The secret desire of all Naija musicians is to record one ‘lucky’ hit song that will give him breakthrough. This is what has happened to Oritse Femi with his "Double Wahala for Deady Body" and he is so happy:
“There were times when I had no money to pay studio fees and I would ask my friends for a loan. After paying the studio fee, I would be left without the fare for my transport back home. When I eventually trekked home, there would be no food to eat.
“At that time, the fee was N2, 500. I could remember that August Studio in Apapa charged N5, 000 per session. That was where the Plantashun Boys produced all their albums. But I could not afford to go there. So I used Mighty Mouse studio in Ajegunle where the fee was N2, 500 per session.
“Things have definitely changed. Nowadays, I don’t charge less than N3m to perform at a concert. Sometimes the concerts are funded by multinational companies and we have to tour 20 states. Multiply N3m by 20 states and you will understand what I am saying. The situation has indeed improved.”
Recalling the rough days before he eventually recorded Double Wahala, Oritse Femi told E-Punch:
"I was almost frustrated because my career had over the years failed to generate the desired response from music fans. I prayed to God first for inspiration and basically retraced my steps. It was then it occurred to me that my fans actually want something dynamic for a change. Consequently, because the music we are doing is Afro hip-hop and since Fela was the king of Afro hip hop, I decided to begin by paying homage to him.”
All these musicians are over paid. The same multinationals that will not spend money on their workers on the excuse that they are cutting cost will be the same people spending money on some musicians that are not even educated. This is what is causing problems in this country.
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