EXCLUSIVE: 12 Times Nigerian Artists Dumped Contracts Their Managers.

Like the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end some time. With the recent end of business relationships happening all over the Nigerian music industry, ReplayTunes takes a far look back into the history of Nigerian artists ending things with their managers as their careers progress. Not to bore you with a long eulogy of this dead relationships, lets get straight to it.

1. Davido and Asa Asika

Davido’s entrance into the music industry was marked by a partnership with the equally youthful Asa Asika. The partnership wouldn’t last beyond a couple of years as the two parted ways in 2012.

Both parties never confirmed why, even though it was reported that an argument over money descended into fisticuffs. It was at this point that Kamal Ajiboye started to manage Davido.

2. Wizkid and Osagie Osarenkhoe

The bespectacled Osagie for a very long time was in charge of Wizkid‘s career. She introduced him to Banky W and helped Wizkid get through scandals that threatened his early stardom.

Things fell apart in 2013 when the artiste ‘fired’ his manager. His reported grouse was that he only earned 25 per cent of performance fees while Osagie took the same cut as the label took the larger 50% share.

3. Wizkid and Godwin Tom

Pop star Wizkid and manager Godwin Tom in Abuja, November 2013. Photo: Instagram/Godwin Tom

After Osagie, Wizkid pitched his tent with Godwin Tom who also managed singer Waje at the time.

Their disagreement was not as tumultuous as his previous one and Wizkid quietly replaced him Seun Johnson in the interim before moving on to his current manager Sunday Are.

4. Skales and Osagie Osarenkhoe

Osagie is a recurrent name on this list by virtue of her work ethic. After the relationship with Wizkid ended, she worked with his former label mate Skales.

She perhaps was the most important part of the singer/rapper’s career. After being shoved unceremoniously out of the EME camp, she helped him secure another deal with Baseline Music.

But in 2016, both artiste and manager were arrested by the police for matters relating to fraud by the record label. Skales would beg find his way back to Baseline, while Osagie took the fall.

5. Reekado Banks and Osagie Osarenkhoe

Mavin signee Reekado Banks also was managed by Osagie. Thankfully the end of this relationship was not bitter like the other two.

Reekado simply put his career in the hands of his elder brother Temi who manages him now.

6. D’banj and Bankuli

In the aftermath of D’banj‘s acrimonious exit and the subsequent dissolution of Mohits Records, Seun Agboola aka Bankuli went with D’banj on his new journey without Don Jazzy.

It is said that it was he in fact who met Kanye West in Dubai and thus was responsible for D’banj’s G.O.O.D Music adventure. It was therefore shocking in 2013 when it was reported that the duo had stopped working together.

Bankuli denies that he was fired by D’banj and that he just decided to forge his own path; however it was said at that time that D’banj felt betrayed by Bankuli’s overtures to Kanye West- among other financial disagreements.

7. Wande Coal and Bankuli

Wande Coal went with Don Jazzy after the Mohits breakup but things soon went sour, leading to a Twitter-beef between the two. Bankuli then stepped in to start managing Wande.

That too would prove to be a short journey as less than three years later, Bankuli released a statement to the effect that he had dumped Wande Coal ‘for loss of focus and other human vices’.

8. P-Square and Jude Okoye

Are the Okoye brothers confused or it’s just another publicity stunt gone wrong?

The twins had been managed by their elder brother Jude Okoye for almost a decade and it took the public by surprise in 2016, when Peter Okoye gave an interview blaming Jude for the crisis between him and his twin.

Although the group reconciled later that year, it appeared that one of the conditions of the reconciliation was that Jude would stop being involved with them. He also tweeted to say that he no longer worked with his brothers in a managerial capacity.

9. Reminisce and Ibrahim Okulaja

A few days to the release of Reminisce‘s last album El-Hadj, his friend and former manager announced that he was no longer working with the rapper, with many fans questioning the timing of the breakup.

Ibrahim has moved on to private business and Reminisce pretty much manages himself now.

10. Iyanya and Ubi Franklin

For a very long time, Iyanya denied rumours of infighting within MMMG which he co-owned with friend and partner Ubi Franklin.

Even when he announced that he would be floating his own label soon, both parties still insisted that all was well. Iyanya has since joined Mavin Records while Ubi is focused on Tekno.

11. 9ice and Dehinde Fajana

Following his divorce with Toni Payne, 9ice was handled by his friend Dehinde Fajana. Nevertheless it was no secret that his ex-wife and Dehinde had no love lost between them.

In 2013 when 9ice reportedly sacked the manager, he also granted series of interviews to claim that he could not have been sacked as he was not actually contractually bound to 9ice in the first place.