GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA: FOR WHO THE BELL TOLLS NEXT.

Just five people shy of Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting incident that claimed 26 lives, the Uvalde Texas Robb elementary school mass shooting at 21 victims, now ranks among the highest grossing gun carnage in America. It is sad that such frequent blood spilling has tragically become part of our culture as a society. May the souls of the killed now rest.

25th AMENDMENT: ITS NOW ALL CRICKET.

Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi once questioned former President Donald John Trump's fitness to remain in office due to what she claimed was his declining mental capacity. Does anyone know what Madam Speaker presently thinks about the incontrovertible case which America is now saddled with? Just curious!

WHO WILL REBUILD UKRAINE?

The West should convert frozen Russian assets, both state's and oligarchs' owned, into a full seizure and set them aside for the future rebuilding of Ukraine. Like the Marshal Plan, call it the Putin Plan.

A HERO IS BORN.

I am staying put. I will not run away and abandon my people. The fight is here in Ukraine. What I need are weapons and ammunitions, not a ride out of town like former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani - President Volodymyr Zelensky.

IT IS WHAT IT IS.

"There is too much hate in America because there is too much anger in America." - Trevor Noah.

WORD!

A life without challenges is not a life lived at all. A life lived is a life that has problems, confronts problems, solves problems and then learns from problems. - Tunde Fashola.

NOW, YOU KNOW.

When fishing for love, bait with your heart and not your brain, because you cannot rationalize love. - Mark Twain.

JUST THE FACT.

In our country, you can shoot and kill a nigger, but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings - Dave Chappelle

DO YOU?.

“What you believe in can only be defined by what you’re willing to risk for it." - Stuart Scheller.

HEDGE YOUR CRISIS.

Never get in bed with a woman whose problems are worse than yours. - Chicago PD.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

'The best way to keep peace is to be ready to destroy evil. If you Pearl Harbor me, I Nagasaki you.' - Ted Nugent.

OUR SHARED HUMANITY.

Empathy is at the heart of who we are as human beings. - Cardinal Matthew Kukah.

WORDS ON MARBLE.

"Birth is agony. Life is hard. Death is cruel." - Japanese pithy.

REPENT OR PERISH - POPE.

Homosexuality is a sin. It is not ordained by God, therefore same sex marriage cannot be blessed by the church - Pope Francis.

CANCEL CULTURE IS CORROSIVE.


FOR SAKE OF COUNTRY.


MAGA LIVES ON: NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER!

TWITTER IS BORING WITHOUT HIS TWEETS. #RestorePresidentTrump'sTwitterHandle.


WORD.

"If you cannot speak the truth when it matters, then nothing else you says matters.” - Tucker Carlson.

#MeToo MOVEMENT: A BAD NEWS GONE CRAZY.

"To all the women who testified, we may have different truth, but I have a great remorse for all of you. I have great remorse for all of the men and women going through this crisis right now in our country. You know, the movement started basically with me, and I think what happened, you know, I was the first example, and now there are thousands of men who are being accused and a regeneration of things that I think none of us understood. I’m not going to say these aren’t great people. I had wonderful times with these people. I’m just genuinely confused. Men are confused about this issue. We are going through this #MeToo movement crisis right now in this country." - Harvey Weinstein.


RON DELLUMS: UNAPOLOGETICALLY RADICAL.

"If it’s radical to oppose the insanity and cruelty of the Vietnam War, if it’s radical to oppose racism and sexism and all other forms of oppression, if it’s radical to want to alleviate poverty, hunger, disease, homelessness, and other forms of human misery, then I’m proud to be called a radical.” - Ron Vernie Dellums.


WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN LIFE - STEVE JOBS

“I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. Non-stop pursuing of wealth will only turn a person into a twisted being, just like me. God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth. Memories precipitated by love is the only true riches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you strength and light to go on. The most expensive bed in the world is the sick bed. You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear sickness for you. Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – Life. Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well. Cherish others.” - SJ

EVIL CANNOT BE TRULY DESTROYED.

"The threat of evil is ever present. We can contain it as long as we stay vigilant, but it can never truly be destroyed. - Lorraine Warren (Annabelle, the movie)


ONLY THE POOR WISH THEY HAD STUFF?

