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One year after, D’Banj celebrates CREAM platform

By Chuks Nwanne
14 October 2017   |   3:49 am
It was a time too that I wanted to reach out to those talents in Ogbomosho, Langtang and everywhere else who could not come to Lagos to achieve their dreams but have the talent and passion to do music.”

D’banj at the media briefing for the first anniverssary of CREAM platform in Lagos

Doles Out Millions To Subscribers

One year after the launch of his innovative digital talent hunt platform CREAM (Creative Reality Entertainment Arts Music), Koko Master D’Banj seems to be in a celebration mood. Obviously, the venture paid off for the entertainer, who appears to be more business minded these days.

Held at the Renaissance Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, the singer’s excitement is understandable. One of Nigeria’s most successful music stars of all time, D’banj hinted that he conceived the CREAM idea because, “I was being inundated right, left and centre by people who wanted to ‘blow’. It was a time too that I wanted to reach out to those talents in Ogbomosho, Langtang and everywhere else who could not come to Lagos to achieve their dreams but have the talent and passion to do music.”

He added, “I wanted a platform that can help find creative talent from anywhere in Africa and give them a fair chance of making their creative dreams come true, from the comfort of their homes.”

CREAM, thus, started with a mission to offer a veritable platform for uncut musical talents across the country to have their songs recorded and released, shoot musical videos for deserving up and comers and help unknowns secure collaboration with established acts. At the outset in September 2016, there were only a few hundreds of tentative subscribers on the platform.

By July 2017, D’Banj revealed that the CREAM platform had grown into a staggering 2million subscriber base and is now worth an estimated $100million. He made this declaration late July with an Instagram post, stating, “7:7:17; a dream that started on paper and went live today exactly a year ago, to help CREATIVE talents find their Dreams across Nigeria.”

He stated further, “A year later, it has become the channel that I was looking for in 2012. It has gotten a Global Label Distribution Deal for my people (African Talents) to birth the Label @DCREAMRECORDS and has just been valued above a US$100 million Dollars. I’m so humbled; just want to thank God, my family, my FANs, ACS, critics and my partners. And, I want to tell you, no matter what, believe in God and believe in yourself!”

While the first set of beneficiaries on the platform were Rayce, TK Swag, MKJ, Leke Benson and Legend Courage, the lives of many other subscribers have altered dramatically with cash prizes ranging from N50, 000 to N1million during the monthly draws.

He also used the occasion of the anniversary to dispel insinuations that CREAM is a scam. “I have a great team of judges and A n R, which includes Godwin Tom and Harrysong, Ice Prince, Wande Coal, to help mentor the artistes we are bringing on board. So, it’s not a lottery platform, the lottery part of it is just an added incentive. The winners are usually chosen by judges so even if I help the artistes shoot a video, they still need to make money, look good and move around, and for those who have already received their money, they know it is not a scam.”

At the one-year anniversary event, different winners drawn from across the country were presented their cheques. Speaking on the challenge of the initiative, D’banj, whose new album, King Don Come, is already a chart-force, said the widespread distrust among Nigerians makes some winners doubt even their own winnings.

“Some people have been registering on the CREAM platform and winning prizes ranging from a million naira to N50, 000, but I noticed that whenever we call the artistes to inform them of winning huge amounts of money, they become scared and don’t bother coming to claim their prizes, it is understandable because of the present situation of the country. They think it is a scam, they think it’s unreal, but I am here to tell you that it is not a scam, I have invited them here for you to see,” he said.

Meanwhile, keen observers of the showbiz industry will attest to the fact that a lot has changed in the life of popular hip-hop artiste. Beyond being an entertainer, the Kokomaster seems to have left the ‘show’ side of the entertainment industry to concentrate more on the ‘business’ of it, with the intent of support young talents.

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