By Benjamin Njoku

Pioneer music video director and filmmaker Uzo Okpechi has revealed why he was shut out by Kenny’s Music after shooting the music video of 2Baba’s evergreen song, “African Queen.”

Okpechi also revealed that he was paid N150,000 to shoot the music video of the song. He made this revelation, in a chat with NollyNow in Okada, Edo State.

Recall that ‘African Queen’ was released in 2004, shortly after 2Baba broke out from the all boys band, Plantashun Boiz.

The evergreen song was later used as a soundtrack of a Hollywood movie titled, ‘Phat Girlz, following its enormous international prominence and cultural substance.

Okpechi, who’s known for his exceptional craft, said he was denied his due credit because of the fact that 2Baba’s former record label, Kenny’s Music didn’t want his name to outshine that of the label.

He recalled that Kenny’s Music approached him to shoot the music video of ‘African Queen’ which was released in 2004, immediately after he finished directing Sunny Neji’s music video.

“Unfortunately, when the music video was released, instead of giving me the credit as director of the video, it went to the record label because Kenny Music didn’t want to give me visibility”, he said.

Annie was the star woman in the song’s music video that was released eight years before she got married to 2Baba in 2012. “African Queen” was a sensational romantic song that tried to describe the beauty standard of the black African woman, considering the ways it idolized and praised the African woman’s charming beauty.