Thread by @GodwinTom

I want to tell you guys a story about how it all started #10YearsALearner #10YALpodcast

In 2008, I worked as a PR and marketing executive at an event and image consulting company in VI and I was treated well. But I wanted more. I wanted a bigger challenge so I told Kely dear friend and inspiration @iamtheOsagie #10YearsALearner #10YAL

@iamtheOsagie 2 weeks later.. I got a call from @iamtheOsagie and that was the beginning of an adventure…

O: Hey Godwin. Are you still bored?
Me: lol… You have something for me?
O: Would you like to manage an artist?
me: Who?
O: His name is MI
me: ok… send music

#10YearsALearner

@iamtheOsagie I can’t remember if she sent the message the same day but when she eventually sent it… She sent me Crowd Mentality and Chant Down Babylon. I was blown away. I called her and told her I want to meet him… A meeting was arranged at the Silverbird Galleria #10YearsALearner

@iamtheOsagie Our first meeting was weird… @MI_Abaga was really looking for an assistant cos he already had a manager @d_angrymob and I am grateful to God that Osagie miscommunicated lmao… So Our meeting was a product of misinformation. #10YearsALearner

@iamtheOsagie @MI_Abaga @d_angrymob Another meeting was scheduled around the 21st of September at @silverbirdgalleria and while I was more concerned if @MI_Abaga could afford to pay me, he said something that made me realize what I was getting myself into #10YearsALearner

@iamtheOsagie @MI_Abaga @d_angrymob @MI_Abaga said to me… “Dude… I am 27. I don’t have a degree. I can’t get a job at a bank. I am the first son. Responsibilities are piled. If this doesn’t work, I am fucked”

It hit me… This is not a joke. This is real. I went back to work and then home #10YearsALearner

@iamtheOsagie @MI_Abaga @d_angrymob I got home and couldn’t sleep. I must have composed 4 text messages saying I was not interested. This was the adventure I was looking for but the gravity of failure was too much. I was 21. This was a huge responsibility and its either you are fully in or out #10YearsALearner

@iamtheOsagie @MI_Abaga @d_angrymob I didn’t sleep that night… I walked into the office the next day… sat on my desk for over an hour and wrote my resignation letter. It was the scariest thing. But I did it. 1 month later after the handing over period was done. I joined @d_angrymob #10YearsALearner

@iamtheOsagie @MI_Abaga @d_angrymob Now @d_angrymob is a G! I learnt so much from him. Obinna had the street on lock. He had access to DJs… OAPs… You needed to see Obinna work. And you couldn’t tell Obinna @MI_Abaga wasn’t the shit and the toilet! him fit beat you that year for misyarning #10YearsALearner

@iamtheOsagie @MI_Abaga @d_angrymob @d_angrymob taught me how to maneuver the industry. Very blunt guy but he was the biggest @mi_abaga supporter EVER! Obinna also had and still has an ear for good music and he is blunt… I needed to be his friend. #10YearsALearner

@iamtheOsagie @MI_Abaga @d_angrymob At the time @MI_Abaga lived in one of the rooms in @DJINEE’s 3 bedroom house in Palmgrove… So the studio, the living room, the bedroom was THAT room. The first day MI invited me and played music. I never wanted to leave. I was blown away #10YearsALearner

As we continued... things got a little tougher. Transportation became difficult and I would sometimes stay at @DJINEE’s house until morning cos... no transport lol. But we were determined. #10YearsALearner

I must say this... at the time @MI_Abaga was recording the #TalkAboutIt Album, he already had 2 albums in the works, one of it was an album called #ONE

Guys! I would work for MI for free if he decides to release that album. Genius!!!!! #10YearsALearner

It’s such a massively creative album that no one was allowed to have it lol... @MI_Abaga once mistakenly burned it onto an empty cd and as it came out he broke the cd... yup! It was that serious 😂 #10YearsALearner

Hanging out with @MI_Abaga @Jessejagz and @Iceprincezamani was musical heaven. I had Never experiences anything like that... and I used to rap. This was something else. It was amazing. #10YearsALearner

When @MI_Abaga released safe... no one antipated the feedback we got. It was massive. The video shoot was at @bodylawson studios in Ikeja. The trips ehn... so we get True Religion jeans (Aba version) and then we needed a white V neck shirt. #10YearsALearner

Guys... I looked for this thing down to Palmgrove bus stop from Ikeja and took okada back to the studio. We had nothing but we were ready to do the work. Everything legal to make this work. The video was a hit. Everyone sang alone #10YearsALearner

