The venue was Marina Car Park on the Island. And one thing was easy for everyone to see. And that is, what was about to take place at the place promised to be graced by highly placed personalities, the types who wear expensive lace. The marquees were of high class and the tables and chairs underneath were invitingly decorated. The event vendors were dutifully poised at their strategic positions around the perimeter of the venue. And security operatives were at alert. So, the stage was fully set for the event to begin.
What was the event about to take place all about? You must be wondering. Now, let's break it down. If you are a long term fan of Fuji music legend, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal better called K1, you should know his former manager called S.Kekenke. Yes, the one whose picture was printed alongside K1's on the leaflet of K1's ground-breaking album, Talazo '84 released accordingly in 1984. If your calculation is right, that is 32 years down the line. Meanwhile, S.Kekenke was the one having his dad final burial party at the event. It was Sunday, 17th January, 2016.
Expectedly, K1's reserved table was identiable at a frontal part of the floor. So, many were excited that K1 was going to attend the event and that, to them, signaled more fun than just the grandeur of the venue and the salivation preceding the serving of the food of which aroma had taken over the atmosphere already. And don't get it twisted, K1 was not being expected to perform as an artiste but expected as a brother and friend to his former manager.
However, the need for K1's performance after he must have shown up at the event could not be fully ruled out. Ask why? The artiste billed for the party was K1's sing-alike but also very talented in his own right, Alhaji Ramoni Akanni a.k.a. Raymon King (RK1) and considering what happened when S.Kekenke had his mum’s burial party few years back, RK1 and K1 may end up doing a short joint on the stage after what they call, a popular demand, must have been registered by guests. At S.Kekenke mum's burial party back then, their collaboration on stage was what was later titled: "Like Father, Like Son" by a marketer who put the live performance in video CDs for Fuji music lovers to buy. Reports have it that the CD recorded huge sales and contributed immensely to Ramoni Akanni's relevance in Lagos social circle as different from the hitherto Ogbomosho, Oyo State, already dominated domain by him.
Hence, it was not a surprise to find video camera men from Dam Jay films having their equipment to record, already set up at appropriate points within the venue. Meanwhile, a good number of K1's big fans also made their ways to the event. Apparently, apart from most of them also being fans of RK1, and being favourably disposed to S.Kekenke, they must have thought they were also honouring K1 expected to be their REAL host of sort, at the event.
But that never came to be as the likes of Otunba Lekan Osifeso, Olawale Andors, Lanre Akanni Lamex, Mayor Akinpelu, Pastor Fasawe, Toyin Kolade, the Fadaka Group from Cotonou, and a host of others silently kept expectation for K1 alive till the expectation died a natural death and refused to be resurrected by a last minute arrival of the Arabambi 1. Surprisingly enough, none of the core members of K1's band like his P.A., KC, Lead Drummer, Ayinla Oluperi, Stage Manager, Gani Clinton and many others could tell categorically whether K1 was coming or not. They were not just sure, but they also kept hope alive when they still could.
While K1's absence did not really take anything away from the well organized party as RK1 was more than enough to hold the ground with his own compositions of classical Fuji, but many thought it was a great let down from the part of K1 towards S.Kekenke. Though, S.Kekenke may no longer be K1's manager and they might have had issues at some points, they still remain brothers. And K1 should have seen a moral obligation to show his support by showing up, especially with the evidence provided by the presence of key members of his band that they were not having a show somewhere else.
Meanwhile, when Saheed Ojubanire Online snooped around for underlying reason(s) for K1's absence, one major dig was a flimsy allegation by people who should know. And that is that, when S.Kekenke had his mum's burial some years back and K1 was there, he (K1) never envisaged he was going to be required to do a short collaboration on stage with RK1, more so that the video was going to be put on sale for people to watch in their homes. That, they said, did not go down well with K1. As a matter of fact, a source within the fold squealed that K1 personally called for stoppage of further production of the CD when demand for it was getting higher than expected in the market. And K1, if the allegation is true, may just be preventing a repeat of the "Like Father, Like Son" scenario. But the BIG question is, did he need to?
Over to you, K1.
No comments:
Post a Comment