A legend’s son rises to his own acclaim:“Say the government of Obasanjo, go carry all of us go for hell.”---Femi Kuti

Femi Kuti speaks like one of his many saxophone solos hands aflutter, voice rising quickly before a steep fall and hitting disparate pitches.

“I already believe we are already in a state of anarchy. But Nigerians are very resilient and are always praying and we want Jesus Christ to come down from heaven and change Nigeria for us. We are ready to wait,” the Afrobeat musician said.

He adds: “It’s boiling, slowly but surely. And if the government doesn’t quickly change … violence could start at any time.”

The driving rhythms of Kuti’s message follow that of his famous father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, who created the synthesis of pop and jazz fueling Afrobeat and served as one of the staunchest critics of military rule in oil-rich Nigeria. Now the focus of a Broadway musical, Fela’s mysticism and sexual exploits are reaching a new audience.

But Femi Kuti, 48, learned from the excesses of his flawed rebel father. A two-time Grammy nominee, Kuti found his own voice amid the growing noise in a Nigeria where freedom of speech exists like never before in his lifetime as well as a sustained commercial and worldwide following.

“I know when to be light; I know when to be hard,” he said in a recent interview.
The delicate balance of commercial success under the heading of world music helps Kuti and sister Yeni Kuti to keep open the New Afrika Shrine, a relocated version of the Shrine that their father lived and played in.

The original Shrine, raided repeatedly by police and later the military during Fela’s life, burned to the ground.

“A handful of unnatural, unbalanced people are running the world,” Fela once said, quoted by biographer Carlos Moore. He recounted seeing a rebel leader board a first_class flight from Berlin to Lagos in 1978, picked up by Mercedes Benz sedans at the other end.

“The leaders of the African freedom struggle will always want the struggle to continue. For them, it means travelling around on first-class tickets and being given VIP treatment wherever they go,” he said.

Much of that rage focused on Olusegun Obasanjo, then a military dictator and later an elected president who came from the same hometown as Fela’s family. After Fela’s mother died following a beating by soldiers, Fela carried her casket to the presidential estate in Lagos. It served a bold protest in a country cowed largely into silence by military rule.

“At the time of my father, there was nothing like human rights groups in Nigeria,” Femi Kuti recounted recently while backstage at the new Shrine. “He on his own solely fought the military dictators at that time and the civilians that they passed power through in the ’70s and ’80s.”

But life wasn’t easy for Femi growing up. When the military arrested his father and sent him to prison before a 1984 U.S. tour, Femi took over the band and displayed an innate business sense that kept the music alive, said Sola Olorunyomi, a Fela biographer and professor at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.

“All of this period, I think, came to shape Femi’s own disposition to chart his own course,” Olorunyomi said. “For outsiders, the Fela experience is fun. But for (Femi), it’s real-life brutality, it’s real-life denial, it’s real-life sacrifice.”

Fela died in 1997 of complications brought on by AIDS, a disease that sapped his energy to perform in his last years and one he dismissed in song, calling protected sex “unnatural.”

Today, a giant red placard at the Shrine warns concertgoers that “AIDS is real” and Femi Kuti has appeared in awareness advertising.

Kuti continues to bring a business mentality to his music. He acknowledges some songs critical of the nation’s supposedly democratically-elected government won’t get airplay on Nigerian radio stations that are leery of losing their licences, so he fashions apolitical tracks as well. He even offered his voice as a DJ on a funk radio station in the violent video game franchise “Grand Theft Auto IV.”

His songs offer a pop-like, frenetic pacing at times, such as the driving backbeat of love story in “Bang Bang Bang.” But others, like “Shotan,” carry an angry political message inside the pulsing rhythm: “Say the government of Obasanjo, go carry all of us go for hell.”

+18: Sexual Seduction: Does the 'size' of your man matter?

This is a sexual question.. I don't know if you will think its an odd question coming for a girl but... does size matter to a guy??

