VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
Say Hello to
Grammy Award Nominee
VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
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THEWILL DOWNTOWN
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
8
Photo: Kola Oshalusi @insignamedia Makeup: Desire Onyema @desire_makeover
EDITOR’S NOTE
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VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
.ela Kuti’s Afrobeat music was one of the many genres I grew up listening to. Of course, at such a young age, I didn’t know it was Afrobeat. I never asked. All I knew was that I enjoyed listening to his songs and would sing along from time to time.
One of the songs, which is not known to many people for some strange reason, is Original Suffer Head. Like most of Fela’s songs, it tells the story of the troubles Nigeria was facing at the time. This song focuses on lack of water, electricity, rising cost of food and housing – the basic necessities of life really – all of which appeared to be in short supply when he sang about them in the 1970s.
Several years later, his son Femi, would go on to sing about the government as well.
It’s a little different for this week’s cover talent and third-generation Afrobeat singer, Mádé Kuti. Although he also believes the Nigerian government can do better, his message is more or less directed at the ordinary citizens, asking them to be the change that they want. It’s fascinating how quickly Mádé rose to stardom- his sound, although Afrobeat, has a hint of the modern-day vibe. In one of his songs, Free Your Mind, he plays all the instruments himself. If that isn’t talent, I don’t know what is.
Perhaps Mádé’s ingenuity, as evident in his music, was what drew the attention of the Recording Academy, which nominated his album, Legacy+ for a Grammy in the Global Music Album category. We are routing for you Mádé!
CONTENTS
COVER SAY HELLO TO GRAMMY AWARD NOMINEE, MÁDÉ KUTI
16
WEBSIGHTS DOWNTOWN PRESIDENTIAL DECISIONS
04
15
ODDBOD & THE CITY
TRIBUTE THE LIFE AND TIMES OF FASHION GODFATHER, ANDRÉ LEON TALLEY
NEW YEAR BETTER HABITS
05
FASHION TRENDY OUTFITS FOR THE CURVY WOMAN
Photography: Gift Eghator @grapghedbyblue Wardrobe and Styling: Dolapo Bello of Braimien (@braimien) Creative Direction Onah Nwachukwu @onahluciaa Assisted by Tilewa Kazeem @tillyofourtime
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DOWNTOWN ZODIAC THESE 2 ARTISTS KICK OFF THE AQUARIUS SEASON
07
DOWNTOWN CONFIDENTIAL CALL ME DADDY
12-13 BEAUTY
7 TIPS TO HELP YOU TACKLE SIGNS OF AGEING
Read about the young and talented Afrobeat musician’s journey into music, living as the grandson of the legendary Fela Kuti, and life in the Kuti household (see pages 8-11).
Also in this issue, we feature fashion for the curvy woman. Take a cue from this page if you are curvaceous and have trouble choosing what to wear. The beauty page guides us on how to keep age at bay, while the movie review page focuses on The King’s Man, and Archive 81 -currently on Netflix. It’s Aquarius season, so our zodiac page tells us a thing or two about the water carriers, and websights puts the latest social media topics on the spot. Apparently, some men like to be called ’daddy’ while getting intimate; flip through to page 7 to read all about it. And lastly, we pay tribute to fashion journalist, André Leon Talley. May his soul rest in peace. Until next week, enjoy your read.
Onah Nwachukwu @onahluciaa
AUSTYN OGANNAH
PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Editor: Onah Nwachukwu @onahluciaa Editor-at-Large: Chalya Shagaya Senior Lifestyle Editor: Ayodele Johnson Writers: Kehinde Fagbule, Tilewa Kazeem Graphics/Layout: Olaniyan John ‘Blake’ Digital Media: Oladimeji Balogun Guest Art Director: Sunny Hughes ‘ SunZA’ www.thewilldowntown.com thewilldowntown thewilldowntown
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Odun Ogunbiyi @oddbodandthecity
- Contributing Editor Odunayo Ogunbiyi is an ex pharmacist with a passion for food and pampering. Writing about her exploits wherever in the world she may find herself is just her way of staying sane in this zany world.
Boluwatife Adesina @bolugramm - Contributing Writer Boluwatife Adesina is a media writer and the helmer of the Downtown Review page. He’s probably in a cinema near you.
REVIEW THE KING’S MAN
WHAT YOU SAID INSTAGRAM @thisisdmj
2022 Promises To Be Good!
David Nwachukwu @ebube.nw - Contributing Writer David Nwachukwu has always been immersed in fashion from the age of 10, watching a Dior by Galliano show on television. His work in fashion stretches across media, marketing, brand communications as well as design.As a fashion & lifestyle journalist, David has tracked key industry data for various publications including Industrie Africa, Culture Custodian, Haute Fashion Africa, and HELLO! Nigeria. A Geography graduate from The University of Lagos, David consciously aligns this background in environmental advocacy and sustainable development with the need to promote a more ethical fashion ecosystem. He currently oversees strategic communications at Clean Technology Hub.
Efua Oyofo @efuastar
- Contributing Writer Efua has always enjoyed telling stories. A writer and cultural storyteller, Efua Oyofo helps clients tell their most compelling story. She focuses on social impact storytelling, and hosts a podcast: This African Love, exploring the culture of dating - and helping people develop more effective ways to navigate relationships in today’s world.
@parjaysflavour
Always Nice To Read @funmzi_closet
Looking forward to the next edition
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VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
ODUN OGUNBIYI
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
ODDBOD & THE CITY
New Year Better Habits
the agency started a feasibility study to assess the ban’s effectiveness before making recommendations to other agencies. In her remarks, LASEPA General Manager, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, recalled that when she implemented the sorting of waste (PET/plastic bottles, paper, and vegetal waste) last year, plastic bottles were filling the dustbins faster than any other waste item. As her personal contribution to the cause, the GM provided the agency with easy-access water dispensers and distributed reusable water bottles and tote bags to all the staff.
Why Does This Ban Matter?
I
can’t be the only one alarmed about how quickly time is flying. However, I am not complaining; a girl has to remain grateful for life and health these days. In a bid to maintain my sanity and remain compos mentis in today’s world, I did not bother to make any grandiose New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I promised myself that I would cultivate better habits—better habits concerning how I think and speak, better habits about how I look after and view my body, and better habits concerning my environment.
