As it had happened, I had begun writing and analyzing the Eastside Nigerian music pop sensations in the late 1990s into the new millennium. And I hadn’t any clue where the writing of the subject-matter would be taking me to in terms of my readers recognizing I would be putting the whole stuff, analysis and reflections into perspective. But as I wrote on the trend of that era, my readers applauded awesomely and one in particular that put much interest in my entertainment reviews on the Eastside 1970s bands that rocked Nigeria during the post-civil war era, was Mike Egi.
Egi had sent notes to the BNW and its sister-related sites my colleagues and I founded in 2001, in an attempt to locate me. I wrote occasionally back then at BNW Magazine and Egi was one of my die-hard readers, leaving his phone number and email address for me to contact him. I had wondered why Egi would want me to call him and what the gist would probably be about. Curiosity kills the cat’ as the saying goes; I called Egi. Egi compiled and produced ‘Flashback I and II,’ a various artists of the Eastside he had released on the Naija Records label he also founded; and had included all the artists and groups I have written extensively about in the past. The ‘Flashback 1’ compilation had been actually sold underground overwhelmingly including at the pubs in the Mid-West and East Coast, when it was first released in the summer of 1999. Egi lived in Woodbury, within the St Paul metropolis, in Minnesota.
So, as it happened, Egi and I hooked up and we began to talk on the phone, on a regular basis, discussing music scholarship and what needs to be done in reviving the kind of music of the time we all grew up with. I had told Egi that our music culture had collapsed, but Egi had confidence it could be revived, citing his compilations and the quest to promote the ideal to the forefront. Henceforth, Egi became the fan who read my articles most. Each week or time my article comes out, he would read it and call me right away, and would disagree with me in some of the opinions he’d thought was too extreme, especially the thought-provoking lines on Nd’Igbo and at a particular time stressing, besides the music analysis in which I have spent time and done so well; that I should stretch my political commentaries beyond Nd’Igbo, and that I should include all of Nigeria in order to balance the equation of my criticisms.
Interestingly, Egi and I became very close and each time he did not hear from me, he would be worried, calling and sending mails. That’s how close we were in what started with my pen, his music compilation pursuit and interest in locating me. As we talked into the night, the topic was on a variety of issues – from a vanishing music in Nigeria to a political culture that is full of uncertainties. We talked more on the Eastside performers of the day and how they rocked his hometown of Warri. One World (Otu Uwa) Action 13, residents, Lido Nite Club & Restaurant Afternoon Jump, the only spot it was happening in Warri. It was clear One World was a cast of its own at Lido, though Egi had always given Spud Nathan the thumbs up as the best that popped up from the Eastside, even as Nathan was gone while some promising and elated faces began to emerge.
In compiling ‘Flashback I’, Egi dedicated the project to the memory of Spud Nathan (Jonathan Udensi) who was lead singer of The Wings. In ‘Flashback II’ The Wings was on top again in his list; Sonny Okosun, Black Children, Aktion 13, Apostles, Cloud 7, Kris Okotie, Sweet Breeze, One World, Christy Essien, Rex Williams, Victor Uwaifor, Nicholas Mbarga and Tony Grey, following. Here, he changed the format by way of musical genres bringing in Uwaifor, Mbarga and Essien.
Egi had planned compiling ‘Flashback III’ when I talked him into doing something different, a kind of vibe that would reflect in its thoroughness, musically, away from the 1970s Eastside bands but old-school of our time. He got my drift and went to work immediately putting together the most treasured reggae music of our time – 90-Degrees Inclusive, Johnny Clark, U-Roy, I-Roy, Dillinger, Sonya Spence, Mighty Diamonds, Prince Jazzbo, Toots & The Maytals, Max Romeo & The Upsetters, Ken Lazarus; while I had suggested my own collections (Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, U-Roy’s ‘Small Axe’ from the ‘Rasta Ambassador’ album, King Yellow Man, Mutabaruka, Gladiators, Dennis Al Capone, composers Charlie Ace, Sir Lord Comic, Jah Woosh, Duke Reid, King Stitt, and some ‘dubby’ mix of Scientist, Mad Professor and Augustus Pablo), which he agreed.
I had begun Samaka Studios which was under licensing with Deswab Records on the Washington Corridor in West Los Angeles. I suggested to Egi a better option of having his compilations done at Samaka Studios for some quality stuff and also have appropriate rights and royalties put in place. Egi sent me a compilation of 2 CDs and we talked on the project from time to time.
