About AyeniTheGreat
AyeniTheGreat is a Lagos, Nigeria-based writer, showbiz entrepreneur, analyst and critic.
He has been writing since 1996-a year after leaving secondary school, featuring on a popular radio show ‘Teenage Affairs’. Two years after, he organised youths awards for excellence in Music, YAFEM, thus finding his way into mainstream music circles, building relationships with myriad artistes, journalists and key showbiz pros – relationships that would later come handy, when, several years later, he discovered he had been infected with the ‘reporting bug’. He has since written a huge collection of poems as well as several published magazine and online articles. Before bagging a B.Sc, he proved his stuff, writing features for Hiphopworld magazine. After that, His four-paged weekly column in Encomium : Notes & Tones, was, for over three years, a must-read for industry buffs, music fans and others keen on keeping up with happenings in Nigeria’s music scene. He was in Encomium between April 2004 and February 13, 2007 The controversial but informed and authoritative flavour of his articles( especially in the opinion-laced ’soliloquy’) has highlighted him as the enfant terrible of the re-emerging entertainment industry in his native country, Nigeria. He was a resident showbiz writer for ThisDay on Sunday, Nigeria’s leading weekend paper between March 17 2007 and July 20, 2008. Last July he shocked many observers, and especially- his followers- when he pitched his tent with Punch newspapers – Nigeria’s most widely circulated newspapers.
AyeniTheGreat has now become the industry’s most respected showbiz writer, reviewer and analyst, building a career and image that far transcends his true person. Though a graduate of Microbiology from the University of Ibadan, the music enthusiast and critic has ended up becoming a prized writer with thousands of bylines to his credit. His articles have often been published in major newspapers, including The Guardian, The Punch, Thisday and several online journals. He has also been blogging about music and other related matters (on http://www.ayenithegreat.wordpress.com) since December 2006
Interestingly, he also owns A.Y.E.N.I. Entertainment (an acronym for ”All You’ll Ever Need in Entertainment”)- the most sought-after publicist service providers in Nigeria. The company has present and past affiliations to 2face Idibia, Nayo, X3M Music, H-Man, Grafton Records, DareyArt Alade, 9ice, Kennis music, Korkormikor, Weird MC, Kween Onokala and KISS Events.
Expectedly, Ayeni has served as judge on several music awards committees, especially HipHopWorld Awards, Rhythm Council, AMEN Awards, and The Future Awards. Besides traveling round the world to interview foremost musicians and DJs(He’s interviewed music greats ranging from rap mogul Jay Z to King Sunny Ade,Orlando Julius, Lemar Obika, D’banj,2face Idibia, Orlando Owoh and Pulitzer prize winner Dele Olojede), Ayeni also finds time to read a wide range of literature as well as listen to music from all over the world.
He can be reached on +234 (1) 8102840
Please find time to visit http://www.ayenithegreat.wordpress.com; http://facebook.com/ayenithegreat
follow AyeniTheGreat on http://twitter.com/ayenithegreat
February 12, 2007 at 7:48 am
Kunle!
Sorry it took me so long to respond, I hadn’t checked my blog since I was with you in Nigeria. I am well… why don’t you have a email address or something on here so one can know how to contact you directly so I won’t have to leave a comment just to say hello? Anyway, I am in Trinidad now in the first part of my three month journey, I just updated my blog because I am going to try to blog now that I have internet access.
How are you?
March 7, 2007 at 8:49 am
The Great,
Nice one.Missed your pages in Encomium but i’m glad you’re still doing your thing and keeping it real.You’re an inspiration.
March 16, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Hi Kunle,
I’v always known you had great stuffs with you. Glad that you remembered how it all started…the very begining, “Teenage Affairs”.
This is a programme I had created, produced and presented in the early years of my career as a broadcast journalist. Today, many talents who have featured on it are great! These include the likes of Tunmise, Tito, Princess (comedianne) yourself and many more.
I am very glad that, many in my generation caught on with the real vision.
Let’s make it even bigger!!! keep up the good work.
March 20, 2007 at 11:08 am
I knew from the first day u stepped into Encomium that u were one dynamite waiting to explode. Good thing u are blowing up like i thought u would. All the best man!
July 19, 2007 at 6:44 pm
Kunle, let me say congtrats again. You are really doing great. Like my pastor will say, ‘we’ll meet at the top.’
Keep it goin’ brother!
July 23, 2007 at 11:43 am
bro kunle though u didnt study journalism but u have great potentials in you and i want you to keep it up
August 18, 2007 at 2:13 am
hallo,
i dont know if you can help me ?
But i am looking for the email adress of Kevin Luciano.
I hope u can help me because i am looking for a long time.
the web site of questionmark entertainment is not responding.
thank u for your help.
cindy
September 25, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Shouldn’t you be writing for http://www.Naijapolis.net ? If you fancy a challenge, come and join us.
