In an exclusive interview with NEXT, music industry bigwigs - Audu Maikori, Yahaya Maikori, and Paul Okeugo - talk about their label's rise, and the search for a Beyonce-calibre female singing star. Three former students of the University of Jos started the Chocolate City record label and the rest, as they say, is showbusiness. Like all good Nigerian boys, the three men who comprise Chocolate City's top management, Audu Maikori, Yahaya Maikori, and Paul Okeugo, are looking for a very good Nigerian girl - or girls.
Chocolate City records, which already boast a strong male line-up comprising MI, Jesse Jagz, Ice Prince, and Brymo, is searching for its female superstar or a group of girls for a band. But good girls are hard to find.
Yahaya, the older of the Maikori brothers, spreads his hands to illustrate just how many demo tapes and CDs they receive daily from hopeful musicians looking for their big break. 80 per cent of these do not even reach the top managers' desks, he says; and within a few minutes of listening, they can tell whether the remaining 20 per cent have something to offer.
Making the band
"Nigeria is a society littered with copycats," Okeugo says. He adds that once aspiring musicians notice someone is successful, there is a rush to duplicate that artist's style, and producers are burdened with the same old beats and tired lyrics. He is quick to add that this is not down to a dearth of talent, which constitutes only "30 per cent of what makes a good performer," according to Audu.
"You will be amazed how many artists don't take criticism well," Yahaya says. "We are fortunate in that regard, but we are very conscious that we have to bring in more women."
Ideally, the new choc girl will be the complete package: physically appealing, good voice, stage presence, and able to speak intelligently when interviewed by the press.
Audu and Paul agree that there are not many female Nigerian artists who have mastered this blend, although they admit to being fans of Tiwa Savage. The two men (and their wives) were impressed when they saw her perform at the Crack Ya Ribs comedy show with Julius Agwu recently. "She was fantastic," Audu says. "She worked the crowd, danced, and was just captivating."
What has eluded every female musician in Nigeria thus far is a runaway club hit like Ice Prince's Oleku, or his latest track, ‘Super Star', or Mo'Hits' ‘Give it to Me'. Audu admits that there is probably more pressure on female artists to be everything and more perfect than their male counterparts.
And even if that female embodiment of musical perfection ever walked into their studio, Yahaya reckons there are also societal pressures, and most girls (or more accurately, their families) would not feel too comfortable becoming sex symbols.
However, Audu's stint as a judge on Nigerian Idol has helped with the search. The record label is currently in talks with several promising performers that caught his attention on the programme, although he's reticent about naming names until arrangements have been formalised.
The original Choc Boys
Although the record label is its most popular and lucrative arm, the Chocolate City Group is involved in various fields including media, distribution, and even a law firm.
Yahaya and Audu are lawyers by profession and Okeugo studied Political Science, which they jokingly refer to as a lesser degree. Yahaya's office is suitably sober as befitting his learned profession, with his white wig and black robes hanging by his desk. The only sign that he has another passion is his laptop, where he scrolls through web comments to gauge fans' reaction to Ice Prince's Superstar video.
The Maikoris have always mixed the law with music. Their father was also a lawyer and it was at home they first fell in love with music. However, Chocolate City was born at the University of Jos, when the trio of students sought to make the campus more exciting by organising parties and events than music.
As National Youth Service Corps members in 2001, they set up the Guild of Artists and Poets (GAP) in Abuja with an N80, 000 sponsorship from the French Cultural Centre. The group's tentacles reached several cities including Jos and Lagos and they counted among their members future wave-makers like like Asa, M.I. and Jeremiah Gyang.
As the saying goes, if you are good at something, do not do it for free. The minute Audu Maikori received his salary bonus, he used everything to register the Chocolate City group we know today.
Dealing with Alaba Boys
As Paul recalls, things just seemed to fall in place when they first started, and for this, they thank God and attribute their success to divine blessings.
As they reminisce about the first time they heard Jude Abaga (a.k.a M.I.) or the quality of Jesse Jagz's production that blew them away, their voices betray their initial amazement and excitement.
"I was sure that we had something," Paul says, laughing. "The drumming was exactly like this," says Audu, excitedly springing out of his chair to beat the base of his palm and his knuckles on Yahaya's desk. It was simplistic, he says, but it was M.I.'s words that caught their attention.
While they remember with fondness the beginning, they look to the future with a practical perspective about the challenges of doing business in Nigeria.
Apart from the regular hardship faced by any Nigerian business - no electricity, water, or access to capital - they face the added challenges specific to the entertainment industry: piracy, and trying to make a living in a country where sponsors have more power than the artists.
According to Audu and Paul, doing business with ‘Alaba Boys' is sometimes preferable to signing a sponsorship deal with big companies. They have encountered more transparency and good business ethics in Alaba. Record labels sell the licence to their music for a lump sum and the merchants keep any extra profit earned.
Working with most sponsors is not nearly as clean cut, says the Chocolate City trio. Most offers ask the musician's fans to pay N50 to download a track, but only a negligible amount reaches the artist, if he or she is lucky. Audu hopes that a better system will be created so that stars can enjoy their due returns.
"It is hard to form a group of record labels who are willing to push for better policies, when struggling labels will jump at the mention of N10 million and sign the dotted line, without reading the fine print," he says.
As lawyers, Audu and Yahaya Maikori have made it a point to ensure their artists have legal teams read over every contract, including those signed with Chocolate City. Once an artist has been signed, Okeugo said he honestly believes that they have joined the best team.
Lights, camera, action
Even the best team has its weakness though. For Chocolate City, fans and critics have complained about their music videos. As soon as the topic is brought up, there is a collective sigh around the room.
"What do Nigerians want?" asks Audu. "We hire big name directors, pay for top equipment and fly to exotic locations." Yahaya points out that the vast majority of Chocolate City songs are not dance music, so they can't get away with hot girls dancing in the club.
"How do you make a video for M.I's ‘Undisputed Champion'?" he laments. However there is genuine regret that they weren't able to release videos for some hits. In the case of ‘Wetin Dey' by Jessie Jagz, a video was made but they did not like it, so they scrapped it. The good news is that the Choc City bosses are aware of the issue and are working on it.
Audu Maikori said that they have hired a full-time video team and they have received good feedback for ‘Action Film' and ‘Superstar'. They actually brought in University of Abuja students to watch ‘Superstar' and advise them on what needed changing.
The videos may not be picture perfect, but the music has won the hearts of Nigerians everywhere. Paul Okeugo points out that songs by the Choc Boys are the most played on Nigerian radio while also the hottest singles on notjustok.com.
And since the radio is still the most popular means of listening to music in Nigeria, they choose to measure their success there.
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