You know it’s the end of the year when you visit your local bookstore and displays of next year’s diary greets you as you walk in the door! Is it me or has 2011 flown past quickly?
It felt just like yesterday I was in my front room watching Jools Holland on BBC 1 and counting into 2011- now 2012 beckons!!
In the news all I ever read is recession this and recession that and I must admit I have had my fair share of recession, but all is not doom and gloom, they say when people’s morale is low they turn to some form of entertainment to uplift their spirit, so it does not come as a surprise that the Nigerian UK entertainment industry has been experiencing an economic boost. In the midst of all the economic recession this industry has experienced major growth, this is all partly thanks to the emergence of the Afrobeats phenomenon amongst urban youth in the UK; more and more youngsters are embracing this new music genre. This genre has been bubbling under here in the UK for quite some time and has slowly made its way into the mainstream media and entertainment; already djs in all the major clubs in the UK are beginning to include Afrobeats in their sets.
This years August bank holiday weekend saw two major events take place in London that solidified Afrobeats as a main stayer in the entertainment calendar in the UK. The first event was the Afrobeat festival that took place on bank holiday Sunday, the line up was P- Square, Wizkid, Ice Prince and they all performed to a packed out audience. After the success of the Afrobeats festival, many were uncertain whether the Koko Concert (D’banj, Tiwa Savage and the Mo’Hits All Stars) will live up to expectation, but to everyone’s surprise, the Koko concert turned out to be a major success- speaking of surprises D’Banj had the best surprise by bringing on stage Kanye West, which formally ascertained D’Banj’s and Don Jazzy’s signing to G.O.O.D Music (Kanye West’s’ record label)
The year 2011 saw an increase of Afrobeat shows on mainstream radio in the UK, radio stations like Choice FM, BBC 1Xtra, Voice of Africa Radio, Playvybz.com all have shows that actively showcase Afrobeat Artistes.
This Years BET Hip Hop award cypher had the first Nigerian cypher. The cypher was split into two, first was the male cypher this included Modenine, X.O, Ice-Prince, Sauce Kid and Naeto C, The female cypher included Eva, Sasha, Blaise and Muna. This in my opinion was a truly historic moment, a lot of debate is still being held about the cypher, whatever opinion people hold one thing is for sure, and it can only get better from here on. There is a lot to be thankful for in the year 2011. The Nigerian DJs UK came together for the first time and held it’s Green and White Industry party, Artistes aswell as Djs were present to grace the occasion Artistes such as D’Banj, Don Jazzy, Wande Coal, D’Prince, JJC, Big Boyz All Stars, Bayoz Music, Mo Eazy, King David , MaySeven and many more were all there to bring this august occasion alive. The event was the most talked about event of 2011 as it was the only event that brought together Artistes (both from Nigeria and the UK) alongside producers and DJs all under one roof.
They say hard work pays, so it did not come as a surprise to see Factory 78 get the recognition it truly deserved. Factory 78 continue to work tirelessly to showcase urban entertainment from across the globe, primarily based in the UK, Factory 78 reaches out to various urban communities worldwide providing a media platform for some of these Artistes. This year Factory 78 took home two Beffta awards I predict bigger and better things in the year 2012, well done Factory 78.
2011 will also be remembered as the year that took away with it two of my favourite Hip Hop Artists, the first one was Nathaniel Hale popularly know as Nate Dogg he sadly passed away on the 15th March 2011 at the tender age of 41, the second was Dwight Arrington Myers a.k.a Heavy D who passed away at the age of 44- Both will forever live through their music- R.I.P
Now let’s look at some of the artists that made it big in 2011;
Afrobeat Artistes of the Year 2011
WizKid
Ice Prince
Flavour Nabania
Sarkodie
Duncan Mighty
Hip Hop Artistes of the Year 2011
Rick Ross
Drake
Lil Wayne
Jay-z
Kanye West
Below are some Artistes to look out for in 2012:
Afrobeat Artistes 2012
MayD
Davido
Brym_o
Olamide
Wande Coal
Jesse Jagz
Hip Hop Artistes 2012
J Cole
Big K.R.I.T
Big Sean
Meek Mill By Gabriel Rinu
