I Put Mask On Lagbaja’s Face
Sunday Are, the CEO of List Entertainment, management consultants to D’banj and Mo-Hits Crew, spoke about his working experience with SSP, Ayuba, Laolu Akins, Lagbaja and others
How did you start?
Well, that is a long story but I will tell you that I started professionally in 1984. I had worked with Mandy Brown, Terra Kota, Dizzy K Falola, Onyeka Onwenu, Majek Fashek and Lagbaja, but now I am working with the Mo-Hits family.
Did you start as a manager or what?
I started as sound engineer and later as a musician. I learnt Sound Engineering with Root Foundation, Spare, Moscow Egbe, Ote, people that know it. I later worked with October Band, Jimmy Adams and Goldfinger. I was doing the job with them because I love entertainment and I feel that the only way then was to learn from the masters.
How did you start?
The way I started was to follow musicians, help to pack equipment and while I was doing this, I was learning how to set the drums, the combo, keyboard and the guitar. Later, I began to set the instruments, hook them to the mixer and other things. I later went to Prime B and Prince Bola Agba, who was a drummer with the Root Foundation and started learning how to play the drums. As I was setting up equipment, I was learning how to play the drums also.
Which major job did you do as sound engineer?
Well, I did a lot of jobs with Ibtonia in the 1980s. I worked on the company’s concert equipment. I also assisted during the MAMSER tour with Prof. Jerry Gana as well as Majek Fashek. We did brainstorm together. But in 1987, Richard Cole, the former band leader of Bongos Ikwe and David came for me when they wanted to set up Gold Train Orchestra for Christy Essien-Igbokwe.
Why did they go for you?
I think somehow, they just believed in me and when I got to the orchestra, I saw the faces I knew like OC Den Obi and others and we both set up the equipment because they had just bought it new. The company’s name was Soul Train but the band’s name was Gold Train. After setting the equipment those present appreciated what I did and so, they asked me to start working with the band. I was doing the engineering work side by side playing some instruments for the band.
Did you study Engineering in school?
No, I love entertainment a lot and in those days, the trick was that if you love something, you will find a way of doing it. You just go after an artiste and pretend as if you want to work with him or her as partner, from there, you will get to where you are going. That was how I started. It is not about education, I just love music.
When did you have your major break?
My major break was with Majek Fashek from the time of Send Down The Rain. There was Reggae Sunsplash show in which we had Yellowman, Fly and Rubby and so many others. Majek’s group also performed in the show as a group. The Jah Stick group comprised Majek, Black Orise, George Owen and Amos McRoy. They had a performance and I did the technical work on the stage. Since then, we have been together. Majek told me then that he would be travelling to London to mix the album Prisoner of Conscience and on his return, we would continue to work together.
So Majek broke away from the group, Jah Stick?
Yes, because he had to move up. While he was with the group, he was working on his own album with people like Nkono Teles and Lemmy Jackson and when he finished the job, he travelled out for the mixing of the album and as soon as he returned, he called to tell me that he was ready. Although I was still with Gold Orchestra, since I promised him that when he returned, I would work with him, I left to work with him on the album Prisoner of Conscience. Later, we invited some members of the Jah Stick to join the group and from then on we started to work from first album till Send Down The Rain.
How many years did you work with Majek?
We worked for a very long time.
What kind of person was Majek then?
Majek is a godfearing person, a talented singer, instrumentalist and fantastic composer.
What happened to him concerning the drug issue?
I don’t want to talk about that. Majek is a complete gentleman. During his hey day, he put God first in everything he was doing and people around him. Maybe when he was growing up, he never cared about some friends. I feel that at a point, he started mixing with different kinds of people and maybe he started doing that and forgot about where he was coming from.
Will you say fame got into his head?
I will say yes to that because later, he began to mix with a lot of people and they changed him because I know Majek, he believed in the Bible and meditated, but at a point, he was not doing that any more.
What is the problem with an average Nigerian artiste?
