- His Manager, EFE OMOREGBE Tells City People
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It is no longer news that Tuface Idibia is 40. For the past few days, there has been a lot of shows put together to celebrate him, the biggest being the recent show held at Eko Hotel, titled Fortified. If there is anybody who knows Tuface in and out, it is his manager, Efe Omoregbe. He has worked with him closely for over 10 years. A few years back, City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE sat down with Efe for 3 hours to talk about Tuface, the artist and the brand and he gave us a lot of fresh perspectives and insights. Efe is the founder and CEO of Now Muzik Limited, He is the co-founder/director at 960 Music Group. Besides writing, composition and production, he has recorded several vocal performances. Between 1997 and 2003, he garnered music industry experience working as Associate Editor, Hip-hop World magazine, founding coordinator, Atunda ENT, and producer of events like Daniel Wilson’s Don Dada Launch, Sunny Neji’s Victim of Circumstance Benefit Concert. Prior to then, Efe as a young rapper/ writer/ producer had taken a shot at launching Now MuZik and Slick into the mainstream as an undergrad at the University of Lagos where he majored in English. Efe under the pseudonym “Freak” has produced and directed music videos for the likes of Segun Obe, Slick, Sunny Neji, Komrayds, Sammie Needle, D’Lyte, NIG.G.A Raw and many others including the video to the Thoroughbred classic, “Streethop” which got a Hip-Hip World Awards nomination. He also produced and directed “Crazy Love: The 2face Idibia Tour Experience” documentary.
He has provided A&R direction for releases from artistes like Sunny Neji, NIG.G.A Raw, Eedris Abdulkareem and Obiwon and also has served on the judging panel at Star Quest and Rhythm Unplugged Talent Hunt. The multi-talented workaholic was named Manager of the year, 2007 at the AMEN (Award for Musical Excellence in Nigeria). Under the aegis of Association of Music Business Professionals (AM.B-Pro), Efe has taken up a frontline role in the struggle to institute far-reaching reforms within the Nigerian music industry in the areas of product packaging and pricing, collective administration, general regulation and information management amongst others. Since 2004, Efe with the support of partner, Tony Anifite and a dedicated staff, has given undivided attention to Now Muzik and developed it into a formidable force and a major player in the Nigerian entertainment scene providing business management and/or label support services for some of the biggest names and brightest new talents in the industry. Efe has worked on the TUFACE brand for years and he tells City People his experience.
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How have you found your relationship with Tuface? What has the experience been?
I met him several years ago as part of Plantashun Boyz. They walked in one day and said they were singers. Ayo Animashaun and myself were there. They wanted us to do a story on them. There was no demo. There was no recording. Ayo said, then sing. And these guys hit the first note. They performed their song that became a knock me off. Everybody stopped. Until they were done, nobody could move a limb. We had a conversation with them. I told them I was going to write a story on them. I told them I want to have the honour of being the first to put the Plantashun Boyz’s story in Hip Hop World magazine. They came a few more times and we became friends. We monitored their progress, sometimes plugged them into shows. That was even before Faze officially joined. So, we got pretty cool, during that period. I co-produced an album called Touch of Genius, a tribute to a legend. That was Sir Victor Uwaifo’s tribute. We started this event that will honour our living icons with them in attendance. We recorded that album eventually and we wanted Plantashun Boyz on that album. We couldn’t get them on the track. We got Paul Play. Orlando Julius, Sunny Nneji. There were a lot of artistes like 14 to 15 artistes who we got to sing his songs like OJB Jezeel. When I was in Atunda in 2001 they came around. They did some stuff for La Campagne Tropicana I was the co-coordinator. Then Tuface went solo and I began to do a few things for him. I shot an interview of him for Global Sounds, a TV show we were doing with Kwame. And I heard one of his tracks I felt like this is market. I tracked him down for an interview, asked him a couple of questions. And as a journalist my questions used to be very tricky. So, I asked him a tricky question and he was not very tactful about it. He fell for it. It is good content for us. But this was my friend. It would strain the relationship between him and his label. So, I called him. I said dude. Your answer seemed reasonably innocent. But you can’t say this in an interview. That wasn’t Efe interviewing you. That was a pressman, a journalist. You can’t be that honest in an interview.
What was the question?
Kennis Music had some little disagreement with a tour promoter at that time. There was the Ruggedman, Ehen! issue about his song, so, I was having a conversation with Tuface and I asked as an artiste, what is your take? How do you navigate through a situation like if a promoter wants you to perform at a show with Ruggedman, say in London how will you do it? That was at the time Ruggedman had issues with Kennis Music. He just said innocently. I am cool. Tuface does not have problems with anybody. I like Ruggedman’s record. I don’t have a problem with Ruggedman, in terms of my label. I think that is a problem between him and my label to sort out. But me I am cool. I now told him no, you can’t say that. Every label demands loyalty. They don’t expect you to go out there to say, to hell with Ruggedman. No and abuse him and say he was stupid to say that your first loyalty is to your label. I am not going to put this on air. I am not going to use it. Your record label is not going to be happy to hear this. You have a record that is going to be big. Get a publicist. Get a manager. Don’t take this interviews without checking out the questions. You have a 2nd chance at being really, really successful, don’t blow it Get proper management.
