It has become a norm in Nigeria for an artist after a few years of being signed to come out and accuse their Label of neglect and mismanaging of their careers. Several artists come out of these record deal, broken and broke, there are a lot of examples of these in the Nigerian music industry, from Brymo and Chocolate City, to Temmie Ovwasa and YBNL. A lot of people have now seen that behind all that bling bling, artists are really suffering.
But still, there are artist who have been able to beat the system, they have remained independent, made money off their music and own their own masters.
- Show Dem Camp
Regarded has one of the OG’s of Nigerian hip-hop and the guys that laid down the blue print of the alte scene, This hip-hop duo have focused on building a loyal fan base over the years, and for the past 3 years have organized their own festival ‘Palmwine Fest’ which is always usually packed.
2. Nonso Amadi
After the going viral his first song ‘Tonight’, instead of looking into hiding under a label, Nonso released a few number of songs, a solo EP and a collaborative EP with Odunsi the engine solidifying his presence with his fans. This was made possible because apart from being a fantastic singer, he is also a producer and he produced his earlier songs.
3. MR Eazi
While a lot of people might find this confusing considering his relationship with Starboy records. Before Mr Eazi there weren’t a lot of people who collaborated with Labels and were not signed to them. Mr Eazi arrangement with Starboy allowed him control over his sound and also own his masters 100 percent.
4. TEMS
After being approached by Tec of Show Dem Camp, Tems has steadily grown her fan base and has joined the league of Nigerian artists who can confidently say they own their masters and have full control of their music.
5. Lady Donli
Like most artist in the alte scene, Lady Donli has developed a solid fan base who are always ready and receptive of her fans, last year she released her first studio album and after headlined her own show and that is a big flex for a new artist that has no Label backing.