5 Reasons Why Nigeria Should Discard The Plan To Print The New 5000 Naira Notes

The Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, on thursday August 23rd 2012, announced its intention to implement its naira structure review which would see the N5000 naira note as the nation’s highest denomination. Other changes stated in the review will see the the N5, N10 and N20 notes converted to coins while the N100, N 200, N500, N1000 notes will be redesigned with added new security features. He also stated that three women who contributed to the country’s independence, Mrs. Margaret Ekpo, Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and Hajiya Gambo Sawaba would adorn the note. He also said that the picture of the National Assembly complex would be on the note. The apex bank of nigeria has only one major reason for taking such a decision, to save money.. i have 5 reasons why they should try other things..

 

 

 

Inflation --

Historically, in Nigeria, once a naira note has been converted to a coin, its notional value automatically depreciates. If Sanusi's plan succeeds, it is very certain that sweets and biscuits and bubble gum and other traditionally low-priced stuff would soon cost N50 instead of N5 (which was the case when 1naira and 50kobo coins were introduced in 2005). Coins could hardly give value anymore in this country. Our 50k, N1 and N2 coins died out, soon after their introduction. The cost of the lowest-priced items in Nigeria's informal economy is often pegged to the lowest denominated note. That means the conversion of 5, 10, and 20 naira notes will create artificial inflation in the national economy.
The tendency to easily carry large volume of physical cash is similar to injecting more cash into circulation and this portends inflation. The introduction of 5000-naira notes will send prices of everything skywards, something that many Nigerians, who already live on very little, cannot afford.
One example that has been mentioned in the media is the case of Zimbabawe where the financial institutions in the southern african country decided that printing of higher currency denominations will help fight inflation. This policy only made matters worse, is that the path Nigeria wants to tow?
Most of country's problems stem from the quick and unsound decisions that comes from their political leaders and policy makers who form the country's supposedly best and brightest who should have known better.
There are perilous cultural and economic ramifications that may likely come from the printing and introduction of 5,000 naira note into the circulation. First and foremost it will be an inducement for Nigeria to progressively print larger banknotes, today it is 5,000 and next time it will be 10,000 naira note until naira become worthless.
Basically, a single N5000 note will fuel inflation since there is little or virtually no production taking place in the country, while a redenomination of the existing N20, N10 and N5 notes into coins will lead to a disappearance of these currencies as nobody and even the CBN has not been able to compel Nigerians to spend them. Nigerians seem to have a disdain for coins! The billions spent on making new coins in 2005 is yet to be justified.
According to the Economists, the monetary profile of any country depends on how successful its monetary policy model is “but because ours (CBN Monetary Policy) is a failure, is the reason why we have a N5,000 note and we will have a N10,000 note, in another five years or less because at the rate at which inflation is officially going,….we will need a higher denomination meaning we have a faulty monetary framework. They also say selling the treasury bills with 15% interest is risky.

 

 

Corruption --

The cultural implication is quite enormous; already Nigeria has a problem with corruption, money laundering and bribery. The large banknotes will be a powerful facilitator for bribery and corruption and that is not the intended purpose of CBN. It will not make it easier for the fight against corruption to see the light of the day.
Activists say the new note will encourage corruption, something that already flourishes in Nigeria and will be made easier by not having such obviously bulging pockets when doing dirty deals.
One of the country's leading newspapers recently ran a cartoon showing a series of men walking along carrying suitcases one was labelled armed robber, another was labelled money launderer and the other was labelled 419, referring to internet scams. The men were collectively saying "All hail the Emir! Baba CBN (Central Bank Nigeria). May God help you achieve your plan to make our business easier!"
In front of them was a man carrying a CBN bag saying: "Wow! I thank God not all Nigerians hate me for introducing N5000 note!"
As many people have already persuasively argued, there is neither economic sense nor common sense in Sanusi's plan to unleash his unneeded N5,000 notes on us. The only thing I can point to as the motive force for the policy is that it helps corrupt politicians and their cronies in the private sector to physically steal and move about with large sums of money without being noticed. Hundreds of millions of naira, even billions, can easily be packed in bags without attracting curious stares from people.
The bottom line is that contrary to the statement by the CBN that higher will encourage nigerians to save in naira, it will rather encourage, money laundering, capital flight, bribery, and crime.

 

 

Widespread Opposition --

Nigerians, Opposition parties, Labour Unions, Financial experts, the Nigeria Bar Association, Religious leaders, Entrepreneurs, Activists and Even Medical Practitioners have all queried the rationale for the CBN policy.
While some financial analysts say the policy may contradict the cashless regime already on-going, others frown at the CBN's plan to spend N40.3 billion for the printing of the N5,000 note, when the country is facing perennial security crisis, abject poverty and unemployment.
Some entrepreneurs say the action is clear monetary policy failure on the part of the CBN, which is capable of triggering inflation and at the same time devaluing the naira.
Some protesters were describing the plan as wicked, saying it would lead to "economic enslavement of Nigerians", the country's leading lawyer group said it was "shallow", "poorly thought out" and "harebrained".
The NBA also said such a policy would devalue the naira, diminish the lives of Nigerians and push corruption and money laundering to new unimaginable heights. This measure will bring and mete unimaginable hardship to Nigerians as the measure is a cunning strategy aimed at devaluing the naira wholesale,"
Even the families of the three iconic women whose images have been slated to grace the new notes have spoken out against the plan.
Well-known activist Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, who is the president of Women Arise, says that if the three women whose images are set to grace the new note were still alive, they would be horrified.
She says these women were icons and should be honoured but not on a bank note the masses don't want and that many believe will further worsen poverty in the country.
The women Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Margaret Ekpo and Hajiya Gambo Sawaba were activists, educators and pioneering female politicians.
"If these women were alive, they would absolutely condemn it and they would never allow such wastage to happen," Okei-Odumakin added.
a group of protesters mobilized online under the banner of #OccupyCBN demonstrated at the Central Bank of Nigeria headquarters in Abuja saying the CBN’s action will send a wrong signal to the world that the naira value is so weak that more of it is needed to transact business
The Vice President of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Secretary General of the Textile Workers Union, Issa Aremu said in a statement in Kaduna that the decision may trigger workers’ expectation for wage increases.
There is a direct relationship between higher bank notes and devaluation, he said.
Aremu expressed the opposition of Nigerian workers to the proposed introduction of the N5000 notes next year as announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria, asking the bank to rather to concentrate on revamping the manufacturing sector rather than toiling with theintroduction of higher bank notes.
The statement reads in part, “We oppose the proposed introduction of higher banknote of N5000 next year as announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria under its currency redesign programme tagged `PROJECT CURE.’
“The CBN should concentrate on stabilizing the value of the Naira rather than legitimizing the devaluation of the currency. CBN under Sanusi Lamido Sanusi should continue with the good work they are doing with respect to revival of manufacturing sector and management of inflation and interest rates. The double digit inflation rate as we currently have cannot take us out of the economic crisis.
“Psychologically, for the working people, it means they work so much for little notes with introduction of N5000. This may fuel crisis of expectation for more wage increase as bigger banknotes will be chasing fewer goods. Nigeria is better with smaller banknotes that can deliver goods and services rather than higher bills without any value.”
THE Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) yesterday opposed the proposed naira restructuring by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
It said the introduction of a higher denominationwould signal the devaluation of the country’s currency and attract hyper-inflation.
The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) argued that such a measure which will affect the lives of Nigerians in many ways is not a mere fiscal measure which the CBN can claim exclusive jurisdiction over saying that the issue is a legislative matter that is within the sole legislative province of the National Assembly.
“Such far reaching fiscal or currency measures are beyond the competence or purview of the CBN,” the body said.
The NBA also noted that the CBN is not the 4th arm of government for there is no such term in Nigeria and advised the apex bank to submit themeasure for legislative approval which the National Assembly is expected to consider in linewith the wishes of majority of Nigerians and threatens to drag the bank to court if it persists to negatively alter the face of the Nigerian economy.
The doctors condemned the planned introduction of the N5000 note and the conversion of N20, N10 and N5 notes to coins saying it will have a negative implication for the nation’s economy.
Mr Enabulele advised the Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido to “review his planned introduction of the single N5000 note, and N20 and N50 coins, on account of the likely negative implications for the economy.

