On Sunday, we (in this case I) wrote a recap of Reminisce’s Street Concert at the Ikeja City Mall. But somewhere in the middle of the mostly positive ‘review’, Osagie Osarenkhoe, formerly of Wizkid, Skales and at the moment, Reminisce‘s manager, picked bones with the only line that concerned her. And boy was she mad!
I was beleaguered by literally a dozen messages – 12 people reached me to say that she wasn’t happy about the said ‘uncharacteristic haplessness’ of hers on the night. A couple of them said she was angry and had marked me out as an enemy. Ahan, just like that?
And sure enough, her Twitter handle shot four ‘fire tweets’ to echo the messages I had earlier received by her proxies. The first one didn’t make sense for two reasons: one – she asked anybody who knew my handle to thank me for acknowledging her and two, that she was married now.
READ: Last night at his first headline concert, Reminisce showed why his music rules the streets
Here’s why it didn’t make sense – she blocked the handle she claimed not to know and then threw in the part about her being married. Lord knows what that has to do with all of the tea in China.
A few members of her posse also threw in some choice words and followed suit by blocking me – people that I was not following before o!
Pls anyone who has Jide Taiwo of The Net NG’s contact or handle should pls thank him for the acknowledgement and that I’m married now…
— Osagie O. #Thankful (@iamtheOsagie) February 26, 2017
Also Mr Taiwo, your opinions have never put food on my table and never will. Thanks
— Osagie O. #Thankful (@iamtheOsagie) February 26, 2017
See this one thinking that trashing me can increase his worth. Nonsense
— Osagie O. #Thankful (@iamtheOsagie) February 26, 2017
But did Osagie have a right of be angry by what she deduced as an attack on her? Definitely. If you bust your behind working on a project, you’ll expect to be commended for it. Any perceived ‘trashing’ will be met with virtual projectiles.
This website is pretty much trash plus all the writers. Bunch of idiots. https://t.co/CC95Y7t4Ol
— Yung Billionaire (@KingUcheOdoh) February 26, 2017
How do you review a concert belittling someone who made it happen and yet say it was successful? You must be mad Jide Taiwo.
— Yung Billionaire (@KingUcheOdoh) February 26, 2017
Will I now wear sack-clothes and cry in the market square? Yes, I will o! I will travel to the middle of Lagos and wail about how an artiste manager’s anger will cause me sleepless nights. I’m going to jump on Twitter and whine about she and her voltron calling everybody at Thenetng a bunch of idiots. I will send a fattened calf to her office to apologise for my chutzpah in describing her correctly – and saying in the same breath that it was not typical of her – on one night. Lest I do this, the heavens will fall.
Of course not. Osagie Seven (I hope that will suffice because I actually do not know her married name) knows that in the business that she works in, it’s not all going to be peachy. Hopefully, she realises that it does not stem from malice or hatred.
I was well within my rights to describe what I saw viz: she did not have complete control of the night’s proceedings. The backstage area was a mess. All of the guest artistes arrived AFTER the celebrant of the night, Reminisce did. Was that her fault? No. Could she control it? No. Cest finis.
Was it a dope show nonetheless? Hell yeah! If she is solely responsible for the success of the show as her people are suggesting that it was (and I doubt that ONLY she pulled it off), then Reminisce owes her a big fat bonus.
So she was well within her rights to react to the report however she chooses. The thing is, neither perspective will have an effect on either party. As she pointed out, my opinion has never put food on her table. Surprisingly, her opinion of me has never put fuel in my generator. See? It’s a win-win!
For entertainers, their management and media practitioners; your work will be met with a lot of criticism. Some will be harsh, others will be wrong. But one must not allow it toss one in a frenzy as Mrs. Seven did. It is a futile attempt and is rather useless. Growing a thick skin is a must in this realm. It helps in taking adulation with restraint and criticism with stoic resolve.
Some guy who calls himself a journalist and reports trash https://t.co/m3Hq8BhVco
— Osagie O. #Thankful (@iamtheOsagie) February 26, 2017
Especially when it comes from a ‘journalist who reports trash’ – who is trash until his platform needs to be sent one of those pesky ‘Please find attached’ emails.