NAIJA’S TOP MUSIC VIDEO DIRECTORS
The making of music videos is way beyond camera, light, and action! It is not a slideshow of the most and latest beautiful pictures of the artiste, neither is it done just to make the audience aware that, ‘na me get zazu’, you gerrit? If you don’t gerrit, come along with me on this cruise.
So, what that means is that music videos are not just produced to identify the face of the music artiste or put a face to the song. Music videos are more than throwing some naked vixens around, displaying spectacular scenery or over hyped dance routines. The music video is supposed to visually bring a song to life. To be honest, over the years, life has been brought into the Nigerian entertainment industry, the music wing to be precise. Thanks to the visual concepts by video directors who have shown great verve and dexterity by creating products that have sold the industry across borders, competing with their counterparts in the western world.
This article, therefore, throws a spotlight on a few of these amazing, unsung heroes. Here is a list of the top music video directors from Nigeria:
Clarence Abiodun Peters, professionally known as Clarence Peters (Clarence Shot It) and Founder/CEO of Capital Dreams and Capital Hills record label, is arguably one of the biggest names in Nigerian music entertainment with his outstanding portfolio and pedigree. Clarence did not just dab into the industry yesterday though. It has taken him close to 20 years to get to the summit of icons, with an almost endless list of videography. Clarence has shot videos for the biggest of the best acts in the industry, like, Darey, Durella, Banky W, Wizkid, 2Baba, Chidinma, Tiwa Savage, Burna Boy, Davido, Olamide, Yemi Alade, Teni, Mayorkun, Sheyi Shay, Simi, DJ Exclusive, Timaya, PSquare, Adekunle Gold, Reekado Banks. The list is endless.
The visual storytelling bigwig who is renowned for expressing aesthetics and Nigerian culture in his concepts, was born to two veterans, Sir Shina Peters, a pioneer of the afro-juju music genre, and Clarion Chukwura, a big face in Nollywood. Born on the 20th of December, 1983, in Ibadan, Oyo State. Clarence who started his early life as a footballer, attended Beehive primary school, Government college, Ikorodu, worked with Alpha Visions for three years before jetting off to City Varsity in Cape Town to study Cinematography. Upon returning to Nigeria, Clarence joined a group of filmmakers to establish the Allied Film Company. After three years, he left the group to start his own production company.
Clarence is said to have Steven Spielberg, Hype Williams, DJ Tee, Akin Alabi, Wudi Awa, Kemi Adetiba, Aje, Sesan as people he admires.
London-born Meji Alabi is a filmmaker, producer, and video director largely influenced by diverse cultures having grown up in London, Texas, and Lagos. Meji’s passion can be summarized in two things – his love for people and filmmaking. Meji’s consistency has helped him to push boundaries of creativity and seen him tipped to rule the music entertainment screen for a long time. Meji made as much money as possible from accounting and finance which he studied at the University of West London, after which he ventured into his passion and desire, filmmaking, co-founding a media and production company.
His reputation and portfolio are so rich with international acts, like Beyonce, Maleek Berry, Asa, Tiwa Savage, Wizkid, Runtown, Niyoloa, Burna Boy, Davido, Bugzy Malone, and many more.
Meji Alabi, whose works bridge the gap between western and African cultures bumped into video directing from taking pictures for his friends to serving the world a range of stylish, original, hybrid visuals for many favourite songs. According to him, the story began after one of his friends saw his pictures and asked him to shoot a video for his new track and the enterprising accountant took up the challenge to produce a result that wowed his friends and their fans. Thereafter, he met with some people in the industry and his career snowballed into what see today, with many international awards to show for it, some of which were, picking up NEA and Sound City MVP Video of the Year Awards in 2018 and 2020 respectively and also The Headies’ Video Director of the Year 2020.
Daps is another multi-cultural music video director Nigeria is blessed with. Being born in Nigeria, Daps moved to the UK in his teenage years and ended up living in America, directing videos for Migos, Drake, Lil Baby, Young Thug, Gucci, Travis, and everyone worth mentioning.
