Friday 25 May 2012

Styl-Plus: Wetin dey happen?


Tunde, Zeal, Shifi

They used to be (and sort of still are) my favourite music group in the country.
'Olufunmi' and 'Olufunmi remix' used to make my day, anyday.
Then the silence. Then 'Expressions' album. I rocked that wella back in '06. I really really liked the guys.
I remember when they came for a showw in my school sometime in '04 (unical). My closest friend had a huge crush on Shifi. She pushed her way to the front of the stage and, like a dream, Shifi pulled her up on stage to dance with him!
She almost passed out. She almost didnt want to take a bath the next day, make she no wash Shifi hand comot.
They were so good and so sought after. They seemed to complement and complete each other. Shifi was the rapper, Zeal was the soul singer and Tunde could do about anything.
It was fun.
Then after 'Expressions'....................... Nothing again.
It was rumoured in '08/'09 that they wanted to break up. The rushed into the studio and came up with 'Back & Better' album where '4 years don waka' was the only song that really made an impact in the entire album. After that.......................nothing again.
I have been wondering what's been happening with them.
Then i saw this. Culled from The Punch newspapers

Any moment from now, the trio that makes up hitherto beloved R n B
group, Styl Plus, Shifi Omoefe, Zeal Onyecheme and Tunde Akinsanmi, will
be bidding one another as well as fans a final goodbye. A reliable
source told E-Punch earlier in the week that the stalemated and stunted
career of the Abuja-based group might have necessitated the decision of
the members to try out their luck individually. "Zeal is already talking
to a big Nigerian music star about the possibility of being signed under
his label. He wants out of the group. He is frustrated like the other
members but he is the one who is making the most moves to kick-start a
solo career," the source tells us but refuses to divulge who the music
star is. He would only reveal that Styl Plus was already a national
phenomenon when Zeal's prospective boss had not even had a bearing for
his career.
The slide began with their obstinate refusal to relocate to Lagos, the
nerve-centre of entertainment in Nigeria. This would be compounded by a
lukewarm second album, Back and Better, which saw the ratings of the
group dropping drastically as music fans started finding new music
favourites. There have been several attempts to return to the
front-burner, but fans' apathy and the ever changing dynamics of the
industry have not yielded.

Now, please note the 2 areas i highlighted above.
1st highlight: I was thinking that 2 (or more) good heads was better than 1. If that rings true, why would anyone think that he will do well alone than in a group of talented others? Well, except someone in that group is a 'talent killer' or 'destiny spolier'. Then again, maybe going solo will be the way out.

2nd highlight: Does where a music group lives affect their performance (or non-performance)? I mean, could Styl-Plus's insistence to remain in Abuja have affected their performance in the music industry?
I didnt know that where a star lived had a direct effect on how he/she performed. Maybe that explains why the 'Chocolate City" Boys and P-Square relocated to Lagos from Jos, Timaya from PH (i think. He did right?). Flavour too from Enugu and so many others like that. So maybe where you operate from does matter.

All in all, its just sad to think that a group with so much talent like that, might soon be 'all man for himself'.
So much for "4 years don waka, we still dey carry go, nobody waka nobody go solo. Baba God ooo, our case oo, na ur grace, adu pe oooo."
And to think of it, Zeal's part of that song actually went 'people say na me go 1st go solo and i wonder how they can see tomorrow oo. where will i be without Shifi and Tunde, ohh baby i go wound oooo' - Some prophesy that was!

3 comments:

  1. OK o! Here is my own likkle words of wisdom but before I say anything, I must commend you, Amaka, for the beautiful way you pieced this write up together. Its simply BRILLIANT!.

    Well, I really do feel your pain sha, why is because their songs especially "Olufunmi" was a very instrumental tool for guys like us back in the day...and I must confess that I missed them too as STYL PLUS.

    I strongly doubt that they'd be better of independently...Well, if I'm to make a wish, I'd wish that they stay as always (STYL PLUS) and remix that Olufunmi song for me.

    With tears in my eyes...I say go ye into the world and conquer!!!

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  2. Most definitely, location matters. For instance, in the States, LA, Chicago, NYC and all them places are the hubs for movies. Staying in little Saddle River town will limit an aspiring artiste's chances. However, a person with a really tight game plan can pull off being able to deviate from the usual. That, I think is what Styl Plus is lacking. TuFace for instance can decide now to relocate to Abeokuta, and still remain relevant. Styl Plus cannot commandeer that kind of influence yet.

    Perhaps it is best they split, especially if they have varying visions. Plantashun Boyz did it, Tuface succeeded as a solo artiste, Maintain did it, Olu Maintain succeeded as a solo artiste, KUSH did it, Lara George isnt doing badly as a solo artiste.

    Being in a group is like being a relationship. You start put hoping it works. Even it starts crumbling, you still try to work at it. After a while, you realise there's not point patching it up. After splitting, it may work for both parties, one party or nonr of the parties involved sef...

    Essentially, they should do what they gotta do.

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  3. I love the music they made as a group. I would really love if they remained together though but if it is not working, it just might work for some of them on solo acts.

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Words of wisdom!