What it really means to be A-list

The entertainment industry is divided into layers or rather lists. These lists help to rank the level at which every celebrity is. A-list is regarded as the highest while D-list is believed to be the lowest.

At the A-list level are entertainment demi-gods and and at the lowest level we have upcoming acts, faded stars or barely relevant celebrities.

In Nigeria the stratification isn’t exactly clear because of the lack of proper structure of the entertainment industry. Because of this there are quite a few celebs in Nigeria who parade themselves as A-list stars and sort of get away with it.

Even though the entertainment industry is not well structured here, there are common denominators used in determining an A-list celebrity.

Being on the A-list is determined by money, power, influence and fans. The higher you rank in these factors, the higher you climb on the list.

Essentially an A-list celebrity is a bankable star. What does it mean to bankable? A bankable star is a star who can guarantee a box office hit, a highest selling album or yield a large turn of profit in whatever business he or she finds herself in. The more money you can guarantee your investors the bigger you get which translates into you moving into the big circle - the A list.

Apart from money, an A-list celebrity can wield a lot of power and influence in his industry. A-list celebs have the power of stopping a music video going on air or making sure that his movie is nominated by all the major award ceremonies in the country. Power is all about relevancy. If you are very relevant you can translate it into power and make your industry yield to your suggestions and demands. C-list or D-list celebrities do not have the power or influence to do so.

An A-list celebrity also has a huge following, millions of fans. Stars such as Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Beyonce have millions of fans all over the world. With such a large fan base these celebs have a cult following of dedicated supporters. It is because of Beyonce’s large following that she can drop a surprise album. Only an A-list celeb can do that successfully.

In Nigeria examples of A-list celebrities are undefined Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Don Jazzy, Wizkid, Davido, 2face Idibia, Psquare, undefined Flavour, Olamide, and a few others.

If a celebrity does not meet all the requirements above, he or she cannot be categorized as an A-list celebrity.