LETTER TO MR JUDE ABAGA (MI)

When the news broke that diminutive rapper, MI is ready to dabble into movie, eye brows were raised, tongues keep wagging and fingers failed to stop pressing those buttons of our cell phones to confirm directly from him or his close associates over what could led the rapper in making such decision.
Towards the end of September, the news of the rapper ditching music for acting in Nollywood emanated from his label. This however ended speculations allegedly planted by same label and the stance of the
rapper. The release went as far as telling us that the artiste “jet out to Los Angeles last week to take shots on scenes from his forthcoming debut performance in the action movie which he is cast in”. The implication of this information, as now confirmed by his publicist, is that there would be a delay in releasing the rapper’s anticipated sophomore album previously scheduled for a September/October release.
Different questions were being asked from different quarters asking why the Short Black Boy had to give up music in such a very short time of hitting it big in the music industry. Some believe this move is
just a publicity stunt to herald the arrival of his second album. Some of his predecessors like Tunde & Wunmi Obey (TWO) have tried similar stunts only to debunk over and over after a while and then release the next album. In the process, they occupy media space before announcing the next album release and then we find out it’s been a calculated move to stay talked about.
Mr Jude Abaga was a breath of fresh air when he came to us. He was quickly tagged ‘the rappers’ rapper’ by music pundits as he dominated the rap scene, just before introducing his brother – Jesse Jagz and
other protégées to the stage. Now only a few weeks to the hyped release of his follow up album titled ‘M.I 2’, news of a tentative career switch breaks from his camp. So I ask; is Mr Jude Abaga about to set a record as his label’s trying to make us believe? Or is this propaganda from another artiste, to keep us talking about him or appealing for his kind of music?
We’ve seen a number of Nollywood artistes dabble in and out of music: from Cossy Orjiakor, to Genevieve Nnaji, Jim Iyke and then Omotola who launched her second album where a table was sold for N1m each. Some recording artistes have also made a few appearances in Nolywood flicks – the likes of 9ice, Pasuma, Osupa and Jaywon to mention a few, but none of these artistes ever sacrificed their singing careers for one
in Nollywood nor confirmed such speculations when made. What if he’s truly taking a break for  Nollywood, can he be Nigeria’s Denzel Washington, Ving Rhames or others? Is he ready to compete with
the likes of Ramsey Noah, Segun Arinze, Saheed Balogun and the rest as he did years back in the music industry? Or is he trying to bow out when the ovation is loud (I doubt if it’s still loud). If yes, what’s going to happen to the career that catapulted him into lime-light?