@MI_Abaga enjoyed walking out to buy food or tooth paste etc himself... but as Safe got more popular it got harder. It got worse when we released the album #TalkAboutIt Things were changing and I was about to experience something new. Being around fame. #10YearsALearner

@d_angrymob eventually left. What I never said to him which I will say now was bro... you made it look easy. I realised more and more how difficult this job was... is. @MI_Abaga went from buying his own food to having issues going to the movies. Famous. #10YearsALearner

So we were getting famous but the money didn’t match... @Audu had a plan. I remember @MTVBaseAfrica MAMAs In 2008. Audu introduced me to @cecilhammond and I thought he snubbed me. He didn’t. He was working. #10YearsALearner

When @mi_abaga released #TalkAboutIt was around the same period @wandecoal’s #Mushin2Mohits album dropped. 2 epic albums. But we didn’t have the kind of budget Mohits had... but we no gree MI and Wande headlined almost every show in 2009! #10YearsALearner

First was the Glo tour then Etisalat easy click tour... I saw first hand the power of collaboration. Me, Nana (@wandecoal manager at the time), @eLDeeTheDon and Sola, Tunde who managed @thereal_ZEEZ at the time, @segundemuren or @BankyW

#10YearsALearner

Talking about @BankyW the first day we met was on a trip to Jos and he found it very funny that I had 2 first names... he made a lot of jokes... A lot! 😂 #10YearsALearner

I remember our first paid London show... #NotsAndSwags @MI_Abaga I think that was our first 1M Naira show. 😂😂 I was running around so much I missed my flight... jumped on a Qatar flight no thanks to a lying staff and missed the whole show 😂😂😂 #10YearsALearner

That’s when I met @IamBellaKush Kemi and the girls and made some new friends. I walked in Primak and thought I bought the store 😂😂😂😂 #10YearsALearner

On that London trip I met @DJABASS @AyoShonaiya and many other people who became mentors and advisers. People I coupled and admired. #10YearsALearner

The Notes and Swag event was organised by Mr 24 himself Mr. Eyitayo (pls tag him... I only have his Instagram handle) #10YearsALearner

2009 was the year everything really changed... will be back to tell that story in a bit! #10YearsALearner

In 2009, I truly understood the meaning of travelling... by 2008, I had only flown 2ice in my life... with @MI_Abaga we were travelling almost every week. Sometimes, 3 shows in 2 days. One time we did PH to Abuja back to PH in one day. Madness! #10YearsALearner

Everything was going great! Then I got an offer. A job offer. I was 22. The offer was more money than I had ever been offered before. I called @Audu and he said “You should take it...” but I think I hurt @MI_Abaga and to be honest. I was I didn’t take that job #10YearsALearner

I remember @Audu @Y_A_H_A_Y_A Paul and @MI_Abaga praying for me and @MohChoc in Kenya after MI had just won 2 awards at the 2009 MAMAs. I came back to Lagos and took the job... and quit on the first day. But things were no longer the same #10YearsALearner

2009 also taught how some agencies made money... too much money. But I also saw how they cheated so many of us. It was crazy... shout out @eLDeeTheDon he called some people out 😂

December 2009 was my first experience of the December rush... there were days we did 3 shows and had to be up to do 2 the next day. That was the y at I kicked into over drive #10YearsALearner

Let me tell you guys about 2010!!! #10YearsALearner

So 2010.. I met @ShowDemCamp @kingluu through Bobby Taylor... in 2009 Bobby handle PR for @MI_Abaga and we fought a couple times but Bukky has always had my back. Still does. Shout out Femi Ogundipe and Tolu Williams Banana Island days were epic #10YearsALearner

@ShowDemCamp @kingluu had too much music... as in Hip hop. Dope hip hop. I was excited to meet them then they started playing music... from mixtape songs to original songs. We had to put them all out! I had heard of SDC before... #10YearsALearner

When I was @MI_Abaga’s manager, he came home one and talked about a song he had just recorded. He talked about his verse on a song. it was a song called #Dreamer
By the time they shot that video, I was @ShowDemCamp @kingluu manager. Life is interesting isn’t it #10YearsALearner

I copied EVERY SDC song I found. By 2010, @ShowDemCamp @kingluu we’re already 10 years in... don’t play with the OGs guys! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 #10YearsALearner

I’m gonna tell you guys what @ShowDemCamp and FEMI Ogundipe did to me once... nah... I won’t tell that brownie story. Not today! One day sha #10YearsALearner

Management became friendship and for me and @ShowDemCamp @kingluu it’s beyond the business. It’s #SDCOrBang!!! #10YearsALearner