“I’m not that interested in material things. As long as I find a good bed that I can sleep in, that’s enough.” - Nicolas Berggruem, the homeless billionaire.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

NEW GENERATION NIGERIAN MUSICIANS, KNUCKLE HEADS? - an article by Vicky Awuzie.

What in the world are those knuckle-heads of new generation Nigerian musicians singing? Has anyone listened to the new breed of Nigerian Hip-hop artists lately? If you have, have you really paid attention to their lyrics? The fact is the lyrics are so vulgar and so much in your face that you could not have avoided hearing the bold idiotic words. These new breed of musicians have completely abandoned their accents, social ills in Nigeria, their names and so much more to emulate American “gangsta” rap. The more I listen to their music, the more rattled I become. Don’t get me wrong. I’m definitely not ancient, but the nonsensical unacceptable lyrics they sing must be brought to their attention. They are copying American rap stars without really knowing what the culture in America is. Some of them have never lived here in America, yet they sing in American ghetto slang.
The new wave for them is that they now refer to themselves as Niggas. Do they really know what Nigga means? I bet you if they did they would NEVER utter that word. Do they know that even though the rap musicians in America refer to themselves as Niggas it is partly because of a historical reason and that will take an entire page to explain before one could begin to make sense out of it? Do they know that people are taken to court for calling someone a Nigga in America? Are they aware that the DJ’s don’t allow that word (Nigga) on the airwaves, it gets bleeped out? Please STOP the use of that word in your songs. You don’t know the history behind it.
As I ponder about these new bone-head musicians, the only thing I can think of is that this generation of musicians are non-educated and are exposing their ignorance in their music. One of them proudly named himself Dat-Nigga-Raw. What in the hell was he thinking? Did his mama or papa call him Dat Nigga Raw when he was a little boy? Dat Nigga Raw, please change your name. If you have any relatives in America they would advise you the same. Do all of you realize that your song with the bad words does not get played in our social scenes here in America? When I first received Dat Nigga Raw’s CD, I was taking my two boys to a basketball game, while in the car I decided to play the CD. As the song began and the Nigga words came on, my son asked me if he heard right or was it a Nigerian word. I told him that he heard right. He was disappointed that a Nigerian musician could say such word. He asked me if he knew what it meant.
D’bang is another one who uses the "F" word as if that’s all there is in his brain. In one of his songs, he says “I like the way you’re f**k me". What is wrong with all of you, even the rappers in America who you are emulating will not say such things on a record. By the way, who is 9ice, that’s another one something is wrong with? What’s up with the hooded sweatshirt on the cover of his CD? It wasn’t cold in Nigeria that day or was it? Was it 20 or 30 degrees in Nigeria? Take it off; it’s too hot to wear such outfit in Nigeria. Also, if you want to throw or shower money on your video, please use Nigerian currency (Naira) not dollars. And the fake jewelry all of you are wearing? Give me a break. It is a “gangsta” statement in America and it means something. It signifies a gangsta’s wealth. It also signifies how many records a gangsta has sold and much more. Duncan Mighty was wearing one on his CD cover. P-L-E-A-Z-EEEE. What does yours signify, sir?
One annoying observation that I encountered is the fact that the music from this generation lacks originality. Almost all the beats sound American. I’m really surprised that Nigerian journalists have not hammered on the lack of originality of this generation of musician. What is also surprising is that the songs get played on Nigerian radio stations with the vulgar words on them. Common, DJ’s bleep them out before you play them. We have young people listening and you can’t corrupt them like that. Would you be happy if your child said the “F” word because they heard it on the radio?
Fela, Sunny Okosun, One World, The Wings, Bongos Ikwe, The Apostles, Victor Uwaifo to mention but a few were all originals. They acknowledged the social ills in Nigeria and the rest of the world, but their beats remained true to African flavor. Fela Kuti and Sunny Okosun(RIP) were world famous because of their originality. I gave a radio DJ friend of mine a CD from Nigeria to play on his show to give this nameless artist some American exposure. After listening to it he called me and said – “Vicky, there’s no originality, it sounds like any music an American rapper could have sang.” So, there goes the exposure I was counting on for this youngster. Listen, people in America want to hear that African touch in African music. They are not interested in you if you sound like 50 Cents, The Game or Beyonce.

