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Kennis Music is doing a lot for artistes; we put food on their table - Kenny Ogungbe
Olumide Oduntan
How is Kennis music preparing for the Easter Fiesta?
Our preparation is great. Everyday is a transitional day to the event. As at this morning, our sister partner from South Africa just confirmed that they are coming with a crew of five camera men with their own cameras, producers and sound engineers. They want to come and record the event in collaboration with us. We already have our own cameras and equipment but they are bringing more high definition cameras and they are going to record and take it to South Africa and do post-production and package it on DVD for global viewing. And you know, when EMI is telling you they want to package your event, it's another good step for us to be able to put it like "Reggae Sunsplash" of those days. So everyday, the event is just building up.
How big is the event going to be?
It's going to be bigger and better because of the people involved. We have more artistes and we have more cities involved. This is going to be the first time we will be having Kennis music Easter Fiesta in two different countries. It is happening in Nigeria and it is also happening in the Republic of Benin.
Why have it in two countries?
The fiesta is getting bigger everyday. The way I see it is that maybe next year, it's going to be taking place in three, four or five countries. Kennis Music Ghana will organise its own; Kennis Music South Africa will organize its own. Maybe in London, there will be another one. Now, by the time we package it together, when people view it on TV, they will just see "Welcome to Kennis Music Easter Fiesta. Now, let's take you to Ghana" and you would see VIP performing live at Labamba Beach in Ghana. From there, we would say, "Now, let's go to South Africa" and you would see a Lebo performing somewhere in Johannesburg. And then, we would say, "Let's go to Lagos" and you would see Tuface performing at the Motherlan'. That's our ambition.
For this year, it's divided into two because we are getting bigger everyday. The fiesta is taking place in four days, Friday is for the Lagos show, and Saturday is for the Cotonou show and Benin City, simultaneously. On Sunday, we will be doing it in Asaba. Then on Monday, we will come back to Lagos for the grand finale.
How would you handle the logistics aspect?
The logistic is designed in modules. Like in Benin City, the advertisement is going on there now. Lagosians have been hearing about what is going to take place. And in Cotonou, there is local publicity going on there.
How would you coordinate all the shows?
You know we are event managers and media planners and we have local organising committees working in conjunction with us that will be able to handle the logistics so as to make sure the thing goes on well.
Let's know the genesis of Kennis music?
It came from Ray-Power and AIT when I was working there.
Did you actually plan it or you just took the risk.
Well, everyday in life is a risk. But it's a risk one needed to take because in this country at that time, the opportunity was there. And we are happy we took that bold step because today, many people are now joining the industry. Some were there before. Some said the industry was dead and buried, that because the foreign companies left Nigeria, they could not do it. But I told them that if you say that, then that means your own record company is dead or maybe you are bankrupt of ideas. But that does not mean the industry is dead because we know the industry is viable.
What actually led to your leaving AIT?
Everybody knows and it's a foregone story. We had to leave and we left.
But we thought since you are an in-law to Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, you had a stake in it?
Everybody thought I had a stake, but my stake is to put programme on air.
So, how did the chief take it then?
Well, I can't talk for chief. Chief is my mentor. I can't even be talking about chief on the pages of newspaper.
How is your relationship with him now?
He is my brother-in-law, I respect him a lot. Some of the things you see in Kenny Ogungbe now, I learnt them from him.
And you still left his organisation?
I'm still with him now. My show is on AIT and Ray-Power.
But you are selling it to him.
Well, we have a relationship. There were never bad feelings between us. You know when things happen, they may be rough and tough, but you just allow God to take control, and we thank God today.
And no regrets?
Haba!
What did you study in the US?
I read Accountancy. I'm a CPA candidate. I was a candidate before I left America and I have a Masters in Communication.
Why Accountancy?
Because of my sister. She influenced me to be an accountant. You know, she retired as a professional banker. So, it's like Banking or Accountancy.
But, what did you have in mind after you qualified as an accountant?
I had it in mind to manage the broadcast media because before going for accountancy, I worked at NTA Abeokuta and I had a stint with broadcasting. So, I know all those rudiments of broadcasting. So, when I now went for Accounting, I had my minor at communication. When I went for my Masters, I didn't have to spend so many years to have the prerequisite as a graduate of Mass Communication. So, while I was doing Accounting, I was doing principles of radio, principles of TV, business law, broadcast law and management and politics of communication according to American standard.
So, when you started Kennis Music, did you know that it was going to be this big?
It's not big enough. But it's going to be bigger. But I would be posing if I say I knew. When we came in, they said music was dead. Today, there are many record labels. But in the tough time, we sacrificed sweat, blood and our lives to make things happen to where people now can be proud of it. Families can now want their sons to sing. Those are things that we sacrificed to make the industry acceptable to all.
