shirts 3000, Cap 200 ( this is limited in qty)

and a

Symposium

In Celebration of the World Sickle cell Awareness Day
Under the distinguished chairmanship of Dr Jide Idris, the Lagos State Honourable Commissioner of Health
Theme: 100 YEARS OF SICKLE CELL DISORDER – STILL SEEKING A SOLUTION”
Date Saturday 19th June, 2010.
Venue : NIMR Hall, Nigerian institute of medical research, Edmund Street, behind Presbyterian Church, Yaba, Lagos.
Time: 12noon.

Free Genotype Testing Available
Refreshment follows

Join us in creating more awareness on Sickle Cell Disorder. Its a walk for change. Come in your Jeans and Tshirt.

Im so Endowed! Dbanj is back!

2010-05-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

yee pa!

thats how 'Endowed', the new single by the very sexy DBanj begins!

Yee pa indeed because between twitter and notjustok... well, the comments have been 'yee pa' inspired!

oooseee!

something else he says.

A quick 'ose' (thanks) to Don Jazzy for the beat!
Don Jazzy delivers yet again so almost all agree that Don Jazzy 'killed' the beat!
I have only seen one tweet that made an allusion to the fact that the beat might not be completely original

As for Dbanj...

I love Dbanj
It might be important for me to say that first before proceeding
Feel free to think i am biased but these are my five kobos

1 kobo- the song had me at hello. or in this case, YEE PA!
I have it on repeat, and will probably know all the lyrics by tomorrow morning

2. Simple lyrics. Yawn.
Okay, i first fell in love with DBanj when i saw him on television performing 'All the Way'. Then i heard, 'Mobolowowon'
I was sold. I even dared to say maybe we found our generations Fela. For our generations Fela would not neccessarily come with a shrine and afrobeat.
But nah. Somewhere between touch down Lagos and 'Why Me', Dbanj chose the path of easy lyrics.
Which does not make me like him or his music any less. For there is as always, music for the club, music for the car, music for the conscience and music for stillness
I had hoped it would be consciousness, but its clubs
Who am i to judge? Am i endowed?

3. people take music seriously.
I guess i cannot blame them. If ure going to make people shell out money for a c.d and for concerts, and if ure going to make them shell out feelings and emotions and love, u must expect them to expect something in return
Sometimes people take music too seriously!
And they forget one important thing- no matter how objective one gets, music is subjective.
Enjoying a song just happens, It does not come with facts, figures, graphs or percentages.
A song either tugs at u or does not.
You can like it or loathe it. But with all due respect, u cannot tell me whether to like it or loathe it!

4. I would love for Dbanj to work with one or two other producers, I really would.
What would an eLDee or Deejay Klem do with a Dbanj? I would love to listen to the results. I would love to have Dbanj work with someone else and deliver a crappy track, than continue to make the middle of the road songs.
And there is always that chance that it would be a great track!

There is nothing wrong with producer-artiste teams.
But Dbanj needs a challenge. He needs to leave the comfort zone.
I am like that teacher who sees the gifted child sitting at the back of the glass blowing spit bubbles and saying, 'come on kid! give urself a fighting chance!'

5. yee pa! ose! steaze! please! ease! retarded! endowed
I LOVE THIS SONG!
Love the beat
Have the hook down already!
Love the lyrics
Love the voice
Love the song!

Listen to 'Endowed' on NOTJUSTOK here!
http://www.notjustok.com/2010/05/23/dbanj-endowed/

The way i see it....

2010-05-07T00:25:00.000-07:00

The way i see it... it is three things
1. You know i like you, but you dont like me back, and you are trying to spare my feelings, in which case...
2. You know i like you and you like me back in which case....
3. You dont know i like you

But now you do
So we are back to one and two

This is who i am...

2010-04-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

Catch me on any given day and you will probably find that i am energetic, full of life, annoying.
But catch me on a special Tuesday and you will find something else; an edginess, a sensitivy. I suppose on these special Tuesdays, if u touched me, however lightly, i would jump out of my skin.
It might be the cups of tea i drink on these special Tuesdays, or the coke, but its probably something more. You see, i joined a writers workshop.

Some people began singing in their mothers womb. Music was a journey that began in secondary school for me.
The one thing i probably was born to do, was write.
I started writing in nursery school (i assume). But i remember plays, little lines that i jotted down. I have books filled with words in my house, things i wrote. Writing has always been a release, and because when i wrote, i found release, i allowed myself to be free.
I wrote about fears and death. Love and questions. God and life. Pains and joy. The more i hurt, the more i wrote. Till (i confess), a part of me began craving pain, just so i could create.
s.h.a.r.ing my writing was itself a journey.
The first person who ever read anything i wrote was my father, and even then, it was fiction.
The true ones i kept hidden.
Over the years, only a few have read my real writings.

Giving my writings up meant exposing myself, and so, i wrote and hid.
I started s.h.a.r.ing them though. By letting people read, my having something i had written be performed on a stage.
I even started a blog (which i sometimes wish was anonymous), and got a column in The Guardian. Tweets. Facebook notes. Poems.... I wrote
But you see, it was still anonymous

The first time i read at Taruwa, i shook
And i hardly read there. Infact, i hardly read them anywhere

But i joined this workshop, where on special Tuesdays, i sit with a group of people, and we read what we have written.
It is the singular most complex experience for me.
First im at peace with the world, but once i start to read, a combination of factors set in
I am proud, cos i think i write well
I am afraid, cos i think my piece is stupid.
My competitive self wants the applause for my piece to be louder than everyone else’s
The perfectionist in me hates the thought that i missed something out or wrote something wrong
I feel exposed, because no matter how much fiction i put out there, a piece of me is tied in
And when i finish reading, the room is cold and silent. But i am sweating and i hear voices
They criticise the way i read each line, they scrutinise the faces that look back at me
And no matter what is said, i am on a high for the rest of the night

Meet me on a special Tuesday and ask me any question. I am at my most honest
Meet me on a Tuesday and communicate. I am at my most vulnerable
Meet me on a Tuesday and see me profess love. I am at my most flirtatious
I am high and wild and free and edgy and exposed and sad and amped and great

It is a special Tuesday and this is how i feel

Jeans for Genes 2 in pictures!

2010-04-20T07:36:00.001-07:00

Hi guys!
So the pictures from JEANS FOR GENES 2 are now coming out!

THese twi posts show the first set, but there are more pictures to come!

http://thesegenes.blogspot.com/2010/04/jeans-for-genes-in-more-pictures.html

http://thesegenes.blogspot.com/2010/04/jeans-for-genes-in-pictures.html

back... again... ok

2010-04-15T01:19:00.000-07:00

Its hard to explain why i have not been writing
Lets just say the universe has not been aligning properly for me to write
Yes o! I may not believe in chi (qi) and such, but i do know sometimes, you just need to be at peace to write
It doesnt mean you have to be happy, it just means you have to be at peace
It doesnt mean you have to be free, it just means you have to be at peace
And in my case, there is also the fact that i need my desk placed at the perfect place!

I moved a table at the Top Radio studios from where it was to another spot, and now i feel i can write a letter to Santa, you and everyone else in between!
But let this not be the storm before the calm o!

So knock on wood, i am back!
Forgive that i was gone so long, some things could not be said
Forgive that i ignored you, some thoughts could not be s.h.a.r.ed
But back i am!

HIP HOP WORLD AWARDS again!

2010-04-09T03:40:00.000-07:00

NOMINEES FOR HIP HOP WORLD AWARDS 2010
THe list is finally out and as always, id be saying what i think about each category, and who i'd vote!
Last awards, i was confident enough to say id eat my bra straps if one of my predictions did not come through... i dare not try that again!
By the way, Nigerian artistes are on FIRE!

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)

C.E.O by DAGRIN; MUSHIN 2 MO’HITS by WANDE COAL; UN-DAREY-TED by DAREY; DANGER by P SQUARE, LEAST EXPECTED by BRACKET
Wande Coal might not win in the other categories he has been nominated but come on... While Da Grin's C.E.O gave him a run for his money, the truth is, Wande Coal's album held sway in the year of release and the year after that!

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; TERRY G; DAREY; BRACKET; DAGRIN

Here is the first tough category! Yikes! Im biting my finger nails here....gun to the head... Terry G.. but if i was breathing a little easier, Wande Coal

SONG OF THE YEAR

Most popular song from an album in year under review. Decided by voting

“YORI YORI” by BRACKET; "KOKOROKO” by KEFEE; “YOU BAD” by Wande Coal; FREE MADNESS Pt. 2” by Terry G; “ALANTA” by Art Quake

Yikes again! But not so much. Yori Yori was and is a massive hit. Full stop.

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

“STRONG TING” by Banky W; “I LOVE U” by P-Square; “HEAVEN PLEASE” by Timi Dakolo; “KEEPER OF MY DREAMS” by Lara George

Last year, Etcetera won this category and i was very excited indeed. This year, some of these nominated songs were recorded so well done that its hard to choose a favourite. I particularly love 'Heaven Please'

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.

TEE-Y MIX

Album/Song Title – “More”, “Love Truly

Artiste(s) – DAREY ART ALADE, IYANYA

COBHAMS

Album/Song Title – “Strong Ting”, “No Stars”

Artiste(s) – Banky W, Darey Art Alade

DON JAZZY

Album/Song Title – “Banana’s”, “U Bad”

Artiste(s) – Wande Coal

SOSSICK

Album/Song Title – “Everyday”, “Igboro”

Artiste(s) – Dagrin

DOKTA FRABZ

Album/Song Title – “Thank God”, “Ako Mi Ti Poju”

Artiste(s) – Dagrin, Naeto C

Id vote So Sick just because!

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.

JUDE OKOYE for “DANGER” by P Square; WUDI AWA for “Kokoroko” by Keffe; CLARENCE PETERS for “Finest” by Knight House Ft. Sauce Kid & Teeto; BOBBY BOULDERS for Ako Mi Ti Poju by Naeto C; MEX for “Safe” by M.I

Videos!
Videos!
Videos!
This is actually not so difficult a category... Id vote Kokoroko, but a special mention and shout out goes to The Finest

BEST R ‘N’ B SINGLE

Best R&B single in year under review (by single individual or group)

“STRONG TING” by Banky W; “NEVER FELT A LOVE” by Femi; “I LOVE YOU” by P-Square; “NO STARS” by Darey Art Alade; “OVERKILLIN” by Djinee

I love 'Overkillin' but i have to question its inclusion in the R n B category. Id say this song is a pop song, where pop is POPular music!
But hey!
Femi delivers a powerful song in 'Never Felt A Love' but 'Strong Ting' is... well, the song did us 'Strong Ting' na!

Chei!

BEST POP SINGLE

Best pop single in year under review (by single individual or group)

“YORI YORI” by Bracket; “U BAD” by Wande Coal; “KOKOROKO” by Keffe; DANGER” by P-Square; “HOTTER THAN FIRE” by Dr. Pat and Sheyman

How do you even decide here?
Men!
I said that, looked at it again and realised... i just wouldnt be able to
Gun to head you say? Wande Coal, You Bad.
Breathe easy you say/ Yori Yori.
Another one just in case, you offer? Kokoroko!

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 by Wande Coal; DANGER by P-Square; LEAST EXPECTED by Bracket;
UN.DAREY.TED by Darey Art Alade

Like MC Hammer said, Cant touch this... when 'this' equals M2M

BEST RAP SINGLE

Best single released on-air recording of a rap song

“AKO MI TI POJU” by Naeto C; “OWO ATI SWAGGER” by Catiair; “FINEST” by Knight House ft. Sauce Kid & Teeto; “SAMPLE Remix” by Terry Tha Rapman Ft. Stereo Man & Pherowshuz; “SOMEBODY WANTS TO DIE” by M.I

See ehn, me i do not like to vote for rap 'tins' o!
Id say i have two favourites, The Finest, and Sample Remix

BEST RAP ALBUM

Best album by a rap artiste or group in year under review

CEO by Dagrin; DAT IBO BOY by Ill Bliss; MORE THAN RAP MUSIC by Cartiair; THE INVESTMENT by Kel

Rap tins again?!
I promised myself i would not refuse to name names in any category this year so once again, i will say...
CEO!

LYRICIST ON THE ROLL

Rap Artiste with best lyrical depth and performance on a single song or album

M.I

Song Title – Somebody’s Wants To Die

MODENINE

Song Title – Bad Man

OD

Song Title – Got To Love Me

PHEROWSHUZ

Song Title – Sample Remix (Featured by Terry Tha Rapman)

Mode Nine won this last year deservedly, and of course, Mode is still delivering depth on Bad Man and other tracks on his album, but this year, M.I may just pick up the Headie!

BEST COLLABO

Best R&B, Pop or hip hop collaborative track (including cameos) in year under review

“KOKOROKO”

Artistes – Kefee Ft. Timaya

“FINEST”

Artistes – Knight House Ft. Sauce Kid & Teeto

“AYE PO GAN”

Artistes – Ill Bliss Ft. Terry G

“SAMPLE Remix”

Artistes – Terry Tha Rapman Ft. Stereo Man & Pherowshuz

The Finest is THE finest for a reason

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (MALE)

Single male artiste with most outstanding vocal performance on a single song or album

DARE ART ALADE on "NO STARS”; BANKY W on “STRONG TING”; WANDE COAL on "BANANA”; GT THE GUITARMAN on “KINIMATISE”; TIMI DAKOLO on “HEAVEN PLEASE”

Yes o. It is time. Darey, No Stars. Thank you

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)

Single female act with most outstanding vocal performance on a single song or album

IBIYEMI on “DON’T LEAVE ME”; KEFEE on “KOKOROKO”; LARA GEORGE on “KEEPER OF MY DREAMS”; WAJE on “Kolo”; EVA on "NO CRY”

Kefee .v. Lara George. Im going to close my eyes and open them when the votes are in!

BEST STREET HOP

The most popular street-hop single in year under review

“FREE MADNESS Pt. 2” by Terry G; "IGBORO TI DARU” by Klever J Ft. Eedris Abdul Kareem; “FILE BE” by Jaywon; "ALANTA” by Art Quake; “ONE BY ONE” by Side One

Here's an idea.
Put the Free Madness of Terry G and the Igboro Ti O Ti Dary of Klever Jay in a ring, and then decide!
All the best o o o

NEXT RATED

Most promising upcoming officially unreleased act in the year under review

GENERAL PYPE (“CHAMPION”); MO CHEDDAH (“IF YOU WANT ME”); JESSE JAGZ (“WETIN DEY”);
D’PRINCE (“OMOBA”); SKUKI (“BANGER”)
Cough
I wont say that at least two names here have no business being here.

And as for the winner... Toss the coin... Heads Mo... Tails Pype

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

KEL

Real Name(s): KELECHI OHIA

Album Title: The Investment

DJINEE

Real Name(s): NOSA OSAYAMWEN

Album Title: Djinee

ILL BLISS

Real Name(s): Tobechukwu Ejiofor

Album Title: Dat Ibo Boy

OMAWUMI

Real Name(s): Omawumi Megbele

Album Title: Super Woman

I might have to get re-educated as to who a new artiste is o o
Haba!

So the awards will take place again!
Will we get a perfect venue? Fab hosts? Dissenting opinions? Dissatisfied artistes and fans? Fab music? Glam dresses?

As reality show hosts would say...
Only Time Will Tell

Soap can burn ur face!

2010-04-06T02:51:00.000-07:00

Thats all im saying... for now
FUller article coming soon!

Rocking THESE GENES.. my personal story!

2010-03-23T01:23:00.000-07:00

When i am asked to write about my journey as a person living with sickle-cell, the challenge for me is finding the right balance. I do want to share my experiences and let you know how it felt, and feels, but i also do not want to come across as self-pitying or whining. Then there is the delicate balance between hope and reality. Yes, you can live with these genes, but it is a painful journey no matter how much i try to coat it!

The best thing?
I just write and hope that if one person reads it and feels better, then God's purpose for me continues to be fufilled.

Yes, i have learnt to see my genes as part of my purpose. For any other option would drive me insane. How do you explain to a child that they are living with a disorder that is incurable and was inherited at birth, and came about simply because two people loved each other and brought forth life? How do you, as that child, wrap your head around it?
For me, there were transitions, but the most memorable are the angry, and the happy.Angry was at my mother (oddly, never my father. But i am a fierce daddy's girl), and more importantly, at God. You see, it was impossible for me to understand how God could love me and punish me at the same time. I had wild discussions with Him, i even urged Him to kill me, Once, i was so ill that even the generator got on my nerves and moving a muscle spelt pain. That was my most fun moment because after i spent all my time asking God to take me home, i felt at peace and was no longer angry again! I do not always share this story as it sounds 'spiri koko' (spiritual) but since that day, i knew i had to either wrap my head around this disorder, or let it consume me!

