Music
In the past, we had a rich offering of Nigerian boy bands, from LOS to Plantashun Boiz, Styl Plus, DRB Lasgidi, The Remedies, X Project, Rooftop MCs, P Square, and Bracket. These boy bands or boy groups were a staple of the Nigerian music scene and were loved. Then, it was more common for artists to team up and create music together, with a real demand for their joint artistry and everything that came with it.
Music The Origin and Downfall of The Popular Boy Bands
- Plantashun Boiz
The Plantashun Boiz, one of the most distinctive and popular pioneering Nigerian R&B and hip-hop groups, was formed at the Institute of Management and Technology in Enugu by three boys (Faze, 2Face Idibia, and Blackface) who, prior to meeting at the institute, were strangers. Their rise to fame stemmed from an opportune meeting with Tony Tetuila, a big name in the industry at the time.
Plantashun Boiz are credited as one of the most successful and influential boy bands in Nigeria, despite having been together for less than a decade, with 2Face leaving the group to become one of Nigeria’s biggest solo artists. The group broke up due to what can easily be described as creative differences and individual ambitions that created tension, and while they tried the path of reconciliation, the end still came for this boy band.
- Styl-Plus
Styl-Plus was another popular boy band in the late 90s, originally known as “Styl” and subsequently as “Styl-Plus” after the death of one of their members and the addition of a new member. The group originally consisted of two members, Shifi and Tunde, who began singing together in their hostel at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), before they were joined by Lanre, who died, and eventually by Yemi.
Styl-Plus was well known in the Nigerian music industry for their vocals and for how well they blended R&B with Afro-soul and pop. Their single “Olufunmi” is still regarded as one of the greatest Nigerian songs. The end unfortunately came for Styl-Plus due to internal conflicts and a disagreement over finances.
- P-Square
P-Square started with the twins, Peter and Paul Okoye, as part of an a cappella group while in secondary school, and then went on to form their own duo band in the late 1990s. They started out using names like “Double Ps” and “P & P” before eventually sticking with “P-Square” and became a band that revolutionized the Nigerian music scene and contributed heavily to the international export of afrobeat.
P-Square credits their interest in music to being raised in a family that encouraged and appreciated music. The duo explored musical sounds ranging from R&B and hip-hop to traditional African music. They were also heavily influenced by Michael Jackson-inspired dance choreography and were known for their distinctive dance moves in their music videos.
The duo split in 2017 after more than a decade due to internal conflicts and financial disputes. They tried to pick up the group by 2021, but they split again in 2024 due to disputes over management and allegations of financial impropriety, specifically involving their older brother, Jude Okoye.
Music Why Do We No Longer Have Boy Bands in Nigeria?
While we have groups like “Show Dem Camp” and “The Cavemen,” there has been an obvious decline in the boy band culture in the Nigerian music scene, and much of it can be attributed to the rise of individuality among most Nigerian pop stars and musicians. A pattern that can also be traced to how past boy groups ended, with them either splitting over financial or artistic differences.
A lot of the new age Nigerian artists do not have the rich history and background that the earlier boy bands had around them, from their universities to their homes, where music was encouraged as a career, as opposed to now, where the music scene is not the same as it used to be. Though we still have boy bands, they are no longer seen as a necessity, as more solo artists have achieved success. It is not unseen that the route new artists take is the route they have seen produce the most success.
Music What Does It Take To Form A Boy Band?
There is no single answer to how to form a boy band; there are examples of what has worked, and the most common one is for like-minded artists to come together to fuse their musical styles and tastes, maximizing their resources and talents to create something that would revolutionize the Nigerian music scene. A good example of this is the Plantashun Boiz, who used their talents to explore hip-hop and R&B.
A thing that is common in boy bands, even with international boy bands, is the fusion of artists with different interests in musical genres, from R&B and hip-hop to sometimes jazz, which helps the group explore a distinct sound that cannot easily be found or created by an individual artist who does not have a background or interest in these genres.
Music Will Nigerians Support Boy Bands Now?
Though the Nigerian audience gravitates heavily towards individual artists, the growth and popularity of international boy bands, even in Nigeria, show that the world yearns for more boy bands with a diverse sound and a more group-focused approach to music than the individualistic approach that has become the norm.
Bands like “Show Dem Camp” and “The Cavemen” have a healthy, consistent audience who support their artistic pursuits, with many of them having grown up on the many boy bands of the 1990s and early 2000s, which have now become a rarity.
Music Will There Ever Be A Re-Emergence Of Old Boy Bands?
In international waters, there are cases of disbanded boy bands coming back together to either host a tour or release new music, often banking on the nostalgia of their past artistry or the continued strength of their fanbase, which never stopped streaming or clamoring for them. This is particularly evident in international bands like The Backstreet Boys, Jonas Brothers, One Direction, and BTS.
However, with Nigerian boy bands, much of the attention they might get would come from nostalgic fans who grew up on their music, which makes these artists hesitate to ever make a comeback or return to the music scene as a group. While some of these artists have indicated interest in returning to their roots, the differences that led to the breakup are sometimes too sensitive to the possibility of a re-emergence.
Music What do we think?
Boy bands are an exciting concept, especially due to how well they are able to maximize and explore their diverse genres, and the Nigerian music scene could definitely use more diverse sounds, which is why the likes of “The Cavemen” have the audience they do.
New boy bands have the potential to create great music and a dedicated fan base if they follow the path laid out by bands before them while retaining the individualism that often accompanies these groups.