Veteran reggae musician, Majek Fashek has opened can of worms on how the Nigerian press ruined his music career in the United States.
The Rainmaker crooner who came back to the land of his birth at the tail-end of last year avers that he took the mantle of reggae from the late Bob Marley prior to his demise. “Bob Marley is the Elijah, I am the Elisha. I saw Bob Marley when he was going to Heaven, so Bob Marley gave me the mantel. That’s why I have Bob Marley’s voice. I can’t change my voice. It is god-given. I am not challenging Ziggy Marley; I am not trying to challenge the Bob Marley clan.” He states.
The multi-album songster, who is currently squatting with a friend inside the Nigerian Airforce Base, Ikeja violently debunked the speculations that he was begging overseas: “Nigerian Pres said their father dey beg, a beggar is a man who stands by the road dey beg alms. So God will punish them! I don’t curse them. See this is my ATM (he brought it out).
This is the Green Card, can a beggar have this? Can a beggar have ATM. I am just telling you what the press did to me that affected my contract in the United State. A beggar is a man that is disable that begs for alms on the street.
What did I do wrong to them? When I see beggars on the street, I give them money. I am not here to beg. Even Bob Marley said, what gives the Nigerian press the audacity to say that I am begging? They even say I died. No be me dey here so? That is the wickedness of the press. But it didn’t affect me because I still dey alive; it affected the young artistes. If to say dey promote me, Oyinbo for put Tuface now for radio. Tuface, they only know him among the Nigerian communities. All those D’Banj, they can’t play them. Me I dey eat today, dem they pay me royalty every month.”
“As long as I am here, we are bringing back reggae music, and rasta music and Jehovah music and African music, all those hip hop boys, they are young boys, they do miming, I don’t mime; I play live; so we are not in the same category. I have come to change the music industry. I am not coming here to mime, the hip hop young boys, it’s alright, they must chop”
Speaking in the secret behind the success of his evergreen hit song, Send Down the Rain, the father of three affirms: “It told you the story of Elijah. Bob Marley was my Elijah. Elijah told Elisha, “I will be taken up, if you see me going, I will give you double portion of my power.” I don’t play like Bob Marley. I have a different voice. I transformed reggae to another level which is Pangolo Afro beat. The point I am trying to make is, when Bob Marley disappeared, I saw him in the spiritual realm. He gave me the blessing to take the music to a higher level. His children are supposed to take over his music, but Marley and I connected on the spiritual level. Ziggy Marley and the whole Marley clan are my friends.”
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