For Habeeb Ademola Uthman AKA Obama DMW, the CEO of Obama Music Worldwide, surviving and making waves in the fiercely competitive Nigerian entertainment industry doesn’t come on a platter of gold.
The record label boss who fell in love with entertainment in his pursuit for greener pastures in Canada opined that finding one’s feet in every endeavor is always a challenge, however he understood that at his teething stage and knew he wasn’t going into the easiest kind of venture.
“It wasn’t easy at the early stage of my career. I actually don’t want to brag about being prepared for all the challenges coming my way but I always make sure that before I attempt any move, I have it at the back of my mind that there would always be challenges. This has been my long-lasting secret of overcoming challenges. I know they will always come,” he said.
As a record label CEO who manages artistes, Obama DMW sees these lapses as stumbling block in music business, “What I have seen as a stumbling block in talent management is lack of patience. Success in the music business is not an overnight event; it takes a lot of patience when investing in a talent, putting in work and expecting outcomes. A lot of resources are deposited in the making of a successful artist, all of which will not immediately yield returns for you. So, an impatient person has the most to lose” he noted.
Now an authority in the Nigerian music industry, home and diaspora, the Lagos State born entrepreneur gave out the list of veterans he admire for their hard works.
“Late Fela Kuti, Sunny Ade, Shina Peters, Ebenezer Obey and Lagbaja are my mentors. They all put in hard work and that’s why Afrobeat is where it is today,” he added.