 

 

 

Wrong Prioritization --

This will be a waste of the nation’s resources. What economic value are we getting from this as a nation? The question the CBN and the presidency must answer is whether this is what we need now. Coins for instance, are presently not accepted, why would CBN spend more money to mint new coins, when the previously introduced ones failed?
ASSBIFI charged the CBN to initiate programmes that would tackle inflation, interest rate, improper banking habit, bank robberies, unemployment, corruption, money laundering, insecurity and poverty.
It advised the government to use the proposed N40 billion for the naira restructuring to revive other sectors of the economy that were comatose.
The NLC urged the Federal Government to divert the N40 billion budgeted for production ofN5000 Naira note into infrastructural development.
The federal government should focus on the development of the real sector of the economy that will directly impart on the citizens. I suggest we spend this N40billion Naira on the power sector, roads, healthcare, agriculture etc. Let us focus on reducing poverty, dropping unemployment and delivering the dividend of democracy to our people.
She says the Government should busy itself with helping the people it represents, fixing the roads on which people die every day and the medical system, which is a shambles and which sees Nigerians with money head to Europe for treatment.
The CBN however yesterday disclosed that about N7 billion out of its total cost of printing currency will be saved annually with the proposed introduction a N5000 banknote.
It’s imperative for the CBN to get its act together and face the myriad of problems afflicting the economy such as the chronic and high unemployment levels ravaging the land, single digit interest on loans that will enable industrialists and businessmen borrow from commercial banks and create jobs, the banking sector crises amongst several other top priorities.
President Goodluck Jonathan needs to urgently put machinery in place to checkmate the problems of insecurity, food crisis and corruption in the country.
The association (NBA) rejected the argument of the CBN that the introduction of the N5000 note will not promote inflation noting that the realities of the Nigerian economic situation cannot be founding the Western Business Models that the CBN officials are familiar with.
The NBA observed that Nigerians may well see N10,000 or N20,000 notes very soon.
the NBA called “for the investment of the billions of Naira that will be expended on the unnecessary currency manipulation on the revamping of the security apparatus and on strong and effective anti-corruption battles.”
“We therefore advise that rather than waste thecountry’s resources in such an unprofitable venture, such should be channelled into viable poverty reduction schemes to alleviate the sufferings of toiling Nigerians.” The law body added

 

 

Policy Hypocrisy --

From all indications, the present economic situation does not require the introduction of a higher denomination currency like N5,000, especially with the CBN's current policy on cashless economy. The cash-lite monetary policy already in the implementation stage places restriction on cash withdrawals limit as well as the volume of money to be carried about. It doesn't really make a lot of sense to introduce a higher demonination. For instance, people are already trying to key into the cashless policy, which commenced on January 1, 2012 in Lagos and is expected to be implemented in other regions across the country. So, introducing a higher currency may significantly undermine the cashless policy and the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
We could recall that in 2005 fiscal year, the former governor of CBN, Mr. Charles Soludo, embarked on currency restructuring, which paved the way for the introduction of N20 polymer banknote and subsequent conversion of N5, N10 and N50 paper banknotes into polymer notes in 2009. What value did that policy add to the economy? This is the question we must ask now. For instance, the inflation rate currently stands at 12.8 and the CBN is trying to introduce a higher currency that could worsen the inflationary situation in the economy?
Maybe the N5,000 bank note must have been in the pipeline for some time now..
Initiating an important economic policy also requires adequate monitoring of the economic indicators to ascertain the appropriate time to introduce new policies, particularly in the financial sector. If Sanusi had intended to introduce the N5,000 note, the cashless policy should have been put on hold.
Putting the economy on cashless trend and coming back to introduce higher currency doesn't make unless the CBN governor has personal profit from the project, especially considering the huge amount of N40.3bilion needed to implement it. something seems off..
Also, converting 20, 10 and 5 naira notes to coins does not make any economic sense and may not serve any useful purpose in terms of reducing the prices of goods and services in the economy, or increasing the wages of workers. Instead, it may trigger inflation and at the same time devalue the naira. For example, efforts made in the past to give recognition and value to our coins did not yield positive results.
So, the decision to introduce it now can not be seen as being radical. This should have been his vision on assumption of office. Formulating such monetary policy at the time the nation is facing security crisis and alarming rate of poverty and unemployment may not make any impact. For example, Nigeria has a population of 168million, which is expected to hit 400million between 2020 and 2015.
Currently, the economy is growing at about almost eight per cent without employment generation. The national level of poverty rate in the country is above 60 per cent. So, everyone should be concerned about investments in infrastructure and creation of jobs to make the economy thrive like what obtains in developed countries and not in currency project that requires a huge sum of N40.3 billion, which may be failure.
Introduction of the N5000 Naira note will dwarf the essence of the CBN Cashless Policy, which was embarked upon less than a year ago. A pilot scheme of the CBN cashless policy is currently running in the Lagos environs. Think about it, one bundle of N5000 Naira note is N500, 000, which can easily slip into the smallest of pockets and purse. This high denomination note will discourage consumers from patronizing the banks and encourage them to hold large sums of Cash.
Imagine some one whose salary is just N20,000 Naira, this will be just four pieces of the proposed N5,000 Naira note. Do you think he will take it to the bank? Since the N5,000 denomination will be easy to carry and spend. Nigerians will be their own bankers; let's not forget in a hurry how a Nigerian had well over two billion Naira in his house. If the cashless policy is undermined then what becomes of the huge investment of the CBN to implement the policy and what about the investment of other financial institutions on electronic infrastructures and framework.
Nevertheless, there is already too much money in circulation chasing the few goods and services. The introduction of the N5000 Naira note will only worsen it. The introduction of higher denomination currency note did not solve the problem of inflation in countries like Argentina, Peru, Zaire, Angola and Zimbabwe.
Instead of the CBN to conceive policies that would encourage entrepreneurship and strengthen the manufacturing sector, thus increasing employment opportunities and also increasing our domestic production, the apex bank is creating policies that will further enslave nigerians financially and weaken the economy it is meant to protect.
The country's reserve bank has gone about mopping up excess cash by raising the interest to more 12 percent (15percent soon) to combat rising inflation. Now in a splitsecond they chose to rubbish their good work with this incoherent policy decision?
Sadly, Goodluck Jonathan, Sanusi & most of the top government officials are now fast assuming notoriety as some of the most insensitive, out-of-touch bureaucrats to ever walk Nigeria's corridors of power.
Until early this year Sanusi had no freaking clue that the majority of Nigerians use petrol-powered generators to get electricity for themselves. It is sad that this same man, who predicted that there would be little or no inflation when the fuel subsidy was removed in january this year (we know otherwise now), is making policies that affect the lives of the vast majority of our people who are desperately poor. Why won't there be a vast disconnect between policies and people when the people who make the policies live in a vastly different world from the rest of us?
The “decision” of the Central Bank of Nigeria to mint a new denomination of N5000 note and also redenominate smaller denomination of the Nigerian currency into coins seems misplaced, out of tune with reality and also has the hallmark of wrong prioritization of policies.

In Summation, We cannot continue to "Cut&Paste" economic policies (that are yet to save the americans and europeans) and adopt them to our own unique country. History has taught us in this country, making economic decisions based on policies that were tailor made for european countries has always failed horribly.
The chairman of stanbic IBTC bank mentioned that he'll print 10000 naira notes if he were in change (and he's a part of the economic team), thus there is a real possibility of the introduction of higher denominations..
Moreover, bad decisions like this coupled with the problems of poverty as well as increased insecurity may harm the chances of a PDP victory at the next election, the president to be intent on alienating the party from the electorate.
Although the CBN is autonomous, The Senate needs not wait for the economy to collapse or allow wrongly introduced policies to bring hardship on the citizenry by waiting to undergo due process of amendment before intervention.
I am advising the CBN governor to initiate monetary polices capable of adding value to the naira, to tackle inflation, create jobs and strengthen the banks to make the economy function optimally within the short and long-run expectations.
Also, i am aware of the fact that employment generation is the duty of Federal Government while the CBN focuses on monetary policy formulation and regulation of the financial sector. But the reality is that the CBN could initiate policies that would pave the way for job creation and poverty alleviation by strengthening the commercial banks to support development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

The Wayne Rooney Interview

FACT: When rooney was 10, he announced himself as a mascot for the merseyside derby game against Liverpool.. Normally, the ceremonial occasion involves the 'keeper rolling the ball only to receive it back from the mascot, no not wayne rooney, he chipped the ball over the 'keeper, he had been waiting, practicing, anticipating that moment all week! The then Everton keeper, Neville Southall wasn't too pleased...

Scientists have shown that visual imagery and repetitive training create neural pattterns which help improve athletes, Tiger Woods was trained this way. Wayne Rooney, the kid from liverpool didn't know all that, he just developed his own visual techniques which he uses till today.

The Manchester United striker adds,

“When a cross comes into a box, there's so many things that go through your mind in a split second, like five or six different things you can do with the ball.”

"Part of my preparation is I go and ask the kit man what color we're wearing -- if it's red top, white shorts, white socks or black socks," he says. "Then I lie in bed the night before the game and visualize myself scoring goals or doing well. You're trying to put yourself in that moment and trying to prepare yourself, to have a 'memory' before the game. I don't know if you'd call it visualizing or dreaming, but I've always done it, my whole life."

"when you are younger, you're always …you're a bit more advanced than the kids your age, so there are times on the pitch where you can see different things, but they can't obviously see it. …It's like you said before. They can't calculate. I suppose it's like when you play snooker, you're always thinking three or four shots down the line. I suppose with football, it's like that. You've got to think three or four passes where the ball is going to come to down the line. And I think the very best footballers, they're able to see that before ... Much quicker than a lot of other footballers. So ..."

"You need to visualize realistic things that are going to happen in a game," Rooney says.

That goal against Manchester City -- Like he had probably visualized hundreds of times as a child. The product of an agile mind. A wonder goal.

This article is based on a real interview that appeared on espn.com as part of their build up to euro 2012. During the Interview, wayne rooney talks about how he owes his success to vision and constantly imagining scenarios and anticipating such opportunities. Despite his portrayal in the media as  a dullard, a high school drop out.. He does gets his fair share of controversy, senseless tackles that lead to suspensions (like the one that kept out of the first two matches at the euros), sleeping with hookers despite having a pregnant wife. He comes across as something of a genius. he even has a tattoo "just enough education to perform" on his arm as a reply to those who say he's illiterate. He's more of an instinctive player.. As a kid, From the moment he woke up till he went to bed, he thought about football..

Just look at some of the greatest athletes of all times, the speed of thought and decision making makes u wonder if they've done what they do before, they can see things that others can't. If they see things which others can't.

