The Nigerian music scene in the last 1 year has experienced a massive upsurge in the players and the wares they have chosen to showcase. It is very much like Nollywood now, everybody and their mama (and Afrocandy) is strangling a microphone or molesting a musical instrument (and our ears sometimes) I will not be surprised if Rita Igbinedion of Koko Mansion fame is already in the studio putting together a 25 tracker!!
This has in tow led to improvements in the quality of what these artistes churn out for the benefit of our airwaves and stereos. We actually now have quality videos that compete with the best on the African continent, with many more springing up and filling the “up and coming” part of the musical food chain.
We can’t but pay due homage to the harbingers of this upsurge, like MI, Eldee, Banky W, and 9ice.
Uhm….9ice. This is the crux of this article.
In the last 18 months, the “Gongo Aso” crooner has released 2 albums. Both albums have crashed and burned to ashes. Rumours have it that he is planning to release another one before the end of the year.
HALT 9ICE!!!! STOP!!! And lizin!
What on God’s green earth has led to the sudden and progressive decline in the quality of the songs this guy has released of recent? Many reasons come to mind, the sudden collapse of his young marriage, the attendant bust-ups with his erstwhile friend, Ruggedman.
Let us take a closer look. I shall leave out his marital issues, because I feel that is a private matter that neither us, nor him, nor his former wife should tackle within the public domain.
It beats me why a man who is supposed to put his back into improving the quality of what pays his bills has suddenly lost focus, lost the drive, and lost direction. He has gone from playing for the Madiba, Mr. Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest humans alive, in front of a multinational crowd in London, to being the guy who nobody will attend his shows because they know there is nothing there he has to offer, but a shaggy afro and beards and rehashes of old hits.
Wouldn’t it have served a better purpose if he remained on the straight and narrow, focused, did more research, and churn out songs that will keep him on the same pedestal with the likes of Tuface Idibia and of recent MI, instead of getting involved in a juvenile war of mudslinging, brick-batting, and diss-track merchandizing which he has embarked upon with a spent artist like Ruggedman (who has not hidden the fact that he still needs to grow up – see leaked phone conversation), who seems to have no regards for whatever friendship they had and who anyways rose to stardom on the back of rancor and who obviously has got nothing to lose.
With all due respect, 9ice has become something akin to an ordinary crooner, who does nothing but get together a band of drummers and just allow air out of his throat. 2 Albums in quick succession down the road and all we have listened to has been utter mediocrity. It is strange.
9ice, I think it’s time you took a break. Do away with all of this distractions, go back to the drawing board, go back and study the Nigerian music scene and find out where you fit in. We have grown beyond Gongo Aso or Street Credibility. Those are so 1960 to our ears now. Better believe Sir! Maybe you should listen to the magic that Brymo performed on Ice Prince’s “Oleku” and maybe that might inspire you and give you a reason to get back on your grind.
Take this article as an ordinary man, not as a celeb who sees nothing but haters who are trying to strangle him. If it will also help, I am one of your biggest fans, I almost shed a man-tear when I watched the street credibility video when it came out, the song made the video look heavenly. But you don’t sing like that anymore. Mr. Abolore, please stop singing for now, let it rest and come back with a big bang. The Monk has spoken, solemnly.
This post was written by
The Monk Speaks – who has written 5 posts on 360Nobs.com.
Blunt as a bludgeon, with wit the sharpness of a mesuya's knife, this Ibadan born native of the Delta comes at you with critical, incisive, and graphic dissection of random issues from Politics, Entertainment, Lifestyle, and Relationship - spiced with the correct measure of lightheartedness.
Geek and Monk met on paper, welcome to this my world.
*still yawning* 9ice’s management team, instead of coming here to attack and insult, go and restrategize. Get 9ice, who i luv btw, to produce better music, the stuff that Photocopy, Kasa final and Pamurogo were made of and we will luv him even more. In the meantime, uou will ALL be ok. LMAO
Everyone is asking why 9ice i say why not? Bad news is big news and He’s is the bigest of d year or is it our fault dat he invited us into his life. The fact remains dat d tradition albun is not as good as gongo aso. I watched an interview of 9ice earlier dis year and every atom of respect i had for him flew out the window. Or do we want to pick up d dis track, i think its best we dont go there. And u are talking about sold out shows in london, he should come and try selling out shows in Nigeria. The fact is dat d tradition album is not d best thing to come out of Nigeria unless ure an older yoruba person, so what happens to the rest of us dat helped make him? I hope those older ones know how to use ipods download songs and attend his shows. The writer is so on point and if ur love for nice doesnt let u see dis den notin else will.
Like seriously no need for personal hate on here, its either u agree or not… Not need for name calling n curse words, @sheyisheyi/tolabello seriously y dnt u call out nobs personally n actually comment on what d post is about, am sure whatever u claim to have on him has been done b4 n prolly wld still b done by others so pls park well….
