Nigerian singer and filmmaker JJC Skillz has disclosed that he stopped performing at live shows following a disappointing experience at an MTV-organised event in Ikeja, Lagos.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Fresh Off The Boat podcast, JJC said MTV had invited him to perform and featured him on the event’s promotional poster.
The 49-year-old artiste, whose real name is Abdulrasheed Bello, recalled arriving at the venue and spending about two hours backstage while other performers were repeatedly called on stage ahead of him.
According to JJC, the organisers told him they intended to save his performance for later because he was regarded as an “OG.”
“MTV called me to come and perform at a show in Ikeja. You know I came, they did a poster and everything. I was in my house, they called me, they said I should come. I came backstage, was waiting for about 30 minutes, people were performing, even people that I met there,” he said.
“An hour later, I was like I wanted to perform and they were like you know you are an OG, we need to keep you till late. Another person came, now it is like two hours and I am getting pissed off and I wanted to go. I remember that Wande Coal had just come and they were like ‘Oh! Wande Coal just came, let him perform’.
“I was like what is going on? I greeted him, we spoke and then he went on stage and he performed. Another person came again, they were it is this person, let him perform. I was like ‘bro, I need to perform now and go’.”
JJC said after waiting a bit further, he and his manager eventually made their way to the stage and he took the microphone, ready to perform.
However, he said the promoter approached him and asked him to allow another artiste, who had just arrived, to perform one song before him.
JJC said he refused and insisted that he had waited long enough to perform and this led to a disagreement.
He revealed that the disagreement escalated and the promoter grabbed another microphone, gave it to the other artiste and pushed his manager away before playing the artiste’s song.
“So me and my manager finally got to the stage, I grabbed the microphone. I am standing by the side of the stage, my manager is standing with the DJ, they just needed to put on my song. Then the promoter came to me, he was like ‘bro, this artiste just came, he has to go so I just need him to do one song’,” he added.
“I told him that he should just let me perform and go and he was like no, that I should just give him one more. I was like no, we started having a back and forth and I was like I am not going to give away the microphone and I was going to perform now.
“The guy just went on to grab another mic, gave it to the other artiste, pushed my manager away, put the artistes song and the artiste started to perform.”
JJC said he dropped his microphone and walked away from the stage.
He added that when his managers tried to reassure him that such an incident would not happen again, he decided he would no longer perform at live shows.
“I dropped the mic and turned around, then my managers started coming to me and I was like I was not performing. They were like ‘do not worry, next time this would not happen again’. I was like no, I am never performing again. At this age, I do not need that disrespect, it was not the first time but today definitely would be the last time and I drew that line,” he said.