Afrobeats star Emeka Akumefule, professionally known as Blaqbonez electrified the crowd with an energetic performance at the ‘Back to the Root (Blaqbonez OAU Homecoming)’ concert held at the Afrika Amphitheatre on Thursday, November 6th, turning the venue into a fun-filled and spirited arena.
The concert was organised by the Director of Socials and Culture of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Students’ Union, Hado, in a bid to promote the campus entertainment spirit and ‘raise the social bar’.
The show, which was slated to begin at 4:00 pm, started around 6:00 pm, with the Masters of Ceremony (MCs) engaging the audience with rib-cracking interactions prior to that time. A lineup of MCs like MC TalkTalk, MC D’Blaq, MC Smith, Diamond Goodswill and Teju Live kept the scene vibrant and the crowd responsive.
To set the atmosphere for Blaqbonez’s performance, over 20 OAU artists showcased their talents in the hall, allowing for visibility and an introduction to the freshers of artists on campus. Artists who performed included OUT1S Papa, Richie Posh, Dorae, OPY, Nify Dray, Galladix, Pheezy, Ewa, Solonova, IBK, Dance Dynamite, ADJ, Cosy, G-Dave, Maka, Bpop, Cezie and many more. Most of the entertainers gave stellar performances, sending the audience into a frenzy with track after track of melodious hits.
Arriving on stage at approximately 10:07 pm, Blaqbonez set the sonic pace for the rest of the night. Performing hit tracks like Back in Uni, Nati, Despacito, Like Ice Spice, and several tracks from his newly released album No Excuses, the fans buzzed with energy as he threw them into a state of elation. He expressed admiration for the crowd as he reminisced on how campus entertainment was when he was a student at OAU.
In an interview with a few attendees, an InFocus News Agency correspondent reported that they made comments about how thrilling the concert was and how it was a memorable experience.
Oba Solomon, a part 2 student of the Department of International Relations remarked that it would be worthwhile to attend more events like this in the future. ‘The event was nice and I’d like to attend more events like this one on campus. I can’t really say for off-campus, though. We’ll see how it goes.’
Additionally, Pemmybabs (part 4), from the Department of Economics expressed her admiration for Blaqbonez and his art. ‘The concert was nice and I enjoyed myself. I actually love Blaqbonez’s performance. He’s my fave.’
On the contrary, some students had dissenting opinions about the show. ‘The show was exciting and I truly enjoyed myself. However, I was expecting, at least, one of the other artists that were featured on the publicity poster to perform but none of them showed up,’ said Ibukunoluwa. Her comment posed the possibility of whether the lineup on the publicity poster was a ruse to attract a crowd to the event or not.
Some of the brands that sponsored the event included Fanat, Finger Chops, OAU Parrot, Artlas, Luxury Kitchen, MTN, Biggie Concepts, Leeyah’s Kitchen, Eny’s Glam Studio, among others.
In conclusion, the Back to the Roots concert was a night that brought about a much-needed dose of entertainment. From the performances of OAU artists to Blaqbonez’s, the night was a celebration of diverse talents in the entertainment space.