Yes, it definitely does. For several reasons. One reason is that men are very competitive and like to be better than other men. Another reason is magazines, you know magazines put pressure on women to be thin and attractive. Well the magazines put pressure on men to have six packs, muscular bodies and big body parts. Then of course there are women who also put pressure on a guy to go to the gym, have a six pack and muscular body and that big body part that you talk about.

For example: my first boyfriend was quite well-endowed, we were together for ages and i was used to his size, the sex was great. Now we've broke up and i recently started a sexual relationship with a guy who is a lot less well-endowed. well it has made a difference for me.. i don't really feel him inside me the way i did with my previous boyfriend. But i can live with it..

Yes, the thing is it's very rare that you would find a bloke that's absolutely perfect, that you can tick all the boxes. One bloke you might have immense fun with and your personalities really do match, but he has a small one. Another bloke may have a big one, provide you with brilliant sex but you can't tolerate his personality and he bores you to death. The truth is you need to stick with a guy that you are comfortable living with, the best option you can find, no guy is really going to be perfect in all categories.

Rather curiously my last girlfriend said that her ex had a big one and she didn't enjoy sex with him because it was painful, then she followed up with you are quite big as well (what she meant by that, I don't know). So I think maybe some women do not like big guys.

what worries me more is that maybe HE doesn't feel much when he's inside me.

The truth is that when guys have sex with a woman in this way, they usually only get one orgasm and that's when they come. It can be good sometimes but really this is the same old sex that guys have all the time, so it can become boring.

He seems to always want a blow-job and sometimes i wonder if thats because he finds it more satisfying than having sex with me!!

A blow job is just so much more satisfying to a man than most other sex acts. There are many things about it that are just so good. There are all the different textures and different feelings and you don't know what you are going to feel next. A woman uses her tongue, lips, mouth, fingers and hands, all of which provide these different feelings and textures. It's also a very intimate act to a man, because a woman is dedicated enough to the relationship to be able to put her mouth on this part of his body. The feeling lasts much longer and there is much more scope for him to have many more orgasms.

When he's having normal sex, he has to concentrate on you and make sure you are enjoying it, concentrate on controlling his muscles and pushing himself in and out, concentrating on what position to go into next and he only really gets a slight buzz for a few seconds occasionally when he touches you inside. All this requires sensory overload and in general satisfying himself is just one of many things his body and brain is concentrating on.

In contrast a blow job, he can just relax his muscles, lay back and enjoy himself while you pamper him and it really is a good mental feeling as well that a woman actually decides to take the initiative and take control of him and give him some pleasure without him having to worry about all those other things.

I don't want to ask him about this but please tell me what you think.

I'm not sure whether he doesn't feel anything when he is inside you, but I can tell you that most if not all men prefer blow jobs to normal sex, because men get much more of a concentrated and longer lasting buzz from it. Yes, it maybe that your guy gets even less out of sex with you because of his size and so prefers a blow job more often than other guys. But to be honest most guys would much rather have a blow job every sex session than having to spend the whole sex session looking after the woman's sexual needs.

Nigerian Policemen Fighting Each Other In Lagos… Pictures

I don’t know why I find this funny, even though it’s pretty embarrassing, but the story in Ajegunle, along Lagos-Abeokuta Express is hilarious and sad at the same time. 3 police men engaged in a brawl over reason unexplained at the time.

People were seen scampering for safety, and nobody could tell what caused the fight, which got so messy that the policemen wrestled and dragged themselves on the ground.

The three fighters are corporals serving in the elite Mobile Police Force.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so we have a few thousand words for you guys. Check out the pictures:

Don’t Come To Me For Marriage; Go For Younger Actresses – MAMA G Warns Randy Nigerian Men

MAMA G
It is really a case of different strokes for different folks. While a horde of actresses like Eucharia Anunobi, Mercy Johnson and Dakore Egbuson have had numerous tales of postponed weddings trailing them, one woman who would not want a hint of that is celebrated actress, Patience Ozokwor, popularly called Mama G. To this end, the actress has sent out a stern warning to all those men who think every actress gets carried away by the mention of the word ‘marriage’.

