Tuesday, 29 January 2013

PLAYA’S BALL TO HOST EDI LAWANI AT CLUB RUMOURS ON THURSDAY 31ST JANUARY, 2013


The entertainment industry will come to a standstill on the last day of this month (January 2013) as industry top shots and shot callers will come together to celebrate Edi Lawani as Playa’s Ball will host him in conjunction with Club Rumors.

Playa’s ball; a Now Muzik En.Core initiative is an exclusive player rendezvous that celebrates achievers in the industry. The red carpet of the party which is strictly by invitation will open from 8 PM on January
31, 2013 at Club Rumors, in Ikeja G.R.A and is proudly supported by Teezers and Chelsea dry gin.

The first edition of Playa’s Ball was held in December 2012 and was hosted by 2face Idibia and also
served as the launch of Campus Connect: his forthcoming university tour and the Promote Peace
campaign.

Edi Lawani has immensely contributed to the growth and success of the entertainment industry as
well as played a crucial role to the success of many individuals in Nigeria today. He has built a name in
the corporate and entertainment industry in a range of activities not limited to events management,
marketing strategy and communications, TV production, promotions and more. In the past, he has
bagged awards such as the Artistes manager of the year (NMA 1994), Special Recognition Award for
contribution to the music industry in Nigeria (Fame Music Awards 2008), Hall of Fame (Hip-Hop World
Awards 2008), and a Lifetime Achievement Awards 2011 (South South Music Awards). Currently Edi is
the head consultant, Showbiz Network / Paragonis Multi-media productions.

Monday, 28 January 2013

INTERVIEW : "Campus Connect will bring 2face and his campus fans closer", says Efe Omorogbe

Efe Omorogbe

Efe Omorogbe speaks on the upcoming 2face Campus Connect, an initiative targeted at bridging the gap between 2face and his numerous fans on Nigerian campuses.
 
Need for Campus Connect
We are taking initiative to produce Campus Connect because over the years, we have received a  deluge of requests from promoters, student union and departmental organisations. A lot of people have been interested in booking 2face for gigs on campus for years.

Sometimes, for logistics reasons, issue of availability and some other reasons, it just hasn’t happened and as these requests get turned down, we are aware there is growing dissatisfaction.

There is also the possibility of creating a gulf between 2face and the fans. So, we decided to take this initiative to establish the connection between him and fan base on campus.

Objective of Campus Connect
The overall objective is to ensure that we bridge the gap, find a solution to all the inherent problems that made it impossible for 2face to tour campus circuits in the last five years.

Partners
We are working with Hypertek, Soundcity and NM En.core

Connection between Campus Connect & PPP (Promote Peace Project)
Not exactly! One, basically is targeted at assuaging hunger of campus community to see 2face perform within the confines of their school as opposed to coming to an event centre to eatch him perform.

The second is absolutely way beyond music. The Promote Peace Project is a social responsibility initiative of ‘2face Idibia Reach Out Foundation’. It is a project he is embarking upon to foster peace in Nigeria particularly at a time like this.

Feed Back
It has been very impressive. The industry is agog, the voting is on and people are calling to be a part of it. There is a high level of excitement out there. It is the least you can expect from a 2face project.

Expectations from Now Muzik
We are here for the long term. We would do what we have always done; we would stick there, we would always be a part of the solution and not the problem.

We would continue to make our contribution toward growing a vibrant music industry and creating a support structure. We are striving to increase the quality of service we render to our clients.

NM Recordings will get a lot more active from the release of Crystals album in February 2013. There is going to be a long list of releases from NM Recording as a label over the next couple of months.
My only guarantee is that we are going to get better.

Sunday, 27 January 2013

HIP-HOP TOOK A STAND AT ‘STATE OF THE UNION FORUM’ OF STR8 UP HIP-HOP


The Panelists
It was indeed an enlightening session for Hip-Hop lovers and enthusiasts who gathered on the 23rd of January 2013, at the re-launch edition of Str8 Up Hip-hop, a monthly urban networking event for Hip-hop heads and intellectuals. The event which was themed ‘State of the union forum’, focused on a critical breakdown of matters arising from “There Was A Country” by renowned author, Chinua Achebe. 

