All of you industry people know who Liz Yemoja is. If you don’t, google her. But, hold up. Homegurl is conducting an interview in her capacity as press with the Mo’Hits crew. They all show up for the interview. Yemoja is not chewing “chingum” and she is certainly not “licking sweet.” Why does D’Banj think he should do the same??!!
D’Banj the “oga” is licking sweet, Dr. Sid the employee and artist on the label is chewing “chingum” but Wande Coal and Don Jazzy actually have it together.
This Mo’Hits crew will get the press thing right, by force, by force. D’Banj weren’t you the one telling promoters to have their act together when they approach you, why are you stepping up to press anyhow?
1. Wande Coal, speak up and clearly so we can hear you.
2. D’Banj stop licking sweet. Just remove anything from your mouth.What a distraction!
3. Dr. Sid, lose the gum.
4. D’Prince, act like a prince, lose the gum out of your mouth while speaking with press. Which kind Prince you dey see wey dey chop gum when e dey address people?
People take Nigerian press seriously, even if you talk to them on a first name basis,on a daily.
You are coming to speak to the press. The interview is videotaped and will be broadcasted everywhere, why is it so hard to sacrifice your sweet, tom tom, “chingum” or whatever is in your mouth for a moment? If you have a cold that forces you to lick the tom, tom or what have you, could you give us notice about it? Sheesh!
All these Las gidi ghettofied igbótic (bushy) press situations are beyond me. You can take the person from the igbó (bush) you can’t take the igbó (bush) out of the person.
*Sigh*
Please y’all visit my article on how to prepare for a press conference.
Photocredit: Westcoast
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I read Uduak religiously and I think her brilliant but a tad too caustic. She asked Dbanj to be progessional and goes ahead to be as amateur as can be with the cultural and upper class ill-thought out disrespect of Ibos and poor people. If what she writes often truly mattered and we were a reading people, Uduak Uduok just ended her writing career and would have been both Ladybrille and NJO much like Cooke was to Manchester City. They wld have let her go or lose followersr nMa'am, as u grow, and become a major player, be more tactful in showing obvious "beef" and also in ur vitriol against acts. You are not British press. Show more love and support. Without that silly parting shot, I would be applauding
@Ofugura- I insist on intelligent comments and unlike other publishers/bloggers that might be timid, I am not. Unintelligent comments will be called out because it is a pet peeve and where it continues, deleted.First, spell my name right. Uduak Oduok, not anything short of that.Second, educate yourself because it doesn’t look good when you try to create an ethnic/tribalism, on my turf for that matter, so you can then get angry about. I read, write and speak Yoruba, clearly, you don’t. If you will be upset about something, you MUST be informed before making a statement that reveals your lack of knowledge in the area you seek to be all worked up about. Like who does that and why is that okay?
When I see news on info. that I feel strongly about, I actually spend time researching the subject or people before making conclusive statements. If I am unsure, I ask a lot of questions. I am not taking anything less, not on my blog. Third, I don’t write for followers, never have, never will.
If I wrote for followers, I would not be taking the big names in the industry both in the USA and Africa to bat.If I wrote for followers, I would not write for legal and non-legal publications calling out injustice, and giving a voice to the voiceless. My priorities are clear. That is why I can write about D’banj, Kanye, Genevieve Nnaji, Beyonce etc. and not worry that they might not grant me an interview, advertise on my site or what have you. I could care less.Finally, stop claiming to be down with me and yet you can’t even show that you know anything about my work. It is very irritating.
I should not have to educate you that the accentuations on igbotic or igbo; clearly shows it is Yoruba language we speak of. What it means is even given in parenthesis yet you can’t comprehend it? Why??? Also, you need to quit with that whole end writing career thingy. Do I look like I am trying to make a career out of writing???! Next time you come on this blog writing unintelligent comments and creating ethnic division crap aka Uduak v. The Ibo people, I will delete your comment.
I refuse to let nonsense and rubbish; as I categorize these kinds of comments reign on my blog, lai lai (never). Take it somewhere else. My blog is a service with timeless information people pay an arm and a leg to get. You or others don’t like it, unfollow. Zero or 1 follower, I will still be here saying what I want to say.BIG FYI: Do your research before you come up in here talking about & more support.I don’t toot my own horn but I have supported Africa, Africans and helped put food on the table of many. I am still waiting for them to support me. All this nonsense and rubbish you are blowing here, for wetin? I spent the time on this for people thinking to follow suit like you. Next time, I’mma delete comments like these.