As I said earlier, what you want to become depends on you, using myself as an example. What did I want to do from the outset? I love entertainment and I set out to do it. It is better for me to respect myself and put God first and I think every artiste should be doing that.
Do we really have artiste managers in Nigeria?
There are so many, it depends on you paying your dues.
Have you paid your dues?
Yes, I have paid my dues. I worked with the late Steve Rhodes and he was not a small fry. I also worked with Miata Fanbuleh, Onyeka Onwenu and others. They always come for me because they like me.
What has it been working as an artiste manager?
It is not an easy task because I have worked with the grown ups and the younger ones alike. I helped to set up Lagbaja’s Colours Band with Laolu Akins at Sony Music. This is another story most people don’t know. I had known the producers of Colours Band and Lagbaja, that is Bisade Ologunde, who called me to assist in setting up the band.
How was it working with Laolu Akins?
Laolu Akins, that is my master. I gained a lot from him when it comes to production. From Sir Shina Peters to Adewale Ayuba, Obesere, Stella Yama and Iyanda Sawaba. If you check those works you will see co-produced by Sunday Are written on the album jackets and that has helped me a lot musically.
Did you help in producing Shina Peters’ Ace?
No, but I worked on Dancing Time and his other hits. I did some percussion and also on Ayuba’s Bubble and other jobs he did with Laolu Akins at Sony Music.
How did you start working with the Mo-Hits Crew?
Same story. They liked my work according to D’banj. He said anywhere they go concerning artiste management, they will always recommend me, so we struck a deal.
Did D’banj introduce you to Mo-Hits Crew?
Well, the first time I met them, it was D’banj and Don Jazzy and since then, we have been doing things together.
What does it take to work with Mo-Hits?
With the experience I have garnered, I have to do it.
What is the future of Mo-Hits?
The future is bright but as far as I am concerned, I must make sure my artistes win the Grammy and will definitely win that for me. I can say I will retire after that.
From SSP, Ayuba, Christy, Lagbaja, Majek, Mo-Hits, how has it been financially?
I thank God. You know money is about enjoying what you are doing. When I was working for Lagbaja, people called me and said I was overworking myself, but I told them I enjoyed what I was doing then. Thank God.
Was there any problem between Clarence Peters and D’banj?
No, there was no controversy because the two of them are brothers although there could be some argument on location, there was no problem. The job people are talking about has been completed.
How was it working with Lagbaja?
It was a great experience. He is also a great man and I garnered a lot of experience from him because he knows what he wants just like Laolu Akins and I said something earlier about setting up the Colours Band, it was not an easy thing. I know how we used to drive to Ajegunle, go to some churches to look for drummers, guitarists and others and when we finished all that, we started the first, second and the third albums.
Tell us about the transformation from Colours to Lagbaja?
Well, we had to create controversy that made people to wonder who is this person wearing a mask. There was nothing like promoting an album after doing that unlike before that we would do aggressive promotions, among other things. From the initial Colours, we entered a stage that Lagbaja must start wearing the mask because he was not the one wearing the mask then.
Who was wearing the mask then?
It was Kunle Ojomo.
Why did Lagbaja start to wear it?
At a point, I checked the concept, it was not working for me and so, I called him and told him he had to start wearing the mask. Although it was no easy because he was not happy about the suggestion initially, he had to agree with me as a man who knows where he was coming from, the background, family and school days, among others things. According to him, he said he had friends working in the bank as managing director and others and that I should not make him look stupid before them. But I thank God and Lagbaja too, because he believed in me. With all the fight and grumbling, he was forced to wear the mask. At the beginning, he would wear garetta at rehearsals and say he was not comfortable wearing the mask, but thank God, today he is wearing it and it is what God wants him to do. It was great working with him because I learnt a lot from him. Even from D’banj, the Mo-Hits Crew and my lady, Omawumi, I am still learning.
Have you fought with any of the artistes before?
No, we could have disagreements on issues and after weighing the pros and cons, we would come back to the drawing board and look for the way forward.
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