I chose the former.
First, even though i could not remove the cells, i could remove my attitude to them. Instead of hating them, i loved them. Yes oh, even when i would have to be rubbed all over by my mother (sweet mother for real) with transvasin, and sleep with a hot water bottle, all because it was my birthday and i just had to dance. I mean, what is a mother to do; not allow her child a birthday party because she would be in pain later? I loved those cells even when it meant my mother would find some other concoction for me to try next. I mean, i was luckier than most; they never tried to beat the evil out of me abi? I loved my genes oh, even when it meant my father spent more money on hospital bills than school fees when i was growing up, and even though it meant my sister got a little less attention than i did (and i love her for never making me feel bad about that!).
The more i loved the genes, the less they seemed to bother me. And the more i spoke about the genes, the more i found coping strategies. The more i understood the genes, the more i worked around them.

Yes oh, i was the girl in the hospital who would never flinch as they stuck a needle in her arm (I once took fourty eight injections in one famous week), and i was the girl determined to make people laugh because the more they laughed, the less they focused on me and why i was so thin, or why my eyes were yellow!
But as i grew up, i realised that loving but ignoring the cells was not enough. I had to speak up about them. I had to let my friends know that i could hang out with them, but only for this long! And i had to find out from other people living with sickle-cell, what their journey was like! The more i did this, the less it became about me, and the more it became about a nation and a thinking!
Why is sickle-cell practically stigmatised? We should talk about it, and noone should be ashamed to either live with it, or have a family member or friend that lives with it. And why should we deal with it alone when by asking and sharing, we can find more ways of coping with ours? I mean, people have asked me to speak with their friends or family members that live with the disorder but are ashamed or afraid of it, and even though i am not a medical expert, i do enjoy encouraging people!

You can live with sickle-cell. I do. Tope does. Toyin does. Subi does. Jacob does. Tunji does.
Some days, i do not hear from Subomi so i know he has been ill, and i call and we say hello. And vice versa! We are not hiding, and we are not letting our genes stop us from living.
We may not express it the same way, but i think somewhere along the line, we all realised that it really was not how long we lived that mattered, but how well.

Stuck in a Moment

2010-03-23T01:08:00.000-07:00

I started work at a new place last week, and where i work, i have to play music and talk for five hours... Hmmn, sounds great! It WAS going great, until one fateful Thursday when i went on air, promised to play a song, played it, and then the rapper had an expletive on the verse. YIKES¬ I quickly changed the song, apologised and went on with the day, but the truth is, i still feel like that was my worst show because from then on, things went from bad to worse. You see, from 6-9a.m, i had been doing well, but once something went wrong at 9.15, i could not get past that and it ruined the show, and my day!

Or like when a relationship ends and we only focus on the negative; you know, what went wrong, why and how. And once that happens, we seem to forget that there was a time and a reason we were together in the first place! Then we claim we are heartbroken and stay rooted to a spot, unable to function! Or when we fail and exam and even if we passed all the others, we cannot seem to get over the fact that our report sheet is not perfect! Or when we mess up at the office, or in public, or have a fall-out with our friends, or make a promise and then break it!

There are so many ways and opportunities to get and stay grounded. Not the good kind of grounded where your head is not in the clouds, but the kind of grounded U2 sang about in their song- 'STUCK IN A MOMENT'. You are stuck in a moment you cannot get out of, and taking a next step, or even seeing that there is a next step to take, becomes impossible! As a wise man once said, the only reason a man commits suicide is because he no longer has hope. For as long as we know there is a light after the tunnel (and then another tunnel with light after it as well, and another tunnel...and more light, andother...), we know that even if we feel at our lowest at this very moment, we have to get ourselves together and take that step!

When do you take the step?
Do not let people rush you! People will forget how they handle their own moments and will throw all sorts of advice at you! The choleric will say, "Oh, get on with it!". The melancholic will say, "Life is bleak anyway!". The phlegmatic will say, "Really? You are still on this matter?", and the Sanguine will bound into the room and try to take you for a walk thinking that the more you walk, sing or dance, the happier you get.
No.
Stay in that moment, that very spot, that same place, till you know you have to move. Then move!

How do you move?
You could write about it. Writing can be so therapeutic. Whether you make it poetic and award winning, or you make it honest, personal and private, just write! Be careful what you do with your writings though!
You could also listen to music because the truth is, for every emotion we feel, someone has felt it as well, and if we listen to their songs, they will be soothing!
You could also talk to people that have been there before and so know how to jump! Like how i immediately told Gbemi what happened and she shared her horror stories with me. That made me feel a little better!
And when all is said and done, remember your OWN experiences. It might not be exactly the same as you are now going through, but the certainty that there was a time in your past when you had fallen and wished the ground would swallow you, when you had failed, been heartbroken, been angry and done something silly, been hurt and afraid, and then made it through, assures you that this will also become a memory.
Not today.
But one day.

Random

2010-03-23T00:44:00.000-07:00

TOTALLY RANDOM

And once again, one of those busier than most weekends swung by!

It started off with an easy enough Friday. Picked up the new s.h.a.r.e tshirts, tried to sleep a bit, then began the beauty preparation that comes before an event.
I know why men get frustrated with women sometimes. They just cannot seem to comprehend the amount of time needed (or ‘wasted’ in their own opinion) to come out looking like another version of ourselves. On a good day, a girl can, to get ready for a date, Law Dinner or something equally important, do the following
- Put dodgy stuff on face. Apparently, this dodgy stuff CLEANSES the face. How does dodgy pasty stuff cleanse?
- Soak feet in scented water (Pay incredible amount for the scent. Water should have been free)
- Scrub, paint and polish said feet.
- Do same for hands (and not be able to move around normally for the next thirty minutes as paint dries).
- Shave
- Pick out outfit.
- Put foundation, powder, eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner, lipliner, lipstick, blush and more on face.
- Look in mirror and hate colour combination of eye shadow
- Curse because trying to rectify that will ruin everything else.
- Make it work with careful use of Vaseline and brush
- Look at outfit.
- Change mind about outfit
- Start to panic because you are now one hour late for event and everything looks annoying!
- Finally wear what you picked out in the first place... but with a different accessory
- Step out and pretend it was nothing!

This pretending part is the most important. Women will spend thousands of naira at the salon to get hair and a fortune on clothes to achieve a look that says, “I threw this together in ten minutes”. Na wa oh! But i digress!

So i got ready, and went off to RED for GIRLFRIENDS NIGHT OUT, an event put together by TOdays Woman and Occasions and Events, featuring ladies hanging out with or without their better halves, as somehow, we tried to answer the question neither gender knows how to answer effectively. Like, how to tell your girlfriend she is putting on weight, and if guys ever have girlfriends! (I have heard guys say, “I am single till i get married”).Okay oh!
It was a fun evening with Adesuwa Oyenokwe of Todays Woman acting as Co-Compere with Bimbo Ayorinde (whose birthday was celebrated with a surprise cake), and Mrs Ann Murray-Bruce dedicating her time to ensuring the guests were very happy! And happy we were with the canapés, gifts and prizes, free magazines, and karaoke competition. I am happy to announce that i did not sing, so no eardrums were hurt, but Cynthia Okpala did sing... and win!
The night ended with a lot of dancing... And number swapping. Wonder how many will actually keep in touch though?!

Saturday was spent at Infinity Foundations charity event- MENTOR AN ORPHAN which started with us seeing a movie with orphans from various homes, and then hanging out at Double 4 / Cafe Vergnano to see children dance, act and sing. There were also performances by Shawn Rapha, and interactive sessions between the mentors and the orphans. It was a simple, well planned event, which we do hope will gather more ground.

Sunday was meant to be easy breezy but when the chance to ride to the airport with MIMS (of the ‘This is why i’m hot’ fame) and Jozi (the South African group) for my blog came up... it became another issue for the Fashion Police (hopefully not).
It was nice to see international acts come into Nigeria and see more than their concert venue, the hotel and the airport. They got to do radio and television interviews while they were here, and though the Jozi crew would have loved some palmwine, the Beans, Efo and more that they tried was also pretty cool!
In the end, i realised one thing.
We might be having debates about our music, our states and our country, but from the outside looking in, Nigeria isn’t doing badly! SO lets thank the entertainment industry for the pr work they are doing....

What SCRIPTURES do the STREETs produce?

2010-03-17T04:36:00.000-07:00

If there is one album i currently have no problem playing consistently on repeat, it is, not an album, but a mix tape!
It is the mix tape that took two years to wrap! The mix tape that puts some of my favourite persons on various tracks and flirts with genres while still keeping its core target audience happy!

It's Street Scriptures, brought to you by the very talented, very crazy, highly respected team, Knighthouse!

Ill tell you straight off the bat that one thing the Knighthouse Family know how to do, is create powerful hooks. One minute listening to any of their tracks, and you probably have the chorus down. But are hooks enough to make a song?
Well, ask the millions who listen to ‘The Finest’ what is said in any of the verses, and possibly only twenty percent will try to answer. ‘Ijinle Pam Pam’, ‘Purple’ and their other pre-released singles work the formula well- killer hook , interesting blend of artistes, groovy beat (or, as i am really tempted to say, ‘dope’ beat).
But can three...four...singles and two err.... remixes (we say err... because deep down, we all wish ‘Finest’ was not remixed, no matter how much it still makes us shake our body ‘small’) translate into an album?
It’s what we sought to find out as we sat down to a relaxed afternoon, Street Scriptures playing!

Listening to this mix tape, i realised i could play a game- Guess The Artiste!
Knighthouse has only gone and featured EVERYBODY, his cousin, and a few of their friends, on their mixed tape! And they somehow find a way to find a space and place for each voice, in its own preferred style! So when you spot Modenine on a track, you know the way it will lean, and when Skuki gets on a track, it is to take the mickey and have some fun. You might wonder though, if one or two risks could have been taken; switching the styles and messages up a bit!
Nevertheless, Street Scriptures provides a platform (my favourite word) for new acts to get heard side by side with established voices. And this works well on so many tracks including, ‘My Thoughts’ (Mode Nine and Ade), and ‘Make It Better’ (Ice Prince, Mo Cheddah, Mobie and Fumbi). And when we say voices, we particularly loved Ayeesha on ‘Hate’, Sabre on ‘Number 1’, Mo Cheddah on ‘If You Want Me’, and Fumbie on ‘Make it Better’. While most of the songs were produced by Knighthouse, there are some other producers on the album like Tha Suspect, Kraft and Jesse Jags.
Another thing about the mixed tape? There’s a Jekyll and Hyde feel- there are the feel good-bordering –on-pop songs, (like, ‘If You Want Me’ Mo Cheddah featuring Sasha P, and ‘Purple’ or ‘Ijinle Pam Pam’) and the straight up hip hop tracks (like, ‘Before i Wake’, Kraft feat. Dj Klem, and ‘I Dare You’ with Blaise, XYZ and Terry tha Rapman!). This means if you like your music mostly soft, you might find some tracks jarring at first... but be patient and listen again!

Our favourite skit on the online version of the Street Scriptures, is ‘KH RADIO’. It is one of the funniest skits we’ve heard in a while! Sauce Kid and M.I also come through on some really cool interludes! ( We love Sauce Kid more with each track, interlude, skit, freestyle and feature we hear from him!). With 25tracks making the eventual cut, you wonder about the songs that did not make it!
The songs that did make it are interesting, challenging, fun, and entertaining! And we in particular have a few songs on repeat!
- Number 1
- Ijinle Pam Pam
- Hate
- Live at 51 (Vector? Pype? Hell yeah!)
- Make it Better
- I Dare You (Blaise holds her own and then some! Also features XYZ and the always on point, Terry tha Rapman), and of course,
- The Finest!

Congratulations to Knighthouse for giving a mix tape that does not rely only on the strength of its pre-released singles to entertain! There are so many other tracks to fall in love with on the album that is surely a hit. What is the difference between a hit and a classic? Time
And only Time will tell if Street Scriptures is just a hit, or if it transcends time and is truly a classic, collectors item!

Should you get it?
Mos Def!
It definitely gets the T Stamp!

And don’t forget, if you buy online, then there is a surprise waiting for you further down the line.
That is all i am allowed to say!

the these genes teeshirts are ready!

2010-03-11T06:05:00.000-08:00

Great news!
The tee shirts are here!
We would like to thank IMAGINE CLOTHING for working on these tees tirelessly and delivering them on time and on point
We love you!

So!
Remember that these tees serve two purposes
- raise funds for SAMI, our partnered sickle-cell charity
- act as the invite for the event, JEANS FOR GENES!

Jeans for Genes is of course, our fashion show which holds in a few days time. Sat Mar 27th!
Check here http://thesegenes.blogspot.com/2010/03/so-guys-here-is-update-but-first-lets.html for more!

We have two sets of designs!

A} ROCK THESE GENES!
If you would like to declare that you rock your genes, then this teeshirt is for YOU!

black: male (MEDIUM and LARGE), female (MEDIUM)
blue: male (MEDIUM and LARGE)
red: male (MEDIUM and LARGE)
lemon: female (SMALL and MEDIUM)
pink: female (SMALL and MEDIUM)

B} THESE GENES CELEB
This one is for all our every day celebrities! These Genes make you a celeb!

black: female (MEDIUM)
brown: male (MEDIUM and LARGE)
pink: female (SMALL)
red: male (MEDIUM and LARGE), female (small)

And how much do these beautiful teeshirts cost?
( i am glad you asked!)

N4000 (pere!)
N7500 if you buy two at once
N35000 if you buy ten at once
N60000 if you buy twenty at once
and more discounts available!

So now that you are ready to buy and know how much they cost, WHERE do you pick them up from?
We are glad you asked!
(You didnt ask? Sure? Ah well!)

You can purchase a THESE GENES tee in one of three ways!

1. BOOK! PAY! COLLECT!
Book a teeshirt buy paying the amount into an account. Then pick one up!
(pls send a TEXT to 08023066252 to get the account number....)

2. COME! PAY! COLLECT!
Come to any of the collection centres, pay and pick it up!

3. Buy at the gate at the event
THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED for the ff reasons
- teeshirts would have been sold out by then (we fast and pray)
- teeshirts will cost more then. (hmmn, maybe you should!)

COLLECTION CENTRES
- yaba
- ikeja
- swe (every friday)
for the addresses for yaba and ikeja, pls send text to 08023066252. You see, this IS the internet!

With these few points of ours, we hope we have been able to convince you and not confuse you...

Sometimes

2010-03-04T05:47:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you wake up
Then go back right to sleep

You see, sleep is beautiful
And a great amnesiac

Sleep and forget
Sleep and deny

Its nice to be able to sleep and not think about how silly one feels. And sleep is great for those days one feels like a complete, outright failure!

It is the way i have been feeling lately.
Completely, and utterly like somehow, someone put their finger on my pause button, and now i must stay in one place. Not moving, not achieving, not exceling!

Now sometimes i like to write detached. Because someone will read this and try to list the reasons i should not feel this way.
That someone should please note that i know.
I feel i need three days to lie down and list all the reasons i am thankful and grateful, and then wake up and fly.
But today, i just feel stuck.

Failure is a funny thing.
It is defined first by others, and then by us.
You may see the richest man in the world and think he has achieved much. But that man might feel like he has done nothing, his money counts for nothing, and why can't he just be bloody Bill Gates? Steve Jobs? Dangote?

Speaking of which...
When i think about the money those on the Forbes list have amassed, i do not get depressed.
But i am sure the guy who missed the list by a thousand or million dollars is!

Even failure get levels na!

Jack(ess) of all trades. Master (mistress) of none.
Sometimes one feels one spreads oneself too thin
And why is one speaking of self as one?
eesh!

Seriously though...
Who am i? Like D Prince asked?
Not Omooba like he answered.
Although with the way titles and honours are traded these days, i could just get myself one!

The truth is, it is easy to think about the 'x's and the 'y's and what they have achieved and feel like a right failure.
To hate ones blog
To hurt at certain personal losses
To fret over ones age
To stare hard at ones bank balance
To wonder how she does it and what i do wrong!

Sigh

There are things that cannot be written, only thought.
There are things that will not be said, only reflected upon.

For every rung on that ladder of success, there is also another price to pay.

Ill tell you this much-
Life was simpler when all i did was wake up, eat, sleep and do it all over again!

So what are you doing on Sat Mar 27th

2010-03-03T22:35:00.001-08:00

So guys, here is an update!

But first, let's say, its March already?
ALREADY?

This means there are only a few days left to go!
Yes o!
The biggest fashion show/party/market is going down on Sat Mar 27th at the swanky SWE BAR, in Onikan!

Our designers are ready:
TONI PAYNE, STRICTLY NAIJA CLOTHING, OUCH! HAPPYFACEZ and IMAGINE CLOTHING!

See what their designs are like, and buy these tees ON THE SPOT!

