By Charles Kumolu

Cally Ikpe is a veteran broadcaster, culture activist and event manager. He created and anchored one of Nigeria’s earliest music video shows on television, Live Beats which debuted on NTA, Channel 5, in 1995. The pogramme served as a springboard for many budding artistes to showcase their talent. He is also the founder and coordinator of Nigeria’s first-ever music video awards, the annual Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA) which premiered in 2007. Ikpe, who is the founder of Violence Free-World Initiative, in this interview, tells the story of music video evolution in Nigeria.

 In a recent report on the evolution of music video in Nigeria, your role was conspicuously ignored. How do you react to that?

It beats me how anyone can afford to make an error like that and a very costly one at that because it robs the effort of credibility and the place it deserves. This is not to take away from any author any angle he or she chooses to tell a story from but certain fundamentals are just too critical to be ignored. The present dispensation rode grossly on the power of music videos which you know I was at the centre of. It is not for nothing that they call me the champion of the music video revolution in Nigeria. I did much more than videos as I took it upon myself to encourage many budding acts, I did the monthly Live Beats outdoor at Eko Hotels for a considerable while. I toured with the musicians and celebrated their prowess to the point Pepsi Idols recognised this and hired Live Beats to do the same for them. Again, I say you can’t talk about the papacy without mentioning Pope John Paul, especially in contemporary times. My role in the evolution of the music industry as it is today is too strategic to be ignored unless you don’t want to be taken seriously.

Can you relish what it felt like anchoring the first music video programme in the country at the time?

It was only logical that Nigeria starts its music video awards, given the success we had attained in terms of quality and volume over time. The foundation laid by the likes Tinde Hundeyin, Philip Trimnel, and a host of others had been elevated by the new generation of producers like Uzodimma Okpeche, Clarence Peters, Wudi Awa, Kemi Adetiba, Adasa, and several others.

The time to celebrate this height had come and the world looked to me to do it being that I was clearly on top of that bit of the entertainment industry. I didn’t hesitate as I rallied the support of the entire industry and on December 2, 2007, history was made. It was a moment, and an honour I can never forget. We have always had it at Eko Hotels, Lagos, except once when we tried the MUSON centre.

Presently the dynamics have changed and we are recalibrating to relaunch and achieve greater impact.

 The present generation does not seem to have a deep sense of history. In that regard, can you tell us the story of music video evolution in Nigeria?

While the evolution of the music industry as we know it today can be chronicled from any angle, some fundamentals must constitute whatever magnitude or style that is intended for it to sound or appear credible. Can you, for instance, talk about the papacy without mentioning Pope John Paul, especially in the contemporary context?

Well, providence placed me at the heart of the evolution of the industry to where it is today. I feel a duty to ensure history is not twisted or misrepresented.

Telling the story of the industry requires rigour, patience, time and in fact, loads of ethical consideration devoid of bigotry or padi padi mentality. The truth is the truth and with it, we will ultimately command the respect of the world. Doing things properly commends us properly to the generation yet unborn.

While it is commendable to put out a documentary, deliberately leaving such gaps smacks of mischief and robs the gesture of the place it deserves.

And for the rest of the industry icons, staying quiet in the face of such a misrepresentation, especially by all who should know better validate the contraption. I am so happy I am alive, well and capable of reminding all of the invaluable contributions of Callivision.

 30 years ago

1992 was when I stepped up to mainstream entertainment in Nigeria. It started with my being invited to anchor the premium music video show, Super Sound on NTA 2 Channel 5 in Lagos. That was 30 years ago. Succeeding veteran host, Olisa Adibua, as presenter of that show, was no mean feat and I embraced the task quite well. 

The show mainly showcased trending Western musical videos mostly to the exclusion of local content. I must acknowledge though that in terms of quality, there was a wide gap between Western music videos and Nigerian-produced videos. I was, however, still determined to project what we had with a view to encouraging growth. The need to promote more Nigerian music videos led to the creation of Da New Live Beats, in 1995, where we abundantly played side-by-side; American and Nigerian content. Seeing that some great talents had no music videos, we introduced live performances, allowing artistes put vocals on DJ beats. That was 27 years ago.