Refuse, Reuse, Recycle
I love a good cause. This week and in line with my better-habits-concerningmy-environment ideal, it was my pleasure to participate in the launch event of the ban on single-use plastics by the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA). This initiative started last year with a ban on single-use plastic bags within the agency, with the long-term goal of changing lifestyles and creating ambassadors for change. At this time,
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About eight million tons of plastic waste escapes from coastal nations into the oceans every year. A straw in your cocktail glass, a plastic bag for your grocery shopping, a wrapper on a snack item, the convenience of plastics in everyday life cannot be underestimated. The tragedy is that these plastic items that are so readily available and abundant are so quickly thrown out. You may not even notice how much single-use plastic you get through in a day. It would be easy to convince yourself that taking any action at all as an individual would be an utter waste of time and could not possibly make any difference. You would be wrong. Here is something to think about: a staggering 91 per cent of plastics aren’t recycled at all. It ends up in landfills or the environment. To add insult to injury, plastics don’t really break down to harmless byproducts; they just break up. Over time, sun and heat slowly turn plastics into smaller and smaller pieces until they eventually become microplastics. These microplastics end up everywhere. In deep oceans, Arctic snow, Antarctic ice, shellfish, table salt, drinking water, drifting in the air, and falling rain. There is no escaping the exposure, and studies have shown that you might ingest anywhere from dozens to more than 100,000 microplastic particles each day, the harmful effects of which are still being researched and quantified. With all this in mind reducing the demand for plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste and its associated pollution. Can you be a part of the solution? Carrying reusable bags, cups and bottles is one great way to avoid single-use plastics in your dayto-day life. Consider banning PET bottles in your household. Change to recyclable cans or bottles for your water and drink needs and get a water dispenser in your office.
Together we can be the change.
VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
FASHION
Melissa Jefferson (Lizzo)
Tolu Oniru-Demuren
Black Beauty
Choose Patterns
Depending on the layer that you fall in, colours matter for bringing out the best in you. Apple-shaped women should wear dark colours on the top and go light shade at the bottom while those with the pear frame can go the opposite direction. It allows your audience to see an intimate part of you while you are shining in your true colour.
Curvy women are either apple or pearshaped. So pulling off the perfect look that matches your figure must be deliberate. Nowadays, there are more options to choose from that fit any occasion.One of such choices is patterns. When choosing a dress with patterns, ensure that they are placed closely or horizontally for a more flattering silhouette.
It’s All in The Neckline
Stripe With Attitude Patterns matter to bring out the best in you. In every line, there is a message. Horizontal stripes over your garment can give you a thinner look should you try one on. Perhaps, you are inclined more to maintain an elongated appearance, vertical lines can achieve this for the curviest of women. Pleated designs that show off the skin are particularly a treat down the arm.
Peace Hyde
Trendy outfits
CURVY WOMAN
FOR THE
N Daniella Okeke
A v-neck cut is a useful hack to try on for plus-sized women rooting to be moderate. Unlike clothes marked with a high neckline, wrapping yourself in a v-shaped design tends to broaden the neck. For a petite woman that lacks the abundance of height, wearing one ensures a presentable simple posture.
BY AYODELE JOHNSON
ow that the universe is shifting into a hybrid form of normal, meetings are no longer restricted to common video conferencing apps like Zoom. Your wardrobe could use some refurbishment after the hiatus away from offices and mixers. Plus-sized women may face challenges with returning if they do not know which combination of colours, or patterns will show them in their pristine, elegant being. If you are curvy and seeking inclusiveness to reflect in your fashion existence, there are interesting outfits you can try that bring awesomeness to you. It is a breath of fresh air for fuller-figured women who were usually low on options.
Eniola Badmus
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VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
DOWNTOWN ZODIAC
These 2 Artists Kick Off The
Aquarius Season BY TILEWA KAZEEM
ELEMENT: AIR SYMBOL: WATER-BEARER FALL: NEPTUNE DATE: JANUARY 20TH-FEBRUARY 18TH Image: Vector Images
T
he 11th zodiac sign, Aquarius, is embodied by the water bearer, a reference to the gods furnishing Earth with essential nutrients. Traditionally, Saturn has been regarded as an entity that represents perseverance, strength, and detached emotional natures in this sign. The ability to have a long-term vision allows them to structure their plans around their ideas. Even though Saturn is a somewhat stern ruler, this is what helps them direct all their attention to a particular project. Aquarians have the element of air as their predominant sign. Like air, they seem to defy classification. While some Aquarians are enthusiastic and active, others are calm and sensitive. The key to contentment for Aquarians is positive reinforcement. If they don’t have that time alone, they will quickly become bored and disinterested. They also need a lot of time to ponder and recharge. Aquarians have a unique mix of independence, eccentricity, and intellectualism. Uranus can lead to reforms that are progressive, humanitarian, and unpredictable. Combined, these energies give Aquarians the ability to strive for the
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unconventional and establish structures in their lives that will last. Often, water bearers are so focused on enacting widespread change that they neglect their family and friends, gaining a reputation for being distant from them. Aquarians should understand that progress starts on a micro-scale and put empathy and compassion into practice wherever possible. Not only do aquatics desire to save the planet, but they’ve also developed the engineering and intellectual acumen to figure out a way to achieve that goal as well. In addition to their desire to save the world, Aquarians have the engineering and intellectual skills to provide us with a solution. When they make up their minds, these water bearers stick to them. You cannot convince them to change their views by cajoling or persuading them. Aquarians are totally disinterested in gossip or making small talk with anyone. They live largely in their heads; dissecting knowledge, deconstructing conventions, dreaming up dreams, and imagining outer space. Known for their casual style, unusual hobbies, and nonconformist attitude, this sign is often known for being free-spirited and eccentric. Innovation and uniqueness define them, and they come up with ideas that the rest of us simply cannot. Some examples of these water bearers are Adekunle Gold, Oprah Winfrey, Tiwa Savage, Michael B. Jordan, and Alicia Keys.
Adekunle Gold 28th January Right from his graphic design years, it was glaring to those who paid attention that Adekunle ‘Gold’ Kosoko was a rare uncut gem. When he wasn’t crafting love - embroidered lyrics, he was taking us on a journey of what was going on in his head. His particular Kim Kardashian photoshop comes to mind. The lyrically intelligent artist has been able to touch lives with his voice and musical offerings with some of them reaching global acclaim. Gold’s disinterest in sticking to one path and constantly seeking new and different channels to reach his goal is the reason why the January-born talent is a true water bearer.
