2FACE BECOMES FIRST NIGERIAN TO WIN A MOBO!

Nigeria’s pop icon 2face Idibia added another feather to his already crowded cap when he was announced as the best african act at the 12th edition of the MOBO awards which held at the 02 Arena, Greenwich, London on Wednesday September 19.

And the singer broke another record, when his award fell and broke into pieces, just as he was about making hi acceptance speech.

2face, who clocked 32 a day before, and was treated to a surprise bash by his friends, was speechless and obviously embarrassed, but he had co-nominee D’Banj and hypes man Natz by his side.

the singer is the first Nigerian to ever win at the Music of black origin awards. he is also the first and only Nigerian to have ever won an MTV awards. he achieved the feat when he was crowned best African Act at the MTV EMA in 2005.

he had earlier been nominated for the MOBOs in 2005, but he lost to Youssou N’doir.

the singer is still in London, where he’s honouring performance engagements. he is expected to return home in the first week of october.

Here is the full list of winners at the Music of Black Origin (Mobo) Awards 2007, which have been held in London.The recipient of each award is in bold, followed by the other nominees in their category.

Best UK male
Dizzee Rascal
Kano
Lethal Bizzle
Sway
WileyBest UK female
Amy Winehouse
Beverley Knight
Corinne Bailey Rae
Jamelia
Joss Stone

Best song
Ne-Yo – Because of You
Amerie – Take Control
Amy Winehouse – Rehab
Dizzee Rascal – Sirens
Robin Thicke – Lost Without YouBest video
Kanye West – Stronger
Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
Dizzee Rascal – Sirens
Pussycat Dolls – Wait a Minute
Rihanna – Umbrella

Best international act
Rihanna
Akon
P Diddy
Kanye West
TIBest UK newcomer
N Dubz
Mutya Buena
Sadie Ama
Tinchy Stryder
UnkleJam

Best hip-hop act
Kanye West
50 Cent
Common
Dizzee Rascal
KanoBest reggae act
Sean Kingston
Collie Buddz
Shaggy
Stephen Marley
Tony Matterhorn

Best R&B act
Ne-Yo
Akon
Amy Winehouse
Lemar
NathanBest gospel act
G-Force
4 Kornerz
Blush UK
Jahaziel
Priscilla Jones

Best jazz act
Soweto Kinch
Abram Wilson
Byron Wallen
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Wynton Marsalis Best DJ
Tim Westwood
George Kay
Jigs
Rampage
Ras Kwame
Ronnie Herel
Semtex
Shortee Blitz
Steve Sutherland
Trevor NelsonBest African act
2face Idibia (Nigeria)
DBanj (Nigeria)
Nameless (Kenya)
Wambali Mkandawire (Malawi)
Bebe Cool (Uganda)
Kabelo (South Africa)

I AM NOW AN AMBASSADOR – JULIUS AGWU

In the early hours of Saturday August 25, 2007 comedian and entrepreneur Julius Chinwe Agwu was robbed and rough-handled by bandits who didn’t give a care about his status. Far away from home, the star entertainer was preparing to leave Club Ntyce (on Wellington Street, Woolwich, South-.East London) where he had attended rapper Ruggedman’s UK album launch. And it was while downstairs, waiting for a cab, that he was dispossessed of his mobile phones, his wallet and other valuables.
It was twenty-four hours to the second edition of the UK version of his hit comedy concert ‘Crack Ya Ribs’.
The incident itself, and the trauma that followed, were enough to distract from final preparations as well as drag the comedian into an emotional low, but for Agwu, an ambitious entertainer, keen on stretching the elastic limits of comedy, it was a fire to his adrenaline, and a fuel to his desire to rework the magic of ‘crack ya ribs’ among Nigerians in London and nearby cities.
So, left with no phones, no credit and debit cards, or a decade-old address book, what were the chances of the diminutive performer cracking any ribs the next day? Great; for, on Sunday August 26, the day the famous Notting hill carnival was kicking off, Nigerians trooped out to The Coronet, an expansive events venue around Elephant & Castle, to lounge in an overdose of music and comedy from some of the very best of Nigerian entertainers. For many residents, it was a pleasurable getaway from London’s monotonous daily routine, and a perfect way to end the summer of 2007.