November 9, 2007 at 3:12 pm
just saying hello please take your time to see this http://www.naijapals.com,www.kstuntmedia.co.za,www.ng.kstuntmedia.co.za,henry how are u …
kunle joburg
December 4, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Hi bros, keep doing ur thing i envy u so much, u’ve been my source of inspiration, u have not even attained, u just started, u r still coming to xplode in a big way,God is ur strenght, wapa man
January 2, 2008 at 8:52 pm
am glad 2 c a nigerian do great stuffs. i c hope.
February 20, 2008 at 3:57 pm
why has it taken you guys so much time to recognize nigerias hottest rapper. anyway he’s name is M.I
April 12, 2008 at 10:03 am
Hi, sorry my site is not completely up yet.
I think I need a lot of help from you.
I am an MC/Comedian and have been in the industry for just over a year.
I am in Akwa Ibom State and want to break out from that terrain.
I want direct acsess to you via e-mail so that I can intimate you on lots of other details.
Thank you and keep the good job up.
May 12, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Good Job. I am blown away at what you do. Keep it up and more blessings from the man above. I am a financial analyst by day and also a photographer. I am currently based in Chicago with my family. Best Wishes.
TKO
May 12, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Check out some the happenings here in the U.S @ http://www.scorpiojo.com
May 25, 2008 at 7:53 pm
hi,please i want to contact you.
June 10, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Hello Ayo,
I hope you get to read this, but we at Farafina Magazine have been trying to get in touch we have sent a mail but we havent been replied so in another desperate mean to make contact we are tring this medium.
We’re introducing an entertainment section into Farafina and we would like to work with you. Please get in touch.
Thank you.
June 25, 2008 at 4:47 pm
From the very first day i stepped into your office, i knew you are someone i can always reckon with, someone who could help me move up anytime i wanna move up cos i believe so much in you sir. Will you be willing to pull me up when am ready to move up sir? You are trully AYENITHEGREAT. I also want to use this opportunity to say a big ‘thank u’,you’ve helped me in oneway or the other. THANK YOU SIR.
July 23, 2008 at 8:29 pm
*yawn*
August 9, 2008 at 11:08 am
please i want the contact of christopher bolarinwa marqus with his phone number i have a progrme for him thanks
August 17, 2008 at 6:13 am
U r d heavyweight champ.u r leading d league in @least 6 statistical categories right now…Best flow,most consistent,realest stories,most charisma,u set d most trends &ur interview r d hottest.Gud morning THEGREAT one.
August 17, 2008 at 6:28 am
Thegreat,u r trying 2c more than any1,aint no livin person can test u,critics might not admit it(now its tyme 2rewind&remind them,Y U r in dis position,changing d game.history in d making)i no,u r born gr8&achieve greatness
August 29, 2008 at 3:12 pm
great guy, great moves……keep the great flame alive!
September 7, 2008 at 11:05 am
do understand better why ‘the great’. i do take my cap of to you. example of true diligence and hard work.
September 17, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Dear Ayeni, I’m overwhelmed with your achievement. I publish a magazine called GREEN, its an idea to celebrate Nigeria and rejuvenate the Nigerian dream. It debuted some weeks ago and am off to press soon for my next edition. Its bi-monthly. I’ll like an audience with you please, I’m on facebook as ADESOKAN BALKISS, please reach me there or to my email address, will be nice to hear from you. Cheers
October 17, 2008 at 10:29 pm
keep up the good work.sky is your limit.
October 18, 2008 at 10:27 am
i give an applause for all ur achievement keep all the good work,kudos to u and more grease to ur elbow
October 22, 2008 at 10:09 am
ayeni,
fuk u! is this all u’ve achieved after twelve years? Just kidding,kep up the gud work.I LUV U.
November 19, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Ayeni, pls add me to your blogroll. My blog is also at MTVBase Africa.com
I am in Canada. Contact me pls via e-mail. I am covering the MAMA awards via photo services this weekend. I am also at mediakemi.com
January 11, 2009 at 4:50 pm
KUNLE, happy new year to you and i must confess- i’m a fan. i’ve been reading your articles since your days at encomium and it’s always been fun all the way. now that u are with punch( that dry paper) i have a reason to read it on fridays.i,m cross with u though cos u aren’t giving publicity to GOSPEL ARTISTES- sammie okposo, samsong, modele, tosin martins,jahdiel, eben, nikki laoye, lara george,ty bello etc which is my terrain. WATCH OUT for things wld change in 2009- NGMA.
February 20, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Ayeni adekunle samuel, as u like introducing urself then, i dont know of now. i’m nt surprised at ur great achievements bcos i know right from Awori college dat u were loaded- just like a dynamite looking for where to explode. the sky is just ur starting point,friend. u’re highly admired. Remain GREAT.
February 24, 2009 at 12:04 pm
bro, AYENI, you are matching myn face seriously!!!!!!