What is vision? Vision is the ability or power of anticipating that which may come or will come to be. Imagination. The chorus of a recent hit song goes "if u don't have a dream, then how will you have a dream come true"

In these modern days and times, its easy to get lost in the crowd, too be too busy to even have the time to reflect and visualize, to imagine and to reflect. Vision helps to face life issues, become more efficient and to assess if you are going astray.

Let me leave you with a few quotes on the importance of having a vision:

the empires of the future are empires of the mind -- winston churchill

They say you can see more with your eyes closed -- eva

To the person who does not know where he wants to go, theRe is no favorable wind -- seneca

Big thinking precedes great achievement -- wilfred peterson

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams --

Where there is no vision, the people will perish -- proverbs 29:18

Dreams are extremely important, you can't do it if you can't imagine it -- george lucas

Its a terrible thing to see and have no vision -- hellen keller

Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe -- gail devers

A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world -- oscar wilde

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time. Action with Vision is making a positive difference -- joel barker

We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision

Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for- because unless we stand for something we shall fall for anything -- peter marshall

*hellen keller was a blind and deaf author and activist

I think there is something, more important than believing: Action! The world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision.

Most people are not really free. They are confined by the niche in the world that they carve out for themselves.They limit themselves to fewer possibilities by the narrowness of their vision

It's easy to see, hard to foresee -- Benjamin Franklin

Artistry In OAU: The Love Sessions Featuring Bez, Kahli Abdul, Sage Has.son & Audu Maikori

[caption id="attachment_230" align="aligncenter" width="333"] artistryoau, pit theatre obafemi awolowo university, september 19, 2012[/caption]

The second edition of the Artistry OAU series will hold on September 19, 2012 at the pit theatre, Obafemi Awolowo University. Gate Fee is just 500naira. It is organised by a group of students of the same university (ArtistryOAU). The artistry group is pasionate about showcasing talented artists, especially in the area of Poetry, Prose, Spoken Word, Rap as well as Live Music. If the first edition, ArtistryOAU: Hope, is anything to go by, ArtistryOAU: Love Sessions is going to be another amazing event.

 

This edition of Artistry is headlined by singer Bez, rapper Kahli Abdul, spoken word pioneer Sage Has.son, entertainment mogul Audu Maikori as well as budding artistes in the OAU community.

Audu Maikori who is also a lawyer and creative industry consultant is the founder/ceo of Chocolate City entertainment which boasts of stellar names such as M.I and Ice Prince and has proven to be one of the biggest names in the nigerian music industry. The UNIJOS graduate is also a former Nigerian Idols judge. He formed Guild of artistes and poets (GAP) and  He's a director at the copyright society of nigeria.

Bez, whose real names are Emmanuel Bezhiuwa Idakula, surprised a few industry watchers (who may have been sleeping on his music) by leading the nominations for the Hip Hop World Magazine "Headies" Awards with 7 nominations. His instrument of choice is the Guitar which he learnt to play at the age of nine. Bez music can be categorised as R&B, Soul as well as a bit of jazz with the african fusion. 2011's "Supersun" was one of the best albums spurning hit songs such as "more you", "super sun"  and "that stupid song" . The convenant university graduate stands out for his style and his fresh sound is quite different from the "afro hip hop" that's so popular in nigeria. The video for "That stupid song featuring praiz" was premiered on BET. Bez has also been profiled on MTV.

Sage Has.son is a maverick and he wants to be africa's spoken word gift to the world. The poet whose real name is Sammy Hasson is probably a spoken word pioneer in nigeria. The abuja based artiste's debut album is titled the poet. He would like to be like FELA! But without the lifestyle. Personally, I have heard sage hasson on a couple of modenine songs and he stood out. I saw him at a live show last year, performing without shoes.. Amazing.

Kahli Abdu hails from jos and he's  closely associated with the chocolate city artistes, M.I, Jesse Jagz and Ice Prince and he was featured on M.I's two mixtapes and MI2. He has several mixtapes; The Grind Theory, Ministry of Corruption and Rebel Music (with kid konnect), he's currently working on his debut album. He Has a band, the rebel government and hereleases music every friday through what he calls rebel music fridays.

 

Also billed to perform are Southpaw, highM, Powpeezy, Dandiva, Raychelle (rap), Ewa, Dtone, Jo'sax (from akure), T-strings (music), Dr. Dami Ajayi (of sarabamag.com), Opeyemi (poetry), Astrap, 618, Kursor, Tweezy (from abuja), Kentoxygen (from lagos)

 

Artistry oau aims to promote and showcase all arts. They’re passionate about the arts and crave it. Music, poetry, prose, drama, designs, painting, they hope to showcase the creativity, inspiration & dexterity of the african youth.

Mr Incredible's Illegal Music II: The Nairaview

Illegal Music 2 is the second installment in M.I's Illegal Music Mix-tape series in which he samples beats and songs that he likes and tries to make them his own. The first installment in the series was released for his "die-hard" fans and it proved to be quite popular (especially) among the hip hop purists in Nigeria, who may have frowned upon some of the more "naija radio-friendly" songs in his studio albums. Illegal music 2 is no different in that aspect, especially after MI2: the movie which was panned by critics and fans for being too overtly "commercial", M.I probably tried to win over his 'old' fans by giving them something a bit deeper and richer. In a rather "selfless" move (one that most other rappers would refuse to make) M.I serves as a sort of mentor, letting others shine as he features 19 artistes, 16 of which are upcoming.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="486" caption="The Illegal Music 2"][/caption]

M.I will definitely win over "lost" fans with this effort (he won me over, and I had lost all hope). This project saw the return of the hungry M.I of his classic debut album (MI: Talk About It). The Jude who made crowds go mental  was definitely at work here.

#IM2 is a solid body of work, true hip hop no doubt (sic), the artistes he featured on the mix-tape all delivered. This album really inspired me, I won't lie. Henceforth, I won't hate on M.I again, he got my respect back now. I'm a believer
I really like what M.I did on this project, I'm even gonna let all the negatives slide. it was on point! M.I has proved himself as a great rapper, then an intelligent business man but now he showed he's a fan of the music, I like how he put on other rappers he was probably feeling out there but who were relatively unknown on this record. Boy, did they take their opportunity! when many of them eventually achieve mainstream success, they can always remember when M I gave them encouragement. Like he said on one of the songs on the mix-tape, he's a trailblazer always trying to change the game, he certainly did this time, he came across as more matured, deeper, hungrier  and despite what he may say, he surely has been paying attention to constructive criticism. Personally, one of the ways I judge a great album is by how many times I press the skip button, this is definitely a fantastic job. I downloaded the album outta curiosity (yup, that silly well-oiled hype machine that works so well for chocolate city got to me *rme) and I ended up listening to all the songs on the mix-tape back to back.  This mix-tape suggests that There are a lot of talented rappers underground, the mainstream guys better watch their throne. I must say, however, that the mix-tape indicates that all our naija rappers learned how to rap from the same rhyme book. Punch line after punch line, its gets boring, tiring and played out after a while. (I guess that's modenine's fault, lol). A couple of controversial lines here and there (ahem, is it just me or Jude took shots at Vector?), great work. worth the wait.
The mix-tape features excellent production & sampling by MI himself (he produced majority of the tracks),  as well as beats from Kid Konnect, Ikon and Studio Magic (this studio magic guy ehn, na winch!)

        "M.I Killed The Beat, I'm Rapping In The Afterlife"

Notable tracks -- "Heart of the city" f. SDC & Ruby, "Coming Home" f. Yemi Alade, "Wild Flower" f. Ruby, "*Insert Expletive*" You f. Ice Prince, "N'otis" f. Pryse & "Superhuman" f. HHP. To be honest, i love all the tracks!

And Finally, The Nairaview: 5/5. I just can't find major faults on the album, a very solid effort!

