Flamboyant lifestyle killed Chris Okotie's music career - Dede Mabiaku

Flamboyant lifestyle killed Chris Okotie's
music career - Dede Mabiaku
Fela Anikulapo Kuti's protégé, Dede Mabiaku, in an
exclusive interview with Encomium mag, said the
reason Pastor Chris Okotie's musical career
nosedived many years back was as a result of his
excessive flamboyant lifestyle and his attitude of not
listening to those who were guiding his career at that
time.
"Nigeria has produced many great singers who
promoted the culture of the band, among them
were Mikel Okri, Feladay and Chris Okotie who is
now a Pastor. He (Chris Okotie) was doing it live
at that time but what he did at that time was not
right. He had all the opportunity to help the
young generation because he was the shining
light but he killed the essence of it by his
Flamboyance to the excess and his not wanting to
listen to those who were tele-guiding his growth.
Let these young ones not fall prey to that, is what
we are saying"
Mabiaku also talked about the upcoming artists who
are trying to be the new Fela of our generation. See
that after the cut...
When asked what he thinks of Burnaboy and
Oritsefemi who are trying to bring back the legacy of
Fela through their songs, Dede said;
"Let me correct one impression. Fela played music
live. Fela never used synthesized sound. Fela
scored his music and his lyrics came along. Fela
groomed his band with the sound he had scored.
Ethically, he cultured a sound built within a band.
After that, he now performed this song over a
period of time before going to the studio to
record. See the sequence. Now let us come to the
present day artiste, what are they doing? They
just go into the studio, make few sounds
together, make hooks, roll it round and round and
round within a certain amount of minutes and
voice on it later. The work is supposedly packaged
and you have a musical video that goes with it
and you think that is what is similar to what Fela
is doing? I am not saying what Fela did because
Fela is continual. That is why people still listen to
his songs so many years after his physical exit. He
is the most regarded Nigerian musician ever. He
is the most regarded African celebrated on
Broadway. That is because he was doing it live.
These children need to go back to the basics. Go
and learn instrument, go and culture band,
culture yourself. What is happening now is
destruction and disservice to the quality of work
Nigeria music industry should have. Granted and
agreed they have good voices, granted and
agreed they have good packaging, please for
God's sake lets not class these songs as Afrobeat.
Afrobeat is the music that came for the people, it
is a way of life. Do they follow the tenets of this
way of life? No! However I am happy that after so
many years, some of them are beginning to
realize that the only thing that will make sense is
natural African sound that comes with natural
African elements. That is why people who are
really making it are Solidstar, Davido and Flavour.
Burnaboy and Oritsefemi you talked about are
also in this category. All they just need to do is to
learn more about it and if they do this, it will take
the Nigerian music and African music largely to
the next level. I fought 2face tire over the matter.
He listened to me in the end. Miming is not good
for this industry, it kills it. Let's not glorify
mediocrity.