Tuface & Annie Cap Off Wedding Saga In Dubai!
I do. I do. I do! The wedding saga has finally come to a close for Nigerian hip-hop artist, Innocent Idibia, a.k.a. Tuface, and his bride, Annie Macaulay. For those of you who have been following their nuptials closely, you know that the pair legalized their union secretly at a Lagos registry in May 2012. Almost one year later, on March 8th, 2013, lavish wedding ceremonies began in Nigeria which included their traditional wedding in Eket, Akwa Ibom State (Woop woop! Gotta shout out my state). Governor Godwill Akpabio announced that two Toyota Prado SUVs would be a gift to the newlyweds along with a sponsorship of 20 of Annie’s relatives to attend their white wedding in Dubai. This did not go without much controversy because many speculated that Governor Akpabio utilizied state funds to procure these gifts, but that is another story.
This past Saturday, Tuface and Annie got married (again) at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel which is a five star resort in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This wedding was witnessed by about 250 guests made up of family, friends and business associates. After the exchange of vows, guests were taken on a 45 minute ride on a luxury boat to the exotic Royal Island Beach for the reception. The exclusive guest list included: Sound Sultan, Don Jazzy, Cecil Hammond, Rita Dominic, Ubi Franklin, Dr. SID, Eldee ‘The Don,’ Davido, Banky W, Kate Henshaw-Nuttal, Ini Edo, Susan Peters, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Uti Nwachukwu, Alexx Ekubo, Tunde Ednut, Jim Iyke, Mike Ezuruonye, DJ Tee, among others. I bet is was a great time; cheers to the happy couple!
(Source: PUNCH)
Bundles of Joy: Eldee Welcomes a Baby Girl & It’s a Boy for Naeto C!You’ve got to love spring. It’s a time for new beginnings, rejuvenation, and new life. Stepping in tune with the season, comes the arrival of a baby girl for Eldee and a baby boy for Naeto C. Trybe records frontman, rapper, label owner Eldee (Lanre Dabiri) and his wife, Dolapo welcomed a second baby girl on March 15th in Atlanta, Georgia. The couple wed in November 2008 and they have a four year old daughter named Temilayo.
Nigerian musician Naeto C and his wife, Nicole Chikwe, are now the proud parents of a baby boy.
This is the first child for the couple who tied the knot in July 2012 in Lagos. The baby was delivered in Washington D.C. on March 25th. Babies are absolute blessings! Congratulations to both families!
(Source: Naija Gist; Joy Online)
African Music Market Showcased at SXSW
It may come as a surprise to most AML readers that the potential market for internet-based businesses in Africa is not all that well known yet; we are sort of in a bubble. During this month’s annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Texas, this potential was showcased along with African films and music. Participants from Africa relayed the fact that Africa is the new frontier for interactive media (of course!). The booth which showcased the potential was sponsored by the independent music exporters of South Africa, or IMEXSA. Watch the video, which features brief discussions from Fadzai Makanda (NY based business development manager for Iroko Partners) and Nadeem Juma (AIM Digitial Media Agency in Tanzania) for the inside scoop. The world is slowly catching on and it looks like this bubble will burst.
Behind The Music (Nigeria): Tribal Languages & Economic Need, Among Sources of Musical Inspiration
Every week we hear and read about the new music that African artists are producing. We hear sound bites and we watch a ton of YouTube videos featuring these songs. It’s always interesting to hear about the inspiration behind the music. Voice of America English News (VOA News) actually took the time to find out what the inspiration is from the mouths of Africans. They went to Abuja, Nigeria and spoke with Heroes Band International, a band that hopes to break out of local circuits with pop songs inspired by traditional tribal music. In the video, these artists discuss their dreams of stardom which could bring about financial security, their hopes to preserve ancient values embedded in the culture, and their desire to boost the economy. Interestingly, you will also hear the sentiment echoed by AML’s Ms. Uduak regarding the stance that Nigerian parents typically take when a child of theirs decides to pursue music. In the video, the artist, Waleman, states:
“They don’t believe music is something that you can make money with so that you can put food on the table or that music is something that can make you achieve anything. Except for these days, seeing people like Tuface and the new guys coming up making money…”
Watch the full video below:
Save The Date! Iyanya Live in Oakland, California
Bay area folks, one of the most sought after Nigerian artists of today will be performing live near you! Iyanya, “The Kukere Master,” himself appears in this YouTube video to promote this highly anticipated concert on April 6th, 2013.
“The Project Fame Winner and multi-talented Superstar IYANYA Performing live in Oakland.Ca. Saturday April 6th at Kimball’s Carnival located at 522 2nd Street, Oakland.Ca. Also performing are Emma Nyra, Vinkz and Big Klef. Buy your ticket at: iyanyaliveinoakland2013.eventbrite.com or www.ticketweb.com / (415)-240-6826.”
FELA! Is STILL Bringing Down The House
AML touched on FELA! back in 2011, and the fact that the play is still relevant and popular as ever just goes to show how amazing it is. Now, if you haven’t seen FELA! yet, then I feel sorry for you. I lived in Washington D.C. for three years to obtain my law degree from Howard and I was lucky enough to score some tickets to FELA! a year ago at the Warner Theater in DC. It was an AMAZING show; I absolutely loved it and I would see it again in a heartbeat. For those of you who have been hiding under a rock:
“FELA! is a musical based on the life of Fela Kuti. It premiered Off-Broadway in the summer of 2008 for a limited run, and debuted on Broadway in the fall of 2009… The show, which won three Tony Awards, is primarily staged to look and feel like a Fela Kuti concert that takes place in his own nightclub, Shrine.”
Last week, the Miami Herald ran an article on the play because of another amazing showing which occurred at the Arsht Center that had “the crowd on its feet.” From the article, I learned that former Destiny’s Child member, Michelle Williams, played the lovely and strong character by the name of Sandra. Unfortunately for her, the writer of the article stated that her performance was a “weak point” and that her voice is “thin and nasal.” Ouch, Michelle can’t catch a break these days; cc Keyshia Cole’s jabs at Michelle. I can’t attest to these observations because Sandra was played by a different performer when I saw the play. Regardless, it’s a great show! You can read more here.
We Called It: Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience Debuts With Stellar Sales
I’m not one to toot my own horn (humility is key), however, it doesn’t hurt to say I told you so sometimes (toot, toot)! A couple entries ago, I wrote about Justin Timberlake’s return to music and how his marketing team did an amazing job promoting The 20/20 Experience. I stated: “I’m interested to see the results of this marketing when the album comes out next week.” Well, results are in and the numbers do not lie. According to Billboard, Mr. Timberlake debuted at number one with the “third-largest digital week ever.” He sold an impressive 968,000 copies of The 20/20 Experience, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Let that marinate for a few seconds. That is no easy feat in this day and age with people pirating music left and right; not to mention that he streamed the album free for a whole week. Nevertheless, people still purchased this album.
“It’s the singer’s best sales week ever and the 19th-largest week for an album since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991.Timberlake’s last album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, debuted at No. 1 with 684,000 while his 2002 debut, Justified, bowed and peaked at No. 2 off a 439,000 start. Impressively, 20/20 instantly becomes the year’s best-selling album, easily surpassing Mumford & Sons’ Babel (658,000). – Billboard
Kudos to Mr. Timberlake.
-UBU