Uduak
Ms Uduak, r nr nWhile I'm not in any way insinuating that you have any personal problems with Liz, I really do think you made something out of a non-issue in this case. r nr nThis is not a formal press conference, D'banj and the Mo-hits crew have an informal relationship with Liz Yemoja. If she had a problem with the informal setting of the interview, she would have brought it up herself, off-camera. r nr nSecondly, I read your blog post 'How to Speak At a Press Conference', brilliant, a must read for any upcoming artist. However, you seem to apply these blanket rules to every interview. You ignore other key factors like the purpose of the conference, the audience at which it is aimed and as already pointed out in this case, the nature of the show/the relationship with the interviewer. r nA simple example can be seen in Jay-Z's interviews. There's a clear difference between Jay-Z on BBC and Jay-Z on Angie Martinez . In the later, there is a clear emphasis on the humour and the personal relationship is played upon by both of them. Private jokes come up, the stories of past experiences, I even remember one interview when Angie Martinez literally asked Jay-Z for more time on air.r nr nFinally, probably the least important point is the persona of the interviewee. If D'banj's whole appeal is the fact that he's childish and "razz", why should he change it for an interview? I mean, we've seen rockstars turn BBC Breakfast interviews into comedy shows, their nonchalant character is what sells them, what better way to show that than in their interviews?r nPersonally, I don't want to see a formal-looking D'banj, I don't want to see a happy Eminem either. r nr nAt the end of the day, the interview reached people the way it was intended to (I suppose) and that's what counts. r nr nP.S I apologise if I've rambled or come across as confrontational or as a teeny-bopper D'banj fan, but replying blog-posts is nowhere near my comfort zone.
Hi @ikillCuriosity, Thanks for this. "Not insinuating" –
I agree you are not but many do so let me just address that: I don't do personal. I have never met 99.9% of the people I write about and whose careers I have supported, on the media end, since 2007. It is one of the reasons I am explicit personal attacks will not be tolerated or accepted. In case you don't know, I own Ladybrille.com and LadybrilleNigeria.com and my platforms, before many caught on, have supported the careers of many including Liz Yemoja. I also was the first to provide visibility for D'banj in a 2008 interview in the USA, his first exclusive USA interview.
For Koko Concert, we were solicited by the Mo'Hits crew and shared all of their information on our platforms.I author a blog just like these for American celebrities dealing with issues that stem from my practice area and not once have I received a notice of it being personal. Instead, some of the biggest record labels have followed me on twitter, publicists have sent me emails thanking me, and litigants (where law suits are concerned) have called my office thanking me.As Nigerians, we have to move from the mentality of when artists, businesses etc. are criticized, it means it is personal.
It is very limiting for us to progress as a people and with the way we do business. D'Banj is now an international artist signed to GOOD MUSIC who has since brokered a deal with Island Def Jam. American artists in fashion, film and music, Korean artists in fashion, film and music majority of the time, even athletes, DO NOT, chew gum or lick candy when addressing the press. President Barack Obama who knows the press by first name and addresses them accordingly, does not lick candy or chew gum.Press conferences in Nigeria's entertainment industry is still a relatively new concept BUT, WE MUST perfect the art. The Mo'Hits crew is seriously lacking here. While they have the grooming down and wear really cool clothing and labels, they lack the diction and proper press etiquette. This is unacceptable, given they are building a global brand and their audience is no longer confined to Nigeria. As to Liz Yemoja's "informal relationship" with D'Banj and Mo'Hits Crew, this is highly disturbing to rationalize that such informal relationship should translate to a lack of respect for the interviewer.
If you respect the person you interview with, when you are on camera, you would treat her the same way you would treat American press. Did you see D'Banj chew gum with MTV's Sway? Did he chew gum and lick candy with BET's April Woodard? Why would he disrespect a Nigerian interviewer like that? If Yemoja's relationship is that informal where it affects the respect accorded to her at interviews, then she needs to state the obvious conflict of interest and also refrain from interviewing this crew. When a journalist or news media has such close and informal relationship with interviewees, depending on the facts, there is a duty to disclose to the public. In addition, news media/journalists personalities cannot get to the point where subjects cannot distinguish when they are off camera vs. on camera. By all indications, this was a press conference. The banners, the sponsors, other media crew present. Mo'Hits has got to get that department together. They MUST. Chewing gum and licking candy when the camera zooms in on your face and you are talking to the press is unacceptable. Cheers,Uduak
****NOTE: I was lengthy but didn't even address some important points you raised on tailoring an interview to the interviewer and audience with Jay-Z example etc. D'banj and his crew interview for the most part quite informally. That is why we were all shocked when he interviewed President Jonathan Goodluck during the campaign. Notice the examples you gave, none are chewing gum or licking candy. The issue is not being casual and comfortable or informal. The issue is eating, chewing or licking or engaging the mouth, the very one required to talk, when at an official press conference.
Totally agree with this article. Mohits is a rising global brand, they need a team, stylist, media training etc, they can afford to so why not ? This goes for every 'celeb' in the entertainment industry as well. Love Donjazzy to bits tho! big ups to them !
@Asakeoge, you are right on needing a team. I do think the Mo'Hits crew got it on lock down on the styling. They are excellently styled, for the most part. The issue is just diction and presentation and they seem to be slowly but surely rising to the challenge. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Uduak