It was at this phase that the duo of Tuface and Blackface, known as Plantashun Boyz became a regular feature on my programme. Femi Kuti, KC Presh, Ras Kimono, Danny Wilson, Daddy Fresh, Daddy Showkey, Kupa Victory, Remedies, Junior and Pretty, Zaaki Adzay, Blakky, Fada U-turn, Baba Fryo, Mighty Mouse n Remmy, Pasuma Wonder, Mighty Mouse, DJ Humility, DJ Midas, Snoop, Edy Fyn, Norris Cole, Mighty Tender, Jimmy Jatt, Timaya, and RDC amongst many found expression on the show. I recall that Healing Child was the first Nigerian artiste to shoot his video on celluloid as far back as the 1990s. Live Beats ran live every Sunday morning on NTA2 Channel 5. It was practically, about the biggest music video programme on TV in Nigeria then; and I dare say the most resilient too. Even though the show was not structured to run with a live studio-based audience, the premises of NTA 2 Channel 5, Victoria Island was usually jam-packed with people, mostly industry practitioners trying to get a space on the show. That attests to how popular the show was. People still accuse me today of making them miss Sunday morning mass or church service. It was a rare moment for me and I enjoyed the privilege and the glory. We were invariably championing the music video revolution in Nigeria; and deservedly, we had the rare privilege of initiating Nigeria’s first-ever music video awards, the annual Nigeria Music Video Awards in 2007. The reception was unprecedented and it opened a new vista to how our music videos were perceived. This was more like a coronation of the height our music videos had attained. Up until about 2015, over 80 percent of artistes in mainstream Afrobeats in Nigeria found our platform useful. 

I must acknowledge the passion and commitment of Sweet Barthowe of Minaj Tv, Emma Ugolee and the very great Femi Aderibigbe aka Kwame, and Ben Omage. Their later roles heightened the game. The technical support from the likes of Edi Lawani, Efe Omorigbe, the late Ogbonnaya Amadi, Nseobong Okon-Ekong, Jungle production, Digitrack studios, Daar Communications, Charly Boy’s New Wave Productions, Hygroove, Alozie Uzuokwu, Cordelia Okpei, Israel Edjeren, D- One, Kennis Music, DonTee, Philip Trimnel Productions Dudu Productions, Patrick Doyle Media and the rest was quite reassuring.

Can I forget journalists like Charles Ngbara, Clementina Olomu, Justin Akpovie, Charles Okogene and the late Cletus Nwachukwu? I trekked with these guys even through Star Trek and they were most inspiring. 

 In 2012, your nomination of Burna Boy under R n B category was criticised…

I recall being heavily criticized for daring to nominate Burna Boy in 2012 under R n B rather than Fuji by a rival artiste, but I am glad I stood my ground. I think the title of the song is “Like to Party” . It can conveniently fit into both Fuji and R n B. You know Burna likes doing fusion. I know music categorization because I am not just a music presenter but a Mass Communication scholar. Many people still begrudge me for not getting a nomination or winning but that’s the price I had to pay for venturing into the awards aspect of showbiz. 

The solidarity from the likes of Tuface, P Square, Wizkid, Daniel Wilson, Paul Orhii, Darey Art Alade, Sam Kargbo, Sylva Oforgu, Danny Kiouporouglou of Eko Hotels, Davido, Oritse Femi, Eedris Abdulkareem, Tiwa Savage, Love Idoko, Toyin Dada, Festus Keyamo, Baba Dee, Sound Sultan, Six Foot Plus, the late Goldie, Kefe, Basketmouth, Gbenga Adeyinka 1, Adekunle Ayeni, Azu Arinze, Kunle Bakere, Ayo Shobowale, Banky W, the late Dan Foster, Chief Tony Okoroji, Oke Bakasi, Timaya Richmond Osuji amongst others served to make the show bigger. While I, as Cally Ikpe can be regarded as the face of Callivision, the likes of Nas Onucheyo , Tony Adeniyi, Tolu Mebane, Steve Abian, Vanesa Nwogbo, Lolade Nwanze, Tina Anenih, Demola Tajudeen, Ataga Izoekpu, Wole Olagundoye, Sunday Are and Debo Alexander worked behind the scene tirelessly to ensure the success of Nigeria’s premiere music video awards, the annual Nigeria Music Video Awards( NMVA) and invariably preserved Da New Live Beats as the longest running musical video programme on Nigerian television. The NMVA is presently being fortified to make it more impactful.

I also am presently working on a peace advocacy project, Road to a Violence-free Nigeria, using my NGO, Callivision Initiative for Youth and Good Culture. We are deploying all our entertainment platforms to make the message resonate more with the youths. NMVA is coming back with a bang in a short while.