The point is, stop following American rappers sheepishly. Be true to yourself. The same goes for all of you wearing long boots, hooded sweatshirts and much more in Nigeria. That line of clothing is made for very cold climate. Do you understand? P-square, 2 Face, African China, Jeremiah gang, Timaya are ok. I haven’t heard any of the rubbish I hear from the other artists in their songs. For instance, when P-square says “do me, I do you” he did not use profanity, but we all knew what he meant and that is how it should be. I’m watching out for Desperate Chicks, Yahoozy and so many more. The Desperate chicks tried to drift, but they are ok. Ladies, as long as you stay classy, you will be ok. Just never cheapen yourselves. As I said, I’m very civilized, as a matter of fact, I’m a DJ and I’m happening. So, I know what I’m talking about. These new generation of musicians must come to their senses or risk not having their music played on the radios and social events.

4 comments:

  1. The Naija Music Idol: The top Ten Standing
    Written by Ayo Onikoyi
    Saturday, 07 February 2009












    Things are beginning to get into shape. From the 15 Naija Music Idols published two weeks ago, the list have swelled again with more nominations. The new additions are Duncan Mighty, Wande Coal and Lord of Ajasa but unfortunately these song-stars are not going to make the papers as the count-down begins this week!


    Tu Face jumps up to the 2nd spot again, amassing a total of 1355 votes.As promised last week, the race gets down to 10 most loved stars and the big ideal is that 8 from the 18 we have standing in the quest have got to take a breather. Hey! This isn’t about anything, it is just about them not getting enough votes to get them sailing on in the quest. So, who falls? Who rises? Duncan Mighty came into the quest with just 6 votes, while Wande Coal and Lord of Ajasa got 9 and 11 respectively. Now, that wouldn’t keep them so hot in the race, would it? They just had to go.

    From the former 15, Sasha could only get 40 more votes to add up to her previous 29 votes. 69 votes isn’t a winning call at this time in the quest. Nigga Raw put up impressive performance this week, raking off a total of 82 votes but added up to his previous of 13 votes, ending up at 95 votes, making the list of the last 10 is just out of the question. For Weird M.C., Naeto C and Ikechukwu, their story this week isn’t any brighter. While Weird M.C. bowed out after a total of 101 votes, Naeto C. and Ikechukwu rested their feet amassing total votes of 84 and 71 respectively.

    The last top ten bristling for the final showdown are: P-Square, Tu Face, D’ Banj, Faze, Asa, Timaya, 9ice, Styl-Plus, Banky W. and Ruggedman. For the 4th week running, P-Square remains unshakeable at first spot, leading the lot again in the week’s voting with 677 votes and shoring up their total to 1,763 votes. Next is Tu Face, who shoved D’ Banj out of the second spot.

    Tu Face reared his bold face into the second spot by harvesting 586 votes this week to rev up his total to 1,355 votes. D’Banj had to stick to the 3rd spot after slugging it out and coming blind with 534 votes for the week and a total of 1,317 votes. Now, Faze is a guy everyone should watch out for! He not only overwhelmed his pursuers this week he also rattle the people ahead. He got 570 votes this week, beating even D’Banj’s 534 votes.

    Though he remains at the fourth spot with a total of 1005, his message to others is rather clear!
    At the fifth spot is Asa, the only female singer left in the race.



    P-Square remains undisputed at the 1st spot with a total of `1,763 votes.How Asa did it, is a guess worth more than a million bucks. She gathered 288 votes this week, piling up her total to 658 votes. Hot on her trail at the 6th spot is Timaya, who is looking rather menacing with a close votes of 281 this week and a total of 652 votes. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the quest is 9ice. After a respectable beginning, 9ice seems to be looking everything but nice in the quest.

    Claiming a paltry 87 votes this week (the lowest of the 10) is way beyond expectation. Though he gets to keep the 7th spot with a total of 406 votes but he’s not too far from the shooting range of Styl-Plus, hooting fiercely with the week’s votes of 178 and closing at 8th with 347 votes. Banky W. and Ruggedman got the 9th and 10th spots respectively after clinching 93 and 120 votes this week. While Banky W. closed with 289 votes Ruggedman escaped getting nailed with a total of 158 votes.