you can download the mixtape FREE from our friends at free 9ja music HERE

as well as letting me know your favorite lines by @MrTuneri on twitter

Chipolopolo: The Story of The Copper Bullets

I Just Couldn't Resist The Temptation To Write A Piece on the just concluded african cup of nations and the sweet fairytale victory of the zambian nation football team who are affectionately called "CHIPOLOPOLO" by football loving zambians. it still sounds so unreal, unprecedented in every sense, but I guess the "alleged" offer of free service by the nations casual sex workers was great motivation, LOL.
In a football sense, zambia isn't even considered one of the traditional african football big names. before when you say zambia, and their FA president the great Kalusha Bwalya (former african footballer of the year) comes to mind, yes the famed class of 1993 was seen as their greatest ever team, but the class of 2012 led by general (sic?) Chris Katongo have successfully laid their ghosts to rest.
The failure of some of the traditional big names of african football like nigeria, algeria, egypt, cameroon and south africa (who have about 15 trophies in between them) to even qualify for the continental show piece indicated that this was no ordinary tournament. the performances of the host nations Equatorial Guinea and Gabon made for a very exciting tournament, it was colourful and free of any major controversies. the first lady of gabon was a prominent spectator seen at many of the games usually in a gabon jersey and cheering her team on as well as also supporting other teams.
When the chipolopolo defeated one of the pre-tournament favourites, Senegal in one of the tournaments early matches, little did we know that it was a sign of things to come. the zambians tore up the pre-tournament predictions.. Ivory coast's star-studded (ageing) golden generation failed to win once again, Ghana never really got out of gear one, and senegal, with several strikers who have been scoring for fun in various european leagues, could not even manage one win. some of the players we expected to light up the tournament disappointed us, the senegalese forwards, niang, ba, cisse and sow let their country down, Adel Taraabt didn't show up for Morocco, Asamoah Gyan struggled for fitness through out the tournament as well as several other players. the likes of Michael Essien missed the tournament as he was deemed not fit enough after being our for about 8months with injury. AC Milan's Kevin Prince Boateng opted to retire from international football with the pleading of ghanians fell on deaf ears, ironically, he was struck by a mysterious injury which lasted the duration of the tournament.
Mali Who Came Third (defeating Ghana in the third place play off match) were missing a couple of their regular players like Mahmadou Diarra, momo sissoko but seydou keita still managed to get them past a group that contained ghana and guinea. they weren't given much of a chance but still managed to get to the semi-final were they lost to ivory coast by a lone Gervinho goal. the zambians went undefeated in the tournament, winning their group and making it to the semi-final where they faced mighty ghana. a quarter final place the least expected from the zambians as they were knocked out, via penalties, by the super eagles of nigeria in the 2010 edition of the african cup of nations. after the match, the zambia coach, Herve Renard was asked if he would like to coach nigeria by the press and he said he would trek from zambia to nigeria to take the job if it was offered to him. The Nigerian FA laughed off his interest claiming he was inexperienced (also cos he wasn't a big name), how different things could have been. After the 2010 world cup debacle, nigeria chose samson siasia to lead the eagles but they failed to even qualify for the continental showpiece (guinea beat them to the sole ticket in their group). I'm sure herve renard would not only have qualified for the nations cup but also won it easily. if he could do it with zambia, he can do it with nigeria. In the semi-final match, the zambians beat the ghanians against all odds, the west africans had more star names, pedigree as well as a lions share of ball possession during the match but zambia managed to convert one of their few chances and held on to win and set up a final contest against cote d'ivoire. this was ivory coast's second final in recent years, it was another chance for their ageing star-studded golden generation to win a piece of silverware. the ivory coast team contained players who played for some of europe's biggest teams such as Didier Drogba, Yaya & Kolo Toure, Gervinho, Salomom Kalou, Emmanuel Eboue, Cheik Tiote, Arthur Boka, Bakari Kone, Kader Keita etc it was not just not meant to be as they managed not to concede a goal through out the duration of the whole tournament and yet still missed out on the trophy, they lost 8-7 on penalties to the inspired zambians with Didier Drogba (missing a PK in the normal 90minutes), gervinho and Kolo Toure missing spot kicks.
the final was played in libreville, gabon and it had a sort of effect on the zambian players as their coach told them earlier in the tournament that the stadium was close to the spot where the national team of zambia of 1993 perished. the team were on their way to senegal when the plane had technical faults and crashed into the atlantic ocean. the current zambia FA president, kalusha bwalya only missed the flight as he had to make alternative arrangements to get to the destination. when didier drogba missed the spot kick in the 70th minute, the players must have sensed it was their day after all
The team had pledged to return to Libreville and win their first major trophy to honour those who died in the crash.
The zambia team dominated the tournament awards, with not less than five of the zambian team being named in the team of the tournament, the goalkeeper was named the goalkeeper of the tournament, "General" Chris Katongo was named the player of the tournament while emmanuel mayuka walked away with the top scorer gong. the ivory coast team was awarded the fair-play team. this triumph has been described as the best achievement in zambias sporting history. the zambia coach then thanked the FA president, kalusha bwalya for giving him a chance when no one knew him and the FA president responded saying Mr Renard was welcome to stay for as long as he wanted.
this is a real life fairy tale of epic proportions in which the young, unknown (and underrated) Zambians held their nerve and beat the favourites Ivory Coast. they showed all that we love about the beautiful game; strength, passion, sacrifice, discipline, commitment, grit, determination, focus, team spirit (the image of coach renard carrying an injured player to join in the final celebrations was amazing), leadership, fair play and more. In these days in which football is in the news for the wrong reasons, racism, match-fixing, cheating, diving, selfishness, players refusing to follow coach orders, inflated pay packages, inflated egos; the chipolopolo of zambia showed the whole world what real passionate football was, that's why we love the game.



follow @MrTuneri on twitter

Novak Djokovic Is Superhuman

On Sunday, January 30, 2012, T.V Sets all over the world were tuned in to the incredible men’s final in the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic seeing off Rafael Nadal after nearly six (6) hours of relentless, heart-stopping tennis! It was a riveting match between the best ranked tennis players in the world, it had everything, passion, hunger, blood, sweat, tears, screaming fans, strength, courage, will power. it was amazing, sometimes I grimaced as I watched both men grill each other non-stop. I could barely watch the fourth set (where nadal rallied round to win and tie the match)

'How often would the Voice of Tennis have had to deploy his catchphrases, “Oh I say” and “That’s a peach of a pass”? It doesn’t bear thinking about. There were enough peaches from Djokovic alone to fill an orchard' -- BBC Sport

20 years ago, tennis was a gentlemen’s game, nobody seemed to break sweat and the spectators toddled off between sets for a glass or three of Pimm’s.
These days playing long gruelling physically matches is the norm (the djoker played two 5 hours plus games within days enroute to winning the Australian Open). many players of that era would have frowned at some of the grunting, chest-pumping and first-clenching – the motivational tools of the modern tennis player.

[caption id="attachment_203" align="alignleft" width="218" caption="he who bares wins"][/caption]

However, like the millions watching on television, he would have been awestruck by the spectacle unfolding in Melbourne.
one news article claimed Djokovic eyed a clean sweep, he's on 41game winning streak, who'll bet against that him being the first man to hold all four grand slam titles since Rod Laver in 1969?? or even add the olympic gold? a few years ago, that was an extraordinary achievement, but following the exploits of the great Roger Federer & the marvellous Rafael Nadal in recent years, it won't be much of a surprise he pulled it off.
One question keeps coming on my mind, How did Novak become superman? I realise Federer is Uber talented (still my favorite tennis player) and achieved a lot, he's possibly the best tennis player ever. Rafael nadal just had to beat federer to become the best, he had the psychological edge.. those two dominated the game in such a way Sampras and Agassi never quite managed to do. we were expecting nothing of superhuman effort to bring down those two. But in a relatively short amount of time, it seems their monopoly has been broken, especially with the ease (or not) which novak seems to be beating nadal these days. how did he do it?
One metaphor that has been played out by most tennis commentators is the gladiator metaphor but when Djokovic was slugging it out with Nadal (or in the semi-final, when he was slugging it out with Andy Murray, in a match of equal intensity) it was the only metaphor that did justice to the beauty and ferocity of the man-to-man combat (at some point djokovic was bleeding) and the emotions it stirred.
Team sports are all very well, and have a compelling dynamic, but for the sporting purist, there is nothing to beat the clash of individual wills
At the games marking the opening of the Colosseum in Rome in 80AD, the highlight was a fight between Priscus and Verus, the two leading gladiators of the day. They fought each other to a standstill, displaying such courage and tenacity that the Emperor Titus awarded both gladiators (who were born slaves) their freedom.

“Two men fought each other, but both were the winners”

We curse sportsmen when they let us down, and understandably. But when our sporting heroes repay our loyalty with interest, we should not hesitate to show our gratitude. In a world short of feel-good stories, the script being written by the top men’s tennis players is the stuff of heroism: heroic ambition; heroic endurance; heroic passions.
Older tennis fans retain fond memories of the age of Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, but their showdowns seem insipid compared with the sheer pace and athleticism of the modern game.
A game that had previously relied more on grace than brute force grew closer and closer to boxing in timbre: raw, aggressive and physically punishing. The top players, whippet-fit, seemed to spend almost as long in the gym as on the practice court.
In the space of a very few years, we have seen Roger Federer scale unparalleled heights, Nadal eclipse Federer and Djokovic eclipse Nadal.
Like other armchair sports fans, I am already licking my lips at the prospect of the next Grand Slam men’s final, at the French Open in June. Nadal v Djokovic? Djokovic v Federer? Murray v Nadal?
What is guaranteed is a ferocious competition between two supremely fit athletes, pushing their bodies to the limit, pulling off incredible shots, giving no quarter to their opponent, trying to blast each other off the court with the power and accuracy of their stroke play – before embracing at the net, all passion spent.
Whether the next Grand Slam final takes six hours or a mere four and a half, it will last longer than any Hollywood epic – five-star entertainment, with never a dull moment, served up by a cast of two.

How often do 22 Premier League footballers give so much of themselves? Or deserve so much admiration?

