SARKODIE’S KONVICT CONTRACT FAKE?

Call it the talk of town or the craze of the week and you won’t be far from the perfect truth. Receiving enormous spins and rotations from the electronic to the print media, it ranked as the priority on the content list of several entertainment shows including discussions. As some Industry gurus dissected the issue highlighting its recompenses, the music fans weren’t left out as they expressed their expectations. Thinking that will bring an end to months of rumored tales is a total fallacy, rather a new dimension to the entire speculations has surfaced.

The entire buildup was orchestrated at Reggie’s Office the previous Saturday when a group supposed to be representing Konvict Musik touched base. Hosted by the grandpapa and prominent promoter of Hiplife, they were involved in an historic event asserted to be the best thing to have happened to the GH music nation in recent times. Though on a low note, it was the official endorsement ceremony of GH’s currently most sorted after artiste, Sarkordie.

It was a successful event attracting several major players in the music fraternity; from producers, artistes to music promoters. It became obvious several big shots left the event venue with unanswered questions lingering on in their minds in spite of the question opportunity segment. I personally wondered if fellow artiste with enormous international exposure, M3NSAH had satisfactory answers to his series of “penetrating questions”.

Could this be attributed to the “domineering” fashion that characterized the answers of the moderator and his reluctance to lay out details of the contract or his inability to clearly outline the strategies mapped to market the GH act.

Classified information available to JIVE and from credible sources suggest the endorsement ceremony was a gimmick and a calculated attempt aimed at exploiting the fastest GH rapper as well as playing on the intelligence of entire population of GH. From the impeccable sources, Sarkodie plus other African artistes soon to be unveiled will be used as models cum ambassadors to promote and market the Konvict Africa clothing project being championed by the team.

Furthermore, the GH emcee will not be joining the mainstream Konvict music where he will get to record alongside celebrated artistes including Akon amongst a host of others. The sources also revealed there is no stipulated distribution deal for the young Ghanaian artiste not to talk of a network to promote his works. In addition, Sarkodie might get to take his album to the world only and only if he is approved for a possible album “Sway tour”, a GH Hip Hop act that he collaborated with.

Not to take anything from the Konvict team, our source divulged the achievements and the pedigree of the leader, Babs. The businessman of GH descent is the Creative Director and President of Konvict and Aliaune Brands. With over fifteen years experience in the fashion industry, Babs remains a co-founder of FUBU and a pioneer of Phat Fashions, launching the Phat Farm and Baby Phat brands. His great success opened the doors for other American based fashion companies to enter the European scene.

In an interview with the Konvict rep in Ghana, he was not in shock but rather strived to set the records straight. Sounding very confident, Nii Laryea revealed he had anticipated such reactions amongst what he referred to as rumours. “It is rather unfortunate for people to reason like this but that is the issue and we have to deal with it. Sarkodie is now with Konvict so he would be wearing cloths of Konvict, which I don’t think is very wrong. This shouldn’t be wrongly interpreted by the people”.

In his response to Babs moderation and reluctance to reveal details of the contract, Nii denied the allegation suggesting the unavailability of a contract as he came to the defense of his boss. “Babs did not give out any details of the contracts and that doesn’t mean there is no contract.” All we were doing is respecting the confidentiality of the deal and it is for the artiste to reveal that if he so wished. We are respecting our contract as well as the privacy of the artiste. This explains Babs actions that day and it is very simple”.

According to Nii, Babs has his background deeply rooted into fashion and that shouldn’t be interpreted negatively in relations to music. “Truth is truth and I think its high time people try to get the facts in this issue. Babs is the president of all the Konvict brands, meaning he has hold of everything. It seems many people are refusing to accept and believe it, but the truth is the rapper is with us and Universal will be distributing his music”.

