With the Nigerian music industry being really fast paced and demanding a high level of energy, one would expect the industry to be filled with either teenagers or performers in their early/ mid 20s.
However, there are performers in today’s music industry who are in their 40s and are still keeping up and matching the energy and activities of their younger colleagues in the music business.
While people say “Life begins at 40”, others would say: “a fool at 40 is a fool forever”. Having said this we profile 5 Nigerian musicians who are either 40 or close to the mature age. Like fine wine, these ones seem to be getting better with time.
They are:
2Baba

What can we say about 2Baba? You know the whole story. This pioneer put forth a huge concert – The Fortified concert to celebrate his 40^th birthday last year. 2Baba, born in 1975 turned 41 on September 18^th.
He has so far released 3 singles this year: Officially Blind, Mr Senator and Babylon featuring M.I Abaga.

Sound Sultan

Sound Sultan and 2Baba are contemporaries; they’ve been that way since the days of the Plantashun boiz and the old Kennis music. The Naija ninjas boss will turn 40 come November 27^th.  We don’t know if like his friend 2Baba, he’ll organize a concert to celebrate the big four and a zero.
Timaya

Enetimi Alfred Odion aka Timaya was born on November 29^th 1977. While he’s not 40 yet, Timaya is 2 years away from the ripe old age of adulthood. Timaya has managed to churn out enough club bangers that sees the ladies vehemently shaking their “ukwus” you would think such great works could only have come from a very mischievous young lad in his 20s.
Kcee

The Limpopo crooner, Kcee has been in the music scene for a long time. Aged 37, he was part of the music crew KC Presh which was formed after the duo emerged winners at the Star quest competition. Fun fact: Did you know Kcee is actually an elder brother to E-money? E-money is the financial backbone of Kcee’s record label 5 star music group.
JJC SKillz

Born April 4, 1977 as Abdul Rasheed Bello, JJC was a prominent member of the UK afrobeat scene that saw to the discovery of prominent acts D’Banj and Don Jazzy. JJC married actress Funke Akindele of the Jenifa fame.
The list could go on and on but we’ll let you decide on what acts over 40 you think are doing great.

November 24, 2016

The second edition of One Africa Music Festival, which took place Yesterday in Houston, Texas, witnessed top – notch performances from the likes of 2face Idibia, Banky W, Kcee, Vector, Olamide, Skales, Psquare, Dbanj, Reekado Banks, Tekno and many others as they performed their hit songs. See more photos after the cut…

November 24, 2016

Triple MG star Tekno has finally signed a music deal with Sony Music entertainment. Foremost music promoter and CEO of Fuse Nigeria, Paul Okeugo took to his Instagram to share a video of himself, Tekno and Triple MG boss Ubi Franklin signing the deal. Details about the deal is yet unknown but we will let you know once we find out.
Tekno joins 3 other Nigerian acts on the Sony Music family. It’s really been a good year for him following the great reception of his songs “Wash”, “Pana” and “Diana”.
Congratulations Tekno. Watch the video of the signing below…

November 24, 2016

In 1988 an unprecedented draught ravaged the eastern and western parts of the nation. Farms burned and crops perished. Anguish reigned supreme on all sides. And then – enter the rainmaker. ‘I partook 3 days ‘white’ fasting before the song came to me,’ he would say later on.
It was a song that transformed the emotion of an entire country. It was a spiritual cry that brought a material miracle.
Majekodunmi Fasheke, aka Majek Fashek’s Send Down the Rain has remained a classic that still delights the music lover every time it is played today.
Released on the Prisoner of Conscience album in 1988, you cannot deny the good vibes Send Down the Rain brings to your soul.Coming at a time when music was the ultimate tool and vehicle of socio-cultural metamorphosis Send Down the Rain was clearly the pristine single from the Prisoner of Conscience project. Before music videos became all about glossy half naked females and glinting bling music then taught us lessons and opened our third eye. Send Down the Rain did all that and more.
Majek Fashek or The Rainmaker as he is fondly called by his numerous fans is currently in London working on a new album. While we await new music from the iconic reggae star, enjoy Send Down the Rain, our Thursday throwback song, a true blast from the past.
Remember: You don’t expect to sow cassava and reap cocoyam.
What do you think?