While on a location at Asaba, Delta State, where she went to shoot a new movie recently, the actress confided in some close associates that she has had to warn several men who are besieging her for her hand in marriage that she was no longer in the market for marriage. The actress noted that it was baffling that men would be worrying her for marriage, when there are lots of younger actresses looking for good suitors in Nollywood.

Our source said that Mama G’s new disposition may not be unconnected with the rumours making the rounds that she has become the toast of Nigerian men in spite of the fact that she is a grandmother.

“I do not blame the woman at all. Of course, she is a very pretty woman and it is obvious that her beauty has blossomed even as she ages gracefully. Most of the times these rich men send emissaries to her, meaning to profess their love to her, and the disturbance is increasing by the day. They usually go through people in the movie industry, especially those working as production assistants, who by virtue of their jobs have the contacts of most star actors and actresses”, NFC was told.

According to a close associate of Mama G’s she is also being careful of most Nigerian men, because of the way they behave, especially when they are dating celebrities.

“She knows that most men, especially the randy ones, will go out of their ways to say anything so that they can always make references to that in future. She sees herself as a responsible woman, which is why she is keeping everyone at bay. More so, she is an intending grandmother, and has so many people looking up to her”.

When is love enough to make a commitment?

Samson has always loved the good things of life. When he was a boy, one could tell that he was on his way to becoming the master of his game. He graduated when his mates did and immediately got a job in a reputable bank. Not too long, he went back to school for his masters and doctorate. These degrees gave him added advantage over his peers, so he got promoted and headed a branch of the bank in a short time.

It was time for him to marry, so he decided to settle for nothing less. Nnenna is an American citizen, who also worked in a bank. He planned that both of them should resign and relocate to the States for their white wedding and a beautiful life.

Nnenna left for the States to hasten things for both of them or so she said. Before that they traveled home to see her family for the marriage introduction. Samson on the other hand was busy getting set for his resignation. He sold all he had, sent the money to Nnenna to get a place for them in the States. He was advised against leaving his job permanently by his friends, but he did not listen and finally he relocated to the States.

He got to America to meet the biggest shock of his life…

Paul Play

Trust comes with time
Paul Play, Musician
Relationship has to be about love and commitment. Commitment comes with time. It is that time you take in developing trust between the two of you. The time to know your partner’s strength and weaknesses.

I don’t subscribe to people who meet themselves today and are married in three or six months. You don’t know your partner, whatever you get you deserve. I’m not saying problems don’t come up in marriages of twenty years and above, but you already know what you are expecting from your partner. The person you just met you do not even know him or her. It takes time to say l know this person or that person. If you don’t know the person well enough, why go into that ‘business of forever’ with the person?

For a relationship to work it must take time to grow, there must be commitment which also comes with time and trust. I feel for the young man, but I am sure he has learnt his lessons.

Benita Nzeribe

Personal belief
Benita Nzeribe, Actress
Love and relationships are personal, because a certain style worked for Mr. A doesn’t mean it will work for Mr. B. I think we should listen to our hearts when we are about going into relationships or affairs that have to do with the heart. We should also talk to ‘the God’ we serve about it. What you believe in will work for you.

Nonso Odogwu

Love Forgives
Nonso Odogwu, Actor
Love is a sweet feeling; we don’t even practice it in this world. Love is in-fact God, it is giving and forgiving and of-course
trust must be the binder. I love listening to both sides of stories before concluding. The man in this story told us his side; I wish the woman in question was here to defend herself. There are always two sides to a coin. If he ever loved the woman, he should forgive her.

DJ Jimmy Jatt

Fifty percent commitment is ok
Jimmy Jatt, Musician/ Dj
I don’t think time matters, it is relative. How well you know the person is very vital to commitment and trust. In today’s world, marriage is a contract; there should be trust to make it worth while. If you can get at least fifty percent of someone’s love, I think it’s fair. You can work on that and get the best out of it. You never can tell you can turn fifty to a hundred percent in the end.