The interactive session which was produced by Now Muzik En.Core in partnership with POP and Beat 99.9fm had as panelists; MI Abaga, Obi Asika, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Elajoe and Pamela Braide .

Andre Blaze 
Spoken word artist, Sage, opened the event with a special presentation of a mind blowing poem. Brilliant orator, Andre Blaze who was the host of the event, held the audience’s attention with well prepared, thought provoking questions thrown at the panelist for elaborate discussion. 

Among the pertinent issues deliberated on, were; challenges of distribution, scarcity and piracy of books, decline in reading culture, importance of ethnic identity to the Nigerian youth and the role of the Hip-hop community in nation building. Most importantly, excerpts from ‘There was a country’ were itemized and extensively discussed. 

There was no shortage of information as the panelists made superb use of personal experiences, real life examples and illustrations to drive home their points which no doubt will remain glued to the hearts of the attendees. The youths were encouraged to learn to read and improve on their reading culture because the foundation of everything is the ‘written word’. They were also advised to harness the availability of e-books, since knowledge acquisition will make them stronger and better humans in any society they belong to. 
  
'State of the union forum’ edition of Str8 UP Hip-hop was a successful event and a testimony to the claim by some experts that “Hip-hop is positively linked to intellectual growth”. The panelists and everyone present lauded Now Muzik En.Core for such a noble initiative.


Friday, 25 January 2013

EDI LAWANI : A GUSH OF GREATNESS


By Efe Omorogbe

It was a long wait. And it wasn’t my first call. I had made repeated attempts to have a face-to-face chat with the “witch doctor” but it was instantly obvious it wasn’t going to come easy. Too many people, too many far more important people made these daily visits to the Mecca and the chances of a small time writer/ producer and minor league talent manager/ label exec were always going to be paper thin.

Eventually I got my chance to meet Edi Lawani – the Edi Lawani. It was a brief meeting. It had to be brief. Industry heavyweights too numerous to mention were waiting to see the go-to guy for all kinds of reasons and I felt a mix grill of relief, excitement and anxiety when the receptionist muttered “Oga will see you next”. Then the process began.

Edi Lawani apologized for the long wait and repeated fruitless visits I have had to endure. I was stunned by his humility. He was Edi Lawani, the industry guru and I was but a small fry with a big dream. This was in ’97 and I was fresh out of Unilag. Everyone I spoke to about my plan to grow a major league label and management outfit directed me to Edi Lawani, at Oremeji. 

They all appeared 100% certain he was the one guy that can point me in the right direction. I had heard quite a bit about him and was convinced I was pursuing an aging guru who had come to cut the image of mythical Atlas in my head. It was the first shocker when I first saw him, a good number of visits before I got my 5-minute talk time. He looked way too young for his “showbiz age”. Now here he was, apologizing to me. OK! What’s next? He asked me a couple of random questions, busied himself with some other stuff like he wasn’t quite paying attention and asked me to pick up a form from the receptionist. I did. I was required to fill out the form and pay a registration fee for consultancy services. I filled out the form in a flash but struggled terribly to raise the balance payment for the fee. On one of my knowledge- tapping sessions, I tried to apologize for the delay in the payment. He simply smiled and said “Efe, I didn’t forget there was payment outstanding. I have left an instruction that no one should accept payment from you here. The fee was just something to scare away unserious time wasters because I am of the opinion that the value one places on anything is directly proportional with what one is willing to sacrifice for it”. Poignant, those words and they stuck. I have found a more succinct version and it has stayed a personal mantra – “pursuit is the proof of desire.”

Sixteen years down the road, Edi Lawani remains my ultimate go –to guide for all things showbiz. He is to a lot of us, a role model, mentor and the most dependable of friends. Edi Lawani has taught me so many amazing things by just sticking with old fashioned principles of hardwork, professionalism, integrity and selflessness. 