Novak "Djoker" Djokovic is without doubt the man of the moment, he was recently awarded the highest honour of Serbia. the charismatic serbian who was part of the team that won the davis cup for serbia in 2010 has succeeded in putting serbia in the news for the right reasons. Novak is very jovial and is source of inspiration to not only serbians but up and coming sports men with his can-do, never-give-up attitude.

majority of this article was "control ceed" from a BBC Sport story of the same article

you can bash @MrTuneri on twitter for this shameless work of "copy & paste" Lol

Untitled-2

The common animals who are suffering and working for the good of the farm are resisting the abrupt discontinuation of the supply of clean drinking water to the animals at the next to nothing, extremely cheap prices.
Jegi is the head of the farm, the pig who had been chosen by other pigs to rule over the farm, Jegi (who is actually one of the few animals who can read and write) was able to convince the other farm animals to vote for him by drawing their sympathy as he claimed to be from a poor background and that he had experienced the hardship faced by the common animals first hand. He claimed further to be the best man for the job as he knew how the problems of the farm could be solved.
Eventually, Jegi won the election to the dismay of some of the ruling pigs who had always been against the nomination of Jegi to lead the farm, they felt there were even more capable hands and that Jegi was inexperienced and lacked political antecedents precedents. These pigs decided they were going to disrupt the fragile peace enjoyed on the farm and were prepared to do everything to make sure Jegi left office prematurely. consequently, there were mysterious deaths as well as destruction of farm property as well as disruption of regular farm activities.
After Jegi stopped supplying the farm animals with the almost free clean water, the farm animals put down their tools and stopped all farm activities in protest! They wanted the farm leadership to revert to the old price. They were led by some disgruntled pigs as well as Fire, the explosive horse (who actually contested and lost against Jegi in the last election), Peter (a cunning fox who used to be part of the Jegi cabinet initially until his cunning ways got the better of him) and other wizened dogs, cats, donkeys and horses.
In truth, it was really unfair for the Jegi government to discontinue the provision of clean affordable water since that was the only thing the animals benefited from working on the farm. The farm was very productive despite the fact that animals worked in terrible conditions. In reality, clean water is supplied to farm (from the water corporation) in exchange for the water from the lake which occupies a portion of the farm as well as farm produce too. So the farm animals were really working in terrible conditions and getting "peanuts" in return and they were still made to pay for water that is supplied to the farm practically free of charge. That the government made provisions for the clean water to be available at subsidised rates to the farm animals is mere propaganda: politics and lies.
The farm animals cursed and cried foul, they were tired of working for almost nothing while the ruling pigs live large and got fat. The farm animals slept in all kinds of places; the shed, the barn, in the field, under the tractor, on the trees and so on while the pigs lived in the the manor mansion on clean beds, ate assorted food, drank beer without actually performing any particular farm activity.
Anytime they tried to complain, a certain dog named Shepherd convinced them that it was all in their best interest and that the pigs were doing what was best for the farm.
During the protest or strike, the farm animals remembered their heroes who fought for the independence as well as the growth and survival of the farm. They remembered Snowball, the horse Boxer and also the cats Aniku and Fangi (who fought with their lives for the rise back to greatness of the animal farm after it was almost ruined by the leadership of Napoleon).
Some elder farm animals (who were, in secret, the brains behind Jegi's actions) such as Obiji, Ibebe and Juma condemned their protege but also remarked that Jegi n his cabinet (pigs such as Noi, Mido n DAM) probably meant well and they were committed to improving the welfare of the farm animals as well as create new infrastructure such as modern wind mill, machinery, improved irrigation channels and quarters for the farm animals to stay.
Initially, Jegi's advisers told him to maintain a hardstance as backing down from the decision to remove all subsidy on water or even negotiating with protesting farm animals would make him look weak. So to save face, Jegi told the farm animals that his decision was final and ordered the attack dogs to patrol round the the animal farm and arrest or even kill off any animal that was involved in any form of anti-government protest. However, this didn't deter the farm animals as they continued with their protest.
After a couple of weeks, Jegi announced that he and his ruling council were ready to negotiate if the opposition were ready to reach a compromise. Fire the explosive horse told the farm animals that jegi had a trick up his sleeves and that the farm animals shouldn't with anything less than total subsidisation of the clean water.
The reality was that the food supplies were dwindling in the manor mansion, there was no milk and the rum was being rationed as it was very small in quantity. As a result there was a lot of in-fighting among the ruling pigs who lived in the manor mansion.
Before the day of the meeting between Jegi and his advisors and the protesting animals, the horse Fire mysteriously disappeared.
At the meeting, jegi asked what the farm animals wanted. He explained that the money which he used to subsidize the clean water (which he actually got for free) was going to be re-allocated for other projects. He also made several promises and treated the farm animals to a feast. After which they sand many of the songs of revolution during the times of their founding fathers. ( What the majority of the farm animals were unaware of was that Jegi had earlier promised the representatives of the farm animals several gifts if they could convince the farm animals to go back to work)
The horse fire could only watch the proceedings in sadness from the windows of one of the rooms in the manor mansion where he was being watched by the attack dogs loyal to Jegi
Eventually, the farm animals decided to go back to their duty posts on the farm praying for the best. However, it was clear that if care is not taken, the ruling pigs may eventually have to pay for all the wickedness, treachery and oppression and oppression.

2012 "Grammy" Awards Full Winners List

http://www.grammy.com/nominees

follow @MrTuneri on twitter

Happyness

Its a NEW YEAR.  That means everyone is reflecting on the last year, thinking about what they want to achieve in the new year and coming up with their NEW YEARs RESOLUTION;  I want to lose weight.  I want to be more organized.  I want be more confident.  Those are just some I've had over the years.  I want to do this and I want to be that is what everyone's saying. You know what my new years resolution is?  No, its not to study harder; No, its not to concentrate more;  No,Its not to lose weight (although it should be);  Its not even to tell my father that I don't want to be a doctor.  MY NEW YEARs RESOLUTION IS TO BE HAPPY.
I've come to a point in my life where i realise that happiness is not a destination.  its a decision.  You're not working, studying, doing whatever you're doing so 'one day' you can be happy. Life is too short!  Death is too sudden. BE HAPPY NOW!  Choose to smile, to laugh, to dance. Choose to do it NOW.  NOW is the time to be happy.  Now is a PRESENT,  tomorrow is uncertain and the past is gone.  Last year, I spent too much time dwelling on the bad things going on in my life.  Too many times I told myself 'I'm not going to be happy'. You know what,   Maybe I'm right,  Maybe I'm not GOING to be,  But as of right now,  I can be.  If I let myself be.  I will smile because I deserve to, I will laugh and dance because I have more to be thankful for than to be saad about. Stop thinking about the future, you might not get one.  That Doesn't mean you shouldn't plan your life,  but don't let the future take over your present.
Don't count the number of things going wrong in your life. Count the number of things going right. Count the number of ways you can make the wrong things go right.

[caption id="attachment_176" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Happy. Thats All. Just Happy"][/caption]

                                                

So yes, this year I would like to study harder and concentrate more on what's important.  I would like to lose weight (AMEN) and I definitely want to tell my dad I don't want to be a doctor.  But if none of those resolutions happen,  I will still be content with just being happy.

'HAPPY' New Year. :)

 

 

follow @MrTuneri & cool kids like @Oyin_XO   & @IamTheMessage who contributed to this lovely blog post.

 

 

 

 

follow @MrTuneri on twitter

Top Ten Nigerian Albums In 2011

 

10 Double Dare -- Dare

Label: Soul Muzik

Date: March 2011

Double Dare Is A Double album comprising two parts; Heart (majorly slow love songs) and Beat (more up tempo and fast paced songs). Featuring Production By TY Mix And Providing Hit Singles Like Love The Way You Are, Ba Ni Kidi As Well As The Chamillionaire assisted Love The Way You Are remix. Other Guests On The Album Include Flavour, Timaya, 9ice, jesse jagz, mo' cheddah, p square.

 

9 Super Sun -- Bez

Label: Cobhams Asuquo Music Productions

Released: July 2011

Bez; this soft-spoken soul singer breezed into the hearts of the ladies. With his slow-music. Honestly, I didn't like bez at first, I didn't get More You (his first single) at all, even though I loved the kemi adetiba directed video. But listening to and watching bez perform LIVE at an event in lagos blew me away. I searched for, found his songs and eventually copped the album. Super sun is something different, something fresh, after all the heavy and fast paced beats we listened to all year, super sun offers something mellow, something to slow it all down. If You Love Asa, You're Gonna Love Bez. Highlights include Super Sun, Super Sun remix, More You, That Stupid Song. The album features production by Cobhams & Guests the likes of eLDee, Eva, Ice Prince & Praise

 

8 Port-Hacourt First Son -- Duncan Mighty

Label:

Date: January 2011

Ask Any Young Person From The Eastern Part of Nigeria Who Their Best Artiste Is, And Some Might Mention Duncan Mighty. The Singer Has A Knack For Making Catchy, Melodious Sing Alongs That Rock Any Party. He Makes The Best Gyration Music while also passing a message across. The album takes up many topics from love to hate to forgiveness and to the good life. The singer smiled home to the bank with numerous shows all around the east

 

7 Nonilizing -- Samklef

Label:

Date: January 2011

Samklef noni, producer extraordinaire is gifted. If u see him on the streets of ogba, a suburb of lagos, just say noni. I had heard a couple of samklef songs on the radio n t.v (laba laba, n noni). Then I attended his birthday bash in february 2011 where I had mad fun n got a signed nonilizing cd as well, I didn't even give it a chance. A few days later, I slotted it into my laptop and for the next hour I was unconciously screaming noni n nodding my head. Immediately Molowononi came on, I knew it was a hit. Nonilizing is one of those albums you can buy over and over again.  Surprisingly lovely effort by samklef; excellent production and superb delivery by guests such as Wizkid, Da prince, Olamide, Ice Prince and Skales.

6 Super C Season -- Naeto C

Label: Cerious Music

Date: January 2011

2008's 'You Know My P' took many by surprise as we had never seen a rap album achieve such a huge acceptance by mainstream naija (where hip hop and rap isn't really accepted). Naeto Chikwe produced hit track after hit track and also made popular street slangz like 'P' and 'las gid'i... So when it was announced in january that the album was ready for release, fans across naija were clearing their music shelves in anticipation. Preceded by smash hit singles like 'Ako Mi Ti Toju', 'Ten Over Ten' and 'Share My Blessing' (which features soul maestro asa). Naeto C not only delivered another classic album but also provided an album which even your mother and aunties can listen to due to, with the infusion of pidgin english, as well native languages like ibo and yoruba. On this album, naeto worked with TY Mix, Sarz, Sossick, Dr Frabs and Terry G and guests the likes of Omawumi, Asa, Waje, Da Grin, Terry G, YQ, as well as UK rapper Sway.