Some other designers will also have their gear on sale that day!
Tu Anny
NGUK

And our models will be made up beautifully by LABELLE'S TOUCH!
Recently nominated for a Future Award, this make-up house currently handles on-the-set make up for TINSEL, and also made the models up during the MNET FACE OF AFRICA finale in Lagos!

But what would clothes look like with no accessories?
Well, thanks to BUCKSTONE VENTURES, T.T.DALK FOOTWEAR AND ACCESSORIES, AKIN BEADS and MY DAZZLE, our models will show interesting and cutting edge Nigerian accessories!!!
We. Cant. Wait!

Can you?
(we will all have to wait till the 27th sha)

Just remember to hold enough money on that day to shop!
Clothes! Shoes! Bags! Pictures!

Pictures?

yes o!

Apart from the Red Carpet which is proudly supported by SOUNDCITY, QUEST TV, HIP ON TV, NIGEZIE and more, there will be fashion photogs around to take arty pictures of your friends and yourself!
Imagine coming for the JEANS FOR GENES sickle-cell party and leaving with MORE...especially images to last a lifetime!

All this while being entertained by:

Dipp, Skuki, Lami, S.K.A.L.E.S, Hakym the Dream, Zara, Overdose, Willy Bang, Loose Kaynon, Mo Cheddah and MODE NINE!
YUP!

And this big, wonderful event for purpose, will be hosted by DOOSHIMA DABO'ADZUANA!

Jeans for Genes creates awareness about sicklecell, and this time, will also raise funds to pay some hospital bills!

Jeans for Genes is proudly supported by:
ZAPPHAIRE EVENTS
s.h.a.r.e
X3M Music
SWE
MULTIKRAFT MEDIA

This event is STRICTLY BY INVITATION.

For INVITES, and more information about the event, please check out the blog
www.thesegenes.blogspot.com

join the facebook event page,
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=302889754167

or call
08023066252
07039268846

JEANS FOR GENES 2....
Music! Fashion! Sickle-Cell!

On a tuesday morning

2010-03-02T01:47:00.001-08:00

Top of the day,top of the morning to you live with Tosyne Bucknor,areeaaa.......(cough*choking sound)i thank the lord,well,apart from the usual traffic report and weather,olusola reported that the traffic from akute to ikeja was hectic,actually forgive me i was trying to compete in the area challenge earlier(where i choked),really it's about saying areaaaaaaaaaaaaa like you are constipated,well i did good but a caller,Tomi from Ayobo won the challenge,but the other listeners who call to compete did well but they did not do it better than Tomi....My advice is listen closely to TOP OF THE MORNING WITH TOSYNE BUCKNOR,you just might be winners of fantastic prizes..
Why do people still send the "HAPPY NEW MONTH"message?...Later on there was a segment tagged"YOU SAY"where you get to say anything,you want to say,really listeners had lots of words to say through phone calls,text messages,facebook and tweeter,Olusola says he's thanks the lord....
Supermide greatest superhero in town came along with the TOP NINE(9)MOMENTS,also Tosyne gave the weather report,did you the weather changes by the minute SHESSS....Later on song of the week was played and do you know mr hudson is?.Actually he used to be popularly known as MR HUDSON AND THE LIBRARY,but now now all over the world known as Mr Hudson,he featured in one of kanye west's hit single paranoid,he is signed onto kanye's GoodMusic Records,really phenomenal song there by Jay-z and Mr Hudson-FOREVER YOUNG I WANNA BE FOREVER YOUNG,DO YOU REALLY WANNA BE FOREVER FOREVER.Really we can be young forever by similing with the TEETH(grinning),which is the song of the week and one of our favourites playing GOOD MUSIC..
Catch you tomorrow on TOP OF THE MORNING WITH TOSYNE BUCKNOR.....
Yours truly Olusola
Tosyne Bucknor.

Yes Boss! Its the Entertainment Report!

2010-02-26T03:45:00.000-08:00

Okay peoples!
Time to give u some gist!

You might have heard of ONE MIC but known it only as an international event!
Well, ONE MIC made its Nigerian debut this Thursday (Feb 25th), with artistes like SKALES, Airis, Whiz Kid and Hakym the Dream performing!
We want more!

Knighthouse
Knighthouse
Knighthouse!

Yes o, that production team-cum-winners of future awards 'team of the year' 2009- cum-management outfit-cum-whatever else we think they are, are finally going to release STREET SCRIPTURES!
The STREET SCRIPTURES mixed tape which has already delivered one massive hit, and several collabos, and which has some of the most respected names in the industry on the credits, will be sold online come WEDNESDAY MARCH 3RD!

We will review the album once we lay our hands on it, but from the previews, while there is absolutely no song we don't like, we LOVE 'ijinle pam pam', 'we are number 1' and 'hate'!
(we sort of dont like any of the 'FINEST' remixes though!)

J-Lo needs a new home!
Music wise that is!
Epic Records has dropped the actress/musician who's return to music has not been as successful as her previous work was. But Benny Medina, her manager, has said the artiste needs some time, and will sign with another label.

COMEDY TRAIn is moving fast but will take a stop today, Friday 26th!
Sundays at the Bay resumes this Sunday 28th!
Onos launches her album, 'Keep on Moving' this Sunday 28th!
s.h.a.r.e Monday Movies continues this Monday March 1st!

Sauce Kid is busy busy busy!
As he himself has admitted, this long awaited album of his is as overdue as an 11month pregnancy but with all the official 'leeks' online, it is fair to say it will be an album worth waiting for
Afterall, Sinzu is Sinzu!
And we recommend you follow him bumber to twitter
www.twitter.com/saucekibaba

Laffmattaz magazine hosts Ali Baba on Sunday Feb 28th!
Hosted by Tosyn Bucknor and Yaw, with performances by Skuki, Ruggedman, Femi Adeyinka, Da Grin, Durella, Lami and 9ice, and with DJ Jimmy Jatt spinning, the music bit is covered!
But laughs are guaranteed as AY, Basketmouth, Seyi Law, Teju Babyface, Lepacious Bose, Koffi and Owen G all entertain the crowd!
Yippee!

Cant wait

Congrats to D'Prince whose song, 'onoba' is now Number 1 on the Top Ten Chart sponsored by a certain telecommunications company!

You might have seen it coming right?
I mean, there have been countless allegations (some confirmed) and scandal after scandal, and now, Cheryl Cole has confirmed she is quitting her marriage and leaving!
It might be sad news, but the good news is that her career is better than ever!
There is the solo career, her job as a judge on x Factor, and the fact that she is still the Face of a L'oreal Hair Products!

Jigga!
Jigga might be in trouble o!

There are reports that an on-going investigation is being conducted!
Apparently, Jay-Z and the Governor of New York had secret shady deals to get licenses for a certain New York casino!

Hmmn, gives new meaning to that Empire State of Mind song,doesn't it?!

And yes o!
Artistes like Skuki, Lami, Mo Cheddah, Whiz Kid, Overdose, Loose Kaynon, Hakym the Dream, Zara, Skales, Willy Bang and Dipp, and Fashion Houses like Toni Payne, Happy Facez, Strictly Naija, OUCH! and Imagine Clothing have all shown support for JEANS FOR GENES 2 coming up on Mar 27th, at Swe!
Media Houses like Nigezie, Hip on TV, Soundcity, Quest TV and Truspot are also supporting the event put together by s.h.a.r.e, in conjunction with Zapphaire Events!

Yes Boss¬!

random

2010-02-24T04:31:00.000-08:00

im tired
and happy

and its a weird feeling to be all two.
theres even a third one. but its one of 'those'

this blog?
its no longer what it was
and that is all my fault

somehow i just stopped.
and started

life is wunnerful
for the most part

i can now attest to that age long wisdom that u never really bond with ur mum till ure a bit older.
somehow now i see some of what she must have seen or been when i was younger and couldnt see

as for my dad, im torn between constantly worrying about him, and telling him not to worry about me
i feel like im an adult now, let me do the worrying, u relax
but he wont
he keeps worrying!

Nigeria is... i dont know
so many people want to move
its in the air
but its like that story...
put a frog in hot water, it will jump out, but put a frog in water and boil it, and it will stay there till it dies

if we looked at us from the outside, what would we really feel? do?
jump?
stay?

wish i could say welcome back
but...

anyhoo, sometimes life is totally random

and so am i

Movies! Fashion! Music! March

2010-02-23T03:36:00.000-08:00

Hi all coming in March its all about creating awareness and showing support to those living with Sickle Cell.

On Monday the 1st of March, we will hang out with the s.h.a.r.e Monday Movies crew at the Galleria as usual (this holds every first monday of the month)
Please join the event page to get information about this!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=323598637434

On the 21st Touch a Cell Project the sister project of Still Standing will hold the second edition of the TOUCH A CELL BENEFIT CONCERT

an evening of 9ja sounds in Jazz, Gospel, Classical, R&B, Afro Hip Hop & more, with dance, fashion & charity auction. Purpose of the event is to provide medicine to sufferers in specific clubs in Lagos & Ibadan and provide medical assistance in Kaduna

COBHAMS ID CABASA, YINKA DAVIES, KORE(Olorioko), EFE & FLO, TOMIWA (Project Fame), DAVID AJALA & others will be in the house.
with fashion by TUOPSY'S & ACT OF GOD.

Mc’s: Tosyn Bucknor
Ifeanyiwa Ado(Radio Continental)
Senator (Comedian)

Red Carpet & Pre Event Cocktails - 5.00pm Showtime - 6.00pm

Dress Code : Smart Casual

For ticket/invitation call 0809 800 SAMI(7264), 0805 477 1589

On Mar 27th, These Genes will throw the JEANS FOR GENES Music... Fashion...Sickle Cell party!
Featuring designers like
Toni Payne
Strictly Naija
OUCH!
HappyFacez
Imagine Clothing

with music by
Dipp
Skuki
Lami
S.K.A.L.E.S
Hakym the Dream
Zara
Overdose
Willy Bang
Loose Kaynon
Mo Cheddah

There will be teeshirts, accessories and more on sale, plus a runway and photo shoots!

Jeans for Genes creates awareness about sicklecell, and this time, will also try to help a lady living with sickle cell with her hospital bills!

For more information, please check www.thesegenes.blogspot.com
And to book, please send texts to
08023066252
or leave a message here as constant information will be passed on!

You can also join the event page and please check it from time to time

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=302889754167

Its not Febrauary till somebody proposes!

2010-02-19T02:32:00.000-08:00

So there i was at home jejely when Rogba got in touch!
Who is Rogba?
One-third of the Powerhouse known as KNIGHTHOUSE

How did i meet Rogba?
Men!
Let's save tory for tales by moonlight.

Flash forward to 2010, when Rogba buzzed me!
He wanted me to invite his girlfriend to the show so he could do something romantic, as he would not be around for St.Valentine's day.

You know what i said?
"You better not propose o, cos i will just faint!"

He was like, no, he just wanted to recite a poem

Ok na

Step 1: Call Bio and look for a plausible reason for her to be on my show on Friday
- Easy!
Bio owns LABELLES TOUCH, and apart from being the on-set make-up house for TINSEL, and also the in-house make-up artist for MNET FACE OF AFRICA 2010, she is also, literally, make-up artist to the stars!
She has worked on several video sets, including all of Kel's and Knighthouse videos
And (cough) Bio has made me up several times
- Future Awards 2009
- HipHop World Awards 2008
- CON.tra.dictions video 200andwedontcaretoremembercoswedonthavethevideosef
- Kel's video shoot
and more

So all i had to do, was tell her i was interviewing make up artistes

STEP 2: Put all our ducks in a row!
- Let some people at Top Radio in on it- Uche! Martin! Hojay!
- Get Bio into the studio at 9am! Distract her with mindless chatter
- Alert listeners subtly
- Sneak ROGBA (in a tux) into the office with Lanre (the cameraman) and Kunle Adeyoola
- Complain about 'Sean' the other make-up artist to the stars who was stuck in traffic!
- Cue Martin to come into the studio to call 'Sean'
- Panick! Stop panicking! Stop trembling! Go on air and convince everyone you are about to talk about music videos
- Call 'Sean'

Now, let me tell you the gist like i witnessed it!

We called 'Sean' and put him live on air. We introduced Bio and said Sean had something to say to her
Sean went on and on about make-up in a fake British accent and much deeper voice
Then we said Sean should reveal himself
When he first said it was Rogba, she said, 'goat' and laughed. That made me laugh

But guys, listen to this!

Then Rogba talks about how he wanted to call her to tell her he loved her, and cheer her up for she had been going through a difficult time at this point.
All this while, Bio thinks Rogba is in Abuja, and so is convinced its just a call
Then he says,
"And i want to ask you something!"
Cue door opening, Rogba in tux, Bio in shock, "Will you marry me"

Cue the screamiest scream in history!

I apologise that i did not take the pictures i should have!
Between screaming myself and still having to go on air and play, 'BREATHE' by Faith Hill, i could only get two pictures
(FORGIVE ME!)
But Lanre caught it all on camera and a clip will be online soon!

By the way, she said yes

And i shook my way till the end of the show, ended it with dedications and messages for them, including-

TONY: "silly boy! now i have to propose from space!"
VONNE VIXEN: "Thats so sweet! I thought romance was dead! Pls play Ryan Leslie I CHOOSE YOU
RANDOM GUY ONLINE: Bros!

God bless us all, and congratulations to the latest Mr and Mrs!

SPEECHgirls Top Ten, 'HEAD HIGH' Break Up Songs!

2010-02-16T04:21:00.000-08:00

So tonight....
i am so loving sleeping with a broken heart by Alicia Keys. There is just something about that song.
Sometimes, you are so heartbroken that you need to 'po'. Yes o, you have to pretend you are sitting on top of the world, like you can sleep, and live without that person, with your heart in shreds.

Sometimes after a break up though, you get to point 'angry'. Thats when you are no longer interested in making nice, you just want to be truly truly done!
You might wake up the next morning and need to send a card to say sorry for the nasty three page text you sent, but for today, what you need is these ten songs on repeat!
(Turn up the volume people! Heartbreak bears no silence when angry!)

1. No Doubt- DON't SPEAK
Gwen Stefani wrote this song for her ex, Tony Kanal. Interestingly, they dated while in the band together, and he had to perform this song with the band and herself, every time!
Yikes!

2. Beyonce- IRREPLACEABLE/ Rihanna- TAKE A BOW
These songs seem to strike the same chord with me, and while i do not want to make this post about how Beyonce and Rihanna sometimes have similar songs, i had to put them together.
This is what happens when you say goodbye to that guy- you tell him to take a bow, but not think for one second that he is irreplaceable!

3. Kelly Clarkson- SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE
Yes o! Ultimate pop-rock-chick-goodbye-song! Complete with breaking and throwing things!
Kelly Clarkson can belt those tunes out, and songs like these remind us just how!

4. Mary J Blige- NOT GONNA CRY
How can a song that declares something cause you to do the opposite? Rumour has it that every girl that has played, listened to or sang along to this song, has done it through tears.
Mary J paints the picture of an ungrateful man who now discards the girl who slaved away with and for him.
It is a sad angry way to say goodbye!

5. Whitney Houston- I LEARNT FROM THE BEST
There is that point during the break up that your most fervent hope, is that he comes back.
And if he does, there are two songs you will perform.
This is one of them. You will tell him you no longer feel the same, and when he says you are cruel and unfeeling, you will say these classic words- I. Learnt. From. The. Best.

6. CON.tra.diction- DREAMS
You may love someone but still have to let them go. You might be angry, but since you still love them, you will still try to be nice. You will explain your reasons and try to walk away with some conviction that you mean it this time.
For this, you will listen to 'Dreams'

7. Darey- NOT THE GIRL
Darey has so many songs about losing love, but this is the one that seems almost glad to lose the love, while still pining for her, and obviously deep down, wanting her back!
This is a last ditch attempt at saving the relationship- one part mean, one part olive branch.

8. Gloria Gaynor- I WILL SURVIVE
And yes. THIS is the song!
He has gone. And left you for dead. Somehow you healed. You still dont know how. But you did.
And now he is back?
HA!Ha!HA!
Put on some Gloria Gaynor, pour the red wine and sit him down. There is no way he is getting you back!
Tell him why!
Let him see how fabulous you look and how much you have moved on!
Gloat!
Gloat!
Gloat!
Sigh!

9. asa- BIBANKE
Thank you to asa for giving us a soft, but firm and definite goodbye.
If you see me crying, please walk on by!
It is a concept that has been oft explored and expressed, but somehow, asa gives it new life, and makes you cry defiantly!
Only you... Only you...

10. Alanis Morisette- YOU OUGHTA KNOW
And now!
For the ultimate!
This is the ultimate break up song
This song pushed Alanis from a little-known singer in Canada, to... well, Alanis Morisette!
This song appears on more top ten lists of ultimate break up songs, than any other song!

It seems Alanis took all the hearts in pain and wrote what they were feeling and thinking!
And it is true. The one thing we want, when someone has hurt us, if for them to know!

