4 Asa vs Question Mark Records
“I’m talking to you jailer … stop calling me a prisoner …”
Those were not just lyrics in a song. They were meant for Kevin Luciano, CEO of the defunct Question Mark Records, Asa’s former record label. But how did it all begin?
In 2002, Asa entered the maiden edition of Star Quest but did not make it past the prelim round. She went on to develop a working relationship with Cobhams Asuquo who became Question Mark’s in-house music producer and together they made her first major single – Eye Adaba. This launched her career, and some will say, the Question Mark label. The relationship did not last though. Alleging threat to her life by Kevin Luciano, and claiming the label was trying to sign her onto a foreign deal without her consent, Asa left them in 2006, without releasing an album. Question Mark retaliated by claiming she was bound to them by contract, and that they had rights over her materials. They claimed they had spent over N14million on her, bought her a car and housed her, but were yet to get their money back. They released her songs in an album titled The Captivator but that did not stop Asa from moving to France, where she signed a multi-million-naira deal with Naïve, a French record label. In 2007, she released her official self-titled debut album, and it featured some of the songs in the previously released The Captivator.
The beef will go on for a while. In 2012, Asa called Question Mark criminals on Twitter, after an album titled “Down on Me” was released. She sought legal action and even though sales did not stop immediately, promotions for the album did not continue.
In the end, Asa is huge in Nigeria and Europe, while the label has shut down.
5 Soul E vs Colossal Entertainment
Remember “Soul E baba dey here …”? That song was a monster hit in 2006 /2007 – not only because it was a different kind of groovy sound, but because of the level of airplay it had on radio and TV. If you know how these things work, you’ll know that the record label must have spent a fortune on Soul E’s production and promotions. His public image was also well taken care of as he was seen as the fresh boy everybody loved.
Then all of a sudden, Soul E decided to get married to Queen Ure, and after the wedding, he issued a press statement saying he was quitting Colossal Entertainment. Apparently, his wife – a much older and richer woman – pushed him to drop the label, so she could become his sponsor. But Colossal rejected Soul E’s ‘resignation’. They issued a statement to radio and TV stations and banned them from playing Soul E’s songs. They took the crooner to court, claiming the contract he signed in 2005, stated that he will release 6 albums under Colossal Records, and so many other things which the singer agreed to. They also claimed they had picked him up from the streets, spent millions on branding him, making him a star, but had not gotten returns. They claimed that even the name Soul E was their trademark and he had no right to use it.
The record label eventually won the case, and a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the singer to pay Colossal the sum of N168million and five more albums to complete their agreement. And unless Soul E pays Colossal that money and give them the 5 albums, he can never perform on stage again as Soul E.
Has he paid? We don’t know. What we know is that he has since parted ways with Queen Ure (a union he says he regrets), and has become a Prophet and Gospel artiste.
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