By Kola Bola
Lately the entertainment space in the South West, Nigeria, has been unnecessarily heated up by needless hoopla between General Kollington Ayinla, famously known as Kebe Kwara, and King Wasiu Omogbolahan Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM I or simply as KI De Ultimate over who owns the kingship title between the two iconic and legendary Fuji maestros.
If you ask me, I will tell you that the harangue over who calls the shot as Fuji King is over three decades late, and dead on arrival. This is a familiar terrain for some of us whose civility and love for made-in-Yoruba music brands, especially Juju and Fuji music genres, was shaped and is still shaping. It is a regular route that most of us have traveled repeatedly before.
Oftener than not, the squabble mostly emanates from showcase of ego, looking for the fame long lost in the studios on the streets. The battleline, to me, should be drawn in the studio and not on social media platforms. To me, musical superiority starts and ends in the studios.
Like water that flows from no source which may run but for a very brief course, so is a musician who lost it in the studio may never win more fans on the street.
Regardless of the misgiving among some factions in the nations of Fuji music lovers across the globe, KI had laid claim to the kingship title of this great Yoruba music brand as far back as 1993.
KI De Ultimate did not leave anybody in doubts as to where his crown of Fuji emanated from – not from any known palace of any Oba in Yoruba land. He bluntly told us all that the crown was given by Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the premises of the first television station in Africa located in Ibadan, Oyo State capital city.
Despite that rare untraditional coronation of a king, the studio work that followed that was an instant hit. It is also on record that KI serenaded late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister and General Kollington Ayinla in the album as his patrons – Baba Oba.
Neither Barrister nor Kollington refuted the claim back then. They were very contented with being recognized as the Baba Oba of the Oba Fuji.
Has anything changed afterward?
Obviously many things have since taken many colourations, especially when KI dropped the bombshell, another studio work titled ‘Ado Oro’ (Gourds) where he tried tracing the origin of Fuji music to pre-Barrister era. No doubt, that music incurred the wrath of late Barrister, who had laid claim to founding the music genre when it actually emanated from ‘Were’ – a local music linked to Muslim faithful especially during Ramadan.
Many younger Fuji crooners took to their favourable side of the divides. While Saheed Osupa, who now lays claim to the Oba Orin (Music King) to spite KI in support of Barrister, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma paired up with KI and he was happy to flag the title Otunba Fuji – the right hand man of Oba Fuji.
Many other young stars in the Fuji genre flowed along in the crisis, riding the path they considered favourable to their growth in the music industry. Name them, Sule Alao Malaika, Remi Aluko, Atawewe among others all feasted on the eschewing imbroglio to ride an easy road to further project their fame in the music industry.
While the altercations and counter-altercations lasted, Kebe Kwara did not for once deep his microphone in the messy show of ego then. If he maintained a good stand of maturity then, why is he staking his neck to run over KI now? Was it that he was happy that his old friend, soldier colleague and music arch-rival was being cut to size by the Talazo crooner, who incidentally honed his music career under the legendary Fuji musician – Barrister?
Has anything changed between then and now? Obviously, yes.
Those who lost the battle of ego flaunting to KI in and out of the studio have since found a new ‘Mecca’ in General Kollington’s Alagbado residence. Doing everything unthinkable to provoke Baba Alatika to take on KI from where they lost the battle with the Ijebu-Ode born prince, who is now the Olori Omo Oba Akile Ijebu.
KI, to the best of my understanding, has never contested the seniority of Kebe in age and in music, neither has Kebe picked holes in KI’s kingship of Fuji until lately. And the story flying around coming from Baba Alagbado, if anything at all, is unwarranted.
To be the king of any town does not automatically confer on the person the title of the eldest man in the town. The two are worlds apart. If Kollington is fighting for seniority with KI, it is understandable; but taking the Fuji modernizer up on his over three decades old Fuji Obaship is like the proverbial man who ties maize cob to his waist he will sure become a jester in the community of fowls.
Just wish Kollington can summon elderly courage to bring KI closer by recognizing what the good dude has done in promoting Fuji music, marketing same with dexterity across the globe, and he will forever remain the Baba Oba he was given by KI in 1993.
With the advent of Fuji Radio online, founded by KI, the incontrovertible Fuji King has just registered another royal presence on the global Fuji music scene.
Kola Bola is a Lagos based journalist and social analyst