I feel like saying thank you to Alanis... just because!

So there they are!
Remember, these songs are themed. There are some break up songs that are all about pining, or wanting them back! Others are just reflective.
These are the 'Put ur Head up' break up songs!

Hope they help you!

This Valentine...

2010-02-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

Its Thursday, and no, it is not too late to get those gifts!
If you haven’t got something yet, please check www.freshlydirectstore.com. They have exotic fruit baskets as hampers that your loved ones would love to get! Imagine- love and health going hand in hand!

Yes oh, whether or not you ‘believe’ in it, Valentine’s Day is here and it falls on a Sunday as you can imagine, it is the Weekend of Love!
Wondering what to do?

SINGLES SUMMIT
Covenant Christian Centre presents the Singles Summit, with performances by Lami and more! So, hmmn... get renewed, entertained and start valentine’s day early?
Sign us up!

FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC
Yes o! It has to be FOR the LOVE of MUSIC if the cutest guys in Nigeria are performing on the same stage! Usual suspects- Banky W, Sauce Kid, Naeto C, the Guitar Boy- GT, the love songs gurus- Tosin Martins and Timi Dakolo, and singer-producer with the highlife magic touch- J Martins!
The only female in the mix, is also the First Lady- Sasha.
That’s on Saturday on the Island!

TOUCH A LIFE
Abuja peeps! Spend your val’s day giving back and TOUCHing A LIFE at CITY PARK!
Spare two hours of your time and bring gifts for children aged between three months and three years so they can be taken to orphanages!

JAIYE LIVE AT THE GROTTO
Jaiye is a talented instrumentalist and artiste, and would go see him on Saturday if only to catch a glimpse of his opening act- Ify Otuya!

SWE BAR
As always, your favourite swanky bar will have a treat for her customers this Sunday. Count on a romantic ambience, champagne, music, and more drinks!

PRIME CHINESE
Chinese food at its most interesting on the island? Prime Chinese on Bishop Aboyade Cole it is!
And on Sunday, count on a special buffet for families in the afternoon, and for lovers in the evening!

KINGPIN
Kingpin is in Ikeja and they also have a valentine buffet on Sunday!
For N5500, guests will enjoy barbecues, drinks, and a bottle of red wine to take home!

CHILL AND RELAX
Chill and Relax with the Proles at BAMBUDHHA on Sunday, between 4 and 7pm!
Its an evening of spoken word, poetry, comedy and good music!
We hear CON.tra.diction will perform!

VALENTINE AT LAFENWA
Date:
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Time:
12:00pm - 6:00pm
Location:
LAFENWA MOTOR PARK, LAFENWA, ABEOKUTA, OGUN STATE.
Description
THIS IS A DAY THAT HAS BEEN SET ASIDE TO CARE FOR THE NEEDY AMONGST US. WE WILL BE SERVING FOOD TO PEOPLE AND GIVING OUT CLOTHES. SO IF YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THIS, WRITE ON THE WALL WHAT YOU WILL LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE OR YOU CAN JUST JOIN US AT THE VENUE TO SHOW LOVE TO ANOTHER DURING THIS SEASON. SEE YOU THERE AND GOD BLESS.

Yes o!
But remember, the season of love starts with GOD"

its back! valentine promo!

2010-02-04T02:08:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s Day is around the corner
Order a gourmet gift pack for someone special TODAY!!!

For Delivery between February 12th - 14th, 2010

LAGOS & ABUJA

It’s EASY! Just Submit an order through our website NOW!

www.freshlydirectstore.com

OR

Email: freshlydirect@gmail.com

OR

Call/SMS - 0704 266 2081 0704 266 2081 , 0703 979 1855 0703 979 1855 for assistance

Basket One
Contents - Apples, Pears, Strawberries, Grapes, Plums, Chocolates,

Price: N5, 000

Basket Two

Contents - Apples, Pears, Strawberries, Blueberries, Plums, Grapes, Chocolates, White Wine

Price: N10, 000

Basket Three

Contents - Apples, Pears, Strawberries, Blueberries, Plums, Grapes, Chocolates, Red Wine

Price: N15, 000

Basket Four

Contents - Apples, Pears, Strawberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Plums, Grapes, Chocolates, Champagne

Price: N35, 000

it really could happen to any one of us

2010-01-26T05:43:00.000-08:00

She woke up the next morning in pain. If you had asked her which hurt more, the physical or the emotional, she would have been hard torn to give a straight and correct answer. It was a bit of both, one she could see, the other she only felt, and yet the scars ran deep.
The previous evening had begun easily enough. Okay, to be honest, it had been full of love and highs! As most evenings with him were. The plan was simple. Go for karaoke, and come home. But the most simple plans sometimes crumble. And the most charming people sometimes become monsters at night.
For if he was anything, it was charming. Her father would invite him in and smoke a cigar with him on the porch. OR at least, they would want to, but with the rate of armed robbery going on in the area, more often than not, they simply watched television together and criticised the leaders.
Her mother would ask when he was coming and make a meal for him. Or to be honest, would want to make a meal for him, and end up getting pizza instead. You see, unlike the ideal woman in that commercial that was on air for a while, her mother was a real woman, who could not do it well, and would not allow people make her feel less human or woman for that.
Her brother loved to shoot the breeze with him, although, he ended up always speaking about some girl or the other he was currently in love with. Her brother loved to fall in love, it was on his list of ‘hobbies’, and if anyone ever wanted to pay him for it, he would gladly take it up as a profession. That evening, her brother had spoken about Julie. Luckily, not the same one Shank had sang about. As far as her brother was concerned, this Julie was the one. Or in this case, the one after the one after the other one that was forethought of as the one.
So, this boy was charming and the family loved him. One more week, a few more dates, and she would likely have been picking out aso-ebi, and possibly wondering where they would live.
But best laid plans...
He had come in the evening bearing gifts. He loved to buy her gifts. Although he would find a way to ruin the gift for her the next week or so. Like that time he had bought her chocolates, then one week later complained that she had put on weight. And when he bought her some c.ds then threw them out the car window because he felt ignored.
You could not say there had not been warning signs. He had told her once, matter-of-factly, that she was stupid and should be grateful he found time for her. This was after she had worn a dress she did not like and had refused to read his mind and change it in time.
There were signs, but she weighed it, and the good and the bad seemed to either be at par, or the good was winning. I mean, how many guys remember silly things like the anniversary of the day i first admired your new haircut?
Yes, there were signs. But signs where signs. Or like Darey sang, Style na Style.

He came to pick her up. Advised her brother to take Julie out with his friends first to see if she would get along with them, watched television with her dad and proclaimed that Nigeria should become a course in the colleges ( i mean, where else does the president rule from another country, a rich boy try to blow himself up, and people queue for fuel when there are refineries), and ate the pizza her mother had ordered even though her mom had forgotten he did not like olives. She knew he would mention it at some point between the first song at karaoke and the drive home. But she could handle that. That’s what love entails, managing and handling.

And the drive was pleasant enough. They listened to some of their favourite songs and sand out loud to each other. The swapped stories about their day, and they fell more in love than they were yesterday.
But then karaoke began, and for some reason, today his voice was not on point, and he seemed to pick the wrongest songs. Who takes on Frank Sinatra unless they are sure? So of course, people giggled. She didn’t, but people did. And that upset him. So he wanted to go somewhere else. But she was sort of having fun. So he stayed.
And then he nagged the whole journey through.
And somewhere between the name calling and the general absurdity of it all, she snapped.
Because she had a fantastic dad who had brought her up with love. And she had a gentle brother who treated ladies well (then let them break his heart). And she had been in loving and respectful relationships in the past!
She wasn’t desperate. She had a good job, loving friends, and other ‘toasters’. So why should she sit in this car and listen to him rant and rave.
So she didn’t. She tried to put the radio on, and that’s when she realised there is always a thin line between verbally abusive and physically so.
It wasn’t even the slap that stunned her. For that came after the twisting of her arm, so she was prepared for it. It was the kick. It was so unscripted and out of place. Who kicks a girl?
Ah!
And what kind of girl allows herself to be one of those girls that are in abusive relationships?
Ah

We sometimes sit and stare and talk. We wonder how and why it happens. And how and why they let it happen. But everyone of us is a step away from being an abuser or the abused.

on any given day...

2010-01-26T05:41:00.000-08:00

Technology is fantastic. I mean, look at me, not anywhere close to a desk nor even a computer, but still able to get this article to you.
Music in the background, voices in the other background, some soda to drink and a snack from my favourite vendor. Bliss.
But i have spoken too soon. Because now, that gentleman (also known as an ‘area boy’), and that other gentleman (also known as an ‘agbero’) are about to break bottles on each other’s heads because apparently, one of them touched the others’ bottle. The one he picked up to quickly buy more fuel into and sell to that lady whose car has just died and who cannot be bothered to try and queue.
Yes my fellow Nigerians, i am at a petrol station.

There was a time we did not queue for fuel. This time is also known as, ‘in the good old days’. This was the time before Christmas was postponed, and before queuing for fuel became part of your to do list. As in, ‘hey tosyn, what are you doing on Thursday’, and ‘hey Shade, well after the show, i’ll grab a quick lunch, queue for fuel and get a pedicure’.
First we did it reluctantly, but now we blog about it, tweet while we are doing it, and of course, write an article in the Guardian because of it. And if we are not careful, we will actually get used to it. Like how we got used to there never being PHCN-generated power at home.

But while you try to adjust to it, i have moved on to other things, like turning it into a commercial venture! What? Aren’t the ice cream man that i just bought yogo from, and the vendor that i bought gala from also doing it? And what of these touts that i spoke of earlier who have now made up and are jointly bargaining with the stranded lady? (I think they have asked for thrice what they bought it for. I don’t think she cares anymore). Why can’t i create a Survival Guide to Petrol Queues, and make money from it?
I mean, everyone needs to know what they need for a fuel queue.
The most essential thing is an empty bladder. Noone forgives the man who left his car to ease himself, thereby letting others jump the queue when the gate of the petrol station was eventually removed.
You must however stay refreshed and entertained so please have some water and snacks. But if you do not take any with you, do not fear. There will be a steady stream of hawkers urging you to buy everything and anything. And on that note... no ma, i do not need matches, stove and kerosene. I will not be making my dinner at the station.
Your vocabulary might be very good at this point, but you need to incorporate some new words. ‘Please’. ‘Oga’. ‘Comot!’ or ‘Clearout’. Longer phrases like, ‘Turn by Turn’, ‘How Far?’ and ‘You dey craze’, and questions like, ‘Are they selling?’, also come in handy.
Murphy’s law warns you that at any given time, anything that could go wrong usually will. Remember this when you get on a queue that seems to be moving but stops moving when it gets to your turn because the pump is hot. Or when you get to a station that is selling from only one pump, and is giving priority to people with kegs. When a fight breaks out, chances are something will hit you, or your windscreen. Dress accordingly, this is not the day for short dresses, heels or designer shirts.
Look out for our favourite regulars at petrol stations. Mr But-What-Are-You-Doing-Here? who is at the station but is not buying fuel nor selling it. There is always that one guy that is mad at the world, and at you. He spends his time grumbling, and if you spray perfume that he does not like, you will know! People pick their noses all the time, but there is something about a fuel queue that brings out the skills of even the most polished person, and there’s always that one girl applying mascara or blush...it usually is me. Queues go on for hours, so Mr Never-Time-Wasted has asked his colleagues to meet him at the station for a meeting, and love or at least, friendship-at-first-sight occurs here regularly. There is nothing like bonding over petrol fumes and sighs.
Since the directive that petrol should not be sold in kegs any longer, the keg queues have grown even longer, but on a good day, there will be a random guy who has brought his ‘I Better Pass My Neighbour’ generator to the station. Laugh hard. These are the little joys you get at times like this. And Mr If-I-Was-President provides the social commentary. He knows why there is fuel scarcity (although he never says anything strongly nor clearly enough for you to also understand why), and has an opinion on everything, from the Super Eagles (it is the defence), to banks. This guy is your most valued asset at a station, when your battery runs down and you can no longer listen to the radio, or when you are just so starved of human contact that any one would do!
Congratulations!
You have been armed with some essential tips for coping with petrol queues. The other tips can be found in my book, complete with a complementary Keg-Disguise bag, for those silly stations that actually comply with instructions not to sell petrol into kegs.
Remember too that anyone can write a book, as it starts with asking the most basic questions
- Why is there fuel scarcity
- When will cars run on urine
- How can i increase my urine output for when question 2 above is answered?
- Why is my car suddenly lighter?
- Where is my spare tyre?

The Entertainment Report! Avatar, Spice Girls, Timi Dakolo, Truspot, and more!

2010-01-22T02:47:00.000-08:00

THE ENTERTAINMENT REPORT!
- Awards Season continues!
Awards Season continues, with the organisers of the Future Awards, releasing a shortlist of nominees for their Awards Show which comes up in February.
Shortlisted nominees include, Omoni Oboli, Kemi Lala Akindoju, Ike Orizu (mytruspot.com), Uche Eze (bellanaija.com), Debola Lewis (yvent couture), Onyeka Nwelue, Jumoke Verissimo, Omawumi, Jesse Jags, Denrele Edun, Yinka Obebe, and Tosyn Bucknor.
For more information on the Future Awards, plus, the pre-awards conference, please check, www.thefuturenigeria.com

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTAS) awards, holds shortly with ‘Avatar’ picking up nominations in eight different categories, including, Best Film. Other nominees include, Up in the Air, Hangover, Coco before Chanel, Audrey Tatou, Quentin Tarantino, James Cameron and District 9.

- Rihanna! John Mayer! Spice Girls!
Rihanna is in the news! And this time, for supporting an important cause- to help Seun Adebiyi get a donor!
Seun Adebiyi is a 26 year old Nigeria who has been diagnosed with Leukamia, meaning he will need a bone-marrow transplant. Seun is an athlete and is well on his way to being the first Nigerian to compete in the Winter Olmpics so just like the people of Haiti and Jos, he needs all the prayers and help he can get.
Here is the link to his Youtube Video Appeal!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtx00Wa6i1w

As for John Mayer, the latest gist is that he is still pining for Jennifer Aniston, or at least, he missed her!
He was reportedly quoted as saying, when asked about the break up, ‘I've never really gotten over it.... It was one of the worst times of my life”.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Aniston’s other ex, Brad Pitt, is also in the news. Well, let’s face it, he is ALWAYS in the news!
This time around though, an unofficial biography which alleges that Brad cheats on Angelina Jolie, and has cheated with a Somalian model, and also that their relationship cannot survive the next few years, has been published!
Tory Tory!

Break ups. Break ups. Break ups.
The Spice Girls might have broken up years ago, but you might still see them, or at least, versions of them soon! No, not another reunion concert, but this time, on stage, as a Spice Girls Musical has finally been approved and commisioned!
‘VIVA FOREVER’ will bring Victoria, Emma, Mel C, Mel B and Geri, live to us on stage!
But WAIT!
We hear the musical won’t actually be ABOUT the girls, but will feature their songs...
Err...

- So what’s happening this weekend?
The weekend is here!
Exciting isn’t it?
Catch asa on the Green on Friday, with opening acts, Ibiyemi and Bez Idakula.
You can also catch Beautiful Nubia at Sparkle Hall this Sunday, as he launches his new album! YAY!
Top Radio will of course, keep you entertained with Uche! Wyse! Azaria! DJ GQ! Damirez! Korebrown! Stranger! They all hold the forte this weekend, till another Monday swings by!
- Jedward? Timi!
X!
Yelkst!
The duo formerly known as contestants on the British reality show, X FACTOR, may have been voted out, but since they have now signed a deal with Sony Music, i guess they laugh last!
Their new single, ‘Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby), featuring Vannila Ice, will soon be out
(yay? Nay? Yee? Pa?)

But from John and Edward Grimes, to Timi Dakolo!
Wednesday the 20th was a three in one (not the weave-on) combination for TIMI DAKOLO!
It was his birthday! (happy birthday! Thanks for the cake!)
It was the premiere of his video for hit single, ‘I Love You’ featuring Jesse Jags (with a cameo by Ice Prince and Zara)
It was his album listening party at Swe Bar! Hosted by Tosyn Bucknor, it featured performances by Rooftop M.Cs, Gbolahan and Hakym the Dream, and appearances by Lami, Ibiyemi, ObJazz, Obi Asika, Julius Agwu, Djinee, and more!

- Music .v. Movie Stars take two! Two sites move into further gear!
It turns out that when the movie stars go up against the music stars, they dance better!
Well at least, on Celebrity Takes Two, they do!
Fred Amata, Stella Damasus and Yinka Blag are the final three on Celebrity Takes Two, and this weekend, a winner emerges!
Me i am sha sad that Yinka Davies was voted off. She was fantastic!