November 24, 2016

Only recently, it was reported that “Reggae blues “crooner Harrysongs has dumped 5 Star Music, a label he has been signed on since 2013, following his troubles with now defunct Question Mark Records.
Harrysongs had gone ahead to create a big name for himself under the new imprint, releasing several hit singles, writing songs and collaborating with label front liner Kcee whose younger brother E-Money owns the label.
Everyone thought this was a match made in heaven as all 5 Star Music artistes were seen to be in unison, partying together, popping champagne, checking out the girls and spending lavishly in music videos.You can imagine the shock from fans when Harrysongs announced he was leaving 5 Star Music group to start his own music company called Alter Plate.
This was preceeded by Iyanya exiting Ubi Franklin’s MMMG record with the intention of starting his own record label only to end up being signed to Don Jazzy’s Mavin records.
This will not be the first nor the last time there’s  a record label vs. artiste drama in the Nigerian music industry. The famous D’Banj – Don Jazzy split in 2012 was the beginning of this trend and more drama ensued. Wande Coal soon left Don Jazzy, Wizkid left the Banky W led EME, Brymo had a long lasting court battle with Chocolate City and most recently there was a huge drama between Skales, his manager and Baseline Music. This was followed by some huge drama between singer Runtown and the owners of Ericmanny Entertainment.
With this becoming a very worrisome trend for the Nigerian music industry, we take a look at 5 causes of artiste – record label drama and possible solutions to issues like this that could jeopardize both the works of the artistes and the efforts of the label.
Here are the top 5 causes of artiste-record label drama in Nigeria:

1. Ignorance

Most upcoming artistes are young, naive and looking for every opportunity to sign that record deal. In the case of Skales, upon the expiration of his contract with EME, Skales eagerly went ahead to sign a deal with the newly formed Baseline records. He however failed to read the fine prints that came with the deal. He took the brand new car, a house, cash advance, and upkeep allowance and somehow mortgaged his freedom. When Skales and his long-time manager were accused of financial misappropriation and he felt it was time to leave Baseline music behind, he couldn’t because he had signed a contract that will see him pay a whooping N5,000,000,000 (five billion naira) anytime he attempts to leave the label- before the expiration of his deal.
Moral: Consult with professionals and find the hidden traps before you put pen to paper on that deal. This would have prevented that ugly situation.

2. Record label owner is also an artiste

The first law in the famous book “48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene says “Never outshine your master”. In a situation where the signee and label boss are both artistes who are competing for the same spotlight, what do you think will happen? The one with more power and resources will channel all of that capability into promoting his own works rather than promote the upcoming act whom he has promised to nurture. Apart from D’Banj himself, which other artiste became big by signing under him? Don Jazzy has been the only one who has managed to be a producer cum artiste and record label boss that has nurtured and groomed talent into the limelight while staying highly relevant himself in the music industry. The Nigerian music industry needs to evolve to a place where there are professional music executives doing the work as managers, promoters and A&R, not one man running the whole show.

3. Greed and pride

So the artiste becomes big after heavy support and investment from the record label and then he begins to look down upon the people whose money led to his or her successful musical career.  This leads to discord and a fall out between artiste and management.
Moral: Loyalty is key. Never bite the fingers that fed you, you might get hungry again someday.

4. Unfulfilled promises

This can happen on both the part of the record label and the artiste. The artiste might say he will give 4 albums in 3 years just to get signed or the label could say we will give you 70% of your earnings only to hold on to 50% of it. The unfulfilled promises are mostly a result of greed. If there are clear terms stating the duties and obligations of both acts, such incidences will be greatly reduced.
Moral: Integrity is key. Always keep to your word.

5. Lack of appreciation

As trivial as it may sound, a lack of appreciation could be a major reason for fallout between the artiste and his label. Ever wondered why Nigerian artistes give accolades to the label bosses? These shout outs feed theego of the top dogs and is disguised in the form of showing appreciation. Isn’t it the reason why Harrysongs is leaving 5 star music? He said he’s been writing songs for someone who doesn’t know music and doesn’t even show appreciation for his works.

November 23, 2016

Borno State government has banned members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria aka Shi'ites and other religious bodies from holding any procession in the state. This directive is contained in a statement released Monday by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Usman Jidda Shuwa. According to the state government, the move became necessary so that the relative peace and security in the state can be sustained. The statement in part reads:

"As part of efforts to ensure the sustainability of the current appreciable degree of peace and security in the state, the Borno State Government, as part of its statutory obligations, has put in place a number of stringent measures to improve the situation and forestall any likely breach of law and order within the framework of extant security guidelines.

One of such measures is that as from Saturday 19th November, 2016, all processions, under any guise or form and whether by individuals, groups or organizations are hereby banned," Shuwa said.

