Korede Okungbowa, third wife of late Nigerian legendary music producer OJB Jezreel who passed away in 2016 following a protracted battle with kidney failure has called on his industry colleagues to help in celebrating the anniversary of his death.
In a three-minute video shared on her Facebook page, she called on his former associates who are still alive to help the family to organize a seminar in his remembrance.
‘I am making this video to call out some certain people to see what we can do about OJB’s two-year remembrance’ she said. ‘Last year I tried to hold an OJB legacy seminar in memory of him, to retain his his legacy and appreciate the life he has lived as a producer and artiste, a father, brother and lover of all, thank God it was a success with the little help I could get from friends and family’.
She went on to say that this year, she’s not quite able to run the show by herself again. ‘So I want to use this medium to contact anybody who knows that Ojb has done something for them while he was alive and there is something that can be done while there is still time…’
‘Please, you know yourselves…I’m not going to mention your names..if you feel concerned to do something about OJB’s two-year remembrance, please do. Call us the family, let’s do something about it’, she said in closing.
READ: Meet the three wives and eight children OJB Jezreel left behind
Babatunde Okungbowa was a producer, singer and songwriter who is largerly considered to be the father of modern Nigerian pop music, having started as far back as 1986. He would go on to kickstarted the careers of major superstars such as Wizkid, Ruggedman, 2Face Idibia, Jazzman Olofin, the late Nomoreloss to Raskie, K-Show, Six-O, C-mion, Abounce and many others.
He along with the three Dairo brothers, including Paul Play himself had formed a production crew called Playground, House and Effects (PHE), which made beats for popular Nigerian musicians in the late ’80s.
But it was with 2face that he would produce his greatest song, producing the worldwide hit, ‘African Queen’. The song sold massively in Nigeria with millions of copies sold internationally too.
He would later produce Baba Dee‘s hit single ‘Governor’s Daughter’ and Daddy Showkey‘s second album, The Name.
READ: 5 Artistes who started their careers with OJB Jezreel
He wasn’t just a prolific producer. At a time when Nigerian contemporary music was in its infancy, OJB released an album. And what an album it was. Released in 2006 to critical and commercial success, No Drama, had bangers before we knew what bangers were.
With songs like ‘Pretete’, ‘Oochilacoochaleso’, ‘Searching’, the album held its own in the music space, despite not being backed by the star power of a popular name.
His demise in 2016 came after several years of kidney related illlnesses culminatinng in a kidney transplant in 2013. He eventually died on June 14 2016, three weeks before his 50th birthday.