And in closing, let us say, two of our favourite websites take things to another level!
First off, SWITCHEDONNAIJA which has always provided us with music, opinion articles and features, has published the first edition of RE’LOAD!
The cover is fab, the pictures look great, and it is definitely a collectors item!

And MYTRUSPOT.COM which is a favourite for music downloads, charts and fan pages, has given Africa its first application for Blackberry... the TRUSPOT APPLICATION FOR BLACKBERRY!
Users have tried it, and they love it! So go ahead and get it now!
Think about it!
You read Re’Load and Speechgirl blog when you queue for fuel, then listen to the Top 40 playlist on Truspot as you drive
Bliss!
Peace!
Out!
We thaank tha LORD

Miss CON.tra.diction

2010-01-20T08:16:00.001-08:00

We just want to say thank you for the love and support so far!
CON.tra.diction released her singles barely a few days ago on radio, and longer than that online, and the buzz has been mad!
Please check the online links out, listen, leave comments, and SPREAD THE WORD!
We appreciate that you have been there for a long time; it is time to get more foot soldiers!
CON.tra.diction as MOST BUZZED ABOUT ARTISTE on TRUSPOT
http://www.mytruspot.com/index.php?t=charts_overview

CON.tra.diction on NOTJUSTOK
http://www.notjustok.com/2010/01/18/con-tra-diction-first-dreams/

CON.tra.dictions singles getting a review on WEPLUGGOODMUSIC
http://www.wepluggoodmusic.com/2009/12/we-plug-2-you-tosyn-bucknor.html

CON.tra.diction on REVERBNATION (she is number 2 on the alternative charts for Nigerian artistes!)
http://www.reverbnation.com/misscontradiction

If you are on facebook, check her fan page out
http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/?ref=sb#/pages/Miss-CONtradiction/107195179010
Or join her group
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?id=675485991&gv=12#/group.php?gid=2429104302

and follow her on twitter
www.twitter.com/tcontradiction

GOD BLESS YOU INDEED!

Hey! I got to interview asa and Dj Jimmy Jatt!

2010-01-14T03:04:00.000-08:00

It was one of those interviews you dream about. When you get to interview people you think are cool, people you admire, and people you hope will be a laugh and a half when you do get right to it!!!
OF course, it was also always going to be a scary interview. Would they show up? One is a self-confessed late riser, the other is... well, she is asa! I mean, i had never interviewed her before. But grapevine wise, i had also not heard anything about cancelled interviews or no shows. So knock on wood, i prayed about it, and let tomorrow come!
Tomorrow came on Wednesday the 13th of January and i kept saying, well thank GOD its not Friday the 13th!
I had sent text messages to both Dj Jimmy Jatt’s p.a and asa’s manager, to ensure they woke up, at 6am when i was already at the studio!
I kicked the show off unceremoniously but hinted at two important guests coming soon, to the listeners. People began to guess even before i asked them to! Was it PSquare? I wish! Was it Don Jazzy (again) and DBanj? Oh i really wish! But still i wouldn’t say for i was too excited, and possibly too superstitious! Was not about to mention those names on air and then have them not show due to a flat tire! This was afterall, a live show, and would wrap at 11am!
But both parties kept me updated concerning their current location, and it seemed we would get a good show!
Let me confess, i get nervous interviewing certain people ( i almost stammered through the 9ice interview and gushed through the Darey one), but interviewing two people at the same time? Most times it leaves me feeling empty, like i missed something or didn’t do either of them justice! So i prayed again!
Dj Jimmy Jatt got here first while asa and her manager got lost and had to turn back and look for the station again!

So we began the interview!
At first he sat, and i asked the most basic questions! Did he ever think he would be this big (taking a cue from Nas and R Kelly). He said way back when, he never thought music would be his main and only thing! But now, he can’t even think of what else he could possibly have done instead of music. When i asked him to think about it, he said, even if he had not been a DJ, he would still have been lurking somewhere in the music shadows. Possibly as a producer? He does have an album out, and does not sing nor rap! But yes, ‘THA DEFINITION’ which felt like a first of its kind when it came out and had twenty two songs with mostly upcoming artiste, most of whom are now known, went on to get several nominations, and win awards, with singles like ‘Stylee’ (with Tu Face and Mode Nine), and ‘Too Much’ (with Sasha, Bouqui, Kemistry and Blaise), still enjoying maximum airplay!
He also said for him, there is always the need to take the next step, and one of the reasons he started Jimmy’s Jump Off, was so he could bring something refreshing to the table, while still helping to give upcoming artistes a platform. It began as a video mix, but now has live performances, and since it has become a much twitted, and boasted about show, it would seem it has sunk into Naija popular culture!
I was indeed curious to know what a Dj who has access to a million songs at his disposal, listen to, and how he decides what to play at any show. He said he grew up with a father that listened to James Brown and Ebenezer Obey, and a mother that listened to Boney M and Abba! His brothers also had diverse taste, and what he plays at a show, is usually different from what he listens to in his car. His mixes at a club are usually a blend of what he thinks the audience should listen to, and what they want! And since he has been forced to play a song at gun-point before, i suppose he sure is a man that listens to the people!
What other fun things did i discover about Dj Jimmy Jatt?
He is more comfortable standing up, even when the interviewer is sitting ( and he did the rest of the interview on his feet)
He is more in love with his wife (whom he met at a club) now, than when he first met her!
He truly is a sweetheart and a great man!

Don’t worry folks! Dj Jimmy Jatt and i did not leave asa outside for too long! She joined us and Dj Jimmy Jatt (real name JIMMY AMOO), became the interviewer for a few minutes!!!

If you listen to her music, you might have already guessed what asa would come across as in person.
I cant say this was my first time of meeting her, but it was in a different way, and as she sat down, i thought to myself, “better not mess this one up”!
It was easy interviewing her though! If you ask, she will answer. Straightforward, no punches pulled!

We began with the easy ones first! Her album which was released in .. is still making a massive impact now and even still getting her nominations! What did she think about that!
She says at the time of making the album, all she wondered was if people would like it, but she thinks in the end, it comes down to the fact that when she made/makes music, her focus in the music itself, telling her stories and discovering herself, and not ulterior motives like fame or music. She also admitted that she is a very shy and quiet person who gets surprised when people recognise her.
We do hope she is ready for a lot of surprises then because she is one of the most visually recognised artistes from Nigeria!

A quick music break had Top Radio’s in-house deejay (DJ GQ) playing, while Dj Jimmy, asa, Janet (her manager) and myself had a lot of fun with off air gist! We mainly kept grilling Jimmy Jatt about love, and knowing ‘The One’
Once we went back on air, it was time to tackle those rumours!
The most recent story on asa was that she had been arrested at Heathrow for being in possession of cocaine.
Her presence in Nigeria (and in Nigeria at the time of the news breaking) was proof enough that that was false, but she categorically denied those rumours, saying she was at home, having a relaxed time with her family, when the calls started coming in. She said she was hurt and angry, and clarified while she was at it, that she was not a lesbian, and was just a quiet person who truly liked to keep her life private. She said when she did get married and have children, she would love to keep even that, private! I love the way she expresses herself, and the way she pronounces certain words with both an emphasis and a clipped tone! I love that she is all about the music, for even when we were off air, she would get lost in it, and i love that after all is said and done, it all boils down to an artiste who is truly truly, all about the art itself.
She has performed on various stages around the world, mainly because she loves to travel and loves to perform! But she says the Lagos/Nigerian crown connect to the music, and the Paris crowd demands high standards of you! She asked Dj Jimmy Jatt about the seeming monotony in Nigerian music, saying we are respected worldwide, but there will be a burn out if the deejays are not experimental, and if we do not have different genres of music. Dj Jimmy and herself also treated the listeners to proverbs in their own language with Jimmy going simple, and asa singing a line from her collaboration with 9ice on ‘Pete Pete’

Speaking of collabos, i wanted to know how she decides whom to collaborate with. She usually has to like the person, and there has to be a message. When asked by a fan if she would collaborate with Terry G or Timaya, she said why not, if the message is one they need to get out. She also admitted she needs to collaborate with more female artistes, and she lamented that when it comes to the music scene, more had to be done in terms of female presence.
It was a nice simple chat from start to finish, and by the time we literally had to run out of the studio, the listeners and i had come away knowing a lot more about Dj Jimmy Jatt and the eagle, asa. For me, the interview helped me love and appreciate them more, and since Jimmy is working on Tha Definition part deux, and since asa has said she is looking towards a summer release for her new album which will of course have Cobhams producing some tracks though she is open to working with other producers, i’ll be holding my breath!

Till then, i will have ‘Too Much’ and ‘Bibanke’ on repeat!

By the way, asa likes CON.tra.diction!

Love is...

2010-01-12T05:50:00.000-08:00

Some love quickly
They hardly take time to breathe before they sail
Some love hard
Its all or nothings, have or have nots
Some love fast
One minute they are sane, and then they are not
But with all, love never lasts

Love comes softly
It does not ask why, now from whence you came
Love is safe and secure, calm and reassuring
Love loves even when it couldn’t
Love hurts even when it shouldn’t

Love is the sum of all fears
Its light, life and karma

We Think You Should Know!

2010-01-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

Hi guys!
Welcome to the New Year... that is, if you haven’t got tired of it already!
LOL!

So 2010 promises to be fun, and we thought we should run some things by you!

THESE GENES sickle-cell project which has been doing work in the background quietly in 2009, will be making noise in 2010! Please click on the link below to join the group on facebook for regular updates!
First event March, noise starts now!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7020801550

All you coca-cola addicts out there can join the facebook group here!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16090842735
Its all about the love for that drink mehn!

With three singles released just as 2009 wrapped up, CON.tra.diction is poised to make 2010 her own!
Please join her facebook group!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2429104302
Listen out for her singles on any of the radio stations, but if you can listen online, or would like to read a review of the singles, then please check this link out!
http://www.wepluggoodmusic.com/2009/12/we-plug-2-you-tosyn-bucknor.html
She is also on twitter
www.twitter.com/tcontradiction
And on Reverbnation!
www.reverbnation.com/misscontradiction

Dont say we did not tell you o!

s.h.a.r.e fans, this is your year!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19663672161
Please join the facebook group to catch updates on facebook!
You can also check the blog from time to time
http://sharenetworking.blogspot.com/
The calendar for 2010 is up, and there are at least two events a month this year!
To make things easier for you, you could register to get updates straight to your phone! There is a service charge for this and to find out more, please send a text to 08023066252!

So what else have we missed?
We are still up for charity
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=167774275843
and we love Zapphaire Events!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=167774275843
and please check out our blogs!
www.myfictionalbreakup.blogspot.com
www.speechgirlbucknor.blogspot.com

s.h.a.r.e monday movies!

2010-01-04T03:18:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!
Hope you are not too grumpy and ticked off that the holidays are over?!
It was a semi-long one, haba!

Well, you can keep that holiday feel by joining s.h.a.r.e for a movie today!
Its s.h.a.r.e Monday Movies, and we do this evey first monday!

Meeting time is 5pm (helep us try not to do naija time, u hear!), and meet point is the galleria!Where specifically? depends on tiem you come
ha ha ha

Ill be the girl in the pink s.h.a.r.e tshirt!

Our movie options are
SHERLOCK HOLMES for 6.10pm
AVATAR for 5.10pm
2012 for 7.30pm

I know where we are leaning, but it depends on all of us!!!

So please send us a text to the official s.h.a.r.e line to confirm so we know whom to look out for!
08023066252!

Movie tickets for Mondays at the Galleria - N1000
You also get popcorn and a drink

The good news is, if you wear a s.h.a.r.e teeshirt, we will pay for your ticket!!!

So let us know!

How the Grinch still couldnt steal christmas

2009-12-24T22:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Blessed Christmas

Ill be honest, i woke up today, and as Tosyn drove to work, and i saw no lights, heard no bangers, and thought about the no plans for the day, i wondered what changed in twelve months!!!
Last year was different, it was fun, it sparkled, it rocked, we were happy!

There might be no fuel, possibly no light, and maybe no money, but guys, there is still family, and there are still friends
So please, have a merry and blessed christmas
They cant keep us down

The Nominees Ball!

2009-12-18T02:20:00.000-08:00

You never know how a Nominees Ball is going to go!

But as Nominees Balls go, well, this one went well!

But wait! WHAT is a Nominees BALL????
Moving on...

Got there at 6pm, thanks to the queue i had to join to be able to get there. Chei! Fuel Scarcity at christmas? We reject it!!!

The Red Carpet was red, and the cameras were flashing! Some people juts popped on that carpet! Loved Ify Otuya, Denrele, Dipo Okuribido, Yvonne Vixen, and of course, those models with the impossibly long legs!

There were cocktails, and of course i made a beeline for that table! But also had time to air kiss, hug, peck, get one or two autographs (yes o!), and took pictures! The ushers looked simple but nice (white and green can pop you know) and there was just a general good vibe around!

The venue was Terra Kulture, and my friend made me go eat Ofada Rice at the restuarant before things kicked off. So blame her for my missing the first set of nominee categories that were called.

Thankfully, i did not miss Fela Durotoye's interesting speech, nor the next set, nor the fashion show (House of Nwocha had some clothes o! Chei!). Problem was, for some reason, the audience was just sitting and being a tad stiff! Made noisemakers like myself go quiet and stand for most of the event.

I mean, from Lami, to Segun Obe, to the M.C's (Gbemileke and Seun), the content was fab! And not to mention Whiz Kid...

You first heard him on 'Fast Money Fast Cars' where he did the hook, but get ready to HOLLER AT YOUR BOY soon!

Everyone looked good by the way.... but... with no dress code, we were all free to decide! I opted for a black and white dress (and so did most of the other ladies). Spotted some really interesting outfits. And this for the Nominees Ball? So what will happen at the Awards proper?

Okay na!

Congratulations to all the nominees, especially those who showed up! Ha! Ha! Ha!

The Future Awards 2010 holds in February, and below is a list of all nominees.

No, i will not be making predictions

HA HA HA

Full Nominees List for The Future Awards 2010

Actor of the Year

Omoni Oboli

Gideon Okeke

Mercy Johnson

Kemi Lala Akindoju

Tonto Dikeh

Ali Nuhu

Mercy Aigbe

Nonso Diobi

Best Use of Advocacy

Tunde David (YGC Africa)

Stephen Oguntoyinbo (Talk Village International)

Onodi Daniel Chinedu (Nigerian Youth Association, Benin Republic)

Ndubude Matthew Ekene (Nigeria Youth Fight Against Malaria)

Emmanuel Odiase (Smokefree Foundation)

Chuks Etuka (Will to Survive)

Isoke Aikpitanyi (Casa de Isoke)

Light Up Nigeria

Best Use of Science

Oteri Ogoghorie (0.1 Seconds Automatic Changeover)

Akintunde Babatunde (Novel tidal-flow constructed wetland system for wastewater treatment)

Ify Aniebo (Research in malaria)

Bade Adesemowo (Power Back Alarm)

Tosin Ogunrinde (Invention in robotics)

Okelola Mayokun (Research in climate change)

Godspower Oboide (Magnetic safety bumpers)

Kamal Olaleye (Power inverter innovation)

Best Use of Technology

Bode Pedro (Veda Technologies)

Ike Orizu (mytruspot.com)

Olufemi Akande (iWorks)

Temi Kolawole (Antigravity)

Uche Eze (bellanaija.com)

Saheed Adejuwon (DigiWorks)

GobbleAbba Studios

Jay Aloysius-Chukwuemeka (Bluelabs LLC)

Businesss Owner of the Year

Oghenekaro Agono (Tremor Perfect)

Erefe Fynecountry (Deheney Services)

Debola Lewis (Yvent Couture)

Ayo Arigbagbu (Dada Books)

Hassan Rilwan (Focal Point Publishing)

Henry Oraika (Motomedia)

Uyi Omokaro (DM2)

Sylvester Olusola Adade (Pearl Creations)

Creative Artist of the Year

Olanrewaju Oluwafemi

Onyeka Nwelue

Andrew Esiebo

Jumoke Verissimo

Babadeji Ogunnubi

Adekunle Samuel Owolabi

Yakaa Celestine

Richardson Oviebo

Excellence in Public Service

Dr. Iofarfa Tor-ayin (Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi)
Emmanuel Etim (UNFPA)

Jerry Uchechukwu Eze (UNFPA)

Dr. Idoko Abraham Braimah (General Hospital, Lagos)

Fatima Zara Modibbo (Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria)

Dr. Adedayo Osholowu (Lagos University Teaching University)

Ngozi Iheukwumere (University Teaching Hospital, Ilorin)

Oluwatoyin Jegede (Engineering Department, University of Lagos)

Journalist of the Year

Toyosi Ogunseye (The Punch)

Ruona Agbroko (NEXT)

Rachel Ogbu (Newswatch)

Chinedu Iroche (NEXT)

Segun Adeoye (TELL)

Amina Alhassan (Daily Trust)

Afolabi Oyekoya (Citypeople)

