Atim Ikpeme
30 October 2009
Lagos — Hip hop sensation and Best Group award winner at the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA) with Zain 2009, P-Square has apologised to their teeming fans around the continent, especially those who attended the event in Nairobi, Kenya, for their conspicuous absence.
According to the twin act, their absence was as a result of a pre-arranged engagement in the Republic of Congo where they had been contracted to perform as part of activities marking the country's Independence Day anniversary. They, however, promised to storm Kenya in the near future during an upcoming concert. But they did not disclose which concert.
Speaking at a breakfast session with the media, the duo said they had notified MTV Networks of the development, a result of which their acceptance speech was pre-recorded.
They also used the occasion to dispel rumours making the rounds that the group has been evading award events in recent times. They said that though as artistes, they have won many awards in the past, including several at the maiden edition of the MTV Africa Music Awards, as artistes, awards are one of the ways they are appreciated.
Flanked by fellow MAMA award winners, MI and 2Face, the twin brothers admitted that they had a feeling of nostalgia watching the star-studded event on television, describing it as Africa's biggest musical show of the year.
They expressed the belief that their presence would have added to the flavour of the event as they are hugely popular in East African countries where they had performed in the past, especially in Kenya.
They also commended the standard of this year's event, which they said was a huge improvement on the inaugural edition held in Abuja last year.
The brothers, who were accompanied to the media session by their producer and older sibling, Jude Okoye, also praised MTV Networks Africa, organizers of the awards, for their commitment to promoting excellence in the African music industry.
Speaking in the same vein, 2Face, Best R & B winner and MI, who carted away two awards in the best Hip Hop and Best New Act categories, thanked MTV Networks for initiating the awards, saying this will go a long way in encouraging artistes on the continent to rave up their acts.
They expressed joy at their awards, saying these will ginger them to come up with something better than their current album.
Both also hailed the feat by Nigerian artistes at the awards, saying it has proved once again that the country was the leader in the African continent.
M.I said, "It's easy to accept this award and still remain focused on the music. It's back to the drawing board for me so I can cross over from a new artiste to a super star such as Tu Face, P-Square etc...more hard work and more focus and doing better than what I have done before. P-Square has been my inspiration since they started while I was back in Jos."
It would be recalled that Nigeria, along with South Africa, had the highest number of nominations. In the end, Nigeria won a total of five awards, with South Africa grabbing three. The other Nigerian who shone at the awards was D'banj who won the Artiste of the Year award.
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