Ice Prince: Rapper has to understand that Davido and Lil Kesh are currently 'hotter' artists

The music industry is a very fickle place, where no one is genuinely in your corner. Just like in politics, loyalty is a scarce commodity and there are no permanent friends and foes.

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Ice Prince Zamani

 (Instagram)

The only reason why there was a problem between Ice Prince, Davido and Lil Kesh at a recent concert in Warri was because of a lack of understanding. Ice Prince lacks understanding of how the industry works.

Ice Prince and Davido were involved in a brawl at the Delta Alive concert organized by entertainment mogul, Shina Peller. And the major problem was Ice Prince feeling slighted because he felt that he was not given the A-list luxury treatment, and he was also made to perform before Lil Kesh. Which according to industry standards, is an insult.

It’s an unwritten but strict rule in the music industry that bigger artists perform last. The smaller ones go first and open for the big dogs. The big guys come in and end the show on a high. Anything else is just f**ked up and flat-out insulting. And in an industry where every star comes with a pre-installed gigantic ego, it’s enough reason to come to blows. Wars have been declared for less.

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Ice Prince and Davido 

(BET)

But Ice Prince lacks understanding. He lacks the understanding of how the music industry works. The ‘Oleku’ rapper is a ‘big’ artist. His name has household value and fame. And matter of fact, he has done enough, with three albums and a long list of his singles shining in our recent pop history.

But he cannot compare himself to a ‘hot’ artist. Ice Prince is big, but he isn’t hot. And as the industry goes, hot artists are treated better than ‘big’ artists. The only exception is 2face Idibia, who is everyone’s idol and mentor. And that’s because he is evergreen.

Ice Prince is big due to what he has done in the past. Davido and Lil Kesh are hot because of what they are doing in the present.

When was the last time Ice Prince ever had a hit song? It will be 2015’s ‘Boss’, which was produced by Tekno. After that, the rapper has not had a popular record which has charted, destroyed radio, and had everyone dancing through the night. All he has are old records. And right now, old records will not trump new records.

Davido has ‘If’, Runtown has ‘Mad Over You’, Lil Kesh has ‘Shele gan gan’, Tekno has a long list of trending songs. They would be ahead of Ice Prince on the pecking order. Sad, and harsh, but the real truth.

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Davido styled by Swankyjerry

 (Instagram)

The music industry is a very fickle place, where no one is genuinely in your corner. Just like in politics, loyalty is a scarce commodity and there are no permanent friends and foes. There’s just common interests. And that common interest have to align in the present. That’s how it works.

But Ice Prince still has people hanging on to his work, he boasts a die-hard fan base that will always be there for him. At least, he isn’t a former celebrity. He has a lot going for him. And that’s all that matters.

If he was a former star, things would be worse.

It’s a hard life being a former star or losing your relevance in the Nigerian music industry.

The system chews you up, spits you out and tramples on you. And then you wake up one day, frustrated, disrespected and down. You look all around you, and there’s nothing you own. Your fans have jumped ship, your music is stale, you can’t find acceptance, the cheques have stopped coming, and the concerts have dried up.

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At that point, it’s just you, your elevated but bruised ego, and the memories of how you used to be a champion and the people’s hero. These thoughts hit you hard, you feel like you are drowning, and when you turn on the TV, there are new kids on the block, owning what you used to have. Walking the roads you once ran on, and making the money that once belonged to you.

Ice Prince has two options. He either takes this on the chin, hits the studio, enlist people to give him the right production for the pop market, and record that fire jam. Or he can choose to not understand that he is being pushed behind by his lack of hits, surround himself with sycophants, and continue the long blissful ride to irrelevance.

The choice is his.