Before you came back to Nigeria, what were you doing in the US after school?
In America, I was working for an accounting firm, though I was working in a media environment in Hollywood. But my brother-in-law just said, "Why are you in America? Come to Nigeria." And I said, "Brother, send me a ticket." Then he sent me a first-class ticket. All my life, I had never travelled first-class before. For me to buy a first-class ticket, I know how much I would save and sweat with my Masters degree. And somebody just sent a first-class ticket to me. Who was I to complain?
How did you then bring in Dayo?
We were in America together as friends and when he saw me coming in and out of America he said, "You this man, you're back again, who is paying for your ticket? Are you making that much money?" And I said no. So, he later joined me back here and we became pioneer staff of Ray Power.
Tell us your experience during the period the station was closed down.
I can tell you that when we first got the licence, it was professional. With due respect to my boss. I know he is going to read this. I'm a small boy to talk about this. But now that you guys have put me in the hot seat. We were on air, all of a sudden we were told on national television network that there is station broadcasting… they now termed it illegal and that they advised that the station should go off. I imagine putting a multi-million dollar investment on the ground and you now say they should not run business. That was exactly what happened. It was tough, tougher than anything. I imagine being given a licence to operate and there was a change of government and that government says they don't recognise it after pumping in a lot of money. People die for stuffs like that. But we scaled through it.
We happened to be the first radio station in Nigeria ever to run for 24 hours. The first private radio station and the first radio station in Nigeria to ever make over a million dollars in one year. Those are things that chief credit to Kenny Ogungbe and the management. The money of that place now is billions of naira because broadcasting is capital intensive.
What is the strength of your relationship with Dayo that we haven't heard of any scandal between the two of you?
What is the strength is in God and the ability to respect each other. If you have two good heads, like they say, they are better than one. If you believe you can make 10 million by yourself and you feel if you work with another person, you can make 100 million, you don't need a genius to tell you which one to go with. But it's out of mutual respect. And then, the ability to allow other people to take credit. Once you can allow other people to take credit and you have patience, you can work together.
How long do you think your relationship will go?
We have a solid business venture and God will make it bigger.
What is that unique thing that Kennis Music has that is attractive to your artistes such that it keeps them with you?
Our track record. And our track record is based on performance. Many artistes, old, new or upcoming look at Kennis Music and say "Ah, if Kennis Music was able to revive the industry and they have been there for eight years consistently, continuously hard working. Not that they went on hiatus and came back again, no." We were there from the beginning of the past eight years and we put in our sweat, sorrow, tears, blood and all our lives into it. And they can point ten musicians that we have supported and whose lives we've turned around. That's what I think is the record and our unique selling point.
What we do most is breaking of artistes, making artistes to be acceptable to the populace. Once they are accepted, the rest is history. If you bring us an artiste and we break the artiste in, it's good. But if any artiste comes and we tried to break the artiste and the artiste was unable to be broken into the industry, that artiste can never be acceptable.
Have you had such an artiste?
No.
What about the artistes that left?
Their contract expired. Artistes all over the world have always had issues with their record labels. It's part of the job.
Is it true that you guys rip off artistes?
You will have to be specific. You will tell me that a musician named so, so, and so claimed that we at Kennis Music ripped him or her of with X amount of money or whatever. Then, we will tell you. The reason why I said that is because that it's the belief, the stereotype belief of artiste-company relationship over the years which can be dovetailed to today's scenario and if not well managed, can go into the future.
But can you be bold to say that it's not true?
That's my answer. This is not the first time that I'm being asked that question. It has always been my challenge to be able to see how we can put life into being transparent and being accepted over or having good relationship vis-à-vis record company. So it can be seen in a better manner.
But why would anyone come out with such statement?
Because that's the first question that goes out. When there is a robust relationship between an artiste and a record label, nobody hears anything. But when the robust relationship goes sour, that's the first thing that they say. And the first people the journalist will go to is the artiste. I'm a journalist, remember. And because I'm sitting on the side of a record company executive that's why I can explain. And since then we've not seen any report in the paper to say somebody dumps somebody.
Before then, whenever an artiste contract expires, they would say that artiste dumps Kennis Music. But it is never so. If any question shows up that says an artiste dumps whoever, the first thing I believe we should do is to be fair to the company because the artiste has always been talked about. The artiste has always been on TV, has always had his music played on radio. There is someone behind the artiste. He can't do it all.