9ice released 2 albums in the last year? (Is versus out?). Aneways I keep getting mixed reports about tradition. Some ppl say it did quite well, some ppl say it tanked. However, whether it did well or not, im sure it did not do as well as Gongo Aso, but COME ON!!! It won’t be the first time when an Artist’s 2nd album doesn’t do as well as their first. Especially when the first was a huge success like Gongo Aso was. I bought the Tradition album, and i quite like it. Obviously it wasn’t as good as Gongo Aso. It happens to the best. A good example is 2face (Whom the writer mentioned).
Also i recently saw 9ice perform at d Notting Hill Carnival. Here he performed along side Banky W (Whom d writer also mentioned) and JJC. 9ice was d star attraction. He stole the show. In terms of crowd appreciation, he won hands down. The crowd went wild when he performed Gbamu Gbamu, They were quiet with anticipation when he did an accapella of Loni Ni, and they went berserk when No Be Mistake was performed. I guess these aint the songs the writer is referring to when he says “… air out of his throat.”
With regards to the Beefs and diss songs, that’s d music industry for you (Like the writer said … Nollywood?). Naij seems to follow a music template similar to America, and as long as that is d case, the beefs will continue. I just ignore it, and listen 2 d actual music. My question to the writer is … why 9ice? I hope ur reason for writing this article was “constructive criticism”, but there’s a thin line between constructive criticism and d other thing, and i think u’ve crossed it mate. This just sounds like u despise 9ice and he makes u want to stab your ears with a sharp pencil. If that’s the case, don’t listen to him. I mean Naij has enuff artists that you can get away with ignoring one, and Naij definitely has alot of artists that are worse than 9ice.
This article is from the writer’s view point. In websites such as dailymail.co.uk etc, columnists write based on their opinions, so i don’t see why 360nobs should be any different. Its up to you to agree or disagree. Throwing insults here and there won’t change what has been written.
I dont blame most pple. In d gathering of d wise dere most be some fools. But i wonder why d fools ought to contradict wat is glaring. Every body knows d guy has nt be performing up to expectations. . .
Seriously, the truth is the truth. 9ice is way below par. he needs to work on his craft…nay…concentrate on his craft. #nuffsaid
By the way, who died and made Tolabello 9ice’s publicist?? or is he?? idongerrit…
Kwahiihihihi…….. My goodness gracious! Easy on the hatred people! #Shoutout to KID KONNECT… Dude is a super clown!
9ice’s new single with P Square is da ish…. #okbye
All the way …. No delay ….
u all are saying rubbish , mic-heal Jackson released thriller and sold millions of copy, his next album never sold up to that, cant u get it into ur thick skull that the guy is doing his best, he is one of the top 4 Nigerian artist believe it or not, his collaborates make sense so what the fuck are u all talking about keep it up my home boy 9ice,Tradition may not sell up to Gongo aso that i cant tell , but for everywhere i go am always hearing 9ice song one way or the other, so cut the crap
See some people writing one million words as comment. Won’t u jejely beg 360nobs to allow u write ur own? Kmt
Who says 9ice is nt a talented singe,guys 9ice is d best singer afta 2face.is just dat d kind of music he sings is nt 4 kids but 4 d maured one dat wil seat and listen very wel.he is nt like other musician dat sings hit song just 2 make money.i just wish he doesnt change 4rm dat pattern of music.9ice is my bst musician.i luv his song and i wil continue to luv it.kip it abolore
ordinarily, one doesnt respond to every writeup or “beer parlour talks”. however, this writer has to be put in his place fro the sake of posterity.
you wrote this article in 2010 and claimed that 9ice rleased two albums in 2010 that got burnt: really? i hope you know thtat he just released those two albums on Dec 7, 2011.
learn not to allow hatred overshadow your sense of reasoning.
I’m interested in knowing what this writer has to say about 9ice’s “Bashorun GAA and Versus” thats sold all out its 100,000,000 copies in just 24 hours. This writer needs to go and do something worthy with his life. The keyboard or pen is not your way bro.
Now the Albums are out and they made mad sense; they also sold out. The day the album came out, I couldn’t get a copy as every vendor I saw on d island said people rushed the albums and they had to restock.
I now wonder what The Monk and other nay sayers have to say now that 9ice has defied them. This is a classic example of the fact that only God can make or mar a person. Not a billion MONKS or 360nobs.com can finish a person’s career when God hasn’t decreed it.
Many people complain that 9ice didn’t give us another Gongo Aso. Did 2face give us anoda African Queen? Or did Michael Jackson give us another Thriller? No! They only built on the success of their first albums.
And by the way, Bashorun Gaa album is a classic; Mature lyrics and madt beats. 9ice has come to stay whether MONK, 360nobs or all you haters like it.