Tiwa Savage 5th February It takes a tough skin to withstand the debris of scandals Tiwatope Savage has had to wade through in her career. It’s easy to term these upsets as occupational hazards but it takes a different level of perseverance and strength to do that as a mother and ‘Mummy Jamal’ has been able to do just that. As an Aquarius, she owned the narrative in these situations and showed the intellectualism needed to manoeuvre the muddy waters of showbiz. The ability to plan and craft out ideas for future occurrences are just some of what the Aquarius possesses. That aside, she’s also a fantastic artist, with a voice that transcends time
VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
DOWNTOWN CONFIDENTIAL
Call Me
DADDY BY TILEWA KAZEEM
T
he presence of a father in a child’s life is priceless. All the time a father spends with his kids from infancy to adulthood helps reinforce and is instrumental to the development and growth of those children. Picking them up from school, asking them how their day went, being there for the special moments, and going out for groceries– and coming back– all have positive effects on a child. But in the playgrounds of sexual explorations, the term ‘daddy’ in most cases has very little to do with actual fathers. Rather, it serves as a term of endearment between partners or lovers. Pinpointing its origin dates it as far back as the late 1600s when prostitutes used the term to refer to their pimps or relatively older customers. For some strange reason, men love being called daddy and females love calling men ‘daddy’. Trust me, I know; it really does things to us. Wading through the morass of what the term daddy means, its infiltration into our bedrooms and mainstream media is another kettle of fish. And I intend to help clear up any complications you have on the subject. First of all, unlike the definition of father, daddy has some wriggle room. Another meaning for daddy is; the best or most successful person and this allows us to get a better understanding of context. In contexts of dominance and control, the term ‘daddy’ often implies a dominant power role orientation. As mainstream sexual power dynamics would have it, the man is boss, in charge, a protector, or doing a good job. Which is usually the meaning women are going for in the bedroom. Interestingly, PornHub’s analytic team discovered that women tend to search for ‘dad’ and ‘daddy’ 96 per cent more than men do. Is that to suggest that most daddy adorers harbour some sort of ‘daddy issues’ and the daddy ‘kink’ serves as a tool to work through any unresolved feelings within a safe, sexual environment? Alternatively, could the sexual interest have nothing to do with underlying issues, and the fetish
be nothing more than an exploration of the same kind of sexual attraction? Ascertaining why most people partake in unconventional sexual activities that leave acres of room for interpretation is usually a case of taking painkillers for another person’s headache. Agreed, it could either be A or B but should you be overthinking the sexual practices of two or more happy and consenting adults? When compared to other sexual predilections, calling your partner or partners ‘daddy’ is the missionary position or kinks because there’s nothing to it and when a girl called me ‘daddy’ the last thing on her mind was her father. Somewhere in my multifaceted career, I had a short stint working as an educator and there was a colleague of mine, at the time, that I had a thing with. So on one faithful day, all the teachers were asked to resume a day before the school’s end of the year celebration. I liked the idea of bringing Christmas cheer to the kids so I showed up. Luckily for me, the aforementioned colleague of mine showed up as well and we ended up spending most of the day putting up decorations and hanging lights around the school. We were designated to embellish the railings of the staircase leading up to a three-storey building and by the time we got to the final floor of the secondary school building and looked down to the other side of the school, the other teachers were too busy to care what was going on where we were.
What started as decorative labour ended up being an undiluted pleasure. With my hand around her neck in one of the empty classrooms, I pounded the words ‘daddy... please’ from her soft, pink lips. What had initially started as a quickie ended up being a lengthy porn scene. There was just something about hearing those words roll off her lips that made me thrust deeper and deeper into her. From one desk to the other we were at it like rabbits during mating season. Towards the end of our steamy encounter, she said it again and that was the added nitrous I needed. With every pleasure-filled murmur of “yes daddy,” my phallus burrowed deeper into her. After about 20minutes give or take, we stepped out of the deserted school building, both drunk on sex and orgasmic euphoria. Deluding oneself that calling one’s partner ‘daddy’ in the sheets shows signs of unsolved daddy issues or is against a culturally predated custom shows that you aren’t interested in spicing things up and that’s okay for you but not for everyone else. Engaging in sexually explicit is very good for lovemaking as it serves as communication between you and your partner. It’s also a positive reinforcement to the ‘daddy’ letting him know that you’re enjoying whatever sexual theatrics he’s performing on you at that moment. So my advice, If you aren’t already doing it, try it and if it doesn’t sit right with your partner, then at least you tried.
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VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
COVER Say Hello to
Grammy Awar d Nominee
M
any people recognise the New Afrika Shrine as a recreational place to blow off steam and whatnot, but you grew up there. What was growing up like? It was enlightening because my dad made the shrine with a very clear purpose. It was supposed to be a space for liberal thoughts, so anybody that came in would feel like they have the freedom to express themselves and to think. All I understood as a child was that a lot of people misunderstood what the place represented. I never really understood why because I did not have a greater understanding of journalism and media, and the kind of misconceptions that they have about the family. All I knew was that I watched my dad play four times a week every week, and three of those shows were free. The shrine was always full at the time—for each show, there was nothing less than 3,000 people in the shrine and across the street. Also, the area that we were in wasn’t as eventful then as it is now, so everyone that came there was coming to the shrine. As a child, all I understood was that it was a lot of music and politics. People come from all over Nigeria, there are a lot of white people, and a lot of pictures of people that I didn’t recognize at the time. People like Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Marcus Garvey, and so on. Because I didn’t recognize them, somewhere along the line, I started questioning the images that I was seeing, which is really what the shrine is. If you come there in search of enlightenment, you will find it; it is that kind of space. And because I researched to figure out who those people are, that then puts my person and identity on the kind of path that I now eventually choose to be on. If I didn’t know those people, what they did and represented, I probably wouldn’t be who I am today. I would have guessed that was from your granddad. Yeah, but you see, something about family is if I allow myself to be boxed up in the legacy and not see the efforts of like-minded people as us, I wouldn’t understand what the legacy represents and who influenced who we are as Kutis. If I didn’t look back to respect a man like Marcus Garvey, to make one of those first bold moves towards the Pan-African experience and not understand what black star represents, for instance, I’ll be part of a legacy but I wouldn’t understand what it represents. We are people who are conscious of our past and we know that we need that information to be able to build any kind of hopeful future that we are fighting for.
