Missing In Action

Once upon a time these ones were rising steadily and we thought they would conquer the world but they have now gone AWOL. Mind you, they are still in the music scene but it appears they are not.

Soul E a.k.a. Emmanuel Ifechukwude: When he came to prominence via the single ‘Soul E Baba Dey’ so many people, myself included, opined that he sounded like 2face Idibia and that his style of music will keep him in the scene for many years but I guess we were wrong as he is now missing in action. I wondered if his failed marriage to Queen Ure, a much older woman who also doubled as his manager was responsible for his career decline or his rumored battle with his former record label Colossal Entertainment Nig. Ltd. I read here Hiphopact in waterloo that he owed Colossal N168, 486, 320 and five more albums to complete their agreement, and unless he fulfills it his career may never be revived.

STYL-Plus: I was in year two in the university when this group of three took the music scene in Nigeria by storm. Every hostel I visited, or barbers shop I went to serenaded the atmosphere with their melodic songs. I remembered listening to a phone call prank pulled by Cool FM to a lady about getting the boys group to perform at her party and her almost-cardiac-arrest response is still imprinted in my memory. A concert was even organized for them in my Alma Mata and they were the first set of Nigerian celebrities I saw young girls cry for in public unashamedly. They had all going for them; good voice, nice composition, and are very good looking too yet their fame could not stand the sands of time. Perhaps it was because they changed their music style from the R&B genre they were known for and which they had mastered to an upbeat techno feel for which most of their fans couldn’t forgive them for, or as the French man would say ‘que sera, sera’. Well news is everywhere that they are calling it split; probably this will help resuscitate the death of their career. I wish them well and will like to see them rise again.

Wande Coal: This orobo (google it) with a voice-to-die-for journey from the slums of Mushin to the Mohits palace seemed like it was through lightening. His voice, his style, and the production signature of DonJazzy worked wonders for him, and he was everywhere, in music concerts, magazine covers etc. until the epic nude picture of him or someone else as his record label claimed was released on twitter and this brother trended worldwide for the wrong reason. Afterwards he went into recluse, as well as his career. I remembered his bold attempt to shame the devil with his first public appearance in company of his label mates after the scandal at the 2face Idibia Legendary concert at Eko Hotel two years ago. Paparazzo’s swooped on him with their cameras and Don Jazzy shooed them away with a dare-devil looking bouncer standing by. Instead of focusing on 2face singing on the stage I stared at Wande thinking of what was going through his mind as he hid his eyes behind a big dark sunshade and pre-occupied himself with his phone while his mates enjoyed the show. I had pity on him that moment. Well, there have been moves by his record label to revive his dying profile but I am not sure it has given the desired result. There have been speculations by some people in some quarters that the scandal was engineered by an ex-record label mate who felt Wande was outshining him, but it is mere speculations with no proof, and I’d like to see this brother rise back to prominence again.

Faze a.k.a Chibuzor Orji: He was the third member of the defunct boy band Plantashun Boiz comprising of 2face and Blackface. He was famous for the screeching falsetto sounds on almost all their songs, and he got people wondering if that was what he was only good at until fate via 2face caused them to go their separate ways and he went on-air crying ‘them be two, later become three, dem run tinz together living in harmony, then suddenly the three been disagree, one go solo, the other two follow … bla bla bla’ His sympathy infused lyrics won him new fans and was an eye-opener to the fact that he could sing as well. He released one or two other sympathy/beef infused songs directed at his former group mate, and most of his fans swore he was a better singer than 2face. I thought so too, until they mended their fences and his lyrics and style watered down. His recent offerings sound like the ramblings of a fortunate kid who has so much money to pay for studio sessions but not the needed talent to justify his intention. I’d like to see him rise again and if it will take another hurt for him to do so then someone should help lovers of good music put a wound to his heart.

NOTES: There are others in the music business missing in action as well but so that I don’t write an encyclopedia (no be term paper I dey write) I had to reduce the list to the top four that came to my mind.