by Wilfred Okiche

Forget the D’banj/Don Jazzy separation and all the brouhaha about who may or may not lose out.

On second thought don’t forget it, (how can you anyway?) just stop thinking about it for some minutes to remember these 5 other music superstar teams that hurt us with their eventual break up(s).

The Plantashion Boyz

They were pop music’s golden trio. With countless hit singles, back-to-back hit albums and members truly blessed with talent, the Boyz were meant to last forever or so we thought. Then in 2004, at the height of their popularity, lead singer 2face Idibia left the group to pursue a solo career and the rest, as they say is history. Faze also enjoys a successful solo career and appeared in the AMAA nominated film, ‘Alero’s Symphony’ last year. Blackface had a good run for a while too. They reunited briefly for an album of new material but it was never quite the same.

2face and Kennis Music

As 2face left the Plantashion Boyz, he signed up with the biggest record label at that time, Kennis Music and together, they made sweet music. After two successful albums, 2face was soon to find himself on the move again, this time to set up his own Hypertek label. He told Y! magazine last year he wanted to be his own ‘Kennis’ and while it was considered a risky move back then, he seems to have found his feet after some false starts.

Kennis Music and every other artist

And there were many of them: Eedris, Tony Tetuila, Azadus, OJB Jezreel, Rasqie at one point or the other called Kennis home and for a while, Kennis was the most powerful label in the country. Then the mass exodus began. Some left quietly, some made a ruckus. There were accusations and there were counter allegations. Some artists succeeded, others did not, but one thing remains certain, Kennis Music lost its strong hold on the industry and it has not been the same since.

Mo’Cheddah and Knighthouse

The budding rapper/singer surprised all earlier this year, when she left Knighthouse crew; the nest that had nurtured her talent and presented her to the world after only one album. It remains to be seen what direction she takes next and it is still early days yet to predict a winner or loser. But while they were climbing up that ladder, we all were rooting for them.

9ice and ID Cabasa

Now this one broke our hearts. After the seminal ‘Gongo Aso’ album, 9ice blew up exponentially, his marriage to Toni Payne went up in flames, his relationship with Rugged man degenerated and ID wasn’t feeling him no more. They both went their separate ways and while we loved 9ice’s  ‘Bashorun Gaa’ album, critics insist it is not the same deal without Cabasa.

Timaya and K-Solo

If you believe Timaya has not made a decent record since his sophomore joint, ‘The Gift and the Grace’, then it may be because he has not worked with the album’s mastermind K-Solo on a large-scale since. Their once superb relationship has dovetailed into a cold war, with the Egberipapa even alleging fraud on K-Solo’s part.

Did we miss anyone? Let us know in the comment box.