Photography: Gift Eghator @grapghedbyblue Luminescent “EM” two-piece in Onion Pink and burgundy mix: Braimien (@braimien) Stylist: Dolapo Bello of Braimien (@braimien) Creative Direction Onah Nwachukwu @onahluciaa Assisted by Tilewa Kazeem @tillyofourtime
You cannot tell the Nigerian story without mentioning a particular name—Anikulapo-Kuti. Holding the reputation as one of the strongest households in the country, the Kutis have been known for their immense contribution to nation-building in the form of activism and pioneering a whole music genre that has put Nigeria on the map for three different generations to date. Last year, a new Kuti generation was introduced into the music industry. After the release of his debut album, For(e)ward, on which he flexed his musical dexterity as he played every single instrument, Omorinmade Kuti known professionally as Mádé Kuti couldn’t have asked for a bigger entrance. His joint album titled Legacy+, which he made together with his dad, an afrobeat icon, Femi Kuti, bagged a Grammy nomination, making him the first-ever Nigerian with a Recording Academy recognition for their debut musical project. Mádé, who shares the same alma mater as his grandfather and afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, sat down with DOWNTOWN’s Kehindé Fagbule. In their conversations, they discussed his musical journey that subconsciously started when he joined his dad’s band at age six, and what it meant growing up in the New Afrika Shrine. He also makes mention of what the future holds concerning his career trajectory and owning his craft, not as Fela’s grandson or Femi’s son, but as the multi-talented Grammy award nominee, Mádé Kuti. PAGE 8
You started playing the trumpet at the age of 3… I made sounds [laughs]. I probably started playing and taking it seriously when I was 6 years old. But then you were still going to school. How were you able to joggle that? Just private lessons. I was somewhat close to my dad’s band and I always used to tour with him. So anytime I showed interest in any particular instrument, he’d ask one of his band members to teach me. So that is how I picked up the trumpet. He taught me the sax himself, but the drummer at the time taught me how to play the drums. I was also taught the guitar and keyboard. But as soon as I finished [secondary school] and went to London, I did classical piano very seriously for two years and that was the only instrument that I played. I was practising six hours every day while going to school. Just as I was almost done with school and was about to return home, I realised that other than the piano, I hadn’t touched all the other instruments that I used to play as a child, in a really long time, so I decided to relearn everything. In the case of the trumpet, I had to start from beginner-level books. I also learnt from YouTube, I taught myself all the instruments again. Because I had just come back to Lagos and I was practicing so much and also composing. It was then I decided that if I’m writing all this music and playing all these instruments, maybe I can write an entire album for myself.
VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
COVER You talked about not wanting to be put in a box as a Kuti, so at what point did you realise that you were going to do music? Because you could have been anything else. Music was probably the easiest decision for me because I was touched by it in the purest way and that is experience. By watching my dad play at the shrine, I got to see the interaction between him and the crowd. I also saw the compositional process when he wrote the songs and the rehearsal process when he gave out the parts very impatiently to all the musicians. In addition to this, I saw the performance and still followed him to the studio to record, and also on tours. So the experience was with the entire process of music. With all of that, it was never a question if music was the thing. It was always a question of ‘if I do music, what will I do on the side?’ You went to the same school your granddad finished from… That was a bit unintentional. So Trinity is one of six conservatoires in the UK and I applied to all of them, except one. But at the time, my musical theoretical knowledge wasn’t great—I could read and write, but I didn’t know the history of classical music. I couldn’t identify the eras of classical music. Based on the compositions that I did to get auditions to those conservatoires, all of them gave me auditions. Royal Scotland was willing to offer me admission but on the condition that I took an English test which I then declined. The other place I auditioned, Birmingham conservatoire, asked me about Western music and I just couldn’t answer them, so they turned me down immediately [laughs]. The Royal Academy wanted me to identify pieces and the eras of music by listening to them and I just wasn’t informed about those kinds of things, I didn’t have the knowledge of it at the time, so they turned me down as well. It was a period of madness for me, it was like four months of chaos. I was so upset by the other two rejections that I missed the date for the Royal College. That was like a moment of next-to-depression because the Royal College was where I wanted to go. The last place on the list of auditions was Trinity. What happened with Trinity was that I had had enough experience on how to get in from my previous rejections. So I studied all the questions that I couldn’t answer in previous auditions, I was very prepared. I
Music was probably the easiest decision for me because I was touched by it in the purest way and that is experience. By watching my dad play at the shrine, I got to see the interaction between him and the crowd.” answered their questions and gave them the impression that I had been studying for a long time whereas I just heard about them like two weeks before the audition [laughs]. Because I came in that way, and sort of understood the sort of questions they would ask beforehand, I laid out my intentions for Trinity clearly which was ‘putting afrobeat in the contemporary classical setting using the instrumentation of the orchestra to really push out the ideas of core afrobeat musicality.’ That was how I advertised myself to them. They gave us a written exam which I didn’t do well in, but my audition was good enough for me to get a place. And that year they accepted the largest number of people they had ever accepted, which was 15 people. So by the time we finished, only seven to eight people graduated, most people gave up halfway, it wasn’t easy. Being at Trinity was not hundred per cent intentional as I didn’t go there because Fela went there. But having then gone to Trinity, I realised that of all the other places, Trinity was the place that I had to be because it was open-minded. The jazz department was so free, the people were so natural. Trinity has now pushed out all these musicians that are now making waves in London. The four years of education I got there were entirely paramount to me being the kind of musician that I want to be. You have been making music for a long time… Yes, I think I’ve been writing music—if you consider the creation of music as just making something from where there’s nothing— longer than I’ve been playing music. Why did it take until 2020 to release your first single? I was never rushing at first and I really wanted to finish my education at Trinity. But when I got those rejections at those conservatoires, before I did my audition at Trinity, I started writing an album in the event that I didn’t get accepted in the university. So before Legacy+, I had already written an album with about 10 tracks and now it is somewhere in the archives. And when I finished with Trinity I had the space and time to write again. So you released the debut immediately after graduation? As soon as I left Trinity, before graduation, I had already joined my dad’s band because he had a couple of tours and his bassist absconded on tour. I had a British passport so he didn’t need to get a visa for me, and I was the easiest candidate to be a part of ‘Positive Force,’ which is his band. I played bass with
Photography: Gift Eghator @grapghedbyblue 7hrive Linen two-piece (blue Jacket with Shawl lapel and pants with extra zippers at the base): Braimien (@braimien) Stylist: Dolapo Bello of Braimien (@braimien) Creative Direction Onah Nwachukwu @onahluciaa Assisted by Tilewa Kazeem @tillyofourtime