Stressing that any attempt at violating the ban will be met with full force of the law. The ban, which for now will be in place for an indefinite period of time, would be reviewed from time to time based on adequate security assessment and advice," he further said, adding:

"Adequate security measures have been instituted to ensure sufficient surveillance and adequate monitoring of all major streets and public structures by security forces. Members of the public are advised to cooperate with the security agents and support the measure as the state government is relentlessly committed to the pursuit of full restoration of sustainable peace and security in the state," the SSG said.

November 22, 2016

A local Nigerian footballer Harrison Chinedu, remarkably broke the Guiness World record of cycling for 64 miles with a football balanced on his head.

Wearing the Super Eagles jersey, Chinedu rode his bicycle with a ball on his head from the beach to the National stadium, Surulere, while fans, drivers and passers by, sang and cheered him on as he attempted the bizarre feat.

 According to Chinedu, he had tried the feat in March this year but failed when he reached 30 miles, but after several rehearsals and training, made up his mind to carry out the feat again.

After the feat, he said:

 “My biggest motivation was that I believe in showcasing my God-given talent. I know I have the skill and I want to show the world what I can do. This one is a record created by me and I am happy that I have done my own side. And it's left for the Guinness World Records to ratify it and bring back results."

More photos and the video, below...

November 22, 2016

When Brandon and Brittany Buell welcomed their son, Jaxon, on August 27, 2014, doctors warned that he wouldn’t live longer than two months. “They said, ‘give him comfort, he won’t be here too long,’” Brandon tells Us Weeklyin a new interview. But baby Jaxon had a different plan. Today, the 2-year-old, who was born microhydranencephaly, a rare genetic disease that left him with 80 percent of his brain missing, continues to beat the odds.

“Jaxon is achieving things medical professionals doubted he would ever do,” says the Florida-based dad. Indeed, the Buells were told their child would probably never hear, see, smell or taste. And yet the toddler — whose nickname is “Jaxon Strong” — can do all three things. Though Jaxon is dependent on a feeding tube, “we will try tiny amounts of food that we’ll just put on the tip of our finger,” explains Brandon, 31. “If he likes it, he’ll start smiling or he’ll open his mouth really wide as if he’s asking for more.” Like his mama, Jaxon loves chocolate ice cream and avocados, his proud father says.

According to Brandon, Jaxon recognizes his name, responds to books (Dr. Seuss is a family favorite!) and has found ways to communicate. “We try to go on a walk every day around the neighborhood after work,” the Christian radio host tells Us. “Jaxon rides in a wheelchair-stroller combo and when we hit bumps, it makes him laugh. He turns toward the breeze and closes his eyes and really soaks it all up. He comes alive in those moments.”

And while there are struggles —Jaxon suffers from regular seizures and acid reflux which causes him to throw up multiple times a day— Brandon says his boy remains “happy, bubbly and wanting.”

“After he goes through a seizure and calms down … he’ll reach up to mommy’s face and grab the side of her cheek and kiss her nose and mouth,” marvels Brandon. “It’s tough to watch him struggle, and you feel like it’s so unfair, but then when he bounces back you realize he’s happy and comfortable.”

Last August Jaxon celebrated his 2nd birthday with a much-deserved backyard pool party. “Jaxon was splashing around. He wore himself out being so excited,” Brandon recalls. “And it wasn’t just the blowup slide! He loves people and where are a lot of voices, a lot of people, he starts to really show off and try to stand up.”
Brandon and Brittany, 28, have penned Don’t Blink, a book about their experiences with Jaxon, and started the Jaxon Strong Foundation to raise awareness and funds for neurological research. “We believe every life has value and purpose,” Brandon tells Us, “and we show Jaxon that every single day.”

November 16, 2016

Web design is something that many people only think about when first setting up their site online.  They may spend hours, days or even weeks pondering over the best placement of a logo, or what colours go well together.  Whatever it may be, once a site owner is happy with the way the site looks it is often forgotten about.  Due to this, there are many sites online that have bad web design features that are putting many people off from revisiting their site.
Running your own website is a rather “unique” experience.  There is often a lot more that goes into it than people originally think, which is one of the reasons why so many people give up prematurely.  When you are not thinking about what your next post will be about, you will be promoting yourself on social media, looking at more ways to monetize your site, replying to endless emails, creating your own product, etc. etc. etc.  Web design is something that is always put on hold until later.  Unfortunately, a sites web design has a much bigger impact on people than you may think.
We have put together a list of 7 “no-nos” of bad web design to avoid.

