- Chocolate City (music label)
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Chocolate City (music label) Founded 2005 Status Active Genre Various Country of origin Nigeria Official Website [1] Chocolate City Entertainment Company is an international award winning 360 degree Entertainment Company that administers a record label, events planning/management and media consultancy company based in Nigeria with offices in Abuja and Lagos. It is also home to award winning artists like M.I, Jesse Jagz, Ice Prince and has also worked closely with the likes of Djinee, Asa, Jeremiah Gyang.
Contents
History
Originally founded as a rave nightclub in 1997, Chocolate City quickly became the number one promotions outfit in the Northern part of Nigeria[citation needed] and moved into the industry main stream in 2005 with the launch of the record label ('Chocolate City Music'). Chocolate City has promoted Northern-based musicians around Nigeria with the discovery and signing acts like Six Foot Plus and Jeremiah Gyang (whose debut album Na BA KA won numerous accolades and acclaim for the artist as well as the label). Chocolate City went on to discover, manage and promote the careers of talents like Djinee, M.I, Asa, Jesse Jagz, Ice Prince and other artists who later won awards both locally and internationally.
In June 2007, Audu Maikori Founder/CEO of Chocolate City won the prestigious British award the International Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year (IYMEY) by the British Council, making Nigeria the first country to win 2 global awards in the Young Creative Entrepreneurs Series (the first was Lanre Lawal (IYDEY) 2005), after beating 9 countries including Philippines, Latvia, Lithuania, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Tanzania, Egypt and Poland.
Activism
Chocolate City was the first Nigerian music company to attain a global music award and recognition by the British Council in 2007 i.e. The International Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year (IYMEY)2007
Chocolate City has since worked closely with the Federal Government of Nigeria as well as several international organisations such as the British Council in promoting the creative industries as well as Capacity building projects in and around Nigeria. In April 2008, Chocolate City announced a major collaborative effort in partnership with the British Council and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to take a delegation of Nigerian music stakeholders to London Calling 2008 in a bid to open new vistas for the fast growing Nigerian music industry currently valued at around $500 Million (2007). The 40 man delegation was led by the Minister of Culture and Tourism.
Chocolate City has also been active in the promotion of the Creative industries globally having participated in several workshops and initiatives. In January 2008, Chocolate City delivered a keynote address on a workshop tagged "Mapping the Creative Industries in Albania" organised by the British Council, Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Ministry of Economy, Albania. The workshop was aimed at sharing experiences of creative entrepreneurs from around Europe, the UK and Nigeria.
Chocolate City activities were judged to have the capacity to affect the Nigerian Music Industry on a national scale, receiving media coverage from both local and international media. Reuters International produced a documentary on the Chocolate City success story tagged "Music and Money" in recognition of its contributions to the development of the Nigerian Music Industry.
Over the years Chocolate City has streamlined creative partnerships with many international and regional creative industry organizations, with affiliates in South Africa, U.K and the USA, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the British Council toward promoting and celebrating creativity in Nigeria which we are very passionate about.
Chocolate City has also been at the very fore front of innovation in the support of our vibrant creative industries, because therein lies the future of our youth.
Events Handheld
Wyclef Jean concert in 2004 (Guinness)
Valentine Fest (British Council)
Showcase Featuring Asa
Jeremiah Gyang Show case (French Cultural Centre Lagos)
Abuja At 30 celebrations (FCTA 2006)
The Jam Sessions since 2005- Till Date
WAPI (words and Pictures) – a monthly event organized by the British Council
London Calling 2008 ( London)- June 2008
PYT(prove your talent)- August 2008
Club MTV Base – August 2008
MI Return MAMA Party 2009
Do they Know Its Christmas (Charity Event) 2009
Artists
Artists on the label include:
- M.I
- Jesse Jagz
- Ice Prince
- Brymo
MANAGEMENT TEAM
- Yahaya Maikori
- Okeugo Paul
- Audu Maikori
- Kunle Peter-Thomas
- Katung Aduwak
Awards and nominations
Won by Chocolate City Artists include:
CHOCOLATE CITY MUSIC
Best Label- AA Awards 2008
Global IYMEY Awards by British Council( international Creative Enterprise Series) 2007
M.I- Jude AbagaAWARDS
Hip Hop Revelation(2009)-HIP HOP WORLD AWARDS 2009
Best Rap Album - HIP HOP WORLD AWARDS 2009
Best Hip Hop Act- Nigerian Entertainment Awards 2009
Best New Act- Nigerian Entertainment Awards 2009
Best Hip Hop Act- City People Awards
Best Rap single-Hip Hop World Awards
Musician of the Year- Modemen Awards 2008
Best New Act- MAMA 2009
Best Hip Hop- MAMA 2009
NOMINATIONS: Best International Act BET AWARDS} 2010
Best New Act - MTV MAMA AWARDS 2009
Best Hip Hop - MTV MAMA AWARDS 2009
JESSE JAGZ - Jesse AbagaAWARDS
Artist with most Top Ten hits- Cool FM
Producer of the Year- Plateau Award for Excellence-2008
NOMINATIONS
Producer of the Year- Hip Hop World Awards 2009
Producer of the Year- The Future Awards 2009
ICE PRINCE- Panshak ZamaniAWARDS
Winner- Hennessy Artistry September 2009 - 2010
Bring The Noise Project
M.I (Jude Abaga) represented Nigeria on a 12 country tour of the UK and Africa from 2007–2008
Discography
M.I 2
Album Information Ice Prince - Singles: Oleku
- Released:September 2010.
M.I - M.I 2 - Released: December 2011
- Singles: "Undisputed"
Jesse Jagz - Jag of all Tradez - Released: 2010
- Talk About it - Released: December 2010
M.I ' - Released: 2008
- Singles:"Crowd Mentality"
Sources
- [2]
- Audi Maikori IYMEY 2007 winner
- CCM Profole at creativeeconomy.org
- Music and Money
- AfricaHit News
- http://www.nigeriamusicmovement.com/index.php/tag/chocolate-city
External links
Categories:- Nigerian record labels
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