It’s not even up to a week yet and Tiwa Savage’s newly wed husband, business partner and music manager, Tee Billz is already grabbing the headlines for the wrong reasons. Tee-Billz allegedly went crazy on a photographer for shooting him in public, when he told the photographer to stop.
My thoughts on this? Nigeria is just really developing a celebrity culture much the same way we have here in the USA. I hope, however, it doesn’t get to the point where it is as outrageous as the USA’s.
In California where I practice, and the center of celebrity worship i.e. Hollywood, there have been a few laws passed to help curtail the outrageousness on the part of photographers in obtaining images of celebrities, sometimes resulting in grave risk of serious bodily injury or death to the celebrity. In Lagos, I don’t think we are anywhere close to the intensity of celebrity worship to warrant a battery and assault and the damage of property as allegedly displayed by Tee-Bilz. I feel a bit funny about such display of anger by Tee Billz.
(Kanye West has earned a bad reputation and legal criminal and civil troubles for this parallel type of behavior. I hope this does not become a pattern and practice for Tee Billz).
Let’s see what the future holds.
Cheers,
Uduak
Barely a week after their widely celebrated wedding, Tiwa Savage‘s husband, Tunji ‘T-Billz’ Balogun is in the news for attacking a photo-journalist.
For allegedly taking pictures against his will, the 323 Entertainment boss snatched the camera in front of several witnesses and crashed it in on the floor damaging the lens and other accessories in the camera. The incident, which happened last Wednesday, November 27, 2013 at Façade Thai Restaurant, Bishop Aboyade Cole, Victoria Island, Lagos raised a few eyebrows as the photographer and some guests challenged and condemned T-Bill’s actions, while querying the photographer for shooting without permission..
Reports from eyewitnesses say T-billz who was at the venue the birthday of musician Sound Sultan‘angrily attacked the photo-journalist, snatching his camera and breaking it for taking pictures of him‘.
When contacted for his side of the story, the photo-journalist Victor Obot also known as Elejo denied directing the camera at T-billz. ‘I wasn’t even pointing the camera at him. The camera was directed at another guest who was sitting next to him, and then all of a sudden, he snatched my camera from me and smashed it.’
We’re told other guests at the party strongly condemned the talent manager’s actions.
One source told NET that former Kennis Music artiste, Azadus was infuriated by the incident and was forced to confront one of T-billz’s boys who threatened to beat up Elejo.
Speaking to our correspondent in a telephone conversation Azadus said ‘From what I gathered, T-Billz had warned Elejo (photo-journalist) not to take snapshots of him. Much later, I saw T-Billz grabbing the camera from him and then the camera fell on the floor in the process. Although I do not endorse T-Billz’s action, but I think the Elejo should have respected his wish and not try to take snap shots of him’
THENETng has the full story.