Funke Adetutu (BusinessDay)

Magazine of the Year

Ace

Soundcity Blast

The Applause

Revealed

Genexx

Acada

Dynamix

Tripz

Model of the Year

Aminat Ayinde

Ibukun Jegede

Olubunmi Ademokoya

Tayo Ishola

Warebi Martha

Isi Atagamen

Bisi Sowemimo

Owobowale Ogunlaja

Musician of the Year

Darey Art-Alade

Wande Coal

Banky W

MI

Omawunmi

Rooftop MCs

Kel

Psquare

Music Producer of the Year

Jesse Jagz

DJ Clem

JMartins

K Solo

Tee Y Mix

Dokta Frabz

Terry G

Dekunzy

On-Air Personality of the Year (Radio)

Tosyn Bucknor (Top Radio)

Matse Uwatse (Wazobia FM)

Toolz (Beat FM)

Amake and Charles (Hot FM)

Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi (Beat FM)

Gbemileke Oyinsan (Inspiration FM)

Bernie Ark (Cool FM Abuja)

Chuks Roberts (Cosmo FM Enugu)

On-Air Personality of the Year (TV)

Yvonne Ekwere (Silverbird TV)

Cynthia Okpala (MTV Base)

Adaure Achumba (Silverbird TV)

Denrele Edun (Soundcity)

Gloria Ebong (Channels TV)

Veronica Onuchi (HiSoccer)

Deji Falope (Street Dance)

Andre Blaze (Nigezie)

Professional of the Year

Franklin Ozekhome (Insight Communications)

Abdularahman Aliyu (Abuja Investments Company Limited)

Simi Dosekun (Kachifo Limited)

Ifeanyi Ajuluchukwu (Access Bank)

Dipo Okuribido (Banwo & Ighodalo)

Fopefoluwa Adebayo (Goldman Sachs)

Aneto Okonkwo (Management Consultant)

Ifunnaya Maduka (Dean of Students, Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls)

Screen Producer of the Year

Kemi Adetiba (Dragon Fly Productions)

Clarence Peters (Capital Productions)

Tola Odunsi (Storm Productions)

Imoh Umoren (Ultima Studios)

Chuka Ejorh (NeverMachine South Africa)

Yinka Obebe (Nigezie)

Gbenga Salu (Renders & Illusion)

Kenneth Gyang (“Finding Aisha”)

Sportsperson of the Year

Osaze Odemwingie (Football)

Vivian Chukwuemeka (Shotput)

Mikel Obi (Football)

Ikechukwu Uche (Football)

Fatima Abinu (Lawn Tennis)

Obafemi Martins (Football)

Janet Dung (Athletics)

Aruna Quadri (Table Tennis)

Style Entrepreneur of the Year

Muyiwa Osindero (Clothesense)

Uche Nnaji (Ouch!)

Tobi Vincent (Alvince)

Linda Ikeji (Blackdove Communications)

Ugonna Umeruo (House of Nwaocha)

Adetola Olateju (Xquizit)

Biobelemoye Omoniyegha (Labelle’s Touch)

Funke Ogunde (Phunk Afrique)

Team of the Year

Africa Youth for Change

Knighthouse Productions

Light Up Nigeria

Yellow Dog Productions

Salsa Federation in Nigeria

The Umusu Wives

Gbagyichild Entertainment

Glitz Youths

Young Person of the Year

Ik Osakioduwa (On Air Personality)

Toyosi Akerele (Youth Advocate)

Tolu Ogunlesi (Journalist)

Asa (Bukola Elemide) (Singer/Performer)

Ify Aniebo (Scientist)

Qudus Onikeku (Dance professional)

Stephanie Okereke (Actor/Movie Producer)

Cobhams Asuquo (Music Producer)

sigh

2009-12-15T02:17:00.000-08:00

I typed a long mail meant for you
Then i published and realised i had typed it at the wrong blog!
Sigh!
E ma binu

Dont forget to read MYFICTIONALBREAKUP.BLOGSPOT.COM
sigh!

U ehn!

2009-12-15T02:11:00.000-08:00

I want to be with you...
Not some of the time...
All of the time

I want to hold your hands...
Not some of the time...
All of the time

We can fuss and fight
As long as we make it right
Not some of the time...
ALL of the time

PEACE

MORE on AREA Mushin Makeover!

2009-12-11T02:41:00.000-08:00

Morning all!
Thank you so much for staying tuned and wanting to know more and all about Mushin Makeover!

It is tomorrow, Saturday 12th, from 8am, for 8 hours straight!!!

The professional painters will be on hand to do the frame work, but we need to be there to help out with finishing touches!
Some people have also indicated interest in making contributions, and an account has duly been opened for this purpose!

ZENITH BANK
ACCOUNT NO: 6014303053

We still need paint, and ladders, and other work tools, and of course, YOU!!!

More on Mushin Makeover!

2009-12-07T23:32:00.000-08:00

Hi folks!
As you know, the make over Mushin project is on sat the 12th of December, and its gathering momentum with more sign ups, donations and support pouring in!
Here is the latest we have heard!

A paint company in Port Harcourt has donated a thousand buckets of paint! And one or two more are to get on board! Speaking of paint though, we actually still need buckets loads! So could you buy a bucket for us today?
You can drop your bucket of paint off at House of Tara in V.I and Ikeja, TREM, or Guardian at Oshodi-Apapa expressway!

We hope you plan to be there? I recommend a pair of jeans (not your favourite), a teeshirt (a s.h.a.r.e or These Genes tee if you have one), comfy shoes (trainers, no heels abeg), and minimal make-up!
Security is guaranteed (we thaank tha LORD!)

Please register as a volunteer to get more updates and so they have an idea how many people are coming!
www.gemstone2025.org

Why Mushin?
Why not?
Why painting?
Show up, paint a fence and you will answer the question yaself!

MUSHIN MAKEOVER

2009-11-29T23:37:00.000-08:00

So!
Sometimes you hear about a project, and you are so excited that you sign up for it, and resolve to sign a million people up for it as well!
Or at least, the people that read your blog!!!

What better way to spend a saturday morning than to hang out in MUSHIN, painting and cleaning? Doesn't sound exciting yet? Well, check it! Banky W will be there! Wande Coal will be there! Ali Baba will be there! Fela Durotoye will of course be there!!! Err... I'll be there?
We will be painting, cleaning and chilling out!
I think it will be fun!

But don't come there just for the fun! Come there because you want to make a difference! Come to Mushin and paint or clean something! Do it because it is all well and good for us to keep wanting Nigeria to become bigger, better, safer, cleaner, and so on, but its better for us to start doing something about it, ourselves!

I will be giving you more information as things and events unfold, but you can check the official site
www.gemstone2025.org

MUSHIN MAKEOVER
lets really go there!

And another weekend...

2009-11-29T22:33:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!
Some people are too groggy to reply at the moment
What is it about long weekends that turns us to Oliver and Olivia Twists? We just want more!
So it isnt enough that we had Thursday and Friday to play with, we had to add Saturday and Sunday to it!
Kai!

Well, i gave Thursday a miss, but Friday simply rocked
After work, i headed for JEDI IN D' BUILDING...
(okay fine! i first hung out with KRAFT and collected CON.diction's second second single)

JEDI IN D' BUILDING was fun!
Music (Jaywon, Jafextra, Rooftop MCs and JEDI himself), Comedy (Jedi, MC Abbey, Omobaba, Koffi and Owen Gee, Ali Baba, Gbenga Adeyinka the 1st, and more!!!)
Shout out to Oscar and Titi by the way!
And special shout out to FEMI ADEYINKA who performed his hit single, NEVER FELT A LOVE...

Apart from music and comedy, we also had the MUSHIN MAKEOVER endorsement!
Fela Durotoye explained that on Dec 12th, some streets in Mushin will be getting a new coat of paint, and drainages will be cleaned! There are professional painters lined up, but 5000 volunteer painters are needed!
I have signed up
Yes o! Mushin is getting a makeover in December, and we would love for you to be a part of it!

The comedians at JEDI's show endorsed the project, and it was the turn of the artistes at LAMI's album listening party!

After a brief stop at SWE Bar for dinner (fries and asun never tasted so good! Washed down with a Tosyns Tipple!), i changed (in the car again o! may GOD deliver me!), and headed for Lami's Album Listening Party at the Oriental Hotel!

Lets just say, Lami Phillips radiates a lot of love, and it was evidenced by the warmth and turn out on the night!
Apart from being treated to songs of the album, we also had impromptu performances by Ice Prince, Whiz Kid (swag personified), Timi Dakolo (who made me cry with his rendition of his song, 'CRY'), and more!
It was great seeing FEMI ADEYINKA perform again (2wice in one night? what a treat!), and S.K.A.L.E.S was... was... was...
yeah! that powerful!
Im glad i said look out for this kid! And im glad E.M.E snapped him up cos he gets my vote, ears, and support anytime!
And it was cool to see the big names, M.I, Wande Coal, Kel, and Da Grin, performing as well!
And it would be impossible not to admit, that Don Jazzy in a corner with D Prince was like seeing the godfather coming to support a project!
Again!

Much love to Lami, and get the album, INTUITION when it is released nationwide!

Sleeeeeeep!
Thats what i needed when i got home that saturday morning!
And sleep i did!
But really, how much sleep can you get when there is WordSLam at the Goethe Institute with Bantu performing, at the presentation of Ayodele Arigbabu's book, A FISTFUL OF TALES, at the British COuncil on that same day?
Sigh!

And how much sleep do you get on a Sunday when there's SUNDAYS AT THE BAY (end of the year edition) at Takwa Bay, Djinee's video shoot (its not me in advance), and live performance by Kunle Ayo and friends at the Oriental?!

I mean, why isnt Monday just declared REST DAY???????

im so sorry... and ashamed!

2009-11-29T22:15:00.000-08:00

I cant believe i have been neglecting this blog
it mostly stems from having so much to say that u never say it

im sorry, and will try to do better!

im back!

MUSON JAZZ FESTIVAL!!!! We have tickets!

2009-11-04T09:46:00.000-08:00

Okay folks!

Its here!

This year's edition of the Muson Jazz Festival, featuring the very gifted JIMMY DLUDLU, with supporting acts, Biodun Batik, Beautiful Nubia, Pure and Simple and more!

It holds at the MUSON CENTRE this Friday at 7pm, and also, Saturday, same time! There will be light refreshment and a paying bar, but the emphasis is all on the fabulous music that will be on that night!

Hosting is DAN FOSTER, ably supported by Tosyn Bucknor! And tickets for the show are available at Muson Centre and the Soul Lounge. Tickets cost N7500.

As always, SPEECHGIRLBUCKNOR blog has got some free tickets to give away for this amazing show, and will be giving them out in conjunction with s.h.a.r.e!

To win yourself a ticket, please send a text message to 08023066252 with your NAME, and the NAME OF A s.h.a.r.e EVENT that you have attended!

Tickets go out, first come, first served!

E se o!

Have i Got some Entertainment Gist for YOU!!!

2009-10-16T07:01:00.001-07:00

Let me start with some sad news first!
We have lost two greats in Nigeria in general, and the Entertainment world in particular!
Nicholas Anukanti, the television presenter, and Momoh Kubanji, the head of news at Radio Continental, and veteran broadcaster. They both sadly before celebrating a 50th birthday!
Tres sad, and we will miss them dearly!

Speaking of death, but more about life after death...
Fela would have celebrated a birthday this Thursday, but, even though he is now dead, his memory, and indeed his art, and influence lives on!
More so this week, Felabration week! With various performances holding at the shrine from Monday till today, Fela continued to live on, though it is doubtful that he would ever be forgotten!

If you like plays, and you like music, then how about a play that puts some of your favourite artistes on a stage... acting?
We spotted Snatcha of the Rooftop MC's on stage at Terra Kulture, in Tarzan Monologues, a play written by Wole Oguntokun!
Tarzan Monologues will hold every Sunday this month so it is not too late to catch it...him!

But if the only acting you want to see your artistes do is in their videos... here is some video news!
Lami has leaked a sneak peek of her video for her single, 'Nothing', online! We hear the full lenghth video is scheduled to hit television stations today!
Omawunmi's video for 'Today na Today' is also out! Girl looks toh bad!

From certain news to not so certain!
We have gist of two important meetings that held recently, but we can only guess that we will not know the outcomes for a few days or weeks!
The first meeting was 'drinks' at Red! But when drinks has entertainment heavyweights like Bobby Taylor, M.I, Banky W, Olamide Adedeji and more in attendance, then as our people say, the handshake has reached the elbow!

The other meeting had ladies such as Sasha, Joke Jaiyesinmi, Baby and Joice Ize-Iyamu, in attendance! It was a closed door meeting, and while they have refused to release an official statement, our spy got a code word out of them- GNO!

Guess what, there is no way we will rest till we get the full gist!

WE do have full gist about some international artistes! Like keri Hilson who is scheduled to appear in the Big Brother House today! Lucky housemates!
Not so lucky is Leona Lewis who was reportedly hit in the face by a fan at the signing for her book, 'DREAMS'.
pele oh!

And you must have all heard about the MAMAs!
Congratulations to our naija artistes!
M.I, PSquare, DBanj...
And of course, to Nameless, Samini and HHP!

So, that's all folks!
For today at least!

Style Night 5

2009-10-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

The annual fashion show 'Style Night' is here again.

It's a night of fashion, modeling, music, comedy and dance.
Style Night 5 fFeatures - Top designers, models, music, dance and comedy stars.
Date - Saturday October 24th 2009
Venue - Jade Palace, Adeola Odeku Str., Victoria Island, Lagos
Time - 5pm (Red Carpet by Spice TV and Soundcity)
After Party - Volar Bar - Adeola Odeku Str., VI (Sponsored by Hennessy)
Gate Fee - N3, 000 only.Lots of gift items to take away
(All sponsors are bringing goodie bags) + cocktail and drinks.

Style Night 5 is sponsored by *Prestige Cosmetics (Makers of Active Man and Woman moisturizing cream)*Multisheen Cosmetics*Cybele Cosmetics* Lacasera DrinksAnd a few others yet to confirm...

Style Night 5 is definitely the place to be.

If you are a reader of either of these blogs (lindaikeji.blogspot.com OR santiagopad.blogspot.com) and you want to come for this event...send an email(lindaikeji@gmail.com)... they'll send you an invite. (Only the first 20 mails...so hurry!...lol)

Any print, electronic or online media that wants to come cover this event should please contact the media officer, Santiago - 07032327450.
If you want to be one of our sponsors or participate in any capacity, call- 016635848.

A Day at the Stylists

2009-10-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing i took away from my consultation with a (my) stylist today, it is that i am a ‘vase’. And no, that does not refer to something you put flowers in! Since there is no way you could put flowers in me. Water maybe, but not flowers.
But then i digress.

So, apparently, the ‘Vase’ body type is the body type that... You know what? I. Do. Not. Remember.
Cos i blanked out after she told me that contrary to what i had always believed (imagined, deluded myself into thinking), i. Did. Not. Have. Long. Legs.

Beauty is a funny thing. Your whole life can change at one seating, and your whole world can be rocked with three words or less. Or more. But more less than more.
I mean, how many girls have had one of those days when they have dressed the best. In their own eyes. And then they spend the day and night searching for compliments, but none come. And just when they cannot take it any longer, they ask someone how they look. And the person says, “Fine”.
Stab me while you are at it, you unable-to-string-more-than-one-word-together-friend/p.a/enemy!

But back to my consultation.

There i was at work when they came in, asking if i had more blue tones or yellow tones in my wardrobe. Look, i didn’t even know my wardrobe had tones okay!
And apparently, human beings are Autumn, Winter, and something else.
But i am Nigerian!
What happened to harmattan and rainy season and August break?
Uhn?

Orange or Fushia Pink>
Err... whichever one i take out of Funke’s wardrobe first?

And on and on it went.
By the time they sat me down, put some shades of colour on me and took my picture though, i could see what they meant! While orange made me come alive, fuschia pink made me look dead.
But you know i exaggerate right?

What else?
Make up.
These are some of the colours that will suit you.
We will have a full profile typed and delivered to you by the end of the week.
Now let us measure you.

Which is when i realised i do not have long legs.
But the good news apparently is that i have good ..., a nice waist, and something else i missed, while smiling at the fact that my C’s where back!

It was fun though. Inspite of my moaning and resisting.
But i still truly want to know...
What colours are harmattan?

What I Am Loving at the Moment (September 2009)

2009-09-29T05:02:00.000-07:00

Okay,
So i love talking about what i am up to at any given moment.
Forgive me, it is just that i was born with a diva attitude. I therefore assume everyone wants to know what i care about.
Ah well!

Right now, i am loving...

