5 Biggest Nigerian music stories of 2017

5 Biggest Nigerian music stories of 2017

pulse.ng

Jul 20, 2017 10:29 AM

Wizkid and Davido make the cut for all their ego-driven battles for superiority via social media. Eric Arubayi’s tragic death, Phyno-Pia Mia saga, and Sinzu’s loss of freedom all dominated the past 6 months.

Banky W and the African contingent at the One Africa Music Fest London.  (Instagram)

As we head into the second half of the year 2017, Pulse Music takes a look at our biggest stories so far.

Using our website analytics and social media data, we have reached these results based on the stories and conversations with the highest view-count and online circulation.

Wizkid and Davido make the cut for all their ego-driven battles for superiority via social media. Eric Arubayi’s tragic death, Phyno-Pia Mia saga, and Sinzu’s loss of freedom all dominated the past 6 months.

Check them all out below.

Banky W and the African contingent at the One Africa Music Fest London.  (Instagram)

The One Africa Music Fest in London was rolled into the UK at the SSE Arena, Wembley. The show was promoted and announced to start off at 7pm, and on the event venue website everything was set. Due to a football game happening at the Wembley Stadium with a kickoff time of 5.15pm, concert goers were told to arrive early enough to get the show started, and prevent traffic congestion and issues with accessing the venue.

But a late start ensured that the concert stretched beyond its allotted time slot and the venue management shut down the power before Jidenna got to perform. The singer was disappointed by the management, and accurately summed it up like this: "Cheers to the artists and organizers of #OneAfrica," he wrote. "I was supposed to perform 2night but the show was cut off as I waited backstage. I'm disappointed that London wasn't able to see me 2night. Regardless of whose to blame, to make this our time we must be on time #OneAfrica .

Eric Arubayi on the mic  (Eric Arubayi)

Gospel and inspirational singer, Eric Arubayi died on Saturday, February 11, 2017, at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital after battling an illness.

Eric complained of feeling weak, and was rushed to the health center. But reports later confirmed that the singer had died.

In 2007, Eric first hit the spotlight when he became the third runner-up on singing reality TV show – West African Idol reality TV show. Timi Dakolo was the winner, and Omawumi also competed. His career in music had him release an album “Redefined” in 2011. He was also a very active member of House On The Rock Church, where he was the lead singer of the church’s acclaimed choir.

Phyno and Pia Mia released different versions of the song 'I'm a fan'.  (Pulse)

Pulse had earlier exclusively reported that the controversial ‘I’m a fan’ single which was first released by Nigerian rapper Phyno, and later by US singer Pia Mia was a subject of a misunderstanding.

Phyno’s version was released on his sophomore album “The Playmaker” in 2016.

US singer Pia Mia released a similar version of the record on May 26, 2017, in collaboration with R&B singer Jeremih. Upon the release of her version, Nigerians assumed that the singer illegally recreated Phyno’s record.

Apparently, the songwriter of the record is US based DeCarlo, also known as T Coles. The songwriter through a Nigerian PR agency, The BobbyTaylor Company, released a statement, partially addressing the controversy, explaining that Pia Mia is the only authorized owner of the song.

And how did Phyno get the music? He got it by barter.

Sinzu's mugshot  (Bella Naija)

For the past three years, there have been photos of Sinzu(formerly known as Sauce Kid) appearing on the internet. These photos aren’t just photos. They are mugshots, which tell everyone that the Nigerian rapper has been arrested by the US police over a criminal offence. This has happened repeatedly.

When Sinzu first hit the ground running, no one would have projected that he would hit these low levels of alleged criminality, and lose focus on his music. And that’s because he showed so much promise. Everyone believed in his talent because he had it in him.

The first time Nigerians were introduced to Sauce Kid was in 2005 – his first ever single ‘Omoge’ featuring the legendary Mike Okri and was a mild hit. It was fresh, different and had the ‘swagger’ Nigerian artistes had been mimicking for years. But bad decisions have made him a criminal in the US.

Wanéne ma-waƙi na gaban-goshinʼka? Davido ko Wizkid?  (Pulse)

This article was a reaction to what Davido and Wizkid have decided to do with their spare time – beef.

They didn’t focus on their strings of beautiful women, play Playstation or smoke expensive cigars. They had the bright idea of chasing down shades and hurling them at each other with reckless abandon.

Their only weapon is their achievements, which has reduced all of their life’s work into“I am better than you because you are a lesser artist than I am.”

This has created a conversation on Twitter, with fans and enthusiasts taking sides, and shredding every bit of information on the two artists and comparing it. There have been career comparisons, song styles, awards, income and lots more.