ENTERTAINMENT

Exclusive: All You Need To Know About The African Entertainment Awards USA 7th Edition

Published

2 years ago

November 16, 2021

FAB.NG

The 7th edition of the African Entertainment Awards USA (AEAUSA) is set to hold on the 18th of December 2021 and will be hosted by Nigerian TV personality Nancy Isime and Kenya’s top comedian Eric Omondi.

The African Entertainment Awards USA (AEAUSA) was established by Dominic Tamin in 2015 with the mission to use entertainment as a vehicle to support, celebrate, promote, and uplift the achievements of all Africans and Africans in Diaspora through music, acting, sports, businesses, non-profits, education, and other entertainment forms.
Since its over 6-year inception, AEAUSA has recorded over 185 award winners in varying categories cutting across music, comedy, film, fashion, sports etc. Winners have included Sauti Sol, Sinach, Master KG, Burnaboy, Shatta Wale, Bukky Wright, Eddy Kenzo, Gyptian, Yemi Alade, Diamond Platnumz, Sarkodie and many more.
In this exclusive interview with Fab.ng, Dominic Tamin the founder and president of the African Entertainment Awards USA (AEAUSA) told us about his vision for Africa and Africans, his driving force in the last 6 years, lessons learnt and what to look forward to in this years award show.

Dominic Tamin - EMPAKCORP Fab.ng First and foremost, I would like to say big congratulations on the forthcoming 7^th African Entertainment Awards USA (AEAUSA). It’s been over 6 years of celebrating, promoting and uplifting Africans through Music, acting and other entertainments forms. Kindly describe the past 6 years and what has been your driving force.

Dominic Tamin: My children! One word – Children. I want to leave something behind for them and I see that Africa is so divided and through entertainment we can unite Africans globally. I see this as a way to build generational wealth to be left for our kids. Also the fact that I want to see Africa as one, the unity of Africa is very important to me and that’s what motivates me every day to go to places I have never been before. As you can see, I am presently in Morocco seeing different market, different people and different places yet we are one Africa. So I see this as a platform because of my kids, I want a better life for them and I know that I will be introducing them to the roots because Africa has rich history.

Fab.ng: As the President of African Entertainment Awards USA, you are also the C.E.O of Empakcorp, you are a Tax Expert, a Mathematician, Philanthropist etc. It is clear that you wear many hats, kindly describe how you are able to juggle all these roles

Dominic Tamin: Well when you have passion for what you do, it doesn’t become juggling, it just becomes a part of you. That how I see all the things I do, it is a part of me. First from being a person who respects individuals to be able to just love what I do, and it makes it easier. I know it is not easy but I love it. Becoming a mathematician takes patience, you can’t accomplish everything all at once, it takes years and years of experience. As a teacher I taught for about 14 years and we have done the awards show and it is in its 7^th year now without a major sponsor. The driving force is basically when I saw the vision, I knew what I had to do, I knew it would be very tough and I knew in other to accomplish that vision, there are things I had to do differently because most of the funding for the award show is from me. Juggling all these things together allows me to raise funds to do what I am doing right now. The award show is a money guzzler, it requires a lot of money. It is a passion for seeing Africa move forward, seeing children become better, not only my children but the children of Africans. That’s how I see this awards show and that how I am able to juggle all these things.

Fab.ng: AEAUSA has recorded over a 100 award winners in different categories cutting across music, comedy, film, fashion, sports etc. Are there specific criteria you look out for in these categories? If yes, what are they?

Dominic Tamin: We look based on your talent, your drive, what you are currently doing. For example an artiste who doesn’t currently have any social media presence or YouTube presence cannot be nominated. However, because I understand that some artiste don’t have the ability to have all these things, we have a category called upcoming and local. These are for artiste who we know have the potential but who have limited mileage or leverage so we include them in the award show to give them that boost in their career. The criteria is that you just have to be doing what you are doing. For instance, Diamond Platnumz, what is he currently doing? He is visible, he has a number of hits, many YouTube followers etc. We look at all those things to determine what category to put you. We can’t put someone who is upcoming and someone like Diamond Platnumz in the same category.

Fab.ng: Despite the pandemic last year, you and your team managed to put together the first ever AEAUSA virtual awards show. How did that go and what should we look forward to in this year’s virtual award show?

