Is this the best type of arrogance in the music industry?

If you follow the rantings of certain personalities in the music industry, then Kiss Daniel is arrogant. You find these comments litter certain sections of the media via subs, sometimes direct, other times indirect, but they all point to one conclusion: Kiss Daniel is arrogant.

How these elements all came through different processes to reach this conclusion has not been made public, but digging through the industry, and scratching the underbelly of the music space, much of the complaints come from disgruntled folks who have at one point or another tried to collaborate with the singer, but met rejection, or attempted to book him for fees that were well below his asking price.

People who meet rejection in the music industry don’t take it well. They whisper, they talk, pass on negativity, and when it begins to accumulate behind the scenes, it seeps through, and makes the news. Koffi’s recent outburst from Kiss Daniel is a clear example of that pain of rejection. He doesn’t care about the artiste, neither has he supported the young man on any level. But because of his lengthy existence in the music and comedy industry, he feels the need to benefit from the artiste.

Veteran entitlement is a thing in the Nigerian music industry. We have a generation of has-beens, and ‘was-hots’ who have an over bloated sense of entitlement about their contribution to the culture, or their standing within the game, that they make demands that encroach on the business freedoms of other artistes. Many times, they have their way with the younger artistes, due to the fear that these people wield too much influence, and would actively sabotage their careers.

That’s why we have artistes who have embarked on needless collaborations that would not serve them on any level, or showed up at concerts at their peril, inconveniencing themselves, and being used, and abused. This is a constant for the music industry.

Also there’s the perceived industry charge for the services of artistes. Many Nigerian musicians (especially in these times of recession) are on the hunt for new revenue, and will gladly take any deal that comes their way. Very few artistes would choose to sell themselves short, just to get any money come in.

But Kiss Daniel is immune to all of this. Follow the life of an upcoming artiste, and you will find a path strewn with stories of rejection, poor treatment, heartbreaks and failed attempts to fly. That’s the reality of the situation. Kiss Daniel like many others have refrained from sharing this story, and shaming the folks who have meted out nastiness to them during their come-up days. The first day I ever saw Kiss Daniel (before the success of ‘Woju’), he was disrespected by a very popular DJ, when he had the chance to perform at Industry Nite. On the day he was to sign the contract with Emperor Geezy and his G-Worldwide Entertainment label, that morning, he was chased out of the studio, with water spilled on him by some of the people we respect as stars.

An artiste who has endured a harrowing experience at the hand of older artistes, would have no reason to have dealings with these people, when his light begins to shine forth. Except, he/she stands to gain heavily from such an association or partnership. G-Worldwide Entertainment has found very little to gain from it, hence Kiss Daniel is a no show.

On the case of not attending underpriced shows, you cannot argue or hate a man who understands his value and the price of his services. If a very hot Kiss Daniel says his performance is worth $25, 000, then it is worth $25,000. You have no idea how much he puts into his brand to stay relevant and sustain his momentum. His price is his price. It’s business. You either book him at his stated fee, or you take your money someplace else. This is business, not a game of sentiments.

When the end of the year comes in, and the final scorecard for 2016 is computed, Kiss Daniel will have made more money than he ever has in his career, celebrated an avalanche of awards, rocked Nigeria with his debut album which had no industry collaboration, and had more hits than many of his detractors. He is unperturbed by these stories, and if that is arrogance, then we should all be arrogant and face our business.