Why I Blame ‘The Streets’ For Lil Kesh “Next Rated” Loss At The Headies

The dramatic event acted out at the Headies awards stage on January the first, is one happenstance that won’t be too easy to forget. The theatrics perpetrated by the upper echelon rulers of the Nigerian music industry has remained an abysmal bewilder to many. While the streets were busy taking over, turning out nooks and crannies,

the populace couldn’t even drive their ruling prince to a deserving win. And this was a stinking piece of information that was not-very-well-received-at-all. Their sadness and disappointment shone right through their heavy laden hearts. But it never occurred to them that they might have been their own detractors, the architects of their own misfortune, the direct rationale behind their loss.

Let me tell you why.

First of all, for a voting category award, you never underestimate the power of social media. The Mavins are a brand with an actual structure. YBNL are only just a heavily mouthed gang, no structure. And this was the beginning of Keshi’s loss. While the Mavins crew unleashed tricks off their playbook to ensuring Reeky Banks eventually emerged winner (which majorly centered around online presence, a parade of resource and brand awareness), YBNL just assumed Keshi was going to win because he had built an undeniable brand presence that obviously outweighed Reekado’s.

Mavins have a website, and it tells you so much more than just information-in-passing which almost everyone knows about their dynasty. They even have a so-called A&R Manager. And asides having brand accounts on various social media platforms, every member of the label has taken it upon themselves to participate actively as per time and season on all these platforms, registering their artiste presence with fans as well as strengthening their profile. By suggestive contrast, you would know by now that YBNL doesn’t even have a brand/label account, not to talk of an official website and the members are terribly slacked in honing a presence online.

What processes did the YBNL label or even Lil Kesh take on as an artiste to ensure people were voting him to win? Mavins were tweeting, the undertook some promotional exercises like giveaways, even such things as simple as follow-backs were used as treaties. Don Jazzy used his revered status to reinforce Reekado’s growing online presence. Tiwa, Korede and Di’Ja also showed some support. Reekado too vested himself in hours several minutes long Twitterchatversations with his fans (otherwise Reekaddicts), the ultimate aim being getting you to love him enough to actually take some 5 or so minutes off whatever other important thing you were doing to vote for him. And this was a continuous process. It didn’t just happen once and then stopped there. Thus, this should relay some deep insight as to how he eventually emerged winner over the category’s biggest contender.