So we had this conversation years ago. That was just a friend talking to a friend. We left. One day, he called me up. He said how far?
He said can we even meet. We had a brief meeting at Metro Park. And he said I have been thinking about that idea you gave me. A couple of things went wrong. I don’t want to associate with all that again. So, I don’t know. Can you consider the management thing you spoke about? I like you guys to consider handling my management. I said we would love to. One couldn’t think of a better way to put it. Whatever ideas you have as a behind the scene person, as Manager, there was no better vehicle to put your ideas to test.
This is because everything has to come together. If you are hardworking, if you have the right ideas, if you don’t have the right person, the right artiste driving that vision, you can’t achieve much. So its like they say, though in a positive light, the person wey wan die, come meet somebody wey wan kill am. It was just perfect. That was in 2003. We said its ok. Its fine. But we had to have a contractual agreement. He said no problem. Send me the draft. We did all of that he had his lawyers look at it and that was how it happened.
How did Tuface move from just been a big artiste to the big brand that he is today?
Its been combination of a lot of things. People say Tuface is talented, very talented. Of course that is the first thing you will notice. People say he is very charismatic and charming Yes. That is true. People say Tuface is humble, very humble, very nice guy. I agree. But I just think being talented, being Charismatic and being humble is not enough to get you or anyone to where he is today. People don’t understand how hard Tuface works. It is very easy to explain away everything, at the face value of, oh he is a very talented guy. Oh! He is a very charming guy. Oh very humble guy. Yes. Oh that helps. But he works really, really hard. Sometimes, the kind of schedule we put him through is so gruesome. There are times I get out of his face and allow him relax and breathe. Because once I call, its like an alarm bell. It has to be work. It is deadlines and schedules and recordings and video shoots and interview sessions and practice sessions, strategic sessions and long meetings paper work.
Tuface works very hard I wonder how he manages to keep himself motivated. I think it is a gift. There is a gift of a Talent. There is also the gift of Hunger. A lot of us have it when we are struggling, once we get a little comfortable we lose it. It is a gift. I think Tuface has a gift of hunger, because when you listen to his works he is always trying to do better than the last time. He agrees with a lot of the ideas we put on the table because he is challenging himself to do the next thing.
He does a lot of work to maintain his visibity, relevance. You seldom catch Tuface show you arrogance. I have seen a lot of artistes, at some point you can’t get across to than any more. We are notorious for cancelling contracts. I mean at Now Muzik. We are. If there was a Grammy award for the company that has parted ways with the highest number of artistes I am sure we would get a nomination if we don’t win. And the reason is simple. You cannot manage an artiste beyond the point that he or she is willing to be managed.
That was the first point Eddy Lawani taught me.
The task is identifying where that point, is because sometimes you think the artiste is at that point but the artiste is not really there yet. May be there are some issues. But once you identify that this artiste is not willing to be managed beyond this point, the best thing you can do for yourself and the artiste is to let him go. Its like a footballer if the guy wakes one morning and says I don’t want to play for Arsenal anymore or Eyinmba any more sell him. Because once he is not in that frame of mind to get out there on the pitch and see himself as one of 22 or 23 players that are pursuing once cause, it is useless to you. No matter how talented, or gifted he is, just let him go. Tuface has never betrayed this attitude like I don’t have anything to prove anymore. He is always challenging himself. He stays hungry.
I tell all the young people. I work with: I can show you the door, I can’t help you walk through it. I can give you money. I can give you food. I can give you advice. I can give you a job. I can give you a car. I can even hook you up with a wife. I can’t give you hunger. That’s the funny thing. That is one thing nobody can give anybody. Yeah, nobody is perfect. There will always been ups and downs. Tuface blew in 1999/2000 with a single from Plantashun Boiz. This is 2013, 13 to 14 years down the road.
How many artistes do you know, or, can you name for me globally, not just in Nigeria, that has done this. This is a guy that has been as a unit or as a solo artiste been one of the hottest, say top 3, to 4 act from Plantashun Boiz in 1999/2000 to 2013. How many artistes do you know since 1999 that is first all are still making music today. Secondly are still relevant and thirdly you can count as Top 5 or almost top 10 in the market. Even in Nigeria or Africa or Ghana who are the artistes that were hot in the year 2000? To make music, to stay 14 to 15 years making music, people come, people go and everytime there is still a debate. Oh he is No 1. No we is No 2. It takes something special to maintain that level of visibility, and relevance.
How about the role of having good management? Doesn’t that play a role?
It does. This is what I think we’ve been able to do with Tuface. We’ve been able to earn his confidence. And it takes a bit of perseverance and sacrifice and discipline to be able to earn someone’s confidence. I am not even talking of an artiste now. It is something you earn. What I can say without sounding immodest is that to a reasonable extent we’ve been able to earn his confidence. We’ve worked over a long period of time. I am sure if we have nudged him in a certain direction, 10 times and out of those 10 times, he found out that he was misled on 4 or 5 occasions, then the natural instinct will be to become self protective and say hey, hey, hold on, that’s what you’ve said but let me check it out my way. Because of the person Tuface is, it is very easy to take Tuface for granted because he is peace-loving to a fault. If you know Tuface well and you know the kind of things you have to deal with, there are certain times you will hate other people on his behalf. You will be angry with people on his behalf and when he is with them you will be feeling guilty. You will feel ashamed of your self because this is the guy who is the victim of the person’s action. He is the target of the attack. He knows about the attack. Yet he doesn’t’ care.
When we took over his management, the first thing we had to contend with was the claims that Faze made on his 1st single.
Every where we went everybody wanted to find out the deal between him and Faze. It was funny because we knew Plantashun Boiz had a hit single before Faze joined. So its like, the 2 guys had done the ground work, they were on the verge of super stardom and then comes this guy who says make we enjoy this thing together. Something happens along the line and the impression the song was communicating, was that this person was betrayed. At that time you had the Remedies, Tony Tetuila issue. Tony Tetuila had a lot of Public sympathy because the competition then was hot and the public felt the group rode on this guy’s back in terms of financing and all of that. Now they are successful they are trying to ditch him. In the case of Tuface it was almost an attack on his integrity. He didn’t see it as a problem. He will say me and him we are cool. There is no problem people thought that was a PR response. It wasn’t. We knew for real there was not rancour, no hate, no anger.
So, the point I am making is it is very easy for people to take him for granted because he comes across as if he doesn’t notice some stuff.
He comes across as if when he notices he is unwilling to fight back. So, the natural instinct of the average guy is to succumb to the temptation to try to be too smart or try to be disrespectful. Its far from the truth. Tuface sometimes fight attacks, he fights negativity, evil, by either been quiet or showing love. But he is very perceptive. You can do a lot of bad stuff to him but he won’t lose his temper. He can make excuses for you. He can tolerate you. Then it gets to a point he will just shut up. At that point there is nothing anybody can do. What I am trying to say is that. It is very easy to get it wrong dealing with Tuface. It is very easy to assume that he doesn’t notice anything or that he does not care. He does. He notices everything.
What we have done is to come to the table, clear minded, clear headed, dean hands, do our very best everytime to get optimum results. We’ve worked with and for Tuface at periods when we didn’t have a Management Contract. We have been invited as consultants to produce events like the Grass To Grace album launch at Planet 1 in 2006. We produced the event as consultants. He picked up his phone, calls Efe, arranges a meeting and says I am planning my show, I need you to handle it. This is what I want. He tells you and we get it done. I think it is basically the consistency and the quality of results that we’ve earned. We are very serious about what we do. We take ourselves very seriously. We understand the importance of the brief that we have We understand that whatever you cannot achieve working with a talent like Tuface you probably will never achieve. So he has his dreams. We also have ours and we are just as motivated. We are thankful and grateful for the little positive results we’ve had. We are very ambitious. We want to do this at the highest of levels. That is the Unism and vision. Tuface wants to continue to do this for as long as possible, at the highest possible level. He doesn’t want to compromise his personal believes to get anywhere. Tuface would not be nice to you or rude to you to achieve any particular goal. He is not going to bend his rules, he is not going to become a different person to achieve everything.
But he remains committed, he remains driven. For us, your ideas, whatever you do, whatever you are planning, whatever you create, you can only express through the talents that you work with. So, it is very important for us also that we comport ourselves in a way that puts us in good stead. Our challenge is to succeed with him on his own terms.
The idea is you have to be able to match the artists talents and ambition with the right quality or business management back up. It is fundamentally business management. The part of the work that I consider most mundane is when we talk about shows and money Of course we have to perform. It is an essential part of the business. But anybody can pick up my phone and say hello. This is Now Muzik we want Tuface for a show. How much will you charge? And they negotiate.
Anybody can do that The job is how do you manage the artiste, his releases, his videos, how do you coordinate his promotion even when he goes on stage. If there are 10 artistes performing that night, will they remember you? If they do, what will they remember you for? It’s about preparing the artiste in such a way that he makes the most of the 3 minutes that he has to perform.
That is management. That is an advertisement window. You have to decide on the songs that you are even going to perform there.
The post how Tuface became the big brand he his today appeared first on citypeople.com.ng.
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