So because the artiste is always there, there is every possibility that the first person that would be asked question is the artiste. And because all the fans know is the artiste so whatever the artiste says it's what people would first want to hear. But before that artiste got big, it's the company that pushed the artiste to be big. I've never seen a scenario where anybody came out to really show that this particular artiste is really faulty. If you ask record company executives, they will tell you. But they cannot tell you when they are working with them because if they do, they are not selling that artiste. Every artiste has had things about them which record companies cannot come out to say. But when there is a fight, record companies are more matured, they don't say much.
Would you say Kennis Music is doing enough for its artistes?
Kennis Music is doing more than enough.
What do you do for your artistes?
I put food on their table.
Is it enough food to last them?
You are in the industry, tell me which of the artiste that I have not prepared food for him to chop. In this industry, some are out there that would bring a car and give to an artiste and may be give him one or two million. Some of them are not even in the industry. They are 419. They find ways to legitimatise their money and what they are doing. They have no track record. Some of our people are gullible.
So, somebody shows up and brought a jeep to your house and says I'm just from America. My name is Johnny, just drop and I have one million for you. Just come and sign. Some of our people that don't know their left from their right, they jump up. But what happens to your music? The money invested on doing that "feferity," we put that energy on the person's creativity, to make sure the person records a good song, records a good album, produces a good video. Then we use our structures to put the video where people would see it, that the person would be seen as alive, not as a 419 boy that is trying to be part of this industry.
We hear there was a complaint from the producer of the video of "African Queen" that the video could have been better.
That producer that complained, which video has he done before in his life that has got so much accolades. You see, our people complain and criticise a lot. I'm not saying that people should not criticise, but we should do it in a minimal manner. Na Tuface talk say nobody holy pass. A big-time journalist, a senior colleague, I don't want to mention his name because dem don beg me, once said "African Queen" does not worth the song. He said, "What is in the song, why are they making noise?" Then, they gave an award to the song and he said that "African Queen" is not supposed to be given the award, that they should have given the song to Musiliu Haruna Ishola for "Soyoyo" as song of the year; a song written in Yoruba. I'm an Ijebu boy. That song is from Ijebu. "African Queen" by Tuface is not from Ijebu. But it's for Africa. And he said an Ijebu song should be regarded as a national song when people in Kano cannot understand the Ijebu dialect the guy sang in.
Let's talk about your relationship with MTN.
We have a nice relationship. People working there are our friends.
Was it MTN that bought the Hummer jeeps for you and Dayo?
Can they buy Hummer jeep and give it to somebody else to be driving it? Who in their company is driving Hummer jeep as official car? I'm not saying that they can't afford it.
So, how come they branded the cars?
They just find creativity around the colour that our cars carry and decided to work with it. It came out of a jeep we once saw at the Grammy.
Talking about the Grammy, is it true that when you go there, you normally stay outside because you were allowed to enter hall of the event?
That's not true. It's what some people think. You see these photographs (pointing to the photographs hanging on the wall), the autographs on them are real autographs of the artistes. The year Femi Kuti was nominated, we have the photograph and his autograph as well. When we show the Grammy, we show from outside because there is nobody that is allowed to carry camera inside that hall, except the rightful owner of the broadcast. When we go to the Grammy, we go to back-stage and that is what we show on our programme. The backstage is inside the building. You cannot even go near outside the building because it's barricaded off. You have to be a qualified and accredited journalist to pass that barricade. If you watch our shows, you would see us on the street in front, not outside the barricade, not with the crowd. It's between the barricade and the entrance of the building. For you to be inside that place, you have to be accredited, FBI and other security agents would check you out and they would check your qualification. And we are the only Nigerian journalists that have been covering the event for the past eight years. We broadcast the event live every year. And when we broadcast it, we do it from the broadcast centre. And that is what Ray Power airs whenever the event is on air. So, when you are in the broadcast centre, you would be in your position and broadcast. You can't be where Michael Jackson is sitting because those seats are designed for nominated artistes. So, when somebody says that we stay outside, it's not too good because it's not true. We go inside.
What are the challenges that come with being popular?
The fact that you have to be humble. Because what made you a star is basically the people. And the day you refuse to recognise that is the day one is trying to come down from the ladder.
As an on-air personality, how do you cope with the girls that hover round you?
Girls are part of our fans. They have to be there for us to be able to air commercials. We can't do without them.
Are you saying your wife doesn't have any rival?
Yes, she doesn't have. Besides, we have wives that are very understanding. I met my wife when I was not known. That, I think is my own advantage. I met my wife when I came back from America, I was not on radio, I was not on TV. Even when I was on OGBC, she wasn't listening to it. So that time if I say, "Shut up" she would say "Shut up, too." And I like that. I didn't want to tell somebody, "Shut up" and the person would go and shut up. You should challenge me on why I don't need to tell you to shut up. So, I think that is what the strength of our relationship has been.
SATURDAY PUNCH, April 15, 2006
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