my dad for a year and a half while recording the album. I had had my last class in school, so in between, I just went back for graduation. You played every instrument on the album. A lot of people delegate that. Why did you decide to take the arduous route? I think the main reason why I did it was because I understood that it was the first time I was coming out. And I didn’t want to come out in an average way after waiting for so long. So yeah, if I can play the trumpet, sax, drums, bass, guitar, keys, do the vocals, the background vocals, write all my music, do the mix and arrange it by myself, then it would mean nobody, as far as I know, has done it in that way. That was my intention; you know the Kutis, we are always setting standards on high thresholds, so I was like ‘what’s mine going to be?’ I was 21 or 22 and said, “let me play all the instruments on this album.” I had the time to sit down, work through this thing and execute it. If I can do it, I can do it. I spent three months practising; 10am to 11pm that’s 13 hours every day. I had already written the music and then I was just practising it. We got to the studio and had 16 days to record the entire album. We did it in my uncle’s studio in Paris. It was just me and one other guy. And it became a beautiful work of art nominated by the Recording Academy for a Grammy award. Exactly! My dad had already recorded his album by the time I started mine. He had already decided that it would be a joint album and he didn’t hear my side of the album [laughs]. I was expecting that both of you would be on the same tracks… Kutis are very independent composers. We’re not the type to share ideas or to be influenced in our compositional process. My dad wrote all his music, uncle Seun wrote all his music, Fela wrote all his music as well. So when we were writing this album, I had heard my dad’s songs because he performed them at the Shrine and I played bass and sax. But my dad didn’t hear my music until
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VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
COVER
I didn’t want to come out in an average way after waiting for so long ...if I can play the trumpet, sax, drums, bass, guitar, keys, do the vocals, the background vocals, write all my music and arrange it by myself, then it would mean nobody, as far as I know, has done it in that way… You know this Kutis, we are always setting standards on high thresholds, so I was like ‘what’s mine going to be?’ I was 21 or 22 and said let me play all the instruments on this album. If I can do it, I can do it.” after the album release [laughs]. His fear was that he invested all this money into this project; but yes, it worked out well. I think one of the things that has always propelled me to work harder and really push myself with those kinds of tasks is the amount of faith that my dad has in me. It influences my intention. It always makes me more purposeful. He trusts me to do this, so I’m going to do it well. My dad is 60 years old this
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year, everyone in the band is probably 40 or older and they work. They play two times every week, and they tour five shows weekly. I have told every member of my band that our work ethic cannot be less than this. So I make sure that when we practise, we practise till we want to drop. That’s also my way of telling the band my intentions. This is where I plan on going, this is the work ethic that I want the band to have; if you are in line with it, you will have a great time but if you’re not, this band will be a nightmare for you. So everybody has to really decide what they want. My dad influences my decisions more indirectly than anything else just by things that he values. Walk us through the moment you found out that your debut album was nominated for the Grammys. I went mad. We were on tour, on break in a tour bus in Belgium, we had two off-days. And I had been checking because I knew that the nominations were being announced that day so I was watching live. I was expecting that my dad would get a nod, but he put out a solo project, Stop The Hate, at the same time we released Legacy+, so I wasn’t sure which of the albums they would nominate. The nominations for Best Global Music Performance was announced first and it featured Pà Pá Pà, a song by my dad and I went mad. I was just happy that he was nominated because it is like they don’t want to recognize the effort and amount of musicianship that he puts in. Then the Global Music Album category came around and I had already thought that because they nominated my dad in the previous category, they wouldn’t nominate him in this one. I actually ran around the bus when Legacy+ was announced. Because the album didn’t get commercial success, it was nice to see that musicians respect it. You are going up against afrobeats giant, Wizkid at the Grammys; someone your dad shares a hit song with in Jaiye Jaiye. Should we be expecting a crossover from afrobeat to afrobeats with you sometime? I’ve been featured by mainstream artists. I’ve been featured by Kida Kudz and we have a track together called Cherry Mango. I’ve done one with Runtown, that one is called Mama Told Me. I have another one coming up with a cool mainstream artist between February and March. I also did something with The Cavemen, although I wouldn’t necessarily put them in the mainstream category, however, we have a song together called Biri. I am always open to features, as long as I like the music and feel like I can contribute. As far as me featuring artists goes, that is slightly more difficult because when I write, I don’t write for space for other people, I write for the band and myself. And when it goes into the process of mixing and really designing the track for studio and radio, it is always difficult to find the person that I think can contribute to the sounds of the album. But with this EP that I am releasing soon, I hope that I can find people to jump on it in some way, even if it’s not the common way of getting a 16-bar verse. Something different. You were named as a voting member of the Recording Academy. How excited are you about keeping the genre your grandfather pioneered alive? I was just happy that there were as many voting members from Nigeria and Africa as possible, just to show that we can be represented in the Recording Academy—especially in categories like jazz and classical music. It does feel like we are sidelined and it doesn’t do justice to what we do. As a musician myself, the categories that I respect the most are usually the categories that don’t get TV time and people think are the lower categories like Best Jazz Performance and Best Jazz Album, those are my favourite categories, but they don’t get the limelight. What is important is that I can put a voice for Nigeria in those categories.
How do you address comparisons between your music, your dad’s, and granddad’s? My dad is not like Fela at all, the music is very different, and just like that, my music is very different from both of their music. I hope that people can listen to us differently and not feel the need to find the best because when you do that, you are putting toxins in a very pure form of art. You are trying to poison it by putting your impression on it, whereas you are a consumer, not the producer. What would you say is the biggest lesson that music has taught you? Patience and expression. The tediousness of practicing the same thing over and over again has made me very patient, but also the cathartic feeling of being able to express yourself as loudly or quietly as you want with no words necessarily has made me a very expressive person. So I can be patient but also very expressive. You come from a very powerful Nigerian household, known for its contribution to the country’s development in the form of art and activism. Would you call yourself an activist as well? No, I avoid that word as much as I can. My dad for instance wrote a lot of political music under military regimes, which in my opinion was very risky on my life [laughs]. Fela did it, my dad did it, my uncle Seun also did it. I am very concerned about politics and I’m learning from my predecessors. I believe Nigeria is worse off; mentally, culturally, politically, economically and even our climate is worse than it was during the 80s and 70s. I understand that leadership is by far the most powerful form of change if you think about it because to look at somebody and depend on that group of people to bring about change is by far the most reliable force of progress. But when that leadership fails, we can either continue to be expectant of that form of leadership or we can take on the responsibility ourselves.
