Yeah! I should have dropped this gist earlier hopefully, the wait would be worth it.
Anyways, after my last experience putting a face to Rhyme & Reason platform at The Unheard Event: Hip-Hop Edition, I set out to reintroduce myself as a co-founder of Rhyme & Reason and the Nigerian Barz Association brands. A move that made Sauver Media the largest hip-hop-focused platform in Nigeria. With over 35 million organic impressions across our social media channels and Google in (September ending) 2023 alone.
These numbers put us in a position where our audience is a psychographic that is connected to the Hip-hop Culture in a unique way. You should google a number of our audience, in your spare time, to understand when we say “Hip-hop will pop again,” it is a statement and not a prophecy.
I digress.
The event was the Bus Stop Event, a music and art pop event by 2x Headies Nominee Paybac iBoro, Charles Majek and the Nigerian Boys collective. Other collaborators include Daygenious and WeTalkSound (WTS). I arrived a little late… 7 pm for a 3 pm event at Smokes & Mirrors, Lekki. An event for their collaborative West African Goat merchandise line, a listening party for their first official output, The Life and Death of Sixth Cell, and to celebrate the release of West African Goat Deluxe.
After a warm welcome from Obinna Agwu, Host of the Listening Sessions Podcast (TheLSPod), Barzini, and Oba Lurge, I made my apologies to Paybac for arriving late. Then I enter the zone to enjoy the event as much as I could; order a beer and spicy chicken. Two performances – baclava and Mo’Gunz – a crowd freestyle session, DJ sessions, spicy chicken wings and laps, glass of bear, a bottle of beer later, and two-hours later, something phantasmagoric happened.
Special shoutouts to ShakezBaba, Holyfield, Mo’Gunz, Daygenious, DOTTi The Deity and everyone who came through for the WAG and Nigerian Boys.
A sudden silence came to the once bubbling scene; going from 50 Cent‘s “Go shorty!” In Da Club chant to graveyard silence. I pressed the staffer for the issue and got a “back up in 5 minutes response.” Then we began getting serenaded to the live band’s jazz, then an interruption by a fine gentleman from LASEPA official with a shutdown announcement. He was accompanied by the men of Nigerian Police with loaded AK47 rifles, no warrant or court order, just the orders of the number one citizen of Lagos State, Governor Jide Sanwo-Olu.
A certain gentleman with a Ferrari packed in his compound was speculated to have made the noise pollution complaint directly to the Governor. A day to witness the real meaning of being an NPC (Non-Playable Character) in the Grand Theft Auto V – Nigeria Edition. We are the club Michael, Frank, or Trevor came to disrupt on orders of a Devon (Ferrari Guy).
We picked ourselves up and went to Landmark to go enjoy the rest of our night. The UNN boys were fun to hang out with. That will be gist for another time.
Hard lessons were learned on this day.
Police wants to shut us down #TheBusStopEvent i dont know what to say. Everytime you try to do something nigeria will fuck you up. pic.twitter.com/18YBck84z5
— West African Goat 🐐 (@LookatPayBac) September 30, 2023
The West African Goat merchandise line has been released, and Charles Majek will be putting out The Life and Death of Sixth Cell very soon, regardless. This is just another reminder about how Lagos and Nigeria, as a whole, try to stifle a burgeoning rap scene.
Listen to West African Goat Deluxe on your preferred platform