 

At between £20 to £30 per head, thousands marched out from the Nigerian community, with their non-Nigerian friends in tow, to bask in an evening of fun and pure pleasure. And it wasn’t just Julius that dished out the goodies. Comedians Gbenga Adeyinka, Wale Gates, Jeddi, Basorge Tariah, Funbi, and Okey Bakassi unleashed an interesting repertoire of jokes; while Sammie Okposo, Ruggedman and Komo spiced the mix with music the audience couldnt help but bounce to. And the audience was peopled by the likes of Victoria Iyama, Howie T, Efe Sodje, Keke  and D-one, Ayo Animashaun, Kween Onokala, Kingsley James, Seun Soyinka and Noble Igwe (of Virgin Nigeria), DJ Tee and dozens of other showbiz industry heavyweights most of whom flew in  from Nigeria.
Unfortunately, just like Tee A’s Live & Naked, where we are yet to see anyone go in the nude, Julius’ Crack Ya Ribs ended without any rib cages broken. Okay, some fans laughed so much they fell off their seats; some even had tears in their eyes. But, truth be told, no ribs were broken at the London edition of Crack Ya ribs. And if you check properly, it doesn’t appear the comedian is after getting hospitals filled with casualties from his show. The idea, he tells, Glitterati, is just to make people laugh uncontrollably. You know, like times when you laugh so much you have to hold your stomach, and fight back tears.
What is more important to Julius, as he is beginning to say more frequently, is to play an ambassadorial role, as he takes his art around the world. A day before leaving for London aboard Virgin Nigeria, he told me ‘this is beyond Julius Agwu and crack ya ribs. I want people to know that we have talents in Nigeria. I’m using the show to play an ambassadorial role, to make people focus on the talents and opportunities in Nigeria. We’re tired of all these talk about corruption and poverty. Let’s play up the good things in this country my brother’.  Considering that the concept has now been executed on three continents (Africa, Europe and America), the 33 year-old bachelor may be on the right path towards achieving his goal. And, if looked at, in tandem with the efforts of other comedians who are taking their arts to the farthest ends of the world, then it may be easy to see that, just like present day music of Nigerian origin, contemporary stand-up comedians appear to be doing far more effective image laundering for Nigeria, than a million slots on CNN will ever do.

 

The only issues at stake, according to experts who are following the industry keenly, is the amplification of ethnic rancour all in a bid to make people laugh. And the burden of repetition and recycling jokes. Many are already of the opinion that, apart from a few, if you’ve heard an average Nigerian stand up once, you may as well keep away from him for a while, if you’re averse to repetition. And then, doesn’t it make you cringe in your seat, when you listen to comedian A trying too hard to tell a joke comedian B told at an event you attended sometime last month?

who’s who…

SECOND BABY GIRL FOR EEDRIS!

Eedris Abdulkareem and his wife of three years Yetunde have been living apart for a while now. But it didn’t stop the couple from making another baby – their second since  they got married on December 10, 2004.          After a couple of years filled with media hostility and failed albums, the troubled artiste got cause to cheer when his 25 year-old wife was delivered of a baby girl on Sunday August 19, 2007. It is the couple’s second daughter. Their first baby girl – named Tolani- was delivered in 2005, shortly after their wedding.
The couple were married in a quiet wedding attended by few artistes and the duo of Keke and D-One few days after Abdulkareem’s controversial altercation with the G-Unit crew at the domestic wing of Murtala Mohammed Airport Lagos .
 Although there are insinuations the couple would have preferred a male child, those close to them insist they are not surprised as they had a scan to  determine the baby’s sex months before the mother’s expected delivery Date (EDD).
 But the naming, billed to hold (Sunday August 26) is expected to be low key. It was uncertain as at press time, if the naming would hold at Eedris’s Mangoro- Ikeja residence or his in-law’ Surulere home where his wife presently resides.
Eedris’ wife is a Mass Communications graduate of the University of Lagos . The dread-locked beauty- who walked out of a long-term relationship to tie the knot with Abdulkareem in 2004- only finished her national youth service corps two weeks ago. Her place of primary assignment could not be immediately ascertained