Alex Lopez

The victim calls it quit
Alex Lopex, Actress
The man in the story is very stupid. How can you do that for a woman you are not even married to? Life is fair; it is what you make of it. Love is also what you make of it. So, if you have a loved one, a fiancée or fiancé who cheats on you all in the name of love or beats you or she claims she is seeing only you, whereas there are other guys. Then love is enough when the victim eyes gets open and he or she calls it quit. It is enough when you have dated him for twelve years and you notice he doesn’t intend to marry you. And you walk away.

Nollywood split over Tonto Dikeh

•She’s in order- Ope Banwo
•She is looking for extra fame-Charles Novia

Tonto Dikeh’s role in her recent movie, Dirty Secret, has continued to generate controversy among movie lovers and practitioners. Many have berated the fair skinned actress, claiming her role in the movie is un-African, untraditional and shameful. Others say she is only being a professional and she has the right to choose what role to play.

Absolving the actress of guilt, Barrister Ope Banwo, the CEO of Stingomania Records believes the actress has the right to act any role and that others do not have a right to impose their morality on her.

“I believe as an actress, she has the constitutional right to do any movie she wants. While we may not like her moral code, we do not have any right to impose our morality on her.

We may choose not to watch the movie , but we should not condemn her for taking her professional acting to new levels. Comedians tell dirty jokes too, how come we are not condemning them too? Musicians sing lewd songs too. Or do we have another standard for musicians , actors and comedians”, he said.

Lending her voice to the controversy, respected artists manager, Ms. Mildred Okwo took a feminist stand on the issue. She wondered if this is not just a case of the tabloids picking on a woman. “I wonder why everyone is condemning Tonto. Did she act the film alone or is this just another case of the tabloids picking on a woman”, She queried.

Speaking further, she said “…first, I have to know exactly which film everyone is talking about, because we like to gossip without facts in this country. If it is indeed a porn film, censors board will not release it , so I suspect that people are being less than truthful with the facts”.

Julis Agwu said acting is all about make-belief ,but Africa is not yet ripe for such exposures. He said “…first as a trained theatre artist, I believe that acting is make-belief. But I don’t think Africa is ripe enough for such exposures considering womanhood and ??Motherhood. Be that as it may, the buzz is also helping to popularise the movie!!!”

On the other hand, popular movie producer, Charles Novia was against the actress’ role in the soft porn movie.“…first, the ‘soft porn’ movie is a debased genre, in my opinion, for a segmented immoral audience. Such movies strive to sell more on sexually simulated scenes than the subject matter.

Most producers who delve into this genre usually look out for actors and actresses whose careers are at an abysmal low or who just wish to re-invent themselves from the attendant controversy such movies would generate. I cannot rate her as a truly trained thespian, because there are moral tenets in being a fully trained theatre artist. So, in this case, her claim of being “professional” in taking that role is ambiguous in my rating. However, she strikes me as a pseudo-bohemian .

In Nigeria, her new found “soft porn” status could very well boomerang on her. No matter how she and many others think the Nigerian society is “hypocritical” when it comes to moral issues, it’s that moral restraint that defines us as a nation and a people! Tonto would very well do herself a favour to compare notes with Cossy Orjiako and see if notoriety in a stereo-typical immoral role is akin to stardom. For Tonto, who by the way has some malleable talent, an extra fifteen minutes of fame may be added to her career by this but the clock ticks fast!

The controversy took a new turn when Tonto took to online social network Twitter to defend her role in the movie, saying she was only being professional. “Why should we enjoy seeing nudity in Hollywood and not Nollywood. It’s f***king professional, peeps grow up. I’m all out doing my job and f**k you hard if you think otherwise. Rubbish f***king pretenders. I have got the fake damned tradition. I have got the mind and heart my profession requires. Period.

Aki and PawPaw Part Ways over Secret marriage Plans – debunk MON rumours

Aki and PawPaw

Diminutive actors, Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme, popularly known as Aki and Paw paw, are renowned for holding on to their bond of friendship with utmost respect. This has not only seen them pairing in countless home videos, but have literally had them living like Siamese twins in the showbiz industry. It is on record that they share the same room during recording trips, the same meals, and even the same jointly-furnished apartment inside the Lagos State Property Development Corporation (LSDPC) Estate in Ogba, Lagos.