MUSIC

Music! Music! Music!
Well, tis the season for more awards and all, and we wish every Nigerian artiste that has been nominated in one category or the other at various award ceremonies all the best!
Would love to shout out to THE nigerian DREAM in particular!
This guy is not only a good singer, but he is also very good at production. And you can always see what being good producers does for certain artistes; like M.I, eL Dee and co. So i have high hopes for him, and wish him all the best as he competes for BEST NEW ACT at the Channel O awards.

Another set of artistes who have recently done not just music in general, but girl power in particular, proud, are the ladies of the GIRL POWER TOUR!
Yes oh! Ashionye! Nyore! Mo Cheddah! Bb! Nikki Laoye! All five of them recently rocked Lagos, Ibadan and Benin! Sources tell us Benin had the best and liveliest crowd, but wherever they went, the girls brought a crowd, and then won the crowd!
Great job girls!

Mo Cheddah has been a pretty busy hiphop princess, hasn't she? Not only did she tour with the other ladies of the Girl Power tour, but she also made it to the last three standing of Artistry competition, coming second!
Congratulations and well done!
And congrats to Bez, and of course, the eventual winner, ICE PRINCE (Zamani)

Sasha is back!
Maybe all it took was more ladies in the mix?
Anyways, while we were still trying to decide if we liked 'GIDI BABE', she hit us with the absolute head-nodding, club banger, 'PUT IT DOWN' with Dama Do Bling!
Mahd!
We dare you to listen to that song and not nod your head or tap your feet.

Another lady who is up for an MTV MAMA award is KEL!
Yes Boss lady!
That girl makes tomboy cool look sexy!

Anyways, Kel had been keeping us alright for a bit, but the question was, would she drop an album... and a nice one?
If sales and reviews are anything to go by...
YES!
THE INVESTMENT dropped to a lot of apprehension and anticipation and it was quite well worth the wait.
My favourite song from the album changes from time to time; from the classic MOVE, to SITTING ON TOP ( come on guys, you loved autotune before Jay Z told you NOT to!), and now, TURN BY TURN.
But that is not even the half of it!

You should get the album if you have not already!

The guys too are singing and rapping and dropping and...
Did you get the Jah Bless album yet?
Not a bad album to have in your collection, and 'Jooooo' just has me cracking up all the time!

MOVIE

I have not been watching movies lately, so the last movie i saw is still the last movie i loved!
G.I JOE!
Forget the nay sayers... its an action movie
If you want intellectual, go buy a book!

PERSON

I work with pretty amazing people to be honest. It is a family and i am grateful to GOD for this!
And every girl needs another girl to have intellectually stimulating conversations (read as 'gossip') with!
And thats Uche!
You guys should listen to Uche on Top Radio at the following times!
MONS- FRIDAYs with WYSE from 1 - 4pm
SATS 7 - 11am
SAT ( on Shindig with Damirez and Wyse in the afternoon, and Saturday Night Fever)

Lamide has decided to further her education o o o
Kai!
The UnRulies miss her die!
We remain a naughty nutty family though. Much love!

It was my birthday a little over a month ago and it was a quiet one by my own standards! Anyways!
My favourite people are a lot of LEOS that i know!
We rock
Because we are proud
Romantic
Passionate

SOmetimes it grates on nerves, and other times we crave attention and validation, but if you have a leo on your team, then you know two things for sure
- we will have your back
- we will get things done

Leos! Love u muchos!

EVENT

I stopped going out for a bit and even my clothes noticed!
But there have been so many interesting events lately!
Like Artistry and Road to MAMA's
Which had me, as i blogged about earlier, reliving the reasons i stopped going out
http://speechgirlbucknor.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-love-my-music.html

Then there was the Arthur Guiness 250 concert which was a well put together event, and some of us (read as 'me myself and i') are very proud of a certain Mai Atafo...
Thats all im saying!

FASHION
Boyfriend Jeans truly rock!
I don't mean literally wearing your boyfriend's jeans!
I mean when you wear those jeans that are not particularly cut for ladies but purposely so!
I like to wear mine turned up and bit on the scruffy side! I don't know oh, pray for me, i was the one cutting her jeans up in secondary school with blades, and now, scruffy boyfriend jeans!
Where is Naija Blonde when you need her?

By the way, i had an 'I am aware' moment on television lately!
Thats all im sayinG!

BUCKSTONE FLIPFLOPS turn your everyday slippers into glamorous slippers that can be worn to the beach, down the street or to the supermarket!
Get you some?Call 08023130566!

It is a laptop, but mehn! It is a cute laptop!
The pink VEDA laptop is a fashion must-have!

NEWS
Kanye pulling a Kanye at the V.M.As was a laugh out loud moment!
Then there was Serena cursing!
Look, i hate the fact that sports is being streamlined so much!
It is sports!
Right now, you cannot curse, retaliate nor over celebrate!
What will we have next?
Not speaking or celebrating at all?
Hiss!

STUFF
Twitter!
I love twitter!

So i'm done for now...
It's YOUR turn!
What are YOU loving at the moment?!

I love my music

2009-09-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

I have not been going for concerts and showbiz parties in a while, as evidenced by the fact that my party shoes have gathered dust, and by the fact that when i did step out, everyone from the bouncers to DJizzy again, asked where i had been! Being at the Road to MAMA's concert reminded me why i had stopped going out though!

No, not because the show sucked...
How could it suck when Cynthia had on that blinging black jacket and those shoes? When Kel wore those boots? When Wande Coal performed those songs? When HHP had that much energy and rocked a crowd that knew not him but became fans? When Ice Prince had that flow, Jesse Jags those rhymes and M.I that swag?
Abegy! The show worked!

But there i was in my rock chic mode with black eyeliner and black shoes, promising to behave myself and nod in a dignified way as people performed. Till they announced Kel and i moved a bit closer to the stage. Then Wande and i took a step further. With HHP, another step, and a quick conversation with the bouncer and a pesky photographer (don't stand in front of short people cos you are doing your job...).
By M.I, i was at the railing....

You see, i find it hard not to be a fan first and a friend, critic or writer second.
I love music, it moves you from the inside and outside.
It doesn't matter who is on stage; friend, foe, stranger.
Once they pick that mic and deliver music... I'm gone! I'm lost!

From Lyndon David Hall, to Usher, to Boys 11 Men... Im there!
And even though some people pay money to form cool at events in Nigeria... from P Square to 9ice to D Banj to Banky W, to Kel to M.I, to Jesse Jags to Dipp, to DJ Neptune to Naeto C, to Provabs to S.K.A.L.E.S, to...
I'M There!

I love my music, and i apologise in advance if i ever step on your toes or push you in my bid to get to the front and scream for my favourite artistes.
Just remember...
I
LOve
My
Music!

Did PSquare pull a Kanye?

2009-09-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

I would like to start this article by blaming all those who had a problem with my car being full. It was because of them i emptied and cleaned it out. It was because of them i had nothing to wear as a i left Ikeja on Thursday the 24th. And it was therefore because of them that i missed the Arthur Guiness show!

Of course, funny news spreads faster than good news, and it also grabs the headlines. This article is therefore not about how fantastic M.I’s performance was, nor is it about Wande Coal putting on a good show. It is not even about the excellent work done with the stage and lighting. This article is more about the he said they said aftermath!

The gist we gathered is that...
The show did not start as scheduled as so, things got backed up. But some things had to go on as scheduled because the show was major and was being beamed live. It was determined at some point that Sean Paul’s performance had to come up at a specific time since it was meant to be shown in other countries like Malaysia at that time. Some things then had to be axed, and unfortunately, the axe fell on Tu Face’s set!
P Square did not appreciate this, and while they were performing one of the twins stopped the music and called the show, “...f**k*d” because they did not want Tu Face to perform. Then they threw their mics down (or into the crowd) and walked off.
The host tried to introduce Sean Paul, but the crowd began throwing things on the stage demanding for Tu Face who had, together with the Okoye twins, left the building... literally! A few calls and conversations later, he came back, performed to wild applause, and the show went on.. sort of!
The aftermath however is that facebook, twitter, and Nigeria began buzzing about this, and the buzz was about the twins! Apart from wondering why they were taking paracetamol for another man’s headache, a la Kanye West, people have pointed out that once again, P Square has shown why artistes need a PR team. Others have defended them and said they did the right thing, saying it is time for home based artistes to be treated with the same level of respect international artistes are treated. And then there are those who maybe see both sides, but feel PSquare should not have disrespected their fans.

For me, this is one of those situations where you have so much to say but you wonder if you should. I would say though that things are not always black and white, and rescheduling does not always mean disrespect! In any case, i would rather not let funny news win TOO MUCh! Reports say it was a well attended show, with a beautiful stage, and that the performances were top notch!
But what do you guys think?!

Tosyns Top Phive Songs!

2009-09-24T04:28:00.000-07:00

Okay people!
Once again, these songs have been on my playlist and heavy rotation in the car!
Some of them just have catchy choruses, others have a nice theme, and then there are those that combine it all to make it a really really good song!

For this week, here are my Top Phive Songs!

OSAGS You Say!

BEANPOLE Sope Tie jo! (the remix)

T.W.O Zombie

BOUQUI Take You Away

KEL Sitting on Top

MTV Road to MAMAS Giveaway!

2009-09-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!So teasers like we are, we told you that we had some tickets up for grabs for the MTV ZAIN Road to MAma's concert!Here is some information about that!
For the second time, MTV comes to Nigeria big for an event foreseen to be the HOTTEST party of 2009 holding at Jade's Palace, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria on Saturday 26th of September 2009...Come and make history with ZAIN and MTV.. The Hot Club Night will be shown on MTV networks and viewed by 80 million Africans and 1.2 billion people wolrdwide
Come through and meet the Nigerian nominees for this year's awards namely M.I, Kel, D'Banj, and the likes, these nominees will be at the MAMAs later this year but it is up to you to decide who would win.Performing at the event on Saturday areEl DeeWande Coaland M.I!
For Enquiries, call Jimi on +234 (0) 8038527958 or Kunle on +234 (0) 8023308224
Luckily! s.h.a.r.e has tickets to give away and to win yourself a ticket...
1. Ensure that you have a s.h.a.r.e or These Genes teeshirt!You dont have to wear it to the event oh!We just want to know that you have some s.h.a.r.e or These Genes merchandise!
2. Think about it... Have you come for any s.h.a.r.e or These Genes event?Then you are in the running!
3. Now answer one simple questionWHO ARE THE NIGERIAN NOMINEES FOR THIS EDITION OF MTV ZAIN VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS, AND WHAT CATEGORIES?
Shikena!
Send a text to 08023066252 to win yourself a ticket!!!

VEDA rocks!

2009-09-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

I saw this new range of laptops which is actually a proudly Nigerian product, and had to talk about it! It sure will be on the list of what i am loving at the moment.

Especially the pink one!

Haba!

Taylor Kanye Beyonce

2009-09-14T03:26:00.000-07:00

Yes!

Had to!

Dont usually... But this one was just a cross between funny, sad and stupid!

So had to!

How can you wake up Monday morning and not be buzzing about the dude that just won ten million on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?

How can we instead, have to talk about oluKANYE WESTie!!!!

V.M.A's always have some news item that is the buzz the next day, days or even weeks!

This time around, its all about Kanye and Taylor Swift

So Taylor Swift won BEST FEMALE VIDEO, beating Pink and Beyonce to it!

SHe was surprised, pleasantly so, and she was on stage, giving a cute acceptance speech, when Kanye West came on stage, took the mic from her, said he would let her finish, then proceeded to say Beyonce has the best video in a long while!

Cue shocked embarassed look from Beyonce, and silence from Taylor and boos from the crowd.

What was truly funny?

Kanye then gave the mic back to Taylor.

Who stood rooted to the spot in shock.

- Taylor is a whole lot younger than Kanye; felt like bullying!

- To those supporting Kanye in anyway... You know, its cool that we have different opinions as regards who should have won what, where... But if we all decided to show said difference in opinion by getting on stages during acceptance speeches, we might as well just stop holding ceremonies and start texting awardees instead!

- I love that chick Taylor. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE taylor!

- Does anyone smell a rat or something fishy? Cos here's what i don't get... HOW did Kanye get on that stage? Who let him through?

- To those who think Jay Z and Beyonce engineered it.. Cruel.. but mahd funny!

- Beyonce let Taylor give her speech again. She managed to mention how she felt when she won for the first time

- Want to see how many more fans and record sales Kanye and Taylor notch up?

- Wonder why Kanye was taking paracetamol for another man's woman's headache?!

- Wanna bet that we will forgive or have already forgiven Kanye?

TOSYNS TOP PHIVE SONGS

2009-09-12T04:50:00.000-07:00

As always, it is difficult choosing my top phive songs because the competition is so stiff! I mean, there are mad singles being dropped every day!

Here are the ones we could not help dancing to this week!

Strong Thing (BANKY W)

Banky kills this song, revives it, then kills it again

Sun (JEDI feat. PROVABS)

Provabs is in my top three of favourite mc's! He has energy and delivery and this song is funny, and will definitely get you dancing!

Mafi sue (LAWALE)

Not in the clique that there seems to be in music now, but Lawale has a vibey tune, which makes me think of Naija gone Motown!

Sitting on top (KEL feat. JESSE JAGS and WAJE)

Kel delivered an album worth the wait, and this song is one of those where you feel the artiste is taking no prisoners! I would have preferred a different melody for the chorus, but you will definitely find yourself singing along (sitting on top on top sitting on top on top)

Put it down (SASHA feat. DAMA DO BLING)

You may never hear what they say, but you wouldn't even care cos you would be too busy dancing along! Sasha and Dama put it down like WHAT!!!

Enjoy!

And we have a new list coming up next week!

TOSYNS TOP PHIVE SONGS

2009-08-30T02:54:00.000-07:00

There is so much great music coming out these days, that not only will i be hyping songs, i need to also hype artistes in general!

THis week though, we are staying true to form.

It is the Top Phive Songs which represent the millions of songs i am currently loving now!

STRONG THING- Banky W

HOW FAR- Terry tha Rapman featuring Sound Sultan

ONE MORE CHANCE- Objazz

MA FI SUE- Lawale

SITTING ON TOP- Kel

Listen out for them... and ENJOY!!!

My article in this sundays edition of THE GUARDIAN

2009-08-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

HOW OLD ARE YOU?

A friend sent me a text on my birthday last weekend. It read, “You know you are growing old when the candles are bigger than the cake”. I thought the bigger test was, whether or not you were able to laugh at the joke.
I half laughed, which means i am one leg in, and one leg out.

While only three people know my true age, it is fair to say i might be ticking the other side of 21. You know those boxes that give you options which go from 21 – 29, to 30 - 39, to OVER 40...
as if being 40 and over was some incurable disease.
Irreversible, maybe, but when did getting older become such a chore and bore and fear?

I remember growing up and wishing i was older. Back then, i would laugh at those who said, “A woman never reveals her age”, saying mine proudly! I thought it was silly to celebrate your 21st six times... I mean! Your age didn’t matter that much did it?

Wrong i was again.
Now i understand everything, even as i struggle with a reluctance to admit how old or young i really am.
The truth is, our ages may not bother us personally, but it sure bothers society, and they are determined to put us in boxes according to our age. Not personality or ability. But age.

You can’t get into school before a certain age, you cannot work in a bank after a certain age. If you are a certain age, you should either be married, or at least, suitably upset that you are not, and when you are a certain age, then you should face your studies, and not members of the opposite sex! In some countries, permission to drink is granted based on age, and others determine criminial responsibility based on age. Here in Nigeria, as at when i was in Law School, anyone under the age of 7 could not be prosecuted for a crime because they were not seen by law as able to commit crimes!

For those in the entertainment, fashion and beauty industry, the rules are tighter!‘Old’ is not when you need to line up for pension. Old is when you count in two digits from 25.
I remember a certain audition i did not go for because the person had to be under 21. I later found out half of the people who auditioned had lied about their ages, Who knows if the winner gave their real age. I realised i should have just lied jo! But i have not had cause to again... yet.

So here i am. Grateful for the extra twelve months i marked. The new experiences learnt, the mistakes made, the pain and love shared. But worried that, i could be deemed irrelevant. Not because i no longer think or function like i used to. But because i now tick the wrong box! Poor those who attempted to find out my age. I either eyed them, or told them i was the same age as my tongue and a little older than my teeth. And poor the dude who saw a picture of mine from last year and said i look older and less innocent now. His ear-drum must have healed by now... i hope.

In the end, i look to His word for the comfort.Nay. The race is never to the swift. Time and chance.
So i will cut my next birthday cake with grace and smiles. But no candles. There’s no need to go there jo!