Daps journey into the industry was influenced by his older brother who is a producer. With him, he started playing drums, making beats, writing songs and treatments, rapping, and so on. The self-taught director used his own songs to test the waters and after he saw the amazing reception of his unique concepts, he was trusted with Jordin Sparks featuring 2 Chainz. Although he took him about two years to break into the limelight after his debut, he has since risen to the global summit of music video directing with works like, Bad and Boujee for the Migos, which garnered over 1 billion views on YouTube alone and also becoming a US-number one, She For Keeps for Quavo featuring Nicky Minaj, Body for Sean Paul featuring Migos, All The Time for Young Thug, Fall and Like That for Davido, Come Closer for Wizkid featuring Drake.
Daps believes he is a creative entrepreneur and a motivating force for his demography.
From Sean Tizzle’s Sho Lee to Olamide’s Eleda Mi, Story For The Gods, Science Student, to Niniola’s Gbe Seyin, Lil Kesh’s No Fake Love, Rudeboy’s Double Double, Tuface’s Amaka, Buari Olalekan Oluwasegun, professionally known as Unlimited LA has written his name in gold when it comes to music video production in Nigeria and by a Nigerian.
Born on the 2nd of April, 1987 into a family of five, Unlimited LA attended Command primary school, Mile 2, Zion International Secondary school, and the Lagos State University (LASU) where he studied Computer Science and Mathematics.
In a recent interview, he revealed that his initial dream was to be a soldier, because he was surrounded by soldiers and then he switched to aiming to become an engineer, also due to his environment, till he was eventually influenced by the popular DJ Tee who happened to be his cousin, to take cinematography as a passion. According to him, he started out by being an errand boy on set, and then, as a sharp boy, he grew up to become a camera operator, gaffer, and D.O.P. by observation, which he did for 10 years.
Unlimited LA is known for selling the brand of the artistes above his concepts. His major works have always been about the personalities of the artistes; a unique style that has earned him respect and very cordial relationships with his clients.
Unlimited LA bagged the Headies’ Best Video Director in 2014, 2015, Afrimma’s, Maya Awards Africa’s Best Music Video in 2015.
TG Omori, a relatively new face on the scene who is definitely staking his claim with his audacious entrance in 2018/2019, working on nothing less than 20 videos for everyone worth mentioning: Ycee’s My Side, Olamide’s Pawon, Naira Marley’s Soapy and Am I A Yahoo Boy, Fireboy’s Vibration, King, What If I Say, Teni’s Billionaire, Timaya’s Stoopid, Tekno’s Skeletun, Suru, Agege, D’Banj’s Shy, Burna Boy’s Odogwu, Wizkid’s Blow and more. Also known as Boy Director, TG Omori practically took over every television screen available for screening top and trending music videos.
The Lagos-born cinematographer and director who opted out of the University is well known for creating eccentric and controversial video concepts that resonate with the ‘streets’. Born, Thankgod Omori Jesam, initially began his career in the entertainment industry as an actor and writer, writing and acting in skits, sitcoms, movies, having graduated from Wale Adenuga’s PEFTI.
Thereafter, he got bored and unmotivated from the lack of finance and challenged himself to break into the department that dictates the creative affairs in filmmaking. With YouTube as his teacher, TG Omori quickly took the advantage of working with a big production company to practice with state-of-the-art equipment, creating his first video with the N20, 000 raised from his friends.
The work would later get him an invite to ES+ Studio managed by Lucas James who gave him a contract of N500,000. The result then got him noticed by a Chicago-based record label which booked him for $2800 (N1,000,000) to shoot Aunty Patricia for Minz.
His first big break, however, came in 2016/2017 as his previous works began to give him recognition when he shot videos for Dremo, DJ ECool, Jinmi Abduls, and Mayorkun. He gradually broke into the mainstream and got his name on the lips of A-list artistes.
Photo credit- Internet