 

5 Rapsodi -- Olamide

Label: Coded Tunes

Released: April 2011

When Da Grin Died Last Year, the whole naija music was saddened by the loss of a huge talent, he is remembered in nigerian pop culture. The akogun of naija rap paved the way and inspired a lot of up and coming artistes, one of them is olamide. think I'm lying? he even made a tribute the song the nigerian icon in debut album rapsodi. Rapsodi was surprisingly good, preceded by smash hit track eni duro and its very creative dj tee directed video, naija peeps really took this guy serious when the second single omo to shan featuring rave of the moment singer wizkid. Backed by production from the legendary Id cabasa as well as great delivery, clever rhymes as well as native proverbs, all layed out in his mother tongue, rapsodi is an album that was superior to most in 2011. the album had guests such as wizkid, 9ice, terry tha rapman,  as well as label mates like 2phat, adol, reminisce. Olamide can hopefully, get even better from here.

 

4 Versus/Bashorun Gaa -- 9ice

Label: Alapomeji

Released: December 2011

After several delays and controversies, 9ice finally released his much anticipated double-disc album in dec 2011. 9ice delivered on this showing how hard working he has been and providing enough material for his fans to last them for years. I'm not sure what the official numbers for the album are but the album moved off the store shelves faster than usain bolts gets off the blocks. the album is in two parts. Consisting of Two Parts; Versus which favours the younger section of his fans has a track list that reads the who is who in the industry, Hitlist would have been a more appropriate name for the album. The other part is Bashorun gaa which features the regular 9ice with the usual serving of african proverbs. Versus/Bashorun Gaa is feel good musci and is a good item to include in christmas hampers for your boss or your mum!

 

3 The Invasion -- P Square

Label: Square Records

Released: July 2011

Naija's Favorite Twins Have Already Achieved Veteran Status, Yet The Invasion Showed That These Talented Guys Are Not Resting On Their Laurels Just Yet. The Uber Succesful Duo, Invaded The Media, Market & Our Hearts With Yet Another Smash Hit Album! With Little or No promo, Just A Concert which was held a day after the album was released. No Preceeding Singles, Just Good, Quality stuff all round. Naija surely didn't see this one coming! P square didn't really have to do much work as they unleashed their secret weapon on the album to unsuspecting fans, MAY D the square record signee did what he does best, he stole the show at every opportunity he was given! Of course, like everything associated with p square is handled in the family, this was no exception as production was by jude engees okoye and the twins themselves. Notable guests on the album include, Naeto C, Muna, Eva, Tiwa Savage & May D.

 

2 -- The Dreamer Project (Show Dem Camp)

Label:

Released: September 2011

My Personal Favorite -_-

Okay, You May Not Know who these guys are, but trust me, they make good music. Show Dem Camp easily is my album of the year! Both locally and internationally, the album I jammed the most. The duo of Tec & Ghost provided their fans with an instant classic! their varying styles served to add spice to the excellent beats provided by the various producers on the album. Not since M.I's Talk About It has a nigerian rap album been this good! Lyrically, this album stands toe to toe with any other album out there, even modenine's pentium IX! Pound for pound its the best naija rap album ever!! the arrangement, the production, even the skits, excellent! Tec & Ghost took no prisoners

The Dreamer Project Is Like The Hip Hop Equivalent of The Hail Mary Pass in American Football! If Only their distribution and production had been better, getting the album was like searching for the holy grail, I was glad I persisted though as I wasn't dissapointed at all. The dreamer project was backed by beats from Ikon,   Rundatrax, Jusa Dementor, Kurt, Ceeko as well as Show N Prove and features guests like May D (who stole the song here too), Eva, Eyfa, M.I, Lynxx, Temi Dollface, Poe, Badman Floss, Abasa,  Lucci, Benny P, A1, Nneka & Tuface Idibia. These Duo "Showed Dem" What Real Music Is About In 2011

 

1 -- SuperStar  Wizkid

Studio Album By Wizkid

Label: EME Records

Date: June 2011

Starboy! ,as Ayo Balogun is sometimes called, is undoubtedly the biggest artist in naija right now! Not since Tuface Idibia went solo or even D'Banj has Naija had a more widely accepted and crossovered artist. The 17 tracker was launched amid huge media hype and much pomp at the Eko with a large concert. The album was a huge hit and it had wizkid combining several styles of music. It also showed how much wizkid has grown as an artist, as he included material he had done earlier in his career. However, this proved to be a minor blip on the album as it seemed to lack cohesion and no particular arrangement. that could also be as a result of the album featuring a pot pouri of producers such as Samklef, Jay Sleek, Knighthouse, E Kelly. Guests Artistes On The Album Include Wande Coal, D Prince And Label Mates, Skales & Banky W. All In All, Superstar Is A Solid Debut Album earning the Holla At your boy singer awards both locally and internationally, MOBO, Headies etc. Despite Pressure & Huge Expectations, Wizkid Delivered To His Fans & Earned Rave Reviews From Critics. Wizkid Has Perfomed at almost all the major shows both in Nigeria and abroad in the last 12months.

 

Honorable Mentions Also Go To Beautiful Noize (Timi Dakolo),  Terry G.zuz (Terry G), Evolution (Godwon)

Top Ten Albums of 2011

Top Ten Albums of 2011

This year-end list is composed of The Best Selling & Most Popular albums released Between Jan. 1  through Dec. 2011. The Amount of Units Sold By The Albums As Well As Acceptance & Popularity Also Play A Part. All The Albums Listed Here Have Been Number One On the Billboard Album Chart At Some Point. However, Albums Like Rihanna's "Talk That Talk", Michael Bubles' "Christmas" Album As Well As The Roots' "Undun" Were Not Considered.

*Honorable Mentions Go To

Four The Record (Miranda Lambert), Own The Night (Lady Antebellum) As Well As Ambition (Wale) & Late Nights & Early Mornings (Marsha Ambrosius) And Bon Iver.

10 -- Mixtapes, EPs & Indie Rap:

Indie Music made a big showing this year, several lyricists plagued with label issues finally got their albums released. Veteran MCs made significant comebacks. While Conducting The Compilation of The List I Just Couldn't Just Ignore The Great Music Provided By EPs Such As Bad Meets Evil: Welcome To Hell 2 (Eminem & Royce Da 5'9") or mixtapes Such As House of Balloons (The Weeknd) ,Nolstagia/Ultra (Frank Ocean) & Section 80 (Kendrick Lamar). Indie Releases Like Tyler, The Creator's Goblin, All 6's & 7's (Tech N9ne)-- Sorry Guys, we're waiting for that proper studio project. Artists With Record Label Issues Who Still Managed To Put Out Good Efforts Such As L.A.S.E.R.S (Lupe Fiasco), Grestest Story Never Told (Saigon) Get A Shout Out Here.

9 Tha Carter IV -- Lil Wayne

Released

August 29, 2011

Genre

Hip hop

Length

60:30

Label

Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Republic

Producer

Lil Wayne (exec.), Cortez Bryant (exec.), Ronald "Slim" Williams (exec.), Birdman (exec.), Willy Will, Bangladesh, Noel "Detail" Fisher, T-Minus, Polow da Don, Develop, Kenoe, Cool & Dre, Infamous, Rob Holladay, The Smeezingtons, Snizzy, MegaMan, Young Fyre, The Commission, Drum Up

Tha Carter IV is the ninth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. The fourth installment in Lil Wayne's 'Tha Carter' series isn't exactly his greatest, but after having to wait an extra eight  months while Weezy sat in a Rikers  Island jail cell for a gun possession  charge, it satiated wagging tongues.  The anthemic lead single, '6 Foot 7  Foot,' showed promise, but Wayne  surprised fans, taking a turn from the  usual money-loving and gun-slinging  themes of his earlier tracks to his own  take on love, especially on songs such as 'How to Love,' 'How to Hate' and 'So  Special.' However, Songs Like 'Blunt Blowin', 'John' and 'President Carter' "6 Foot, 7 Foot" show that despite  taking chances (and taking up skateboarding), The Old P***y Loving Weezy F Can Still Deliver When He Wants.

Appearances on the album include Cory Gunz, Drake, T-Pain, Tech N9ne, Andre 3000, Rick Ross, John Legend, Bruno Mars, Birdman, Kevin Rudolf, Jadakiss, Bun B, Nas, Shyne, and Busta Rhymes.

Tha Carter IV achieved first week sales of 964,000 copies in the United States and became Lil Wayne's second album to top the US Billboard 200 in its first week.

Critics felt it was a disappointment compared to his previous work. Nevertheless, The album provided a couple of hit singles and On November 16, 2011, the album was certified double platinum.

Highlights of The album include;

"6 Foot 7 Foot" (The album's lead single which features Cory Gunz);

"John" which features Rick Ross;

"How to Love" (which became  Wayne's fourteenth top ten (billboard) hit and the best performing single from the album. No Auto-tune was used while recording it);

"President Carter" as well as the performances of the several guests on the albums interludes.

As of December 11, 2011, the album had sold 1,797,600 copies in the United States alone.