My 15mins on 'Judging Fame' on NAIJA SINGS

2009-08-17T04:35:00.000-07:00

Duty called on Saturday. It was my birthday, but in the midst of all that, i had to squeeze in [very UNreluctantly], being a guest judge on NAIJA SINGS, the reality show brought to you by MNET AFRICA and produced by STORM.
On the show, they say, ‘Celeb Judges’ but like i told DJINEE who i was judging with, he was the celeb, and i was the, “Who is she again?”.
LOL

Backstage before the show was funny. The contestants were putting last minute touches to their outfits, and hanging out, pretending not to be worried, when deep down, each of them was praying like mad!
Some tried to find the right shoes to go with their ‘look’, others kept spraying hair spray continuously! Some took the opportunity to practise their songs again, while others just sat in a corner and meditated.
Djinee and i had to do interviews for the site, and that was fun and cool, although when it came to my turn, they had to adjust the cameras. And by adjust, i mean ‘bring it down to get the short person in focus!’. I know what i want for Christmas.... but it might be too late. Damn those beans that didn’t have weavils!
The interview went well. One of the questions i was asked was, what kind of judge will you be? And i said, all i would say is, “The camera loves you”.
Seriously though, i think my ultimate aim was to be nice but honest. Cos you don’t want to end up sounding stupid, nor crushing dreams. A bad day don’t mean a bad career.
The actual show itself was long, but thankfully, not boring in the least.
First of all, Djinee and i sat together and tried to dub each other! Cos we had to make comments on a clipboard. The audience was also really cool; very into the show. And the female contestants looked good. I loved the outfits. I didn’t get why all the male contestants wore suits though... i think some personalities do well with other looks.
We had to sit through each performance and let the audience make comments, but not talk till the very end. Then we gave our own opinions!
Djinee was looking out for voice control and everything that had to do with the music itself; im always about the total package cos it all counts. Yes, even down to the outfits, and stage presence.
We gave our opinions, the contestants filed off stage, and Olisa Adibua, the host, signed us out! And we finally got to get up and eat!
(I am a growing child... I love to eat!)

So there it was! My guest spot as a judge.
Check out NAIJA SINGS on MNET AFRICA on Sundays at 8pm, and AFRICA MAGIC, Sundays at 10pm.
You can also see my backstage interview on the site
www.mnetafrica.com/naijasings

Enjoy!

2009-08-15T04:40:00.000-07:00

Its my birthday and im loving it!
Im so zen... all the people that have actually spoken with me today are surprised cos i am usually hyper and i sound calm. im just trying to absorb and enjoy it all.
I am the queen of plans! But for the first time in my life, no plans! Just taking it as each second comes along... and loving it!
Everyone is being marvellous on facebook and NIYI (no longer wishing to be called TB) is being awesome! Plus, his family made me cry this morning with the birthday song, cake and book!

Im just loving it mehn!
It feels good to be

TOSYNS TOP FIVE SINGLES

2009-08-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

There's always some song driving me crazy, and here's whats got me going loco this week!

HOW FAR (Terry tha Rapman feat. Sound Sultan)
AIMO ASIKO (Sound Sultan)
MUST BE (Loose Kaynon feat. M.I)
TOO FINE (Kel)
STRONG THING (Banky W)

All songs available online!
ENJOY!!!

P.S, pls follow this link to Linda Ikeji's blog to see how you can help someone out today!

WHAT I AM LOVING AT THE MOMENT.. Aug 2009

2009-08-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

Okay,
So i love talking about what i am up to at any given moment.

forgive me, it is just that i was born with a diva attitude
I therefore assume everyone wants to know what i care about

Ah well

Right now, i am loving...

MUSIC

Nigerian music is as usual still off the chains. The standard has gone so high that you either have to be fantastic or very bad to get noticed; noone has time for in-betweens!

This moment, i am loving singles off Wande Coal's album. It took me time to actually listen to each and eveyone of them, but there's fantastic stuff there, once more confirming Don Jazzy's prowess as a producer and A&R whether he does the latter intentionally or not!

Sound Sultan has a song titled 'Aimo Asiko' which i have no clue how i am ever going to get over.

No be beans to rap 16 but it sure seemed like that didn't matter as others got more attention than he did. But with his massive airplay, a new video, and singles like 'How Far', and 'Im Hot', and collabos with alternative acts like Stereoman while covering Ekwe on 'Sample', Terry tha Rapman is finally getting the attention he deserves.

I'm a fan.

S.K.A.L.E.S...

El Boogie and i mentioned him as one to watch and he still is. His performance at the Soundcity Festival killed it!

There's something about the way Loose Kaynon raps, and while i first fell in love with 'Swagger 101' (which has the coolest funniest lines ever), and the collabo with Pype, 'Must Be' produced by M.I, is on repeat on my ipod, car deck, and everywhere else!

Must be the way he rhymes rhymes rhymes rhymes....

MOVIE

Romantic Comedies can either make you laugh real hard or cry your eyes out!

When one does both, you know you have a good one so THE PROPOSAL featuring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock is my newest favourite movie!

MAN

T.B!

PERSON

I have another niece! Oghenetaze is her official name, but just as i named Mairo Sweetest Girl, i have named Taze 'TEMI' or 'ONOME'... cos i love her muchos!

And i got the opportunity to meet MIMS, the rapper from New York on Sunday! He really is cool. I keep saying this and now sound like a broken record, but there are times you meet stars where even members of their entourage have egos! So meeting someone who was cool and calm was loads of fun!

I also met JOZI, the South African group. And they are so different; i started calling them, 'The Quiet One', 'The Chatty One'. 'The Cute One' and 'Bongs'

Cos Bongani is tres cute!

EVENT

Havn't gone out in a while, but the last time i went out, i went for seven events in one day!

I really loved Slu..shh and Gbemi Olateru Olagbegi's birthday party!

And i am looking forward to...

AUGUST 15th!

Cos it's my birthday baby!

Yay!

FASHION

I have always known they are fab, but it took an article in TRUE LOVE for the rest of the world to catch up!

BUCKSTONE FLIPFLOPS turn your everyday slippers into glamorous shoes that can be worn to the beach!

Get you some?

Call 08023130566!

s.h.a.r.e tshirts are now officially on sale!

This is the first step to a full blown s.h.a.r.e Tshirt Line (tentatively named PHIVE), but baby steps okay?

Female tees, Size 8 - 12 (although i'm pushing for Size 6 and 14 as well), in Blue, Grey, Pink and Black!

I should not have favourites, but let's just say i am rocking the blue one die!

So i'm done for now...

It's YOUR turn!

What are YOU loving at the moment?!

THis is why IM hot!

2009-08-02T14:59:00.000-07:00

It is a cheesy title to an article about MIMS, but hey! I’m writing and you’re reading… So it is what it is!

Seeing someone on stage is so different from when you meet them in person. Some are really shy in real life, others are larger than life. Mims is… well, let’s just say, sitting across from him at Double 4 was a cool ‘oh-could-be-hanging-out-with-one-of-my-friends’ experience. No midgets, widgets or books, no formal questions, just sitting and gisting with Emem (of O.N.E Management) and the Jozi guys.
He loves Jollof Rice. I’m just telling you, just in case you do have him over for lunch. He didn’t want to try much else, but he really did like the Jollof Rice he had at Terra Kulture. It reminded him of Yellow Rice.
He likes to theme and plan his albums ahead. Which is really cool. This I overheard when Emem asked him who he would do collabos with. He noted that his first album had radio-friendly songs but said his aim with this one (the third) was to have a great album where each song stands out for itself.
He obviously enjoyed performing in Nigeria and remembered and really liked Little H and M.I. He must have said M.I’s name like three times… So I guess he remembered M.I uhn?
Mims is not quiet, but he is calm. He gives off this real cool and positive vibe where you forget for a second that you’re speaking with someone who has more bodyguards surrounding him as you sit, than you have friends. And his entourage isn’t half bad either. The brother that doesn’t talk much, the manager that is also calm, someone here who wants to learn how to say, "i Love Nigeria" in Yoruba, and all of them full of smiles, thanks and nods….

What was the one memory that captures Nigeria for him?
The drive from the airport!
Just seeing the people, the way we drive, the life, and the, (as we refer to it here), hustle and bustle!
Okay na!
And what was my one memory of Mims, away from everything else, and the feel good vibe he gives off? It was the cheeky tshirt he had on! The front read, “TO all my haters…” and that back? “..thanks for the love!”
Therein lies the contradiction in him.

s.h.a.r.e Tshirts Now Available for Sale! Text 08023066252 To Place An Order

2009-08-02T02:55:00.000-07:00

Hip Hop Summit!

2009-07-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!
So im going to be co-moderating a HipHop debate / conference / summit with YAW and Chris Ihidero on SUNDAY the 26th, at NATIONAL THEATRE!
It is the first edition of the CORA Hip-Hop Conference,The event is expected to provide a platform for leading proponents of hip hop music and hip hop culture and other enthusiasts to critically evaluate the musical output and cultural production in the past decade.The programme which is intended to provide material for scholars and journalists working in the field of youth culture and to aggregate a cross section of perspectives on the successes and failures of a fast growing industry from the leading proponents of hip hop industry.Swing by if you can… if only to make fun of me…

zSHARE - Tall Light Chick.wma

2009-07-21T16:51:00.001-07:00

zSHARE - Tall Light Chick.wma

Shared via AddThis

O What A Night

2009-07-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well, o what a night should actually start with, this morning!

You know how there are some saturdays that are lazy saturdays? All you do is laze about at home cos there's nowhere to go and even when there is, you just can't find the right outfit or energy to go?
And then there are some Saturdays with that one MUST GO to event which has the whole of Lagos (as you know it) buzzing, and for which you picked an outfit out for in advance?
Then there is the Saturday that is on Red Bull and Coffee, rounded off with Coke.
Saturday July 18th was one of those Saturdays!!!!

I started getting an inkling that it would be a busy day, when i got a text for a birthday party. Then a close friend sent another one. Then my cousin sent one... for a wedding. Then a reality show sent an invite. Then a friend fixed a date. Then another friend also wanted to celebrate a party...
Yee pa!

And as if that wasn't busy enough, Tola then fixed her bridesmaids fitting for the same day!!!
Okay now!

So let's start from the very beginning. Fraulein Maria says its a good place to start.

Tosyn who hardly goes for weddings, will, come November insha Allah, be a bridesmaid. So first stop was FACES, Banke Meshida's store in Ikoyi, to meet with the designer. What to wear? That was easy; the same dress i would wear to the next event, but with slippers and no make up and no accessories.
The fitting went by pretty quickly; after being told i had no boobs (and there i was clinging to days past when i didn't have to be intelligent cos i was into D's and Double D's), we settled on a drop neck sleeveless dress.
One down, a million more to go!

Next stop was my cousin's wedding at Ojota which was small, simple and fabulous.
Now i'm confused.
A big wedding, or a small one.
WAIT!
Why am i even talking about weddings?

From Ojota where i was wearing a dress with black and cream shoes, red clip-on earings, and a bracelet and rings, i drove to Ogba, for the Opening Gala Night of Project Fame West Africa. Kept the shoes on but changed the ear-rings to red dangling ones, put the bracelet on my ankle and wore another one, then stepped out and mingled.

Mainland. Check!
Off to the Island for the rest of the night...

First stop on the Island and Fourth stop in general was Gbemi Olateru Olagbegi's birthday.
I was going to change, but i felt the dress would still be appropriate so i kept the shoes, ear-rings, bag, and bracelet on.
Gbemi's birthday was really nice! There was loads to eat, and loads to drink, and great company, including, but not limited to, Ayeni, Mode Nine, the UnRulies, OD, Knighthouse, Bio, Djinee...
I loved the cake especially.
Happy Birthday Gbemi!!!
Love you muchos!

Of course, by this time, it occured to me that i was actually making good time. I could therefore relax a bit, and not over plan the rest of the night. Besides, i wasn't the only one who had to juggle three or more events that night! There were so many things happening in Lagos on the 18th!!! The question is, WHY???

I couldn't fully ponder that question though cos i had to hit the next stop- Osahon Nigezie's birthday party at Cubes.
But i now had to actually change outfits and that was fun.
Bye Bye dress, shoes and accessories!
Hello tshirt, jeans, ballet shoes, bangles, rings, and a head-band.
I kept the red ear-rings though. Kinda liked the idea of still having one item on from previous runs.

CUBES was also really cool.
Osahon is such a great guy, i hope he enjoyed himself though!
And Blaze had one of the best intros i have heard for a birthday boy in a long time!
It was really funny!

I danced a lot, by myself, and had a drink on Blaze. Thanks Blaze!!!
I also spotted the EME crew looking fly...
Kel and Osagie (in a skirt) were looking glam.

No rest for the wicked, or for me... and before you could say whatever it is you might have been tempted to say, i was at the Grotto for Weird M.C's birthday!

Changed my shoes into the previous ones (black and cream), kept the head-band.
And at this point, i have to tell you something about my black and cream shoes.

Remember i told you i changed them for Osahon's birthday?
Well, when i was leaving the Galleria, i spotted one foot outside the Galleria, by a car...

No, noone knows how it got there!

That's so random... and i'm just going to say THANK YOU JESUS for being there even when i hadn't asked cos i hadn't noticed!
Like, i could have been typing this thing, not knowing that one half of my favourite shoes, was now on the street!!!

Back to Weird's party at The Grotto.

Okay! Da The Tha Grotto, needs to speak with its bouncers cos it's not cool to embarass people!

I saw too many industry people disrespected at the gate and it's sad that Weird had to get upset on her birthday. She handled it well when she came though.

Having said that, i had mad fun there, dancing with Kaffy, getting hit on... by a girl, spotting Sheddi Baba, Lami Opere, Zaaki Adze, and more!

But before you could say whatever it is you might be tempted to say... i had to leave for Swe Bar to get SLU...SHH(ed).

Another change. This time, the top, the shoes, and the accessories.

More dancing, more hugs and air-kisses, more networking, and i could finally call it a night... morning... WHATEVER!!!

So now i am drinking tea, thinking i could write a quick manual on how to go to seven events with three outfits and some accessories!
I am now going to sleep.
Do Not Disturb!

Tosyns Top Five Singles

2009-07-04T05:36:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!

Every once in a while, some singles catch my attention!
This week, i was loving

5. OSI MA GBOMI {GT the guitarman}
4. FOR MY LIFE {Rooftop mcs feat. Tha Suspect}
3. MUST BE {Loose Kaynon}
2. I DON LAND {Dil}
1. I NO FIT SHOUT {Provabs}

How i feel at this moment!

2009-06-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

Lost and Listless
Feeling rudderless and unbalanced
Fearing failure Craving Success
Fearing success Craving Silence
Craving more...searching....hurting...hunting...needing
Making lists, Craving sanity
Wandering...Wondering...Caring...
Peace
Be
Still

Much Ado About an Article

2009-06-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

You know whats worse than someone trying to get your attention?
Giving it to them.

Which is what ive seen a lot of my dear friends and acquaintances do lately.

So someone wrote an article lambasting Nigerian entertainment.
Err..

Hasn’t that been done before? And sometimes, even by the same writer? So why is this one any different? Have DBanj, PSquare, 9ice, Banky W, Terry G, and so on and so for th, not been lambasted before? So why is this one different?
Because he mentioned a lot of names? Or just because? I don’t get!
Do I buy into the article?
No.
I think the fact that Lord Lugards MISTRESS named Nigeria, gives me EVERY right to change its name!
I think that stage names are important to distinguish from the artiste and the individual and I believe there are also examples of older artistes with stage names
I see my dad, who is well over 60, listening to music by artistes like Kel, like Lord of Ajasa, like PSquare, like J Martins and co, and loving it. Hey! He sometimes gives me the news before I hear it!
I know what Rooftop MC’s mean when they say, ‘Ori mi wu, e lagi mo’, and I see no difference between what Loose Kaynon says when he says SWAGGER MI TI POJU, and what Pa Fatai Rolling Dollar says when sings, WON KERE SI NUMBER WA
I see Nigerian artistes who basically have to fend for themselves because structures that should have been put in place where eroded a long time ago!
And I applaud the artistes who find this article annoying.
Me I just don’t get why they are paying it this much attention.

Do they pay us attention when as their fans, we complain that everyone is using the same beat?
Has anyone of them listened to us when we say we are tired of ‘Moet’ ‘Bentley’, ‘Maga’ and other words in their lyrics?
When last did they show they care that inspite of the fact that we cringe when we listen to some of the music they churn out, we still support them wholeheartedly?
Did anyone of them hold a press conference when we joked that we’d rather they didn’t say ‘DJ TRACK 1’ any longer?
When last did they stand up for alternative artistes, for clean music, for live music?

So why are they huffing and puffing now?
What happened to freedom of speech?
Isnt it the same freedom they exercise when they go into the studio and say what they want, how they want it, and then perform it?
Come on!
This article is news. But you know what they say about todays news being non existent yesterday and bin liner tomorrow?
But it would seem a Mission Impossible has now become Mission Accomplished because we continue to twit, facebook and email it!
Let us (for the article was directed at ALL OF US) internalise that anger so we can turn criticism into gold.
On this note I rest my case.
Oun to ba wun anybody lo le fenu e so!