Disc jockey and producer DJ Neptune has raised the alarm over what he calls a growing trend of sidelining seasoned artistes in the country’s music industry.
In an interview with Hip TV, he lamented that older creatives are often pushed aside once they reach a certain level of fame.
“In Nigeria, once you reach a certain level they push you aside like, ‘Oya go to that corner, we’re done with you.’ It’s a structural problem. Abroad, the OGs are still as relevant as the newbies. We need to address the structural issues”, he said.
Neptune, whose real name is Imohiosen Patrick, added that staying relevant requires constant reinvention.
“Although I don’t plan to do this all my life – when it’s time to take a bow, I will. But what I have just done over the years is that I know when it’s time to re‑invent. That’s life. Things are changing so you need to move with the time”, he said.
Over the years, Neptune has built a reputation for hit projects like Greatness and the chart-topping single ‘Nobody’ featuring Joeboy and Mr Eazi.
Neptune also urges artistes to embrace financial planning and ownership of creative platforms to secure long-term sustainability, stressing that reinvention alone isn’t enough.
“We, as African creatives, need to start thinking towards owning our own streaming platforms because we have the numbers,” he said in a recent interview on Channels Television.
