Most
African musicians find it easy maintaining their form after they land
mainstream success, while others simply lose grit, and slowly but
regrettably, sink into complete oblivion after working hard to get to
the top.
In this part of the world, there is a
wide, blurred gap between underground acts and those in the A-List
category. The setting is such that unsigned acts struggle to even get
their demos played on radio. Plus, there is an accompanying pain of
staying irrelevant as a yet-to-be-signed act for a very long time.
That
they are popular across the continent is known to them, and something
they are ready to hold on for a very long time to come.
'When you become one of the biggest acts [on] a continent, you get to have many challenges in keeping up with and not disappointing your fans, because all eyes are on you. We are the greatest for some time now in Africa and we working very hard to keep it that way,' the group said in a recent interview.
The inspiration to do more in music they believe comes from the likes of the late Michael Jackson and R&B and hip hop superstar R. Kelly, who they say have shaped what they do now.
'Our biggest musical inspiration is the late Michael Jackson and R. Kelly. Jackson, because we started off imitating his moves and R. Kelly because he's a great song writer, producer, and composer all in one, just like we are. And he knows how to follow music trends,' they told Apinke Magazine.
For years to come, P Square will surely be making good music, and will be selling platinum albums. After all, that has been their trump card.
Nigerians and Africans to a larger extent can be proud of this unique group, as they continue to raise the flag of the continent high. And like always, if we don't appreciate the dark side of a continent that already has too many unresolved issues, 'stuff' like what P Square is offering, can always cheer us up.
Rick Ross gives a good picture of what would become of P Square years from now: in a line in his verse on that 'Beautiful Onyinye' song he said 'turn up the music, we are bumping with P-Square, number one in the game, we are going to be here ... always making it...'.
That they will continue to make it, as Ross suggests, will surely happen, and, when it does, Peter and Paul will always cast their minds back to the very first talent competition they won in 2001, which got this whole craze off to a squared and well-figured-out start.
'When you become one of the biggest acts [on] a continent, you get to have many challenges in keeping up with and not disappointing your fans, because all eyes are on you. We are the greatest for some time now in Africa and we working very hard to keep it that way,' the group said in a recent interview.
The inspiration to do more in music they believe comes from the likes of the late Michael Jackson and R&B and hip hop superstar R. Kelly, who they say have shaped what they do now.
'Our biggest musical inspiration is the late Michael Jackson and R. Kelly. Jackson, because we started off imitating his moves and R. Kelly because he's a great song writer, producer, and composer all in one, just like we are. And he knows how to follow music trends,' they told Apinke Magazine.
For years to come, P Square will surely be making good music, and will be selling platinum albums. After all, that has been their trump card.
Nigerians and Africans to a larger extent can be proud of this unique group, as they continue to raise the flag of the continent high. And like always, if we don't appreciate the dark side of a continent that already has too many unresolved issues, 'stuff' like what P Square is offering, can always cheer us up.
Rick Ross gives a good picture of what would become of P Square years from now: in a line in his verse on that 'Beautiful Onyinye' song he said 'turn up the music, we are bumping with P-Square, number one in the game, we are going to be here ... always making it...'.
That they will continue to make it, as Ross suggests, will surely happen, and, when it does, Peter and Paul will always cast their minds back to the very first talent competition they won in 2001, which got this whole craze off to a squared and well-figured-out start.
The
features of persevering and keeping hope alive as an underground act
often include being stripped of everything you've put together over the
years or being taken for granted by a not-so-qualified producer who
doesn't have the slightest clue what the business of music is all about.
So when, through an artist's hard work and persistence, he is able to penetrate into mainstream appreciation, it is important that the hustle that led him to the Promised Land must be protected or at least revered. Some respect this creed, others don't.
Nigerian music duo P Square is one of the continent's finest pair of musicians, who are protecting the years of hard work that got them into the top core of the continent's most respected acts.
So when, through an artist's hard work and persistence, he is able to penetrate into mainstream appreciation, it is important that the hustle that led him to the Promised Land must be protected or at least revered. Some respect this creed, others don't.
Nigerian music duo P Square is one of the continent's finest pair of musicians, who are protecting the years of hard work that got them into the top core of the continent's most respected acts.
And
just when the collaboration with Akon became the talk of the town, a
video of a remixed version of their 'Beautiful Onyinye' track - also
from the current album - featuring hip hop heavyweight Rick Ross started
making waves. Social media networks buzzed with intense blitz about how
awesome the video was.
The idea to have Ross, who is considered a modern day hip hop class act, chant a few lines on a track that had its own beauty worked a lot of magic, and the video has remained one of the most watched online.
For most African acts, this is the farthest and highest you can go.
Underground acts always watch from afar, almost with a show of life in the fast-lane and how-sweet-it-will-sound while still being irrelevant. Half of the time, they never get to experience real mainstream status and how well the big boys and girls live. It's a tough environment out here.
The idea to have Ross, who is considered a modern day hip hop class act, chant a few lines on a track that had its own beauty worked a lot of magic, and the video has remained one of the most watched online.
For most African acts, this is the farthest and highest you can go.
Underground acts always watch from afar, almost with a show of life in the fast-lane and how-sweet-it-will-sound while still being irrelevant. Half of the time, they never get to experience real mainstream status and how well the big boys and girls live. It's a tough environment out here.
Most
African musicians find it easy maintaining their form after they land
mainstream success, while others simply lose grit, and slowly but
regrettably, sink into complete oblivion after working hard to get to
the top.
In this part of the world, there is a wide, blurred gap between underground acts and those in the A-List category. The setting is such that unsigned acts struggle to even get their demos played on radio. Plus, there is an accompanying pain of staying irrelevant as a yet-to-be-signed act for a very long time.
Underground acts always watch from afar, almost with a show of life in the fast-lane and how-sweet-it-will-sound while still being irrelevant. Half of the time, they never get to experience real mainstream status and how well the big boys and girls live. It's a tough environment out here.
In this part of the world, there is a wide, blurred gap between underground acts and those in the A-List category. The setting is such that unsigned acts struggle to even get their demos played on radio. Plus, there is an accompanying pain of staying irrelevant as a yet-to-be-signed act for a very long time.
Underground acts always watch from afar, almost with a show of life in the fast-lane and how-sweet-it-will-sound while still being irrelevant. Half of the time, they never get to experience real mainstream status and how well the big boys and girls live. It's a tough environment out here.
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