What does Steve Jobs, P Square, Samsung and Azonto have in common ? - The art of copying well.

The Ghanaian genre/dance Azonto has taken the world by storm with millions of youtube hits and everyone and their mum making videos of themselves dancing Azonto.
However anything that gains followers will also gain copy cats and in this instance the copying comes from non other that Ghana's bigger neighbour Nigeria in the form of the song/dance Alingo. Alingo is an upbeat Afro - Zonto - Electro - Pop song by P Square with over two million youtube hits  a dance with an uncanny resemblance to the  Azonto dance. Aside from Alingo sounding like Azonto the dance steps are basically the fundamentals  of Azonto with some wing flapping for good measure.
Just watch for yourself below:



In my opinion P Square gave a master class in not just copying but copying well and improving on the original. In the two months since the video was released the majority of arguments on youtube have centred on whether alingo is a copy of azonto and the conversation has degenerated into insults between Nigerians and Ghanaians and who is better.
The usual suspects rear their head:

• Ghana must Go  - To that i say check your history ( Aliens compliance order 1969) Ghana must go was simply a retaliation to Nigeria must go.

• Currently there are more Nigerians in Ghana than vice versa, Ecowas enables it and it has its pluses and minuses - I am for regional travel and African unity.

• Nigerian superiority complex - In my opinion Nigerians think they are better than anyone especially Ghanaians. This is something i have experienced in Ghana and around the world. I still don't know where this complex/over confidence comes from as in my book Ghana and Ghanaians have done great in soo many areas in comparison to Nigeria since independence. 

• Some Ghanaians can have an inferiority complex  and are too keen to please foreigners from any country and this is exhibited at times with Nigerians (learn your history and be proud)

• The over confidence of Nigerians has its positives, they use their aggression to grind, they are fearless, they think big and even when wrong they they still stand by their country and flag.

I may not agree totally with the almost delusional belief in ones nation when all the markers show it at fault be it to do with corruption, copying music (Flavour) or even dances like Azonto but i think we all can learn something about patriotism from Nigerians. Now to the actual point of this post, P Square have created an excellent and very lucrative career of copying well and sometimes improving on the original. The great Steve Jobs once referenced a quote from Picasso and states, “Good artists copy, great artists steal. And we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.”

If the brains behind the most profitable company in the world and the amazing device i am currently typing on thought it was smart to build on great ideas then i think P Squared are on to something.

They have crafted their songs, dance moves and dress sense on usher, Micheal Jackson, R Kelly. Just listen to earlier songs like Omoge Ni which according to a poster on this forum is essentially a remake of Celine Dione's unbreak my heart and you will get my point.
Comments on the same platform break down the Alingo  song as essentially an amalgamation of Wiz Kids Azonto and Timayas bum bum. None of the aforementioned have even half of the views of Alingo, guess why?

They added to the original songs and dance moves, sped them up, paid for an expensive well shot video and set it loose on the internet. Soo good is Alingo that these ladies in Estonia are doing their Zumba class to it.

Do you think they know who Sarkodie is, or the Azonto beat maker kill beats is or most importantly what Azonto is? A big fat no all they know is how to move to Alingo. So what can we learn from P Square and the Alingo saga.

• Nothing is new under the sun, as a creative i can attest to this

• I can also tell you the worst thing is to have your art/product ripped off

• Make sure you create something soo amazing that it will be no use copying and if it is copied the world should know who the originator is ( case in point apple vrs samsung and asus ) *Samsungs 'copies' are doing quite well

• Don't just create something great market it like crazy or else someone will do it better than you (case in point Xerox vrs Apple  )

• Be proud of who you are and your culture, music or art, refine it or else someone will do it better than you and take all the credit and money. 

Please comment, like and share 

Watch Afrikan Boy - Lagos Town _ FRESH

MORE NWA's - NEW WORLD AFRICANS

Afrikan Boy - Lagos Town from afrikanboy on Vimeo.

Why Naija (Nigeria) must GO (forward)

Ghana protests bashing by Nigerian officials

Below is a letter from the Ghana High Commission in Nigeria to a Nigerian newspaper, appealing to Nigerian government officials to refrain from spreading falsehood about Ghana.

SIR: I am compelled to write to express serious concern about a couple of statements by some top Nigerian officials about Ghana in recent weeks. Last month, Defence Minister Godwin Abbe was quoted as saying, "the volume of water generated in Ghana is not enough to flush toilets in Lagos State, the number of teachers you have to pay salaries in the whole of Ghana is not more than Western Nigeria so that is that. And the whole of Ghanaian Armed Forces, if you choose to know, is not more than just two brigades of the Nigerian Armed Forces, period."