March 3, 2009 at 3:45 pm
hi keep moving d lord is ur strenght
September 7, 2009 at 6:36 pm
A lovely one. Every bit is a bite.
November 11, 2009 at 9:08 am
BOB EJIKE; THE LAST MAN STANDING
Nigeria’s King of Pop, Bob Ejike has just dropped a Christmas present for Nigerian and African music lovers. Twenty-five different singles and an album, in a space of two months! That’s making history. Ejike’s audio CD Forever and Ever confronts Nigerian music purists who believe that Nigerian music must be recorded by an all Nigerian team, and sounding like D’banj or Timaya. Ejike, whose musical horizon has extended to Italy and East Africa, uses an ensemble and production crew from Nigeria, Uganda and Congo, and dares to sound like the new improved Bob Ejike.
Many are astonished at the sheer number of releases, wondering what Ejike, a world renowned university professor who pioneered Nollywood, launching such superstars as Richard Mofe-Damijo and Lillian Bach, and promoting the Nigerian film renaissance to international recognition, is doing with a 16 track album. However, they relax once they hear the throbbing rhythm, heavy bass guitar and intricate xylophone works in Change The System, which laments the socio-economic decay in Nigeria and decries the beleaguered lot of the common man.
Egwuoma, an Ibo song re-enacting black history and artistic heritage, surprisingly features Ugandan-born international sensation Cindy Sanyu, singing in flawless Igbo Language. Cindy still shocks the listener with her pidgin English rendition in Gimmi Gimmi. In On The Radio, Ejike does the extraordinary by appealing to radio and TV stations to play his music and videos. He continues in Higher, which features the comical duo Aki and Pawpaw, as well as Italy-based Nigerian artiste B.B. Jones, calling on you to request his music on radio, TV and locals. After thirty persistent years in the scene Ejike deserves the attention he craves. Why did he shoot forty videos, if not for them to be shown?
In the only reggae track Niger Delta, Bob Ejike, the social crusader, appeals for an end to the crisis in the Niger Delta, and asks the Nigerian government to make efforts to improve the underdeveloped oil producing areas. Other songs include Africa, Where Did It Go? Nigerian Woman, We Are Family, and the classic Does Your Mama Know?, which conquered the airwaves in early 2000. Iyawo Mi, a Wazobian piece on family values, is rendered in Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa, followed by Making Up, (a typical Naija song), Cheating On Me, and Give Me.
Ejike, a former NTA (Nigerian Television Authority) presenter, and Sunday Sun columnist, started this project 7 years ago in Lagos, with ace producers Nelson Onome Browne and Chris Okoro, before taking the materials to his studios in Italy and Uganda for continental and international touch. He ignores conventional wisdom, which dictates that for any album to be successful in Nigeria, it must be noisy, without making lyrical sense, and delves into serious social, economic and political themes.
Bob Ejike juggles genres, from hip-hop to RnB, to highlife-Makossa, with an import that would satisfy Naija hip-hop buffs without alienating his traditional fan base. His fans will be amazed to find the middle-aged crooner an accomplished Naija rapper. The overall African flavour flows through the expertly performed pieces. This is not one of the all-too-familiar computer-made synthetic albums. All instruments were played and recorded live. The songs were chosen from forty-five mastered pieces, almost all with videos that were shot in breathtaking locations in France, Italy, Uganda and Rwanda. The videos were first launched on Bob Ejike’s website http://www.hiphoprhythm.com then on U-Tube, Facebook and MySpace, from which they were borrowed by hundreds of entertainment websites across the globe, making Bob Ejike one of the most famous African artistes in the Internet.
Now you have a Nigerian album that makes sense and sounds different, in which the artiste is not just reproducing another person’s beat and boasting about his wealth and the girls he has slept with. Forever and Ever is not the typical media hit that you cannot find anywhere outside your radio and TV. You can get a copy from the nearest shop to your home for just N100. Ejike, an advocate of art for art’s sake, kept down the price to ensure that everyone can afford a copy.
Those who were wondering whether Bob Ejike would leave acting after starring in 40 Nollywood films, and become a serious musician, will be convinced. The argument about whether he is a better writer, model, actor, singer, or TV presenter will terminate. One thing is certain, Ejike, who was trained by The Reverend Chris Okotie, remains one of the most experienced pop musicians in the continent and a valuable asset to the Nigerian entertainment culture. He is one of the few mature artistes who have survived the onslaught of the young hip-hop rappers, and he did it by being consistent in his style, never copying or imitating anyone. He often complains that there is no recognition for pioneers and multi-talented people who have contributed to the different areas of the art. One price that no one can deny Bob Ejike is the award for tenacity, perseverance and consistency, and that is Forever and Ever. Amen.
(Bob Ejike’s fotos are in google)
MARY E. AJAYI
University of Lagos,