Chocolate City’s head of A&R and artist development, Osagie Onobun, also known as 10Ten, has launched an A&R tour across campuses in Nigeria. The tour which is the first of it’s kind in the Nigerian music space is a great initiative that highlights the best of the undiscovered talents across the federation.
Since the breakout of the current generation of superstars in the industry, there has been a shortage of superstars. Talents are not being churned out and honed like they used to. A lot of the talents being put out now are either copy cats of already made superstars or lack the originality needed to stand out. 2024 has failed to produce any clear cut national superstar. This has created a vacuum in the space that calls for urgent action.
After the release of “Problem Choke,” the first single off his upcoming EP “18:23,” featuring singer-songwriter Qing Madi, he has decided to hit the road in a bid to find and spotlight the next set of superstars from Africa.
10Ten is a seasoned music producer with AnR and production credits on several hit songs including Blaqbonez’s last album- “Emeka Must Shine.” Over the past few years, Ten has overseen the A&R department at Chocolate City Music, building a strong reputation as a connoisseur of afrobeats while championing and propelling remarkable young talent in the Nigerian music scene.
The A&R tour which kicked off at Unilag and had its second edition in Enugu has seen 10Ten embark on a journey round the nation to find talents in the music space and spotlight them for the industry at large to find and develop. He aims to bridge the gap between the grassroots and the industry, knowing limitations and how he can highlight them for industry players to see.
The industry currently seems to be suffering from a disconnect. The labels are out and far away from the reach and accessibility of the soon to be superstars. The upcoming acts do not have the resources to propel themselves and their talent to the point where it can be magnified. The current superstars do not care about the culture and have next to no intention of finding the ones that will rule after their reign.
The A&R tour seems like a solution to this. 10ten decides to hit the road, school to school, finding artists, producers and also young people willing to work behind the scenes with these young artists and teach them the secrets of the game while also using the opportunity to put them in the spotlight and conversation.
The tour has been gaining a lot of buzz on social media. The hashtag #TheA&RTour2024 has been used by artists involved in the tour to share their works and gain traction on social media apps. A lot of labels, industry heads and media platforms have taken time to support or co-sign the tour.
In an exclusive conversation with NETNG, he says he’s realized that every region has its limitation and difficulties that make it hard for emerging acts to break out. He says “It’s impressive, I’ve seen a lot of dope stuff, recognized different stages and found some interesting acts that I can bet on. There’s a lot of talent in the underground space, and I want to do my best to give them a platform to connect with the industry.”
He mentions some acts to look out for. “ In Enugu, I found a couple of guys like Aguero Banks, Highstarlavista, AfrooReekah, Obedo PF, Vibemanjay, super Choo, Juice Coal while Unilag took me away with talents like Grndmstr, Kaylu, David Snow, Wavestar, Pdstrn and a lot more. I’m excited for what’s to come.”
He enlists the services of other top and reputable A&Rs in the game like Kevin Asaju, Omolawyer and Kontent Sensei on the tour, having them spotlight and discover artists with him.
From Blaqbonez’s Sex Over Love to his releases “Dealer” featuring Tar1Q and Blaqbonez and “Problem Choke” featuring Qing Madi, 10TEN continues to etch his mark as a musician-per-excellence on Afrobeats’ walls of fame. Whether it’s producing music, singing or writing them, or working as an Artiste and Repertoire (A&R), 10TEN always knows the right ingredients for every song.