I really hate anything that has to do with online challenges around music. Every time I see any one of our musicians put out a song with a corresponding dance challenge or something of that nature, my balls start automatically itching.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not in any way saying its wrong or people should not do it if they want to. As a marketing tool, it is quite good. It helps to connect you with your fans and engage your community of followers. It also helps to push your work further because these fans often tag their own network on their participation videos and photos and via this, a new audience that had hitherto not heard your music can be reached; and as an artiste, you can gain new fans which you can later convert into money.
But here’s what makes my balls itch; I find the whole thing quite tired. It’s been overdone and for a long time has been the modus operandi of just about every new song or video that has been hatched. It kills creativity and discourages out-of-the-box thinking. I really cannot count the number of times I have wanted to punch my phone screen when I came across one of those. And frankly, the real people who benefit from it are the musicians with an already large audience and social following. And also the lucky fan who wins the 100,000frs cash price…if they end up seeing the money. Up-coming artistes doing that are just wasting money which they could have put into their studio sessions.
I have an unpublished article about these challenges on my computer. I would have caused quite a stir and maybe made a few enemies in the process if I had published it at the time I wrote it. The Mboko Gang already have me on their hit list and I don’t want to be someone else’s target, haha. Let’s save that story for another day.
But to come back to Tzy Panchak; I was quite out of the loop as to the “Na So” challenge. I think I remember him announcing it with a video on his wall, but for obvious reasons, I did not click to know what this new balls-itch was going to be about. And surprisingly, since Friday, this “Na So” challenge has gotten me all in my feelings, and rather than discomfort to my scrotal sac, what I feel is a sweet caress on them (if you would permit me the metaphor). Tzy Panchak and his team have made a difference that can be summarised thus;
VALUE-ADDED
Yup. Guys, look. There is nothing sustainable in throwing a dance challenge and heaping 100K on the winner. What is the value-added in that? Yes, you may win extra affection in the process and the fan that you meet with is going to take some pics for the gram and tag his/her entire family.
And then what? Where do you go with that?
The internet moves fast. The very next day, a Saker girl will be recounting the story of how one Bayangi teacher sandalsed her, and you and the winner of your challenge will be forgotten immediately.
But do you know what everyone, or rather, whom everyone has been talking about for the past four days? Vernyuy Tina. Whether by design or complete inadvertence, the Blu Nation family has made us discover three talented young people in a song that has been on repeat on the lips of almost everyone around me. My imaginary girlfriend just put that as her ring tone, as a matter of fact.
This song has made me discover and have an instant musical crush on Tina Vernyuy, and judging from the reactions on social media, just about everyone else has as well. I spent the next minutes after I first listened to the song (5 times) on Ytube, to discover more about her. I found an interesting musician with a very eclectic style which is markedly different in what she does and it would be interesting to see where she takes her career from here.
I also discovered Cleo Grae too; who strung a whole verse with cadence and a rhyme scheme that was not there to fill in blanks, but actually made sense and carried the whole song along while keeping to the theme of the song. This is the very little we demand from rappers and you’ll be surprised how many cannot keep to that. And what can I say about Vivid who can switch from rapping to singing in a heartbeat.
While hoping that these new people who have been shone a bigger spotlight than they have been this far get to work now and not let this new-found “fame” go to waste, Blu Nation has been able to produce something that has a promising value and can build something sustainable on it. It’s safe to say Tina, in particular, has made the biggest splash here and will likely be the newest fresh-face in the next months provided she refocuses all the energy she is getting from blushing black at the glowing reviews and praises she has been getting over the past days into the studio and into her craft. If she succeeds to make her mark, it will be a win, not just for her but for the whole industry.
And that’s one way to add value to one of the many things that make up our industry. Now, if some label that genuinely wants to see her express herself creatively, jumps on board and puts her in the right environment to make that happen, then, in the long run, something sustainable could be potentially born out of this challenge. This for me is a far better course of action than a dance challenge.
Perhaps that is the approach, the to-do manual we need to have in our entertainment toolbox. That which seeks to add value to all the little cogs that make the wheel of our entertainment industry; from production to content creation to branding to merchandising... and what have you.
If anything, I’m happy that just this once, my scrotum is at peace.
-Wandji Wilfred.
If you haven't watched the video yet, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6O7YL3r-9I