HOT 99.5 FM Owerri’s Easter Rave: The analysis

Last time was a talk on how possible it would be for us to change our mentality towards our home grown artistes (local artistes), because they are all we have here and now as I write, I’ve seen the path to that possibility. The Hot 99.5 FM’s Easter Rave has justopened that door for all of us to believe in what we have down here.

Most people would have seen the show as something that would be dull because no ‘big name’ was brought in, but I surely tell you this, if you are among such people, “You missed so much” because the standard is back, the spirit of growth is back and if you don’t want to be chasing others when they have gone far, it would be better to imbibe this spirit of change in the entertainment industry so that we all can take us there. Tuface can not do it for us, P Square will never have a hand in it because all they want is to get paid and nothing more, but the growth of the industry is left for you and I, everyone that loves to be entertained with good music.

DJ Cuba and DJ Sexy

Two DJs with magic brains and fingers, scratching and selecting tracks as if they designed the show themselves. These two DJs are people you can’t beat anywhere any day. I give it all to them.

Amaka and Raymond Ayuba

They anchored the programme with usual Hot 99.5 FMswaggerflowing on the microphone to get everyone started and it wasn’t a long time before the show kicked off proper with De Dukes taking on the stage first. Someone would wonder why anA list artiste would be chosen to open the floor, but I’ll say it is because they don’t want the programme to start on a low tempo and this was surely achieved.

De Dukes

De Dukes did perform two tracks with ‘Knock on your heart’ as the second and I must confess that the sound system of the Valentino Night Club of Rapour Hotels presented the song in a way I never heard it before. It was real and the duo’s choreography called on the adrenaline of the cheering crowd and that was the perfect way to start. From one side I listened to the crowd sang along with De Dukes, screaming and cheering and I asked myself “wow! Can we have this here in Owerri? and are we this good?”

BigChance and CyphaTyte

These guys are something else, made from the world of their own to do things in their own way. That will surely justify the People Making Jolly Music (PMJM) Entertainment which is their current label. It was pure jolly music all the way for the duo who performed three tracks, Edikwansa remix, Shanbash and U’turn and I must say they didn’t let the microphone down, they kept it hanging higher and called on more adrenaline.

Harmony

By now I could hear Amaka argue with Raymond Ayuba that what a man can do, a woman can do better, I smiled and whispered to the person beside me saying “One lady against plenty guys, what can she do”.

I’ve actually listened to a track by Harmony, which is weighs up to any standard, thanks to Young Roc, her producer. She had also told me she could dance but I had never seen her in action until that night. With two back up dancer doing their thing behind or beside her as the case may be, Harmony thrilled the stage with two tracks as well as my favourite ‘good love’ dancing like she wasn’t singing, singing like she wasn’t dancing. She mixed both perfectly well that most guys in the show stood still watching, hypnotized by her rhythmical body movement. What guys had been doing, there’s a lady who can do it in her own unique way. This is to you Amaka, I can’t say she did better than others, but she was something else from another world. Harmony you rock.

Best dressed female

This was a side attraction that was really worth it. Four gorgeously dressed ladies were brought out and when two were left, the crowd started shouting dance! dance! The two ladies danced to entertainthe crowd and at the end, a winner emerged.

Bee

This guy did his thing in his own special way, performing the popular ‘street lullaby” to thrill the crowd who also sang and danced along with him.

Redloaf

He termed himself one man squad and has really lived up to that in terms of the quality of music he has made so far. Red loaf is surely among the A list artistes in Imo State and nothing can take that away from him. The light skinned artiste put up an energy packed performance to keep up with the tempo of the Easter Rave. Three songs were just all he needed to maintain his A list status and I must say he did it well.

Best dressed male

This followed the same routine with that of the females, just that the males had plenty contenders. The last three danced as well with a winner emerging after.

Aifee

 

Call him Aguleri boy or what ever you choose, this guy has brain fashioned for good music. No one can take it from him especially with his ‘iwe n’ewem’which is not just a track for Imo State, but a track for Nigeria.

The Anambra State born rapper had already stirred up appetite for his song by being called up in more than two occasions by Raymon Ayuba. This appetite kept the crowd waiting and he eventually delivered his Aguleri dish containing three wonderful tracks. Ifee is the next thing that will happen to this town.

Acharaman

Why did Hot 99.5 FM crew wait that long to bring this guy on? I could hear the crowd shouting “give us Acharaman!”. No one would actually heed the call for the Mbaise born rapper, not even Raymond Ayuba, norAmaka. But at the right time, Acharaman made his aaperance, taking over the whole show. I don’t know how he did it, but he probably must have taken a course on stage performance. The rapper was all over the stage that it was difficult to capture him in a still picture. He has the energy, he sings with swagger, but most especially Acharaman has got the talent and I can’t take that from him.

Being one of the few rappers who can miss Igbo language in their lyric, he thrilled the crowd and I must say that his kind of performance deserves a page of analysis.

Gemini 1

Someone would say, who is this guy and where is he coming from and if I’m to answer, I would say he is a brain of good music, singing and mixing and he comes from here Imo State.

“You may not know me, but you definitely know this jam”, were the words he started with before taking on his second track ‘Too bad’ a song that looks more like that of Wande Coal.

Free Windz

Why did they have to come last, I don’t know, but if I know, it would better be to end the show on a very high tempo as well just like it started. With Erima, it was a dance for the whole crowd, to the front eh, to the back eh. No one missed out at all.

At the end of the show, you could see the future of the industry in the state widening and all the artistes that performed were full ofsmiles. I spoke with three members of the Hot 99.5 FMcrew, and in summary (the detailed interviews will come in subsequent editions), this is what they said.

Mr Rotimi – Programmes Manager

With the turn out and the kind of performance seen here today, the programme is a success. It’s a test run of the plenty things Hot 99.5 FM has for the people of Owerri.

We’ve seen the loop holes and all areas that require improvement, we now know what people want, so next time, we won’t just give them what they want, but what they can’t imagine.

Amaka – Co MC and presenter.

I’ll give the programme a 9/10 because you can see that we all had a good time out there and it won’t be a long time before the next show will come up and Owerri people should expect something bigger that what we have seen today, we’ll never reach our extension limit here, Hot 99.5 FM will keep making things bigger.

Raymond Ayuba – Co MC and presenter.

I give the programme a pass mark and you know the industry here is growing. I’ve not been here for a long time, but I’ve seen talents that can catch up with other cities in the country, all the artistes need is a bigger stage.

With this programme, we are giving back to Imo State by promoting our own artistes here.

This is not about Hot 99.5 FM alone, anybody can come in and still do something for the state, and all we have to do is just believe in these artistes, they are good with everything we need.