8  F.A.M.E -- Chris Brown

Released

March 18, 2011

Genre

R&B, pop, hip hop

Length

53:53

Label

Jive

Producer

Alle Benassi, Afrojack, Brian Kennedy, Bigg D, Benny Benassi, Chris Brown (exec.), DJ Frank E, Diplo, Free School, H Money, Jroc, Kevin McCall, Mark Pitts (also exec.), Polow da Don, Ra Charm, Tha Bizness, Team Breezy (also exec.), The Messengers, The Stereotypes, The Underdogs, Timbaland, Timothy Bloom, Tina Davis (also exec.), T-Wiz

Let's Start From It Being His First Album To Debut At Number One In The US! (After Four Tries). His video for 'Look at Me Now' featuring Lil  Wayne and Busta Rhymes has  generated 129  million views since  premiering in March -- that's more than the numbers for Lady Gaga's 'Born  This Way' and Weezy's own '6 Foot 7  Foot' videos combined. The Album Is A Blend of Various Styles, From Chris Rapping, To Pop (In Next To You With Justin Bieber), To Electro Beats (Beautiful People) As Well As R&B (In Songs Like She Aint You & No Bullsh*t)

The album featured several guest appearances, including McCall, Tyga, Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Justin Bieber, Benny Benassi, Wiz Khalifa, The Game, Timbaland and Big Sean.

The acronym of the title has two meanings, "Forgiving All My Enemies" and "Fans Are My Everything".

F.A.M.E. was nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the 2011 American Music Awards. On November 27, 2011, it won Album of the Year at the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards. F.A.M.E. has earned Brown three Grammy Award nominations, including Best R&B Album. while "Look at Me Now" is nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.

7 Mylo Xyloto -- Coldplay

Released

24 October 2011

Genre

Alternative rock, electro rock

Length

44:09

Label

Parlophone, EMI

Producer

Markus Dravs, Daniel Green, Rik Simpson, Brian Eno

Mylo Xyloto is the fifth studio album by British (alternative) rock band Coldplay.

Mylo Xyloto is a concept album, and its contents follows a story throughout. According to Chris Martin (the bands lead singer), the album is "based on a love story with a happy ending," Internationally, the album charted at number one in seventeen countries. In the United Kingdom, Mylo Xyloto became their fifth album to debut at number one. The album became the group's third to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200.  "Paradise" and "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" received a total of three Grammy Award nominations. The album has been certified platinum in the US and has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide to date.

Highlights of the album include

"Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall"

"Paradise"

"Princess of China"

6 Cole World: The Sideline Story -- J.Cole

Released

September 27, 2011

Genre

Hip Hop

Length

60:00

Roc Nation, Columbia

Producer

J. Cole (also exec.) Jay-Z (co-exec.) No I.D., Brian Kidd, The University, L&X Music, Canei Finch, Ron Gilmore

The album is J. Cole's first studio release, following three successful mixtapes ('The Come Up,' 'The Warm Up' and 'Friday Night Lights'). Production was handled mainly by Cole himself, with some production from high-profile producer No I.D..

Jay-Z's Roc Nation protégé came out  punching on his hotly anticipated  debut, Taking No Prisoners and Speaking His Mind Out. Two years in the making, with huge media  blitz fueling the hype created by Cole's preceding successful mixtapes.  The "Can't Get Enough" Rapper delivered under  pressure and debuted atop both the  Billboard 200 and Hip-Hop/R&B charts. "Cole World: Sideline Story" Is Not Your Average Rap Record and it Features Guests Such as Jay-Z, Trey Songz, Drake As Well As (a singing) Missy Elliott.

The album was one of the most anticipated releases of 2011 due to the sharp rise in Cole's popularity and mainstream fan base. Cole's lyrics perhaps most strikingly deals with issues such as abortion and the consequences of growing up in a fatherless household. However, these themes are incorporated alongside more introspective issues such as relationships, family problems, fame and attempting to be successful - an area which very much links in with the subtitle of the album 'The Sideline Story'. Upon its release, the album was generally well received by critics, who praised the wholesomeness of the album.

J. Cole stated that the reason for the subtitle "The Sideline Story" is because he feels being signed to Jay-Z is like someone being on the sidelines for their favorite basketball team, and they're just waiting until the coach puts them in.

Despite Huge Expectations, Cole World: The Sideline Story has more bright spots than lowlights and serves as a solid debut..".

Highlights Include "Mr Nice Watch", "In The Morning", "Lights Please"

 

5 Take Care -- Drake

Take Care

Studio album by Drake

Released

November 15, 2011

Genre

Hip hop, R&B, pop, electronica

Length

79:49

Label

Young Money, Cash Money

Producer

Boi-1da, Cortez Bryant (exec.), Chase N. Cashe, Aubrey "Drake" Graham (also exec.), Illangelo, Jamie xx, Just Blaze, Kromatik, Lil Wayne (exec.), Doc McKinney, Gee Roberson (exec.), Noah "40" Shebib, Supa Dups, T-Minus, The Weeknd

 

Take Care is the follow-up to Drake's 2010 debut album Thank Me Later. If Drake's 2010 debut "Thank Me Later" was the sound of a man decisively snatching fame and whole lot of money from a mountain of hype, then his luxurious sophomore album "Take Care," finds Drake holding his new fortune in his hand, unsure of what to do with it and where to go from here .

Drake's lyrics mostly eschew boastful raps for introspective lyrics that deal with topics such as failed romances, relationship with friends and family, growing wealth and fame, concerns about leading a hollow life, and despondency.

the rhymer smooths things out  vocally on his sophomore effort,  ditching rap totally on a couple of songs. with most tracks favoring mellow,  drowned-out beats than anything  anthemic. The overall effect is a  beautiful rap&B record that can be  played continuously. 'Take Care' almost sounds like an indie effort. It seems hanging  out with fellow Toronto soft singer  The Weeknd (who shows up on 'Crew  Love')  has paid off for Drizzy.

Take Care was leaked to the Internet nine days before its scheduled release. The album has produced three singles, "Headlines", "Make Me Proud", and "The Motto",

Drake Continued His  creative partnership with record producer and audio engineer Noah "40" Shebib, who had first introduced his distinct sound on Drake's breakthrough mixtape So Far Gone.

Noah "40" Shebib contributed to most of the album's production .Although he is credited as producer for only eight of the album's 17 songs, Shebib also served as audio engineer and mix engineer on the album. This Led To The Album Having A More Cohesive Sound Unlike Its Predecessor "Thank Me Later" Critics view that the album's mood and style are modelled after Kanye West's 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak.

On Take Care, Drake Successfully mixed a nice-guy vulnerability with wounded narcissism. In the future, an album may become more commonplace, today its radical.

Highlights Include "Headlines" "Take Care" "Marvins Room" "The Motto" And Kendrick Lamar's Take On The Buried Alive Interlude

 

4. Watch The Throne -- Jay Z & Kanye West

Released

August 8, 2011

Genre

Hip hop

Length

46:02

Label

Roc-A-Fella, Roc Nation, Def Jam

Producer

88-Keys, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean, Hit-Boy, Jay-Z (exec.), Don Jazzy, Kyambo Joshua (exec.), Sham "Sak Pase" Joseph, Anthony Kilhoffer, Ken Lewis, The Neptunes, Q-Tip, Lex Luger, Gee Roberson (exec.), RZA, Swizz Beatz, S1, Kanye West (also exec.)

 

The Biggest & Best Collaboration of 2011! Without A Doubt!!

The EP-turned-LP Collaboration Between The Biggest Rapper Alive & The Most Creative Rapper Alive Could Have Been Such A Major Flop, Instead It Exceeded Out Expectations . It Was Recorded Amid Heavy Security & Secrecy But Fans Went 'H.A.M.' for the album as soon as it was released. "N***as in Paris" was 2011's unstoppable banger, "Otis" returned Mr. Redding to the Hot 100, and "New Day" let our heroes wax poetic about their unborn sons (we and the RZA connect, too).

Jay-Z and West's braggadocio lyrics on the album exhibit themes of opulence, fame, materialism, power, and the burdens of success, as well as political and socioeconomic context.

its downfall, however, is that it doesn't  offer anything new in the "taking chances" category. Its Just Features the two bragging on a dozen consecutive tracks like 'Otis' and 'Niggas in Paris.'

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart.

critics commended its production and the rappers' performances but criticized the subject matter and the album's cohesiveness.

The album has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America

As of December 2011, Watch The Throne has sold excess of 1,144,000 copies in the United States.

Originally intended to be a five-track EP by Jay-Z and West, Watch the Throne was revealed by West to be a full-length album and it features guest artists such as  Beyoncé, Frank Ocean (twice! O_O), and Mr Hudson.

The Production On the album Is Similar To That of The Critically Acclaimed. "My Beautiful Sweet Dark Fantasy.

Both co-kings flaunt their outrageous arrogance even by the standards of a genre where braggadocio is the main event.

Watch The Throne became  Jay-Z's 12th number-one album (Most Number One Albums of All Time By Any Artist) and West's 5th number-one album in the US.

Watch the Throne was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The album was nominated for several. (4) Grammy Awards inclucding Best Rap Album and Best Recording Package.  The song "Otis" was nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.

It is  an album of the moment (a point underlined by the presence of Frank Ocean on two tracks) yet it has the substance to endure and stand the test of time and become a classic.

 

3 Born This Way --  Lady Gaga

Released

May 23, 2011

Genre

Dance-pop, synthpop

Length

61:07

Label

Streamline, Interscope, Kon Live

Producer

DJ Snake, DJ White Shadow, Fernando Garibay, Lady Gaga, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Jeppe Laursen, RedOne, Clinton Sparks

 

Born This Way is the second full-length studio album (and third major release) by American recording artist Lady Gaga.  It is a follow-up to her internationally-successful albums The Fame (2008) and The Fame Monster (2009). The album experiments with genres like opera, heavy metal, disco and rock and roll while its lyrical topics include sexuality, religion, freedom, feminism, and individualism.  Born This Way received three Grammy Award nominations, including her third consecutive nomination for Album of the Year.