TRYBESMEN PLOT REUNION

In spite of lingering battles between arch-enemies El Dee and Freestyle, there are strong indications the individual members of Trybesmen are considering a reunion.        Before they parted ways unceremoniously, Trybesmen was made up of El Dee, KB and Freestyle – all undergraduates of the University of  Lagos . The group was regarded as one of the most successful rap crews in Nigeria; eventually becoming a coalition called Da Trybe which consisted of trybesmen, Sasha, 2shotz, SID, Blaise and Timi.
The entire coalition was rested when the soul of Trybesmen El Dee relocated to the USA IN 2003. Initially members and associates denied the collapse of the union that spawned hits like ‘shake bodi’, ‘plenty nonsense’, ‘o ya’, and several others. And the media was fooled, until Freestyle, feeling robbed of his production credits on Trybesmen’s EPs,  launched a solo career and thought it wise to haul stones at his ex-partner El Dee.
 On one of his album’s lead singles, ‘bragging rights’, Freestyle boasts that he wrote and produced all the songs on Trybesmen’s album, but El Dee gave him no credits. Subsequent media interviews quoted him saying he was not a member of Da Trybe and that El Dee lied to him about productin techniques. ‘I would ask about production tips and he (El Dee) will lie to me. I mean if you don’t wanna tell me, why lie’? He was quoted as saying in 2005.
Expectedly, El Dee heard the songs from his base in Atlanta , and he didn’t take his ex-buddy’s allegations with a pinch of salt. His violent response was contained in a widely circulated song called ‘freestyle can’t freestyle’. On the song graded NTBB (not to be broadcast), El Dee labelled Freestyle a liar and thief and alleged the younger rapper was trying to ride on his name to prominence. On other tracks on his debut Solo Album ‘return of the king’, El Dee makes statements that suggest painful attempts at explaining he did not abandon his crew for greener pastures, and that he is  not the monster Freestyle is trying to paint him as.
Interestingly, all the wrangling may be ceasing soon, if comments credited to Freestyle are anything to go by. The rapper, according to a source close to him, has not only reconciled with El Dee, both have been having intense correspondence, with talks of a possible Trybesmen reunion top on the bargain.
Speaking with Glitterati, Freestyle admits ‘Yes, me  and El Dee have been discussing, infact we still chatted few days ago. And he’s mentioned the talk of tribesmen coming back together since the beginning o this year’. He didn’t confirm if any agreement has been reached, but a source close to him say he may be holding back to allow his contract with Westside expire. It is also believed apart from El Dee, other Trybesmen members are not particularly keen about working with Storm Records – where El dee is presently domiciled.
The group’s third member, KB who now works with Celtel, was not immediately available for comments.

2FACE IDIBIA ARRIVES BARBADOS

Africa’s most iconic popstar 2face Idibia arrived the little country of Barbados, West Indies at about 1:35pm local time on thursday September 13.

the gifted singer, who’s at the top of his game, after breaking the sophomore jinx, is expected to thrill fans at a hugely promoted concert billed for saturday.

Idibia and his crew arrived the Grantley Adams international airport looking very excited, and ready to rock fans who are porbably seeing the Nigerian singer for the fisrt time .

Mr Idibia is expected to head for London after the show on sunday, where he will be attending the MOBO. he is standing nomination a second time, as best African act. this time though, he has rave-of-the-moment and compatriot D’Banj to contend with. he was first nominated for the prize in 2005, but lost to Senegalese superstar Youssou N’doir…