While we spoke at length working in annex to pull through the projects, I suggested a combined variety of African traditional music and folklore, and putting together and sending the demonstrations out. And I had told Egi I was tracking him down with ideas of totally different concepts in order to have a worthy airtime if would be. I did attempt to bring forth the best cast of any compilation, some still rare and unreleased in tracks – Fela Kuti, Manu di Bango, Hugh Masekela, Brenda Fassie, Osibisa, Thomas Mapfumo & The Halleluja Chicken Run Band, Independence Matata, C.K. Mann, Miatta Fahnbulleh, including the tracks ‘Tolambo Funk,’ ‘Akoko Ba,’ ‘Susan Sue,’ ‘Hot & Jumpy,’ and several others. Egi liked the idea and the follow up would be the release of “Jungle Beat @ Samaka Studios,” a 2 CD box set with liner notes. He (Egi) agreed to include his addition as bonus tracks since what I had compiled was enough to make the 2 CD set that was meant for the anticipated breakthrough.
Meanwhile, Egi had traveled to Nigeria and had trooped to Pound Road, Aba, on the Eastside, the base of the artists and groups in question, to check on the remainder of the albums he did not have, in order to complete ‘Flashback III.’ While in Aba, in his effort to complete his assignment, he discovered how everything turned ‘upside down’. Nobody knew what he was relating to. Frustrated and disappointed, and most of the artists in question, the ones still alive, couldn’t recollect the music they made back then, which indicated how bad and hopeless the situation was. Egi came back to the United States losing interest in the projects with thoughts of looking to another direction and doing something entirely different.
Egi went back to his Woodbury base in the St. Paul area with no more desire on a Nigeria nothing is organized. We did not talk that much save for when I had questions to ask or he reads my article and wants to talk about it. The whole idea was waning and I had thought about it as what comes along with show business – it’s not always uhuru. The entire idea had been relaxed, so I thought – we both need some time off, perhaps to rethink our strategies and how to come up with a striking move. That didn’t stop the projects in raising young talents at Deswab Records and Samaka Studios on the Washington Corridor in West Los Angeles, as I initiated over the years.
On July 30, 2008, Egi called me on the phone which was way overdue based on the dialogued, extended projects, the union of two record labels. I had thought, upon receiving that call that Egi had surfaced with some new ideas. No, he didn’t. He had called because he had thought I was aware of the news spreading all over the St. Paul metropolis. At the time Egi called, I had no clue what the news was all about. What actually happened was a Nigerian living in the St. Paul area had fatally shot his wife. On July 25, 2008, Michael Iheme drove to the Sholom Home West, an assisted-living center in St. Louis Park, where his wife, Anthonia, worked as a nursing aide. According to the report, Iheme got out of his car and shot at Anthonia’s car, which lurched forward, clipped a van, jumped a curb and rolled down a hill into a fence. Iheme followed the car down the hill and fired more shots.
After the shooting incident story which was news to me, I popped up the all trailing compilation deal to check if Egi was still interested in putting up with the projects as we discussed over time. Egi was not too sure if he should continue or get on with the reggae classics he had earlier projected; and with time flying, I revisited my compilations and Samaka Studios’ projects.
Meanwhile, the talents at Deswab and Samaka Studios were in progress and which to me, was a preoccupation that would keep me engaged for the rest of the year. With Egi somehow sliding, I put to task the talents, the engineers, songwriters, and contracts with series of recording studios in Los Angeles, around when I bumped into Eye & Eye record label and Cash Money Records, which was timely because hip-hop had been the trend and my boys in the studio were boys in the hood and gangsta lifestyle, sort of, the kind of flavor co-founder of Cash Money was looking to gravitate. And Cash Money, with Lil Wayne, Nicky Minaj, etc. dominating the pop charts from that record label, all the crew at Deswab and Samaka got fired up as ‘we are blowing up’ clouded us in the studio, lifting every spirit up.
