To ride on the growing union between music and youths’ development and tap into the achievements in the music industry and their impact in the international circle, brands have developed a strategy that combines entertainment and brands message to get the heart of their target audience.
Over the years, Nigeria has produced some talented hip hop artistes who have represented the nation at the world stage, thereby creating the ground for acceptability which has been recognised as one the best platforms for brands, corporate organisations as well as individuals who desired to reach the target audience.
One of such is the recently concluded Amstel Malta/Tuface Campus Connect Tour. The event, which was sponsored by Amstel Malt, of Nigerian Breweries Plc. It hosted the country’s Afro hip hop singing sensation, Innocent Ujah Idibia, popularly called Tuface, and other musicians.
The Indoor Sports Hall of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) was a beehive of activities as hip hop superstars, as many students turned out to witness the six campus music tour.
The Campus Connect gig train, which made stops at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Benin City, University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Port Harcourt, Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Enugu and the University of Abuja, Abuja had several budding and notable artistes thrilling their fans. They include: Ranson, Money B, Hype M.C, Efa, Young Grace, 2Sec, Rocksteady, Damy Crane, Sheyi Shay, Rough Coil, Vector, Solid Star, Phyno, Sound Sultan and the winner of Amstel Malta Show time in last year, Same.
Music lovers in Lagos got more than they bargained for as these music acts offered interactive music renditions, which was applauded by guests and joyful moments from them. The crowd, comprising students from UNILAG, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos State Polytechnic and Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education Lagos defied the downpour on that day to enjoy music performance by Tuface and friends.
The Brand Manager, Amstel Malta, Miss Hannatu Ageni Yusuf, expressed her appreciation for the impressive turnout and the outstanding musical performances.
“Amstel Malta has always championed and advanced the course of youths by encouraging them to be the best that they can be. Tonight’s performance is also a clear demonstration of being able to connect to the University students and the good people of Lagos”.
She added: “The Amstel Malta brand has a penchant for promoting positive values in the youths to chart a good course for Nigeria as a nation. Tuface and his friends have been awesome and Amstel Malta, the low sugar premium brand from Nigerian Breweries is indeed delighted to be associated with them.”
She promised that the next edition would be bigger and more exciting as the team would prepare for it to adjust and add on some ideas to create that moment of interaction with Nigerian hip hop stars and the students.
The audience received Tuface with uncontrollable chants of excitement. Apart from churning out some his iconic music tracks, Tuface also pepped up his performance with a repertoire of chorographers while he perfected the act of singing as well as skillfully maneuvering his lanky gait. With cans of Amstel Malta in their hand, Tuface proved to his fans for the umpteenth time why he is unarguably one of Nigeria’s hottest musical exports to the global scene.
The crowd cheered endlessly as Tuface recreated his popular tracks with improvisations. Tracks such as ‘For instance’, ‘Bush meat’, ‘Nfana Ibaga’, ‘U no holy pass’, ‘See me so’, ‘No shaking’, ‘Enter the place’, ‘Implication’, and his hit track from his recent‘ Away and Beyond’ album tagged ‘Ihe neme’. Certainly, Tuface backed by his friends lived up to his billing as one of Nigeria’s top acts, he also provided the undergraduates with the opportunity to be the best they can be.
Okodua Cosmos, a 300 Level Estate Management student, described the show as the best that has ever happened on the campus of UNILAG because it created an exciting moment between the students and the hip hop stars. He praised Amstel Malta for creating the platform for these music acts to perform, thereby contributing to extra-curricular activities in schools. “I believe the brand must have paid a huge amount to bring Tuface and his friends to UNILAG, if we were to pay the amount charged by organisers of such shows outside the campus we would have paid through our nose, but we came in almost free. They really encouraged us to be the best we can be.”
Ogunsola Oluwakemi, a100 Level Psychology undergraduate also expressed her excitement and satisfaction on the show; “I cannot describe how happy I am to see some of the hip hop stars on stage, I am also getting the best time with best malt. The show has brought us relief from the bustle of lecture hall, this should happen often to help us reduce the stress of campus,” she said.
Adukwu Ekene, a 300 Level Human Kinetic and Health Education student, praised the synergy between Tuface and Amstel Malta, calling for more of such gigs on campus.
Nigeria has been called “the heart of African music” because of its role in the development of West African highlife and palm-wine music, which fuses native rhythms with techniques imported from the Congo for the development of several popular styles that were unique to Nigeria, such as Apala, fuji, jùjú, highlife, and Yo-pop.
Subsequently, Nigerian musicians created their styles of United States hip hop music and Jamaican reggae. The musical output has achieved international acclaim not only in the fields of folk and popular music, but also Western art music written by composers.
The new breed of musicians championed by Tuface and others has, indeed, taken music to unimaginable heights.