Photography:Gift Eghator @grapghedbyblue Luminescent “EM” Two-Piece In Onion Pink And Burgundy Mix: Braimien (@braimien) ÌMÁDÉ two-piece (Jacket with a mix of damask and Aso Òkè) Braimien (@braimien) Stylist: Dolapo Bello of Braimien (@braimien) Creative Direction Onah Nwachukwu @onahluciaa Assisted by Tilewa Kazeem @tillyofourtime
VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
COVER
Photography:Gift Eghator @grapghedbyblue ÌMÁDÉ two-piece (Jacket with a mix of damask and Aso Òkè) Braimien (@braimien) Stylist: Dolapo Bello of Braimien (@braimien) Creative Direction Onah Nwachukwu @onahluciaa Assisted by Tilewa Kazeem @tillyofourtime
Let’s talk about your grandfather’s exploits and your trajectory. Fela was one of the most sampled artists of all time. Anyone would be considered hugely successful if they had half the impact he had. Does that sort of put pressure on you to live up to the hefty standards he created? Absolutely not. I’ve been very lucky. This goes back to my dad as well, he has taken the brunt of the weight. That pressure, that burden, the ‘all eyes on you’ to see if you can do it or not, he did it. What he has done is he has broken the cycle, he shattered what people told him wasn’t possible. And so what people now have for me is positive expectations. It wasn’t the case for my dad, it was mostly “what can you possibly do? Your father has done it all, what is left to do?” for him, whereas for me it is “third generation, let’s see what you can do”. People are giving me shows because of my dad. Nobody was giving my dad any opportunity because he was Fela’s son. How do you manage to stay grounded? It’s family for me. It’s the people around me. I think above the music and all of the legacies, I’ve been blessed with a very strong core group of people and those people have made me wise enough to understand what is good and bad. For example, I’ve never been the kind of person to be in need of company, so that means solitude was very easy if I had to do it, companionship was also very easy if I had to do it. But I had a core group of people, I had my dad, aunty Yeni, mum, Rolari, and then I had my brothers Dami, Kwame, and Muhammed. So every time I knew there was any kind of difficulty or challenge, I always knew I had a positive home to return to. The genre that you do is not mainstream. How do you intend to market it to people from your generation who wouldn’t listen? If you are a creative and you’re not aware of your times, and you choose to not reflect your times in your music artistically and lyrically, if all you’re going to do is try and recreate what has been done, that is not creativity, that is copy and paste. As a creative, it is important to me that I feel like I do something original that is true to
We were on tour, on break in a tour bus in Belgium, we had two off-days. And I had been checking because I knew that the nominations were being announced that day so I was watching live... Then the Global Music Album category came around and I had already thought that because they nominated my dad in the previous category, they wouldn’t nominate him in this one. I actually ran around the bus when Legacy+ was announced.” me but to be intentional about the people that I want to listen to my music. Which is what I said about For(e)ward; it was me just doing whatever I wanted to do. It was my first body of work and what you people think is your business [laughs]. I would just write, play, have fun, experiment and not let any track sound like any other track. Whereas now I’m very intentional about people and how they feel about the music. So anytime I write a song now and I play it, I’m always asking how they feel about it, do you like it? Because when I write, I look for common ground as a musician, where I don’t use my knowledge to be egotistical in my sound. How would you describe your style? My style is entirely Braimien. It is a clothing brand owned by my friend and stylist, Dolapo Bello. I can’t dress myself, I have zero fashion sense. It’s mostly because I was never a social person, so I never went out to see what people were wearing. I was very happy with inheriting my father’s clothes. So when I came back [to Lagos], it was then a matter of “Mádé, you are about to start standing on your own in public, you better start looking the part.” So my brother, Dami, introduced me to Dolapo. The first 20 minutes of our conversation was ideological and intentional and less fashionoriented, and I just instantly knew that anything that he produces I’m fine with it. You rehearse a lot and spend most of your time making music. When you’re not doing that, how do you relax? I play FIFA—I am probably the best in the world [laughs]. I play with my dad actually, he’s very good as well. I spend time with family, my partner and friends. I watch Netflix and play football, that’s it. My life is not that eventful. I don’t go on holidays, at least not yet [laughs]. When is the next project unveil? Hopefully February or March. It will have five tracks, each track will be different and lovely. It is not me playing all the instruments this time, I made sure that the band is involved totally, but I still compose everything myself. I’m working with my longtime brother,
Quddus “GMK” King, who is a producer. We are putting a lot of ideas into the music. It doesn’t have a title yet, we just know that it is going to drop soon. But with COVID-19, you never know. How often do you play at the New Afrika Shrine? Every Wednesday from 6pm to 8:30pm. Just like how my dad decided to open his rehearsals to the public for free, I’ve also decided to do that. So I share new music and then meet and greet after. But the performances which are usually once a month, are announced separately. We will start that in February.
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VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
BEAUTY
7
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
Tips to Help You Tackle Signs of Ageing BY ONAH NWACHUKWU & SOPHIA EDISI
A
geing is a perfectly natural life process. Using the right skin-care products can make a big difference in your complexion and help fight visible signs of ageing. Thanks to technology, we now have access to some of the most effective options, like injectable and laser treatments. However, there are products that you can rely on from the comfort of your home during your everyday routine, like moisturisers, serums, eye creams, and specially formulated products that come highly recommended by experts. Here, we discuss some simple tips to follow to attain that forever young-looking, glowy skin.
Shaffy Bello
EYES RIGHT The eyes are the first place that shows signs of ageing so be sure to treat them with love and care. We recommend using eye treatments from an early age to keep your eyes plump, free of dark circles, and fine lines. Your early twenties is a good time to start. If you didn’t pay attention to your eyes before now, and have signs of ageing, fret not; you still have hope. With the new formulations and tech innovations available, let’s just say there might be something close to a cure for you.
Revive + Microdermabrasion Face Scrub ERA ORGANICS Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex ESTEE LAUDER
Our skin sheds dead cells regularly, creating a new layer every 28 days. But that process can slow over time as we age, leading to dull-looking complexion and rough patches. Use a mild scrub with round particles so it can be less irritating, to help remove that buildup of impurities, unclog your pores, and give your skin a little boost with cellular turnover. Exfoliate weekly for brighter, glowy skin.
The Eye Balm Intense LA MER
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EXFOLIATE REGULARLY
Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant PAULA’S CHOICE
VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
USE A GENTLE CREAM FACE CLEANSER It’s a known fact that as our skin matures, it loses natural oils and moisture, that’s why it’s important to use a gentle cleanser on our skin. Choose a cream cleanser as opposed to one with foam; it will help replenish and seal moisture to your skin. Even if you still get adult acne breakouts, you may want to use a more gentle and mild face cream wash that uses essential fatty acids to deliver major hydration, with formulas that fight against damages from free radicals.
BEAUTY ADD SOME VITAMIN C TO YOUR ROUTINE Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant with a lot of benefits. Apart from fighting fine lines, it also protects the skin against free radicals and brightens the skin. Here’s a little secret to using vitamin C effectively; instead of cream, opt for a serum because it is more effective when it comes to penetrating the skin barriers. Also, check the ingredients for L-ascorbic acid -it is the best vitamin C for skin.
Daily Facial Cleanser CETAPHIL
Nourishing Cream Cleanser L’OREAL
USE RETINOIDS
Granactive Retinoid Serum THE ORDINARY
Over time, skin can begin losing collagen, the protein responsible for keeping it looking smooth and lifted. The best line of defense is to use a retinoid, also known as vitamin A, which is one of the most effective skintransforming ingredients because it increases the rate at which your cells turnover “speeding up the exfoliation process”. Retinol is great at targeting fine lines, sun damage, and combating blemishes. The beauty of retinoids is that you only need a small size for your entire face. Sunlight tends to render it inactive, so we recommend that you use it at bedtime only.