But NFC sources squealed that things are fast changing for the actors as they continue to mature into full adulthood. Contrary to rumours being peddled in town that the duo have been having a row over the MON award conferred on Chinedu Ikedieze (one of the pair) by the President Goodluck Jonathan led government, the duo decided to live apart, owing to Chinedu IKedieze’s fiery urge to settle down with his current girl friend.

To this end, Aki as he is fondly called, has moved out of the LSPDC Estate, Ogba for another choice apartment, located within Unity Estate in Ojodu, Lagos, while Osita has also found himself an apartment at the Omole area in Lagos.

According to Chinedu Ikedieze, there is no bad blood between him and Osita, contrary to what some sections of the media have been speculating. He told NFC that maturity was responsible for the reason why both of them had to part ways in terms of sharing an apartment.

“As we grow and mature, there is no doubt that our priorities will begin to change. And two people do not have the same priorities all the time, so it is just natural that a balance must be struck. “

eLDee The Don, Weird MC, Emeka Ike and Others React To The President’s $200 Million USD Loan

Reactions have followed the President’s loan to the entertainment sector.

Don’t cause inflation —eLDee, musician

I don’t really know how they intend to release money to an industry that doesn’t have a structure. How did they even come by the figure? Some statements are just ambiguous. But if it’s true, it’s a good thing. The problem will be how to share the money. If they can work out a way that a few greedy people will not sit on the money, that will work. You don’t just give stimulus to people without a structure. They should put a structure in place and then tell us what you want to be done with the money. Don’t just cause inflation.

List out modalities– Bond Emerewu, CONGA president

We are yet to understand the modalities for accessing the fund. Therefore I cannot make any official statement in connection with the pronouncement by Mr. President at the moment.

Actually, I’m aware of the announcement but we want to keep our fingers crossed as we watch development before coming out with a statement.

Soft loans is the way to go — Cally Ikpe

The president has good intentions no doubt but I can’t trust the implementation. They’ve not shown me any sign of seriousness.

They need to work hard and convince us this is not a fluke. I know he means well. The mechanics that will be employed so that this doesn’t turn into a national cake is what we await. I’ll suggest that the money should be deposited in the financial institutions and disbursed in terms of soft loans without stringent conditions. Integrity is also key. We should work on ourselves.

Only elected excos should appropriate the fund — Emeka Ike,

It’s a welcome development but only a democratically elected exectives can appropriate the fund. The said fund can only be useful to Nollywood when the crisis rocking the industry is resolved.

Actually, we welcome the gesture but the industry must be refocused and made to be crisis-free to enable us benefit from the fund.

It’s a blessing — Weird MC, artiste

I think for once that we should be positive. I think it’s a good thing for the industry. It’s a blessing. I just hope the money gets into the right hands especially the upcoming acts.

Hope it’s not a political statement— Alex Eyengho

It’s no doubt a boost to the entire Nigerian entertainment industry. However, As members of the Association of Core Nollywood Producers(ANCOP) we hope this is not a mere policy or political statement.

In terms of utilization, the Nigerian entertainment industry must first be properly defined. Nollywood’s share of the gesture should be put on hold and kept in an escrow yielding account until MOPICON is put in place.

For now, the fund should not be handed over to any individual or group of self-serving individuals in whatever names, masquerading as representative of the entire Nollywood practitioners.

What’s your take? We really want to know.

Basketmouth off to Dubai for honeymoon

As you are reading this, popular comedian, Basketmouth, who got married to his beautiful wife, Elsie, at an elaborate wedding in Lagos last Saturday, is now in Dubai on honeymoon.

NFC gathered that the top comedian left Nigeria on Monday for Dubai on a three-week honeymoon to Dubai.

It was also gathered that the newly married couple may also go to London as part of the honeymoon rendezvous before coming back home.

