Music OGs Eedris, Rudeboy, Tony Tetuila, Ikechukwu ‘Shake the Table’
Not every story that happens in showbiz usually gets the spotlight but occasionally, an entertainer unveils a trove of behind-the-scenes drama that the fans never got to see or hear about. This played out last week when a few music veterans stirred up controversy with their candid revelations.
Following Eedris Abdulkareem’s spat with Burna Boy, entertainers were torn between who to support in Eedris’ claim that he paved the way for most musicians while deriding Burna Boy for saying that no one helped him in the music industry.
“You hear someone like Burna Boy say no one helped him in Nigeria. That’s stupid talk,” said Eedris during a podcast interview.
But Eedris did not stop there. He went further to claim that the Grammy award-winning Burna Boy is not living up to his self-titled African Giant, rather Davido was.
Eedris would later make more headlines when he revisited his 2004 clash with G-Unit, the former group of American rapper 50 Cent. He claimed that during a music concert hosted by Nigerian Breweries in 2004, the US rapper and his bodyguards “beat and forcefully evicted” various Nigerian singers, including P-Square, from the backstage area.
Rudeboy, the other half of P-Square who had earlier weighed in on Eedris spat with Burna Boy by remarking on his Instagram page that “Every eke market day we go de hear ‘I fought for the industry,’ ‘na me cook de food wey una dey chop,’ I go just de laugh. Now you wan reply with music you go reply taya!!!” refuted his claim. “P-Square did not go to that concert, we had another concert. We were never billed. And the reason was that we were offered peanut and we said we were not going to play. But dude you go collect peanut and you come dey expect VIP treatment,” he said in a video.
Also joining the fray was Tony Tetuila, a member of Eedris’ defunct music group The Remedies. Tetuila reacted to Eedris’ claim that The Remedies broke up because Eddy, another member, became greedy and told him they should no longer split the revenue from their music equally with Tetuila. Taking to his social media page, Tetuila gave a different version of what really transpired.
“Eedris connived with Eddy and kicked me out of The Remedies despite the fact that it was my mum who brought the money that was used to sponsor the group in the beginning. I was so heartbroken and shattered. It was Daddy Showkey who encouraged me and told me that I could do it alone.
“Blackface was another person who helped me. He brought me close and taught me how I could write my own songs. Blackface is a very great guy. I’d never forget the role he played in my career.
“It’s same Eedris that’s coming out to lie that he made sacrifices for the industry.”
Away from Eedris, D’banj was a hot topic on social media after Nigerian actor and musician Ikechukwu Onunaku revealed the unfair treatment he got from the defunct music label MoHits led by Don Jazzy and D’banj.
Ikechukwu in an Instagram live interview with Daddy Freeze, disclosed that the Koko Master used to pay him N50,000 for a show he probably was paid N1 million. He said he argued about the payment many times before it was increased to N150,000. This he said was approved by ‘Mummy.’
A puzzled Daddy Freeze asked who was ‘Mummy’ and Ikechukwu disclosed that it was D’banj’s mummy and she played a critical role in the company’s management. When Daddy Freeze inquired what specific role, Ikechukwu said was “spiritual” and that no decision was made without her input.
Following the viral clip of the interview, a former employee of MoHits, Nana Abe criticised Ikechukwu, stating that the rapper enjoyed even more benefits than the musicians signed on the label. He claimed that the label bought Ikechukwu his first Range Rover and paid his rent for years.
As the drama unfolds, fans are left uncertain about whom to believe. One thing remains clear: the unfolding saga leaves us all guessing as to who will be left standing at the table when it finally comes to an end.