Almost every week, a
Nigerian musician brandishes photographs of his or her new car on
Facebook or Twitter. In these photos, the star is seen posing next to a
new big ride, probabbly a Range Rover Jeep (the most popular choice for
now).
It is therefore safe to
say that for the
average Nigerian music star today, the future is now
here. A lot has changed since the days when music videos were shot in a
studio, with the aid of the ‘almighty’ chroma key that helped create the
semblance an ambience of riches.
Gone were the days when
almost all the artistes had to borrow props such as cars, hard currency
and beautiful women to make their videos the flashiest. Now, they are
within their reach as many can now lay claim to owing them. Having
dreamt of a time when the toil and sweat that have gone into trying to
make a living out of music will pay off, unlike their movie
counterparts, many now smile to the bank.
Noteworthy is the fact
that since January 2012, over 10 artistes have splurged millions of
Naira on choice cars alone, not to talk of landed property.
For instance, while the
news of a newly acquired Rolls Royce allegedly worth an outrageous
$500000 – approximately N80m – purchased by J Martins was still sinking
in, it was announced that Trybe Records boss, eLDee, had purchased a
Cadillac escalade Limousine car worth over N16 million for all his
artistes.
The year kicked off on a
great note as D’banj bought his younger brother Kay Switch a Mercedes
CLS 350 2007 model said to be worth N10m in January. A month later, Wa
Gba Control crooner, W4 , brandished his N4m Chrysler 300 car shortly
before his hit song became a national anthem of sort.
Since then the likes of
David O, J Martins, Pasuma, Omawunmi, Waje and Bracket have added a 2012
Audi Q7 Car, Rolls Royce Phantom, Mercedes Benz 450GL, Honda CRV SUV
and two Range Rover SUVs respectively to their fleets. Fans have on the
other hand been inundated with the task of trying to decipher the true
worth of these cars, owing to the hype and self-aggrandizement.
While May D, Flavour and
Pasuma settled for a Nissan Maxima, Range Rover and Mercedez G Wagon,
it was clear to all that some others had hit it bigger than their
colleagues. An example is Timaya, who bought two cars in the spate of
six months. The 2009 Bentley Continental GT Coupe came first in February
and a brand new Mercedes G wagon 500 was next in August, to mark his
birthday.
No doubt, the joy of
every artiste is reaping the fruit of the hard work put into their
trade. Perhaps it becomes more exciting when such rewards come in handy
and in the form of an eye popping gift worth millions of Naira. And
before you are tempted to think that this ‘blessing’ is an exclusive
preserve of the top stars, the up and comers have also been caught by
the bug.
For instance, long
before releasing their hit songs, Dat’s the Way and Tolotolo, Freewindz
were driving around in a Chrysler and Lexus Jeep and living large All
Seasons Hotel in Imo.
Interestingly, elDee says his record
label spent that much on the cars is because the management felt the
need for the artistes to be conveyed in style and to ensure their safety
as “responsible drinkers by providing a chaffeur to ensure nobody ever
drives uder the influence of alcohol.”
-Punch
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