C E Ferulic SKINCEUTICALS
AND A RICH FACE CREAM
Celestial Black Diamond Retinol Oil 111SKIN Age Reverse ISDIN
LOTS OF SPF
Age Shield Face Lotion NEUTROGENA
Powerful-Strength Vitamin C Serum KIEHL’S
Because oil glands can become less active as you age, it is important to moisturise properly to minimize fine lines and wrinkles. A rich face cream will help trap water against the skin as against a normal moisturiser. Smooth the formula down to your neck and décolletage to treat those areas as well.
It’s a certifiable fact that sun exposure is one of the primary causes of all the signs of aging - from spots to wrinkleswhich makes adequate daily sun protection a must. Regular use of moisturising sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher, containing antioxidants to protect the collagen in your skin is a great way to keep your skin healthy while preventing age spots and discolouration. Cellular Swiss UV Protection Veil Sunscreen LA PRAIRIE
Anti-Aging Volume Capsule Cream ACCOJE
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THEWILL THEWILL DOWNTOWN DOWNTOWN
VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
BY BOLUWATIFE ADESINA Movie Review:
THE KING’S MAN
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Playlist for the week
SPOILER WARNING: This review contains details of the plot of The King’s Man
in the intelligence game —thanks to Orlando’s servant Polly (Gemma Arterton) and advisor Shola (Djimon Hounsou). So, Orlando brings his son Conrad into the secret intelligence operation, making him a valuable team member, but this relationship is fraught with considerable father/son issues. Orlando begins grooming his son to be the best agent starting with the controversial assassination of Rasputin. The plot of The King’s Man is so interwoven with actual historical events that in a later mission, Orlando’s operation needs to coax the United States into entering the war. I love this blurring of lines. Of course, this is an origin story, and with every new operation and new lesson learnt, we witness the slow formation of what will be The Kingsman. Weirdly, what I like about the film written by Karl Gajdusek and director Matthew Vaughn is what it doesn’t do with the full knowledge that this is a prequel. Many prequels take steps to foreshadow et’s tally up the score for a events in the future. Instead, The King’s moment. I really liked Matthew Man successfully takes the ideas of the Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret intelligence agency’s origin’s in The Secret Service (based on the Mark Millar Service and simply tells the story without graphic novels), but I felt like Kingsman: needing to overtly connect to the first film The Golden Circle was a huge misstep in some sappy, eye-winking way. in the wrong direction. So after the The connection between the prequel and disappointing sequel, how does the the original is the idea of the spy group prequel fare? itself (which I loved in the original) as a We’re on the precipice of World War I. secret organization dedicated to globalThree cousins find themselves the rulers political stabilization, the essential of the three European and Eastern mega- elements of King Arthur and the Knights powers: King George of England, Kaiser of the Round Table, and the suave, Wilhelm of Germany, and Tsar Nicholas sophisticated nature of the organization of Russia (all played by Tom Hollander). where “manners maketh the man.” The Meanwhile, sinister forces, led by Erik other connection made is the comic book Jan Hanussen (Daniel Brühl), lurk in the violence and over-the-top villains and shadows to infiltrate the confidence of villainy. the three leaders and set in motion a Unfortunately, the first half is bland as it’s world war, starting with the assassination pretty much setting up the global plot and of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. passing the torch to Conrad as he joins his Hanussen tears down the trust between father’s underground intelligence agency. cousins with his close relationship with We’ve seen this all before, in the first film. Wilhem, while manipulative monk The King’s Man doesn’t pick up in any truly Grigori Rasputin (Rhys Ifans) tears into incredible way until the second half, where the Tsar, all the while a secret mole a fantastic narrative twist happens. At the is running in King George’s circle of 100-minute mark, this single moment of influence. brilliant, bold, unexpected storytelling Meanwhile, famed pacifist Orlando comes out of nowhere, forcing the plot to Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) is still reeling move in a courageous direction. Honestly, from the death of his wife by terrorists when this happened, I woke up from my and vows to keep his son, Conrad (Harris boredom and truly cared about what was Dickinson), out of danger. But Conrad happening. shows great combat ability and prowess Today’s problem with action is that so many films use the same overused computergenerated excitement that the only way to stand out from the pack is through bold narrative choices. Sadly, I had to wait a long while for The King’s Man to become a good movie. But it does get there eventually. 7.5/10
L
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Michael Jackson - Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
DaVido_ Focalistic - Champion Sound
Hiatus Kaiyote - Fingerprints
Cupidon_ KALLITECHNIS_ Ric Wilson - Wake Up, Get Down
Masego_ Ta-ku_ matt mcwaters_ Please Wait - Flight
KAYTRANADA_ H.E.R. Intimidated (feat. H.E.R.)
J Dilla - Yesterday
Mackgee - Window
CKay - Emiliana
Netflix Watch of the Week
Archive 81
Archive 81 follows archivist Dan Turner (Athie), who takes a job restoring a collection of damaged videotapes from 1994. What’s on the tapes? Well, it’s the work of Melody Pendras (Shihabi), a young documentary filmmaker who is set on documenting life in the Visser apartment building. However, a simple look into the lives of the residents morphs into a dark and dangerous descent into a cult. As the season unfolds across these two timelines, Dan slowly finds himself obsessed with uncovering what happened to Melody. As paranoia
builds and obsession takes hold, the two characters form a mysterious connection. He learns more about her, the Vessir, and the fear she was spiraling into, and as he does so, Dan becomes convinced he can save her from the terrifying end she met 25 years ago. As a 10-episode series, Archive 81 spans multiple genres. The series uses science fiction, Lovecraftian and religious horror, a touch of fantasy, and the spiritism of the 1920s all wrapped up in a noir obsession. At times, there is a little too much packed into scenes, but the overload manages to carry the weight of itself, working out each thread of the story as the episodes continue. With all of these elements pulled into one story across two timelines, we get the chance to be scared, tense, and ultimately confused by the mystery that seems to get deeper and darker as Dan chases the rabbit for answers. That said, the confusion that the series uses isn’t a negative. Archive 81 deftly uses misdirects, timelines,
Tems_ Brent Faiyaz - Found (feat. Brent Faiyaz) and paranoia to keep you questioning what’s real, what isn’t, and ultimately where the story is going. Like any mystery, the viewer attempts to match the pace of the series and when it works, this builds tension. However, there are some blind spots in the story that are driven by pacing where the show almost loses itself and its audience. Thankfully though, these moments aren’t continuous, and with Athie’s charismatic and driven presence, Archive 81 finds its stride again. Archive 81 is a strong start for genre series in 2022, it’s horrorfilled with a noir edge that will strike many fans. Most of all, there is an intrinsic level of creepiness to the series, even in its silent moments, that makes everything unsettling. While it isn’t perfect, Archive 81 is stunning and after this series and Black Box, I can’t wait to see what other frights and science fiction Athie has in store. Archive 81 is streaming exclusively on Netflix.
VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
TRIBUTE
The Life and Times of Fashion Godfather,
ANDRÉ LEON TALLEY BY KEHINDÉ FAGBULE A portrait of André Leon Talley by Alice Springs in 1989
Talley and Anna Wintour attend the Costume Institute Gala, 1999
Talley and Sean Diddy Combs at the Fashion Group International’s 19th Annual Night of the Stars, 2002
Talley and Naomi Campbell at the AngloMania - Tradition and Transgression, 2006
Talley attends the memorial service for L’Wren Scott May 2, 2014
Talley and Kristen McMenamy during fashion week in the mid-1990s in New York
Talley at The Screening of The Gospel Accoring to Andre
O
n the 18th of January 2022, the fashion world was saddened by the passing of one of the biggest names in the industry, fashion icon André Leon Talley. Talley was an American fashion journalist, stylist, creative director— he was the first black creative director at Vogue—and most notably, the editor-at-large of Vogue magazine, before leaving in 2013, having spent three era-defining decades with the magazine. Talley, whose trademark look consists of capes, kaftans, and robes, was renowned for his advocacy for diversity and inclusivity in the fashion industry. His constant support for emerging designers also meant that he was loved by creatives within and around the fashion, beauty, and entertainment industries. He was also responsible for styling the Obamas while they were in office. Last year, American footwear brand UGG, made Talley the face of their brand. What followed was an interview and photo shoot on the front porch of his home in New York. In a naturally relaxed state, he reminisced on his influence in the world of fashion. The fashion godfather said, “I was the first black man to ever get to that high position of rank in the world of Condé Nast. I’m not a person that is going to blow my own trumpet. I don’t consider myself an icon, no, not at all.” Talley was not only a tastemaker, author, academic, bon vivant, and groundbreaking black editor at the top of the fashion field, he was also foremost among those to call the industry out on its racism, which he experienced firsthand for decades. PHOTOS FROM TALLEY’S INSTAGRAM PAGE AND GETTY IMAGES
Talley at Calvin Klien Runway Show in New York 2007
Talley with Oscar de la Renta
Talley at The Met Gala 2009
Talley attends the Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty Costume Institute Gala in 2011
Talley with Tony Snowdon in Rome 1987
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VOL 2 NO.04 • JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
websights DOWNTOWN
PRESIDENTIAL DECISIONS Nigerians Return Home From Their VPN-enabled Virtual Vacations After Twitter Ban Was Lifted
Keeping up With Kim And Ye
the ban was in effect, you could make occasional visits to the Netherlands. Now you’re back home in Nigeria— country of the year. Thank you, Buhari! Now I have to leave liberal Amsterdam. Nigerians weren’t exactly pleased.
Remember the Twitter ban that was imposed by our president, General Muhammad Buhari? Well, it was lifted as a belated New Year’s gift to Nigerians seven months later. According to reports, social media giant Twitter has agreed to register in Nigeria and pay local taxes. Last year, President Buhari’s administration suspended the social media firm for deleting a tweet by the commander-in-chief. They accused Twitter of siding with secessionists. Before ending the ban, the Nigerian government insisted that Twitter: • Register in Nigeria. • Appoint a designated country representative • Comply with tax obligations in Nigeria • Enrol Nigeria in its portal for direct communications between government officials and Twitter to manage prohibited content that violates Twitter community rules • Act with a respectful acknowledgement of Nigerian laws Although Twitter has not commented on what it had to do to regain access into the country, it tweeted that it was “pleased” to be restored in the country and was “deeply committed to Nigeria.” The social media platform that houses millions of Nigerians has, by and large, yielded to the government’s demands, as claimed by reports. During the ban, several Nigerians found a way around it using different Virtual Private Network providers commonly known as VPN. This meant that Nigerians tweeting in Nigeria could only do so with the app tunnelling their connection in a disguise that fools the internet to think that one is in another country. Having to not tweet with VPN nowadays must feel strange. Because just days ago when
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s drama got a new episode and we don’t quite know how to feel about it. Here’s what happened. Kim didn’t invite Ye to their daughter, Chicago’s birthday party, so he took to social media to report her to us, unpaid family jury. In the video posted, he said, “I’m just wishing my daughter a public happy birthday as I wasn’t allowed to know where her party was. There’s nothing illegal. This is the kind of game that’s being played. This is the kind of thing that affected my health for the longest time. “I’m just not playing. I’m taking control of my narrative this year. I’m being the father, the best father, the Ye version of a father and I’m not going to let this happen. I’ll go real-time with this, right here. “Chicago, happy birthday, I love you. I’m just putting this online because I need you all to support me.” “I called Kim and texted the nannies. I got on the phone with Tristan [Khloe’s ex], he asked Khloe [Kim’s sister], and still, nobody gave me the address to my daughter’s
What A Man Can Do...
Nigerians learnt of their new presidential aspirant. Here are very rare hints: one, it’s not a man, two, it’s not an old man. On the 4th of January this year, Khadijah Okunnu-Lamidi via her
BY KEHINDÉ FAGBULE
social media page made a strong declaration to run for the office of the president of Nigeria, making her the first woman to announce their presidential intentions for the 2023 elections. Identified as the daughter of former Federal Works Commissioner, Lateef Olufemi Okunnu (SAN), Okunnu-Lamidi, civil-servant-turnedentrepreneur, is very new to politics. She worked at the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) for four years
birthday party right now. She’s gonna imprint it in her mind that I wasn’t there for her,” West said. Kanye—who is now legally named Ye—seemed thrilled he was able to show up to the shindig but said it was Travis Scott who told him the party was being thrown at Kylie’s home. He also thanked Kris [Kim’s mum] and Corey [her boyfriend]... and Kylie [Kim’s sister] for letting him in but made no mention of Kim. He also groused that security stopped him briefly at the door. Kim’s sources commented that this was a simple case of crossed signals, and she never wanted to exclude him. The sources say the estranged couple discussed having two parties for their daughter, and Kanye was supposed to throw the second one when he picked her up after 4pm.
before delving into entrepreneurship as the founder and CEO of Slice Media Solutions, an advertising agency. Although still independent in her pursuit, the presidential aspirant has been on media rounds—guest on ‘The Discourse’ with Jimi Disu on Nigeria Info FM and Arise Politics with Dr. Reuben Abati on Arise TV—to raise awareness and ultimately a party ticket. Of course, Nigerians reacted, although surprisingly hopeful about the prospects of having a woman as commander-in-chief someday.