Let me recount just one episode here. A few years ago, I got a production brief from an agency client. The money was good (for my level then) but the notice was short. Worse than that, the production was tricky. I did the natural, call Edi Lawani and he offered to guide me through the drill and gave me an appointment. A while later, I got wind of some pretty disturbing gist.The job was originally Edi’s. The guys at an agency seemed hell bent on pushing him a raw deal. He had offered them first class technical solutions on numerous productions for their major client for years and felt they were acting too greedy.He had insisted on being paid right for the job and their response was to call up another production consultant, me. Once I found out, I pulled out and asked my agency friends to negotiate with the boss.

Eventually he rejected the brief and “ordered” me to do it. Edi Lawani went ahead and gave me the prepping session. He was the last person I spoke before the production and the first once we wrapped. It was my first stage management brief of a nationally televised live show and Edi Lawani practically executed the brief in absentia for “the alternative” stage manager.

Over the years I have leaned on his priceless counsel. He has stayed in the background, guiding, steadying the ship through our pursuits at Now Muzik and my personal forays through Music Business Forum and AM.B-Pro activities unto the birth of COSON and more, never hesitant to lend a hand, to come out of pocket to finance a move, to tell us the TRUTH, however unpleasant in any situation and never demanding or jostling for praise or recognition.

My boss, my mentor Edi Lawani. I have navigated my biggest productions with you. I have listened to some of the best music and talked about the most fascinating back stories with you. I have encountered the most thought-provoking books in your library. My flyest pair of sneakers ever, I got from you. I’ve been so blessed to know you and I’m certain there are many like me out there who are in a better place today because they got a little nudge from you at some point. Our commitment to the greater good for industry and country has been inspired and significantly strengthened by you.

As we get ready to celebrate and party with you at Playa’s Ball on January 31, 2013 at Club Rumors, I take a second to reflect and all I can do is smile. It’s amazing how much value a 10K part payment for a quarterly consultancy service has delivered sixteen years down the road. It’s just it is difficult to measure but I have a sneaky feeling that if the Guinness Book of World Records guys can find an empirical way to ascertain it, that may well be the most rewarding 10k investment ever.

May God bless you and yours abundantly!

Efe Omorogbe wrote this piece ahead of 'Playa's Ball to celebrate Edi Lawani'


Friday, 18 January 2013

STR8UP HIP-HOP RETURNS WITH 'STATE OF THE UNION' FORUM




“Hip-hop is still cool at a party. But to me, hip-hop has never been strictly a party; it is also there to elevate consciousness”.   - Saul Williams

“Hip-hop gave a generation a common ground that didn't require either race to lose anything; everyone gained.”  - Jay-Z, Decoded

“There is genuine Hip Hop; a message that connects, rocks a crowd, and motivates a people and then there is what is left... instead of Hip Hop we have Hip replacement.” -  Johnnie Dent Jr

Str8 Up Hip-Hop a niche urban monthly networking event for hip hop heads and intellectuals is back with a new edition tagged ‘State of the Union Forum: A critical Breakdown of Issues Arising from Chinua Achebe’s There Was a Country’. The forum is scheduled to hold on January 23rd, 2013 at Pop on Saka Tinubu Street from 7 PM and boasts of industry big wigs such as Obi Asika, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Kwame and MI as panelists. Other panelists are Elajoe and femcee Blaise. Andre Blaze will hold down the Mic as host.

Str8 Up Hip-Hop is an event property of Now Muzik En.Core (an event affiliate of Now Muzik) in partnership with Beat 99.9 FM and Pop with Support from thenetng.com and Mrshustle.com.

According to Efe Omorogbe... “Attendees of the event are guaranteed an exciting and insightful  time.  He continues: The Hip-hop community cannot afford to stand aloof, these issues are real and the consequences of doing nothing to promote constructive and open dialogue can be dire. Our hustle, concerts, parties and bull all depend on the existence of a conducive social and economic backdrop so we have a responsibility to engage one another, take a stand and contribute our quota to nation building as a group – the Hip-hop community. And I can’t ask for a better way to relaunch Str8 Up Hip-hop.” 

