THE KABAKA, HE WHO DARES WINS

SIERRA LEONE PREVIEW ISSUE 1 2019
THE K A BA K A :
HE WHO DA RES
WINS!
"No one knows our artists outside Sierra
Leone. No one is singing our songs in
Nigeria. I want to break that barrier. "

K A BA K A : HE WHO DA RES WINS!
Despite Africa?s huge influence on music repertoire across
the globe, poor distribution networks and weak intellectual
property laws, coupled with rampant piracy represent
continuing challenges to the sector?s long-term growth.
Industry experts and academics say it?s hard to calculate just
how much the continent?s music industry is worth,
nevertheless, it?s undoubtedly a market with real
opportunity. A major reason is that spending on music
related products and services is determined more by the age
of the population than by its comparative wealth. In Africa,
60% of the population is under 24 years old ? the youngest
population of any region globally. Even for a small market like
Sierra Leone, this represents a hugely under-tapped
opportunity, particularly given our growing list of
commercial talent.
One man - Abu Bararr Turay, aka the
Kabaka - is determined to change that,
and anyone who has spent any time in
Sierra Leone over the past couple of
years, could not possibly have missed
the growth of his eponymous label -
KME or Kabaka Multimedia
Entertainment.
In person Kabaka is unexpected. For
someone who may be Sierra Leone?s
very own Berry Gordy, he?s
surprisingly quiet. He favours
understated black suits and has the
knack of adding a business angle to
most social occasions, reflective
perhaps of his day job. He is a lawyer
by profession, with 10 years of
experience practising in Sierra Leone.
He founded KME in 2017, and in the
space of just over a year he has
emerged with dizzying speed, as a
genuine music mogul in the making.
His track record speaks for itself. He?s
assembled a credible stable of artists
and last year struck a deal with the
biggest name in Ghanaian
entertainment for them to perform at
Ghana meets Naija, held in Ghana. He
bought a radio station, and to top it all,
he conceived and staged the ambitious
ECOFEST concert which brought
performers from all over West Africa
into Sierra Leone. It is no surprise that
2018 culminated with his inclusion in
Salone Times?list of the 10 Most
Influential Sierra Leoneans, alongside
the President of Sierra Leone and the
Mayor of Freetown.
He says he?s always been interested in
the music industry. ?In school I used to
rap,? he reminisces, but he entered the
business of music when he started to
manage his brother-in-law ? the R&B
artist, Blesz. He went on to briefly join
forces with Boxx Conteh to bring
WizKid to Sierra Leone. Then came
KME baby.
?I was looking for a way to invest. I
wanted something that would be
different from my normal routine. I?d
seen that there was a gap in the
market for better management of our
artists. Their lives were not reflective
of their talent. Their remuneration was
not commensurate with their status.
You?d see top stars in Sierra Leone
struggling to afford a taxi. One of the
issues is that a lot of people who are
involved in artist management don?t
have the necessary business skills. I
have the knack of doing things in a
better fashion and bringing business
acumen, legal skills, accounting, and
procedure to the table. All of that
coupled with a belief in taking on
challenges made me decide to start my
own record label.?
KME was launched with a
star-studded event on 28th April 2017
at Radisson Blu in Freetown. The
intervening months have been a
roller-coaster of hard knocks and high
points, defined predominantly by
Kabaka?s decision to stake everything
? cash, reputation, time and energy to
bring ECOFEST (the Ecowas Music
Festival) to Sierra Leone.
ECOFEST was held on 16 November
2018 at the Siaka Stevens Stadium. It
was a hugely ambitious undertaking,
pitting performers from Guinea,
Ghana, the Gambia, Nigeria, Liberia
and Senegal against Sierra Leonean
artists.
For months, the event dominated
Sierra Leone?s social media news
network. ?Are you going to ECOFEST??
was probably one of the most-asked
questions of last year, coming a close
second to ?who did you vote for??.
People who had long since ruled out
ever attending a concert in the
stadium, paused for thought when
ECOFEST was mentioned.
Kabaka had invited international
media. He had also invited Mike Dada
the President and Executive Producer
of the prestigious All Africa Music
Awards, AFRIMA, an organisation that
aims to build professional capacity and
networks within the continent?s music
and creative industries.
The sheer audacity of ECOFEST still
takes the breath away. The creaky and
distinctly dilapidated facilities of Sierra
Leone?s Siaka Stevens Stadium were
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HE SCORED A
BIG WIN WHEN
HE SIGNED
NIGERIA N
A RTIST -
PA TRORA NK ING
never designed to host a Kabaka-conceived spectacular of 30 artists, from
seven countries performing on a specially designed centralised stage, with an
ambitious lightshow, before an audience of tens of thousands.
In the execution, challenges with security, sound quality, timing, ticketing,
crowd control and other aspects of event management were expected and
planned for. But as is often the way in Sierra Leone?s logistically-compromised
environment ? the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and
unsurprisingly post-concert reviews were mixed. There were those who loved
it and those who felt quite the opposite. Nevertheless, ECOFEST may just have
marked the moment that Kabaka truly became Sierra Leone?s first bona fide
music mogul.
The story of how ECOFEST came about is uniquely Kabaka ? a mixture of
entrepreneurial initiative, good old nous, and cultural humility. It began with a
meeting between Kabaka and the Ghanaian media personality and
entrepreneur - Nathan Kwabena Anokye Adisi, popularly known as Bola Ray.
?Bola Ray owns Empire Entertainment ? it?s the biggest broadcast and event
management company in Ghana. It hosts Ghana meets Nigeria, which has been
bringing artists from the two countries together for several years now,? Kabaka
explains. ?I got his number and gave him a call. I said to him - I have arguably the
biggest record label in Sierra Leone, let?s talk. No one knows our artists outside
Sierra Leone. No one is singing our songs in Nigeria. I want to break that
barrier. Take me as your younger brother. You are the pioneers and I?m not shy
to admit we need help.?
When Bola Ray offered to include KME?s artists in the line-up for Ghana meets
Nigeria, in June 2018, Kabaka jumped at the opportunity. ?I took all my artists
and three who were not on my label, to Ghana. We opened the concert. The
idea was that we would then host Ghana meets Naija in Sierra Leone. But on
reflection I thought twice about the reaction we would get if we held a concert
of foreign artists. Then I thought about ECOWAS and the Mano River basin, and
I said let?s escalate Ghana meets Nigeria. Let?s have five nations represented in
Sierra Leone.?
Kabaka sat down and wrote out the proposal and worked out what it was going
to cost. The list of items on his budget included the PA system, generators, the
cost of hiring out the stadium, promotion and marketing,
printing costs, flights and accommodation and, of course,
security.
?The budget was $200,000. I did the maths to work out how
I could make the money back. I considered three scenarios ?
how much I?d make from an average show, a good show and
a really good show.? His next steps were to secure the
money, and the artists.
Kabaka?s approach to the finance was two-pronged. First, he
went to his bank for a business loan. Events such as the one
he was planning, are seldom considered as viable
propositions, by banks in Sierra Leone, he warns. ?There is
no precedent at any of the banks for this kind of thing. They
wouldn?t generally touch an event like this. They want to see
specific products.?
There are three pillars to his successful relationship with his
bank which all aspiring entrepreneurs could learn from.
These are longevity, trust and collateral. ?I?ve been banking
with Commercial Bank for some time. I have a good
relationship with them,? he explains. ?They have watched
our company?s development and witnessed how we have
handled previous events. They know me as someone who
keeps to my word, has standards and is able to put up the
required collateral.?
Kabaka was also hoping for sponsorship, but his business
plan did not depend on it. He says that while sponsors help
mitigate costs, Sierra Leone?s corporate world is still very
risk averse.
While he was raising the finance, he was simultaneously
approaching the performers he wanted for the event. He
scored a big win when he signed Nigerian artist Patoranking,
who since 2009 has become one of Nigeria?s leading artists
with his brand of reggae-dancehall influenced Afrobeats.
?The sooner we signed Patoranking, we had calls from Ivory
Coast, Senegal and Gambia,? Kabaka remembers.
The final line up was impressive ? seven nations and their
artists. Nigeria was represented by Patoranking and
Mayorkun. Kuami Eugene and Patapaa came in from Ghana.
Takana Zion represented Guinea; Liberia was CIC and
Photo by Nainoa Shizuru on Unsplash