Also in 2010, I got a call from @ToolzO about her friend she wanted me meet. Toolz had always supported me and client so I didn’t hesitate to say yes to a meeting... the Artiste’s name was @airismusic #10YearsALearner

That relationship lasted a little less than a year but #WithoutYou was gradually becoming one of the biggest songs that year... we had some funds to push but @airismusic was very diligent with money. #10YearsALearner

I travelled across this country pushing that song... it was amazing while it lasted #10YearsALearner

In the same year, I met @rooftopmcs and I learnt and saw first hand the hypocrisy of the church in connection with gospel musicians. There is controversial story and some Christians will come for me but I was 8 years ago ange so chill #10YearsALearner

There was a church in Surulere that invited @rooftopmcs for a performance. So I went to discuss. The Pastor was so offended. It’s God’s work so why should they be charging?

#10YearsALearner

I asked the Pastor if he knew these men have families and fruit baskets and handshakes wouldn’t feed them.

He insisted this was the work of God and that we should support the ministry. My next suggestion raise hell #20YearsALearner

So what I said to the pastor was... “Ok if you can’t pay, let’s split the offering for that nights event. That way you are not paying any upfront fee”

He did not find it funny... I wasn’t joking. We didn’t do that show #10YearsALearner

But we thank God for #Lagimo several times I would be in the club and Lagimo a gospel song would come on and the entire club would be singing alone with Henny and Champagne on their tables ... I have indeed experienced some amazing things #10YearsALearner

2011 was not a great year for me. It started in the worse way and that was the year I got arrested for facilitating a booking... part of the reason I never vouch for people but that’s a story for another day #10YearsALearner

In 2011, I did not do any work for 3 months... paid for internet for 3 months and just watched tv and stayed and fought demons of depresssion. Dark times #10YearsALearner

Then I got a call from @cecilhammond about a company called Black Diamond Promotions and the investors were looking for someone to run it. A few weeks later I started work there and the first artist signed was @iam_Davido cc @AsaAsika #10YearsALearner

Black Diamond Promotions was how I met @TosinAshafa who became a big brother and a mentor and was instrumental to me starting my workshops which has led me here #10YearsALearner

The relationship between @iam_Davido and Black Diamond Promotions didn’t go on for too long but we all knew Davido was as a star! He knew it too! #10YearsALearner

After Black Diamond Promotions @cecilhammond asked me to come join FlyTime Promotions as Head Of Operations for the company. I had started writing and things were going ok. I worked for Flytime for a few months and started thinking of my next moves. #10YearsALearner

While I worked with Flytime @OfficialWaje had spoken to me about management. I had no plans to come back to management. A few months later at club I met her agin and she and I quote

“I asked you to manage me and you don’t want to do it abi? Come and do all the things you write”

I didn’t say anything but challenge accepted... a few months later @OfficialWaje @ifeanyiiruobe and I were at @TerraKulture having a meeting... a week or 2 later she became my client

A few months after @OfficialWaje and I started working I got the call from @wizkidayo

I remember exactly where I was. The first thing I did after I got off the call was to call @iamtheOsagie 😂

#10YearsALearner

There is so much to say about my work with @wizkidayo but it was an honour. Very few work that hard. He recorded everywhere he went. Something I have only seen VERY few artist do. #10YearsALearner

One @wizkidayo story almost got me fired... long story short. Wiz was coming into Dubai to meet me. And I slept off before he landed and didn’t tell him he could get a free ride as a business class passenger. #10YearsALearner

When I woke up I thought “well it was a pleasure managing Wiz” 😂😂😂

He was livid! He yelled and by the time he got to the @WaldorfAstoria in Dubai we just started laughing with each other. #10YearsALearner

Everything changed after Wiz and I stopped working... it was the defining moment in my career... I knew but more then ever it be ame clear. No one cares about me. They care about the artists. So I decided.. I am going to become more valuable #10YearsALearner

But the most defining moment in my career was when my lawyers told me to shut down my company. Things I never bothered to think about would come to bite me soon... #10YearsALearner

That was when it hit me... at this point, I had spent 8 years building building a career but I HAD NOT BUILT A BUSINESS!!! This is why I am doing this! #10YearALearner

No one taught us coming into this business and while we thought we were doing great, we could have done better. So the ones to come MUST DO BETTER!

This is what #10YearsALearner is about... building a platform to inform and educate

And I am glad the first person I am doing this podcast series with is the person I started with @MI_Abaga

Join us at the Silverbird Galleria right now... we are here! #10YearsALearner