Something dramatically changed. So, as to the excitement from the Cash Money news, I had decided to take one week off, not to be disturbed with the goings on in the studio. It did not happen. On the third day of my leave, while sleeping, my phone rang. When I answered the phone by my bed, it was barely 7: 25 P.M., really early for the jam sessions. The call was from one of the aspiring artists making beats and working on his upcoming CD. A fight had been started among the crew on ‘passing joints’ and doing favor to one of the girls, and that my presence is needed to ‘cut it out.’ The girl in particular was Silk, who had opened for Snoop Dogg during Snoop’s explosive career. I wasn’t sure what actually the problem was, but it didn’t look funny and I had to hurriedly dress up and shuttle to the studio. I calmed down the situation mediating in-between crew upon arrival and called on the leading sound engineers to put the house in order or I’ll be making decisions based on what had erupted. Soon after that, things went bad at the studio which sent me some signals to think and make up my mind what I should be doing.
I had given some significant roles to some of the boys in the studio. I did tour-manage and consulting for promotions and session time and had School Boy (Seth Hall, whose LA Underground CD debut is still a party jam in Los Angeles area after hours jam sessions), whom I interviewed for series of publications including ‘The Ambrose Ehirim Files Interviews.’ I instructed he be the coordinator and keep the programs in check; being the major score for Samaka Music/Studio even though his self-doubt seemed surprising for a digital underground gangsta rapper, despite his history, lyrics and imposing stature. It flowed so well with becoming shows; major record labels around Los Angeles picked up interest compelling Deswab Records and Samaka Studios to come down for a deal to be in the ‘digital wallet’ of Los Angeles underground as is the trend.
But the rats and cats in the studios had to go with the flow; the gangsta rap, hip-hop and all the blasts that come along with life in the studio. And nevertheless, I, also, have to go with the flow to keep the projects on track. There “got to be the normal studio life – the girls and all the night jam sessions and partying,” seems to be the setting as long as the provisions are not lacking.
Egi has been out of the picture all these while realizing Naija Records-Samaka Music joint venture looked more like a mirage as time passed by. Deswab and Samaka released some CDs with one compilation CD composed, arranged and produced by Phill ‘Big Chill’ Moses. Moses was also in charge of the doormen during jam sessions and after hours on the weekends. I had to let all that go and shop around some other stuff.
On December 08, 2008, Egi called me from Los Angeles International Airport. I was at California State University, Fresno, organizing some show for the boys at Deswab and Samaka Studios. Egi was on his way to China for what I had no clue of; but I did think he was pursuing the same compilation project on a cost effective source and things like that. He called me once from China before returning back to the United States. While Egi was back in the United States and had settled at his Woodbury base in the St. Paul area in Minnesota, we never spoke and lost contact thereafter. I had then known our joint venture had been in Limbo, temporarily on hold.
Now time to rethink my strategy and what follows next to the goings on at Samaka Studios; and between crossroads, it was time to seek a road map to get the jam sessions, studio time and bookings all going well again. I have buckled myself into a situation an extraordinary force was needed to put things in place and keep up with the programs, in other words, finishing up what I had begun.
My Christian denomination did not matter anymore; I just had to pray. In all order of Christianity I prayed coupled with orthodoxy, invoking Agwuisi na Amadioha, the way my ancestors reached the Supreme Being, when it’s no longer in their hands.
And the moonlight play stories – all popped to my head -- reflecting on all one had to do to call upon the Supreme Being for deliverance.
And I prayed. I had thought of harm.
And I knew there was no harm; the spirit lives
I had persevered with courage, moving on
Beyond obstacles I am clearing the hurdle
And I prayed believing in my purity as in the order of Buddhism, beginning by loving and befriending myself. My real aspirations to be met;
May I be free from danger
May I have mental happiness
May I have physical happiness
May I have ease of well-being
And I kept praying in every order of my Christian faith adding my lingual orthodox. I had taken myself aback to my childhood days remembering the hymnal at Nima Roman Catholic School: Bishop Joseph Bowers. Reverend Father Tonti. Reverend Father Lobianco. Brother John. John Cudjo, the altar boy. It was all prayers for he maketh the world; and I had to go back to my childhood:
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the sun and the rain in His hands,
He's got the moon and the stars in His hands,
He's got the wind and the clouds in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the rivers and the mountains in His hands,
He's got the oceans and the seas in His hands,
He's got you and he's got me in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got everybody here in His hands,
He's got everybody there in His hands,
He's got everybody everywhere in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.
And I prayed!
Life at Samaka Studios requires serious prayers from an endless realization, which was all about overcoming the predicaments. And nothing absolutely beats prayers going back to the drawing board recruiting new talents from the same hood and the thing here is, keep keeping on. All that in part 2.
