Majek Fashek in the 80's
Cheta Nwanze, an UNEMPLOYED YOUTH that speaks on radio once in a while defines a legend as a person who's actions are talked about for years after such actions have taken place. Sometimes, those actions could be in a single event, which touches the lives of people for years afterwards.
According to Chxta Bee as fondly called on Facebook, The Sahel Drought of the 1980s affected Nigeria as well. That drought was responsible for 100,000 deaths in the Sahel region from 1980 to 1988.
In 1988, a young Nigerian musician, Majek Fashek, released a song, "Send Down The Rain", and shortly after, presto, rain fell, in buckets. The drought was over. For that sentimental reason alone, Majek's status as a Nigerian musical legend was assured. He became known as the "Rainmaker".
He was the first musician in our country to pack concerts in all our geopolitical zones. Not even the bigger legend, Fela achieved that. Majek had a lot of other songs that had great status, such as "Religion Is Politics", "Iye", "So Long, Too Long" and "Holy Spirit".
Majek Fashek Now...
In 1990, Majek made the fundamental error of leaving Nigeria for the US to try his hand at the market there. Time, was not kind to him as the kind of deals that allow our modern noisemakers to rub shoulders with some of America's top musicians did not exist then.
Let's just call it a hard lesson in synchronicity. Majek's output dropped sharply after that, but, what he had done prior, was enough to cement his status as a legend.
Majek Fashek was, and remains a legend in the annals of Nigerian music. Not Whizkid.
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