Did You Know

DYK? Did you know that Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” was the first music video by a Black artist to air on MTV? Backstory: When MTV (Music Television) launched in 1981, it was exclusive to rock music video by white artists. This deliberate discrimination and reluctance to post Black artists by the TV network brought them the wrath of public opinion and the music industry. Micheal Jackson’s “Billie Jean” was the Messiah. Billie Jean was a gem. Coming not only with a groundbreaking musical innovation but also with a very high quality video that bests short films, it was just impossible to downplay. Hence, breaking the race barrier set by MTV who initially refused to air the video but eventually bent the knee due to immense pressure from the popularity of the song and CBS Records’ President, Walter Yetnikoff. This ordeal aided the video to become a massive hit and pushed the album Thriller  to become the best-selling album of all time while also paving the way for other Black artists including Prince and Whitney Houston to also get aired on the network. Michael did not only break records, but he also broke barriers! Stay Creative, Stay Hungry! @Alaro Basit 

Milli Vanilli’s Revoked Grammy Here’s the full story behind the Grammy Award that was taken back! In 1990, the Grammy Award for Best New Artist won by the German-French pop duo, Milli Vanilli, made up of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan for their hit album “Girl You Know It’s True” was revoked when it was revealed by their producer, Frank Farian, that the artists didn’t sing a single song on the album as the vocals were performed by session singers while the duo lip-synced during live performances & music videos. As a result, the Recording Academy revoked their award for the first and only time in history and the duo consequently got dropped by their label. Public opinion also turned sharply against them, causing them an irreparable career damage. Ever since, Rob and Fab had made several attempts to revive their music career by dropping music with their actual voices but all proved futile before the tragic death of Rob in 1998 at the age of 32. Stay Authentic, Stay Creative! @Alaro Basit

Did You Know? Did you know that the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) was launched in 2013 by MultiChoice and Africa Magic to be one of Africa’s most prestigious entertainment awards. The AMVCA is often referred to as “Africa’s Oscars” as the award recognises achievement in film and the African storytelling prowess. The AMVCA red carpet is also something most fans look up to & alternatively call the “Met Gala of Africa”. Since it is guaranteed to feature Africa’s favourite stars in the entertainment industry in their best fits and intriguing costumes. Here are some other interesting facts about the AMVCA; Stay Informed, Stay Creative! @Alaro_Basit

DYK Read more: https://imjalifestyle.com/all-there-is-to-know-about-the-met-gala-2025/

The Billboard Charts Did you know the Billboard charts started in the 1930s, but the famous Billboard Hot 100 charts wasn’t in existence until August 4, 1958 when It became the first chart to combine sales, radio airplay, and later streaming data to become one of the most comprehensive music rankings in the world? Did you also know that the Billboard doesn’t just track the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 as there are over 100 different Billboard charts before them with each tailored to a specific genre, format, or metric? Few of the different Billboard Charts that exists are treated below: Genre-specific charts: These are charts that are specifically tailored down to specific genres. Examples include the Hot Country Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Rock & Alternative Airplay, and Latin Airplay. N.B: Another onus of interest from the Billboard Hot 100 that is worthy of attention is the list of artists with the most No.1 hits, and below goes the breakdown of the top 5! Stay Informed, Stay Creative! @Alaro Basit

What did the Afrobeats inherit from Jùjú Music? A significant thing the Afrobeats genre inherited from the traditional Jùjú music is the “Call-and-Response” vocal tradition. Peculiar to Jùjú music, the vibrant call-and-response tradition is one whereby the lead vocalist (usually the artist himself) presents a line or phrase known as the “Call”, while the backing vocalists (or sometimes, the audience) responds with a complementary phrase known as the “response“. This is now very common in contemporary Afrobeats as you can hear echoes of this in Afrobeats where lead artists frequently engage their background vocalists or audience during live performances & even within recorded tracks. What this does is that it gives the audience a participatory feel in the case of live performances and gives off a vibe of uniform energy and connection in recorded tracks. Afrobeats artists renowned for this include Burna Boy, Rema, Omah Lay, amongst others. Which other Afrobeats artist comes to mind after reading this? @Alaro Basit