Dominic Tamin: Every year will get better and better. Last year was very tough because everything was shutdown and there was nothing we could do. But we knew we couldn’t go on without putting the award show together. Did you get a chance to watch it?

Fab.ng: Yes I did, great show!

Dominic Tamin: It was awesome. You could see the diversity of the award show. It wasn’t just based on one particular people, it was showing the beauty of Africa from the north, east, south and west and that’s what African entertainment is all about. We are so isolated as Africans that someone who is from Nigeria thinks differently from someone who is from Morocco for instance. We are so diverse, so the goal for the award show is changing the mindset of Africans that we all can work together. So that is why last year we had to put it together and it was awesome. We had great viewership, quality performances. This year is even going to be better, we are getting better and better every year. One day we will be on a major TV network showing the awards show. It would be one of the biggest awards show ever produced in the world in terms of our numbers. We have Nancy Isime hosting, we have Eric Omondi. He is a comedian from east Africa. We have a performance from Morocco, from Nigeria – Skales, a performance from Guinea, Cameroon. Our award show is not about the biggest artiste, it is about the people. We are not against big artiste but we are for the people. We are building a platform from the grassroot. Others start building with the big artiste, ours is different we start from the grassroot and move from there. What brings us joy is the connection of the people who are able to come in to watch the award show and be a part of it. The legacy we are building will not last in the heart of the artiste, it would last in the heart of the common person on the street who can say lets push this award.

Fab.ng: As a Non-Profit Organization what are the critical lessons you have learnt being at the helm of affairs. Also, have you made mistakes? Tell us about these mistakes and the lessons learnt.

Dominic Tamin: One of the challenges is not having a sponsor, not having backing. I believe that I am just a vessel, God brought me as a vessel to carry this on. Right now its just myself who has been pushing the vessel in terms of the monetary aspect. That is the challenge that we face right now. The beauty of it is I am here in Morocco and I am talking to you. The show is connecting us, connecting different people together. These are all the positives, to see how you are able to move certain culture forward, that is the beauty of it. The challenge we face is to raise money to continue doing the award show. The beauty of it is that we are connecting people from different tribes together and I am hoping that we continue to market the show. We value people, the people who put the show together are more valuable to us than the artiste themselves.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Brymo Offers To Help Burna Boy If He Asks Respectfully

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2024

Reporter

Brymo Offers To Help Burna Boy If He Asks Respectfully | Fab.ng

Nigerian music fans, hold onto your hats! The clash of the titans between Afrobeat stars Brymo and Burna Boy is back for another round on social media.

Brymo launches an offensive attack

The drama unfolded when Brymo took to his Instagram story with a scathing critique of Burna Boy. He essentially claimed his musical talent reigns supreme and that Burna Boy would be better off venturing outside the pop music scene.

The insults didn’t stop there; Brymo even went in on Burna Boy’s vocals, implying a lack of singing ability.

The plot thickened when Brymo took an unexpected turn, suggesting a rather inflated perception of himself. He alluded to being a superior musical entity, and that this self-proclaimed status is the reason why Burna Boy, despite his massive achievements, can’t seem to detach himself from Brymo.

Help with strings attached?

Brymo ended his online tirade with a curious proposition. He offered to assist Burna Boy, but with one key condition: Burna Boy must ask respectfully. This public display of “helpfulness” casts doubt on Brymo’s sincerity, hinting at a potential ulterior motive for the offer.

Brymo drags Burna Boy and tagged him with his full chest 😂 pic.twitter.com/VdkZ6qZNpy

— OLAMIDE 🌸💖 (@Olamide0fficial) April 16, 2024

Burna Boy started the fire

For some context, it’s important to remember that Burna Boy ignited this whole social media firestorm in the first place.

He previously used his Instagram story to diss Brymo’s folk music style, comparing it to singing proverbs in Yoruba and suggesting it lacked the depth and energy of established Fuji legends.

The social media feud rages on

While Brymo maintains he won’t stoop to mentioning Burna Boy directly in his music, his online activity paints a different picture. By tagging Burna Boy and posting pointed critiques, Brymo seems to be actively participating in an online brawl.