Internationally successful, Born This Way debuted in the top five spots in every major market, including the Billboard 200. In the United States, Born This Way sold 1.108 million copies in its first week, the largest first week album sales in five years.

As of October 2011, worldwide sales of the album have exceeded 8 million copies.

The album includes references to several religious figures of Christianity, notably Judas Iscariot, Mary Magdalene, and Jesus of Nazereth.  Several songs on the album give reference to multiple social topics, including the Arizona immigration law. Messages of sexuality and feminism are among the most distinguishable components of Born This Way. Other themes referenced in the album include individualism, equality, and freedom.

The album received Grammy Award nominations for the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012, including Album of the Year, Best Pop Album and Best Pop Solo Performance (for her song "You and I"). Being her third consecutive Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, Gaga is the first artist since British rock band The Beatles to receive three consecutive nominations in the category. Additionally, the album was nominated in the category of Favorite Pop/Rock Album at the American Music Awards of 2011, losing it, however, to Adele's 21.

Several religious groups have condemned the album for its incorporation of several religious icons of Christianity and its stance on sexuality.

Born This Way was Gaga's first number-one album and the highest first-week total since 50 Cent's The Massacre (2005) sold 1,141,000 in its first week. Gaga is the fifth woman to sell one million copies in a week, after Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard Soundtrack, 1992), Britney Spears (Oops!...I Did It Again, 2000), Norah Jones (Feels Like Home, 2004), and Taylor Swift (Speak Now, 2010).662,000 digital sales, the largest in SoundScan history. The digital downloads accounted for 60 percent of Born This Way⁠'s first week total. The album also became the eighth best-selling digital album in United States history after its first week of sales. Born This Way is the second best selling album of the year in the United States, with sales of 2,000,000 copies.

The album sold 2.5 million copies worldwide on its first week of release. As of October 2011, worldwide sales of Born This Way exceed 8 million copies.

2 4 --  Beyoncé



Released

June 24, 2011

Recorded

2009–11

Genre

R&B, pop, soul

Length

46:33

Label

Parkwood, Columbia

Producer

Antonio Dixon, Babyface, Brent Kutzle, Beyoncé Knowles (exec.), Caleb, Jeff Bhasker, Julian Napolitano, Jens Bergmark, Kuk Harrell, Kanye West, Kaskade, Luke Steele, Los Da Mystro, Ryan Tedder, Shea Taylor, Switch, Symbolyc One, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart

 

Beyonce's Fourth Studio Album is the first release by Knowles since separating professionally with father and manager, Mathew, in March 2011.

However, When 4's First Single  'Run the World (Girls), was released, fans and critics geared for a dud album from the B in R & B, The Single which entered the charts at No.  23  and then fell to No. 76, marked the first time a leading single of a beyonce album won't debut in the top 10 (Double  digits aren't exactly what you'd expect to see in Queen B's court) but the diva struck back, releasing follow- up singles and their accompanying  videos like 'Love on Top,' 'Countdown'  and 'Party.' While '4' lacks the same  adrenaline as its  predecessor 'I Am ... Sasha Fierce,' it's  an album with eclectic songs that when looking back  years from now, will undoubtedly make her 'Best of' compilations.

Knowles claims to get inspiration from simple things she enjoyed during her hiatus from music, she also drew inspiration from Fela Kuti; Earth, Wind & Fire, Lionel Richie, with additional influences from The Jackson 5, New Edition, Florence and The Machine, Adele, and Prince,

The Stylistics, Lauryn Hill, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson.

According to beyonce, she mixed genres, she said "I wanted musical changes, bridges, vibrata, live instrumentation, and classic songwriting. Knowles also added that 4 was more of "a labor of love" rather than just singles and radio songs and that she Felt that she has "earned the right to make artistic music". Knowles' main objective was to bring back "the emotion and live instruments and just soul missing out of the music industry."

When speaking about her inspiration by Kuti, she said she takes a major inspiration on 4 with drums and horns and "how everything was on the one". The album was also inspired by '90s R&B. Knowles also said she discovered Frank Ocean (who guests on the album) through Jay Z. "I noticed his tone, his arrangements, and his storytelling. I immediately reached out to him—literally the next morning. I asked him to fly to New York and work on my record". Beyonce submitted 72 songs to her label in preparation for the album’s release.

4 is Beyonce's  fourth consecutive solo debut at the top of the chart and makes her the second female artist and third artist overall, to have her first four studio albums debut atop the Billboard 200. While 4⁠'s first-week sales became Knowles' lowest sales start with a studio album to date. It marks the third-largest sales week of the year, after the [number one] bows of Lady Gaga's Born This Way and Adele's 21. On August 1, 2011, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),

4 was nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the 2011 American Music Awards and Album of the Year at the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards. It is also nominated for Album of the Year at the 38th People's Choice Awards and Best Album at the 2011 Virgin Media Music Awards.

1 21 --  Adele

Released

24 January 2011

Genre

Pop, soul, R&B, alternative rock, indie

Length

48:12

Label

XL, Columbia

Producer

Jim Abbiss, Adele Adkins, Paul Epworth, Rick Rubin, Fraser T Smith, Ryan Tedder, Dan Wilson

 

the album was named after the age of the singer at the time of its production. With its universal theme of all-consuming heartbreak (andthe emotional wound-licking that inevitably must follow said heartbreak), the polished album transcended the pop world and touched just about everyone who gave it a shot. Led by singles "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You," "21" showcased not only the emotional songwriting of Adele Atkins but also the British songstress' incredible vocal range. Released in January (i.e., the music industry dead zone known as the first quarter), "21" did not fade by mid-year; nay, the album -- and Adele -- only continued to increase in as 2011 moved forward, despite releases from Lady Gaga, Rihanna and other pop divas.

The album was met with general critical acclaim for its vintage authenticity, lyrical depth.

21 debuted at number one in the United Kingdom & Spent 18-weeks atop the UK Albums Chart. The album also debuted at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and peaked at number one in a total of 24 countries. 21 surpassed many domestic and international chart records following its release, and appeared in the 2011 edition of the Guinness World Records. The album also spent 13 weeks atop the U.S. Billboard 200, 23 weeks atop the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, and set an all-time record of 26 weeks at number one in New Zealand and 29 weeks in Ireland. As of December, worldwide sales for 21 are around 15 million copies.

Her introduction to American country music provided the conceptual framework for the album's sound. She Was Also Influenced By The Music of Garth Brooks, Wanda Jackson, Alison Krauss, Lady Antebellum, Dolly Parton and Rascal Flatts, Mary J Blige, Kanye West, Elbow, Mos Def, Alanis Morissette, Tom Waits and Sinéad O'Connor ,Yvonne Fair, Andrew Bird, Neko Case and The Steel Drivers

The sequence of the album's songs mirror the range of emotions Adele experienced after the break-up of her relationship progressing from the anger and bitterness (Rolling In The Deep), to loneliness, "heartbreak and regret", (Don't You Remember) and finally, acceptance (Someone Like You)

The lead single "Rolling in the Deep" became the year's best selling song at over five million digital copies sold.

"Someone Like You" It was certified Platinum by the BPI on 1 April 2011.

As of October 2011, "Someone Like You" is the biggest selling single of 2011 in the UK, having sold 1 million copies by July 2011. 21 shares  thematic similarities with Amy Winehouse's Back to Black song writing: "Almost every song oozes pain, sadness and anger". No Doubt, The Death of The Rehab Singer Also Influenced The Acceptence of Adele By The Whole World.

The album was also nominated for the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize. In November 2011, Adele won three American Music Awards including Favorite Pop/Rock Album for 21. On 30 November Adele received Grammy Awards nominations for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for 21, while "Rolling in the Deep" was nominated for Record and Song of the Year, as well as Best Music Video, Short Form; "Someone Like You" was also nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance.

Adele became the first living act since The Beatles in 1964 to have two UK top five albums and singles simultaneously. Adele was recognized by the Guinness World Records for becoming the first female artist to have two singles and two albums in UK top five 5 simultaneously. 21 also became the first album in UK chart history to reach sales of three million in a calendar year,

As of 17 December 2011, 21 has been certified fourteen-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It also became the most downloaded album in UK history.  As of December 2011, 21 has sold over 3.4 million copies in the UK, and became the biggest-selling album of the 21st century, overtaking Amy Winehouse's Back to Black. It also became the 10th biggest-selling album of all time in the UK.

21 Was At the top five (Billboard 200) for thirty nine weeks, outlasting all albums released in the U.S. in 2011. 21 is the first album to spend as many weeks in the top five since Whitney Houston's The Bodyguard soundtrack spent thirty weeks in the top five between 1991 and 1992.the only 2011 release to sell over 2 million copies. It is also the best-selling digital album of all time in the U.S., selling 1.02 million copies.

American R&B artist Beyoncé Knowles cited Adele among the influences for her latest album 4. In addition to the numerical titular reference, Knowles' album also showcased an understated and more soulful side that contrasted with her more up-tempo, aggressive side.

21 was certified platinum or higher in more than 15 counties including US & UK.

The Singer, Real Name, Adele Adkins was recently been named Billboard's Artist of the Year. She is currently recovering from throat surgery said she may not release a new CD for a couple years. She sat atop the music world this year with the number-one Single, number-one Video and, unless something miraculous takes place in the next few days, the number-one Album.

"21" is on pace to be the the first album to sell five million copies in 12 months since Usher's "Confessions" in 2004.