1. Website Text

You may think web design is all about graphics, colours, pixels, etc. but text is a key part of it that is always overlooked.  Text makes up the majority of your site, which is why it is so important that it is presented well on your site.
Some common examples of bad text on a website would include;

• Small text that is difficult to read,
• Illegible fonts (i.e. fonts that look handwritten),
• Text that appears crowded together,
• Text colour contrast makes it difficult to read,
• Underlined text that is not a link,
• Coloured text that is not a link,
• Paragraphs in all caps/bold/italic.

If people find it difficult to read the content on your site then they won’t stick around for long.  Always, always, always put emphasis on clear and easy to read text on your website.

2. Bad Website Navigation

One thing that really gets on people’s nerves is bad website navigation.  It is infuriating when you are trying to find something on a site but can’t due to;

• Poor navigation,
• Unclear navigation,
• Complicated (and unnecessary) navigation,
• Broken links,
• Pages/post titles that don’t properly explain what they are about,
• Endless scrolling,
• No search bar,

The whole point of creating content for your site is to enable people to find it.  If they can’t, for whatever reason, they will go and find it elsewhere.
Every couple of weeks (or so), have a play around on your website and see if you can find everything.  Better yet, get a friend or family member to test your site for you and see how easy they find your site to use.   Don’t take any criticism to heart; just use it as a way to improve your site further.

3. Bad Overall Design

There are certain web design features that scream out to be fixed, yet for whatever reason, some website owners choose to ignore them.  These not only annoy potential visitors to your site, but they also could be limiting how many people can actually find you.
Some of these overall bad web design features would include;

• Websites that don’t work (or have major issues) on certain browsers,
• Websites that don’t work or appear incorrectly on mobile/tablet devices,
• Excessive use of frames,
• Side scrolling,

Mobile and tablet internet browsing has exploded in recent years (and is set to increase further) so it is incredibly important that you make sure that your site is “mobile friendly”.  Failure to do so only limits the number of people that can potentially find you online.

4. Website Backgrounds

Website backgrounds are something of a divisive subject in certain circles.  Some people love them whereas others absolutely hate them.  Whichever stance you take, there is unquestionably a wrong way to go about using them.  This includes;

• Busy, distracting web backgrounds that take the attention away from the content,
• Backgrounds used under text that make it hard/impossible to read,
• Backgrounds that make you dizzy and want to vomit (like the above picture).

Backgrounds can, when used properly, be a great design addition to a site.  Anything, however, that distracts or makes it harder for the viewer to read should be avoided.

5. Website Links

Every site has links, yet some sites choose to make these links difficult for their readers to see/follow.  Why they would do this is anyone’s guess, but it sure won’t impress many of your visitors.
Try to avoid;

• Dead and broken links,
• Links that aren’t easy to see due to a low contrast in colour,
• Links that are the same colour as your text (how will people find them!),
• Undescriptive links,

Just make things easy for people by making your links as clear as possible.

6. Images

Images, when not used correctly, can cause more problems than you would expect.  The biggest factor is when people use images that are really large (both in terms of dimensions and file size) that cause your site to load much slower.

• Large images that take a long time to load,
• Images that are bigger than the users screen,
• Images with no Alt tags,
• Large (file size) thumbnail images,

There are many things that you can do to help improve your page load speed, but one key aspect is to use properly optimized images.  Doing something as simple as this can improve your site speed greatly.

7. Useless Website Junk & Clutter

To wrap up this list I wanted to quickly talk about the clutter and general junk content that many sites feel the need to include.  I’m talking about things like;

• Excessive amount of adverts,
• Meaningless awards mentioned on every page (who cares you were voted best local website in 1998?)
• Pageview counters,
• Too many links in the sidebar,
• Anything that flashes or blinks,
• Automatic video/audio that starts when you open a page,

If you bombard your visitors with too many things when they land on one of your pages, it can get distracting and/or put people off.  Remember that it is your main content that will keep people on your site, so don’t try to distract their attention away from it.  Of course, there will be certain things that you will want to highlight on your site, but having too many of them can have an adverse effect.  Less is always more in this regard.

How Many Bad Web Design Features Do You Have?

These are just a select few web design features that you can work on.  Ultimately, in order to create a good site you need to think like one of your readers.  Can you find things easily?  Does everything work?  How fast is my site to load?  What things attract/distract my attention?  Answer these questions and you will be on the path to create a much better website.
If you are still unsure, checkout what not to do by visiting “what has been described as” the world’s worst website!
Always remember though that web design is an ongoing process.  Technology is always changing and it is your job to make sure that your site is always up-to-date and working correctly.  Standing still is never a good option, always be looking to evolve, develop, improve and move forward.
Which web design features do you think you could improve upon?  Which features would you add to this list?  We want to hear from you, so please leave a comment below.