This back-and-forth exchange suggests neither musician is ready to let this social media beef simmer down. Their fans, on the other hand, might be left wondering if this is a publicity stunt or a genuine musical rivalry reignited.

Check out more updates here.

ENTERTAINMENT

Portable Begs EFCC Not To Arrest Him For Spraying The Naira

Published

2 days ago

April 17, 2024

Reporter

Portable Begs EFCC Not To Arrest Him For Spraying Naira | Fab.ng

Portable doesn’t want to land in hot water with EFCC for his habit of spraying money. In Nigeria, spraying money on people is illegal because it damages the country’s currency, the Naira. To crack down on this practice, a government agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), recently announced it would be going after people who flout the law.

Portable, known for doing this frequently at his shows, clearly doesn’t want to face jail time or legal trouble with the EFCC. So, he took to social media to plead his case with the agency. He also reached out to his fans, the ones he typically showers with cash during performances.

In a recent Instagram live session, Portable urged his fans to open bank accounts. He promised to switch things up and start transferring money directly into their accounts instead of spraying it around.

“I didn’t deface the Naira. I help a lot of people, after God na government, please forgive me if you have videos of me spraying money, no more spraying of money. My fans, if I no longer spray money, after God na government, no more spraying of money. If it’s about money, open bank accounts, and let’s make transfers,” he said.

Portable has appealed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to forgive him for spraying money on his fans.

He urged his fans to open bank accounts, saying he would only make transfers going forward. pic.twitter.com/IuQ4aDfOVL

— Gistaroundyou (@gistaroundyou) April 17, 2024

This news follows closely behind another big case. Just last week, a famous social media personality named Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, was in court for the same reason: messing up Nigerian money. The court found him guilty, and he was sentenced to spend six months in jail, with no chance of paying a fine to avoid prison time.

This week, things haven’t slowed down for the EFCC. They’ve arrested another well-known influencer, Pascal Okechukwu, who also goes by Cubana Chief Priest. He’s also accused of damaging the Nigerian currency.

Check out more updates here.

ENTERTAINMENT

Tiwa Savage Says She Became A ‘Boss Lady’ To Make New Film ‘Water And Garri’

Published

2 days ago

April 17, 2024

Reporter

Tiwa Savage - I Became A 'Boss Lady' To Make New Film | Fab.ng

Singer Tiwa Savage was involved in making a movie called “Water and Garri“. This movie will be available to watch online on Prime Video starting May 10th, 2024. In a recent interview with ABC, Tiwa Savage said that working on this movie, which Meji Alabi directed, required her to take charge and be in control (be a “boss lady”).

“Executive producing was like me just putting my boss hat on and trying to be a boss lady in all aspects of my life. It was fun, and it was stressful doing that and also starring in it. But it just showed me that I can do anything I put my mind to. There are so many things that I have dreams of accomplishing, and now I’m really motivated,” she said.

In the interview, Tiwa Savage also explained two things:

First, she revealed her reasons for deciding to act in a movie. Second, she explained why the movie has the same name as her music collection, the “Water and Garri” EP, which came out in 2021.

“I’ve always wanted to do acting. I’ve always wanted to do movies. Actually, that was my first love before music. So it felt like a full circle moment for me. I just felt it was time for me to finally get into that. I never wanted to let go of music, so it’s a great way for me to still embody that.”

Tiwa Savage said that she was drawn to the film because it was told from a female perspective. Water and Garri follows a Nigerian fashion designer who returns to the country after building a successful career in the US.

“It’s a story first of all told by a female from a female point of view. I’m always an advocate for that and I don’t think we have enough of that in the space of Nollywood and just in Africa in general. We do have but I don’t think we have enough. It’s refreshing for me. It’s a story about love, female empowerment,” she said.

Tiwa Savage didn’t just talk about her movie in the interview. She also gave her thoughts on something else that’s been happening in the music world: the growing popularity of Afrobeats music outside of Africa, especially in Western countries.

“I feel like genres like RnB, jazz, soul all originated from Africa, so it’s a full circle moment to have Afrobeats having its moment right now. And then hear elements of it from the rhythm to the soul in the music. I felt like we were losing a bit of that in commercial music these days. It’s good to see that African music is getting its shine again,” she said.

Watch the interview: