In the latest episode of African Voices Changemakers, Cecil and Keke Hammond, who run ‘Rhythm Unplugged’ and ‘Flytime Fest,’ open up on their business and life.
The Hammonds are famous for producing Rhythm Unplugged and Flytime Fest, a concert where many now world-famous Nigerian artists performed for the first time.
Cecil Hammond launched Flytime’s flagship show, a one-night concert called Rhythm Unplugged, in 2004.
He explains that this pioneered and revolutionised the rise of Nigerian music, saying, “Most of the big artists you have today, Flytime actually started their first individual shows. Nobody ever used to do that, and it was a big risk we were taking.”
Continuing, Cecil said: “Rhythm Unplugged came about 20 years ago when I realised there were no concerts for mainstream artists. We had to find a platform for them to come perform and for the audience to come see their favourite artists basically. Back then comedy was way bigger than music.”
He explains that once people started listening to more Nigerian music, radio stations had a demand for more music and artists. He says, “The first show we had over 30, 40 artists and comedians literally on the first show. And it was sold out. We had our next show three months later, and the next show four to six months later because it kept on being a success, a success, a success. And it just shows that this is what people, Nigerians, wanted to see.”
Long before becoming Flytime’s Chief Operations Officer, Keke Hammond says she admired the
brand’s dedication to promoting Nigerian talent and got her first Flytime experience around 2007.
In her words,“I’d heard about the franchise, about Rhythm Unplugged and how it was this platform for comedians and Nigerians to perform and how there’s been nothing like it in the Nigerian scene. And most importantly, he didn’t have international artists on the bill, and I loved that.”
Continuing, Keke said, “There are so many different things that Rhythm Unplugged and Flytime Fest has contributed to, where Afrobeats is now from a global standpoint. I would say that I’ve seen that growth from our point of view as well as from the artist’s point of view. And then there’s also the inclusion of international artists. Why?
Because our artists are global, right? And so, if our artists are going to the US or to the UK or to Asia, why can’t we also bring the people that they’re working with who they are featuring on their music to Nigeria as well.”
Cecil insists Flytime remains a starting point for many established music acts. He reminisced on the array of performers he has witnessed at Flytime over the years saying, “I’ve seen over 300 artists perform on our stage, and only like 10 to 20 or 20% of them are still around right now.”
Keke continues on Davido’s journey, “If we think about someone like Davido, he started when he was very young, but didn’t have the platform. Thankfully there was a place like Rhythm Unplugged, which was his first stage. So, we want to continue to be a part of those stories because they are so beautiful.”
The Hammonds say they invest a lot of resources to provide the artists and the crowd with a memorable experience. Keke elaborates, “Our artists are global, right? And they’re performing at Madison Square Garden, the O2 and places like that. So, when they come here, they don’t want to reduce their production quality. So, the onus is on us to make sure that we get the equipment from wherever to be able to deliver that same quality.”
