At ‘Organised Chaos’ concert, we saw a young legend bless his fans

As the crowd beckoned heavily for Brymo to show up and bless them with more performances, I asked a young man in the crowd a very vital question.

“How would you describe Brymo? What does he mean to you?”

The answer was both unexpected and caught me off balance.

“Brymo is a legend.” He said, as beads of sweat dribbled from his brow, making the journey to his shirt, which was soaked with the result of frantic dancing.

“He is a legend to me and to all these people here,” he continued. “I don’t care what the world says about him. Look at what he is doing to these people. What would you call that?”

I followed his cue, and looked at the crowd of people gathered in front of the stage. Waiting patiently for Brymo to come back. The singer had just finished a performance and taken a small break. They killed time by engaging in small talk, while sweating, and anticipating more.

We were at the Freedom Park, Ikoyi Lagos, which is the hallowed ground for every deep and ‘woke’ performer of the arts. Today, it was Brymo’s turn to call the main stage his own. For the second year in a row, the singer his organizing a concert – – where he is serenading his core fans with songs from his growing discography.

Brymo, at this stage of his career has 4 studio albums. Each of those projects have reflected his state of mind at every given time, utilizing imagery and deft storytelling to create some of the best songs in the country. For sound, he utilizes live music, and a fusion of African and international melodies to create soulful and probing music that captivates the mind, while also providing knowledge, wisdom, and life’s lessons.

He has performed twice on the night, and has also given space for another soulful singer – Lindsey Abudei – to hit the stage and perform songs off her “…And The Bass Is Queen” album.

And he came back on stage. The band hit hard with a tune, and everyone screamed again. The excitement rose as the crowd instantly recognized the tune.

“You old enough to fuck. You old enough to know. Nobody gives a fuck. Your wahala na your own” He sang into the mic, as everyone danced and listened. This was the quintessential Brymo. Utilizing carnal sex as an allegory to preach responsibility in life. Crime and punishment. Action and reaction. Deeds and consequences.

“Prick no get shoulder. E no get shoulder. You put him head, the rest enter…Prick e no get shoulder.”

The chorus rang. Everyone agrees that penis (prick) has no shoulder. And they also know that once you indulge in a little bit of something. You are completely stained with that action, hence you should own it. There are no half-saints-half-villains in life. You choose your path.

Like they say in local slang: Do it with your chest.

Brymo has chosen his path, and he is doing it with his chest. His is the path of making music the way he wants. And he is doing a fine good job at it. Organized Chaos concert is just an opportunity for his fans to connect with his good work in a live atmosphere, and see their favorite records performed by the singer.

And as the show came to a close, Brymo abruptly left the stage. He had performed for over three hours, but fans were not saturated. They wanted more. They stayed on, conversed amongst themselves and begged for him to come back.

But he didn’t come back. Legends know when to leave the stage. The applause was still loud, the lights were bright. And the energy was right. But Brymo was gone. He has played his part for the night.

As I stared at the anticipation and frustration on the faces of the crowd who didn’t want the concert to end, it became clear to me. This movement is more than we can possibly imagine. It is bigger than each and all of us. It is legendary.

Brymo, who is both the cause and effect of it, is their legend. Our legend.