How The Igbo Apprenticeship System Collapsed In The Hands Of Phyno | By Obumneme Osuchukwu

After the genocide that was committed against the Ìgbò people in 1967 through 70, lives were lost and the region was in economic shambles after the north paid every survivor 20 pounds, not minding if you had millions before the war. This devastation inspired the spirit of “onye aghana nwanne ya” amongst the Ìgbò people and this philosophy was what saved ndÌgbò from economic extinction. The airport in Imo state was built from the contribution of the Ìgbò people. Kobo by kobo, naira by naira, an empty expanse of land at Obinze became an airport.  

Businessmen in cities across the country went back to the village every Christmas to take someone with them, a boy who will serve them for some years with an agreement to financially settle them.  

One will think that the gospel of “onye aghana nwanne ya” will be the anchor of the Ìgbò people in various endeavors but our best foot forward in the music industry, Phyno, moved from Enugu to the metropolitan city of Lagos and visited Enugu occasionally for interviews, shows, and business.

The city of his birth and struggles was always grateful to have him back but there were murmurs when the hood waited for him to come back intermittently to pick up young ones who will grow under his wings that have stretched across Nigeria. Beyond the murmurs, there was a disappointment that was often expressed in hushed tones, behind the ears of Ezege. The reverence is understandable but there is an Ìgbò adage that goes thus: “Asokata eze anya, ekpuru nkata n’iru gwa ya okwu”.  

In all the years Phyno has stayed in Lagos, over a thousand Ìgbò boys have come to Lagos from the east, with an invitation from a brother, uncle, or relative who sells spare parts at Ladipo or imports cosmetics at Trade fair. They may be more, or less but I doubt it’s less.  Every December, NdÌgbò, sometimes leave from Lagos to the east with their families but come back in January, with new faces who they refer to as “nwannem”, because of perhaps a shared ancestry, or kindred and in most cases, heritage. That is the philosophy of the Ìgbò word for a rich man—Ogaranya, an amputated form of “Ogara onye, ya nyere ibe ya aka”.  

Ìgbò people watched and waited for Phyno or Flavor to come back to Lagos with their younger ones who are talented and gifted, but that didn’t happen, at least for Flavor. Phyno sometime four years ago surrendered to the complaints and the pressure of always being asked about the signing of a possible protege. On October 31, 2018, Chibuzo Nelson announced on Instagram the signing of two artists Ayadinuno Okechukwu Obiora known as Nuno Zigi, and Armstrong Arinze known as Rhatti, and the streets were filled with joy. Finally, Phyno recognized his responsibility and the debt he owes to the culture that formed the language he uses to rap. But something happened along the line.  

The Ìgbò people believe that “Oku agunyere nwata n’aka adighi eregbuya” but in the case of phyno and the two artists he signed, we can conclude, after the expiration of the penthauze deal, that the fire consumed his hands.  In the three-year duration of the contract, it is unbelievable that these young talents that he signed had the roughest time of their adult lives, the fraternizing with an older brother who has achieved a measure of success and fame couldn’t even cushion the frustration they suffered. Phyno didn’t want them to drop a body of work under his label, not because they weren’t good enough but, perhaps, he was afraid of the light they carried. Especially Nuno, who idolized him growing up and does his type of genre with a modern-day finesse that is lacking in his.  

When Nuno Zigi dropped No Day Off and I listened to it with a couple of people in my parlor, we agreed that Phyno was terrified of his talent, because there is no other reason why such talent will be under the Penthauze umbrella and be untapped. Phyno didn’t give them access to big industry producers and they were left to wander the streets of Ifite, Awka, looking for producers who will believe in their sound and produce for them for little or nothing. All these struggles they suffered as signed artists, who ideally, should enjoy the luxury of being under a successful man.  

The EP Nuno dropped (No Day Off) has gone on to do numbers and has sat comfortably on charts, enjoying the reception that he was starved of as a signed artist. Now he has gone independent, chasing his dreams like a cheetah chases prey, driven by the wasted years and the neglect. In the sixth song on the EP titled Robinhood, he summarized all he saw in that label in a line that goes thus: “Ndi kwesili I pass cup nwusii ka na hoard cup”, a line that must have taken him time to infuse in the song because of the kind of respect he has for Phyno. But respect is an award given to people for respecting themselves. 

Conclusively, we know that the stories of Legends are always read from the back: how did they end up? What did they do with all the power? How many people were beneficiaries of the light they carried? Now that Phyno’s career has taken a nosedive, when we talk about him tomorrow as an Ìgbò man, we will say that he was an exceptional rapper who could not pass the cup to thirsty younger ones. 

Bio: Obumneme Osuchukwu, formerly known as Mark Anthony doubles as a dibia by birth, writer by talent, and a circumstantial rebel. His writings have appeared/forthcoming on Pulse, Ynaija, Kalhari review, Black Boy review, Ngiga review. He tweets @markosuchukwu

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