November 07, 2016

A group of underage football players from Winter Springs High School are facing some serious charges as a result of their actions. According to the Orlando Sentinel, a 16-year-old girl has accused the male juveniles of gang-raping her.
Reports indicate that the girl was approached by the group in a patch of woods near the high school. The boys requested that she perform various sex acts, but she declined.

“The males are circling her and appear to be trying to intimidate her into performing the acts and keeping her from leaving,” the report reads in part.
Several of the boys reportedly had their way with her, and then grabbed her to assault her again when she was walking through the same area a short time later. Police apprehended the suspects based on the girl’s report, and they are now being held at the John E Polk Correctional Facility.
Three of the suspects claim that the sex was consensual, while two of them contend that they did not take part. Current plans call for two of the juveniles to be prosecuted as adults for their roles in the attack.
Source: Orlando Sentinel
Photo: Orlando Senitnel

November 07, 2016

(Photo: Lex Ash)

Jane Onyanga-Omara , USA TODAY

Tech companies founded in the United States are setting up software development centers in Nigeria and Kenya, where a number of young developers has led to growing tech communities.

Microsoft has launched its Microsoft 4 Afrika initiative, aiming to help empower African youth, entrepreneurs, developers and others to make their ideas a reality. Steve Case, the AOL founder, and his wife Jean, Generation Investment Management and Sir Richard Branson have provided $19 million to Kenyan pay-as-you-go energy start-up M-KOPA Solar.

Andela, which has attracted $24 million of funding from a scheme led by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, says it has screened more than 40,000 applicants across Africa over two years and accepted the top 0.7% to work at its bases in Lagos and Nairobi. The developers write code and specialize in frameworks such as Python/Django, iOS and Android and PHP/Laravel.

STORY FROM TOYOTA CAMRY

Western Australia is the bold destination you shouldn’t miss

Andela picked Lagos and Nairobi as bases because of the interest in technology among young people, a buzzing tech sector and the fact English is spoken in both countries. The firm said it intends to announce a third country by the end of the year.

New York-based Christina Sass, who co-founded Andela with Jeremy Johnson, Ian Carnevale and Iyinoluwa Aboyeji  in May 2014, told USA TODAY they wanted the young people to have global exposure but to remain at home to keep talent there — “the obvious answer was software development."

The ultimate goal is for Andela alumni to lead the spread of technology across the continent, and Andela's founders expect them to start their own social businesses and to be chief technology officers and product managers.

Jonathan Godfrey, vice president for public policy and public affairs at Washington-based The App Association, which represents more than 5,000 app companies, said there's a "drastic shortage" of software developers across the United States.

"This is felt in companies large and small and in communities of every size across the country," he said. "Start-ups find their path to growth are blocked if they cannot hire talented developers. This is a problem of critical importance to the entire tech industry."

Innocent Amadi, 24, joined Andela in June this year and has dealt with two projects from inception to completion.

Mark Zuckerberg with the Andela team in Lagos. (Photo: Lex Ash)

“It’s just amazing,” Amadi, from Imo State in eastern Nigeria, said of his experience. He met Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg when he visited Andela’s offices in Nigeria this year and told them how he started.

“We see that everything is possible — it depends on what you believe in and what you do,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where you come from.”

In the future, Amadi said he wants to tackle education problems in Africa, giving more people access to education.

Blessing Ebowe, an Andela fellow from Benin City in southern Nigeria, said she didn’t know much about programming when a friend told her about Andela. She applied and joined last year.

“Nigerian developers now understand that the world is watching and are therefore putting more effort, time, hard work and passion into what was on ground before,” she said, adding that it would give Nigerian developers an edge in the worldwide tech industry and increase investment locally.

Seni Sulyman, Andela’s director of operations in Nigeria, said in his vision for Nigeria’s tech future, he expects to see a lot of innovation from “unexpected pockets” in the country.

He said three key challenges the country’s tech industry faces are a lack of affordable infrastructure — especially electricity, Internet and real estate — low access to funds and a dearth of experienced tech entrepreneurs.

“Despite these challenges, Andela is already driving change by connecting local talent into the global technology ecosystem, and we aspire to eventually mobilize hundreds of thousands of developers across Africa,” he said.

He said Zuckerberg’s visit “reinforces not only his support of Andela's mission, but his belief that indeed the next generation of great technology leaders will come out of Lagos, Nairobi and cities across Africa.”

November 01, 2016