Duo Lost The Chance To Be Immortal With New Albums

There’s a dire scarcity of contemporary legends in the music industry. Modenine and 2face Idibia are the first names that comes to mind. Any other are self-acclaimed egoists who only lay claim to the lofty status in their weed-inspired songs. And they all smoke a lot of weed.

2face Idibia and Psquare have a lot in common. They’re about the two most recognised music entities in Nigeria. Having displayed amazing consistency over the years, and risen to the heights of the African industry, they’ve created greatness for themselves. All that is remains is the attainment of glorified immortality, and they’ve all lost a chance to attain that.

For 2face, it’s a case of complacency, experimentation, and the search for the will to go on. Having done everything there is to do, stood tall even in the face of adversity and a dynamic competitive  musical terrain, the man from Benue State has been heads and shoulders ahead of any act to come out of this side of the Niger. Countless hits, 5 albums, mild activism and a well-publicised personal life had made him a legend. Immortality is all that remains for him.

But he fell short of that mark with his 6 album, The Ascension. Aptly titled, The Ascension was planned to be the stepping stone to that mark. All things being equal, it was supposed to mark 2face’s ascent to the highest height. The calculated branding was right, the fans were ready, Annie Idibia kept things sane and loving at the home front, and 960 Music were on the alert.

But somehow, the vocal mix was not enough. Many fan complaints point to a lack of pop sounds and deep alternative sounds. Others say the lyrical content lacked depth and wordplay. Simply put, they aren’t feeling it enough.

Psquare’s trouble came from their ‘Double Trouble’ album. Over the course of their career, they have been nearly men. They are almost legends, but never doing enough to earn that status. It’s like a hard adventure game for them. They see the prize, they pay the price, but somehow the object of their pursuit still eludes them. They’ve being reduced to perennial nearly-men, who are one good album from being the opening lines of a legendary poem.

Many will say it’s the ‘recycle’ tag that has being their weakest point. Psquare have never been judged entirely on their ability to make music. They are perceived to be the ‘recycle’ men, who take existent songs and make them better. But this has also been their strongest point. The recycled elements have been a good source of their success, but it is also their undoing.

But somehow, they almost shed that tag with their ‘Personally’ hit song. The originality and creative depth of the audio and visuals to that song made many believe in them again. But somehow, they found a way to ruin it in double trouble.

Songs like ‘Ejeajo’, which was a feel-good mixture of a lot of songs, and ‘Shekini’, which begged to be called ‘Shoki’, had brought them back to where they all started. They are both their disease and their cure.

Africa has always been seen as a continent that exist on lucrative pragmatism, not ideals and noble thinking, but we’re making the slow shift from the pursuit of wealth, to affecting posterity positively. Psquare and 2face Idibia are successful in wealth-acquisition, but their legacy needs to be right. One day their kids and the children after them will want to hit their chests with a deep sense of pride in the knowledge that their ancestor was cut from immortality. Just ask the Jacksons.

We’re still hoping their next album seals the deal.