In a chat with a key member of the management team of Sakordie, he did emphatically deny the endorsement deal being a gimmick. According to Korsah, the event was real though he wouldn’t give conclusive grounds for his assertion. “There is much more to this deal than money and I think people should support the artistes rather than doubting it. This is a great time for GH music and we can’t afford to play such games. We are getting a lot from this deal and we are very excited!”.

Korsah was quick to add that his artiste will have his music distributed by Konlive, an affiliate of Konvict Musik. “Babs is having this Konvict Africa project to promote African artistes in the Americas and beyond. They come with other businesses including the distribution of the clothing line in Africa. They are in to help Africans than exploit them. My advice to other artistes and their management is not to focus only on money, it doesn’t make them grow in the industry”.

WISHFUL THINKERS CALLED THE PAPARAZZI’S OF ACCRA!!

It was Friday, but to several movie-goers who continually throng the nations leading movie joint, Silverbird, it’s an all new movie day. Speculated to possess the finest motion pictures yet to be witnessed in any GH movie, it attracted the crème de la crème from the entertainment industry. Effusively represented was the “Paparazzis” whom inadvertently I place on the spotlight in my article.

As news of demeaning acts by a couple of the nation’s highly admired characters appear to be engulfing the entire nation and beyond, the nation’s capital has emerged to be in a state of permanence. This is Accra, a cosmopolitan city filled with persons of diverse cultures as well as ideologies. Life isn’t relentlessly brisk, leaving city dwellers legroom to catch up on anything that matters to their survival.

I have always been upbeat about the phenomenon of celebrities principally due to my optimistic revolutionist nature. Being a celeb could be fun and enjoyable aside the fame and favors that accompany it. With a thousand and one eyes focused on your every movement, celebrity status occasionally becomes tricky and frustrating more especially when one looses his/her privacy and yet expected to manage the influential power that rolls in.

On the other hand, celebs should be perfectly equipped to represent a paradigm shift with their natural positions as role models and pacesetters. Get a celebrity to approve a concept and see how many figures will root for that without critically accessing the benefits of such initiatives. These circumstances perfectly highlight the necessary reasons why people tirelessly work towards becoming famed personalities; to receive enviable attention, boundless recognition and populous endorsement.

The above paragraphs represent my candid interpretation of a celebrity before getting my first shot at radio as a freshman in Uni. Several years of my active contribution to the trade with my pen persistently poignant across my pad, I have noticed unimagined facets of stardom but without shock. The city plays host to a group of Paparazzis dotted across the showbiz fraternity to other areas. These aren’t the scandal-seeking photographers known in journalism if I should be mistaken.

Truth be told, there are too many self styled celebrities parading the streets of Accra. From the media through entertainment corridors to the corporate world, these can be found all over. The media circle has witnessed far too many charlatans carrying themselves as journalists. With “sham” titles and their supposed media outlets which have remained only on paper, they hop from one spot to another in their selfish interest.

To tag such individuals as an embodiment of ignoramus will certainly be far from abhorrence. Not only do they bring the journalistic trade into disrepute, they dent the image of focused minds within the trade. The least said about other unabashed folks hidden under certain media umbrellas, the better! You wonder how people elect themselves as “gate keepers” of the industry in a jiggaman style and put out crappy articles. Tabloid journalism can’t be accepted and the earlier they are told off, the better for our puny industry.

Come to the pure entertainment field and you can’t afford to miss out on the new wave of “Jacket Fellas” of the nation’s capital. They include a wider syndicate of obsessed folks craving for stardom. From event to event, they would show up only to exhibit out-of-this-world mannerisms all calculated to win them attention and recognition. Their actions can only be equated to deceit and swindle.

Imagine this dude who fruitlessly tries to carve a niche for himself, always spotted in a jacket irrespective of the day nor the time. It is uncertain his career path but holds himself as an industry don. Though rumored to be borrowed cars, he has driven the finest of cars within the past few months. So one wonders why he will have to scheme such gimmicks just to grab attention. Such wishful thinkers parading themselves to be the icons of this era should be considered as victims of identity crisis.

To be continued…