Buzz by Olumide Iyanda
Email: olumide@qed.ng Twitter: @mightyng
Whatever faux pas Darey Art Alade committed by bringing Kim Kardashian for the maiden edition of his Love Like a Movie (LLAM) concert in 2013 he has more than made up for with Ciara in 2016. For just as through the coming of the now Mrs Kanye West the award-winning Nigerian musician lost a chance to draw positive global attention to his brand, so also through the coming of Ms. Ciara Princess Harris has the son of Modupe Arthur (Art) Alade given Nigeria the best PR money can’t buy.
You have to forgive those who expect more than pedestrian entertainment from Darey. He never gave anybody the impression he was cut from the same cloth as those who lip-synced and auto-tuned their voice to superstardom.
The Darey that I saw perform for the first time at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos more than a decade and half ago was a man of style and substance. He performed with a Louis Armstrong personality and Fela mentality. That almost perfect balance of art and showmanship saw him come third at the continent-wide Reality TV show, Project Fame, in 2004.
Long before he became popular on Project Fame, Darey had become the darling of the in-crowd on the Lagos art and culture scene. He was a regular at places like the French Cultural Centre, British Council and National Theatre. As a member of the three-man a capella group, Chordwebs, he delighted audiences with everything from jazz to highlife and pop to soul music.
Not a few people felt he was robbed of the first position at Project Fame in 2004. That and a botched record deal with Sony BMG Africa, however, did not stop him from releasing From Me 2 U on Storm Records in 2006. Two songs from that album – ‘Escalade’ and ‘Fuji’ – demonstrate that the University of Lagos graduate can go from Keith Sweat to Pasuma at the drop of a hat. While the former is a laid back solo R&B track, the latter is a heady mixture of pop, rap and fuji served by Darey, Ikechukwu and Dekunle Fuji.
Sandwiched between D’banj’s No Long Thing (2005) and Banky W’s Mr Capable (2008), From Me 2 U went on to win several awards including the 2006 Channel O Music Video Awards for best R&B Video in Africa. And he didn’t have to do a remake of a more popular song by another artiste to achieve that feat.
The romance with Storm Records was, however, short-lived. His second album, unDareyted, was released in 2009 under Soul Muzik. With tracks like ‘No Stars’, ‘More’, ‘Style na Style’ and ‘Carry Dey Go’, the project was an improvement on From Me 2 U. There were also collaboration with Cobhams Asuquo, 9ice, 2face, Naeto C and Pheel coming on board. Helped by the massively popular ballad, ‘Not the Girl’, the album shifted more than 150,000 copies in two months.
A Wikipedia entry for Darey said the album “caught the attention of the African American Music business legend Dick Griffey, who is credited with discovering and influencing the music careers of artists such as Shalamar, The Whispers, Babyface, L.A. Reid and Dr. Dre. Dick Griffey offered to executive-produce Darey’s third album which was to break Darey further into the U.S and international markets but unfortunately he died before the project could be completed.”
I became a Darey convert at the 2009 Hip Hop World Awards (now known as The Headies) held at the Abuja International Conference Centre. That year, he was in a two-horse-race with Banky W for the Best Vocal Performance (Male). His ‘Not the Girl’ was up against Banky’s ‘Don’t Break My Heart’. The two other nominees were Wande Coal with ‘Taboo’ and Etcetera with ‘Michelle’. You could have heard a pin drop the moment when Mr Capable, who hosted the award that year alongside Kemi Adetiba, was declared winner.
Shortly after Banky W left the stage with the award, Darey was called to perform the same song that just lost out in the race. Contrary to expectations, he exhibited the same grace with which he exited Project Fame in 2004. That evening in Abuja, he went on stage with a piano and knocked guests of their feet with an unplugged version of ‘Not the Girl’.
If a certain Kanye West had been in the hall that day, he probably would have snatched the award from Banky and presented it to Darey.
That was the Darey I knew.
The Darey known for his commitment to the art and some fun by the side. The Darey who featured ladies in stilettos and stockings in an inoffensive manner in the video of ‘The Way You Are’ from Double Dare in 2010.
Until Kim Kardashian came with her designer pregnancy in 2013.
Not to put too fine a point on it, Kim K offered nothing in entertainment or nuisance value. Her appearance at Eko Hotel was shorter than her 2007 sex tape. And there was nothing sexy about the socialite that day. Fans who paid to see the woman described as sex on legs were disappointed at the content and the container. LLAM1 was a vanity project at best.
Kelly Rowland was more value for money and time at LLAM2 2014. At least the former Destiny’s Child star got to go on stage and sponsors, Etisalat, got their photo ops.
Darey was third time lucky. He struck oil with Ciara in 2016. Ms Harris put up more than a spectacular performance at Eko Hotel on February 28; she sold Nigeria to a wider audience than President Muhammadu Buhari has done with his endless shuttle diplomacy. She visited two community schools in Lagos and played freely with the kids. Not done, she went dancing on the streets in the company of Kaffy and others. In a country outsiders think is crawling with kidnappers, armed robbers and suicide bombers!
Only those who really know what the world honestly thinks of Nigeria will understand the significance of that.
Thank you Darey. The Kim Kardashian episode has finally been forgiven. It’s good to have you back. Go and sin no more.
Nice piece publisher. He has indeed been forgiven