There is a proverbial belief that cats do have nine lives, but our Nigerian artistes are the living manifestations of this proverb. With rare resolve and the innate desire to achieve, Nigerian musicians are not only displaying artistic excellence but also carving their names in the bark of world sonic history.
One of the many magic of the industry is that we grow with these artistes; watching them emerge from their first passionate albums to taking on global stages with music that has been refined with time, depth and priceless experience. Now, we no longer have a handful of names but a sanctuary of faces whose successes and versatility are a constant charge to keep us going and carving a place for ourselves in the world. We know it is possible; we know this because we see them; we see them because they are documented.
Music and photography have become Siamese twins. It is hard to talk about the former without the inclusion of the latter. For years in the Afrobeats journey —shout out to the labour of our heroes, past and present— and the toil to making our music a profitable export, photography has been that eye in the room; taking visual notes and archiving our blood, sweat and tears; ensuring that there be no erasure to our story.
Now more than ever, artistes see documentation as equally important as the sound they’re birthing. We, the consumers, are becoming active partakers of that documentation as well, taking images and clips of our stars in shows, runways, vacations, etc. the eyes are many now. Photography has always been that midwife with the power to reimagine, rebirth and rebrand our artistes to the world and now, we can watch their manifestation in real-time.
It is imperative that the culture of documentation continues, the practice of keeping records and doing so in our own way, and the synergy between the music and the photography continues. Whilst music builds the legacy, photos give visual proof.
Months ago, a tribute exhibition was held in honour of Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter, The Book of Hov, at the Brooklyn Public Library. The exhibition was a detailed visual journey of the rapper’s career through the years and his numerous strides that have led him to become Hip-Hop’s first billionaire. There is so much that our stories can do for us, especially when they’re been told properly. They debunk myths and truly show us the relentless, confident and brilliant people that we are.
A huge appreciation to all the photographers and filmmakers in the business of archiving and memory storage. You help us attend these shows from our bedrooms, adorn our rooms with images of our stars and aspire to become them, if not better. And in your astute documentation of their lives, we, too, are making chronicles of our years and our little infant journeys to greatness; it is a ripple effect.
Dislaimer: All images are sourced from the internet and the Instagram pages of featured artistes.
