In 2012, shooting picture quality video is not going to cut it. No sir. No m’aam. We are so over it. Creativity is a MUST. Industry, I will insist y’all step it up untill all of you beg me to stop. Step it up! Also, artists, music labels, please hire an experienced Publicist who understands a thing or two about timing. I promise you that the work Publicists do is not just press releases. There is more to it than meets the eye.
The ones I have seen display professionalism and that appear to have a clear understanding of PR; and maintain consistency that is up to par with international standards are: Yetunde Taiwo of Icy PR, Bobby Taylor of Bobby Taylor PR, Moriam Musa of Morsi PR and Ono Bello. Toni Payne is also quite good but I am unsure if she is taking on new clients.
Now to my story.
David O is definitely a star. Despite being from a very wealthy family, it appears he has earned his stripes and put in the work to get to where he is. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA but raised in Lagos, Nigeria, at age 13, the singer/songwriter/producer and label owner began producing music. Over the years, his hard work has paid off. He has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry and most importantly, has been able to convince his parents to let him venture into music, no easy feat if you are of Nigerian or African descent. You are either a lawyer, doctor or engineer, end of story. What happened to me? LOL! I got lucky. I wanted to be a lawyer so no issue there. Lol!
Anyway, since putting the total commitment into music, David O, now 19years old and a student at Babcock University, a private Seventh Day Adventist University in Nigeria, dominated 2011. He gave us the hit ‘Back When’ featuring Nigeria’s Naeto C, Carolina by Sauce Kid ft. Davido (my all time favorite song from Nigerian artists in 2011) and also gave us Dami Duro. David O is passionate about music and it shows and I personally enjoy and applaud his work.
Accordingly, when such a young man approaches any music video director in Nigeria to communicate his music to the world to sell him as an artist, it is expected that such music video director can do so in an artistic, creative and truly innovative way. Where such music video director is unable to do so, at the very minimum, he/she should be able to meet an average story telling standard. When that music video director is Clarence Peters or the team at Capital Dream Pictures, I expect work that continues to improve and moves the industry’s beloved director from Film Director to a Film Director’s Film Director.
The recently released Dami Duro video I received from David O’s PR team is appalling!! What’s with the opening? Is this for real?
As alluded to, the music video credits Capital Dreams Pictures owned by Clarence Peters as the responsible party who shot/produced this video. The presumption is as part of the services musicians obtain from Peters and his company, he discusses, conceptually, the story he expects to shoot and bring to reality.
Therefore, it is only fair this article ask for an explanation from Mr. Peters:
Mr. Clarence Peters PLEASE EXPLAIN THE EXTREME RUDENESS AND DISPLAY OF ULTIMATE SPOILED BRAT BEHAVIOR AND OSTENTATIOUSNESS BY SOME OF THE COUNTRY’S FILTHY RICH KIDS TOWARDS THE LESS FORTUNATE IN THIS VIDEO? The waiter/attendant informed these spoiled brats, as projected in the video, that his boss, “his oga,” would like to know who would pay for the highly expensive and numerous drinks purchased by this young people.
What does David O do? He takes the drinks and destroys the club’s property. The table will need to be replaced because he poured all this alcohol on it. He then tosses a wad of US dollar cash to the waiter and screams in disgust, “leave this place?!.” Okay then David O. What’s particularly vexing about this video is David O is the son of a very wealthy man and Asa Asika his manager sitting next to him is also from an affluent family. Asa is enjoying himself and laughs at the plight of the man not worthy to be in the presence of the spoiled brats.
All of this in the wake of an #OccupyNigeria rally that protests precisely against the establishment and the wasteful spending of rich (albiet government) families and the kids of rich families at the detriment of the poor? Even if you will do this, fine. At least wait to release this below average video. What’s wrong with our artists??!! It’s one thing for some of our artists to lay low and do their music while their fan base (mostly the poor) protests across Nigeria. But, it is a bit too much, at this time, to release this kind of video exhibiting the derogatory and demeaning conduct commonly exhibited by the rich against the poor.
David O tosses a wad of US dollars at a waiter/attendant and screams at him with such look on his face as if he has just dealt with a scumbag because he ask that his boss was inquiring whether the drinks would be paid for? Why such humiliation? Why? Because he can? He then essentially sings, “don’t make me wait. I am the son of a wealthy man who has a lot of money so don’t make me wait.” But, who is making who wait? The son of the wealthy who is yet to pay his astronomical tab or the waiter who has waited for him, probably for hours given all that drinking, to actually pay? Makes no sense at all.
Clarence Peters, what exactly is this story line getting at? Where is the story line? What is the point of it? This is a very bad image to display about our youths, especially children of the wealthy to the poor who live below $2.00 a day. It sends the message that persons of lower economic class should not dare talk, albeit respectfully, to the rich.
I am disappointed. The opening in this video below is simply unacceptable.
Artists, really, you can use your head. David O, what is this? It is irrelevant that you are 19. You are now a business owner. As a co-label owner of HKN Music why did you think the introduction was okay? Is this how you or your HKN Music co-artists and staff behave in clubs? Regardless whether “omo baba to lowo” ni e, oshi yi o wa acceptable rara.
I’ll reserve further comments, for now, because I find this introduction to be ridiculously and offensively below par. In a day and age of #OccupyNigeria and a recession felt worldwide, is there room for this kind of spoilt brat like conduct from a son of a very wealthy man? An inquiring mind wants to know. The press release just said to watch the video but did not explain the concept. I’d appreciate a followup that explains exactly what is going on in this video.
TIP: Artists, it takes less than a second to have your publicists, in your press release, explain the inspiration for your new music video and what, how, and why we should think the way you do. I have said it before, don’t allow the press to tell your story all by themselves. If they will, especially for press and bloggers who do not just cut and paste, provide the information they will need by guiding the story through a press release where you answer the who, what, why, when, how in every submission you send. *Sigh*
-Uduak