    What happens next week? Keep your oars on and don’t stick your necks out because this quest could sway any which way. Nonetheless, a star must fall every week! From these 10 we shall come to the last 9, on and on until the “Last man standing”. Before you saddle your thoughts with “who goes down next?” enjoy some of the votes that have come in.

    P- Square
    1. P-Square is da bomb any day any time. No other musician can make me want to get up and move no matter my mood. Am so crazily in love with them and i pray that God will continue to strengthen them so they can keep making me happy.
    Sandra, 08064279353

    2. Naija music Idol is P-Square, they are the bomb. Great voices, great dance steps, great videos and great looks.
    May, Makurdi, 07094113143

    Tu Face
    1. Just Like you can’t fix R Kelly with those other smaller musicians in Hollywood it is an insult to place Tu Face and other musicians together. Common now.
    Tima, PHC, 08051055369

    2. My role models in Naija are Genevieve and Tu Face. So you should crown him. Forget about music videos and popularity. Talk about the message in the song and the depth. Others are too junior to him.
    08036212622

    D’Banj



    Though D’Banj slumps a step down but still looking as good as ever at the 3rd spot with 1,317 votes1. Hi, my vote is as listed below: (1) D’banj (2) Faze (3) Timaya (4) Asa (5) Tu Face (6) 9ice (7) Nigga Raw (8) ruggedman (9) Banky W. (10) P-Square. Have a great time.
    08073548606

    2. You guys doing this show, most times you ask yourselves ‘why me?’ just because your friends tell you to ‘Fall in love’. Why don’t you tell D’Banj to help you out and let him be crowned king.
    07040107745

    Faze
    1. With that voice, that independence, that naturalness, that exemplary model private life, all that overdone criticism and yet still able to keep the dreads above water, he won’t win it (no, not if Nigerians can help it.) Still Faze remains my music Idol, now and forever. Amen.
    08073611377



    Faze is really beginning to show a bold face, upping his act to 1005 votes. Remains at 4th spot.2. Independence and Originality are vital for idol status (my view). I will give it to Faze any day and not because it matches the albums. I swear the guy can write/sing snow to hell!
    08057540042

    Asa
    1. Asa is definitely Naija’s music idol. Check out her lyrics and style, i think she’s just great.
    08032387190
    Asa ! Asa!! Asa!!! she’s hot, she’s good, she’s streaming, she’s sensational, she’s so deep, she’s yet to come, she’s yet to leave, The queen Asa.

    Julia (Julia asked for her number to be excluded)

    Timaya
    1. I vote Timaya as my Naija Music Idol
    08056093146

    2. Timaya the music Idol of Naija Land.
    Theresa, 07038226776

    Styl- Plus
    1. Styl-Plus music makes me go high. One more thing: i have been looking for their first album for someone collected my own. Up Style Plus. Adanna, 08066858995

    2. The most talented group are Styl-Plus. They have the rhythm, best entertaining act and most of all- they are my favourite
    08078263214

    9Ice



    9Ice, may not be looking as nicely as expected with 406 votes and at 7th spot.1. 9Ice has not only started, he is going to prove to you all that he is not only the best but a star. 9Ice is uncountable much.

    Jiggy, Warri, 07095031783
    2. Please crown 9ice as Naija Music Idol.
    08024979297

    Banky W.
    1. Please when it comes to the music idol, there’s no one like him-Banky W. Please crown him, he really deserves it.
    07026743036

    2. Am definitely going for Banky W. He is surely an inspiration. Man, that guy is good. My vote is for him. Ogho, Warri, 08057732796

    Ruggedman
    1. It’s time for you guys to Baraje, because to whom it may concern Ruggedy Baba is the Koko ( in the nearest future please make this categorical) Orji, 08077321593

    2. Ruggedman, he is the banging Elvis.
    Idehai, 08053209521

    ReplyDelete
  2. What madam Vicky wrote is correct. You all were not raised or called Nigga's so I don't know where that came from. Just take advise and do some clean up.

    ReplyDelete
  3. As DJ of repute and show biz organizer, Vicky you sure know what you are talking. Wise counsel from one who knows, I HOPE THEY LISTEN!

    ReplyDelete
  4. who be this woman sef wey no dey talk like say im dey fear anyone. can she even play music, but just dey yab others wey dey try to find feeding money. na wetin market want na i traders dey carry, abi?

    ReplyDelete