Kelly Handsome going strong years after being blacklisted by Kennis Music
A lot of attention is drawn when the name Kelly Handsome comes to light as he was the face of Dancehall, Afro-Pop and perhaps the best thing that happened to Kennis Music after Tuface Idibia.
Who is Kelly Handsome?
Kelly Hansome, born Orji Kelechi Obinna on January 18, hails from Eziobodo in Owerri West, Nigeria. He rose to fame in 2008 with his hit track “Maga Don Pay,” which became an anthem about internet fraud, particularly reflecting on the “Yahoo Boyz” trend. His debut album Too Much Money followed, producing additional hits like “Like Play, Like Play” and “Free Me,” solidifying his place in Nigerian music. Signed to Kennis Music, Kelly Hansome became one of the country’s prominent artists during the late 2000s. However, his career faced turbulence following public feuds with industry peers and his departure from Kennis Music. He went on to release music under his own label, Maga Music, and signed a management deal with Now Muzik in 2012. Though he struggled to recapture the same success, he has continued to work as a producer, contributing to songs such as 2Baba’s “Senator”.
What went Wrong with Kennis Music?
Greed:
At a time Record Labels were robbing off artist with next to nothing and even in control of shows, endorsements etc, Kennis Music made a mistake by under estimating Kelly Handsome’s capabilities.
It must be said that Kelly is an all round artist who is good with several music instruments, a music producer, video director, a rapper, dancer and also a writer. A perfect example of a complete artist. Nothing is given freely but Keke and D-One went to far as the artist earned closed to nothing after the launch of his first album.
Royalties weren’t paid, Show Money was in a ration of 90:10 (90 for the record label, 10 for the Artist), Endorsements money was share likewise and Kelly wasn’t having it.
Blackballed:
Kennis Music controlled most of Nigeria’s On Air Personalities and Media staff back in the early 2000’s so they blacklisted Kelly Handsome off the airwaves which lead to the artist releasing singles online.
It must be said that Kelly thought a lot of young artist how to setup their work on iTunes, YouTube and other streaming platforms at that time to meet their audience online. He brought about true independence from Record labels in Nigeria, giving more power to the Artist. All thanks to the rift.
Setup:
Kelly Handsome was said to be beefing with a lot of industry acts at the time but little was known about how he got set-up by the powers that be just to terminate his image and music. First came the defunct Mo’hits, then M.I blew off using Kelly Handsome’s name in a diss track which made him respond. M.I went on to make an entire album which was partly promoted by Keke and D-one of Kelly Music together with Chocolate City (M.I’s record label).
In all of this, Kelly Handsome has been relevant and still drops dope songs from time to time plus let’s not forget; he gave us one of the best mixtapes anyone can think of ‘We Built America’. Enjoy these great video from Kelly handsome ft Tuface Idibia – Open my way
