Pop star can’t make another “The Entertainer” album, stop disturbing him

D’banj’s current status as one of Africa’s biggest names in pop culture is recognised, but most of it didn’t come in one day.

From the ultimate turnup of his music, or his energised, rambunctious personality, everyone gets drawn into his life. And the most important reason why you care is that D’banj makes living a joy. It tickles the best parts of your existence to see his smile light up social media, his funny way with words, and that vitality that he carries and wields to personal advantage.

These days D’banj is a cultural icon. One who floats in and our consciousness as a businessman, artist, performer, philanthropist, and brand influencer. All of these make him relevant, turning his fame into cash, his voice into gold, and his brand into value. Whether he is attacking doubting voices on Twitter, or connecting with Amber Rose and Blac Chyna, there’s always a major interest.

But this didn’t happen overnight. The D’banj we know now was not born from joy and happiness. Music was once his fort, and he ruled the culture with his most potent project of all: “The Entertainer” album.

That’s why when he announced his “King Don Come” album and released a new single, ‘It’s not a lie’, fans reacted in a mixed manner. While many celebrated the lone single and future plans as a welcome development, a number of followers felt the opposite, urging him to do great music.

And when they say ‘great music’, they don’t mean any great music. They refer to the magnificence and brilliance that characterised his artistry on “The Entertainer.” They want the second coming of that D’banj, the guy who sang ‘Suddenly’.

When D’banj and Don Jazzy got on the flight from London to Lagos in 2004, they had only hope and some music that they had created part-time together while working odd jobs in the UK.

“No Long Thing” album was an announcement of what was in store for Nigerians. ‘Tongolo’ was its lead single, but it also served as the vehicle to create the ‘Koko Master’. D’banj was just coming into his own as a star, with each single pushing his brand, and the Harmonica that he played giving him another layer.

There was also the innovation that the partnership with Don Jazzy had, which made them a strong unit. He wasn’t the best singer, but his zip and zest for life were captured by a public who were dealing with the heady delights of having local mainstream content.

But whatever we enjoyed tasted on “No Long Thing,” “The Entertainer fulfilled all the prophecy. That album transitioned him from talented pop star to African rock star. The project which became a classic carried every demography on the continent, permeated every stratum of the society and gave us a D’banj that was untouchable.

We had ‘African Michael Jackson’ on our hands, and we cherished that. We could swagger to ‘Suddenly’, toast ‘Gbono feli feli’, pray with ‘Olorun maje’, make love to ‘Fall in love’, return home to shouts of ‘Igwe’, and attack foes with ‘If U dey crase’.

We had it all.

And so strong was that moment in our music history, that many of us have been unable to embrace another version of D’banj. No matter what has happened to him, we still want him to still make a project that could connect and entertain like it did. We want him to drop every act of his, run back into the arms of Don Jazzy, and provide us with that same music, again. His net project, “D’Kings Men,” isn’t our thing.

Since he announced “King Don Come” album, there have been many articles calling for him to refresh his music, and make great music. But every time that comes on, it isn’t the writer objectively speaking. He is a captive of nostalgia, looking back longingly to “The Entertainer.”

But do we really want another “Entertainer”? Do we want to go back in time and bring on that old D’banj? D’banj has outgrown that project. He has moved forward while many of his fans have moved in reverse. He can’t reunite with Don Jazzy again or have Wande Coal write and contribute to his work. He isn’t that man with hunger in his eyes and his stars aligning every time he enters a studio booth. Back then he was the publicly subservient star. He is a mogul now, with other interests other than the music.

And there’s no reason why we should expect him to go back in time. Why aren’t we asking Wizkid to give us an update on “Superstar”? Why aren’t we flogging Rashidi Yekini to score a screamer, or recreate that classic pose of him holding on to the goal netting? Why aren’t we camping outside Mary Onyali’s Twitter, asking her to kick up her booths, and sprint to glory at the next Olympics? We should never go back to create a future.

Also, consider how Nigeria operates. What has any Nigerian tried recreating and gotten it right? Most times, we can’t even try, because our society is a complex one, and everyone moves on quickly. Who wants to watch a new version of Nollywood classic flick, “Egg of Life”? We can’t, and we shouldn’t. Otherwise, we destroy what is a great memory, and upset the balance of our past. We enjoyed “Entertainer” many years ago. We should leave it at that.

D’banj may not give us that same project, but we have enjoyed glimpses of that project in different songs. We tasted the zip of ‘Suddenly’ on ‘Oliver Twist’, felt the philosophy of ‘Igwe’ on ‘Top of the world’. Other projects have articulated the growth in the singer, and even if we might not enjoy it, we can appreciate his efforts at growing as an artist.

“Entertainer” was peak D’banj which defined his legacy so far, but we shouldn’t let a man be consumed by the ghosts that he created. Right before we began to question his ability to make records, he was a champion. We could look to his past success and enjoy it from another era. This era has a new man who is grappling with life as an entrepreneur, who also does music.

Everything in the game is different now. Streaming revenues are a thing now, we have major labels looking into our pop space, and diverse influences dictating the direction of our music. D’banj is dealing with these nicely.

Let’s judge him based on today, and stop pressuring him to make his yesterday’s work.