The wedding, which was a four-big event, was witnessed by top celebrities like Ali Baba, Bovi, Julius Agwu, Tee A, Teju Babyface, Pastor Tony Rapu, Dele Momodu, Jay Jay Okocha, Mudi, Basorge Tariah, Gbenga Adeyinka 1st, Genevieve, Kayode Peters, Yaw, Ay, Jedi, Opa Williams, Frank Edoho and many others.

Asa gifted her guitar to me – GT da Guitarman

GT da Guitarman
The life of a musician is an incredibly frustrating one in Nigeria, where the system is yet to start functioning properly. But there are musicians who are struggling through it, no matter what. GT da Guitarman is one of them. He has seen his ups and downs, yet, he is more focused at the moment than any time in his life. Things are shaping up well and he is gaining strong grounds. After all, he has been in the music industry for up to 5 years. His foray into music made way for him into the fold of Storm Records, owned by the entertainment guru, Obi Asika. But that doesn’t end there.

We meet on a sunny Thursday afternoon, a night after Bez Idakula’s Birthday Gig, at Mega Chicken in Amuwo Odofin, close to where he lives. I didn’t see him at Bez’s party, so I thought he is the introvert people think he is. “I’m not an introvert,” he says, defensively. “When you have a lot of things bothering you, you have to take care of them first. Bez is someone I respect so much and I would have loved to be there.”

Born in the UK in 1984, GT da Guitarman is suddenly abandoning ‘da Guitarman’ for GT, which stands for his name: Gbemiro Tokunbo. He’s trying to find a new life, a new world, or maybe, he is just finding out that he could become a new star? However, there are rumours that he left Storm Records: “Not like I’ve left Storm, we are still family, the great family Obi put together,” he says, “but the thing is that our contract has expired.” Now he is working to own his music label, Music Ed, which is shaping itself already. There are challenges too, but he is facing them, as a lot of people have made promises. Does he believe in God? “Yes, I do. Not like I used to. Something happened to me and it turned me around.”

Unless you’ve been living in the jungle, you may not have heard any of his songs. People have compared him with Bez and Asa. Is there an affinity between them? “I respect Bez a lot. Same thing with Asa,” he smiles. “Infact, Asa gifted her old guitar to me. Mine broke recently, so I’ve been using that particular guitar she gave me each time I practice.” So, does he feel any kind of spirituality when he strums on the strings of Asa’s old guitar? “Not really. Same feeling I have when I was using my guitar. But the thing is, that guitar is priceless.” Would he auction it out some day? He laughs and says, “Maybe.”

The first part of his life as a musician has been well. He has performed both at home and abroad. He, however, feels he doesn’t sing what people want to listen to in Nigeria. Would he go commercial? The answer is that GT will remain doing what he does best and what he likes doing. Moreover, his music is an infusion of almost everything and any kind of audience can connect with him. Those who feel that he is poorly promoted by his promoters and managers are right. There is little that has been done about the projection of this great talent. He has redefined the nature of the genre of music he does, yet, there is a lot to be seen.

Since his foray into music, GT da Guitarman has worked closely with A-list singers like Naeto C, General Pype, Sasha and others. The music label he is working on will also cater for other artistes, but not now. He has a very busy schedule, as he is hoping to release a sophomore album by the middle of next year. And then, of course, it is appalling to note that Storm Records only did three videos of GT da Guitarman in the whole span of 5 years he was signed to them! That doesn’t sound like good business. “Storm Records showed me love. They reached out to a poor person and made a star out of me,” GT adds. That could just be humility! No matter what, a lot should have been done if he had been signed to them for that long as really, there were no tours to reach all his fans scattered all over Nigeria. “The thing is this: Storm is a great platform, but I think like any child won’t stay forever with his parents, I need to make a move on my own.”

Before we depart, we chat off-record and it feels good to know that he has a wonderful and amazingly surprising sense of humour that bellies his slim nature. Tall, slim and Bohemian in looks, with an afro, GT da Guitar is undergoing a rebirth. He will come out very soon as GT. But the question is: will this be the making of a new star by himself?