Only last weekend, Education Minister Sam Egwu was on national radio talking about the ongoing ASUU strike, and he made the most ridiculous assertion that all the university lecturers in Ghana will not be adequate for a single university in Nigeria! This is a blatant falsehood. Anyone who had been to the University of Ghana Legon (with a student population of more than 40,000), can testify to the fact that probably no university in Nigeria has more space and facilities than Legon. And there are at least five more public universities in Ghana. There are also a dozen privately-owned universities in Ghana, offering quality education to Ghanaians and foreigners alike, including a growing number of Nigerians.

And in the case of the defence minister, we do not know where he got his information from regarding the current strength of the Ghana armed forces. Needless to say that the Ghanaian military is one of the best trained on the continent and had performed exceptionally well in various international assignments. The entire first generation of Nigerian military officers, including Generals Olusegun Obasanjo, Hassan Katsina and Adebayo were all trained in Ghana. Ghanaian army generals have commanded UN troops in Lebanon, Liberia, Rwanda, Darfur, etc over the years.

Information Minister Dora Akunyili also told a local television network at the end of August that the whole of Ghana is not even up to the size of Lagos! Even a child in kindergarten knows that to be untrue. Government officials, unlike private citizens, traditionally tend to be circumspect about what they say about other countries. Ghana is smaller than Nigeria, and I reckon everyone knows that as a fact. And it is certainly not the only country in the world that is smaller than Nigeria. Or is it? Or have Nigerian government officials only suddenly realised how 'small' Ghana is?

Our concern really is that such reckless and unguarded comments could have grave implications for bilateral relations and derail efforts by leaders of the two countries to forge strong bilateral ties. We think President Umaru Yar'Adua should call his ministers to order. The Ghana bashing must stop! Ghana is a well-respected member of the international community, and deserves respect from Nigerians, particularly top government officials.

Nana Yaw Aboagye, Ghana High Commission, Abuja, FCT Tools


Source: GHP


MY RESPONSE


Regarding Ghana - the world cup, oil, good natured manner of Ghanaians, kofi annan - he list goes on has given Ghana a good enough name yes in the uk some ignorant people confuse it with guyana but when they realize it is Ghana - there is no negative stigma attached to it.

On the contrary it is Nigerian that has a behemoth task of cleaning up its name and image - yes its big country - yes it has many resources but what has it done with all of this. No electricity, poor universities, poor airline safety - oppressive military "dem mama dem papa - Timaya', Biafra , nija delta etc Dodgy elections - the list goes one.

As much as I would love a better PR for Nigeria it seems some people in government of Nigeria and some Nigerians at home and abroad need to wake up and actually start dealing with the mess of a country before they complain and belittle other countries such as Ghana.

In 2009 Nigerian ministers are more concerned with tarnishing the image of smaller better functioning nations when the biggest block buster of summer 2009 - District 9 - totally tarnishes and already battered image of Nigeria. This portrayal of Nigerians and infect black people or Africans is sad but it takes behavior like this form Nigeria's to purport and continue this negative image of Nigeria. Nigerians and their government have the biggest branding and PR job to do in the World and it starts with being honest with their problems.

Yes everything about Nigeria is big and yes Nigerians are the proudest people on earth, but what do they have to show for all this pride and opulence.

Constant references of Ghana must go and the meager size or populations of other countries will not solve the huge infrastructural and societal problems nigeria has.

Ghana has gone and is moving on Nigeria pleas wake up and do something with yourself.
p.s I have no beef against honest sensible nigerians in fact I have nigerian family but Nigerians need to stop putting down others to prop up an ego that has no foundation.

Wahala video magazine - Heavy

When Wahala hits the airwaves, the world is invited to the party! Featuring on location interviews with artists, live performances and most importantly, the best music videos coming out of the Motherland and the Diaspora... Hosted and produced by versatile Rwandan born DJ and cultural activist Eric Soul




http://www.voxafrica.com/modx/en/wahala


http://www.punch-records.co.uk/Events/115.aspx

AOK - podcast - deep

Lemi Ghariokwu is the creator and illustrator of Afrobeat’s legend Fela Kuti iconic album sleeves, which represent African artistic benchmarks as well as political statements of the Nigerian musician orginating from Lagos. This podcast is about him.

AOKPodcast by punchrecords

Who is Kayobi Clothing

Who is Kayobi?
Kayobi - pronounced (K – OW – B) is an apparel and accessories company created to ¬ tell the African story and that of the Diaspora through positive, vibrant and thought provoking imagery.
What’s in a name?
The word ‘Kayobi’ translates from Japanese as ‘Tuesday’, this is in reference to my name Kwabena Oppong Boateng. Kwabena is the Twi name given to a child born on a Tuesday in the Akan Tribes of Ghana, coincidentally ‘Kayobi’ sounded phonetically similar to my initials ‘KOB’. Why a Japanese word? I have always had a love for the Japanese design and art aesthetic ‘kayobi’ therefore was the perfect play on words.

Our Story.
Founded in Accra Ghana on 08/08/08 the collection has evolved from a T- Shirt line to include bags and ipod cases. Now designed and produced in London we are happy to present our first collection entitled ‘its always summer in Africa’. The collection was created during my year and a half stay in Ghana and aims to capture the true essence of AFRICA.
The theme refers to the gift of eternal sunshine the continent is blessed with. Contrary to the imposed label of ‘dark continent’ stamped on Africa, the continent is actually bursting with light, life, beauty and most importantly HOPE.
With an abundance of colour we have created a visual journey through daily African life ranging from childhood nostalgia, socio – political issues, music, culture, traditional art and food.
Kayobi was created in Africa with 100% Sunshine, Love and Blessings and we hope our collection gives you this in abundance.
Thanks for being a part of the Revolution. Stay Blessed and Seek Eternity.
Kwabena Oppong Boateng

View the collection here:
http://issuu.com/kayobi/docs/kayobi_clothing_look_book_final

Buy Kayobi Online:
http://www.kayobi.bigcartel.com/

I am Diging NNEKA"s MUSIC right right now

Colin Powells Street Credibility

Check the old man buggy

Naija Boy's LIL WAYNE - LOLLIPOP - AFRICAN REMIX!!!

They done it agian -jokes

watch till the end

P Square More than a friend

or maybe this track

P Square No One Like You

To my future Wife 

Can 2008 - Ghana VRS Nigeria in Pictures

SOULJA BOY - AFRICAN REMIX!!!

This one be Naija boy
Enjoy

Quick JOKE

Since I have been moving and travelling I just thought I would make u smile a little before things got back on track again.

Nigeria Airways

Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. This is your captain (Boniface) welcoming you on board of Nigeria Airways. We apologize for the four-day delay in taking off, it was due to bad weather and some overtime I had to put in at the bakery. This is flight 126 to Lagos. Landing in Lagos is not guaranteed, but we will end up somewhere in the south. If luck is in our favor, we may even be landing on your village!

Nigeria Airways has an excellent safety-record. In fact our safety standards are so high that even terrorists are afraid to fly with us!

It is with great pleasure; I announce that since starting this year over 50% of our passengers have reached their destination. If our engines are too noisy for you, on passenger request, we can arrange to turn them off!

To make your free fall to earth pleasant and memorable, we serve complimentary Bongo tea and Okin biscuits! For our not-so-religious passengers, we are the only airline who can help you find out if there really is a God!

We regret to inform you, that today’s in-flight movie will not be shown as we forgot to record it from the television. But for our movie buffs, we will be flying right next to Al Barka, where their movie will be visible from the right side of the cabin window.

There is no smoking allowed in this plane. Any smoke you see in the cabin is only the early warning system on the engines telling us to slow down! In order to catch important landmarks, we try to fly as close as possible for the best view. If, however, we go a little too close, do let us know. Our enthusiastic co-pilot sometimes flies right through the landmark!

Kindly be seated, keep your seat in an upright position for take-off and fasten your seatbelt. For those of you who can’t find a seatbelt, kindly fasten your own belt to the arm of your seat …and for those of you who can’t find a seat, do not hesitate to get in touch with a stewardess who will explain how to fasten yourself to your suitcase."

Enjoy Nigeria Airways

WOW

Nigerian Idol - lol

419 comes to Work

It seems no workplace or vocation is exempt from the powers of 419. lol
This was posted on my workplace website today:

Fraudulent e-mails concerning British Pharmacopoeia
The Agency has received several e-mails from overseas requesting assistance in purchasing the latest British Pharmacopoeia (BP) from countries including Benin and Nigeria. These are fraudulent attempts to obtain copies of the BP without payment. Please forward any you receive to Richard Turner in the BP Unit.

Hilarious Nigerian 419 SKIT

Ever wandered what it would be like to dupe some 419ners? Well click below and find out. Apologies (Some explicit language is used) just close ur ears lol
click