Photo by israel palacio on Unsplash
Stunna. From the Gambia came Double T and J Kelly. There was
the Senegalese artist Fafadi and home grown talent like LXG,
LAJ, Dallas B, Arkman, Drizilik, Yung Sal, Empress P, Innocent
and Rap G, as well as KME?s own stable of performers.
One of Kabaka?s strengths is his willingness to do an honest
post-event analysis and, in the process learn from his mistakes.
It?s something he feels has contributed to his professional
growth. ?People do the same things time and time again and
expect different results,? he muses. He refers back to an event
he held in Kallon Carpark opposite Kallon?s Hotel on Christmas
Day in 2017, where he learned a hard lesson about security. ?It
was well attended. Around 5000 people,? he remembers, ?but
we made no money because our security was too porous.?
His experience as co-promoter for the WhizKid concert
provided lesson two. ?I manned the gates myself. I lost my
investment but I bought knowledge and understanding in the
process. I?ve learned that security is as important as the sound
system.?
His experience may be hard won, but he is adept at putting it to
good use. The music industry is evolving rapidly, especially in
Africa,? he says. ?Money generation in more developed markets
includes repeat fees, CD sales, royalties, streaming. But the
areas we need to focus on for now in Sierra Leone, are events,
promotions, merchandise.?
There is also significant and much-needed export potential in
our music industry. As Paul Collier, Oxford Professor and
leading economist once said: ?At the practical level, the music
industry has the potential to have a big impact on economic
structure precisely because these economies are so small. You
only need one or two real successes--you only need a
Nashville--and you have transformed the export structure of an
economy away from primary commodity dependence, and that
will have major effects.
?There is also a psychological level. This is really important.
Africa has to be seen to be succeeding in activities that have
some glamour about them if it is to retain its own bright young
people. At the moment, bright young Africans are leaving the
continent. They are all over America. A vision that will retain
bright youth in productive activities within Africa is essential.
Another important psychological dimension is that until now,
Africa has really not participated in global economic institutions.
We need to be able to show how the new international
economic architecture is relevant to Africa and that Africa can
benefit from being part of it. The music industry has a potential
for that. It has the potential to be a very visual practical image in
turning a poor society around. The Nashville example is potent
here in showing how a poor locality can be turned around.?
Key to maximising the sector?s potential is government
recognition that the music business is a business and not just a
cultural activity and that an abundance of creative talent is not
the same having a successful music industry. Genuine
Government support for the sector in the form of a policy
framework, regulation, creative hubs and music education in
schools and elsewhere is essential.
In this, Kabaka, with his black suits, lawyerly demeanour and
focus on the bottom line may be just what Sierra Leone needs to
get the ball rolling. After all, music ? it?s another business baby!
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