{"id":11370,"date":"2019-06-23T18:09:02","date_gmt":"2019-06-23T18:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/ng\/?p=5572"},"modified":"2019-06-23T18:09:02","modified_gmt":"2019-06-23T18:09:02","slug":"breaking-silence-after-23-years-in-nigerias-music-industry-i-am-nigerias-number-one-reggae-rocker-gidd-magip-if-music-is-the-food-of-love-play-on-nigerian-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/breaking-silence-after-23-years-in-nigerias-music-industry-i-am-nigerias-number-one-reggae-rocker-gidd-magip-if-music-is-the-food-of-love-play-on-nigerian-government\/","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING SILENCE AFTER 23 YEARS IN NIGERIA’S MUSIC INDUSTRY: I am NIGERIA’S Number one Reggae ROCKER-Gidd Magip \u2026’If music is the food of love, play on…’ * ‘Nigerian Government has FAILED Musicians in the country’ * ‘PMAN is a Useless Organization and a Den of Thieves’ * Yet to collect a single royalty on Reggae Rocker after commercial success of album * ‘Plays deep, spiritual classics of Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Majek Fashek * Reveals why most musicians live in abject poverty, Why he loves being a Jehovah Witness * His words: \u201cI’m from a polygamous family. After my Dad’s death, the family drove my mother with eight children away. I dropped out of school and started selling newspaper as a vendor. I sold newspapers for two years and thereafter bought my guitar. I bought my first guitar at a cost of 320Naira then\u201d BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU, AMERICAN Foreign Bureau Chief, Naija Standard Newspaper"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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BREAKING\nSILENCE AFTER 23 YEARS IN NIGERIA’S MUSIC INDUSTRY:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nam NIGERIA’S Number one Reggae ROCKER-Gidd Magip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026‘If\nmusic is the food of love, play on…’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\n‘Nigerian Government has FAILED Musicians in the country’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\n‘PMAN is a Useless Organization and a Den of Thieves’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\nYet to collect a single royalty on Reggae Rocker after commercial\nsuccess of album<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\n‘Plays deep, spiritual classics of Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Majek\nFashek<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\nReveals why most musicians live in abject poverty, Why he loves being\na Jehovah Witness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

* His words: \u201cI’m from a polygamous family. After my Dad’s death, the family drove my mother with eight children away. I dropped out of school and started selling newspaper as a vendor. I sold newspapers for two years and thereafter bought my guitar. I bought my first guitar at a cost of 320Naira then\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FOR\n23 YEARS, GIDEON IBEH, famously known on Africa’s music stage as Gidd\nMagip shone like stars with his hit album then ‘I am a Reggae Rocker’\nin 1997. Everyone believed that album was a commercial success, as he\nshowered in awards and traveled for open music concerts across\nAfrica. He had decided to open up on the challenges life has put\nacross him, even with the daily vicissitudes of problems. Damning all\nconsequences, ready to break free, set to release another hit album\ncoming up soon, he had granted this interview to our hardworking\nAMERICAN Foreign Bureau Chief, GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU on ‘State of\nNigerian Music industry, his life and other issues.\u201d Enjoy it… <\/strong><\/em>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: How will you describe your brand of Reggae music?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My\nbrand of reggae is called Afro reggae. This kind of reggae is very\ndeep and spiritual. It is a combination of the classics of Fela \nAnikulapo Kuti, Bob Marley and Majek Fashek. I fussed the three\nbrands to develop my brand of Afro reggae. <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: Will you say there is hope for Nigerian musicians in the\ncountry?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes,\n there\nis hope. Nigerian artists are talented but they need to be discipline\nand learn how to play one instrument. <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: Will you say the Nigerian government has failed the\nmusicians?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\nsure, Nigerian\ngovernment has failed Nigeria musicians and the masses at large. <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: Why are you famously called Nigeria’s Reggae Rocker? <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After\nthe release of reggae rocker in 1997, everybody started calling me\n‘reggae rocker’ and I got tired of telling people my biological name.\nReasons being that the people enjoyed my music and got stuck to\nreggae rocker Monica.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: Your\nbiological first name is Gideon. Why do you adopt the stage name\n‘Reggae Rocker?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As\nat today, reggae rocker is a household name in Africa after many\nyears I had disappeared from the public because view due to spiritual\nrelated issues. But I thank God now I am stronger than ever. <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: What are some of the highpoint of your music career?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nhave performed in music concerts across Africa, won several\ninternational awards.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: Do you regret being a musician in Nigeria?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No\ni don’t regret. The frustration in the country gives you inspiration,\nand my best is yet to come.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: Why has there been leadership problem continually in the\nPerforming Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN)?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PMAN\nhas always been a very useless organization. I never believe in them,\njust like the government, they don\u2019t have blue-print to work on,\nonly to steal money. <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: Who will you describe as the worst PMAN President since\nestablishment and your reasons?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nwould prefer tp keep my observation to myself as I have already\nexplained all I know about PMAN. <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: Why do you think most Nigerian musicians are not living a\nlife of luxury?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nis true\nthat our musicians are not living a life of luxury, but penury. You\ncannot be greater than you are presently due to your environment. Do\nyou know at no time was I paid royalty for the reggae rocker album\nwhich was a commercial success in Nigeria and across Africa?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: What are some of your regrets in life?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes,\n my\ngreatest regret was when I stopped preaching as a Jehovah witness due\nto hardship before my album release.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: What lessons has life taught you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life\nhas \nlife has taught me to trust in God, be humble, never give up, keep\ntrying and above all things the beginner is never the winner.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: Take us through your childhood biography? <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My\nname is\nGideon Ibeh, stage name as reggae rocker. I was born after the\nBiafran war. My mum is from Edo state and my father from Abia state.\nI came from a polygamous family which stirred alot of jealousy when\nthey discovered I am the beloved son of my father among many\nchildren my dad had. After my Dad’s death, the family drove my mother\nwith eight children away. I dropped out of school and started selling\nnewspaper as a vendor. My father died in 1986. I sold newspapers for\ntwo years and thereafter bought my guitar. I bought my first guitar\nat a cost of 320naira then. Two years latter, I recorded a hit\nwhen it was released, it spread like fire in Benue state were i was\nthen. That how i moved on, as i said the best is yet to come\n<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: Finally, tell us about your present music album? <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My\nnew single hit album is titled: \u201cNo one knows tomorrow,\u201d\nreflective of a seven days story. The second single will reveal the\nstuff I am made of. We have plenty musicians who are talented but\ncannot do good music and they know it. Peace and love to all my fans.\n <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BREAKING SILENCE AFTER 23 YEARS IN NIGERIA’S MUSIC INDUSTRY: I am NIGERIA’S Number one Reggae ROCKER-Gidd Magip \u2026‘If music is the food of love, play on…’ * ‘Nigerian Government has FAILED Musicians in the country’ * ‘PMAN is a Useless Organization and a Den of Thieves’ * Yet to collect a single royalty on Reggae […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[102],"tags":[129,130],"class_list":{"0":"post-11370","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nigeria","8":"tag-africa","9":"tag-nigeria-2"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11370\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}