The First Edition of Str8 Up, Hip-Hop was tagged Grand Hustle and was a celebration of the iconic Hip-hop entrepreneur Ayo Animashaun for his contribution to the growth of the Hip-hop movement in Nigeria. There was a second edition- Love Lockdown: The Valentine edition and a third one tagged Vote or Vote: Election edition which was designed to support a campaign for youths to get involved, get registered,  go out and vote for the right candidate during the election. The fourth edition was Know-the-ledge – a Hip-hop revue for the promotion and celebration of conventional and street knowledge.

More Str8 Up Hip Hop online:
Twitter - @str8up_HH
Facebook – www.facebook.com/groups/str8uphiphop


Tuesday, 15 January 2013

EFE OMOROGBE : CALABAR FESTIVAL WAS A SUCCESS FOR NOW MUZIK

As Calabar festival keeps getting bigger each year so is the involvement of Now Muzik; bigger and better.

The festival which was created as part of the vision of making Cross River State the number one tourist destination, surpassed all expectations when it held in December last year.

Speaking on the relationship between Now Muzik and the festival, Efe Omorogbe said, "It was another successful service delivered. We have been attached to the festival for years and our role gets bigger every year. It is a testimony to the fact that our client is satisfied with our services".

He also described the festival project as 'awesome and wonderful' while commending the government and people of Cross River State for a job well done. "Everything, from lighting, stage and quality of sound was really commendable", he concluded

Now Muzik managed artistes, J.Martins, was one of the guest artistes who featured prominently at the festival. He thrilled the over a million spectators at U.J. Esuene stadium , the venue of the festival.

Thursday, 10 January 2013

'CHILDREN WINTER WONDERLAND PARTY' WITH 2FACE IDIBIA

Africa's finest and internationally acclaimed artiste, 2face Idibia played host to fun-loving children on the 18th of December, 2012 at the third edition of the Children Winter Wonderland Christmas party which took place at ten degrees event center in Oregun, Lagos.

The memorable event which was put together by 2face in conjunction with Now Muzik En.Core and BM Epic Media was no doubt a wonderful experience for the children who were accorded star treatment and had the rare opportunity of mingling with celebrities.  They were also thrilled by giant 9 foot tall 5 foot wide elves, amusement park rides, bouncy castles and other fun filled activities.

 

The children were excited to see some of their favorite musicians, comedians, actors, and TV/Radio personalities, and had photo sessions with them. The few adults present could feel the excitement in the kid’s voices as they sang along with 2face who performed some of his popular hit songs. 

Artistes such as Sound Sultan, Kween, Crystals band, Jodie and Nomoreloss contributed to the fun by their outstanding performances. Also on ground to entertain the children was an eleven year old saxophonist whose excellent performance of one of 2face’s tracks left the crowd astounded and yelling for more.

A major highlight of the party was the arrival of Santa Claus as every child present received goody bags and special gifts from Santa. The kid’s who had enough to eat, drink and take home were in ecstatic moods from the start to the finish of the unforgettable party.
 
According to the multi-award winning artiste, ‘Providing a form of servitude to children especially during the festive period is the little way of him giving back to Nigeria’s future generation’.

 

2FACE HOSTS FRIENDS AT EXCLUSIVE 'PLAYAS BALL' PARTY



2face and Faze
It was indeed a very busy year for Africa's foremost entertainer, 2face Idibia who released his fifth studio album ‘Away and Beyond’ in April 2012, signed new deals, and as usual headlined major concerts across the globe. So, to celebrate another very successful year, the Iheneme crooner decided to host his friends and fans at his 'Playas ball' party.

The exclusive industry end of year party  which was powered by Hypertek and supported by Now Muzik and Soundcity held in grand style on the 9th of December 2012 at Auto Lounge, Victoria Island, Lagos, and was well attended by celebrities across the movie and music industry.

2face and Ibinabo Fiberisima
Among those who partied with 2face were his beautiful wife, Annie Idibia, Faze, Wande Coal, Karen Igho, Andre Blaze, Crystals band, D’Beat band, Seyi Shay, 9ice, Sound Sultan, Ibinabo Fiberisima, Dammy Krane, Mode 9 and Shank among many others.


Wande Coal, 9ice and 2face